#i have something coming that was marked ''out for delivery'' Saturday and is now marked ''at fedex facility''. hm

[lovesodeepandwideandwell]

I want to love and support postal service workers during this stressful time. And I do. However it's hard when they do some things

[ihavethedreamies]

Cherry | Juicy Fruit | Haechan

Lee Donghyuck (Haechan - NCT Dream)

Rating: M (18+) MDNI

Word Count: ~2.2k

Pairing: Haechan x AFAB!Reader

Genre: Reader-Insert, Smut, Established Relationship, Porn without Plot

!!This is smut…if that much isn't clear you should probably leave now!! MDNI!

Warnings: She/Her Pronouns used, Swearing, Kissing, Oral (F! Receiving), Couch Sex, Unprotected Sex (Don’t!!)

Summary: It all started with a cherry stem…

Author's Note: This series was supposed to be of drabbles, but as you can see by the word count, that didn't happen.

This is only vaguely based off of Smoothie…I say this because I got the idea for a fruit theme, but past that its unrelated.

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🍉 Mark 🍉

🍇 Renjun 🍇

🍌 Jeno 🍌

🍑 Jaemin 🍑

🍓 Chenle 🍓

🍍 Jisung 🍍

I am cross-posting this on Archive and Wattpad. Please reblog! If you know anyone that would like this or future fics but they aren't on here my name and icon are exactly the same on the other sites. Happy reading!

"Do cherries come from the same trees as the flowers?" Your boyfriend was holding one of the red fruits by the stem. It spun back and forth in the air with prompting from his finger tips, another one being chewed in his mouth. You could hear the pit clacking against his teeth as he sucked it clean.

"I don't think so…" You wondered what prompted the question, only briefly glancing up from your phone at him. You were sitting at your kitchen table to eat. You had been looking over the different delivery menus, spread across the surface and you were scrolling through your phone to see who was open. Not only was it past normal meal hours, which was normally not too much of an issue, it was some kind of political holiday that only old people cared about. The only problem was that most of the people that would make the food you wanted were said old people. It was also more of something for families, not young couples who did a lot of the baby-making practice but with not desired end product.

"Okay, this place is only open for fifteen more minutes so they're out." You took the noodle menu off the table, placing it on the discard stack.

"Anything else look good or do we need to go to the convenience store?" You asked and when he didn't reply, you slammed your hand down to get his attention. He startled and his wide eyes were really very cute, but you would never admit it out loud, even in private with just him. While you loved him to pieces, you were very reluctant to voice it. After trying to say he was annoying for so many years, you were loath to admit you didn't hate him. You never did, you were just in denial about how much you liked him despite your harsh words. He saw through it.

"Donghyuck!" You scolded and he blinked.

"What?" He emphasized the vowel, and you rolled your eyes. His shocked face softened to a smug grin as he watched you watch him put the next cherry in his mouth, the other pit still in his cheek. His tongue wrapped around the red orb as he took it between his lips, and you shook your head to pull your attention away. He huffed in amusement, you were such a tsundere.

"What are we having for supper? I only got snacks and stuff…" You poked the container holding the cherries. You had planned on eating out or getting delivery, but the stupid holiday interfered with your regular Saturday night plans.

"We could have each other." Donghyuck smirked, chewing the last bits of fruit off the pit before rolling the two around his open mouth playfully. He knew your eyes were not just on his face, but specifically his tongue. You swallowed hard and your eyebrows furrowed, mouth open to scold him again. He let the pits fall out of his mouth and onto the paper plate where the rest of them laid and his smug look turned bored.

"Idiot." You clicked your tongue, face pink, "I need actual food."

"Hm, you might, but I could just eat you?" He winked and your let out a disgusted grunt, getting up from the table and moving to leave the apartment and head down the street.

"(Y/N), wait!" He cooed at you, skipping to follow you. When you started to wiggle your foot to slip it into your sneaker, he kneeled down to tie his. You struggled to get the shoe on without untying it, so he leaned forward to help you get them on. The sweet gesture made your cheeks warm further, but you didn't say anything, so he helped you get the other on. He stood back up with a hop, still taller than you even though he was standing on the lowered part of the floor by the door.

"Ready, milady~?" He held his arm out for you to link with, but you just mumbled something and walked past him and out. Your boyfriend sighed dramatically but followed after you still. You always made up for your dismissive behavior after he railed you into the next morning, turning affectionate and playful. He continued to try and seduce you through the not subtle act of aegyo, and you kept shoving him away, especially as you walked down the road. Donghyuck held the door open for you as you entered the convenience store. The inside was just as dead as the streets, and it felt nearly surreal. You each shopped around a bit, and he got nearly twice as much food as you, and for some reason he felt the need to buy everything he could find that was cherry flavored.

"You know none of this stuff tastes like actual cherries, right?" you asked, watching him place the different candies and sweets down. The only thing you would actually consume was the cherry flavored cola he got as well.

"I know. That's what the actual cherries are for." He pointed out like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Not wanting to admit it even in your own head, the blank look he gave you was just as cute as everything else he did. It pissed you off a bit that he was so endearing. The tired cashier told you your price and your boyfriend had his card in the reader before you could even pull yours out. He took all of the bags as well and you opened the door for him that time.

"Did you need to buy all of that?" You grumbled, eyeing the five bags he was carrying.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Curiosity." He answered after donning a pondering look.

"Okay." You rolled your eyes, not caring enough to delve further into that line of questioning.

"Did you get everything cherry flavored?"

"Not everything…"

"What did you leave behind, cough syrup?"

"The condoms." He stated simply and you halted for a beat, then jogged to catch up.

"Why not?" You finally relented to ask. He tossed you a coy look, "they didn't have the right size." You halted a step but conceded his point and jogged to catch back up. When you finally got back to the apartment, he put the bags on the coffee table, and you grabbed your meal to heat it up in the microwave. As you plugged in the numbers, Hyuck came up behind you, wrapping his arms around your middle.

"What?" you asked flatly, and he whined pathetically, resting his cheek on the side of your head.

"Can't I hug my girlfriend?" You didn't reply to his question, so he took that as the go ahead to continue. As he smelled your food as it got done, he realized how famished he was and hurried to make his own. Some random variety show played on the TV while you both ate, he devoured twice as much food as you did in nearly half the time. Once you were both done and everything was cleaned up, he laid out all the cherry candies and snacks, as well as some real ones.

"We shall judge them for quality." He motioned broadly and you sat next to him at the coffee table. Hyuck was a bit surprised at how close you willingly sat, pressed to his side. You were warming up. You started to sort through them, pushing the ones you refused to try to the side.

"You need to have the full picture to make an informed decision." He told you with false condescension. He sniffed and picked up the first packet to rip it open. The fake cherry scent hit your nose and you sneered, reaching over the table to grab a real one. As you chewed, he started in on the candy and his face twisted, putting the bag down and grabbing a fruit himself. You pulled the pit from your mouth and set it on your napkin from supper and he did the same.

"Can you tie a knot with your tongue?" He held up one of the stems and you hummed.

"I don't know, I haven't tried." You took it from him, and he plucked another one off a cherry for himself.

"Let's see who can do it faster." He decided and you nodded in agreement and you both watched the other as you took the stems into your mouths. You focused hard, trying to maneuver the little piece with your tongue into the right configuration, but it was no use. When you almost choked on it, you pulled it out, nose crinkled.

"Nope." You turned to look at him and he stuck his tongue out at you, the tied stem resting on the surface

"How the heck!?" You grabbed the little stem from where it laid, looking it over.

"Want me to show you?" His tone had deepened, but you were too confused to register it.

"Yeah!" You turned to watch, not expecting his mouth to connect to yours. Your shocked inhalation allowed his tongue entry and you wanted to fight, but you also really didn't. Hyuck smirked into the kiss as you let out a tiny mewl, expertly twisting his tongue around yours. You moaned when he led you to straddle his lap, pushing the coffee table away with his foot. When you settled, his hands on your hips pushed you down, grinding your covered cunt over his hard cock. You whined, trying to pull back, but he held you still, sucking on your tongue so you couldn't easily pull back. He had a hard time not laughing when your entire body shuddered. Finally, he let you go, you leaned back, panting hard.

"Fucking hell-" Your fingers were clenching the fabric of his sweatshirt.

"I can do more than that~" He hummed playfully, and you blinked, "huh?" Your noise of question was followed by a yelp as he lifted you, setting you on the couch behind him, turning to he faced you. Another tug brought your butt to the edge of the cushion, and he took advantage of your surprise to yank your shorts and panties off without hinderance.

"H-Hyuck~!" You whimpered when he instantly brought his skillful tongue to your cunt, wriggling it inside, nose hitting your clit. You sighed shakily, legs twitching when he hummed, the vibration ringing through him to you.

"Wait-" You tried to get him to stop, extremely embarrassed at your position and feeling weird about how fast he was bringing you to climax. You shuddered again as his tongue left your core, stroking up through your folds to flick your clit. Your eyes were closed, so you didn't see his stupid grin right before he sucked on your clit hard. Hyuck's hands flew to your hips to hold them down as you came, helping you ride it out.

"Too bad I can't pop your cherry…" He mumbled, a little embarrassed at his stupid pun. You huffed in disbelief, having heard him perfectly fine even though he kind of hid it.

"Doesn't fucking matter, get inside me-" he had never heard you so impatient, but he was more than willing to abide. He removed your top as you helped him get rid of his own clothes, and your back barely hit the couch cushions before he was pressing into you. Even if you hadn't just came on his tongue, you were soaking wet, your gummy walls clenching desperately to his cock.

"Aw~ sweet girl~" He huffed in delight as your cunt quivered, getting used to the stretch and before you were fully acclimated, he started to move.

"Wait, Hyuck!" Your hands grabbed his shoulders. When he leaned over you move, he took your hands from him, holding them above your head with one of his. His lips hovered over yours, hips rolling slowly but hard, fat cock battering your back wall. You practically cried when he kissed you again, tongue reentering your mouth to capture yours. You were helpless under him, sanity quickly leaving between his cock in your cunt and his tongue down your throat. When air was getting a bit low, he finally removed his mouth from yours, moving it to your jaw and down the column of your throat. You whimpered with each thrust, getting steadily faster and harder as he sucked your skin. His goal was to make the hickeys are red as the cherries you both had been eating earlier.

"Hyuck, I~" You couldn't get the rest of your sentence out. His hand had let go of your wrists, both of them going to your waist so he could shift positions. He sat back up move, hiking your hips up to arch your back and after an extremely practiced and hard thrust, he chuckled as you came again. He groaned at the tight flutter of your walls and couldn't help but fall over the edge himself. You whimpered when he finally let your legs and hips relax, not pulling out of you yet. With a tired gaze, you watched him reach and grab a bottle you hadn't noticed before from the coffee table, barely within reach. He popped the cap on the red container, an equally red substance spilling out and dripping over your skin. You shivered at the cold, and he licked his lips.

"Hmm… cherry flavored (Y/N)~"

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Master-Master List

NCT Master List

[asandreolli]

On Harold Klunder's Then And Now 21 November, 2024 – 11 January, 2025 Clint Roenisch Toronto

Around 2001, Harold Klunder had what turned out to be his last solo show at Sable-Castelli, the fabled underground lair of Jared Sable. His gallery had been one of the top spaces in Canada for decades but in his senior years a cloud of inertia seemed to have formed  around Sable and many artists consequently left. He abruptly closed his gallery soon afterwards, turning off the lights on a long and storied run of post-war contemporary art dealing in Toronto. I was the curator of a regional Ontario museum at the time and I saw Harold's show on its closing Saturday. Most of the paintings had sold. But one that I liked hadn't and I asked Jared about buying it. I sheepishly said I would have to make payments. He looked at me like being poor was among the more distasteful things you could be in life, but finally agreed. I asked him when we could arrange delivery. It was almost 5pm. Jared said, just take it off the wall. I had never agreed to spend that much money on art before so I found his waving-away gesture a bit deflating. No congrats on your acquisition. No handshake. No wrapping, in fact. I walked through Yorkville with the painting under my arm and the next day sent Harold a note to tell him how pleased I was. He was flattered and very kind.

Having shown with Sable for 27 years, Harold wanted to take his time, out of respect, before showing again anywhere in Toronto. When I was about to launch CRG in 2003 I reached out to begin a conversation. Harold came by the gallery and I think part of him found the old wood floor, the big storefront window on Queen West with the sun streaming in, the high tin ceiling, all of it refreshing after Sable's polished, subterranean gallery. Harold had his first solo with me in 2004 and it went well, everything sold and we got a half-page in the Globe. I was so grateful for his trust because, really, he could have shown anywhere in Toronto. Olga's cavernous space would have been such a natural fit. But we worked well together and I enjoyed his calm, gentle company. Studio visits to Flesherton and Montreal were as immersive as his paintings were. Now twenty years have passed since that first show, Harold's paintings are in every Canadian museum, from the VAG to the National to the AGNS, and Harold, at 81, is still painting with the same compulsion as the gangly teenager he was in 1962 when he painted the earliest work in this new show, Then And Now. I am grateful that things have worked out that I can provide much more space now than I was able to then on Queen, but still it's not enough. The show is purposely overhung (something I've studiously avoided since the beginning…) but it is overhung out of reverence. Reverence for Harold's dedication, for the materiality of the paint, and for the many ways Harold puts it down. Gary Michael Dault wrote that Harold's paintings "beggar language," meaning they tend to hit the subconscious before anything verbal can be articulated. In that regard, although the vast majority of Harold's paintings are labelled Self-Portraits, they are not often meant as physical likeness, but rather as evocations of interior states of being, like CT scans of an artist's emotional life as its chapters unfold through thick and thin. The first big painting you encounter in the show is Sacred And Profane Love (Self-Portrait III) from 1985-1986. Shot through with gnarled, turbulent episodes of violent thick paint, there remains none of the sumptuous, organized calm of Titian's version from 1514. Instead comes the urgency that characterized much of CoBrA's work from 1950. With Dutch origins (like Klunder), the CoBrA group argued for "Creation before theory; that art must have roots; materialism which begins with the material; the mark as a sign of wellbeing, spontaneity, experimentation: it was the simultaneity of these elements which created CoBrA."

To the right of the love that is both sacred and profane is a large, new diptych, itself hung over top of the mural Harold painted on the wall for his 2018 show. The diptych is titled Nessun Dorma ("none shall sleep"), the famous aria from the final act of Puccini's opera Turandot. "Vanish, oh night! Set, you stars! At dawn I will win!". We can imagine the painter, up late working alone, parrying with the canvas, building up gestures on gestures, solving a riddle. This diptych with its earthy hieroglyphics, reminds me of Paul Klee. The white flashes suggest a constellation gleaming through an impenetrable night. Frank Auerbach, the British-German painter that Harold deeply admired who died November 11th, once said, It seems to me madness to wake up in the morning and do something other than paint, considering that one may not wake up the following morning.

So it is with Klunder, painting comes first. To the left of None Shall Sleep is a strange, desert-like work, Little Egypt (The Quest For Certainty) from 1997 - 1998. An eye, appraising and alert, looks down on a cellular scene. A cartoon pyramid, painted like Guston might, looms on the horizon across from a pink portal. In between, a band of blue-purple, like the Red Sea, defines the middle. Harold has said that he makes paintings that he wants to look at, that he hasn't seen elsewhere. This eye conjures up a primordial being, perhaps the way a sea creature eyed up the beckoning shore 365 million years ago and envisioned a new life on land. Around the corner is the small 1962 abstraction painted when Harold was 19, halfway through his art education at Central Tech in Toronto. Borduas had died in Paris just two years prior and in 1962 a posthumous retrospective that originated at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts traveled to the National Gallery of Canada and the Art Gallery of Toronto. What I mean is, the atmosphere of post-war abstraction was thick in the air for the young Klunder then and it follows that he would have been enthralled by the freedom of its possibilities. But the biomorphic, Arp-like, quasi-figurative vocabulary of forms that Harold eventually became very well known for did not truly begin to surface until the early 80s (the 70s mostly given over to exploring the rising prominence of fast-drying acrylic paint).

Then And Now is anchored in the main gallery by Harold's magisterial, eighteen-foot triptych from 1986-87, Future, Present, Past (self-portrait). A blazing, molten, writhing journey that seems half oil paint, half solar flare, each panel a tectonic plate slowly crushing into its other. The many passages of bravura paint-handling reveal no hesitation, an impastoed story of time unfolding in fluid, back and forth waves of dynamic energy. Over the many decades that Harold has been painting his work has gone in and out of fashion and yet he presses on, untroubled, moving through time, true to his singular vision. A personal vision that is nevertheless tethered to a deep understanding of art history generally and of other Dutch painters in particular (Rembrandt, de Kooning, Van Gogh, Vermeer…) but also painters as varied as Rogier van der Weyden, El Greco, Leon Kossoff, Munch and Ensor. To the left of Future, Present, Past we find a quite different work, a thinly painted seven foot square oil on linen, one of a suite of four called Language And Music. The title refers to Klunder's interest in brain activity when subjected to stimuli such as the human voice and the effect of music. Made with impressive restraint, here Klunder evokes a glitchy narrative between the central figure and the architecture of the background. The painting is hung adjacent to Future, Present, Past for the manner in which Klunder presents the central figure with two after-images trailing behind it, flashes of time's arrow. The architecture framing Klunder's figure recall the tubular cages that Francis Bacon used to such strong effect in his own portrayal of figures in ambiguous settings. To the left of this painting is a masterpiece, Sun And Moon, from the mid-90s, one of Harold's strongest periods. Here the paint coalesces around a thick, black, coagulating cellular structure in the middle, an event that seems about to divide and complexify, floating over a hastily painted, brushed-in background of ochres and rusty yellows. Arshile Gorky's landscapes from 1943 come to mind (the year Klunder was born, in Deventer, The Netherlands), as do the brown winter fields of the family farm in Holland, from which the Klunders left in 1952 to come to Canada, sailing to Halifax, taking the train to Montreal where they froze and didn't speak French, to eventually re-establishing themselves on an Ontario farm, one that Harold took pains not to have to return to after completing his studies in Toronto in 1964, when Yorkville was the beatnik opposite of the posh enclave it is now. Encrusted in paint the colour of dried mud, a portrait emerges at bottom left, born of the ground. Harold once said in an interview that "painting is like tilling the earth, listening to the rhythm of the seasons, the pulse of life itself." The farm, it seems, never leaves you. And it is true that throughout Klunder's painting practice his gestures seem to have geological, biological, chrysalis-like roots, of oozing shapes on shapes, each on their way to becoming something else as the viewer allows the painting to unfold. There is a durational aspect to Harold's work: invariably there are two dates on his paintings, no matter how small the work: the year he began and the year of its completion. Harold hopes for the same dedication in his viewers: completing the painting by letting it reveal itself episodically over time.

Now we arrive at Want And Destiny from 2007 - 2009. This is a fully resolved painting, an iconic Klunder, roiling with an energy that seems to coil around an almost planetary central axis, set amid a deep, murky ground. At top left the best egg yolk sun. The painting is also notable for its alluring passages of bright green, a relatively rare colour for Klunder to deploy. Then, of course, the faces and figures coyly announce themselves after the force of the all-over abstraction relents for a moment. A totemic figure flanks each side and a strong portrait holds the centre. When this painting was shown in the window at CRG on Queen the private dealer Chris Varley came and saw it. Then he called his clients and said, I am standing in front of a painting so good it will curl your toes. You must get it, or I will.

They did.

As we get to the east wall, a very small, potent oil on burlap painted in a Brooklyn studio Harold once kept. A head is enshrouded in the weave of the background while three orbs of colour glow forth. To its left comes the big Rooted In Earth (The Sound Of The Moth), a seven-foot slab of blue-black virtuosity, the interplay of forms and colours vibrating in harmonious dialogue. Harold has said, I have a preoccupation with, in a sense, seeing the painting as a mirror, and as I look at the painting it looks at me, and there's this sense of working with something that I can intimately understand, full of secrets that other people don't know, or it's a life that I can present because I know myself differently than anybody else would know me, so there's vulnerability that appeals to me…

Finally we come to the north wall, a dark wall of four works united in their chthonic force. Chthonic meaning 'in, under or beneath the earth.' Or perhaps they are figures born at twilight, crepuscular forms. Vespertine. That which flourishes in the evening. The bluest work, at far right, reads like a fever dream, of visitations by scarlet red figures. Beside it comes Skirts Of The Forest. Here, through black masses of trees, a pagan ceremony is underway? Something is afoot. Luminous shapes abound, shadowy events. To its left, a brooding triptych, a head rearing up in the centre of each. James Campbell, who has written well and often on Harold's work, wrote: 'Merleau-Ponty said, "The painter 'brings his body with him,' says Valery. Indeed we cannot imagine how a mind could paint." This is a truism particularly where Klunder's paintings are concerned, for they are, above all, bodied spaces, phenomenal fields, matrices of corporeal performances.'

Last there remains one small, dark diptych, tucked in the northwest corner, absorbing the radiant orange heat and light coming off the monumental 1987 triptych adjacent to it. That little diptych I leave for you to engage with. We can bring to painting as much as it brings to us, receptive to its mysterious language or not, perhaps depending on the day or one's mood. When I built the gallery on St Helen's I purposely inserted an angled wall in the front space as a kind of obstacle to the approach of the main gallery in the back. Much like the ramp at the National Gallery, the idea was to give pause, to create a breathing moment between life and art, to let whatever the day outside had thus far wrought upon you be now laid down and left there, if only for the duration of the viewing to come. Everyone carries their own bag of rocks. To engage with a painting is first to be present with it, to agree to give it our attention, that most coveted and fought over thing today - our attention - and if we can do that with a painting then the moment  begins, becomes fuller, and then the reveries come next, mental digressions, recollections and connections sparked by the image before us, brought on by a painter mixing pigment and oil and laying it down on a scrap of burlap, coaxing forth realms.

Thank you for seeing this show, and thank you Harold Klunder for your work.

- CR

[bobapril]

Long description ahead, sorry.

