#i may buy her a small set of perfume as a gift

[yvmoveon]

.

[caesium-55]

—seven days. [ ii ]

pairing: max verstappen x manager! reader.

summary: as the third time world champion, max verstappen's manager, you function on the belief that whatever max verstappen wanted, max verstappen shall get. but this time, after four years of working as his manager, you can't give him what he wants anymore and that was to stay.

author's note: not beta-read. not edited. here's part 2 folks. part 3 is on the works now. did i write this fic instead of studying for my important quiz tomorrow? yes, yes i did. pls pray for my score.

masterlist.

For Christmas in 2019, Max has gotten you an apartment near his in Monaco. It is a loft apartment good for one on the 8th floor, a building away from where Daniel and Max lived. Originally, he wants to get you the unit a floor below his. You decline quickly, insisting that you are very fine with rooming with Julia and Kendall, who are both members of the Red Bull PR team whom you have gotten close with since your first year working with Red Bull. Max may have beef with the PR team for making him do a lot of embarrassing shit for the views but you're besties with most of them and actually thank them for making Max suffer through PR stuff because you cannot afford therapy and watching Max suffer through PR-related activities is a good form of free therapy. Also, Monaco apartments are fucking expensive. Red Bull might be paying you well but not well enough to afford an apartment in a country as expensive as Monaco.

“I want you close,” he tells you. If you did not know any better, you'd have butterflies fluttering in your intestines right about that moment. Sometimes, Max utter the most heart-fluttering of nonsense without meaning to. It causes your heart to stutter more times than you would like to admit.

“Well, I don't want you close.”

Max will never ever win an argument with you. He knows that. You know that. The best he can do is come to a compromise, a compromise that is usually tailored to suit whatever you want.

So you got that small loft apartment a building away, good for one person only. It's easy to clean and it's cheap, Max already said that, which makes you happy because you can set a payment plan for that. An apartment as a Christmas gift is already too much, borderline giving you a heart attack already. Rich people spending their money give you, a person of the middle class folks, heart attacks. Why can't Max be normal and give you a normal gift? A bracelet? A bag? You’ll even accept it if he gave you a slice of cheesecake. Not even your parents can buy you an apartment.

It has only been three years since the keys are passed on to your ownership and people say three years is enough time for a person to make a place home. But your apartment doesn't even feel like home, only a place you’ll sleep in if you happen to be in Monaco for the evening.

Home is that humble, two-storey house painted in red and yellow in Lynnwood Avenue, Vista Del Pueblo, Austin, a total picture of a picket fence dream. Home is Abuelo's old farmhouse in El Paso where you spent your childhood riding horses and driving ATVs across the dusty dry earth. Home is the retro milkshake place owned by the sweet old couple that has been in the neighborhood longer than your entire existence. Home is the tree-lined streets where you walked the family senior dog, Niko. Home is the Austin Fire House, your Dad’s workplace that you visited a handful of times back when you were a child to deliver cookies that your Abuela baked so your Dad could share it with his co-workers. Home is your mom’s clinic in the middle of downtown, always smelling like eugenol, disinfectant, formaldehyde, and her perfume. Home is not glitz and gold and glamor and cash cash cash. Home is not seeing wealthy people left and right. Home is not Monaco.

And it is not like you stayed long in your place either. You're always off traveling around the world with the Red Bull team and accompanying Max wherever he needs your presence. You don't even spend your breaks in that apartment because you immediately fly home to your family once a break is graciously given to you before flying off again to watch Max collect trophy after trophy.

Six days from now, you're going to be flying off to Texas. That means you have six days—less than six days actually—to pack all your crayons and go. Of course you're going to pack up the day before you leave. Doing shit last minute makes your life exciting, and it's not like you had a lot of shit to pack anyway. All your belongings can be tucked into a total of three suitcases. Three years worth of belongings in three suitcases.

you: you doin good there?

Max has been holing himself up in his penthouse since your arrival from Abu Dhabi, probably dealing with his breakup with Kelly. A shame, really. You thought the two looked good together. (Do they really? the asshole part of your brain thinks.)

And P. Thank God for that child’s existence. You hate children but P is an exception. P brings the best out of Max. Max has gotten the chance to act as the father he never had. It's heartwarming, to be honest.

him: not really no

him: can you bring me coffee

you: on it champ

Fifteen minutes later, you’re knocking on the gigantic double doors of his penthouse, a tall styro cup of espresso from that cute café two streets down and a slice of blueberry cheesecake because you’re thoughtful enough to buy him his favorite cake. You experienced a breakup before. A cake and an icecream work wonders when it came to healing broken hearts.

“You're fast,” he immediately says after opening the door. You kind of expect that he’d look worse, snotty and messy and looking like he ran from hell and back. But no, he looks……fine? His sweater and shorts look absolutely neat and comfortable and dry of snot. His hair is a little fluffy from lying on his bed but not too messy. He doesn't even look like he was crying. No red-rimmed eyes. No red nose.

You fake gasp, putting a hand on your chest for additional dramatic effect, “The fastest racer in F1 callin’ me fast. Truly honored.”

A smile plays on his lips, sidestepping and beckoning you in.

You frequently come by Max’s home, for work purposes of course, but you still cannot help but be amazed by the enormity of it every time you enter. Max’s penthouse is twenty times bigger than the apartment you currently live in. One man and a big house—it must be very lonely now that P and Kelly are no longer around. Now, you’re even more worried about what will happen the moment you go back to Texas.

Oh… You still haven't told him yet.

“Coffee,” you hand him the warm styro cup to which he accepts gratefully. He utters his thanks, taking a whiff before sipping, letting out a pleasured moan.

You make your way to his gigantic kitchen, navigating your way through his cabinets in search of a plate and a fork. You slide the cheesecake on the plate towards Max, who followed you to the kitchen and sat on the empty stool in the kitchen counter.

“Thank you,” he says, picking up the fork and taking a bite. He glances at your feet, eyes trained on your YSL. The obnoxious sound of the heels clicking against the floor as you walk probably is the one that caught his attention.

“You know, you've been wearing the same shoes since 2019.”

Points for Max for noticing. These YSL Opyum heels are the first luxury items you bought for yourself after saving for three years to buy one pair. You saw a rich international student wear it once back in university and you liked how sophisticated it looked compared to all the pairs of converse or platform boots you owned. So you made it your life’s goal to own one. In 2019, after doing tons of part time jobs in university and working with Red Bull for a whole year, you managed to buy yourself one on your birthday and you’d been wearing them to work ever since.

Your regular work uniform consists of a Red Bull polo shirt, a pencil or a slit skirt, and that specific pair of heels. Around 2021, you bought another pair to replace the old one because the old one broke. And 2022 again.

“What's wrong with ‘em?” you ask, brows furrowing as you followed his train of sight. Your heels might be a year old already but they still look fine.

Max blinks, “No, there's nothing wrong. Just…Do you think you would want to wear some other design?”

“No,” is your reply. “I like ‘em just the way they are.”

“Okay.”

Your conversation drifts into something else as Max finishes his coffee and cake. You spend the rest of the day in Max’s penthouse, lying on his plush couch while a slasher movie from the 2000s played on his wide TV. He has given you access on his Netflix account so you abused it to your heart’s content because you don't even have. a Netflix subscription. You can absolutely afford one, you just choose not to. You have opted in using your phone mid-movie because the movie is beginning to get real scary but you do not want Max to think you're a coward so you acted like you're disinterested instead.

“Oh look, Charles is also back in Monaco. Do you want to hang out together?” you nudge Max with your foot, who swats it away from him, face contorting in disgust. You show him the post on Charles private IG—yes, you were mutuals in each other's private IG because whoever is friends with Max was friends with you by extension—on your phone.

“Stop makin’ that face, my feet are nice.”

Your toenails are a glorious red now. Ferrari red actually and they suit you better than the Red Bull red. Huh, maybe you should have considered applying for Ferrari instead of Renault in 2018.

“No, it isn't.”

You roll your eyes, pulling it away from him and sitting up, “Do you want me to schedule you a dinner with Charles? You might need the bro time, you know? Dad said bro times are also important, but not as important as family time, of course. My bro broke up with his sweetheart back when I was still in uni and his best buds were the reason he was back up in tippy top shape by the end of the week.”

Max stares at you blankly, “I think I understand the words individually but not the sentence entirely. I don't know if it's the accent or you Americans just have a strange way of structuring your sentences.”

“Point is, hang out with a friend because a friend can help you move on from a pussy.”

Max hurls a throw pillow at your direction, which you luckily avoided thanks to your non-racer level but still considerably good reaction time, but unfortunately, this action causes your center of gravity to shift and before you know it, you're falling from the couch. Unconsciously, you grab Max but then Max doesn't expect that you’ll grab him so now, you’re both falling off the couch and onto the floor.

You groan.

“Fuckin’ ass, man. That was uncalled for.”

He flips you off.

Nevertheless, Max ends up following your advice though and calls Charles to hang out the next day. Lestappen fans should be thanking you on Twitter the next day for bringing those two together on an off-day in Monaco. Maybe they'll hang out and eat together in a restaurant? Maybe they'll go on a yacht picnic?

Except Max sends you a message at high noon.

him: sos

you: is your kitchen burning

him: no

him: but this is still an emergency and you need to come quick

him: he’s with his girlfriend and i don’t want to thirdwheel

you: succ it up

him: you can’t do this to me

him: i just got my heart broken in abu dhabi

you: where are you

him: home

him: i also need help in cooking

Charles is the one who answers the door when you knock. He looks genuinely surprised when he sees you and you deduce that Max hasn't told him that you're coming over.

“Babe, who’s that?” you hear Alex’s voice behind Charles and you light up immediately, quickly moving past Charles to throw your hands around the sweet young woman.

“Alex!” Alexandra laughs and hugs you back. The sound of her laughter is as pretty as she and God definitely has favorites because why did he sculpt this twenty-one year old like the daughter of the Aphrodite while you look like you were born from one of Hephaestus’ sperm that lost the gene pool contest? The world is unfair. You always get the short end of the stick, may it be career-wise or appearance-wise, and you can't even bring your personality to the table because normally, without the whole act of professionalism and sophistication you put on, you act like an extroverted American frat boy on a good day and a sassy drag queen slash war freak on a bad day so yeah, you guess that's the short end of the stick, too.

“Seriously?” you look up and saw Max holding a frying pan, staring at you unimpressed. You roll your eyes and slowly pull away from the hug, gaze returning to Alexandra.

“How’ve you been, sweetie? Been a while since I last saw you.”

You didn't get a chance to talk to her in Abu Dhabi and in Las Vegas.