The "promotion path" for a city carrier in the USPS is basically nonexistent. You get seniority raises. The only change you actually affect is picking which route you get. When you first make career status, you get put on the route no carrier senior to you wanted. Then as people retire, everyone gets the chance to "bid" into their route, and the most senior person who wants it, gets it.

But things change on your route outside your control, too. Businesses come and go. Neighborhoods grow, or go vacant, apartment complexes get built, even the basic amount of mail people send and receive changes over time. So management from time to time checks each route to make sure it is still a true eight-hour job - it hasn't grown so much that you need overtime every day, and it hasn't shrunk so much that you're just wasting time out there. Management literally counts every piece of mail you get for a week, AND rides along with you to see that you're working efficiently.

Before you make career you're a temp guy just running whichever route is vacant that day, taking a piece of a route where the regular carrier needs help, and basically running flat-out the whole time, because management likes to overload you. You're not responsible for marking mailboxes, keeping track of where people might have moved out without notice, lots of little ongoing tasks to keep things running smoothly that just aren't your job.

So when you get your first route, you likely keep that same fast pace. And you kinda HAVE to - there's a reason nobody else wanted that route, it's gonna be tough to get it done in eight hours. And that's where pacing yourself starts to come in. The rules say that the route is supposed to average eight hours at YOUR pace. Not the pace of any carrier who came before you, or the 25-year-old temp who works at a dead sprint all day, or anyone but you. So you have to set a FAIR pace. Mondays are heavy because there's no delivery on Sunday and a lot of businesses are closed Saturday. Moe faster. Some days, usually on a weekly schedule, EVERY house gets a packet of coupons - that slows you down, you don't get to skip anyone. Other days are light - that's when you do your route maintenance. And then there's the weather - always changing, and it always sucks. Apartment cluster boxes with no overhead cover - trying to shield the mail from the rain while you stuff it in all the boxes, keeping the wind from blowing it out of your hands. Heat - the new trucks are supposed to have AC, but I bet YOUR office still has the old ones with a 4-inch fan on the black-painted dash as your only relief. December - so many packages you have to work overtime, and it gets dark early, so you're using a headband light just to read the addresses on the letters.

You HAVE to pace yourself, every day. Set a pace on a beautiful spring day with light mail that you can maintain on a rainy December Monday. In fact, set a pace that good day that you can maintain on a bad one - twenty tears from now, when your knees are wrecked and your shoulder hurts and your prostate had you up every two hours last night. Because once you've shown you can run it at your best speed, management is going to expect you to set that speed every day - forever.

There's guys who can't learn that. They set a quick pace, and then just keep it up. They learn all the little tricks that no one else knows that let them just barely keep up on that specific route. They ignore route maintenance, they just keep all the changes in their heads. They set their self-esteem by getting back on time, no matter what. The poor temps that get stuck on their route from time to time wind up doing two or three hours of overtime, because even the young kids can't manage it. Then something happens - a new apartment complex, changing a road to one-way, are an injury - and suddenly even THEY can't manage the monster they created. So they retire, or they bid off onto another route…and that's the route nobody wants that the poor new career guy gets stuck on.

This is so clearly obvious in a postal route, with defined metrics and people tracking you and all that - but it applies everywhere. You're GOING to have bad days, and you need to expect that. Don't set a pace on your good days that you're going to be expected to meet on your worst days without thinking it through.

trying your best does not mean putting an unbearable amount of strain on yourself.

[purplesurveys]

1756

Do you want the last dream you had to come true?  No. It was a nice dream, but I'd rather it stay a dream.

When did you last talk to the person you'd most wanna talk to right now?  It's 3 AM on a Saturday which means there is absolutely no one I'd want to be talking to.

What kind of pill did you last take?  Paracetamol for what was probably the worst migraine I've ever had in my entire existence, a week ago. I had never had a harder time driving – in fact I pulled over as soon as I reached the village gate because I really needed to collect myself – my entire body felt like it was heating up and I was really worried that I would pass out any moment. I felt so relieved when the pill started to take effect and when I started to feel my mind and my body coming back.

Do you like wearing glasses?  Can't say I particularly enjoy having them on but I just...kind of need them to survive, lol. There's no other way to put it other than sheer necessity.

Does your mom know the last person you hung out with?  Lui, Laurice, and Jum? Probably not. She knows I have a college friend group, but she wasn't as attentive towards them anymore as she has always been with my high school friends. Like she'd recognize Angela and Sofie in a heartbeat, but if I mentioned those ^ names to her, 100% she'd ask where are they from hahaha.

What were you doing 4 hours ago?  I was wrapping up the evening with Laurice and Jum.

What would you most like to eat right now?  I just ordered KFC for delivery and it's on its way here so I'm pretty stoked for that.

How long were you last in the car for?  It was around two hours, miserably so. I took both Jum and Laurice home even though their places were wildly out of the way; it had been approaching midnight and I just wanted to be sure, with my own eyes, they got home safe.

But then on my actual route back to my house I took a wrong exit and ended up on the highway with all the motherfucking goddamn PAIN IN MY ASS 10-, 12-, 200-wheeler trucks, so that added an additional half hour or so to my ETA.

What is something good that happened last weekend?  I spent the ENTIRE Saturday rewatching all the Twilight movies. Started 11 AM, ended exactly at midnight. I still feel giddy thinking about it lmao, I love that stupid franchise so much.

Do you like holding hands or do you think it's stupid?  It's cute but I would only do it with a partner. I feel awkward doing it with a friend for too long.

The last song you heard, what does it make you think of?  Namjoon, because it was a Namjoon song.

How'd you get your last injury?  Don't really know if it counts as one because fortunately it didn't end up leaving a mark, but a couple of days ago I held a mozzarella stick that was way too hot to be touched at that moment and I wasn't able to immediately drop it, so my index finger was very very tingly and in pain for a while after that.

What do you like about your birthday?  I really enjoy celebrating my birthday and look forward to it every time, and it's honestly for the sole purpose of getting to say that I made it through the past year.

Do you like being home alone at night?  I loooooove the feeling.

What first comes to mind when thinking of 10th grade?  What is '10th grade' even equivalent to? Would that be sophomore year? Anyway, I guess I remember being stung by a jellyfish during a school trip but apart from that I've done quite the job of forgetting most things from high school.

What's the scariest thing that's happened to you?  Being terrorized by men.

Has an ambulance ever come to your house?  No.

The person you're thinking about - what are you thinking about them?  Not thinking of anyone.

When did you last skip class?  Idk, probably in 2020. I'm sure I was able to cut a few classes before the world went to shit.

Do you like the shape of your fingernails?  Yes, I love everything about my fingers haha. Idk I like that they're long and slender and that my nailbeds(?) are an okay size. I'll get complimented on them every now and then too.

Did you look at your fingernails for the question above?  Yeah for a little bit.

Whose pool did you last swim in?  The resort that I went to in late 2021, with my old work team. I don't like pools much.

What's something you like about your 3rd hour?  My...what?

Is formspring a good idea? It depends. If you're the kind of person that drama tends to follow, probably not as it's just an invitation to get harassed/bullied.

What's your biggest problem at the moment?  Angela is possibly bailing on me for Kaye's birthday tomorrow – a party where Angela would be the only person I'd know because everyone else is from Kaye's college years (and we went to different schools LOL so who in the fuck–)

It's been a bit of a bother but I'm also like...whatever about it? in a way that whether she's joining me or not, I'm attending regardless. I don't like it when people flake on stuff I've planned so I'm not doing the same for Kaye who's probably super excited for tomorrow.

What's the cutest thing someone's ever done for you?  Get me flowers? Idk I'm pretty easy to please hahaha. Angela and Hans surprised me with a bouquet for my birthday last year and that sent me melting.

When did you last see a police car?  Not sure but it must have been just within the last month or so.

Why aren't you doing something more productive than this? This is the most productive I could be at 3:41 in the morning, tbh.

How many people know about the last person you kissed?  Everyone. I pathetically didn't shut up about her the entire time we were together.

How many different cars have you driven?  3. My car, our old Vitara, and I've also had to drive Bea's car twice when we went on out-of-town trips.

What did you do on Thursday?  The most notable thing would be that I went all the way to Manila to be support manpower for a work event. Manila is still gross as all hell.

What color was the last thing you drank?  Brown.

What do you do on Fridays?  Exponentially not give a shit about work as the day goes by.

Have you ever had to take desperate measures in a desperate situation?  Yes.

What door did you last open besides any on your house or car?  The door to a restroom stall.

What is the meaning of life?  Contentment.

[channeleven]

LTA: Saturday's Off, How Bad Is It?

You know those YouTubers you discover from ongoing drama, that you subscribe to for more of the same only to discover they don't make content you're particularly into? That was my relationship with a lot of YouTubers, DaftPina included.

DaftPina, he gave off an aura that I didn't particularly like, and it wasn't until years later that I discover he's not a particularly good person, to put it nicely, and this goes beyond his little fits with storytime animators. I don't know how he could possibly redeem himself, let alone how people can continue to associate with him when he would go as far as indirectly encouraging Just Stop to make an ass of himself by communicating with LSMark in confidence... in public. Well it must've been Daft's idea, I doubt Just Stop would through his face into an open flame like that.

It turns out two years ago, Daft worked on an animated pilot, so why talk about it now? Well I'd say it was a year or so after it came out that his reputation began to crumble, so anything of his is fair game. He made a video discussing Enter's failed Growing Around project, and it seems like it's petty to bring up, but let's put it like this:

"If I make a video poking fun at someone's failed attempt at launching an animated series, perhaps this can elevate my own."

It's a coincidence, sure, but interesting to think about. That aside, the big thing behind the pilot is that it demonstrates Daft's drawing skills. I reiterate, Daft, an art critic who demonstrated to have rigorous standards, is given an opportunity to work on an animated pilot, designing the characters, and we can see how he applies his own standards.

Short answer, people began to seriously wonder, but we'll get to that at a better time. The pilot has a higher like ratio, but the dislikes are slowly catching up. But, art aside, maybe the pilot is good enough for me to overlook high standards gone wrong? Also this counts as me giving LS Mark another chance because he is in with heavy prominence.

The Pilot Itself

Follow along right above.

The pilot, at least from what I'm getting now, is going for a slow feel. An immediate comparison I could make is to it and something like Dr. Katz or Home Movies, shows that made use of limited animation and relied on improvised dialog.

If that seems like a stretch, it feels like... green dude and purple dude? Are having an improvised conversation, about current events, I mean I guess, and the animation is somehow worse. Let me reiterate, animators with the most basic experience could replicate most of what Dr. Katz and Home Movies did, those made use of limited animation, and this is more of the same. As far as improvised dialog goes, those shows either act as some variation of a stand up routine like in Dr. Katz, or just serve as following a rough outline that is used to drive a conversation, perhaps at times going for edgy subject matter to get people's attention.

They kinda try to do that by discussing the news, but it feels forced, either that or the delivery's so flat I can't even be bothered to get into what they're saying. If there isn't an overarching plot then that would be fine, though not necessarily good in the long-run. Think 12 Oz. Mouse without the surrealistic wit.

The schtick behind this pilot is that it is divided into seven segments based on each day, a collection of non-sequiturs, but let's see if an overarching theme is present, or if anything interesting can come forth. We get an indirect reference to Bob's Burgers, why else would we be in the office and a co-worker asks the main character if they signed Jason's birthday card?

Also the green guy is named Mikey, now I know. If Mark is playing the Mikey as well as the blue guy, I'll admit, he has range, and I guess Daft wanted him to capture the life in his videos.

Monday night, I feel Daft missed a good opportunity in relation to discussing eyelids, purple beanie guy is uncomfortable with the discussion of seeing eyelids when you shut your eyes, I feel there was an opportunity for a joke of any kind, but they don't and turn it into something philosophical, hold any irony or humor. Maybe Mikey could intentionally annoy purple guy by comparing shut eyes to a blanket over a bird cage, purple guy pulls the beanie over his eyes and Mikey makes an analogy relating to it, perhaps the drive thru guy could get in on this, I dunno.

The payoff to this is getting the drive thru guy to freak out, I can't even respect it as a joke, and for perspective, right now I've had two beers and the buzz isn't making things better.

Okay, I have the feeling people focus more on the animation and art direction because the dialog gives me absolutely nothing. If you want to portray real life with improvised dialog, fine, but you can't just stick with that alone. The only time this would work is if, I dunno, someone recorded IRL interactions and decided to animate them. This begs to be based on the real world, and Daft just uses an artificial layer.

I don't care about anyone or anything in this pilot, okay that's a stretch, I guess the boss lady, co-worker is kinda interesting, whoever played her has what it takes to be an actor, she suits the supporting character role well, that's about the nicest thing I could say. Something tells me this is made for the sake of establishing characters and dynamics for a full series, at least that's what it feels like, because even less is happening here than in any show that has a very loose plot keeping it going.

So the pay-off, I guess, is that Jason died in a freak accident and that such a thing was alluded to in the start. The problem is that the dialog is carried out so dry and slow that you can't pick up on it. I'm more interested trying to figure out what species of animals they're supposed to be, I guess it's koalas.

Animation

So, the backgrounds look to be very well drawn. But, you wanna know what else had well drawn backgrounds? Allen Gregory. Cosmetics while helping to make something look good is like covering a dog turd with bleach, the smell is gone but you still see the turd. You can be a talented background designer but be lacking everywhere else, The Christmas Tree, being a perennial cautionary tale.

It's impossible to discuss DaftPina without art being a part of the conversation, and that's where most of the outrage lies. The character designs, while not totally awful, fall well below standards Daft had established. They look like they were made for the sake of being prime for marketing, get your co-worker girl plush over on RedBubble starting at $10.99. The tell is how each character looks more or less the same, attempting to be as familiar as humanly possible, but what do I know?

Then there's the animation, even by YouTuber standards, it's not very good. It feels like purple guy and Mikey are pasted onto the backgrounds and given the same looping animations, things look stiff and repeated, if this were anyone else this would be fine, but again, this is Daft "You should give up on ever drawing again because you suck" Pina, surely he could take blunt criticism like he dishes out.

For perspective, let's bring up one of his old targets, JaidenAnimations. Is her animation better than Daft's? Well, that's up to you. A collection of animated stories against what is intended to be a series has a loose connection to one other, but for someone who has to keep up with deadlines while taking shortcuts to ensure she could keep up a good schedule, and seeing what commission work can do, there is more life to her animation than what Daft could do. I'd be saying that no matter my allegiance.

I'm not saying he's trying to act like he's better, I'm just pointing out the irony in those he criticized managing to outperform him however little.

Final Thoughts

The worst thing about this series is how boring it is. Noting peaked my interest and I am uninterested in seeing where the characters will go from here. About the only nice things I could say about this is that I underestimated LSMark's range and that co-worker gave me confidence she could be an interesting character.

The best way I could sum up the art and animation is that I'd like to see someone overlay audio from Daft's reviews of other artists. If you want a good slow series, I'll kill two birds with one stone and throw in an example and a recommendation.

Out There is a series that has a similar theme of bleakness and dry dialog, but a lot more happens, also furry animals. It's up on Hulu and it's up to you to determine if I'm making sense.

But one last thing, whether or not Daft can ever do better if he decides to revisit this, I think it's too little too late, not because the pilot is so uninteresting, but because more and more people are catching on to what kind of person he really is.

[gotnofucks]

Sell My Soul - 3

Pairing: soft!dark!Lee Bodecker x reader

Words: 2.4k

Warning: smut, lactation kink, possessiveness, jealousy. Pretty mild actually. 18+ ONLY

A/N: Final part to Sell my Soul. Thank you all for giving this story a chance. And like always, I love a happy ending.

MASTERLIST

Part 1     Part 2

+++++

“Here ya go Miss, just like you ordered.” The man gave you a silk pouch and you opened it with ultimate delicacy, peeking inside. A smile spread on your face. It was perfect, exactly the way you had imagined it would be.

“Thank you, sir. This is perfect!” You beamed at him. “About the payment…what time will you like for me to come to your house?”

“Anytime that suits you this Saturday, Miss” He said.

You nodded and were about to ask for one tiny detail when you felt the hair on your neck stand. Even before you saw him, you could feel his presence. His body was like a magnet and the pull he had on you was almost unreal.

“Its Missus”

Your husband seemed to have materialized out of thin air, his voice as imposing as his personality. Lee’s hand wound around your pregnant belly and you shot him a pleading look that he promptly ignored. Instead, he glared at the stranger you were talking you, his touch around you possessive and tight.

“She’s my wife. You look at this round belly, she’s pregnant with my child. If you think I’ll allow you to sniff around her knickers in my own backyard –”

“Sir, you misunderstand!” The man said and looked at you with disbelief. He had come here to make you a simple delivery, not get on the wrong side of the town’s sheriff.

“Do I now?” Lee made to approach the man and you quickly held him back by pulling on his arm. Lee was positively seething, and you knew if he had his gun on him it would be pointing at the poor guy.

“Honey, lets go inside and talk.” You knew how your husband could get when you spoke to other men. Despite having claimed you in every way possible, despite the proof of his ownership growing inside your womb, he still felt threatened by any and every man. Your pregnancy had only made him overprotective and it was a wonder you had been able to do what you just did.

“I think I’d rather stay here!” Lee shouted and you quickly planted yourself in front of him, both hands resting on his chest in an effort to calm him.

“Mr. Jeffords, if you’d kindly leave.” You said without turning to look at the man behind you. Your eyes were intently fixed on your husband knowing how volatile he could get. You heard the man behind you shuffling away as fast as he could, probably running away to the closest pub to tell the patrons how the Sheriff’s wife was treated. Not that it bothered you anymore what anyone in this town thought.

“Who the fuck was he?” Lee asked, his drawl more pronounced in his anger.

“Can we go inside? I would rather sit and talk.” You said. Lee frowned, both in annoyance and concern as he took your hand and led you back inside your house. Ever since your pregnancy, he had become more…mellow. Softer somehow.

You sat on couch and you watched in wry amusement as Lee made sure your legs rested on a cushion despite his apparent anger. He had changed his behavior towards you in the past few months but there were times when he lost control. You weren’t scared of him anymore, but you didn’t push his boundaries a lot. Having a loving and caring husband was more than you had expected out of your marriage and that was more than what other women could say.

“I leave you alone for some time and you’re off skipping with a strange man in the garden. What do you have to say for yourself, wife?”

“I want to say that you are being absolutely ridiculous.”

Lee put his hands on either side of you behind the couch, effectively caging you in. His blue eyes boiled in a raging storm, reminding you again in their own way who was in charge here.

“You seem to have forgotten who wears the pants in this relationship darlin’” He whispered, dipping his head, and kissing you slowly. His tongue slipped past your lips and claimed your mouth, and you fisted his shirt. He broke away and you leaned forward to follow, not ready to let him go just yet. Lee smirked and pulled back, knowing what he was doing.

“You don’t like me wearing pants anyway. You want easy access” You huffed, and Lee traced your jawline with a finger and you almost bite that appendage before he pulls it back chuckling.

“You’re the only woman in the world who makes me feel this way. I’m fucking pissed yet all I wanna do is slide home inside you and fill you again and again.”

Heat pools between your legs and you unconsciously squeeze them closed. Damn pregnancy hormones. Your libido almost surpassed your husband’s, but it seemed seeing you waddle around with his kid made him even more of a horny bastard than before and your sexual appetites were well taken care of.

“Who was he Y/n? Don’t make me ask again.” Lee said sitting next to you. Icy tinge of anger coated his tone and you looked him dead in the eyes, your expression completely unguarded.

“He was a jeweler. I – I ordered something.” You said, your eyes downcast.

One of Lee’s hands pushed your cardigan away and started playing with the strap of your dress. You leaned into the warmth of his body, your nose at his throat.

“What was that about you going to his house?” Lee asked, voice still hard but his hands were gentle as always.

“For the payment. I didn’t want to borrow too much money from you and so I thought I could pay him my way”

Your head was pulled back by the back of your neck, his face right in yours and breath washing over your parted lips.

“Your own way? And what’s that? Laying down on your back and opening those legs?”

Remorse filled his eyes the moment those words left his mouth as tears filled yours. There it was- the cruel person you had initially married making his sporadic appearance. You struggled in his hold, wanting to get away but he held your wrist, trapping your body in his arms.

“Let me go you bastard!” You screamed.

Lee shushed you, pulling you in his lap and cradling your wiggling body softly. You hit his shoulders and threatened to poison his tea if he didn’t unhand you, but he held fast, one hand around your waist and the other pressing your head into his chest. You didn’t realize when you had stopped flailing your hands and bunched them in his shirt. You sobbed and his hand caressed you, apologies whispered right in your ear with guilt and love.

You sniffled and wiped your dripping nose on him for good measure. You hated this part of your relationship as much as you loved it. One comment from him would make you fly off the handle and you’ll shout and rage but only find solace in his arms. Similarly, he will get mad about the littlest of things and breath fire but late at night he’ll crawl under the covers with you, his hands worshiping your body while he muttered sweet nothings mixed with apologies. You both were tied by an elastic band that no matter how farther apart you go, you snap back and come home to each other.

“I’m sorry my love” His lips moved all over your face, pressing kisses on your cheeks and chin and neck. “I am sorry”. You lay in his arms and held him, consoling him and yourself at the same time.  

“I was going to babysit his children and bake him a cake for his wife’s birthday” You whispered and felt his arms tighten around yours. He sighs and rocks you, lips never ceasing their journey on your skin.

“You should try leading with explanations” He says, and you give a muffled laugh causing him to vibrate in mirth too. You look at him from under your lashes and pull him down for a sweet sweet kiss, letting your tongue brush the back of his teeth and relishing in his shiver. He pulled back long enough to lay you on your back before carefully hovering over you, the straps of your dress being pulled away.

“When will you start producing milk?” Lee asked, his tongue making circles around your engorged nipple. He had been very pleased with the effect of pregnancy on your breasts and loved to nestle his face between them.

“Few more week I think” you said between moans, tugging at his hair and pushing more of your flesh in his mouth.