“Good,” she replies, smiling sweetly and ugh, you want to pinch her cheeks so bad. But Charles is pulling you away from Alexandra before you can do so.

“No, no, she is mine, yours is right over there,” Charles says, pointing at Max, who's still standing there in the corner. “Go on. Shoo.”

You roll your eyes before walking up to Max, “‘Sup?”

Max raises a brow at you, “So Charles’ girlfriend gets a hug and I get a sup?”

“Well, she's Alexandra Saint Mleux and you’re just….” you look him up and down. “Nevermind, what you trynna cook?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“I thought you said you were cooking.”

“I said I needed help with cooking.”

Your eyes narrow into slits, “You’re going to let me do the cooking, aren't you?”

“You know that pasta you made in September that you said was your mother’s recipe?”

A sigh escapes your lips as you roll the sleeves of your button-up to your elbows and power-walked your way to the kitchen, the sound of your YSL heels clicking against the floor bouncing against the walls of Max’s kitchen.

Lunch goes great. Charles and Alexandra love your cooking. Max has even asked for seconds. Good to know that he's eating well. Somewhere down the line, champagne is served even though it’s mid-afternoon and the four of you're sitting in Max’s balcony, staring at Monaco scape below. Thankfully, it is a cloudy day in Monaco. The heat of the sun isn't too harsh on the skin. Despite that, you hand Max a sun screen.

“Sorry about Kelly, by the way,” Alexandra says. Your conversation has drifted towards Max’s failed relationship now.

“That is very nice of you to say,” replies Max, smiling slightly. “But I’m okay.”

You give him a look, clearly unconvinced. Admitting vulnerability gives him hives so he's definitely lying.

“You look too okay for a guy who ended a three-year relationship,” Charles muses and his words get you immediately thinking.

Oh? So they’ve been dating that long? You never noticed.

“Even [Name] looked worse when she broke up with that Williams mechanic two years ago and they dated for like what? Barely a year?”

“Unprovoked!” you exclaim. Alex and Max laugh.

But yeah, Charles is right. When you broke up with Leo in 2021, it was not the prettiest sight. He entered Williams mid-2020 as a mechanic and he immediately caught your attention. He's kind and handsome and a very sweet guy. You have similar interests—engineering—and a similar sense of humor and you just….work so well together, you know? You were sure he was your soulmate the moment he cracked up that Physics pickup line and you know it was the same with him. You swore to God that you’d run away from all the British charming assholes but Leo made you eat your own words and gave you a run for your money.

But alas, 2021 season came and Red Bull Racing became busier than ever because Max and Hamilton got crazily competitive and Max demanded your full attention, needing you as a support system to win.

And Leo. Well, he’s busy, too. Engineers are always busy. But he felt neglected because all your attention was on Max. He felt like he was competing with Max for your attention and it shouldn't even be a competition in the first because Leo was the boyfriend and Max was not. And you cannot even deny that you prioritized Max that year. You wanted Max to win. You needed Max to win, so he can finally ask Horner to move you to the engineering team.

Losing Leo is devastating but Max won the WDC title that year and while you spent nearly a month crying over Leo after the breakup, you're hoping that at least, in 2022, you’ll finally get that damned engineering position at the cost of losing your soulmate. That the tears you shed and the broken heart you carried inside your ribs will be worth it if it was in exchange for your dream. Then, it does not happen. The job isn't given to you and you spent the early months of the 2023 season wishing that you have chosen Leo instead of Max Verstappen.

“You’re still friends with him, right?” Charles turns to you.

“Of course,” you say honestly. You're still mutuals on IG and he still hearts your IG stories at times. You still talk, too, on the freer nights where there's a lot of time to waste. “We ended on good terms.”

“How about you, Max?”

“Can we not talk about this please?”

The four of you empty that bottle of champagne and once the sun has begun retiring for the night, Alex and Charles also left. You're soon to follow, fixing your tote bag and going through the mental checklist in your head so you will not forget anything and not waste energy returning here to pick it up.

“You can stay for dinner.”

Max’s offer surprises you.

“No.”

His face drops as quickly as your answer came.

“You're goin’ to let me cook again.”

“No, I’ll cook.”

You give him an unimpressed look. Clearly, you're not convinced.

“I swear, I’ll cook.”

“What if I get poisoned?”

“You won't get poisoned.”

When you continue staring at him, he sighs.

“Just stay please?”

Of course, you stayed. He asked after all.

You keep your eyes on him as he makes dinner with clumsy hands and a bit of unsureness behind his actions.

“You're goin’ to burn it, honey,” you point out.

“What honey? I didn't put any honey in it.”

You blink. He blinks back.

“You’re gonna give me aneurysm one day.”

Shaking your head, you walk into the bathroom at the end of the enormous hallway, lock the door behind you, lean your back against the door, and slowly slides down until your ass meets the cold bathroom floor. You slap a palm against your forehead and purse your lips to stop a scream from erupting.

God fucking dammit, Max is too adorable back there and this is not doing good things for your heart.

[tayaalovsx]

𐙚!Dating Headcanon

warnings!: nothing in particular!

genre!: fluff/suggestive themes!

a/n!: my katsuki ones were the first ever headcanons I dropped, next up is shinsou my other half<3

ᝰ.ᐟ| possessive bf, not the most jealous type, but would get irritated if someone just flirts with his gf

ᝰ.ᐟ| not the biggest flirt, but could make his partner flustrated, he's a layed back chill kind of dude, so I don't think he would actually throw effort in to making his gf be a flushed potato

ᝰ.ᐟ| he's the biggest cat lover ever, cat Cafe dates are something he would suggest often.

ᝰ.ᐟ| not picky about his partner, as much as I would enjoy the sunshine x grumpy dynamic duo, the more you're like him the more he would like you.

ᝰ.ᐟ| favorite color is purple, or black. which leads to a lot of plushies he may give or any present in general to be wrapped in purple bow or somekind of wrapping paper

ᝰ.ᐟ| his hair is not natural, and also long so if his partner suggest to braid it he wouldn't mind. he hates changes but would make a small exepction for his loved one

ᝰ.ᐟ| shows his love through actions not words. he's bad with words and saying out his feelings, maybe he would write a few letters but he's a bit uncomfortable with someone finding it so he would settle for acts of service or just buying gifts

ᝰ.ᐟ| has a cat photo frame where a picture of him and his partner is.

ᝰ.ᐟ| I feel like he doesn't strike for kids even when he's older, he could settle for a cat, or a few but kids just gets too complicated

ᝰ.ᐟ| he listens to all genre's of music but I'm certain he would listen to Lana Del Rey or w2e.

ᝰ.ᐟ| loves matching things with his gf, especially with hello kitty and spider man. he would like to have one of these black hello kitty sweatpants, but if needed he would give them away to his gf

ᝰ.ᐟ| all his sweaters are just sprayed in his perfume in case his gf wants to borrow some of them. he's not unfamiliar with all of the couple things so that's why he tries to make it at best for his partner

ᝰ.ᐟ| anniversary dates are on his cat calendar, it is a very special one when only important dates are set.

ᝰ.ᐟ| he says his gf is his second priority, but in reality she is his first. if she needs him for something, he's there. even for something minor he's there

ᝰ.ᐟ| he remembers every single details about his gf. everything that he finds significant is remembered and written down in a special notebook, hidden underneath his mattress

ᝰ.ᐟ| insomniac but if he's with him gf cuddling, he would fall asleep. for unknown reasons he falls asleep easier around her.

!lover girl xoxoೀ

[asimperingswannsong]

Larissa’s Reluctant Romance

Part 3 of my messy shitposting…I’m determined to do a part 4 ADHD be damned…we’ll see.

Larissa/Wednesday

The school year quickly began to draw to a close after Larissa returned from her weekend trip. She’d resumed her normal routine and accordingly one evening around 7pm she was buried in paperwork at her laptop when she noticed the door dividing her office from her apartment slowly swinging open. She thought that was very odd so she got up to investigate. She saw the flickering of a flame coming from her dining room doorway and entered to find a spring bloom scented candle lit on the table next to a plate of her favorite pasta and a glass of red. She took that to mean that Wednesday disapproved of her missing dinner time. She decided since it was already there and it smelled delicious she may as well make time to enjoy the pasta.

This became something of a routine with Wednesday leaving dinner plated on the table once or twice a week next to a small arrangement she’d collected from the grounds - Larissa feigned ignorance when her groundskeeper noticed the missing blooms and complained. Sometimes it was dinner and a new book, usually poetry.

Finally the last week of school arrived. On the day before the students were set to return home, Larissa found dinner accompanied by a soundtrack coming from her record player. Wednesday had recorded some of her pieces. This was the best gift so far. Larissa adored Wednesday’s cello playing. She looked forward to being able to play it when she liked.

The year ended and the students left in a mass exodus. At first Larissa stayed busy scheduling in service meetings for staff over the summer. Eventually though things settled down and she started to notice herself feeling lonelier than usual. She hadn’t previously struggled over the summer. She caught herself thinking she was missing her ‘dinner dates’ and then immediately recognized how bizarre the thought was.

She decided she needed to find ways to occupy her time. She started by planting a small herb garden in containers on her balcony. She took another weekend trip, complete with too much shopping. Finally she settled on painting workshops she’d seen a flyer for at the local bookshop.

Larissa used to love painting but she hadn’t allowed herself the time to indulge in it in years. She thoroughly enjoyed herself for a little over a month before she started to pull back as she started interviewing and hiring for open positions for the upcoming school year. This was followed by a few weeks of helping the new hires settle in and acclimate.

One morning, Ms. Thurgood, one of the new maintenance workers stopped by her office. “Good morning Ms. Weems.” “Good morning Ms. Thurgood. How are you? Are you settling in nicely?” “I’m doing good thank you.” “What can I do for you?” “I had a question about one of the rooms in Ophelia Hall. I was cleaning in there and noticed a closet with a hasp and padlock on it. Do I need a key for cleaning it?” “I wasn’t aware there were any closets locked in that manner either. It maybe something a student did without permission. I’ll check into it. Where is it?” “It’s in the large double room on the top floor with the balcony facing the quad.” “Thank you Ms. Thurgood.”

Larissa made her way to the room that Wednesday shared with Enid. It had been years since she picked a lock but she’d spent enough time with Morticia that she manages after awhile to unlock the closet. Inside she found dozens of bags and boxes with luxury items: sunglasses, purses, heels, perfume, etc.

She knelt and dug through the packages. She started finding receipts. One of the purses and the sunglasses were dated within a few days of her birthday. These heels were bought just before she’d left for an educator’s conference out of state; and they perfectly matched the dress she’d worn. Apparently, Wednesday had continued buying her lavish gifts, but she’d started storing them here instead of giving them to her after Larissa had reprimanded her for it. Larissa stayed knelt down in the closet contemplating the shrine that had been built to her.

She replaced the lock, asked Ms. Thurgood to ignore the closet, and resolved to speak to Wednesday about it when she returned. Finally the summer ended and the students returned. Larissa was busy getting everyone and everything in order.

A few weeks in and things started to settle. One evening Larissa noticed Enid and Ajax making their way across the quad. No doubt they believed they were being discreet on their way to a make out session. Larissa made her way to Wednesday’s room.

She stopped outside and listened for awhile to the sound of Wednesday playing. This was a new piece she hadn’t heard before. Eventually she opened the door and stepped inside. She crossed the room and stepped out onto the balcony behind Wednesday. She noticed the title of the music she played started with LTPW; her initials.

“Wednesday?” She stopped playing and turned. “Good evening Principal Weems.” “LTPW?” “Your initials. I wrote the piece while thinking of you.” Why had Larissa half expected her to try and lie? Wednesday never shied away from the truth in its bluntest form.

“I thought maybe you’d forgotten about me over the summer.” “I’m afraid I must disappoint you.” “I found all of the items you bought and locked away in the closet.” Wednesday broke eye contact, turning away. “I stopped giving them to you after you said you were made uncomfortable by them. But I found that continuing to buy things as I thought of you provided me with an outlet for feelings that I was otherwise unable to process.”

Larissa felt a tightness in her chest. She sympathized with Wednesday. She’d spent her school years here in an entirely one sided relationship as well. She hated that she was the cause of Wednesday’s unhappiness. She wished she could fix it. “Darling have you thought about trying to take your mind off of these feelings? Maybe you could try dating someone? There’s a new siren named Cleo who’s very pretty.”

Wednesday felt patronized by Larissa’s unsolicited advice. She felt she was trying to pawn her off on someone else; she was an unwanted burden from which Larissa wished to be rid.

“Has that worked for you?” “What do you mean?” “Have you been able to cure yourself of being in love with my mother by dating other people?” “I don’t know what you’re talking about Wednesday.” “Don’t get me wrong, I’ve found a sort of twisted cosmic humor in the knowledge that you’ve spent years pining over Morticia without her acknowledging it and now her daughter is doing the same with you.” “What makes you think I’m in love with her?”

“I’ve seen visions of the two of you together,

making love in the moonlight, in this room; right over there.” She pointed to Enid’s bed. When Larissa’s jaw began working properly again, she said, “I think we’ve already discussed how unreliable your visions can be Wednesday.” After a pause, “Besides that was a long time ago. We were teenagers.”

“But you weren’t teenagers when your breath hitched, your pupils dilated, and your pulse increased when you greeted her the day I was enrolled. All signs indicating that your feelings remain very much intact.” Larissa stared at Wednesday dumbfounded by the intensity of her scrutiny. She knew her to be intelligent and attentive but she’d failed to appreciate exactly how observant she could be. She flushed at the thought of how much she’d unknowingly given away.

She then pictured Wednesday seeing Larissa and Morticia in bed together. She was sure that her cheeks, ears, and neck had to be glowing in the darkness. “Wednesday I’m sorry if you’re unable to manage your feelings as much as you’d like but I want to be clear that I expect this relationship to be one of educator and student. I don’t want you to embarrass me in front of faculty if they see music you’ve titled after me or gifts you’ve bought and carelessly left for anyone to find.”

Larissa left quickly, fleeing into the corridor, and all the way back to her office. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it. She was shocked at how harsh she’d spoken to Wednesday, but her telling Larissa that she knew of her feelings for Morticia had ripped open an old wound. Larissa had convinced herself that it had been so long ago that no one was aware of what had happened anymore, but now she knew Wednesday had seen part of it and pieced together even more. Larissa was deeply unsettled.

She started to avoid Wednesday. She even went as far as having other staff convey messages to her or reprimand her when someone complained. She felt restless. She’d sit and stew about it. She’d resolve to try and speak to Wednesday, but then change her mind. Eventually she decided she had to do something, and she figured if her advice was good enough to try and give to Wednesday, it was good enough for her to take herself.

With the help of the young lady at the bookstore in town Larissa finally managed to set up a profile on a dating app. She agreed to a date on Friday. They met for dinner. He was a perfectly nice, perfectly fine, perfectly boring accountant from in town.

She tried to let him steer the conversation. She really did. It’s just he didn’t seem to have a lot to offer. It wasn’t long before she fell in to her usual topic, work. It was all over from there. That’s all they discussed; well she discussed, he listened. She realized afterward that she really should have pulled back on work talk. It had to bore anyone not associated with the academy. That’s why she was surprised to receive a text a few days later asking for a second date.

She sighed and thought it sounded like sort of a waste of time. She had plenty of paperwork other tasks to do but she’d promised herself that this time would be different. She agreed to meet. They went for a movie and he chose a college based comedy with juvenile humor that he guffawed at throughout. She felt herself repeatedly rolling her eyes.

Afterward they went to the Weathervane for coffee, hot chocolate, and pastries. They walked back to her car from there and he surprised her by leaning in for a kiss. Just as she started to return it she opened her eyes briefly and caught sight of Wednesday exiting a shop across the street.

For the briefest moment she saw a look of pain on her face that she recognized immediately. It was the same look she saw in the mirror of her dorm mom’s bathroom where she’d gone to gather herself after finding Morticia and Gomez together in their shared room.

The look was covered quickly by Wednesday’s usual blank expression as she turned and walked away. But it had lasted long enough to take the wind from body like a punch to the gut. She pulled away from her date who was confused. She apologized hastily by telling him she spotted one of her problem students whose town privileges were currently revoked. She left him staring after her as she went to try and track Wednesday down.

She was unsuccessful and returned to school still bothered by the look she’d seen on her face. They occupied the same school together but Larissa could not for the life of her track Wednesday down over the next few days. She’d see her in her classes through the window but if she tried to catch her in the hallway afterward it was like she’d melted into the crowd completely. The gifts and the dinners stopped. Larissa was surprised by how hurt she was by it. She declined the accountant’s third date request.

[openheartthot]

Be Mine

Pairing: Open Heart [Ethan x f!MC (Camille Prescott)]

Word Count: 1,764

Rating: T

Warinings: Brief mentions of sex/sexual content 

Category: Fluff :)

Summary: Ethan and Camille make it official on Valentine’s Day.

***

I know it’s been like 2 months since I last posted a fic but I’ve been feeling a tiny bit more positive about OH3, plus it’s Valentine’s Day and these two idiots are in love. Don’t mind me making Ethan the insecure one as payback for what PB does to us haha

Ethan has been so buried in work that, lately, all the days seem to blend into one another. He can’t remember the last time he took a day off-- he’s been living, eating, and breathing Edenbrook.

And then there’s Camille.  

On the rare occasion that he manages to tear himself away from the hospital… he’s been living, breathing, and eating her, too. 

Ethan tugs slightly at his collar, a sudden flush working up his neck at the reminder of her soft blonde hair and even softer curves. 

The airy sound of her laugh has his head instinctually jerking up and in the direction of the residents’ lounge. 

As Ethan turns on his heel to follow the familiar noise, he can’t help but take note of the pink decorations adorning the walls and hanging from the ceilings. No matter how lost he’s been in his work lately, the universe just won’t let him forget about Valentine’s Day. 

It’s a stupid holiday, really. He’s always thought so. The boxed chocolates are a sad, chalky, affair, and the brightly colored gifts are gimmicky at best. The whole thing is little more than a capitalist cash-grab, and there is nothing Ethan hates more than capitalism. 

He forces himself not to roll his eyes as he spots two nurses exchanging cards in his periphery. 

It’s not that he dislikes love, but he does dislike the showmanship and theatricality that seem to surround February 14th. 

It’s just another day to him. In his thirty-seven years, he hasn’t once deigned to involve himself in such a tacky display of affection, and he sure isn’t going to start now. 

Except…

As he opens the door to the residents’ lounge, Camille is elbow deep in a pile of pink tissue paper. The excitement in her wide smile is nothing short of arresting, and of course, he should’ve known that she’d live for something like this. 

“Aww, look at it!” Camille squeals, her eyes shining as she lifts a stuffed bear from the mountain of gift wrapping. Her eyes dart over to Ethan, noticing him in the doorway, and her smile grows. She wiggles one of its fuzzy arms in an imitation of a wave. “It’s so cute, isn’t it?” 

“It’s something,” Ethan says tactfully, crossing the room to slip an arm around her waist. He catches a whiff of her light floral perfume, and can’t resist leaning down to peck her on the cheek. “Did Sienna buy that for you?” 

He may not be a fan of Valentine’s Day, but neither does he wish to offend Sienna Trinh, especially not after the basket of homemade scones she delivered to his office that morning. 

“Nope, one of Camille’s patients has a crush on her.” Lahela teases from the couch, where he is sorting through a thick stack of cards from his own extensive list of admirers. 

A strange itch works its way up the back of Ethan’s spine at Bryce’s words, and his arm tenses instinctively around Camille’s waist. 

Just because he loathes Valentine’s Day does not mean that he wants another man buying her tacky trinkets and writing sappy notes. 

Camille doesn’t seem to notice his displeasure, her lips pitching into a smile as she holds up the card to show him. 

“Medically speaking, you make my pulse race. Isn’t that adorable?” She laughs, and Ethan narrows his eyes at the obnoxiously pink card. The card that someone else gave to Camille. 

Her green eyes dart over the surface of the card once more, and Ethan feels something tight and uncomfortable building in his chest. 

“I think that’s the most brainless thing I’ve ever heard.” Ethan says sharply. “Which patient sent this?” He needs to know, so he can reassign them to another resident. 

“Relax, Ethan, it’s Jake from the pediatric ward.” Camille says with a breezy laugh. “He’s twelve.” 

“Oh,” Ethan shifts his weight, embarrassed. The sound of his pager is a welcome reprieve, and he glances at it gratefully. “Are you coming over tonight? I can meet you in the atrium.” 

It’s become almost routine for them, on the rare occasion they both have a night off. After the stress of the past few weeks, Ethan can’t wait to get her alone. Even if it’s only to watch a movie and drink that horrible cheap wine she likes, he just wants to spend time with her. Even the thought of a proper Valentine’s Day date, oddly, holds a new appeal when he considers Camille across the table, her smile lighting up the room...

“I think we’re gonna do a Galentine’s Day thing tonight.” Camille says with an apologetic shrug.