“I want to drink from it. I know our baby will need it, but you’re gonna be a good wife and save some for me, yes?”

His words made you hotter than before, slick coating your thighs and ruining your panties. His hands teased the offending garment down, sliding smoothly along your damp skin and finding the treasure you hid between your legs.

“I’m yours my love. Every part of me belongs to you. Whatever you want.” You sigh in pleasure and become putty in his hands. It was so easy to let go with him, forget yourself in the feel and smell of him.

You felt him removing his trousers and then he’s inside you, sinfully filling you to the brim. Your breath hitches as his hips snap against yours, gentle in their ministrations. You bucked against him, asking for more and yet he went slow.

“Lee, I need more. Harder!” You beg and your husband groans in the crook of your neck. His hand teases your bud, one hand holding his weight so as not to crush you.

“Must not hurt the little one” Lee said, and you whined in displeasure. You tried to push against him, get him deeper but he resisted with a hand at your hip. Tears of frustration leaked down your eyes and he licked them away, taking the taste of salt in a messy kiss.

“Please, need it so bad” you plead. “We’ll be careful”

He relented, still not going rough but a little firmer and faster. Your voice increases in cadence, high pitched garbled words escaping you as you lose your mind. Your nails are digging in Lee’s shoulder, leaving marks he proudly wears as battle scars.  Sweat travels from his hairline and falls on your body, the couch shaking from your rocking motion. You’re both making salacious sounds that echo around your house, uncaring if they travel outside. Nothing compares to the feeling of him rubbing against your soft, fluttering walls. You’re urging him on, goading him into letting go. His mouth is on yours, teeth clashing together and hands clenching painfully. His pelvic brushes against your bud and you’re falling, howling your pleasure and feel Lee twitching inside you, his seed mixing with your creamy essence.

You pant and lay together in a heap, his arms protectively wrapped around you. One hand gently rubs your slightly protruding belly, the most tender expression on his face.

“What did you order from the jeweler?” Lee asked and to his surprise you blushed and buried your head in his shoulder.

“It’s embarrassing.” You mutter and he titled your head to his.

“My love, I’ve tasted your nectar from the source and had you on your knees for me enough times for you to abandon all shame. I’m surprised you can still blush after all the filthy things we do to each other.” The bastard was smirking, and you pouted.

You reached out with your hand and got the silk pouch from the table, pulling out from within a silver armlet with an aquamarine stone in between. The stone was the exact shade of Lee’s eyes and you held it out for him to take. He did so, brows furrowed in confusion.

“This is for me?” He asked incredulous and you nodded. “Why?”

Your face flushed again but you met his eyes.

“It’s a talisman” You said and saw him roll his eyes.

“Y/n, you know I don’t believe in this shit.” He said, trying to give the armlet back to you. You pushed his hand back and looked at him imploringly.

“I believe in them Lee! You remember that old lady last month whose son you arrested? She – She cursed you. Said you’ll die a horrible death. I can’t get those words out of my head. I won’t lose you.” Lee pursed his lips at you, still not convinced.

“Lee, we’re in the family way. You’ll have a son or daughter in a couple months. I can’t sleep at night with worry that something will happen to you. I – I can’t let anything happen to you. This stone…it’s a symbol of health and hope. It will keep you safe.”

You had never been as afraid of anything in your life as the curse of that woman. You were never one to put too much faith in religion and superstitions, but when it came to your family you worried about everything. The very feel of this town is ominous. If wearing a piece of jewelry can protect your husband than you’ll make sure he wears it even if you have to use every last trick of seduction to convince him.

Lee looked at your determined face, jaw set stubbornly, and he smiled. His hand cupped your face and pulled you into a breathless kiss before resting his forehead on yours.

“My pretty girl, my love, my wife” He breathed against you mouth. “Don’t you know I have no need of anything else in this world but you? You are my strength Y/n. You keep me sane and woe betide anyone who tries to separate us.”

You clutched his collar and pulled him flush against you, your eyes blazing, and he looked at you in wonder. “You listen to me Lee Bodecker, you will wear this armlet whether you want to or not. No amount of sweet promises will get you out of it.”

Lee laughed since he had rarely seen you this fierce. His blue eyes beheld you in your glory, still naked in his arms and watery eyes that shone brighter than the sun. In that moment he knew he had never seen a more beautiful woman and he nodded.

“Whatever you say goes my love. I belong to you.”

You sealed the deal with a kiss, promising him a reward for agreeing later tonight.

+++++

TAGLIST IS OPEN

More Lee Stories: Sweet Tooth

Drabbles for Lee : Drabbles Masterlist

[silhouetteofacedar]

Fox Mulder, Closet Romantic Ch. 12: Capsaicin

Previous Chapter - AO3 - MSR, rated E

Maybe he wrote her address wrong.

The odds of that happening are pretty damn slim; Mulder’s had it down by heart for years, but he’s grasping at all possibilities right now.

He had sent the letter through the postal service in an attempt to keep himself from stressing out over its delivery, but that plan backfired the minute the envelope left his hands.

He dropped it in the mail on Saturday evening. It’s now Wednesday, and Scully has made no mention of it. There’s been no indication in her demeanor at all to suggest that she’d received any revelatory mail-pieces.

He might live the rest of his life in this horrific limbo, a purgatory of his own construction. He’s been on pins and needles all week, filling the basement office with nervous energy, furtively glancing at Scully in attempts to read her facial expressions. Did she get the letter and throw it out? How is she so calm? Maybe it got stuck in one of the sorting machines…

Before he knows it, Scully’s bidding him a friendly “goodnight” and shutting the office door.

Say what you will about anxiety, but it sure spices up the workday.

Mulder drives home in a fog; he’s exhausted from the mental exertion of thinking in circles and jumping to conclusions. Inside his apartment he flops down on the sofa and calls for takeout from the Thai place down the street that has his order memorized.

The next time he confesses his undying love to somebody, he’s going to use e-mail.

A knock on his door shakes him from his reverie.

“How much do I owe-” he begins as he opens the door, then freezes.

Scully is standing at his doorstep, a high flush on her cheeks. She looks somehow startled, as though he surprised her by opening his own front door.

“Scully,” he says, concerned. “Are you alright?”

“Mulder,” she replies, voice cracking on the edges. Her big blue eyes are full, ready to spill over her lower lids.

Oh.

“You read it,” he says softly. He feels his chest tighten into a tight knot of anxiety, and he swallows hard.

She nods. “Can I- I need to come in.”

He stands aside, ushers her into his living room.

She’s vibrating with nervous energy. Mulder motions to the couch. “Would you, uh, like to sit down?”

“I’d prefer to stand, thank you,” she says, voice tight. She grips her elbows.

“Well, I guess I’ll sit,” Mulder says softly, lowering himself to the couch. “Scully, I-“

She holds out a hand. “You got to say your piece, Mulder, now it’s time for mine.” Her lower lip crumples slightly, and he wants to get up and hug her.

She takes a deep breath, pulling herself together. “Mulder, when I received your letter today…” She blinks back tears. “I was completely overwhelmed. I’m not even sure how I managed to drive here,” she admits. “And I appreciate that in it you acknowledged the inopportune timing of your confession. Things just keep piling up,” she says. “But now I just want to know, need to know… why the hell did you wait so long?”

There’s pain in her voice, and he aches in return.

“I didn’t know how you felt,” he says simply, “and then Mark happened.” It’s so insufficient, but it’s all he has.

“I wish you’d told me before,” she says. “I wish I’d known. I dragged you into this mess with him, and the whole time you… you felt that for me.”

“Scully,” he says slowly, “If I had told you I loved you, would you have still gone out with Mark?”

She doesn’t answer right away, and his heart falls into his stomach.

“How can you ask me that?” she says, voice a rough whisper. “What do you want me to say?”

Say no. Please. “I’m only interested in the truth, Scully. You of all people know that by now.”

A tear spills down her cheek, and she wipes it away roughly. “I… I don’t know. Do you have any idea how long and hard I worked to not feel? I’d wake up every damn morning thinking about you. I’d scrub myself raw in the shower so you couldn’t smell me, sense how much I wanted you all fucking night. I’d come to work and turn my heart off, bury my feelings so deep that even now I can barely scratch the surface of them. I did it for years, Mulder.” She takes a deep, shaky breath. “So when my mother introduced me to a nice man with a little girl, I decided to go for it. And I almost forget how to really feel something. But you… you never let me forget. And the rational choices cease to make sense.” She sniffs noisily. “You turned my entire world upside down.”

He hangs his head. “I’m sorry-” he begins.

“No,” Scully interrupts. “No, Mulder. I don’t want your guilt, or your pity; I don’t need it. I want you, and me. I want us to be the two broken people we are, healing. We can’t keep hurting each other with misguided attempts to protect each other.”

“What do you mean, then? How do we stop?”

“By being honest,” she says, coming around the coffee table and perching on the edge of the couch. “We start here. Right now.”

“I-I don’t know how much more clear or honest I could possible be,” Mulder stammers. “The letter spelled it out. My cards are on the table.”

“They are,” she agrees, “But you wrote under the assumption that I wouldn’t reciprocate. You left no room for alternatives.”

“Alternatives being…”

Scully’s eyes are pleading. “Mulder,” she whispers, beseeching.

There’s a knock on the door.

Mulder glances over his shoulder, startled out of their moment. “I ordered Thai,” he explains. “If you’re here, then that must be the delivery guy,” he says.

Scully nods. “Likely.” She gets up from the sofa and crosses to the desk, fetching the tissue box there. “You should-”

“Answer the door, yeah,” Mulder agrees absently, standing and feeling his pockets for his wallet.

The bored teenager on the other side of the door holds the bag out. “Sixteen forty-nine,” he says.

“Give him a twenty,” Scully instructs from the living room, blowing her nose.

Mulder digs a bill out of his wallet and hands it to the delivery guy. “You and the Mrs have a good night,” the boy says, stifling a yawn as he shoves the money into the pack on his waist.

“That tip was what, twenty-five percent?” Mulder grouses, setting the bag on the coffee table.

“Oh, so you can do math,” Scully says, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. “So what’s your excuse for being a lousy tipper, then?”

“Spoken like a former waitress,” Mulder mumbles.

“You’re goddamn right,” Scully says. “Best IHOP server in San Diego.”

Her bravado contrasts sharply with her puffy eyes and watery voice, and Mulder wants to pull her into his arms and never let go.

“You want any of this?” he asks, pulling steaming cartons out of the bag. “There’s plenty for both of us, and if you don’t eat I’ll feel like a crappy host.”

She sits back down on the couch, setting the tissue box on the coffee table. “If you don’t mind sharing,” she concedes.

“I’ll grab you a fork,” he replies, giving her knee a squeeze.

They eat quietly, passing cartons between them, migrating together until they’re shoulder to shoulder in the center of the couch.

“So,” Mulder says, “Before the food got here, we were talking about something pretty important.”

Scully nods, turning her fork to wind noodles around the tines. “That we were,” she agrees.

“About honesty,” he prompts. “Alternatives.”

Scully sets her fork down, closes her eyes. “This… this is difficult for me, Mulder. It’s surreal; I didn’t expect this outcome for us. For you to… to feel the way you do,” she clarifies.

“On the contrary,” Mulder says, “I feel like this was always going to happen, from the day we met. Somewhere deep in my mind I knew I was going to fall in love with you.”

Scully looks at him then, eyes wide.

“Th-that’s the first time I’ve said that aloud,” he says in realization, eyes not leaving hers.

Scully nods. “How’d it feel?” she asks softly.

Mulder licks his lip. “Kinda depends on how it felt for you,” he responds, voice low.

She takes a deep breath. “Call me crazy, but I think I need to hear it again.”

He nods, then on impulse leans in until his mouth is next to her ear, strands of coppery hair tickling his cheek. “I’m in love with you,” he murmurs.

Scully reflexively grips the edge of the couch cushion. “Don’t,” she warns, voice husky and breathier than he expected. “I’m not ready.”

He draws back. “Ready for what?” he asks.

She smoothes her hair behind her ear. “You,” she says simply, looking him up and down out of the corner of her eye. She picks up her fork and takes another bite of noodles. “I’ve spent so long in denial, Mulder, I feel… flammable. Like the smallest spark could just…” she motions to herself. “Destroy my equilibrium, or something.”

“Is this the official medical terminology? Because I’m not familiar,” he quips.

She huffs a laugh. “No, Mulder. What I’m trying to say is that I think we should go slow. Whatever ‘going’ means, in this case.”

“But we are a we,” he clarifies.

“Yes, I think we are,” Scully says tenderly, facing him again. “I… I want to be. But I’m processing things, so I need you to give me time.”

You can have my whole life. “That’s fine by me,” he assures her. “So you think we have a spark, Scully?”

She licks her upper lip, nodding. “Oh yes,” she says, eyes flicking down to his mouth. “Yes, we do.”

He leans back into the couch cushions. “Well then,” he says, eyeing her lazily, “When you feel like starting some fires… I’m your boy.”

[starlightrows]

Something Sweet

Chapter 1 - Spring Festival Funnel Cakes

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Series Masterlist

Pairing: Modern!Paz Vizsla x fem!reader

Word Count: 2.9k

Warnings: None!

Summary: Spring has sprung and business is booming and the community is celebrating with a weekend long festival... that you get to spend attending a vendors booth next to the handsome baker from down the street

The depths of winter in a place where it snows is not the ideal time to be moving your whole life and business. But you didn’t have much of a choice, you had already gotten the business license taken care of, the storefront purchased, and suppliers lined up. And with the lease on your apartment being up, it’s now or never. So with a small moving truck full of your belongings all packed up, you set off towards the city to finally chase your dream of opening a flower shop.

Your new apartment is nice, a bit smaller than your previous one but that comes with living alone in the city on a tight budget. But still it’s a one bedroom and it’s enough for just you. The storefront is beautiful. It’s located downtown in what you had assumed was a historic district of the city, but somehow is not classified as such. The buildings are lovely red brick exterior with large open windows for passers by to peek in, with quaint awnings over every door. Your store is located on the corner, with plenty of space to set up floral displays and hang potted plants in the windows. Come spring time this is going to be amazing, and beautiful and everything you dreamed of. You just hoped that others would think so too and come shop there.

By the time mid February rolls around there is still snow in the mountains, and the occasional rain and snow storm that blows through the area but it’s not as bad as when you first moved. Your apartment is coming along nicely, and your store is looking pretty good as well. You’re hoping to open by March 1st, but that’s still two and half weeks away. You’ve got plenty of time to finish painting, assembling shelves, figuring out how to want to arrange your displays, and set up the black board you’re planning to use to decorate the wall behind the checkout counter. You thought it might be fun to use chalk paint to decorate it for the various seasons, write specials, and do holiday countdowns.

You’re a little frustrated with yourself that you weren’t able to get everything in order to be open this weekend. Valentine’s Day is the prime time of the year for a flower and botanical shop. But spring is coming and that means birthdays, weddings, prom season, graduations, date nights, Mother’s Day and spring decorating! But for today it’s just you, a pair of worn overalls and a sweater, and a little can of paint for detailing the floor boards inside the shop. No flowers or valentines dates for you this year. You did see that there was a nice looking bakery a little ways down the street, maybe you could pick up a little treat for after dinner or some nice bread for making fancy toast.

Just the thought of it makes your mouth water, and your tummy rumble. Maybe you could make it an afternoon snack instead. You cap the lid to the paint bucket, and wash off your hands in the sink in the back. It’s not actively snowing but it is freezing outside, so you pull your jacket on over your sweater and lock the shop up behind you. You steal a quick glance at it, admiring how well it’s coming along, before you tuck your hands into your pockets and make your way down the street to the bakery.

It’s getting on in the afternoon, and the bakery isn’t very busy at the moment. But you’ve seen the lines in the morning when the bread is fresh out of the ovens, hopefully there will be something left for you.

You pull the door to the bakery open and step inside, glancing up at the sound of the tinkling bell that alerts the man behind the counter to your presence. He’s probably the tallest, broadest, burliest man you’ve ever seen; and then he smiles at you. It’s a smile that takes up his whole face, and lights up his eyes.

“Hey, welcome in” his voice is deep and sweet. You can literally feel your heart skip a beat and you almost forget why you came in here.

“Hi, I was hoping you might have some pastries or baguettes” you say, approaching the counter. He seems to blank out for a second, because he doesn’t answer you immediately.

“Uh- no sorry no pastries. But I do have a couple of French baguettes left,” he says. You’re a little disappointed about the pastries, perhaps you needed to come in earlier in the day. He pulls a baguette from the bread counter and offers it to you in a long parchment bag.

While he rings up your bread, you take the time to look around at his displays and other breads. “What’s your specialty?” You find yourself asking, thoroughly impressed with the wide variety he has to offer.

“I’m really proud of my ciabatta rolls,” he says earnestly “but I’ve been working on a new roasted tomato and herb crusted bread that excited about,”

You smile at his enthusiasm, it’s great to see people who are passionate about their craft. “I’ll have to come back and try it when you’ve got it figured out,”

You thank the kind man, and step back out into the cold to make your way back to your shop. Instantly you regret not asking for his name, but then again he just works down the street you’ll find out eventually.

———

February passed by in an overcast and sometimes snowy daze. You are able to meet your deadline and open your new store on March 1st. It’s finally a little sunnier on your opening weekend and just that simple fact has people outside and milling about. People are anxious to usher in spring, and there is no better way to brighten up the tail end of winter than by having fresh flowers, lush green house plants and aesthetically pleasing succulents around to decorate your space. Your entire store front is practically picked bare by the end of your first day! Good thing you get fresh deliveries every day, and have a fully stocked back room to replace all your wares for tomorrow.

Business slows down just a touch, but you’ve still got steady foot traffic for most of the day all through the spring. The weather is warming up, and the days are getting longer. Prom season is coming up and you’ve already pre cutting ribbon and bulk ordering corsage boxes. Graduations will be coming up soon too, you make sure to mark on your calendar when the local schools ceremonies are so you can have bouquets and lei ready in time.

One warm afternoon in April it’s a little slow and you’ve already swept the store, washed the windows inside and out, and potted 15 new plants in the back; so you take a well deserved break by standing behind the counter and reading a book. The bell on the door chimes and you look up to see a woman wearing jeans and a polo shirt with the city logo embroidered on the chest.

“Hi my name is Jennifer I’m with the city’s Parks and Recreation department,” she introduces herself and offers her hand to shake. You smile and accept her hand, giving your name as well.

“I’m stopping by all the local businesses to give you this” she hands you a flyer “the city’s annual spring festival is coming up at the end of May. Traditionally we bring in food trucks and invite arts and crafts vendors from the area to come sell their pieces and get some exposure, in the last couple years we’ve been expanding it to other local businesses too. There’s more information on the website to sign up to get you a booth if you’re interested. I think having a plants and flowers booth would be perfect for the spring festival”

She stays to chat about the festival for a couple minutes describing how fun it is to see all the local artists showing their craft, children getting their faces painted, live music, picnicking, and coming together as a community to celebrate the change in seasons.

“This city really comes alive at community events,” she tells you “Free concerts in the park in the summer, cultural learning events, fun runs, around the holidays we have a big Christmas tree lighting ceremony and winter carnival, don’t even get me started on how much this city goes all out for Halloween!”

Jennifir leaves after another couple minutes of excited chatter about the various events put on by the city, and continues on down the street to invite your business neighbors to attend the festival as vendors too. The whole interaction leaves you thrilled at the opportunity to advertise your business, make some more money for the shop, and be part of the community! Your long forgotten book is tucked away in favor of pulling out your laptop to register yourself with the city planning committee to participate in the festival.

The next few weeks you work extra hard to get through prom season, and put in more hours than usual to get everything prepared for graduations as well. The days tick by in May. Mother’s Day is an amazing weekend, you put up a temporary photo shoot wall for mom’s, daughters, grandmothers, or really anyone to come in and take a picture with a flower wall backdrop. Another amazing success full of happy smiling people!

Finally the weekend of the festival arrives, people from the city have been cleaning up the park and working their tails off to get everything perfect for the event. A massive stage is erected in the park, the usual parking lots are lined with enclosed pop up tents for the vendors selling hot foods, extra trash cans are placed everywhere, and early Saturday morning the local businesses are arriving with their SUV’s and vans full of goods to set up their tables.

You are among that crowd. Busily working to get your table set up under a pop up tent for shade, your flowers and potted plants ready for display, making sure you have enough cash for making change in transactions, and cardboard boxes to help people carry their new plant babies home with them.

All around you other local businesses are setting up their booths too. You recognize a few of them that you’ve visited already, but you’re looking forward to seeing more of them. Beside you, you absolutely recognize the tall, broad, and exceptionally handsome man that owns the bakery down the street from you. Spending the whole weekend stuck next to eye candy, and artisan bread… even if you didn’t sell a single flower this weekend at least you’d have a good view.

The morning is warming up, people will be arriving soon, your coffee long since gone. You steal a glance over at the man carefully arranging his bread displays. He glances over at you too, and grins at catching you staring.

“Morning,” he says cheekily

“Good morning,” you reply, going a bit warm in the cheeks.

“Flower booth for a spring festival? I think you’re in the running for making the most profit this weekend,” he jokes looking at your pretty flower displays and cute potted plants. You laughed a little and eyed his selection of breads hungrily

“I dunno, people don’t want to carry around a heavy plant all day. But they do want to snack on some delicious bread,”

He laughs, and extends a hand to introduce himself. “I’m Paz by the way,”

You shake his large hand and tell him your name as well. It’s a firm handshake, worn hands and strong forearms presumably from kneading bread dough. The thought makes your tummy flutter, and your heartbeat quicken.

And so it begins. The two of you pull up chairs at the edges of your pop up tents, and spend the whole day laughing, talking, interacting with customers and making sales. At the end of the first day, he sends you home with a loaf of bread with Asiago cheese baked into the top, and you gift him a pretty green succulent and promise him they are almost impossible to screw up taking care of.

The second day of the festival is much the same, except this time he brings you a breakfast sandwich he prepared ahead of time.

“If you wouldn’t mind, I need a taste tester. I’ve been thinking about expanding my menu to add breakfast sandwiches,” he tells you with a shy smile. You gladly accept the sandwich and have to control yourself not to make embarrassing noises when you taste it.

“You made this from scratch?” You ask, taking another bite

“Well I made the bun,” he says, unwrapping his own homemade breakfast sandwich

“If you start selling this, I promise you’ll put places like Starbucks out of business,” you tell him “honestly, I’m gonna have to start coming down there every morning before I open,”

In his head, Paz thinks that would be an absolute dream to have you come see him everyday. But that’s not the kind of thing you tell someone you met 24 hours ago, so he settles for something else instead

“How far is your shop? Maybe you can have your breakfast delivered,”

“You didn’t know?” You ask “I just opened my shop on the far corner of the street your bakery is on. I actually came in to try your bread a couple months ago,”

Paz is a little embarrassed, he knew a business moved in down there but had no idea it was your flower shop. “No way! I remember you coming in to the bakery, but I had no idea you worked down the street,”

“To be fair the store wasn’t open yet, and I somehow managed to forget to introduce myself,” you tell him.

Just like the day before, the two of you spend the day laughing and chatting in between greeting customers and promoting your respective businesses.

In the early afternoon a man with shaggy dark hair, sun glasses, tattoos and a very cute little boy wearing a green bucket hat came over and started making conversation with Paz. He glanced over at you.

“Have you met Din yet?” Paz asks you “He owns the tattoo parlor across from the bakery,”

You smile and shake his hand, you see his little boy eyeing your selection of plants. “Do you want to pick one out buddy?” You ask the little boy, he nods enthusiastically and chooses a little pot with the beginnings of a strawberry plant in it.

“Shorty and I were just gonna go grab some funnel cake before we head home for nap, I just stopped by to see if you wanted some,” Din says

“Yeah, that would be great!” Paz says.

Din turns to you, and extends the same offer. You politely decline, claiming there’s no way you’d ever finish one on your own.

“You can split one with me,” Paz beams. Din nods and leads his son off into the crowd to acquire the sweet treats.

“I can’t believe you haven’t met everyone yet,” Paz says “We all get together on Tuesday nights after hours for beers,”

“Who is we exactly?” You ask, sitting back down in the folding chair the festival committee had generously provided.

“Most of the shop owners on our street, and a couple of others from around the corner. They actually convinced me to move out here and start my business a couple years ago,”

“I had no idea there was such a community amongst the business owners around here,” you admit.

“You’ve gotta come meet everyone next week,” he insists “You’ll fit right in!”

Your heart warms at the sentiment. One of your big fears moving to the city was not knowing anyone and struggling to find a new group of friends. This could be promising!

Din and his son make their way back and come sit behind the tables with you and Paz. You and Paz do split the funnel cake, and have a grand time chatting with Din and his little boy.

“You’re telling me you’ve been in business for three months and haven’t been dragged into the group? You’ve gotta start coming to Tuesday night drinks,” Din laughs

“So I’ve been told. I think you boys have convinced me, I’ll be there on Tuesday,” you laugh. Paz and Din give a little cheer.

“Everyone will be so excited to meet you! But until then I think the little stinker needs to get home for a nap,” Din says scoops up his sleepy son who’s been dozing in his dad’s lap for the last 15 minutes “I’ll see you Tuesday,”

Din gives a one handed wave and disappears back into the crowd.

The remainder of the afternoon is a bit slower, the last remaining festival

“I’ll come down and pick you up so you don’t have to show up on your own,” Paz offers “Besides I need to check out your shop!”

“Awe! Thank you, that would be great!” You reply, a subtle warmth blooming in your cheeks at the thought of him coming to visit your shop.

Your heart does somersaults in your chest. He’s so sweet and kind. And he’s inviting you to be part of his friend group. That has to be a good sign, right?

Taglist: @maybege @gallowsjoker @simping-for-clones @mxndoscyarika @hayley-the-comet

AN: This whole story, but this chapter specifically is very special to me. The city this story takes place in is based off of the two cities I have lived in, in my life. I grew up going to festival that takes place in late spring, that’s really important to the town I was born and grew up in... and the new city that I moved to as an adult is known for its public markets on Saturday’s where local vendors sell their flowers and their baked goods. I am just days away from moving back to my home city (temporarily) and due to covid I didn’t have the opportunity to attend the public market the last two years in a row. I don’t know if I’ll get to participate in the spring festival in my hometown this year.

[sofee-d]

Memorable Birthday

Short Summary: Surprising your boyfriend on his birthday in a way he never expected.

Genre: Romance, fluff

Pairing: Lee Taeyong (NCT) x Fem!Reader ft. Mark & Johnny

Warnings: None tbh, fluff, lots of fluff, mentions of slight smutty content but pretty PG.

Key Words: Romantic dinner, friends to lovers, stable relationship, birthday surprise, silly & easy-going relationship, serious talk, confession, heart-warming

Word Count: 2758

࿏

It had been almost 5 months that you started dating Taeyong. You started off as friends and it took a while for both of you to come to terms with your feelings for one another and act on it. It was Taeyong who acted on it first. He ended up kissing you abruptly one day when you were helping him study English in your apartment. It was apparently Johnny’s idea, you found out later on. After pining after you for so long Taeyong decided to take matters into his own hands and follow Johnny’s advice to ‘’Just kiss her man.’’.

After that day the rest was history. Your inital worries about your friendship turning into a relationship were short lived because Taeyong was incredibly good to you as a boyfriend. He would text you constantly despite his hectic schedule and try to come and see you whenever he could. You expected things to be much worse. Like not being able to meet up often or even at all, but you could see how much he was putting in effort to be with you and it was so heart warming.

It was sometimes late night movie dates at your apatment, because he missed you in the middle of the night and he didn’t have an early schedule the day after so he would come over with a bunch of snacks with a goofy grin on his face and you would just enjoy each others company the whole night. Other times it would be him inviting you to the dorm, successfully being able to kick Johnny, Haechan and Doyoung to the 10th floor for a few hours because he wanted to treat you to a nice dinner he cooked for you. You would have to stop him when he got carried away though, not being able to get enough of your kisses. Those dates would mostly end with the both of you back at your apartment, limbs being all tangled up in the entry almost not being able to wait until you get to the bedroom.

You honestly felt like you couldn’t ask for a better boyfriend. You weren’t too different personality wise so when you had small disagreements or misunderstandings sometimes they were easy to fix as communicating with Taeyong was such a breeze, he was so caring and understanding. It had been amazing being with him for almost 5 months, even though neither of you uttered the big 3 words yet. You felt it through his actions and you tried your best to show it through your actions as well, it wasn’t that necessary to say it out loud.

Since you felt like Taeyong was the one taking care of you most of the time you decided to put in the extra effort to do something special for his birthday coming up. But there was one tiny problem. What kind of present were you supposed to get for your rich celebrity boyfriend? He could possess almost anything he wanted. So you started thinking about something different. Your aim was to totally surprise him and give him something unique. The idea that popped in your mind just 3 weeks before Taeyong’s birthday was singing to him. You weren’t one to keep secrets from each other however one thing you sucessfully managed to hide from him was your singing ability. At first you didn’t really mean to hide it, you were just shy and thought that you would never compare to your boyfriend who is a well known musical artist. So you kept it to yourself for a while and asked Mark and Johhny to keep their mouths shut for good measure. 

Actually your plan was not only just singing to him but singing to him while also playing the guitar. There was one problem in this scenario too however, you had no idea how to play the guitar. You learned some chords way back when you were younger, but you didn’t remember anything. So you dediced to get help from an expert, of course it was none other than your best friend Mark. When you came to him with this idea suddenly demanding him to teach you how to play the guitar in just 3 weeks, to say he was shocked would be an understatement. Though not guaranteeing you’d be able to play the song you picked properly in just 3 weeks, he agreed to help regardless, not being able to refuse favors coming from you.

The 3 weeks of learning the guitar with Mark and then practicing almost everyday at home was tough, not to mention you had to sneak around to keep Taeyong from finding out. Of course there was also Johnny and his big mouth too. But he actually managed to keep it a secret for longer than you thought, even helping you by making up excuses when Taeyong would get suspicious sometimes. Though it was challenging, the results were decent. You could play the first verse, the chorus and the bridge of the song you choose just fine, while also singing along. Mark was impressed how much you learned in such a short span of time and kept hyping you up to build your confidence while Taeyong’s birthday was getting closer.

When it was finally the day before Taeyong’s birthday, thankfully it fell on a Saturday and he typically didn’t have schedule on the weekends. All your plans were ready, for Friday night you planned a small dinner at your place with just the two of you, even attempting to make him a cake. Although it didn’t turn out too well visually, it still tasted good so you hoped he would like it. At exactly 12:00 AM it would be July 1st and you would take out Mark’s guitar from the place you hid it and sing him the song you had been practicing non-stop for the past 3 weeks. For Satuday, on his actual birthday you planned to have a picnic by a lake nearby during the day and celebrate at the dorm with the boys at night.

Your heart started thundering in your chest when you finally heard your door bell ring. He was finally here. You checked the table you put together one last time and made sure everything looked perfect, not forgetting to check yourself out in the entryway mirror and adjusting the blush colored silk dress that complimented your figure perfectly too. When you finally opened the door you found your boyfriend looking very handsome in a white dress shirt and his favorite jeans. He even styled his hair, matching the semi-formal occasion when you only asked him to have dinner at your place.

His eyes danced on your figure from head to toe immediately bringing a smile to his face as he said;

‘‘Wow babe! You look incredible. What’s the occasion?’‘ laughing a little slightly by the end.

Eyeing him disapprovingly you replied; ‘‘Well, I don’t know. You tell me Mr. Lee.’’

‘’You don’t look too shabby yourself’‘ you continued, letting out a giggle.

He gently grabbed your your right hand and made you spin around.

‘‘I don’t know what I did to deserve this...’‘ he said still not being able to take his eyes off of you while smiling sheepishly.

You replied by locking your lips to his. There was a slight urgency hidden in the kiss, not being able to meet up with him properly for the past 3 weeks made you miss him so much. You could tell that he missed you too when he wasted no time to grab your waist to pull you closer and deepening the kiss. You pulled away a little bit sooner than he would like and even though you didn’t want to and said;

‘‘Taeyong... We should have dinner first. And I have a surprise for you.’‘

After giving you a one last peck he replied while looking deeply in your eyes;

‘‘I know, I know. I just can’t help myself. I guess I missed you too much...’‘ 

‘‘I know baby. I missed you too. But it’s dinner time now. Come on.’‘ you cooed while pulling him to the living room.

His eyes landed on the dinner table you put together and he let out a small gasp while his hands going towards his mouth.

‘‘Did you make all this for me?’‘ he was examining the different dishes you cooked for him that he loved.

‘‘To be completely honest, I don’t think I can get anywhere near you when it comes to cooking. But I still hope you like them. If you don’t you don’t have to finish.’‘ you said getting a bit self conscious.

Because you weren’t really much of a cook. Taeyong was the one who cooked for you all the time. And the times he didn’t cook you just ordered delivery food. But since this was a special occasion you tried your best to cook some of his favorite dishes. 

Sensing your confidence faltering Taeyong quickly replied;

‘‘Of course I will love them. You made them for me after all. I will finish them all.’’ giving you a warm back hug and kissing your cheek.

One of the many reasons you loved Taeyong was his incredibly loving, supportive nature. Even if the food you cooked was terrible (which it wasn’t but) he would still try to finish it all with a smile on his face. And most likely the next time you attempted to cook he would teach you.

Taeyong enjoyed the dinner you cooked for him more than you expected. Even throwing a few compliments here and there and talking about how spoiled he feels. But as the dinner was slowly coming to an end you started getting more and more nervous about your little suprise. Clearing the plates on the table together and making room for the cake, it was then time to light the candles as it was almost 12 AM. Taeyong looked really happy seeing you even went the extra lengths to bake him a cake. You caught your hand holding the lighter trembling a little bit as all you could think about was the small performance you had been preparing for the past few weeks. Taeyong got the lighter from your trembling hand and looked at you with concerned eyes;

‘‘Babe, are you ok?’‘

‘‘Yeah I’m fine, let’s light the candles.’‘ you quickly replied back pretending to be ok.

He didn’t question you more while he finished lighting the candles. As the clock hit 12 AM you cheered;

‘‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY!’‘

You could see the way his face lit up by the way he was gazing at you. Even though you told him to make a wish he shook his head and said;

‘‘I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday and a better girlfriend. What else can I wish for? I got everything I want right here.’‘ with his signature smile that made you melt.

You couldn’t help but smile back fondly at him as he blew his candles. Taeyong surprisingly enjoyed the cake too, asking you some questions about how you made it. But you could only think of the chords in your head, starting to get stressed like what if you made a mistake? You worked so hard to get it perfect, it would be a shame if you made a mistake while trying to do something nice for your boyfriend. The moment you dreaded finally came when Taeyong finished his cake and took his plate to put it into the dishwasher.

When he was in the kitchen you quickly took out the guitar you managed to conceal behind the couch by the very corner. Taeyong did a double take when he saw you with a guitar standing in the middle of the living room when he came back. His expression was a mixture of confusion and fascination.

‘‘Taeyong, this is my present to you.’‘ you said with a small voice, your nerves getting the better of you.

Closing your eyes, you started playing like the way Mark taught you. When the verse started, all of your nervousness from before faded away and your eyes fluttered open as you sang along. Just from the first few words you sang you could see how blown away Taeyong was. You gained even more confidence by seeing him just staring at you with an amazed grin on his face, like he was finding it hard to believe. When you got to the bridge, you deemed it the killing part because you were putting in more power to certain words and singing a bit higher, with more emotion. Taeyong continued watching you slightly dazed. When you finally finished, you stared at each other for a moment that seemed longer than it was. As if both of you were finding it hard to process what just happened. It was Taeyong who was quick to close the distance between you two and his lips were even quicker to meet yours.

Pulling back from the kiss he said;

‘‘Y/N I had no idea you could sing! This is crazy! How did I not know how talented you are!’‘ excitement and amazement was evident on his face.

‘‘Because I kinda hid it from you...’‘ you replied averting your eyes a bit.

‘‘You’re a real musician you know. And I only sing a little bit. I’m a total amateur.’‘ you continued.

He gave you a disapproving look and said; ‘’Nonsense. It was pretty amazing what you just did now. I think you are very talented. You can even play the guitar!’‘ he exclaimed.

‘’Well about that... I actually don’t know how to play the guitar... I’ve just been learning to play this one song for you for the past 3 weeks.’’ you admitted.

Eyes getting bigger once again he said; ‘’What? You mean you learned to play like this in only 3 weeks? And you learned it to sing to me?’’ smiling from ear to ear by the end of his sentence.

‘‘Yes, I learned it because I wanted to make you feel special for once.’‘ you replied back mirroring his smile.

Taeyong responded by tilting your chin up and connected his lips with yours. He was kissing you more passionately this time. Almost in a way to convey how you were making him feel. As the kiss got deeper by the minute he pulled back slowly to look deeply in your eyes.

‘‘I love you Y/N.’‘ he let out the breath he didn’t even realize he was holding and continued;

‘‘I haven’t said it until now because I didn’t want to burden you. I was worried of scaring you off. I thought you’d find it too early and the heaviness of those three words would ruin the playful, light-hearted connection we have going on. But I was wrong.’‘

‘‘I tried to show it through actions and thought it was enough. But right now, I realized it’s not enough. I am totally and utterly in love with you. So you’re stuck with me whether you like it or not.’‘ he concluded with a laugh.

Watching your boyfriend pouring his heart out to you with an intense passionate gaze was urging you to do the same.

‘‘Good. Because I’m totally and utterly in love with you too Lee Taeyong.’‘ you confessed chuckling a little, while holding him.

‘‘You know you raised the bar on the birthday surprises way higher now right?’‘ he said with a smirk, earning a light punch on his arm from you.

‘‘Maybe next year you could dance for me. I bet you’re good at dancing too.’‘ he suggested, expression turning devilish.

‘‘I’m not... But you can always teach me.’‘ you responded with a challenging smirk.

‘‘Right now, the only dance I want to do is the Devils Tango.’’ he said with a proud expression.

‘‘Taeyong! Oh my god, where did you learn that?’‘ you started laughing because it was ridiculous.

‘‘Come on Y/N you gotta admit it was kinda smooth. Doesn’t that mean se-’‘ he was about to say but you interrupted him by saying;

‘‘You won’t get any if you don’t stop talking about it like that though.’‘ trying to hide your laugh by turning back and walking away.

But your fake push & pull game was cut short when you suddenly found yourself in Taeyong’s arms being carried princess style.

‘‘I don’t think I can wait anymore.’‘ he said in urgency, lust evident in his eyes while carrying you to the bedroom.

Taeyong’s 25th birthday would surely be a time you would both remember.

[rmtndew]

Begin Again

Summary: Walter Marshall is a dedicated homicide detective doing his best to balance his work life with being a single father to a teenage girl. Fiona Sparks is a woman doing her best to take care of everyone and everything around her, except for herself. Neither has had the best luck with relationships, but once they meet, they’re willing to give it another shot, this time with each other. (It’s basically just romantic fluff) 

Pairing: Marshall and OFC.

Rating: PG

Warnings: Mentions of death, cancer.

A/N - This is a sequel to ‘All I’ve Ever Known’. I started writing this because I needed an escape for some personal stuff going on and my coping mechanism included giving Marshall all the love that man needed, and imagining him being the softest boyfriend to me, then passing those details on to Fiona (my OFC).

I also made a Spotify playlist for this story, if anyone is interested - Begin Again Playlist 

 Tag list - @hollydaisy23, @alyxkbrl, @onlyhenrys, @omgkatinka, @speakerforthedead0​, @gearhead66,  @thethirstyarchive, @oddsnendsfanfics, @littlerinoa, @agniavateira, @aaescritora, @justaboringadult, @beenthroughalot, @seriouslygoodlookinggents,  @xxxkatxo

If you want to be added/removed from the tag list, let me know!

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7

The last Wednesday in October was a gray, misty, windy day. It was cold, the kind you felt more in your bones than anywhere else, with the sky occasionally spitting out sleet. I spent the entire twenty-minute drive to my job at Waverly Catering clutching the steering wheel so tightly that my hands were cramping by the time I arrived from white-knuckling it the whole way there. Usually, I would get to work early enough to enjoy the silence and finish off my coffee before officially starting my workday. That day, however, I spent the very little extra time I had trying to get my hands to stop hurting, then chugged down my coffee that had cooled dramatically to a gross lukewarm temperature. 

Before going in, I checked my phone. I always kept it on silent while I drove. My mom had a tendency to text me, make a dozen spelling mistakes because of auto-correct, then correct them one by one, leaving me with about thirteen separate texts to read. It didn’t use to bother me, I thought it was charming and very distinctly Mom. But when she’d gotten sick at the beginning of the year, every text she sent that I couldn’t read immediately made me panic, worrying that something terrible had happened to her, even when I’d just seen her at home a few minutes before. So for my sanity - and hers - I started putting my phone on silent until I got to work, or wherever else I was going. It was a habit I’d kept even after she’d gone into remission because her cancer may have been gone, but my anxiety over her wasn’t. 

That morning when I checked my phone, I saw that I had two texts, but they weren’t from Mom. 

Marshall:  Good morning, Fi. I hope that I get to see you today. I’ll be chained to  my desk with paperwork for a while. This is the first time I’ve not dreaded it. You’re my silver lining.

That was cheesy. I’m sorry. I’m bad at this.

And just like that, all of my stress melted away. The weather didn’t matter, my disappointing coffee didn’t matter, even the cramping in my hands didn’t matter. All that did matter was that Walter Marshall thought of me as his silver lining. Yes it was early days, yes we’d barely known each other a month, yes we’d only gone on two dates, but he made me happier than I’d been in a long time. I felt like I’d been holding my breath for two years, starting when my dad had died in a car crash, followed by my boyfriend Ezra breaking up with me, then losing my job as an interior designer, and capping off with my mom’s cancer diagnoses. Then Walter came along and it was like I could finally breathe again. 

Me:  Please don’t apologize. You have no idea how much I needed to read that this morning. Feel free to be as  cheesy as you want. And I hope I get to see you today, too, even if it  means you’re chained to your desk.

Marshall:  If I don’t see you for some reason,  can I call you tonight? I miss your  voice and you make me want to get better at this talking thing. 

I could feel myself blushing. Even over the phone he made me feel like a teenager with a crush. I had no idea that anyone could make me feel that way as an adult, but he did every time he texted me. 

Me:  Of course you can. Even if we do see  each other, you can still call, if you want? Practice makes perfect, and all that.

Marshall: I’d like that. Talk to you soon.

I sat back in my seat with a sigh as I looked out at the sleet falling from the gray sky, spattering my windshield, blurring out the image of the trees in the park across from me blowing and bending in the wind. 

It was going to be a good day. 

“You look...dare I say it? Happy?” Darcy said as I walked into her office.

I smiled. “You may dare to say it because yes, I am quite happy.”

“And what brings you to such an extreme emotion so early on such a disgusting day?”

I went to her desk and sat in the chair opposite her. “Well, for one, I know that you’re about to do me a big favor that I will forever be grateful for.”

“Fiona Sparks asking for a favor? I’ll mark the day in my calendar,” she joked. “What kind of favor do you need?”

“I need a copy of the peanut butter cookie recipe.”

“For what purpose?” 

“See, that’s where the happiness part comes into play and you, being one of my dearest friends, would love to see me happy.” 

“I would but I’m unsure how a cookie recipe is going to do that.”

“It’s not for me,” I said, smiling wide. “I met this guy -” 

“What? Who?” she asked enthusiastically, her eyes wide with excitement.

“His name is Walter Marshall. He’s our detective who never changes his lunch order.”

“You’re dating one of the homicide detectives? You can feel free to thank me later for giving you that order, by the way. But right now I want details: How long have you been dating and why am I just now finding out about it?”