“Galentine’s Day?” Ethan asks, unable to keep the disgruntled edge out of his voice. It seems a new term is invented every time he turns his back. It’s deeply perturbing. 

“Yeah!” Sienna chimes in. “Me, Camille, Aurora, and Jackie, since we all managed to get the night off and none of us have significant others-- except Camille, I mean, you and her…” Sienna trails off, looking unsure. 

“It’s okay, he hates Valentine’s Day, anyway.” Camille interjects quickly. “And we’re not official or anything like that.” 

The look she shoots him is equal parts hopeful and nervous, as if she’s waiting for Ethan to correct her. He wants to, God, how he wants to correct her. To say that they are very much a official and serious relationship.

Instead, he freezes on the spot. 

“My pager…” he says pathetically, before turning and abruptly striding out of the room. 

***

All day, Ethan is a black storm cloud drifting sullenly through the rose-colored halls of Edenbrook. 

It’s clear to the rest of the staff that something is wrong, but no one is quite sure what. He hasn’t been in such a bad mood in months, not since he started seeing Camille. The rumor mill churns out a steady stream of speculation, doing nothing to improve Ethan’s mood. 

Finally, Naveen corners him in front of a bulletin board covered in construction paper hearts.

“Do you think I’m enough for her?” Ethan asks, staring pointedly at the board rather than making eye contact with his former mentor. 

“I’m not sure I follow.” Naveen says mildly. 

“She’s so...vibrant. Loving.” Ethan reaches out and touches one of the paper hearts. Camille organized the project, helping every pediatric patient decorate a heart and hanging them up with painstaking care. “I’m the opposite.” 

“Are you?” Naveen asks, “I’ve seen you with her, and you seem happy. You two are good together.” 

“She doesn’t want to spend Valentine’s Day with me,” Ethan admits, feeling foolish even as the words leave his mouth. “Because she thinks I hate it, which I do, of course…” 

“But you wouldn’t hate it with her?” Naveen prompts.

Ethan nods with a rueful smile. He shouldn’t be surprised, the man was considered the best diagnostician in the country for a reason. 

“It’s okay to seek happiness, Ethan. You can let go of the cynicism if you want to.” With that, Naveen turns to leave, but not before pressing a small cardboard box into Ethan’s hand with a wink. 

***

Camille lingers as Baz finishes gathering the last of his papers and shuffles out the door of the diagnostics office. 

Ethan doesn’t look up as he fumbles with the tiny cardboard box in his lap, but he can feel her warmth hovering in front of his desk. He thinks he would know the feel of her even if he was blind, deaf, and dumb. 

Finally, finally, Ethan manages to tear open the little cardboard flap and maneuver his fingers into the narrow opening.

“I’d like to speak with you--” he begins. 

“--Can we talk?” Camille says at the exact same time. 

“I’d like to go first.” Ethan says, taking a deep breath. “I’m sorry. For my behavior this morning. I have never liked Valentine’s Day, that’s true, but I do like you.” 

He pauses, and glances up at Camille’s face to gauge her reaction. Her expression is soft, and the fond look in her green eyes makes Ethan’s heart stutter in his chest. 

Emboldened, he reaches into the box and sets a piece of candy on the desk with a decisive nod. 

Camille leans over, a curtain of blonde hair falling over her shoulder as she tries to get a better look at the candy heart. 

“Sweet talk?” Her laugh is bright and clear. “Ethan you actually have to try and sweet talk me, this is a cop out!” 

Ethan can feel a hot blush pricking at his cheeks and he shakes his head. 

“No, dammit, that’s the wrong one.” He stands and pours a few more hearts into his hand, ignoring the dusty residue that is surely being shaken all over his desk. It takes a few moments of searching until he finally finds the correct saying on a yellow heart.

“Here,” he says, brusquely handing her the candy.

“Be mine.” She looks back up at him with glittering eyes, her teeth sinking into the soft pink of her lower lip. 

“I know we haven’t defined our relationship yet, but I want to be with you. Officially.” He clears his throat when Camille doesn’t immediately respond. “I understand if you need some time to--”

“Shut up,” Camille breathes, stepping forward until she can loop her arms around his neck. Her command is unnecessary, considering how Ethan has already been rendered speechless by her proximity.

He can feel her smile against his mouth as she meets his lips with her own. He groans as her fingers anchor in the hair at the base of his neck, tugging softly. 

The kiss deepens as Camille’s lips part beneath his, and Ethan’s hands work underneath her blouse, sliding against the bare skin of her back. 

“Is that a yes?” Ethan asks, his voice gravelly as she plants a trail of kisses along his jaw. 

He is thirty-seven years old, and for the first time he has reduced himself to a lovesick adolescent. It’s strange how willing he is to embarrass himself in front of her, how willing he is to do anything for her. 

“Of course it’s a yes! I’ve been waiting forever for you to commit to me.” Camille says with a radiant smile. Ethan cups her face gently.  

“So, what now? I have a standing reservation at a restaurant downtown. I’d like to take you out on a real date.” 

“That sounds nice,” Camille says, toying with one of the scattered candy hearts. “But first, I found this…” 

Cheekily, she holds out the blue candy. 

Kiss me. 

***

Tagging separately!

[millenniumfae]

Video Game Cooking: Nectar (Hades 2018)

Nectar is one of the in-game items Zagreus can collect. By gifting these bottles of golden liquid to other characters, he raises his affinity with them, which in turn gives him powerup items and advances character questlines. 

Hades (2018) is a retelling/adaptation of the classical Persephone and Hades mythos. All items, settings, and characters are from classic Greek mythology; Zagreus’ foster mother is the primordial goddess of night. Achilles’ personal questline is about reuniting him with his lover Patrocles. Zagreus has spent his entire life sheltered underground in Tartarus, so he doesn’t know what birds are, or what winter is. 

In turn, ‘nectar’ exists in Greek mythology. It’s sometimes interchangeable with ambrosia; both are the legendary foods/drinks of the gods, said to grant immortality to anyone who consumes them, amongst other positive effects. In-game, nectar is the more commonplace counterpart to ambrosia; Zagreus finds nectar as a dungeon drop. But he needs to defeat the champion of Elysium boss to gain a single bottle of ambrosia.

Today, we’re gonna re-create the nectar of Hades (2018) for ourselves! It may be contraband in Hades’ domain, but it’s not like anyone pays attention to that rule, anyways.

Why are we recreating nectar, and not ambrosia? Because there already exists tons of ‘ambrosia’ drink recipes. Maybe not based off of the Hades (2018) version, but there’s nothing new or exciting in making yet another ambrosia drink. Nectar, on the other hand, gives us more room for invention.

Hades (2018) Nectar Recipe  (Makes One Serving)

1 1/3 cups Martinelli's sparkling cider

2 tablespoons orange flower water

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 teaspoon edible gold shimmer powder (make sure it lists all ingredients, and is certified food safe)

A pinch of coarse sea salt

A pinch of lemon zest

A drop of mint extract

The first times Zagreus gifts nectar to npcs, they describe honoring some sort of godhood custom and exchange with him with a ‘keepsake’ - an in-game powerup he can wear. Unlike with gifting ambrosia, their eyes don’t pop out with shock at receiving such a luxurious gift, it’s instead just something nice, even if relatively commonplace. But nectar is still prestigious enough that gifting the actual Olympic gods nectar goes over well.

If ambrosia is the equivalent of Zagreus gifting $30,000,000 Breguet watches to his friends and family, then nectar is the gourmet-wrapped basket of cheese and crackers you see in the ‘gift’ section of the grocery store. Something you spot while on errands, and impulsively buy so you have a hostess gift the next time someone invites you over. It’s a gift borne of societal custom, and implores the giftee to give you something in return, eventually. Everyone from your multimillionaire uncle Poseidon to your humble jailbird neighbor Sisyphus are pleased to receive such a gift, even if they might value its contents differently.

(In the early-access versions of the game, nectar was ambrosia. The final release wrote ambrosia as the coveted, rare prize you earn after defeating the champions of Elysium. True enough, Zagreus can only find ambrosia after defeating the Elysium boss.)

In original Greek mythology, ‘nectar’ and ‘ambrosia’ aren’t two distinct things. Homer describes nectar as the god’s drink, and ambrosia is the food. But in Sappho’s and Anaxandrides’s poems, it’s the opposite. There’s more recorded mentions of ‘ambrosia’, rather than nectar. Some take this to mean that both nectar and ambrosia can be seen as something both food and drink, like honey.

Both share canonical similarities. Ambrosia and nectar are fragrant foods/drinks, sometimes used as literal perfume by the gods. Makes sense that nectar smells good, if in the AD period we’ve taken the word to mean the sweet stuff within flowers.

Other than its smell, we’ve no canonical information about nectar (other than in the Odyssey, nectar is described as either ‘rose-red’ in color, or in scent). Hades (2018) rendered nectar’s appearance as an opaque, warm gold liquid in a cute little round bottle, wrapped with a ribbon to benefit its ‘gift merchandise’ reputation.        

Nobody in Hades (2018) describes the taste/smell of nectar. Ambrosia, on the other hand, is said to be rare ‘vintages’ that you’re guaranteed to like. Sometimes, gifting either results in a cutscene where Zagreus and co. hang out at the lounge, complete with a sound clip of uncorking a bottle and pouring it into a tall glass. You can also see characters drink nectar amongst each other, savoring both the occasion and the taste. Eurydice also offers a ‘Refreshing Nectar’ power up item, which just kinda looks like normal nectar but in a tall glass. 

There’s a clear alcohol equivalence. But nobody references drunkeness in-game. Even original classical Greek culture didn’t have a drunk culture like we do; wine was revered, but it was mixed with water to be savored, not to intoxicate oneself. Maybe nobody in-game can get drunk in the first place; everyone’s either an immortal, or a ghost.

(In my opinion, it’s always a bit weird when videogame characters can nurture deep, trusting relationships purely built upon a system of gifting items. But Hades (2018) does make it clear that Zagreus already has established relationships with most of the cast.)

Ambrosia’s a rare vintage. So what does that make nectar? We need to make something sweet, pleasant, attractive-looking, and also tangibly related to its rarer sibling. So we’re using another liquid that’s distilled and sometimes fermented; apple cider. 

A bit of this decision comes from the soundbite of opening up a nectar in the lounge; it’s a thin viscosity with a slight hint of foam, almost sounding like beer. And the color matters too, since different distillations of apple cider can result in different colors, ranging from dark brown to a light, bright gold.

Apple juice, when fermented, can have alcohol contents going from light apple wine, to brandies that have 10-25% alcohol. As a culinary ingredient, its modest fructose content means a higher temperature tolerance, and its citric acid can be used as a brine. It’s a popular ‘new world’ ingredient in cooking and baking. 

It’s also an ‘old world’ food. Hades (2018) doesn’t take itself super seriously, with its foil-wrapped gyros and french fries as in-game healing items. But any character/worldbuilding they do have, they keep it consistent. 

Zagreus says that Hermes’ symbol “almost looks like a bat wing”, when it’s very clearly a bird wing. Because he’s lived underground his whole life, he doesn’t know what a bird is. Weapons upgraded with the aspect of people like Guan Yu, or King Arthur, are time-bending powers that no one has ever heard of, with hints that these mysterious people live in places with their own gods/mythology. Zagreus catches a trout/bass/sturgeon fish for the first time, and it’s completely foreign to him, but Achilles fondly recalls these Greece-native fish fitting of his Nereid heritage. Characters have discussions about how mortals fear death, despite Thanatos being a gentle god represented by butterflies. There’s no sun, therefore no time, in the underworld. Hades is the god of minerals as well as the underworld, hence gems and diamonds being an in-game loot. 

Apples originated in Central Asia. During the Classical Greek era, they would have resembled what we call crabapples; small, hard, sour, cherry-sized. “At the Sammardenchia-Cueis site near Udine in Northeastern Italy, seeds from some form of apples have been found in material carbon dated to around 4000 BCE.”

It implores me to find ingredients that fit the setting, as with my other Video Game Cooking recipes. No pumpkins, no corn, potatoes, chocolate, tomatoes, vanilla. Instead, we have things like almonds, lentils, oranges, honey, garlic, onions (haha, suck it Achilles)

To reflect nectar’s ‘sweet smelling’ trait, we’re using an ingredient common in Persian cooking - and later the French royal court of King Louis; orange flower water. I found mine in my local Asian grocery. It’s a byproduct of making essential oil, and it’s colorless/flavorless, but with a strong aromatic smell that affects any food you mix it with. It’s also a known ingredient in modern day Greece, called anthonero (ανθόνερο). 

(Eeurydice is confirmed to use both nectar and ambrosia as a cooking ingredient, and her food is apparently amazing. Maybe one day, I’ll make another Video Game Cooking recipe based off of her Pom Porridge, or Ambrosia Delights.) 

And to really make it look like the food of the gods, we’re adding an ingredient found more and more in swanky bars worldwide; edible glitter powder. Originally, people only used this to decorate baked goods and candies, but come Instagram, people are making these really picturesque cocktails that shimmer rainbow. You gotta be careful when buying these for yourself, though; the tiny tins of decorative edible shimmer power you find at Michaels may not actually be as edible as they claim. I found Bakell-brand Luster Dust at a bake-supply shop. If it doesn’t list its ingredients, or certify itself as FDA-approved, then don’t use it for food.

And since it’s called ‘nectar’, we’re also adding honey. Which has long history of its divine status as a holy food. To take down the intense sweetness a bit, the tinest pinch of sea salt - another holy, pure substance. And to really bring out the brightness of the apples, we’re adding a sprinkle of lemon zest. A tiny drop of mint extract brings a complex depth to the orange flower smell.

To make a glass of nectar; cover the bottom of the glass with mint, lemon, sea salt, honey, and orange flower water. Then, pour the apple cider with the gold shimmer dust together, so that the two mix together a bit, to avoid clumping of the powder. Then you mix the drink a bit, so that the honey, zest, and salt aren’t sitting at the bottom.

It only now occurs to me that this recipe might actually be a rendition of Eurydice’s Refreshing Nectar item, rather than pure nectar itself. But just take my word for it; when you open up a bottle of nectar, you get that whiff of blossoms with the slight coldness of mint, and the sea salt/honey taste goes really well with the apple juice. I imagine that Eurydice’s somehow making a further delicious drink by adding a splash of Bailoni and ice. 

Enjoy! Just imagine that you’re hanging out with Zagreus and his three partners, cracking a cold one open over stories about how crazy the surface world is. Did you know that we have machines called computers that instantly relay information all over the world??

[leossmoonn]

Christmas Shenanigans [Peter Parker]

masterlist 

peter parker x fem!reader

type - fluff

note - in the spirit of christmas, i wrote tis cute lil imagine. enjoy!

summary - you spend christmas eve with Peter and do some fun activities :) 

warnings - lil suggestive 

————

*gif isn’t mine*

“Peter! I’m here!” You shouted while walking through his apartment. You saw May in the kitchen. 

“Hey, Y/n! Merry Christmas Eve!” May smiled and came over to you, and gave you a hug. You smiled at her and hugged her back. 

“Merry Christmas Eve! I have a little something for you,” you pulled away and reached for your backpack. 

“Oh, Y/n! You didn’t have to,” May smiled as you got out the wrapped gift. 

You shrugged, “You’ve been a second mother to me ever since Peter and I were friends, even more since we started dating. Plus, I’m spending the whole day with my family tomorrow, so this is a good time to give you this.”

May chuckled, “Well, I have something, too.”

“Ooh, yay! Gift exchange!” You giggled and clapped your hands. May shared your enthusiasm by walking with a pep in her step to you. 

She handed you a medium-size box that had Santa wrapping paper on it. You handed May a little box, too, with Christmas tree wrapping paper.

You two opened it simultaneously. You gasped as you saw a a few face masks and a clay mask jar.

“Thank you so much, May! I love this!” You smiled. “Of course! I overheard you complain to Peter about not having a lot self-care products, so I got you some. Every girl needs at least a few of these 24/7.”

“Ah, I agree! Okay, open yours!” You pointed to the box who had been unwrapped, but not opened. 

May danced in place a little, gently opening the gift. She gasped and put her hand on her chest. Inside was a charm bracelet that had a seashell, May’s zodiac sign symbol, and a little circle charm that said ‘family’ with a heart. 

“Do you like it?” You asked, slightly anxious. 

“Oh, honey, I love it. Thank you!” May said, tears in her eyes. You chuckled as she gave you another hug. 

“You know, I haven’t had a charm bracelet since Peter’s parents died. Mary gave me a matching charm bracelet when we got really close, before her and Richard got married. After she passed, I had packed it away somewhere in all of  their things. Thank you so much, Y/n,” May smiled. 

“You’re welcome. Peter actually mentioned you liked charm bracelets when I asked him what you wanted for Christmas,” you explained. 

“Ah, gotta love that kid,” May smiled. 

“Agreed,” you smiled. “Speaking of him, where is he?”

“Hm, I think he and Ned went out somewhere. He should be back. He knows you’re here, right?” May asked. 

“Yeah, I texted him like, 15 minutes ago,” you pulled out your phone and frowned. 

On cue, the door opened and there appeared your boyfriend. He was out of breath, probably from running up the stairs to his apartment. He had a few gift bags in his hand, too. 

“Well, there is the man of the hour! Where have you been, Pete?” May asked. 

“Late Christmas shopping. I, uh, kinda forgot,” Peter laughed awkwardly, setting his backpack and the gifts down. 

“I thought you got kidnapped or something,” you teased. 

Peter turned to you and a big smile immediately came onto his face. He went over to you and engulfed you in a big hug. You relaxed instantly, melting into his embrace and putting your head in his shoulder. 

“I’m Spider-Man, babe, I can’t be kidnapped,” he whispered in your ear. 

You giggled quietly, pulling away and pecking his lips. Peter went to his gifts, handing a bag to May. 

“Aw, Peter, you shouldn’t have!” May smiled and grabbed it. 

“You would’ve yelled at me if I didn’t,” Peter snorted. May rolled his eyes, but smiled at she got her gift out. 

She held up a new spatula set. 

“Peter! This is just what I, well we, needed! Thank you! Now, I don’t have to buy anything,” May smiled. She hugged Peter and ruffled his hair. 

“You’re welcome, May. I have another gift for you, but you gotta open it tomorrow, when it's actually Christmas. And for you, I have loads of gifts!” Peter smiled at you.

You giggled, “Thank you, Petey.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Well, you two can run along. Keep the door open a little, I’ll be cooking dinner. Chilli okay for you, Y/n?” May asked.

“More than okay! Thank you!” You smiled. 

Peter took your hand, thanking May, and leading you to his room. 

Peter closed the door a little more than halfway, coming over to you and pressing a slightly needy, but sweet kiss on your lips. You smiled into the kiss, wrapping your arms around his shoulders to pull him closer. His hands snaked around your waist, walking backwards so you two fell on his bed. 

You pulled away and giggled, panting slightly. “Where did that come from?”

“I just missed you,” Peter said, leaning over and pressing a chaste kiss on your lips. He pulled away, getting your Christmas presents and putting them on the bed. There were two gift bags. You took off your backpack, taking out the couple of presents you got him. 

“Okay, um, here is one of yours,” you said, hanging him a small bag. 

“Yay!” Peter squealed like a little boy. You chuckled, putting your hand on his knee, anxiously waiting for him to open your present. 

Peter took out the tissue paper, gasping in excitement. He pulled out a medium-sized candle that you made. You had put your perfume scent and shampoo scent that Peter always said he loved.

“Y/n! OMG! I’m gonna light this up all. the. time,” Peter said.

“I’m glad you like it,” you smiled. “Like it? I love it! Okay, now open yours,” Peter said and shoved a big box in your face. You grabbed it, surprised by it’s weight.

You untied the ribbon and lifted the top fo the box. You gasped as you saw what the present was. It was a picture collage of you and Peter during Christmas times through the years. It spanned over the coarse of 11 years. You looked over the pictures, tears springing in your eyes as you saw pictures of you two from when you were 5 to literally the other day. You smiled as you saw the picture from last year, when you two finally started to date. In that picture, you two were kissing. That picture and the one from the other day were the only ones that had you kissing in them. You loved to see the development in your guys’s relationship over the years. 

“Do you like it?” Peter asked. 

“I love it, Pete. Thank you so much,” you sniffled. Peter put his hand up to your face, wiping a few tears that had fallen from your eyes. 

“Don’t cry, Pretty Girl,” Peter said. You smiled softly and leaned over to press a kiss to his lips. 

“I’m just really happy,” you said once you pulled away. Peter smiled, “Me, too, Okay, here’s a more personal gift that I got you.”

He gave you a little box that was wrapped. You unwrapped it, seeing that it was a white box. You took the top off, smiling even more when you saw the present. It was a silver necklace that had Peter’s name on it. 

“This is so cute! I see you’ve been paying attention to all the tik tok’s I’ve sent you,” you giggled. You leaned over again to kiss him. 

“Oh, I have. I also got a match one!” Peter said, taking out a silver bracelet. It had your name on it. 