“We’re not technically dating. I met him a few weeks ago for the first time and we went on two dates last week.” 

“You haven’t dated anyone in over two years, and then you go on two dates in one week?”

“Well, the first was just a coffee date. Saturday we tried having a proper one.” 

“Tried?” she asked, raising her eyebrow. 

“He wanted to take me to dinner, so we went to an Italian place, but before we could order, his daughter called. She was supposed to be at a Halloween party, but some of her friends had lied to her, I guess, and it ended up being a basement party with slightly older boys and she felt uncomfortable, so we went and picked her up. Then we all went for pizza together.”

“He has a daughter, which is some heavy baggage to begin with, but you met her on your second date? That’s a lot, Fiona.” 

“I know it seems like it, but it’s really not. She’s a good kid. And he’s an amazing father, which, oddly, just makes him more attractive,” I said. “But that’s not the point. The point is that his daughter was, understandably, a little iffy about me being with him when he picked her up until she found out that I’m the one who brings the cookies. She apparently loves them and I told her that I might be able to get her a copy of the recipe and that seemed to pave the way for her not hating me instantly. And she’s thirteen, so that’s a pretty big deal.”

“I have so many questions right now but I can’t sort them all out so I’m going to be annoying you with them all day, just be prepared for that. All I want to know right now is if you want the recipe laminated or not?” 

I let out a relieved breath. “Yes, please, if you don’t mind. And thank you so much, Darcy. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“I do know. You never ask for anything, even simple things, so the fact that you’re willing to ask me for a favor means this is a pretty big deal,” she said. “He must be a good guy.”

I nodded. “He really is.” 

I arrived at the police station that morning a little before eleven. I’d left the shop early, worried the weather might get bad again and didn’t want to be late for my delivery. Thankfully the sleeting had stopped, allowing me to get there a few minutes early. A few minutes that I used up trying to pull my dolly through the parking lot. The lot had been salted, which was good in that at least it wasn’t icy, but the wheels on my dolly didn’t seem to like the brine mixture. They kept locking up on me. Between that and having to fight against the roaring wind, it took me an embarrassingly long time to reach the station door. Before I could push it open, someone opened it from the inside for me. I looked up, expecting to see Officer Bates. He was the security officer that was posted downstairs and always went through the containers full of lunches that I brought to the homicide unit every week. Instead, I saw Marshall.

“Hello,” he said with a smile. 

I immediately felt like giggling. The last time I’d seen him, we’d kissed. And seeing him right then, seeing his beautiful, handsome face, I wanted so badly to kiss him again. Instead, I felt myself grow shy as I blushed so fiercely that my cheeks stung with the new heat that rushed to them. 

“Hi,” I said. He pulled the door open all the way, then stepped back, allowing me to walk in. My stomach fluttered as I looked back at him. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He closed the door behind me. “May I help you with your cart?”

“No, it’s okay.”

“Would you let me help you take it back to your car when you leave, at least?”

I fought every instinct inside of me that insisted I say no. Darcy was right: I hated asking for even simple things. I never wanted to burden anyone. But since I’d met Marshall, I’d learned that his way of showing interest or affection was to do things for me. But he always asked first, wanting my permission. It challenged me, but in a good way. I didn’t need to always go it alone if I didn’t have to. 

“Um, yeah, I’d appreciate that. Thank you,” I said. “The wheels didn’t seem to agree with the salted parking lot. You could probably pull it a lot easier than me.” 

Marshall stayed with me as Officer Bates went through the containers I’d brought in. He wasn’t close enough to make anyone passing by question it, but it was close enough that my hand hanging at my side could feel the heat coming from his hand and forearm, that was visible from the blue henley that was pushed up to his elbows in a way that I found incredibly attractive. My fingers itched to seek out his, but I fought it. Keeping them obediently beside me. Once Officer Bates was done and gave me the all clear to take the food up, Walter walked me to the elevator and pressed the button to call it down. Then he held the door back, letting me in first before following me. After the door slid closed, he fell back half a step, putting him right beside me. His hand bumped mine, his fingers snaking through, gently holding mine. I smiled, knowing I wasn’t the only one itching for contact. 

I turned without a thought and placed a kiss on his shoulder. Then I paused, a moment of panic rising in me that maybe we weren’t at that level yet. But before I could move or feel too worried, he placed a kiss on the top of my head.

“I keep thinking about Saturday,” he whispered. 

“Me, too,” I said. I looked up at him. “It was...pretty amazing.”

He smiled. I could see his sharp canine teeth. They were oddly charming. “Yes, it was.” He laced his fingers with mine more securely, properly holding it. “I know I mentioned calling you tonight, but I hoped that we might have dinner again instead. If you’re not busy?”

“I’m exceptionally not busy tonight.”

“Good.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead before turning his head back to face the elevator door. “I won’t be able to finish all my paperwork today, there’s too much and it keeps multiplying like rabbits, so since I have to do it tomorrow anyway, I’m going to knock off here around five. Could I pick you up after that? Around five-thirty, perhaps?” 

I nodded, smiling. “That sounds great.”

The elevator dinged as we reached the homicide unit floor. He gave my hand a couple of gentle squeezes before letting it go as the door slid open. He stepped out, then held the door for me like he had before, letting me pull my cart out. He walked with me almost all the way to the break room before a shorter man with glasses stopped him. 

“Lieutenant Marshall, can I speak with you in your office for a moment?” he asked. 

“Of course.” Walter touched my shoulder. “Excuse me,” he said to me quietly before leaving for his office. 

I continued on and was met by most of the detectives waiting for me. Like usual, they didn’t talk to me much, just thanking me for the food before taking their box and going. I took my time, hoping that by the time that I was done, the man speaking with Walter would be gone before I brought him his lunch. When I was done, I packed up my cart before taking Marshall’s boxed lunch and walked down the hall, finding the door to his office open. I could hear him talking still and wasn’t sure what to do. I’d made a deal with him a few weeks back to always bring his lunch to his office whenever I delivered - the first time was because a uniformed officer looked like he was going to swipe it, after that, it was to thank him for rescuing me from a pushy creep while I was with my ‘friends’. We’d never discussed if I should interrupt while he was working. I chewed my lip, debating what to do for several seconds before deciding to just take a chance and knock on the door frame. The worst case scenario was that I looked like a very dedicated delivery woman making sure that all of my orders reached their proper owners. 

“Yep. Come in,” Walter called out in response to my knocking.

I entered his office only far enough to be seen and not a step further. I didn’t know if Marshall wanted people to know about us, so I was prepared to make a quick exit if I needed to. “I have a delivery for Detective Marshall,” I said. 

He looked at me and smiled, then waved me in further. “Harper, this is Fiona Sparks. Fiona, this is Commissioner Harper.”

“Hi. It’s nice to meet you, sir,” I said. 

“You, too.” He looked at me over the top of his glasses. “You don’t happen to be related to Rodger Sparks, by any chance?” 

I felt speechless for a moment. I hadn’t heard anyone other than Mom say Dad’s name in months. Finally, I forced myself to nod. “Yes. He was my dad. How - how did you know?” 

“We went to college together. You’re the spitting image of him,” he said. “I was sorry to hear about him passing away. I lost my wife around two years ago as well. A brain aneurysm.” He shook his head. “It doesn’t get any easier.” 

“No, it doesn’t,” I agreed.

He looked at me for a moment longer, then back to Marshall, who was standing patiently with his hands clasped behind his back. He looked back at me briefly before taking the folder he was holding and tapped it against Marshall’s shoulder. “You know what? This can wait until tomorrow,” he said. “I’ll bring it by in the morning.” He left Walter and stopped beside me before leaving the office. “I’m very sorry about your father. Rodger was a horrible sport when he lost at cards, but other than that, he was a great guy. And probably the smartest man I ever met.”

I smiled slightly. “He was a horrible sport at cards.” 

He smiled back. “The worst.” He gave me a wink. “It was a pleasure seeing you.” 

“You, too.”

When he left, he closed the door behind him. I looked at Marshall as he walked towards me. “Did I interrupt something important?” I asked. 

“No. He was just asking about a cold case.”

“I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to come in since he was here. Next time, if you’re talking to someone, would you rather I left your lunch in the break room?”

He stopped in front of me. He was so close. He smelled like coffee and Old Spice. I swallowed thickly, trying to meet his gaze as he looked down at me. He shook his head, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “No. I’d still like you to bring it to me, please. If that’s alright?” 

“Yeah, of course. I just don’t want to get in the way of your job.”

“You won’t,” he said. “But I’ve let my job get in the way of other things for too long, so maybe it’s time someone got in the way of it for a bit.” 

“You have an important job, though. If you were a boat salesman, I might feel a little differently about disrupting your work.” 

His smile grew as he tilted his head at me. “A boat salesman?” 

“I mean a job where it wouldn’t really matter all that much if you were distracted every once in a while. If someone doesn’t sell a boat, it’s not that big of a deal. But if you don’t solve a murder case...that has very real repercussions. I wouldn’t want to be a reason for something slipping by in a case.” 

He put his hand on my cheek, directing my eyes back to his. “That won’t happen,” he said. “I take my job seriously. That’s never been a problem for me. My problem has always been figuring out how to balance it with the rest of my life, which I never could, and I neglected a lot of people because of it. Especially Faye.” He shook his head. “I’m still not good at it. But I had a case back in the winter that...put Faye’s safety in jeopardy, among other things, and it made me realize that I need to put more of an effort in my life outside of this job. Despite how hard that is for me.” He stroked my cheek with his thumb. “You motivate me to slow down a bit. And that’s a good thing.”

I took my free hand and placed it over his, then turned my face slightly and placed a kiss on the inside of his wrist. “I would be happy to slow down with you,” I whispered. 

Marshall had a smile that somehow showed in his eyes more than his mouth, and that’s how he was looking at me right then. “I’d like that.” 

A knock on the door startled me. I took a step back, his hand falling from my cheek. He then ran it over his face, almost like he was trying to scrub the irritation of being interrupted off it. Then he folded his arms across his chest before calling out for whoever it was to come in.

The door opened and a man stepped up to the doorway. He was wearing plain clothes like Walter, so I assumed he was a detective, too. He all but ignored me as he and Walter spoke. Half of what they said was in a jargon I didn’t understand, so I just stood there, head down, waiting. After a few minutes, the guy left, only halfway closing the door as he did. When Marshall finally turned back to me, I could see that he was frustrated. I knew he wouldn’t admit it, but me being at his work right then was only going to cause more irritation with every interruption we had. 

“As much as I hate it, I should probably get back to the shop. We have a big order going out tomorrow, so there’s quite a lot to do today to prepare for it,” I said. “Plus, I have a date with a very handsome detective tonight that I want to get ready for.”

The frustration on his face seemed to melt away as he looked at me with a smirk. “Is it anyone I know?”

“Possibly. He does work in your unit.” 

“Is that so?” he asked. I nodded. “Well, if I see him around, I might have to have a talk with him.”

“And what would you say?” 

“I’d tell him that he better be good to you because you deserve to be treated well.” 

My stomach fluttered. “You can rest assured that he treats me very well. Better than any man ever has.”

“All those other men were idiots.”

I smiled. “Maybe so.” 

He shook his head. “Definitely so.” He reached out and took his lunch from my hand, then turned and placed it on a filing cabinet behind him. “Will you let me help you to your car now?” 

I nodded. “Yes, please.”

He put on his coat and followed me to the break room. He pulled my dolly for me, moving it like it was as light as a child’s toy. Even when we made it to the parking lot, he didn’t seem to have any issue with the wheels fighting against him. Then he picked it up and placed it in my trunk with ease, despite how I very often fought to get it back in. I thought about telling him that he was welcome to help me anytime he wanted, but I was afraid it wouldn’t come across as a joke and he would feel obligated to actually help. 

“Thank you. You made my morning a lot easier,” I said after I closed the trunk. I looked at him. “I guess I’ll see you around five-thirty?”

He nodded. “I’ll call you when I leave here, but yeah, I should be there by then,” he said. “And I promise it’ll only be the two of us and no cheap pizza.” 

“To be honest, I quite liked the pizza. It didn’t taste cheap. And I really, truly didn’t mind Faye joining us, but it'll be nice to have dinner with just you tonight,” I said. “But that reminds me - I put a copy of our cookie recipe for Faye in your lunch box.” 

He smiled. “Thank you. She’ll be very excited about that.”

“You’re welcome. And let her know if she has any issues with it, she can call or text me.” 

The crease between his eyebrows appeared as he looked at me thoughtfully. “Are you sure?” 

“Yeah. I’ve made them enough times over the last year and a half to make every mistake you can with them. If she has a problem, I can probably diagnose it over the phone.” 

“You don’t mind her having your number?”

I felt my facial expressions mirroring his, but from confusion. “Of course I don’t mind. As long as you’re okay with it,” I said. “Unless you think your ex-wife would mind? I don’t want to step on her toes or anything.”

He shook his head. “I don’t think Angie would mind for that purpose, and I don’t have a problem with it. But I don’t want you to feel obligated.”

“I don’t but I’ll leave it up to you. If you’d feel more comfortable being the middleman you can always call me for her.” I gave him a big smile. “And I can help you practice the whole talking thing. Then it’s a two birds with one stone kind of deal.” 

He smiled back, nodding his head. “And if she doesn’t need help?” 

“You can still call.” I shrugged. “As far as I’m concerned, you don’t have to have a reason for calling. If I’m not at work, I’m usually pretty free. I may be cooking, or watching ‘The Golden Girls’ with Mom, but that’s about it,” I said. “I’m afraid you’re courting quite a socially boring person.”

He laughed. “I’m not sure if you’ve caught on, but I’m not exactly a sociable person, either,” he said. “So perhaps we make a good fit for each other.”

“Perhaps so,” I agreed. “We can be selectively social together.” 

“Sounds good to me.” 

I let out a sigh and watched my breath turn to steam in front of me. “I better let you get back to your paperwork and I need to go help Darcy at the store. We have over fifty loaves of bread to bake before the end of the day, so depending on when I get home, you may have to deal with your date smelling like freshly baked bread.” 

He squinted slightly. “I’m not really opposed to that,” he joked with a smile that showed off the sharp ends of his canine teeth. 

I laughed. “Good to know.” 

He gave me a short hug, kissing my cheek as he pulled back. “I’ll see you this evening.” 

“I’m looking forward to it.

[dherzogblog]

The Birth of The Daily Show: 25 Years of Fake News and Moments of Zen

It was July of 1995 and I had left MTV to become President of Comedy Central. It was the basic cable equivalent of going from the NY Yankees to an expansion team. I was on the job just two weeks when I received a call from Brillstein Grey the high powered managers of Bill Maher, host of one of the networks few original programs, "Politically Incorrect". We were informed Bill and his show would leave the network when his contract expired in 12 months. It was a done deal. Bill wanted to take his show to the "big leagues" at ABC where he would follow Night Line. Comedy Central was left jilted. Terrible news for a network still trying to establish itself. We had a year to figure out how to replace him and the clock was ticking. So began the path to The Daily Show.

It was very much a fledgling Comedy Central I joined, available in barely 35 million homes, desperately seeking an identity and an audience. It was just over three years old, born into a shot gun wedding that joined two struggling and competing comedy networks, HBO’s Comedy Channel and Viacom’s HA!, Watching them both stumble out of the gate, the cable operators forced them to merge, telling them: "We only need one comedy channel, you guys figure it out”. After some contentious negotiations the new channel was born and the red headed step child of MTV and HBO set out to find the pop culture zeitgeist its parents had already expertly navigated. The network had yet to define itself. The programming consisted mainly of old stand up specials from the likes of Gallagher (never underestimate the appeal of a man smashing watermelons), a hodgepodge of licensed movies (“The God’s Must be Crazy and The Cheech and Chong trilogy were mainstays) and Benny Hill reruns. The networks biggest hit by far was the UK import “Absolutely Fabulous”, better know as “AbFab”. Comedy Central boasted a handful of original shows, including the wonderfully sublime "SquiggleVision" of “Dr. Katz”, the sketch comedy "Exit 57" (starring the then unknown Amy Sedaris and Stephen Colbert) and of course Maher’s "Politically Incorrect". In retrospect I don’t think Bill got enough credit for pioneering the idea of political comedy on mainstream TV. Back then he was the only one doing it.

Politically Incorrect performed just fine, but got more critical attention than ratings. It was a panel show, and I had something a bit different in mind to replace it. I knew we needed a flagship, a network home base, something akin to ESPN's Sports Center where viewers could go at the end of a the day for our comedic take on everything that happened in the last 24 hours….."a daily show". I had broad idea for it in my head. I would describe it as part "Weekend Update", part Howard Stern, with a dash of "The Today Show" on drugs complete with a bare boned format to keep costs low so we could actually afford to produce it. We could open with the headlines covering the day's events (our version of a monologue), followed by a guest segment (we wouldn't need to write jokes...only questions!), and finish with a taped piece. Simple, right? We just needed someone to help flesh out our vision.

Comedy Central was a a second tier cable channel then and considered a bit of a joke (no pun intended). It had minuscule ratings, no heat and even less money to spend. Producers were not lining up to work with there. Eileen Katz ran programming for the channel and the two of us began pitching this idea to every producer who would listen. One of the first people we approached was Madeleine Smithberg, an ex Letterman producer and had overseen "The Jon Stewart Show" for us at MTV. We thought she was perfect for the role. “You can’t do this, you can’t afford this, you don't have the stomach for this, it will never work ” Madeliene said when we met with her. We could not convince her to take the gig. Ok then....we moved on. The problem was we heard that same refrain from everybody. No one wanted the job. So after weeks being turned down by literally EVERYONE, I said to Eileen: “We have to go back to Madeleine and convince her to do this with us"!

Part our pitch to her was we would go directly to series. There would be no pilot. The show was guaranteed to go on air. We had decided this show was our to be our destiny and we had to figure it out come hell or high water. As a 24 hour comedy channel, if we couldn't figure out a way to be funny and fresh every day...what good were we? We told Madeliene we were committed to putting the show on the air and keeping it there till we got it right (for at least a year anyway). That, plus some gentle arm twisting got her to sign on. Shortly after that, Lizz Winstead did too.

Madleiene and Lizz very quickly landed on their inspired notion of developing the show and format as a news parody. It brought an immediate focus and a point of view to the process . All of the sudden things started to take shape and coming to life. Great ideas started flowing fast and furious while an amazing collection of funny and talented began to come on board. Madeliene and Lizz were off to the races. Now all we needed was a host.

The prime time version of ESPN's Sports Center was hosted by Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann back then and it was must see cable TV. But I had recently started to notice another guy hosting the show's late night edition. He was funny, with a snarky delivery reminiscent of Dennis Miller. His name was Craig Kilborn. On the phone with CAA agent Jeff Jacobs one day, I asked if he knew happened to know who repped him? “I do" he said. "We just signed him”. Within days he was in my office along with Madeleine, Lizz, and Eileen who were all a bit skeptical about the tall blond guy with the frat boy vibes sitting across from them. After opening the meeting with a few off color comments that would probably get him cancelled today (an early warning sign fo sure), Craig ultimately won them over and we had our host.

FUN FAC#1: Minutes after the news of Craig's hiring went public, Keith Olberman's agent called me directly to ask why we hadn't considered hiring him?

Ok, we had a host and producers...but what to call it? After sifting through dozens of ideas for a title, Madeleine called me one day and said, "I think we should just call it what we've been calling it all along...."The Daily Show". As we approached our launch date we taped practice shows and took them out to focus groups to get real life feedback. The groups hated it.... I mean with a red hot hate. They hated Craig, the format, the jokes, everything. We were crushed and dejectedly looked around at the room at one another. "Now what?" “Either they’re wrong, or we are". I said I think they are...but it doesn’t matter, we're doing this!" We never looked back.

The show took off quickly garnering some quick buzz and attention, we felt like we had crashed the party. Well, sort of. We had no shortage of fun, growing pains and drama along the way. The Daily Show version 1.0 was about to unravel. In a December 1997 magazine interview Craig made some truly offensive and inappropriate remarks about Lizz and female members of the staff. Whether it was poor attempt at humor or just plain misogynist (or both) is beyond the point. It was all wrong, very wrong. Craig was suspended for a week without pay. Lizz left the show. In the moment I chose to protect the show and its talent more so than Lizz. That was wrong too. It's more than cringe worthy looking back now, and I regret not making some better decisions then. My loyalty to our host was later "rewarded" when in the Spring of 1998 Kilborn's team, a la Bill Maher, unceremoniously informed us he had signed a deal to follow Letterman on CBS when his contract expired at the end of the year. No discussion, a done deal. Comedy Central jilted again. Like Maher, Kilborn wanted his shot at the network big leagues and we had a little over six months to figure out how to replace him. We all know how that chapter ended. That search would eventually reunite us with Jon Stewart who along with The Daily Show took Comedy Central and basic cable to the "the big leagues" on their own terms, redefining late night comedy in the process The rest, as they say, is "Fake News" history.

Fun Fact #2: before approaching Jon (who I did not originally think would be interested) I initially offered the job to a chunkier, largely unknown Jimmy Kimmel, fresh off his co hosting duties on "Win Ben Stein's Money" ...only to have him turn us down.

My fascination with late night began as a kid. I remember how exciting it was to stay up to sneak a peek at the Carson monologue and watch him do spit takes with his chummy Hollywood guests. Later on I also loved the heady adult conversation Dick Cavett would have with everyone from Sly Stone to Groucho Marx. But it was the comedic revolution of Saturday night Live in 1975, followed by Letterman's game changing show in 1981 that truly established late night as the coolest place on the television landscape. I could only dream of one day being part of it.

25 years on, I couldn’t be more proud of The Daily Show and its legacy. Those days helping build it alongside Madeleine, Lizz, Eileen and the team were among the most satisfying (and fun) experiences I have ever had. It was thrilling to take a shot at the late night landscape and try and make our mark, especially when no one thought we could.