“Ah! I love you,” you smiled at him. You put your necklace on, getting your phone out and seeing how it looked like on camera. 

“I love you, too. Sooooo, you said I have another gift for me?” Peter said. 

You giggled. “Yes I do, Petey.” You reached for your gift and handed it to him. Peter ripped it open, smiling excitedly as he saw you got him a Spider-Man watch. 

“This is awesome! I can’t believe I never even got one for myself,” Peter snorted. “Thank you, babe.”

“You’re welcome. I know how much you loooove Spider-Man,” you chuckled.

“Yes, indeed, I do,” Peter laughed. You helped Peter set the watch to the right time, putting it on for him. 

“This is so cool!” Peter squealed. 

“I’m glad you think so. I would’ve gotten you a Star Wars one, but I decided to get that one for Ned, and this one for you,” you shrugged. 

“Oh, he’ll love that,” Peter smiled. “I know. I'm an amazing gift giver,” you smirked. 

“That you are,” Peter said. He took you in his arms, laying down on the bed with you. You giggled, getting on top of him and straddling his waist.

“Trying to get lucky tonight, Parker?” You smirked. 

“Maybe,” Peter smiled. “Extra Christmas present?”

“Hm,” you hummed. You ran your fingers down his shirt, feeling his abs through the clothing. You leaned down, giving Peter a good view of your cleavage, as you were wearing a fairly low-cut shirt).

“Please,” Peter whined. You smiled and put your lips on his, kissing him slow and passionately. Peter put his hands on your waist, trailing down to your thigh. Before you two could go any further, you heard the laughter of children from outside. 

You pulled away, earning a grunt of annoyance from Peter. 

“OMG, Peter!” You exclaimed. 

“What?” Peter asked, setting his hand on your thigh. “You should dress up as Spider-Man and give kids candy canes and sing to them!” You exclaimed.

Peter made a face. “What? Why?”

You rolled your eyes and looked at him. “Because, you are the “Friendly-Neighbourhood-Spider-Man”! Please? I’ll buy the chocolate and candy canes or whatever. Just go around the neighbourhood.”

“I don’t know, Y/n,” Peter said. “Oh, c’mon! You usually would be up for this! Please, it's for the kids. Plus, I’ll give you a treat,” you said, pouting. 

Peter smiled at you and sighed. “Fine. I’ll go and get my suit under my clothes. We can say goodbye to May and whenever we get the stuff, I’ll change into my suit.”

“Yay!” You exclaimed and clapped. You got off of his so he could go and get his suit on. He changed quickly, putting his jeans and sweatshirt on over. He grabbed his backpack, going out of his room with you. 

“Hey, May, Peter and I are gonna go to the store and get some candy,” you said. 

“Alright! Stay safe please. Call me if you need anything!” May said from her room. 

“Will do! Bye!” You exclaimed. “Bye, May!” Peter said. 

You two went out of the apartment, running down the stairs and going outside. You two went to the gas station, getting candy canes and chocolate. Once you got outside, Peter took his clothes off, putting his Spider-Man mask on. 

“Are you cold in that?” You asked him as he put his regular clothes in his backpack.  “Nah, the suit has a heater,” Peter said. “Wow, lucky. I'm freezing,” you chuckled, bouncing up and down to make some heat. 

“Aw, baby, you should’ve told me. Here, stay next to me, I’ll keep you warm,” he said, putting his arm around you. 

You put your hat over your ears and smiled up at him. “Thank you. Now, ready to get your Christmas on?”

“Yes!” Peter smiled and placed a sweet kiss on your cheek. 

You giggled and you walked around the neighbourhood, knocking on people’s doors. 

“Hello, may I help you?” The first door you knocked on opened quickly. 

“Hi! I’m Spider-Man and this is my assistant!” Peter said. 

“Yes,” you chuckled. 

“We’re just going around the neighbourhood to wish you Merry Christmas and give you some gifts,” Peter said and held out a few chocolate packs and candy canes. 

The woman at the door smiled and took the treats. “Thank you! Do you mind if I get my son? He is a big fan of yours.”

“No, not at all!” You smiled. 

The woman went into the house, son returning with a little boy. The little boy gasped. “Spider-Man!”

“Hey, buddy!” Peter crouched down. “Have you been good this year.” The little boy nodded with a wide smile. 

“Good. I gave your mom a few treats for you and your family. I wish you all a Merry Christmas!”

“Thank you so much. Do you mind if we take a picture?” The little boy’s mom asked. 

“Not at all,” Peter said. You moved out of the way, the little boy standing next to Peter. The mom took the picture, gesturing for the little boy to come back inside. 

“Thank you so much, again. This definitely made his Christmas.”

“It’s not problem, ma’am. Have a good night!” Peter said and waved. 

“You, too!” The woman smiled. The little boy waved at you two before the woman closed the door. 

You went by Peter’s side again, “See? Wasn’t that fun?”

“Yes, it was,” Peter said, putting his hand around you. 

You smiled and put your head on his shoulder, going to the next house. You and Peter did this for an hour and a half, going through all the houses and apartments, taking pictures with the kids. You two reached the last house finally, saying goodbye and wishing them a Merry Christmas. 

Peter put his clothes back on and you two went back into his apartment. You noticed May sleeping on the couch, and chilli on the stove. You two took off your coats and shoes, going over to the chilli. 

“Thank you for doing this with me,” you said, leaning on him as you got yourself chilli. 

“Of course, baby. It was really fun,” Peter smiled. He kissed your head, nuzzling his cheek onto the top of your head. 

“Good, I’m glad,” you said. You two walked into Peter’s room. You two set the bowls onto his desk. Peter changed out of his Spider-Man suit, putting back on his underwear. But before he could put on the rest of his clothes, you took his hand and pushed him on the bed. 

Peter smiled wide and you smirked, climbing on top of his lap. 

“Merry Christmas, Peter Parker,” you whispered, capturing his lips into a kiss. 

————

Like and Reblog !

taglist form

[oshicakes]

gift | kuroo tetsurou

pairing. kuroo tetsurou x reader

genre. fluff to angst

warnings. cussing, suggestive jokes, blood, hospital

a/n. just feeling a little sappy lately and here's the result! im saying sorry in advance, or maybe im not? hmm hahaha jk. but! im saying sorry for this is kinda long, legit sorry.

it's raining outside. you've been staring at your window for a while now. the ringing of your phone made you come back to reality.

it's a call from your boyfriend, kuroo tetsurou. you answered his call.

"hey, love. ill be there in a minute, wait for me okay?"

"okay, tetsu. please be careful on your way home, it's raining and the road might be slippery."

"yes, ma'am!" then he chuckled. it made you smile.

after that, you started preparing for dinner. you made some sushi, his favorite salted mackarel pike and shabu shabu and for dessert you made a fruit skewer since tetsu will buy you a cake.

the table is set. then, you changed your clothes into a red jumpsuit, done your hair and spray some perfume. all set!

minutes later, the doorbell rang. you hurriedly open your door. and there he is- your boyfriend sporting a damp and messy hair in his office wear. which made him more hotter, you thought.

"hey there, my birthday girl!"

right after closing the door, he crashed his lips onto yours. your hands made its way to his neck then cling on him. his one hand slip on your waist while the other is holding the cake.

he stopped kissing you and then shower kisses all over your face. it made you giggle. you held his face to make him stop and rested your forehead onto his.

"take of your clothes."

"ohoho? we wildin tonight, huh?" he smirked at you. that made you laugh. you cupped his, gave him a chaste kiss and turn away from him.

"hmm, no. you're wet and you might get sick if you don't change immediately." he just let out a whiny noise. you just laughed at him.

both of you started eating after he changed his shirt. you just planned to take a glimpse of him to see what's his reaction on the foods you cooked but you find yourself staring at him.

you wonder how it all started? was it the debate against him? was it his passion for sports? his mesmerizing eyes? his messy bed hair? the way he calls you? his corny ass science jokes? or is it the awkward moment when he confessed to you?

wow, you've been with him for ten years now, and six years from that is being in a relationship with him. you've come a long way now, you've seen his best and worse part and you shared with him your best and worse part too. and i regret nothing at all. it was the best, and if i were given a chance to turn back time id still choose to be with him.

"you know, if you want me you can just say it, love." he said while grinning at me.

"i love you, tetsu." you said out of nowhere.

his grin faded and turned into a genuine smile. his eyes look more softer now, just like how you love it. he reached for your hand and kissed it.

"you know that i love you too right?" you nodded at him. "i love you so much, y/n."

after that soft moment, both of you continued eating. you remind him that there will be a small celebration in your parent's house this weekend.

he talked about his work and how he's happy seeing kids olaying volleyball, making him remember his junior high. he cracked corny jokes that made you laugh but not because of the joke, its because of his hyena laugh.

you we're cleaning the table while he's washing the dishes, when his phone rang. he put down the dish and answered his phone.

after a while, he finished talking on his phone. he immediately embrace you from behind.

"work?"

"yeah, they said that they needed me for an urgent meeting with our prospect sponsor."

"then, get your ass going! so you can come back here faster then we can enjoy eating the cake you bought!"

"im sorry, love. i didn't expect this to happen."

"it's really okay, tetsu. go now, be careful on driving." you kissed his lips.

he's pouting. with a heavy steps, he put on a coat and grab his things. before he finally go, he kiss you a little bit longer now.

"wait for me, okay? i didn't give you my gift yet, so wait for me."

you just nodded at him. and off he go.

it's almost an hour when the doorbell rang. you got off from the comfortable couch to open the door. well, that was fast, you thought.

kuroo never drove his car this fast like before. he's always a careful driver, because you always get mad at him when he tries beating the red light.

"where's y/n?!" his fist is turning white because of a hard grip. kenma pointed the door of your hospital room.

when he opened the door your parents are there. your mom's crying while your dad's comforting her.

"tetsurou, oh god! you're finally here!" your mom said and hugged him. then she guode you close to your bed.

"what happened to, y/n? im sorry i didn't mean to leave her alone."

"we understand. your friends called us when they can't contact you. they said y/n suddenly fell on the floor."

he's too preoccupied with you that he didn't even realize that his friends are there. your mom said they're all outside.

when he got out of your room, his friends approached him. saying sorry for what happened and they didn't know why you suddenly fell on the floor then hit your head on the table. yaku panicked when he saw your head bleeding so they immediately run you to the hospital.

it's a little late when your parents decided to go home along with his friends. now, he's all alone in your room. still wondering why his friends are in his house, but he just shrug it of.

he was woken up when he felt someone caressing his head. and when he opened his eyes, he met yours. your now sitting in your bed.

he quickly got up from his chair and embrace you tightly. he kissed your lips repeatedly too.

"stop... tetsu... oh god!" he stopped kissing you but he burried his head in your neck.

you we're surprised when you felt your neck get wet and his back is shaking. he's crying!

"tetsu? im okay, don't worry hmm."

"i thought i'd lose you! don't do that fucking act again!"

"i promise, i won't. now let me see my first baby before this belly of mine pops out in eight months."

he let go of you and look at you with full of confusion.

"pop what? what do you mean by that?"

you held his face, caressing it. also, wiping his tears away. "im one month pregnant, love."

he shuts down. like he can't process what you just said. "no fucking way! fuck! im gonna be a dad! yes!"

he's crying again! you motioned him to sit beside you and hug him while patting his back. your also whispering sweet nothings to him, and what made you laugh a little is he's replying too while crying. he calmed down. clearing his throat, he takes something out in his pocket.

its a tiny velvet box.

"this is supposed to be the gift im giving you today." he handed you the box. you opened it, a silver necklace with your name on it and small diamonds. he put it on you.

"and this, this is supposed to be my gift to you for this weekend. i just felt the urge to give it to you now." he took another velvet box inside coat.

he knelt infront of you. "this may not be the sweetest place and time to propose but i can't wait any longer now that you gave me the most beautiful gift id ever receive in my whole life. please be my wife?"

you're now crying. you can't utter any words so you're just nodding your head at him. he slip the ring in your ring finger.

"thank you, tetsu. i never imagine that we'll go this far. just a while a go, i called your friends to plan my surprise to you this weekend and now we're here."

"that's why lev congratulated me! i almost wanna punch him tho. they also know that ill be proposing to you this weekend."

"wow. we really sucks at planning, ha?"

-----------

just kidding with the angst lol. sorrrrryyyy 🤪

[helaintoloki]

hiii so i saw your holiday prompt list and i loved how wholesome it is?? how is that legal. but anyway, i was wondering if you could perhaps do n. 12 with peter parker 🥺👉👈 hope you’re doing well & staying safe!

a/n: ngl I got really excited when I saw this request in my inbox bc it’s been so long since I’ve last written for Peter! anyway I hope you enjoy lovely ♡

warnings: some awkwardness, fluff

* #12: wrapping gifts together // taken from this prompt list

Endless yards of wrapping paper and colorful bows litter the floor in a manner that makes Peter feel as if he has to walk through some maze-like obstacle course just to reach the plate of gingerbread cookies on the coffee table. In the center of all the holiday clutter and chaos you sit, diligently removing the price tags and labels from your gifts before setting them aside to be packaged and wrapped when you’re ready. Your brows are creased with concentration, and if not for the fact that Peter had nearly ate it when his foot got caught in the wrapping you never would have detected his presence.

“Oh my god, are you okay?” You exclaim, your attention now focused on Peter who grips a little too tightly onto the arm of the couch for support. An embarrassed laugh leaves his lips as he steadies himself before carefully walking the rest of the way to sit down beside you.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Good reflexes, you know?” He says with a small shrug, hoping you don’t notice the intense indents he’s made in the fabric of the couch. Luckily, you don’t, and you even let out a small laugh at his antics before returning your attention to your previous task.

“Thanks again for letting me wrap gifts here. It’s just been so crazy back at home and I wouldn’t have been able to get anything done,” you ramble with a flustered smile, one that Peter is quick to return.

“Yeah, no, it’s no problem. No problem at all,” he says nonchalantly, though the rapid beating of his heart says otherwise. “Happy to help.”

“And you’re sure May doesn’t mind?”

“Are you kidding? You know May loves you.” And also won’t stop bugging me about mustering up the courage to finally ask you out, so here we are. “You’re always welcome over.”

“I appreciate that,” you murmur quietly, a soft glimmer in your eyes that Peter can’t quite decipher no matter how many times he tries. Your ability to be so vulnerable and open while simultaneously keeping your cards close to your chest mystified him to no end, and the fact that he could never quite read you properly always left him feeling anxious and unsure of himself. He liked you, really liked you, but he had no idea of knowing whether or not you felt the same.

You’d been friends with Peter since eighth grade; as the new girl at school with no one to sit with at lunch, you’d chosen to befriend the boy with the Star Wars lunch box and Iron Man pencil case. He was quiet but friendly enough, and in no time at all you became two peas in a pod. You did everything together, told each other everything— well, almost everything— and helped each other through various heartaches and heartbreaks. Peter was your best friend, and you were his (you were tied with Ned in first place, but that’s not the point) which is why his newfound feelings for you freaked him out so much. There was a lot at stake when it came to his predicament; he didn’t want to risk ruining your friendship, but he also couldn’t afford the distraction. After the events of the blip Peter found that he had to work harder than ever now when it came to his superhero duties, and he didn’t want to make you feel neglected or unimportant. He also didn’t want to put you in danger, something that was bound to happen if you two began a relationship.

Ned had argued that at this point you were already in danger anyway; your best friend was Spider-Man and you didn’t even know it, so being the girlfriend of Peter Parker wouldn’t make things any different. Admittedly, this revelation did not make Peter feel any better, but he knew his friend had a point. The only problem now was figuring out how to tell you, and then how to pick up the pieces of his broken heart if you were to turn him down. Peter was definitely no Casanova, but he figured taking baby steps would help him get there, and so here you are sitting on his living room floor wrapping presents together and munching on May’s specialty gingerbread cookies.

“I can’t wait to see the look on Betty’s face when she opens her gift,” you say with a giddy smile as you begin to wrap her present. Peter watches carefully as your skillful fingers fold and tape the corners of the wrapping paper together before neatly placing a bow on top. There’s something about the way your eyes seem to sparkle with glee as you write Betty’s name on the gift tag before carefully setting it aside for later. If he could do so without looking like a total creep, Peter would stare at you for hours. He could get lost in your eyes, feel his heart swoon whenever you smiled, and enjoy the tiny boost to his ego you gave him when wearing the Spider-Man themed Christmas sweater your mom had gifted you a while back.

“Is there any chance I’ll get to see my present today?” Peter asks innocently, laughing at the suspicious glare you shoot his way.

“Fat chance, Parker. I was smart enough to wrap yours at home before I came here,” you jest with a teasing smile.

“Come on, not even a little hint?” He begs, making sure to put on his best pout.

“Hey mister, maybe that look works on May but it does not work on me,” you chide only to burst into a fit of giggles. Peter lets out a dramatic sigh, a dejected smile forming across his lips.

“It was worth a try.”

“Don’t worry, I promise you’ll love your gift,” you reassure him. “And if you don’t, well, just pretend to like it to spare my feelings.”

“No, I’m sure I’ll like it,” he chuckles, handing you the scissors at your signaling and watching you get to work on the next gift. He can’t help but shift his gaze towards his own messily wrapped presents sitting underneath the tree; he didn’t have as many friends as you did, so he could spare to ditch his usually frugal spending habits and buy nicer gifts for the ones he loved. A bottle of that high-end perfume May always gushed about yet never bought for herself, a nice hat for Ned to make up for the time at Liz’s party, and finally the most expensive gift of all, a Tiffany and Co. bracelet that he’d be spending the next few months paying off with what little money he could scrounge up.

Odd jobs, extra chore money, and painful goodbyes resulting from the sales of some of his favorite collectibles allowed for the purchase of the jewelry. Time and time again you’d told Peter not to worry about birthday presents or holiday gifts; a simple card or something homemade was good enough for you, but this year Peter knew he had to go big if he was to finally seal the deal. You weren’t just any other girl, you were his best friend and he fell in love with you, so when he finally mustered up the courage to ask you out on Christmas Eve just like he’d been planning to all month he knew had to make sure it was special.

“Peter,” you call out gently, redirecting his attention away from the presents and towards your puzzled features, “you alright there, buddy? You spaced out on me again.”

“Oh, y-yeah, sorry,” he apologizes quickly, shaking away his previous thoughts and doing his best to remain calm and collected despite how fast his heart is racing at the possibility of finally being able to call himself your boyfriend by Christmas time. “What were you saying?”

“I was saying I finished wrapping.”

“Whoa, wait, that fast?” He exclaims astonished.

“That fast,” you confirm with a nod, grabbing a stray bow from the coffee table as you rise from the floor and stretch out your stiff limbs. An amused chuckle falls past Peter’s lips as you attach the bow to the top of his head before extending your hand towards him. “I’m hungry, let’s go get food.”

“So demanding,” he teases, taking your hand and hoisting himself up off the ground.

“Oh, I’m sorry. May we please obtain sustenance, my dear friend?” You retort sarcastically only for Peter to roll his eyes and playfully nudge your side in response.

“Very funny,” he laughs dryly, though the corners of his eyes crinkle with delight at your teasing manner. He sighs, “alright, let’s go get you something to eat.”

“You see, this is why we’re best friends.”

“Yeah,” Peter utters with a quiet smile, his gaze once again settling on the poorly wrapped little box underneath the Christmas tree, “best friends...”

Christmas Eve can’t come soon enough.

[jarofstyles]

Fan Club II

A/N: Let the tension begin to build 😈This part is a little shorter than the others but it’s a necessary step - n + d

send feedback and requests here

masterlist

pairing: Harry Styles x Reader

warnings: angst, anxiety attack, and tender moments

word count: 3.5k

Harry was confused on all levels. Y/N was in his brain like a damn worm and didn’t seem to ever be coming out of it. That was the most frustrating part. It had been about a week, his second bakery visit being short and sweet with another hug and asking for 2 more lemon squares, but he had been a bit bland with texting back. He was trying to distance himself. Not fall for the good girl next door act. 

“Harry, please at least make this believable tonight. I’ve seen a few tweets talking about you going to the bakery so someone must have been a fan in there, so make sure tonight you’re a gentleman to her. People are watching.” Jeff Warned. It wasn’t like Harry sat around and complained about her. He barely said a word. He did tell Jeff he didn’t trust her, but he had restricted any social media usage because he knew the moment he found Y/N’s pages he would stalk her for a while. He would need to make sure it didn’t happen. 

They were sharing a car to the restaurant, and everyone knew the secret so when they pulled up to Y/N’s place, Harry felt a little more relaxed. Jeff would take over until showtime at the restaurant. There would be paparazzi by the time they left, but going in would be far easier.

Y/N was nervous to say the least. This would be her first time being photographed officially with Harry, holding hands and everything. It was a big deal and she wanted to look nice. She had done her whole routine, showering and smelling nice, doing a light makeup that she saw all his past girlfriends do, and changed into her outfit. She felt sexy but still fashionable, definitely not too expensive. Just the right amount of everything. 