I am prouder still of what Trevor Noah and his staff have achieved since they took the hand off from Jon, evolving and growing the show through a new voice and lens. I think my personal "Moment Of Zen" will last as long as Trevor remains behind the desk, allowing me to selfishly boast of having hired every host this award winning and culture defining franchise has ever had.

25 years later. it remains as relevant as ever, a bona fide late night institution, standing shoulder to shoulder with all the great shows that inspired us to start.

[straya-kids]

Hi can you write an angsty + fluff imagine about Got7 Mark and y/n? Y/n losing conciousness while in the arms of mark. it can be due to anything its up to you! but pls have a happy ending 😁 hope the imagine could be a long one so we could see how mark cares for his gf

Here you go! I’m sorry it took so long, and I’m sorry it didn’t have as much angst as you probably would’ve liked. I hope you enjoy!!

pairing: mark tuan x gn!reader genre: fluff (maybe some angst if you squint) word count: 1.4k warnings: mentions of exhaustion, fainting, physical weakness

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“This isn’t working,” you sighed to yourself as you piled more concealer under your eyes. You were sitting in front of your vanity, trying your best to cover the dark circles under your eyes, but to no avail. No matter how much foundation and concealer you put on, you could still see the shadows staring back at you.

It was a Saturday, and your boyfriend, Mark, finally had a day off. Wanting to make the most of it, you’d gotten up early and started getting ready. As you went through your morning routine, you couldn’t help but dread the rest of the day.

It wasn’t that you didn’t want to spend time with Mark. You loved him and wanted to spend as much time as possible with him, even more so now that he’d just had a comeback and was busier than usual.

Your past few months had also been extremely busy. Your boss had you coming in for overtime nearly every day, and because of the stress of work, you hadn’t been sleeping well. You were thoroughly exhausted and wished you could just laze around in bed all day.

A few rounds of concealer later, you decided you’d done all you could do. You quickly got dressed and finished getting ready. As you were fixing your hair, you felt your phone vibrate.

Mark, my love💕: I’m on my way, baby. I can’t wait to see you. It’s been too long. I have a full day planned for us. I love you.

Knowing that Mark was driving, you didn’t bother to respond, instead finishing up getting ready. When you were finished, you sat in your living room, waiting patiently until you heard the doorbell ring. You quickly opened the door, seeing your boyfriend’s bright smile.

Mark practically tackles you in a hug, wrapping his arms around you tightly.

“I missed you so much, baby. I’m so happy to see you.” Mark swayed gently with you in his arms, pulling back to kiss you gently.

“I missed you too, Mark. I’m so glad we get to spend time together today.” Mark couldn’t keep the grin off of his face, and it seemed that he was so excited that he didn’t notice your dark circles or the way your eyes weren’t as bright as they normally were.

Mark took your hand in his, lacing your fingers together as he led you out of your apartment. As you walked out of the building, you started walking over to his car, which was parallel parked in front of the building. Mark tugged on your hand.

“I thought we could walk today. It’s too sunny and nice out.” The excited look in Mark’s eyes made you melt, and though you were having a hard time keeping up, you nodded, walking back over to Mark.

Mark spoke constantly as you walked, and you were grateful that he was feeling talkative. You weren’t sure you had the energy to keep up the conversation. He told you about his recent schedules and how much the fans loved the recent comeback.

The first part of the day Mark had planned consisted of shopping. He took you to multiple stores, and the two of you walked around, pointing out different items the other would like. Mark ended up buying a few things for each of you, even though you insisted he not. Of course, he carried the shopping bags, being the gentleman that he was.

As the day went on, you could feel your body get weaker and weaker. You weren’t sure how much more Mark had planned, but he was having such a good time that you didn’t have the heart to tell him that you wanted to go home and rest. You simply linked your arm with his to use his body to help support your own.

The next item on the agenda was visiting an art exhibit that Mark had been wanting to check out. Visiting art exhibits and museums was something the two of you loved doing together. You shuffled along with your boyfriend, trying your best to enjoy the exhibit.

“Isn’t that amazing, y/n?” Mark exclaimed, pointing out a painting.

“Mhm,” you mumbled, gripping onto Mark’s arm as you started to feel lightheaded.

Mark noticed the weak grasp you had on his arm and looked over to you, his brows furrowed in worry.

“Are you okay, babe? You’re looking a little pale...”

“I’m fine,” you replied weakly, nodding faintly in response.

“Are you su-“ Mark was cut off as you slumped over into his arms, unconscious. He quickly supported you, carrying you over to a quiet bench in the next room. He laid you down on the bench, propping your head on his thighs.

“Y/n! Y/n, wake up, baby.” Mark tapped your face lightly until you stirred, blinking up at him blankly.

“What happened?” You asked softly, trying to sit up. Mark gently pushed you back down, brushing his fingers through your hair.

“You fainted, babe. Are you okay? Are you not feeling well?” Mark looked down at you with pure concern in his eyes, and it made you feel guilty for not telling him how you felt.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been working overtime every day and I haven’t been getting much sleep. I guess my body was trying to tell me to rest.”

Mark frowned, bending over to kiss your forehead gently.

“You don’t need to apologize, y/n. I’m sorry you’ve been having a tough time. If I’d have known, I wouldn’t have dragged you all over Seoul.” He chuckled faintly, trying to lighten the mood. “Why don’t we go back to your place. We can order some delivery and then I’ll help you get to sleep.”

Mark slowly helped you up, making sure you were steady on your feet before he let go. He then pulled you onto his back, giving you a piggyback ride all the way back to your apartment. He let you down once you were safely inside.

“Go put on some comfy pajamas and get all comfortable and relaxed. I’ll order the food.” You nodded, heading off to your room. You undressed and pulled on some baggy sweatpants and one of Mark’s t-shirts. After getting dressed, you headed into the bathroom and tied your hair up before washing all of your makeup off. The dark circles were once again prominent against your pale skin.

The sound of the doorbell rang through the quiet apartment, signaling the arrival of the food that Mark had ordered. You walked back out into the living room, seeing Mark gathering utensils and plated for the food. He looked up as he heard you enter the room, a pout making its way to his face.

“My poor baby,” he said, walking over to you. He wrapped his arms around you as he placed gentle kisses to your forehead, each cheek, the tip of your nose, and then to each dark circle under your eyes. “Let’s eat in bed.” He once again took the food and utensils, pulling you along with him into your room.

He got you settled first, making sure you had your food and drink before getting comfortable himself. He put one of your favorite shows on tv as the two of you ate. You couldn’t help but notice Mark glance at you every so often, making sure you were getting plenty to eat.

When the meal was over, Mark cleaned everything up before returning to your bed. He climbed in and moved closer to you, pulling you into his chest. He pressed soft kisses to the top of your head, rubbing his arms comfortingly up and down your back and arms.

“I love you so much, you know that, right?” Mark spoke nearly in a whisper, in an attempt to help calm you. You nodded, smiling up at him.

“Of course. And I love you, too. So much, Mark.” He gave a warm smile, continuing to rub your back.

“Sleep, baby. You need to get as much rest as you can.” You nodded once more, closing your eyes as Mark started to sing softly.

Mark watched as you closed your eyes, smiling softly to himself as he felt your body slowly relax in his arms. It only took a few minutes before you fell asleep, the combination of the warmth of his body, his arms, and his soft voice lulling you off to sleep rather quickly.

Once he was sure you were asleep, Mark let himself relax, drifting off into dreamland next to his love.

[sassyduckqueen]

Miraculous: Rise of Anatis 36

Only three more chapters to go til Heroes Day!! I'm very excited for that one as I think you'll love it. I have a basic plan and it's gonna be good! As you've all probably guessed, Leatherback is going to be one of the next three chapters but the other two will be Desperada and Ikari Gozen. Though Desperada's appearance will be her second akumatization in this universe. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter :D

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Chapter Thirty-Six: Malediktator

Luka hummed softly to himself as he cycled to the Grand Paris hotel. He was on one of his delivery shifts and actually had time to complete it. He had reduced his hours at work now that he was a superhero and going to school but luckily, his boss was pretty cool and understood. He only got two shifts a week and luckily it seemed that Hawkmoth didn't tend to target people on a Thursday and a Saturday. That or his luck was coming into play. Now that he thought about it, it was probably his luck that he hadn't had his shifts disturbed yet but he certainly wasn't complaining. He pulled up at the Grand Paris and jumped off his bike, locking it up. Tikki flew into his hoodie as he took his helmet then grabbed the final box. It was his last delivery for the evening. He walked up to the doorman and smiled.

 "Delivery for Chloe Bourgeois," He stated, making the doorman nod and let him in. He walked through the hotel and checked his phone to make sure she had paid. He got into the lift and rode it up to the floor she lived in. As soon as he exited the lift, he heard screaming and shouting. He frowned as he walked towards the door. Tikki popped her out.

 "Is it an akuma?" She asked, making him shake his head.

 "No, it's someone arguing," He mumbled as the door slammed open. Tikki quickly hid and Luka blinked as Audrey Bourgeois stared at him before lifting her arm and tracing her eyes at his outfit. He could literally feel her judging him.

 "What a trashy outfit," She scoffed, turning her nose up at it before she waved her hand at him in a dismissive manor. "You're fired,"

 "I don't work for you," He stated, making her blink and stare at him before she glared at him.

 "How dare you talk to me like that?! I'm the queen of style-"

 "And I really don't care. I'm tired and I have other things to do so either take this or move out my way," He stated, making her blink again as he took out his phone and send the text to let Chloe know her food was here. 

 "Now listen here, you-"

 "Mum! Could you just not have a go at my school friends?! Go argue more with Dad," Chloe suddenly stated, making her blink for the third time as she grabbed his arm and pulled him into the room, closing the door behind them. She let out a sigh before taking the sushi box from him before pointing towards the window. "If you go out that way, you can take the lift into the restaurant and avoid my mother,"

 "Thank you," He muttered, turning to walk out of her balcony doors but he stopped and frowned a little. Chloe had moved to her bed and was slowly eating the sushi but something felt a little off to him. He wasn't sure if it was his best idea but he turned around and cleared his throat, causing her to look up at him. "Uh... are you ok? You seem... off?"

 "Because I'm been nice?" She asked, sharply and defensively. "Well, even I can be nice you know. I am trying to change,"

 "That's not what I meant," He stated, making her look at him. "You seem out of tune,"

 "Out of tune?" She asked, confused. He frowned as it wasn't the right words. "How can I be out of tune? I'm not a musical instrument,"

 "Sorry... I meant like sad... you seem sad..." He replied, making her eyes widen in shock before she looks down, a sad expression coming on her face. Luka sighed and turned to walk away. "Never mind..."

 "Mama wants to go back to New York with me but Daddy doesn't want us to leave Paris," She admitted, making him stop and look at her. "They've been arguing non stop about it for a couple of days. I'm sure you heard the shouting when you got out of the lift. Mama was trying to convince me to go with her but when I said I wasn't sure I wanted to leave, she started to shout at me,"

 "Why aren't you sure?" He asked without meaning to but she sighed and hugged her legs. "I mean Paris is cool but New York would be pretty cool too,"

 "I like Paris..." She admitted, sighing. "I know I don't have many friends in Paris but since the whole Queen Wasp incident, I've been going to therapy and it's really helping just having someone to talk to.... but Daddy is the one paying for it as Mama doesn't believe I need it. I know if I go to New York with her, I won't get the help I need plus she just brush me off like she always does,"

 "Well, it sounds like me that you're not unsure at all. You clearly want to stay in Paris so tell her that," He replied, making her look at him. "As for having no friends, you can always try to make some,"

 "Most people believe I haven't changed," She admits, looking down again. "That's why I snapped at you. I thought you were like them but you seem different,"

 "Well, you still have far to go but I can see quite clearly that you're trying your best so I think it's only fair to give you a chance. Besides, we never really got a chance to introduce ourselves to each other," He smiled before holding out his hand. Chloe blinked and looked at him in surprise. "I'm Luka Couffaine. It's nice to meet you,"

 "Uh... Chloe Bourgeois," She replied, taking his hand and shaking it. "It's nice to meet you as well. I'm right in thinking you're friends with Marinette?"

 "Yeah," He smiled, causing her to look nervous. "You should talk to her and I don't just mean about the dress you've commissioned her for. She is a great person and if you give her a chance, you might find a real friend in her,"

 "I was her bully for years..."

 "Then apologize for that,"

 "She won't accept it,"

 "She doesn't have to," He replied, making her look at him in surprise. "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try. Just by trying you can show her and the rest of the school that you really have changed. Anyway, I should get going as I have some more errands to run but Chloe, don't give up ok?"

 She nodded as he headed to the door and walked over, giving her a nod. Audrey had gone and he could hear shouting in the distance as he walked over to the lift. He pressed the button and waited for the lift to arrive, stepping in it as soon as it did. Once the doors closed, Tikki poked her head out.

 "That was some good advice you gave, Chloe," She smiled, making him smile a little as well.

 "She does seem to be improving but she has a long way to go," He admitted, making Tikki nod. "I just hope she's able to tell her mother that she needs to stay. I'd hate to see revert back to how she was before,"

 "Me too," Tikki admitted before hiding in his jacket as the lift came to a stop. He walked over of the building and unlocked his bike before placing his helmet on. He took out his phone, marked Chloe's food as delivered before using the company's app to clock out. He placed his phone back in his pocket before cycling off. He had one last errant to do and that was pick up some macaroons and cookies for Tikki. He stopped outside of the bakery and parked his bike, taking off his helmet and placing it inside. He walked over to the door and pushed it open, causing the bell to ring.

 "Welcome to- Hello, Luka," Sabine smiled as he walked up to the counter. "How are you?"

 "I'm good, Mrs Cheng. Thank you for asking," He smiled.

 "That's good to know, dear," She smiled back. "If you're here to see Marinette, you just missed her. She just left for Alya's,"

 "That's ok, Mrs Cheng. I'll message her later," He replied, nodding. He would be able to hang with Marinette another day as they both had plans tonight. She was sleeping over at Alya's with the girl squad and he had his shift then had to go on patrol. Of course, he didn't tell her about the patrol part. "I actually came in to buy some cookies and macarons,"

 "You do seemed fond of them. The usual flavors?" She asked, making him nod. "As I recall, they're for your friend?"

 "Yes, she has a huge sweet tooth,"

 "Are you and her close?" She asked as she bagged them up.

 "Yes, she's like a little sister to me," He smiled as he glanced at the rest of the food on display. Sabine smiled a little at his answer. "Can I have two eclairs as well?"

 "Of course, dear," She replied, getting them for him. "You already have a little sister, don't you? Juleka? Was it?"

 "Yeah but I have a habit of kind of been a big brother to people. I basically adopted Rose as my little sister and Tik- Tina... my friend who likes the cookies," He smiled, mentally sweating at almost saying Tikki's name. "Rose is practically my sister in law at this point anyway. How much do I owe you, Mrs Cheng?"

 "You can call me Sabine, dear," She smiled before ringing up the items. "22.45 euros, please?"

 He smiled and paid before taking the sweets and leaving the shop, waving goodbye to Sabine. He placed them in the basket and put his helmet back on before cycling off back to the Seine. The sun was beginning to set once he got to the Liberty. He locked his bike up and climbed on board, walking downstairs as he hummed to himself. Anarka looked up from her notepad as he placed an Eclair in front of her as he smiled.

 "Have you had any dinner yet?" He asked, making her look at the time. She frowned and stretched.

 "Nothing yet," She replied, making him frown. "Been working hard on a new song. Wanna read while I order take out?"

 "Sure, ma," He smiled, picking up the note pad and glancing over the scribbles and notes as she put in their usual order. He put it down as she walked back over.

 "What do you think?"

 "Sounds good so far," He smiled, making her smile. "You'll show me the finished piece right?"

 "Of course," She mumbled, making him nod before she claps her hand. "That reminds me. I have a job interview,"

 "You do?" He asked, frowning a little. Either she's decided to cure her boredom by getting a second job or money is tight. Sometimes that was the case with their lifestyle. Writing and selling songs were good if people wanted to buy them but not everyone did and of course, Bob Roth made it rather difficult for her to sell songs. Sometimes, they were times where it was hard to make ends meet. That's why Luka got his job in the first place but of course, he has reduced hours now. "Is everything ok?"

 "Nothing for you to worry about, Lad," She smiled. "We're up to date with bills and the usual things that cost money but it wouldn't do us any hard if I have a second job,"

 "So what's the job?" He asked.

 "Just some part shop work," She stated, making him frown. "It's nothing to worry about, Lad,"

 "Alright but if money gets too bad, I can always pick up some more shifts,"

 "You don't need to," She explained. "And you have school to worry about,"

 "If you say so, ma,"

 ~Monday~

 "Mr Couffaine, are you listening?" Ms Mendeleiev asked, making Luka look up from his notes and nod. She rose an eyebrow. "Then repeat what I said,"

 "You were explaining the difference between an atom and an ion," He replied, making her look at him with surprise before he lifted his book, showing his notes. Kagami smiled at him as Ms Mendeleiev nodded in approval.

 "Good that you're taking notes, Mr Couffaine," She replied before continuing with her lesson. Luka looked back down and smiled at the text he received from Marinette before sending her a reply, saying that he almost got caught so he'll talk to her at lunch. He slid his phone into his pocket and tried to pay attention to the rest of the lesson. Finally, the bell for lunch rang. He slid his notes into his bag and began to leave for the canteen. 

 "Luka," Kagami called, making him look over at her. She was holding her bag, looking calm as usual. "Adrien mentioned you are joining us for lunch today,"

 "Yeah, Marinette invited me," He smiled, making her nod. "You don't mind, do you?"

 "No, I do not," She tried her best to smile. "Perhaps we can walk to the canteen together?"

 "Sure," He smiled, slinging his bag over his shoulder and walking out with her. They walked in silence, making him bite his lip as he wasn't sure what to say to her but it was Kagami that broke the silence.

 "I'm glad you're not longer sick and have returned to school," She stated, making him look at her in surprise. "Marinette seemed worried about you,"

 "Yeah... Marinette saw why I was off," He mumbled, playing with his strap of his bag. "But I'm ok now,"

 "She cares a lot for you," Kagami stated, surprising him. "And I'm certain you care for her,"

 "I do," He mumbled, looking to the side with a slight blush.

 "You should tell her," She stated, making him look at her in shock. It's not that he didn't like Kagami or that he thought she was bad but in a way, she was similar to Chloe. In other words, an acquired taste and while he was happy to be his friend, he didn't necessarily want to have this conversation with her. It was bad enough that Juleka, Rose, Ivan and Mylene had given him lectures about talking to Marinette about his feelings. Now Kagami was going to. He would not be surprised if at some point, Adrien pulls him aside and tells him off.  "It is obvious that you are in love with her,"

 "She's in love with someone else," He mumbled, looking down. 

 "Yes, Adrien. I'm aware of her crush," She stated in a matter of a fact tone. "But Adrien isn't the only person to have captured her interest and he is unavailable to her. Adrien cares for Marinette but he only sees her as a friend,"

 "Then maybe he should tell her that!" He snapped, making her look at him. "Sorry... I didn't mean that..."

 "No, you are quite correct," She stated, making him frown. "Adrien doesn't understand social ques like the rest of the students here but even so, he should explain to Marinette that he only views her as a friend and that he only ever will. I shall tell him t-"

 "No," Luka gasped, causing her to look at him. He looks down as Kagami frowns.

 "I am confused," She stated. "Having Adrien tell Marinette that he only cares for her as a friend would eliminate him as a contender for her heart, meaning you would be to win her heart. Do you not want that?"

 "Not like that," He admitted, making her look at him. "Marinette deserves better then that. She doesn't deserve to have her heart broken. Yes, Adrien isn't interested in her and he should tell her that he likes her as a friend but not like that. He shouldn't just crush her heart so I can pick up the pieces. I do not want to have her love because of that. I do not want to be her second choice and I would never make a move on her while she was heartbroken. I have too much respect for her to do that. If Marinette wants to love me, I want her to come to that conclusion on her own,"

 "You really do love her," She stated, making him look at her. Was that a test? He rose an eyebrow as they walked into the canteen and shook his head, waving at Marinette when he saw her. She waved back, smiling brightly as she did. Alya was sat next to her, talking to Nino. Luka was glad to see that the two girls hadn't fallen out over the Reverser incident. Speaking of which, Marc had joined their table, happily talking to Nathaniel and Alix. Juleka was leaning on Rose as she gushed about something to Ivan and Mylene. Adrien was sat next to Nino and smiled as Kagami joined, leaving the spare seat next to Marinette. Luka moved over and sat down, happily taking out his lunch as he listened to the different conversations going on. However, the talking stopped as Chloe walked over. She looked extremely nervous and was looking to the side. She looked up and glanced at Luka, surprising him a little but he gave her an encouraging smile.

 "Um... I was hoping I could talk to you, Dup- I mean Marinette..." She mumbled, making Marinette look at her in surprised. Alya crossed her arms and glared at her but Marinette cleared her throat.

 "I'm listening, Chloe," She stated in a calm voice. Chloe took a deep breathe.

 "I wanted to apology for my behavior in the past," She stated, making everyone on the table look at her in surprise. "I was a terrible person and took out my own hurt on you. I understand that you probably won't forgive me and I don't blame you for that. In fact, I apologize to everyone at this table. Mylene, I'm sorry I made fun of your fear, Rose, I'm sorry that I made fun of your perfume and torn up your letter to Prince Ali... Ivan, I'm sorry for teasing you about liking Mylene. I actually think you two make a really cute couple. Nino and Alya, I'm sorry for been mean to you for no real reason or snapping at you. Nathaniel, I'm sorry for stealing your art and making you feel bad about having a crush on Marinette..."

 She turned to face Juleka, who looked frightened.

 "Juleka... I'm sorry that I got Sabrina to trap you in the bathroom. I was so desperate to stand next to Adrien that I didn't care who I hurt but I realize now how wrong I was," She mumbled, causing Juleka to go bright red before she turned to Marinette. "Marinette... I'm sorry for all the years I bullied you and belittled you... I was jealous of you... you are kind, sweet and having loving parents... you had everything I didn't and I hated you for it..."

 "Chloe..." Marinette stated but Chloe shook her head, tears in her eyes.

 "I am a terrible person and I don't deserve your forgiveness so I understand if you reject my apologies," She stated, wiping her eyes. "But I hope that maybe you'll let me earn your friendships and that we can start again,"

 She looked up and held out her hand with a sad smile on her face.

 "Hi, I'm Chloe Bourgeois... it's nice to meet you," She stated in a similar manner to how Luka done to her when he delivered her food but she wasn't expect anyone to shake her hand back. She was just giving them a chance to start again if they wanted. The group look around confused but Marinette was the first to get to her feet. She walked over to Chloe and stood in front of her, causing the girl to blink as she looked at her.

 "I accept your apology, Chloe," She smiled before taking her hand and shaking it. "I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng. It's nice to meet you too, Chloe. I hope we can become good friends,"

 "Thank you," She whispered, more tears appearing in her eyes. Marinette smiled as Juleka stood up and shook Chloe's hand, reintroducing herself. The rest of the class did the same. Though Rose didn't actually shake her hand. Instead she just hugged Chloe, causing the girl to pat her head before she sat down. Marinette smiled as Chloe wiped away her tears before gesturing to the spare seat.

 "Why don't you join us for lunch?" She asked, making Chloe blink and look at the seat before pointing at herself.

 "You want me to join you?" She asked but it wasn't in a malicious tone. She just sounded surprise. Marinette smiled and nodded. "Thank you,"

 "Do you have a lunch?" Rose asked, making Chloe shake her head.

 "Usually I go back to the hotel to have lunch with Daddy if he's not busy," She explained, glancing to the side. Luka frowned a little as he suspected that her father was almost always busy and he highly doubted her mother ate with her. He felt Tikki push a cookie into his hand, causing him to glance down. She smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up.

 "Here, you can have this. It isn't much but it's better then nothing," He smiled, handing her to the cookie. Chloe went to take it but hesitated as she was sure he would snatch it from her but when he didn't, she took it.

 "Thank you," She mumbled before Marinette handed her a croissant and part of her sandwich. She looked up at her. "Are you sure?"

 "Well, a cookie isn't enough to fill you up," She smiled, gently nudging Luka who smiled back. Chloe thanked her and the conversation began again. Marinette turned to Luka. "So I wanted to ask you a favor?"

 "Oh?" He replied, making her press her fingers together. 

 "I was hoping that maybe you could show me the basics of guitar..." She mumbled, rubbing the back of her neck. He looked at her in surprise. "If you're not busy... you're probably busy..."

 "I'd love to show you," He smiled but before either of them to could continue, the sound of a helicopter got their attention. All of the students rushed out to see what was going on as the guitar landed in the school grounds. Mr Damocles rushed over as Audrey Bourgeois got out of it. Chloe frowned as Mr Damocles tried to tell her that she couldn't land the helicopter there. However, she just ignored him and walked over to Chloe. 

 "Chloe, get in the helicopter. We're going to New York," She ordered, making the girl frown.

 "Mum, I told you already I don't want to go to New York," Chloe explained, making her mouth frown.

 "Don't be ridiculous, Chloe," She replied in a bored manner. "Of course, you want to go to New York. Now get in the helicopter. I haven't got all day,"

 Chloe sighed and began to walk to the helicopter with her shoulders slumped but Luka frowned and gently grabbed her wrist, making her look at him in surprise before he let go.

 "Chloe, you don't have to listen to her," Luka stated, causing Audrey to lower her glasses and glare at him. "You don't have to go,"

 "Well, trash like you wouldn't understand," She stated, causing everyone to glare at her. Luka crossed his arms and glared at her.

 "I'm not the one who isn't listening to my daughter, Mrs Bourgeois," He pointed out, making her frown as she glared at him. She expected him to back down but he glared back. Chloe frowned and looked at the group, expecting to tell her to go but Marinette walked and gently took her hand, giving her a reassuring smile.

 "Luka is right, Chloe. You don't have to go," She declares before turning to Audrey who was still looking at Luka like he was trash. "And don't call my friend trash! Luka is the most kind hearted and gentle person I know and he is far from 'trash' as you put it!"

 "Melody..." Luka mumbled, looking at her with surprise as a blush came across his face.

 "Oh, I know you. Margret was it?" Audrey asked, frowning. "Well, I'm glad I didn't take you on as my protege in New York if this fashion mistake is your friend. Clearly, none of you understand fashion," 

 "That may be the case but at least, I understand how to be a decent human being!" Luka growled, surprising everyone. "Something that you clearly have no idea about giving how you treat people!"

 "How dare you tal-"

 "How dare I?! No, how dare you!" He shouted, making her step back in surprise. "First, you demand your daughter to go with you, despite the fact that she told you no then you insult me and finally,"

 He pointed to Marinette.

 "Her name is Marinette! Not Margret!" He growled, making him frown. "And I'm glad she never went with you to New York because she deserves better then you and so does Chloe! Both of them have more talent in their little finger then you've ever had in your entire career! You are a selfish and egotistical woman so it's no surprise that Chloe doesn't want to go to New York with you!"

 Everyone stared at him in surprise as both Marinette and Chloe blushed a little. Though Marinette was blushing a little more. However, Audrey looked more angry then she did before but before she could say anything, a man burst through the door.

 "Chloe!" He shouted, making everyone look at him in surprise as he walked over. On his head, he wore a dark blue bicorne and light blue skin. He was wearing a dark blue jacket with a cowl going over most of his head except the bottom of his nose and his mouth. The jacket itself had black and purple markings on the shoulders and his right arm had a yellow armor-like shoulder with black stripes. However, the rest of the arm was dark blue with a bent white and red stripe just below the elbow. Across his chest, he had a blue, white, and red sash with a large blue, white, and red circle attached at the center. Also, he was also wearing white trousers and dark blue boots. Luka narrowed his eyes and quickly glanced around. It was clear he was the akuma but right now, Luka couldn't see a chance to escape. The akuma was looking around in disgust as he walked over before looking at Chloe. "Chloe, my daughter! You are not leaving for New York,"

 "Daddy?" She asked, shocked as he smiled at her.

 "Yes, sweetie," He smiled. "Now I have the power to make sure you have the best possible life. We'll start by getting rid of this awful school and their students. You're above those nasty little rats anyway. Now come with me, sweetie,"

 "Uhhh," Chloe gasped, clearly scared as he held out his hand.

 "André, getting yourself akumatized like everyone else in this city does not make you a 'cool' or 'hip' father," Audrey stated in her usual attitude, causing André to frown deeply before he lifted his two of his fingers to his mouth as she continued to rant.

 "By the power invested in me, I declare that you will be devoted to this family and remain in Paris with me and Chloe," He spoke, creating a small ball of light as he did before he threw it at her. Instantly, she stopped talking and rushed over to him.

 "Oh yes! My dear hubby!" She gasped, leaning against him and rubbing her cheek against his chest. "I'm so happy to stay here!"

 She jumped up and began to kiss his nose as she wrapped her arms around his neck, causing everyone including Chloe to stare in shock at the action. The akuma smirked before turning to Chloe.

 "Now, Chloe, why don't you come here?" He smiled as Audrey leaned against him, hugging his arm. "We can finally get rid of this god awful place,"

 "But... Daddy, I like it here..." She gasped, making him blink. "And while I don't want to go to New York, I can't stay with you as an akuma,"

 "Sweetie, I'll give you one more chance to come to me willingly," He stated in a menacing way. "Come here,"

 "No!" She shouted, making him frown deeply. Luka glanced around as he really needed to get to a place to transform. His luck vision kicked in, lighting up all of the students and giving him an idea. Since the akuma's attention was on Chloe, who was slowly backing away, he leaned over to Nino who was stood next to him, looking shocked and frightened.

 "Hey, when I shout scram, run in a random direction," He whispered, making Nino look at him. "Pass it on,"

 Nino nodded and whispered it to Adrien and Alya, who in turn told others including the teachers. It finally reached Marinette who grinned and gave Luka a discreet thumbs up as the akuma lifted his fingers to his mouth. Luka nodded to Marinette.

 "By the power invested in me, I declare-"

 "Scram!" Luka shouted, causing all of the students to run in a random direction. He grabbed Chloe's arm and dragged her to the locker room as the rest of the students confused the akuma. He pushed her inside and closed the door, leaning against it as he turned to her. "Go out the window now!"

 "Thank you," She gasped before she climbed up and out of the window as the akuma called for her before he began to head to the locker room. As soon as she was out, he moved from the door and hid inside a locker, holding his breathing as the akuma kicked open the door.

 "Chloe! Where are you?!" He growled, looking around as Audrey came in. "She isn't in here,"

 "Don't worry, sweetie. We'll find her,"

 "Of course, we will but let's get rid of this awful school. Maybe then she will see what a wonderful father I am," He replied, leaving with his wife. Luka let out a sigh before opening his jacket, allowing Tikki to fly out.

 "Trouble?" She asked.

 "Chloe's father has been akumatized," He replied before swiping his earring. "Tikki, spots on!"

 A red glow engulfed him, turning him into Anatis. He climbed out of the locker and out of the window before throwing his yoyo and pulling himself onto the roof as the other students began to destroy the school. Anatis narrowed his eyes as he looked around. Most of the students had been affected by whatever order the akuma had given them and were trashing the school but a few of them weren't among them. Marinette wasn't there and neither was Rose. However, Juleka, Adrien, Kagami and the rest of his friendship group were. The akuma smirked as he looked around before throwing a ball of light at Sabrina.

 "By the power invested in me, I order you to find Chloe and bring her to me," He ordered, causing her to bow.

 "Yes, Malediktator!" She declared before running off, causing Anatis to frown as Lady Noir jumped down onto the helicopter's blades.

 "Do you have a permit to destroy this school?" She asked, crossing her arms as she glared at him.

 "I don't need a permit!" He declared, making both heroes frown. "I am Malediktator, the all powerful super-mayor of Paris and this is my city!!"

 "Hate to burst your bubble but Paris doesn't belong to you alone!" Anatis called as he swung over to the helicopter and landed next to Lady Noir. "It belongs to everyone!"

 The two of them dived at him and began to fight him. Anatis threw his yoyo and wrapped it around Malediktator's wrist, pulling his arm back as Lady Noir tried to hit him with her baton but Malediktator blocked it with his free arm and tried to kick her. She dodged it but he grabbed her baton and used it to throw her across the playground. She flipped and landed on her feet as he grabbed a bench and tried to hit Anatis with it but he jumped out the way before it could hit him and landed next to Lady Noir. Malediktator growled and lifted his fingers.

 "By the power invested in me, I declare that your miraculous are my property!" He shouted, summoning to light balls and throwing them towards Anatis and Lady Noir. The two heroes dodged and dived out of the way of them, causing them to head up to the roof and duck down behind the brickwork.

 "Any idea where the akuma is?" Lady Noir asked as he looked around to see where they had gone.

 "I'm thinking it's in his sash," Anatis mumbled before throwing his yoyo up. "Lucky charm!"

 He frowned as he caught the abacus, causing Lady Noir to raise an eyebrow at him.

 "Your lucky charms get weirder and weirder," She replies, making him smile a little.

 "Tell me about it," He grinned before glancing around in his luck vision but nothing lit up. "Nothing up here is gonna help us,"

 "Then let's get a little closer," She replied, getting a nod of him as he went hooked it to his belt but Lady Noir placed her hand on his arm. "You work out what to do with that while I keep the mayor busy,"

 She dived down and threw her baton at him as Anatis looked around, trying to work out how to use the abacus. He frowned deeply as he glanced around the playground and school area yet not a single thing lit up. Frowning, he glanced at the abacus and examined it. What exactly what was he to do with it? Why that particular item? It did look familiar but he couldn't place it. It was probably in one of the classrooms. Either way, he was definitely gonna have words with Tikki when he was done here. Seriously, how was he suppose to defeat Malediktator with this when his power could cause him to literally surrender his miraculous without a fight? If anything, he would need something that would immobile Malediktator first but this wouldn't help him do that. If anything, he would need to go to Master Fu and get the Bee Miraculous. His eyes widen in understanding before he examined the abacus to be certain. It was almost identical to Master Fu's abacus expect for the ladybug pattern. Like the time with the teapot, it became very obvious what he needed to do. He looked up to call back Lady Noir as she dodged a ball of light and jumped up to the first floor. She dived towards Malediktator with her baton, ready to hit him but he spun round and threw a ball of light at her.

 "By the power invested in me," Malediktator smirked as it hit her, causing her to land on the ground. "I declare you are a cat!"

 She suddenly meowed and began to play with a can on the floor, moving it around with her hand.

 "Oh, no," Anatis groaned as he watched.

 "Oh, what a cutie pie," Audrey gasped before she leaned down and called her over. "Here, kitty, kitty,"

 Lady Noir glanced up at her before cautiously moving over. Audrey grinned and began to stroke her hair and ears as she leaned into her. Anatis frowned and took out his yoyo as Malediktator moved over but Lady Noir hissed and hid behind Audrey before trying to scratch him when he went to take her miraculous. Anatis smirked as he watched before frowning. If he wanted to rescue Lady Noir, he would have to get the Bee miraculous. However, he didn't want to leave her with Malediktator. He tried to grab her ring again but she hissed and scratched his hand, causing him to pull back his hand with a yelp of pain.

 "Kitty still has claws," Anatis mumbled as his earrings beeped. He frowned, taking out his yoyo and standing on the edge of the building. "Kitten, I'll be back soon I promise!!"

 He threw his yoyo and swung to another roof before running as fast as he could in the direction of Master Fu's house. He jumped across to another roof and slid down the tiles before throwing his yoyo and wrapping it around a flag pole. He swung across to another roof and landed on it before running and jumping across a gap. He back-flipped off a wall and into an alley near to Master Fu's shop just before his transformation dropped. He caught Tikki before running to the shop and pushing open the door.

 "Master Fu!" He gasped, causing the man to jump and glance at him as he caught his breathe. "A villain has transformed Lady Noir into a cat,"

 "What?" He gasped, shocked before shaking his head. "Perhaps you shouldn't have left her by herself. She's at Hawkmoth's mercy,"

 "I know but the lucky charm told me to come here," He replied, causing Master Fu to make a thinking face. "I think I need help for this mission,"

 "It seems so," He replied, getting up and walking to the phonograph. "After all, the lucky charm never fails,"

 He unlocked the phonograph and took out the miracle box, bringing it over to Luka and placing it on the ground. Luka knelt down in front of it as Master Fu opened it, causing the different draws to pop out and show the miraculous hidden inside. Despite seeing this before, Luka found himself amazed again. It was interesting to watch the box open and to know what the miraculous did. 

 "Luka Couffaine, pick an ally you can trust to fight along side you in this mission," He declared as Luka glanced at all of them but he knew exactly which one to take. He needed the bee. "Choose wisely. Such powers are meant to be serve the greater good,"

 "I need someone who isn't impressed by power and sees people on face value," He muttered, reaching for the bee as Master Fu gave him a concerned look. He hesitated before glancing up at Tikki, who gave him a reassuring smile. He smiled back and picked up the hair comb.

 "Are you sure?" Master Fu asked, causing Luka to nod.

 "I need to trap Malediktator and the bee's power is the best chance at that," He replied, getting up and walking to the draw where the smaller boxes were kept. He took one out and placed the hair comb inside.

 "But is it really a good idea giving it back to... her?" He asked as Luka put the small box in his pocket.

 "Don't worry, Master," He smiled in a reassuring manner. "I know how to make good use of it this time,"

 With that, he left with Tikki and headed to the alleyway.

 "How we will find Chloe?" She asked, making him shake his head.

 "We're not," He replied, making her glance at him as he took out a macaron and handed it to her. "I told Chloe I can't give her this miraculous back and I have to keep to that. Plus Hawkmoth will probably expect me to go to her. Since she is Malediktator's target, the two of them may set up a trap to lure me there. There's also a high chance that Chloe has already been controlled by Malediktator since he sent Sabrina after her,"

 "So trying to find Chloe is a bad idea," Tikki nodded as she ate the cookie.

 "Exactly,"

 "But who are you gonna give it to?" She asked, swallowing the last bit. "You said you need someone who isn't impressed by power and takes people on face value,"

 "Don't worry, Tikki, I know just the person. You good?" He asked, causing her to nod. "Alright. Tikki! Spots on!!"

 He transformed back into Anatis and threw his yoyo up, pulling himself onto the rooftops and running as fast as he could back to the school. He landed on the roof and glanced around. It looked like Malediktator had left, taking his wife and Lady Noir with him but the students were still around, trying to destroy the school. He glanced around and noticed Sabrina had joined them but Chloe wasn't around. Frowning to himself, he looked around and spotted Rose, trying to stop Juleka from destroying the art room. He swung down and landed near by.

 "They've been mind controlled by Malediktator," He stated, making Rose gasp and turn around in surprise. She honestly looked like she was about to squeal at his appearance. "But there is a way you can help them,"

 "There is?!" She gasped, making him nod.

 "This way," He replied, jumping down to the courtyard and heading into the locker room. Rose came in a few seconds later as he glanced around to make sure no one else was in here and that they were out of the way of cameras. Once certain that it was just them, he took out his yoyo and opened it before reaching in and taking out the box as Rose watched before he held it out to her, causing her eyes to widen in surprise.

 "Rose Lavillant, here is the bee miraculous, which grants the power to immobilize your opponent," He declared, making her eyes go huge as she realized what he was offering to her. "You will use it for the greater good,"

 "Me?" She asked, shocked before making a thinking expression. "But doesn't the bee miraculous belong to Chloe?"

 "No, Chloe wrongly took the miraculous and is currently unfit to wield one. However, if she continues to right her wrongs and change her ways, I am willing to give her a second chance," He explained, making Rose nod. "Do you accept the miraculous?"

 "Yes!" She grinned, taking it and opening it. She gasped in surprise as a golden light appeared from within and circled around her before transforming into Pollen, making her coo.

 "Hello, my queen," Pollen smiled, making Rose gush about her cute she is. "My name is Pollen,"

 "You're so adorable," Rose gushed. "But what are you?"

 "I'm a kwami, my queen," She explained, bowing a little. "I grant magical powers that transforms one into a superhero,"

 Rose squealed, making Anatis smiled before he cleared his throat, causing both Rose and Pollen to look at him.

 "Once the job is complete, you will return the miraculous to me," He explained before looking at her. "Can I trust you, Rose?"

 "Yes, Anatis! I will do my best!" She declared with a lot of energy, making him smile.

 "My queen, to transform you just need say Pollen, buzz on," Pollen explained as Rose listened before she fixed the comb into her hair before looking up at Anatis, who gave her a smile and a nod.

 "Pollen, buzz on!" She declared, causing Pollen to be sucked into the hair comb. She threw her head back as it became a more honey blonde then black strips appeared in it. She held up her arms as a golden light appeared from her feet, creating her suit as it traveled up her body. The suit was completely yellow but a second light appeared, creating some detail on her suit. It gave her black gloves, turned part of her legs black and added a couple of extra strips on her suit as well. She had two symmetrical ones on her upper arms and thighs, a pointed strip on on around her waist and a black choker around her neck. Her shoes resembled a ballerina's and she had the spin-top around her waist. She swiped her hand across her face, creating her mask which was mostly black but had a yellow boarder. With the transformation over, she examined herself before squealing. "I'm a superhero!!"

 "You're gonna need a name," Anatis smiled, making her look at him before she pulled her thinking face.

 "Abeille," She declared, causing him nod to in approval.

 "Abeille... nice," He smiled before taking out his yoyo and searching it on it. He frowned as he watched a video of Malediktator who seemed to have taken control of the city hall. He also had Chloe and his wife at his side as well as Lady Noir. He frowned and put his yoyo away before turning to Abeille. "Alright, I'm gonna be frank with you, Abeille. Malediktator is a very tough enemy. He has the ability to make anyone do what he wants and he has Lady Noir captured,"

 "Oh no,"

 "Which is why I needed to get you," He continued before pointing to her spin top. "The spin-top is your weapon. Similar to my yoyo, it has multiple functions and can be used to help you move through the city. You can also spin it really fast to create a shield and use it to tie up enemies. It can be used as a phone and GPS locator as well as other thing. You also have the power to immobilize your opponent. You can activate this by pulling the spin top's string and saying venom but don't do it yet. You only get to use this power once and then you have five minutes before you transform back. Got it?"

 "Yes, sir," She grinned, making him smile. "But how do you plan to get defeat Malediktator?"

 "We need to get you close enough to use venom on him," He replied, making her nod before taking out his yoyo and showing her the footage. "But as you can see, he has taken over city hall and turned it into his fortress. If we go in head first, we'll be captured. We need to get close enough to observe him but not close enough to alert him off our presence,"

 "Why don't we hide on the building opposite city hall?" She asked, making him smile.

 "That's a good idea," He replied, moving over to the window and opening it before jumping out of it. Abeille followed him as he swung across to the city. The two of them jumped across the buildings and ran across the rooftops, causing Rose to want to squeal in excitement. She almost crashed into a wall but Anatis grabbed her arm and pulled her away from it. "Try to keep your head in the game, Abeille,"

 "I'm sorry, Anatis," She gasped as they jumped over another wall. "It's just... this is so exciting!!"

 "I get it," He smiled as they came closer to the city hall. They landed on the building opposite it and ducked down, causing him to frown as he saw Malediktator sat on a throne atop of the building. He had his wife and Chloe sat near him and Lady Noir curled up by his feet. Anatis frowned deeply as he glanced at her. While he was glad she was ok, he felt annoyed at the fact that Malediktator literally had her as his pet. He shook his head and moved his eyes over to the swat team that were acting as his guard. Suddenly, two balls of light flew towards them, causing the two of them to jump away from the hiding place as Malediktator smirked.

 "Did you think I wouldn't notice you there, Anatis?" He asked before creating two new ones. "By the power invested in me, I declare your miraculous are mine!"

 Anatis and Abeille jumped, avoiding the balls of light before the two of them threw their weapons at him but the swat team blocked it, making Anatis frown before they landed on the edge of the building. Abeille back-flipped away as Anatis ran in the other direction, jumping across to Malediktator. He tried to land a kick on him but once again, the swat team protected him. He swung away as Abeille took down some of the swat team but she had to jump away when Malediktator directed a ball of light towards her. He turned his attention back on Anatis as he swung up before turning his body and throwing his yoyo towards Malediktator. For the third time, the swat team blocked him, causing him to jump back as he dodged a ball of light. However, Malediktator stopped focusing on him and Abeille as Hawkmoth talked to him before smirking at the super villain's suggestion. He began to make a new ball of light.

 "By the power invested in me," He stated, lifting it into the air and make it increase in size. "I declare you all my slaves!"

 Abeille gasped as he made the ball of light massive, causing Anatis to frown.

 "We can't dodge that one, Anatis!" She gasped in fear.

 "He's going to take over the city," He mumbled, frowning. Abeille jumped up and threw her spin top at Malediktator but once again, the guard blocked it. Anatis whistled as she tried to kick the guard, causing her to jump back over to him as they hid on the building behind him. "Directly attacking isn't going to work,"

 "So what do we do?" She asked.

 "You need to get past that guard and get his sash. That's were the akuma is," He muttered, thinking before he took out his yoyo. "And to do that, we're gonna need a bit of luck... Lucky charm!"

 He threw his yoyo up in the air, summoning the magic bugs. He blinked in surprise as he caught the large machine gun.

 "Are we going to shoot him?" Abeille asked, making him frown as he glanced around for the answer. He smirked when Malediktator lit up, followed by Lady Noir. He glanced down at the gun and smiled as the laser was highlighted and finally, Abeille. He broke off the laser part and dumped the rest of the gun aside.

 "As if I'd use violence," He grinned, spinning it in his fingers. "I'll deal with the guard, you sting our esteemed mayor,"

 "Aye, aye, Captain," She grinned, saluting him before spinning her spin top, causing it to glow yellow. "Venom!!"

 She caught it as it pulsed before nodding at Anatis before the two of them jumped over to separate buildings. Abeille laid in wait as Anatis clicked the laser near Lady Noir, causing her to notice it and try to catch it with her hand. He smirked as he moved it, causing her to chase it as she repeatedly tried to capture it. He directed it on the back of one of the swat team, causing her to jump on him and knock him down. It also caused Malediktator to notice but he couldn't move as his bubble would become ineffective. Smirking to himself, Anatis moved it across the backs of the guard, causing Lady Noir to take them all out and knock them off the building as she chased the laser. Malediktator panicked and tried to tell her to stop but Anatis continued to move the laser until all of the swat team was off hanging off the building. He blinked it twice, giving Abeille a signal. She jumped out from her hiding place and dived at Malediktator, slamming the spin top into the middle of his chest before landing on the ground next to him as he froze. The giant bubble disappeared as she grabbed the sash and threw it to Anatis. He caught it and broke it in half, releasing the akuma. He took out his yoyo and captured it before releasing the purified version. He picked up the laser part and tossed it into the air.

 "Miraculous Ladybugs!" He shouted, causing it to burst into the magic swamp and fix everything. He smiled as it flew through the city, fixing the school before it came back and fixed city hall and Lady Noir before safely placing the swat team and the Bourgeois family in front of it before disappearing. Anatis jumped down with Abeille as Malediktator turned back to Mr Bourgeois as Audrey looked around confused before she began to shout at him. Chloe looked at them sadly before gasping and rushing over as she saw Anatis.

 "Anatis!" She gasped. "You totally saved me again!! Oh, I can I have a-"

 She stopped as she saw Abeille, causing Anatis to place his hand on his yoyo. She honestly looked like she was about to cry but she swallowed and smiled widely at Abeille before holding out her hand.

 "Hi, I'm Chloe Bourgeois, the previous Queen Bee. It's nice to meet you," She smiled, causing Abeille to shake it.

 "I'm Abeille. It's nice to meet you too," She replied, causing Chloe to break into a massive smile.

 "Would you mind if I took a selfie with you?" She gasped, causing Abeille to look to Anatis. He smiled and nodded as Lady Noir jumped down and leaned on his shoulder.

 "Aww, Annie, you made a new friend," She grinned in a teasing manner, making him laugh and pat her head. She grinned and leaned into his hand, causing him to laugh as Abeille and Chloe took a couple of selfies before their miraculous beeped. "Abeille, we need to go,"

 "Ok!" She grinned, turning to leave before she decided to hug Chloe, surprising the girl before she let go and ran over to Anatis. Chloe smiled and ran over to her parents before telling them off and dragging them away. The three heroes jumped up to the roofs and ran off but Lady Noir stopped and turned to them.

 "I'll let you do the thing, Annie," She grinned before turning to Abeille. "I hope next time he calls on you we get to actually work together,"

 "Me too, Lady Noir," She grinned, hugging her as well. Lady Noir grinned and patted her head before saluting. She walked to the edge of the building before turning around and blowing a kiss towards Anatis, making him blush and Abeille to gush before she hopped away. "Oh my gosh!! You two are so cute!!"

 He smiled but shook his head as they jumped down to an alleyway. Rose called off the transformation and said goodbye to Pollen before taking off the comb and handing it back to Anatis.

 "Thank you for choosing me, Anatis," She smiled. "I hope we get to do this again,"

 "Should there be an occasion that calls for the bee, I will come and find you," He smiled, placing it back in the box and hiding it in his yoyo. "Are you ok getting home?"

 "Yes, I'll be going to my friend's house tonight," She smiled as his earrings beeped. "Besides, you're about to transform back,"

 "Yeah, I'll have to go," He replied, making her nod before she hugged him suddenly. He smiled and hugged back before she pulled away and ran off, waving to him. He waved back and threw his yoyo up to the building. He ran across it as his earrings rapidly beeped before he jumped down into another alley. He caught Tikki and gave her a macaron before taking out the bee miraculous. He fixed it into his hair, causing Pollen to manifest.

 "Hello, my prince," She smiled as he took out a macaron for her. She thanked him and began to eat it as he smiled.

 "Do you approve off Rose?"

 "She makes an excellent bee," She smiled, moving on his shoulder as Tikki sat on the other one. He smiled and walked with them to Master Fu. Tikki and Pollen hid in his hoodie as he walked up to the shop and knocked on the door before walking inside. Master Fu looked up and smiled.

 "You've returned," He nodded, taking out the miracle box. Luka smiled at Pollen before taking the comb out of his hair and placing it back in the box. "I noticed that a new bee superhero made her debut today. Care to explain?"

 "Chloe was never my choice to wield the bee miraculous," He replied, making Master Fu nod. "And when I reclaimed it from her, I made it very clear that she would never have it again and that she would need to earn my trust to even be considered as one of my allies. I wasn't going to go back on my word,"

 "And the new bee?"

 "She's a friend," He smiled, making Master Fu nod. "Chloe is making progress though. She apologized to everyone and is trying to start again,"

 "Maybe she'll prove to be worthy then," Master Fu replied, making Luka nod. "Perhaps if you have some free time, we can go over some miraculous lore,"

 "Sure, Master," He smiled, kneeling down as Master Fu grabbed his tablet and joined him. Tikki flew over to Wayzz and settled next to him as they watched their two holders talk and learn. Tikki smiled with a little pride as she watched Luka name the miraculous and who the kwami was that resided within them. 

 "He seems like an excellent choice to be a ladybug,"

 "He's the best holder I've ever had," Tikki admitted, smiling. Wayzz looked over and smiled as well as Luka pointed out each ability.

 "He would make an excellent guardian,"

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Next Chapter: https://ultra-sassyduck.tumblr.com/post/636700267461623808/miraculous-rise-of-anatis-37

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Saturday 12 August 1837

7 55

11 50

Slept with A- fine morning F69° now at 8 55 and sat down to breakfast with A- G- came soon – out at 10 – with Mark Hepworth on the embankment in front of the house – it looked tremendously dark – I went to see what was to be done when the carts could not drag thro’ the clay of the embankment – stuff to come from Northgate – the words hardly out of our mouths before a tremendous thunder shower came – with thunder and lightning – I got wet in getting to the west tower – the red room passage all open – the rain pouring in, and down thro’ the red room floor into the drawing room – a terrible mess – my magazines lying on the drawing room floor obliged to be laid before the upper kitchen fire – a perfect river running thro’ the entrance passage from court to gardens – the old china closet front (window frames unglazed) open, and the rain pouring in – one tremendous crash of thunder about 10 ½ just as I had finished changing my dress – then sat 1/2 hour with A- at my desk at 11 10 still raining but not heavily – coping out business letters and considering letter to be written respecting the Infant Graham’s money till went down to Mr. Charles Priestley at 1 50, and he staid till 5 ¼ - § vide next page  sent for Mr. Charles P- to sound him about taking the Northgate hotel – began about the tap – would it be in his way? – should I let it or not? – mentioned what had passed with Thomas G- on the subject – yes! CP. would take it – but could not give me much for it – one thing led to another – the tap would be worth more it to sell both ale and spirits – and he said something about giving £60 a year for it – I fancy but am not certain, spirits might not be included in the sale at this rent? However I might tell the tenant whoever he might be he (CP) would take the tap, and give the utmost it was worth – I wish, said I, you would take tap and hotel too – this led to a long conversation much to the point and partly desultory – the hotel would be a very serious undertaking – would require a great deal of capital – the landlord of the Barnby moor Inn on the London rood had on retiring got £24000 for his stock in trade furniture and wines and farm stock (£8000 for the farm £16000 for the house and cellars) – I said the capital required for the Northgate hotel would not be so great as was supposed - £3000 (allowing £500 for wines) would suffice for the beginning – said I would myself advance capital towards furnishing – would CP. take the hotel in that case – still he declined it – I then turned to the 2 letters (applications) saying I particularly wished to consult him (CP.) on the application from Liverpool – the one from London was read 1st, and CP. thought this much the most business like and valuable – he spoke so knowingly, it was evident he had been making inquiries previously on the subject (no doubt he applied for the George Inn – when I said what its tap let for £100 a year) he gave no particular answer; but I saw from his look he knew the rent whatever it might be) – we talked over Mr. Carrs’ proposal – said I must try to gain time – I must try to get the coaches but put off their being given up to me as long as I can – it was not the passengers but the mileage (horses) that was the object – it was a poor coach that did not make £100 (a hundred) a year – Innkeepers got cent per cent on wine – talked over CP.’s brewery – answering very well – brews 6 loads i.e. 6x14 bushels? = 84 bushels per week – could do more business if he had capital – but has laid by something every ½ year and is contented to get on by [degrees]   pays two hundred a year rent for his brewery his expense rent, delivery, labour and materials = £1800 a year – lives for next to nothing – his wife rheumatic since they came here, but always

SH:7/ML/E/20/0110

contrives to look after her house – 8 children – I congratulated him on doing well hoped the brewery would eventually pay better than the glass house and he seemed to hope and think it would – he seemed in very good spirits and said perhaps all was for the best – I said it was generally thought his failure bankruptcy did no discredit to his creditors than to himself – Mr. Price the York country joint stock banker seems to have behaved very ill, as I had understood from Mr Harper – but CP. appears to think he (Mr. Price)will not gain so much by it as was supposed – the concern is falling off in some respects – mention of Mr. Henry Priestley he was bound with CP. for five thousand pounds but CP. had paid and ought to have had by this time a balance of a few thousands – the 64ft. fall of water in Crag valley had been sold for £3500 – Mr. Rawson had offered at £700 for it – after higgling and trying to take advantage – some man had offered a mere acknowledgments of a few shillings a year and Mr. R- seeing a sort of beginning for taking the water offered by little and little having 1st tried to get the 1st refusal (as he did for my coal) this let poor HP. into the idea that the fall was of some value – he had it valued and it was sold at the above named just before his death or funeral I forget which – Mr. Edwards and his son Charles executors and trustees – consulted CP. about what answers should be sent and by whom to the applicants – his advice excellent and ready – took – wrote rough copy of 2 letters (to London and Liverpool) according to his dictation – and, with a little shorting and correction of style, wrote the former and sent it last night – the Liverpool letter I think of turning over to Mr. Parker – on the subject of farming and hay, CP. said I should mind that mine was put together in proper order; for at 13/. per DW. mowing making and carting and stacking the man who took it could not make his own of it – I said yes! he could – I should always mow early – have all done by 13 July in the fine long-day season, and my new hay-barn was very conveniently situated – besides the man was one of my tenants who lived within sight of his job – Mawson – mentioned his having the Stump X Inn – his rent and the 5p.c. additional to pay for the new building which would make his rent £140 per annum – took CP. into the west tower to shew him where all the wet had come from – (thro’ the open roof of the red room passage) and asked him to look at the new brew house – the copper he said should be a yard higher, and the [?] lower down – the proper temperature of the water before putting in the malt and mashing, should be 168° to 171° this very nearly indicated by the commonly used sign of seeing one’s face in the water as in a mirror – i.e. the steam being so abated as to allow one to see ones self –

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then had Booth Firth junior, [Culpan] brick-layer of the garden walls, and Parkinson – and afterwards Mawson and then Riley for Hilltop and busy settling with them till 7 – after banking hours – no money except gold by me for small bills – wrote and sent by Booth note to ‘Mr. McKean Yorkshire District Bank Halifax’ saying I should be much obliged to pay Mr. David Booth the bearer and my clerk of the works the enclosed check for £134.2.6 being one hundred in a/c for himself and ten pounds in a/c for Culpan garden walls, and the rest as by bills for Parkinson for work done at Shibden hall – top terrace walls – paving thro’ the barn (taking up and resetting) and the carriage court cistern arches – DB. had given Mr. Harper his accounts up to midsummer andat that time £333 the balance against me – gave Firth a check = £130 and Mawson for £67.18.0 as by SW.’s measurement for the Lodge road stoning and draining and Haybarn road thro’ the wood forming and draining and platform sods taking off and walling on the embankment in front of the house – (above 1200 yards super of sods at 2 ½d.) – A- returned between 6 and 7 – at 7 altered the style and curtailed the letter suggested by CP. to the London applicant for the hotel read it to A- and Mr. Gray (had the latter into my study) and sent the letter off by Frank tonight to ‘Mr. J. Hodgson, 69 Quadrant, Piccadilly, London’ – the hotel new and not quite finished – I am in treaty for nine old established coaches – not only a good opening for wine and spirit trade but the best cellars for the purpose (built expressively for the purpose) form part of the building – the success of the undertaking depends upon the capital at command and the exertion of the individual – the hotel has every modern convenience in superior style, and a casino, a splendid room, capable of dining 300 persons – no yet able to fix the rent but will do it as well as I can for the encouragement of the tenant – many advantages that can only be explained and understood upon the spot – dinner at 7 40 – coffee – skimmed over the newspaper – A- and I came upstairs at 10 ¼ - I sleepy lay on my bed in the blue room 20 minutes till A- came to say she was ready for bed – then undressed and sat undressed in my study from about 11 to 11 ¾ writing all but the 1st 11 lines of today and tidying my desk of bills etc fair before noon (very heavy rain (vid. line 4) from 10 am and thunder and lightning F56 ½° at 11 ¼ pm – note from Mr. Parker about one pm? while Mr. CP was with me enclosing Mr. Carr’s proposal respecting selling me his furniture coaches etc

[shaynawrites23]

Charming Date

Pairing: 1940s Bucky x reader

Prompt: “My mother warned me about guys like you.”

Word count: 1359 (I would have used the ‘keep reading’ function but I write on mobile soo...)

Written for @iliveiloveiwrite’s writing challenge!

Header is by the talented @peachesandpinks, go check out her blog! She writes for Harry Potter!

The smell of fresh bread grew stronger as you got dressed and ran a hairbrush through your hair, hissing softly every time you hit a group of knots. Once you were able to run your fingers through your hair freely, you pulled it into a neat back roll, slipping your favorite floral pin into it, the flower a single artificial lily.

It took you three tries before it was to your satisfaction, and you silently thanked God your mom didn't come to check what was taking you so long.

You twirled a couple of times in front of your mirror, watching the way your high-waisted, black skirt flared out before settling back around your legs. It matched perfectly with your cream colored blouse and black heels, and your red lips smiled back at you, your white teeth peeking out between them.

"(Y/N)! We're opening!" Your father's voice filled the hallway.

"Coming!" You called back, closing the door to your room and carefully making your way down the stairs.

Upon entering your family's in-house bakery, you were greeted by the strong smell of pastries and bread. Your mother spotted you standing in the doorway, handing you a muffin.

"Oh, you look wonderful, darling! That skirt fits you perfectly. This for anyone special?" She winked at you, one eyebrow raised at your halfhearted protests.

"Ma, stop. I don't have a boyfriend and you know that."

"Oh hush, honey. You'll have boys falling at your feet soon enough."

"Maybe too soon." Your father cut in. "You'll tell me if there are any boys I need to talk to, right?"

"Of course, dad." You groaned. "So, shall I get to work?"

They handed you two loaves of warm bread, reciting the addresses of the families to whom you were to deliver. You nodded, the little bell above the door tinkling as you left. The summer sun was just peeking out over the rooftops, enveloping Brooklyn in a warm light.

Your heels clicked against the pavement and you found your thoughts wandering in the peace and quiet of this Saturday morning. You were telling the truth when you said you didn't have a boyfriend, but that didn't mean there were no boys occupying your mind.

You rapped on the front door of the first address, pursing your lips as you waited. There was a boy, the only one capable of making you swoon with nothing more than a smile, but you had never told your parents about him.

The door creaked open, the elderly woman greeting you. You handed over the first loaf, exchanging pleasant small talk with her as you always did. Her bright blue eyes twinkled cheerfully as she gushed over your appearance. It reminded you of your grandmother, who did the exact same thing whenever you visited.

You politely declined when she invited you in, informing her of the deliveries you still needed to make. She let you go, but not before she got you to promise to visit some other time, muttering something about how, after her son moved away with his children, she had no company.

You readily gave your word, trotting back down the street as she closed the door.

Your second delivery went without a hitch, and as you made your way home, you found your thoughts wandering again. Your mind had seen him often enough to be able to conjure up a perfect image of him. His sharp jawline, brown hair that looked so soft, and a pair of the most beautiful blue eyes you had ever seen, eyes that could knock the breath out of you with one glance...

A whistled tune brought you out of your thoughts, and as you glanced around in surprise, you found the source of the sound.

Speak of the devil...

A man fell into step beside you, tossing you a glance out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey doll," he drawled. "Didn't expect to see you out this early."

"Hi Bucky. I could say the same for you, got something special planned today?"

He gave a quick shrug. "Maybe, maybe not. I'm still trying to decide whether I should go through with it. How about you?"

It was your turn to shrug now. "Just handling deliveries for my parents."

"Really? 'Cause I thought you might have a date today, what with looking so especially gorgeous today."

Your cheeks flushed at his compliment, opening your mouth to reply, but he continued.

"But then I was wondering what young man wouldn't pick you up for a date, and I thought I might have to give him a lecture on how to be a gentleman."

Bucky's voice sounded jesting enough, and it might've been your imagination, but you detected some sadness in it as well.

"Well, lucky for you, I don't have a date today, or anytime soon, in fact. I'd hate to see you getting into another fight."

He didn’t reply for several moments, the both of you revisiting the last fight he had. It was to save Steve from a guy he provoked, a guy who looked almost twice his weight. Bucky jumped in, throwing a couple of punches but, being equally matched, they both took hits. You found him together with Steve, a large bruise forming on his cheek and a split lip, blood coating his teeth. You’d be lying if you said your heart didn’t break at the sight.

“Aw, doll, no need to worry ‘bout me. I’m a strong man.” He jokingly flexed his biceps. “I’m touched, though. What did I do to get such a beautiful dame’s attention?”

“I don’t think I’m gonna tell you, Buck. For all I know you’re planning to woo another woman with that information.”

“Darlin’, you wound me!” He pressed a hand over his heart, pouting. “I promise you, I’m only after one dame.”

“Uh-huh.” You rolled your eyes, but you were unable to wipe the grin off your face. “A guy like you? Likely story.”

“It’s true.” His hand slipped into his coat, and your eyes couldn’t help but follow his movements curiously. “I already suspected you might need convincing.”

You? Need- what?

He drew a single red rose out of his pocket, offering it to you with one of his million-dollar smiles. How could you do anything but accept, when it came to him?

The stem, fresh and green, was smooth, as if someone had painstakingly removed the thorns by hand.

As if guessing your thoughts, Bucky remarked, “I removed the thorns for you. Can’t have you nicking your lovely fingers.”

“Oh, wow,” you breathed. “Thanks, Bucky.”

“You’re welcome. So, do you believe me now?”

You were nearing home, and you didn’t want the conversation to end. Especially not with your brother sick and your extra workload, leaving you with little time for your social life.

“Of course I do.” You smiled, meeting his gaze.

Bucky had a stunning smile. “Good. So, doll, does that mean you’ll go on a date with me?”

“Hmm. What would you plan for this date?”

“Well,” he shrugged, “I’d pick you up Friday night at six, take you out to dinner, and then we’d go dancing, and I could show off the dazzling beauty on my arm.”

You huffed out a laugh. “James Barnes, my mother warned me about guys like you. Charming their way into your heart.”

You paused, just as the two of you stopped in front of your parents’ bakery. His tongue darted out to nervously lick his lips as he waited for your answer.

“Yes, of course I’ll go on a date with you.”

Bucky’s smile could light up the world as he laughed in relief and happiness, scooping you up into a warm hug.

“You really know how to make a guy sweat, don’t you?”

“Maybe.” A burst of confidence hit you and you leaned up, standing on the tips of your toes to press a kiss to his cheek. “See you Friday!”

You waved to him as you entered the bakery, giggling at his stunned expression, fingers brushing over the lipstick mark you left.

“(Y/N)! Who was that boy?”

“Mom!”

This was so much fun to write, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!