When she got the text saying the car was there, she knew it was game time. Y/N made sure to bring her keys, her phone, and wallet, putting it all in a small fashionable blue over the shoulder bag before walking to the elevator and making her way out to the car. 

“Hey.” Y/N smiled as she opened the door, climbing into the car and buckling up. God he looked delicious. His hair was all floppy, his outfit matching hers in a strange way. The two of them together looked good, she couldn’t lie. “You look nice.” She said once again, but she really did mean it. “Smell nice too.”

They both sat in the back seat, Jeff and his wife in the front. Harry smiled lightly and nodded. “Uh, thanks. You too.” He went back to his phone. Honestly, if he didn’t? He would have died. Honest to god died. Her tits looked immaculate. Harry hadn’t seen them like this before but he was nearly choking on the way he wanted to bury his face between them. The first he had dated weren’t really all that big in that department— nothing wrong with that. But she had the perfect amount. Perfect handfuls. Something he was positive would be lovely to suck on. Fuck— fucking hell. 

He had to look at his phone or he would get hard. Y/N smelled good too. Like coconuts, vanilla. He wasn’t sure if that was a perfume or a bakery thing but he enjoyed it thoroughly. They kind of matched, too. which was weird. They hadn’t discussed it. 

Y/N sighed a little, not really knowing what she was expecting considering they were in private. She would rather spend no time with him in private if this was the case. She went all out to look nice for him to just say, ��you too’? God this would be hard. 

“Hi Jeff, hi Glenne, it’s nice to meet you.” Y/N spoke sweetly, “I’d give you a hug, but you know.” She chuckled and sat back, trying to ignore the fact that Harry was ignoring her. What a terrible fake boyfriend he was, really wasn’t into the whole method acting thing. 

“Hey!” Jeff greeted. “Are you ready for the first pap run?”

“You sound so cheery about it.” Y/N laughed, “I guess I’m ready.” She shrugged and pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear. “I reckon dinner will be fun, bit more excited about that. Get to chat with you all a little more.” It was the honest truth. She wanted to spend some quality time with Harry and with Jeff and his wife. If she was going to spend a full year knowing them? Hell, she wanted to make the most of it. She didn’t just want to fake being friends with them.

Was she serious? Harry thought. Come on. That wasn’t real. There was no way she actually thought they would buy that excuse. She didn’t give a fuck. No way. But of course— both of them bought into it. It was like Harry was the only one who could see that this was sketchy. That it wasn’t what was right. She was too sweet for her own good and that alone had Harry very, very suspicious. He listened to them chatter and took glances at her every so often. This would be torture for him. The whole thing. He was so physically attracted to her that he was worried that it may show when they weren't supposed to be acting. Y/N seemed to get along with them great. It was another thing that made him want to pull his hair out. She had to be bad in some way. No one was genuinely this nice and sweet without having a bad side. Gorgeous or not.

Jeff and Glenne were genuinely nice people, and Y/N was thankful that at least they were being open. Then again, Jeff was Harry’s best friend, then surely there was just something wrong with her. It had been a few days since they met and Harry wasn’t letting up no matter what she did. It would be a slow burn she assumed. She looked over at him, catching him already looking at her with a small smile. Y/N turned her attention back to the front of the car, watching as Jeff pulled up to the restaurant. 

It was go time. Y/N walked out of the car after Harry, moving her hand to hold on to his bicep as they walked towards the restaurant. She didn’t really have a method to her acting, she simply did whatever felt natural. Let herself go whenever they were out in public.

Harry placed his hand over hers and squeezed. He could tell she was nervous, and regardless he didn’t want her to be nervous here and feel upset. Especially when they’d be looked at and photographed. 

When they walked into the place, he looped an arm around her waist and let her lean into him. He felt a small hand on his jacket lapel and let her play with it as Jeff took care of the reservation arrangements. They’d been sat outside at a nice place with those bulb string lights, lots of plants. They’d be sat facing people so photos could be taken— but the people wouldn’t know that. He’d have to keep a good face this whole time. It was going to be a new challenge but part of him was giddy to be able to play it up and touch her during this time.

Y/N’s nerves weren’t really that noticeable, but to anyone else it would just seem like she was nervous because she was on a date with Harry. It was a normal reason to be nervous and frankly, she felt it made her seem more relatable. Despite the fact that Harry and Y/N were acting, they seemed to flow quite naturally and easily off of one another. It didn’t take a lot of effort, she just leaned into him whenever he touched her and vice versa.

“Ooo this is nice.” Y/N commented on the look of the place. She had obviously never been here before, but it looked like it would be good. The smell coming from the kitchen was incredible as well. “Thank you again for inviting us out..” Y/N said to Jeff, purposefully saying us instead of me so anyone who heard knew they meant Y/N and Harry as a pair. She scooted her chair a little closer to Harry, making sure there was enough space for them to have subtle touches if need be. Y/N wasn’t sure what Harry would want, but she wanted to have their options open and ready. She had never seen him actually interact with a woman like this except for when he was with Kendall and those photos leaked. She wondered how he would act when he meant for people to see.

Harry felt the pressure but also knew he was lucky Jeff was here to keep the conversation going. He was feeling a little awkward but fell into his conversation relatively easily. 

“So the bakery... Harry said it’s lovely. That the lemon squares are amazing.” Glenne broke the ice, opening up her menu. It was a midrange pricing so he was hoping that she wouldn’t freak too bad. Money really wasn’t an object to Harry. Granted, most of his clothes were gifted to him and he didn’t pay for much luxury items because they were sent for promotion, but he didn’t mind spending if it was for a good time. He had millions. 

“They are very good. I like them a lot. All of the things are great, though.” Harry complimented sincerely but she wouldn’t know that. His arm hung over the back of her chair, subtly showing ownership. that’s what it would come across as anyways. Most people wouldn’t know this about Harry but he was possessive, jealous, and pathetic when it came to his lovers. He didn’t like sharing. He loved being alone with them and being in their own worlds. He hadn’t had a perfect fantasy of that yet but he figured he may as well get out his affectionate wants when it was supposed to be shown. Pass it off as acting.

Y/N smiled brightly when her bakery was mentioned, her pride and joy. She was just about to speak when he complimented her baking even more. That was cute. Too bad it was all acting. She needed to get out of that mind frame though and really sink into the character. She’d deal with her emotions at a later time. 

“That’s sweet, thank you.” Y/N smiled over at him, setting her hand on his thigh and rubbing her thumb against the fabric of his pants. “But yeah, my sister opened it up 5 years ago and I co-own. We have a solid flow of customers. It’s really fun, we’ve been saving to get it refurbished.” Y/N explained, also looking down at the menu. She quickly decided on the grilled miso salmon and carried on speaking. “I want to buy the upstairs bit as well. Want to open it up to local musicians to have gigs there and stuff. Also possibly wanted to do a kids baking class. Lots of ideas.” Y/N smiled, pushing a piece of her hair behind her ear. She was really ambitious and career driven, always wanting to improve. It was something she took pride in and hopefully Harry would come to admire about her.

Harry was impressed. She had ideas and they didn’t seem to involve being famous, so to speak. She seemed to want her bakery to do well but anyone who had a business desires it to thrive.

“That’s a lovely idea, pet.” His hand took purchase on her shoulder then. It was bare, jacket off so he ran his thumb over the softness of her skin there. Absolutely delicious. Y/N had to know that she was fucking gorgeous. That she had inspired many a man’s fantasies. He could see down her shirt slightly and had to adjust slightly, knowing he would get a stiffy if he continued. Harry was watching for any telltale signs she was lying but from what he could tell, she really did want to do that to her bakery. And that was pretty admirable. 

It took a second for Y/N to relax into Harry’s touch, not having expected it. The feeling of his rough calloused fingers caused butterflies to erupt in her tummy. She could only imagine how good they would feel on her clit— fuck she had to stop. 

“Lots of musicians in the town would thrive off of it. A little bit of exposure and a place to play goes miles for people who aren’t very hopeful.” Jeff confirmed. “You’ll have to ask Harry for opinions when you do that. He’s good at that stuff— the stage design.”

Y/N hummed in response, “I’m sure Harry could come up with some brilliant ideas, always does.” She complimented, sending him a small wink just to keep the ball rolling. It was nice to be able to flirt and know that it was meant to be reciprocated. Maybe this whole acting thing wouldn’t be too bad? She could just live out her fantasies like this. 

The waiter came and brought over a bottle of wine for the table and took all of their orders. Though the restaurant was mid range, she still had a feeling that this was a place posh people went. She’d have to get used to that as well. Y/N felt too normal for places like this, but then again, Jeff was really good at making her feel comfortable.

To Harry, the dinner was weird. Not in a bad way. But he had found that their chairs had gotten closer during the meal. They’d touched each other a bit— not sexually. Or trying to be sexual, he should say. He had been living out part of a mental fantasy, letting her hold his hand and play with his rings when they waited for the food to come. Y/N hadn’t gone for the most expensive thing— rather a cheaper item and he had tried coaxing her into getting something a bit more, but she said no. It was weird that she was acting like money didn’t motivate her. Isn’t that why she took the damn job? But they’d been touching subtly and talking, Harry smiling down at her pretty little face. He had an urge to kiss her too— which had scared the fuck out of him. He wanted to swoop in and taste her gloss before it went away but he couldn’t. When they finished though, Harry looked at her and began to talk. 

“Listen— May get intense, yeah? Lots of cameras flashing. Just hold on to my hand and don’t let go.” He was serious. There were a lot of cameras and a lot of flashes and he didn’t want her to freak.

This part did make Y/N nervous. The cameras. She had seen pap videos previously and they always made her uncomfortable to watch. It was scary having people say things to you whilst bright cameras were flashing. 

“Okay, I trust you.” Y/N told him in a soft voice, giving him a small smile that really was only meant for him. Part of her didn’t want this night to be over, she wanted to hang out with him some more and chat with him. It was her day off tomorrow so she didn’t mind staying up late and going home if that’s what he wanted. She doubted he would want her to stay the night.

Harry held her hand and as soon as they stepped out, the cameras flashed like crazy. Asking Harry to look at them, to say who his girl was. Who she was. How old she was, what’s her name. Were they dating? But Harry got irritated when he felt her move behind him, seeing someone had pushed her slightly and she had stumbled. He stopped in the middle, gently grabbing her hip and pulling her to walk with him. 

“Be careful, mate.” Harry said to the pap, brows furrowed. “Alright, love?” Y/N looked flustered, but nodded. So he continued on, lifting her by her waist and putting her in the car before climbing in behind her. Genuine concern took over when he saw her breathing heavier, face knitted in concern as he gently pulled her over and let her hide her face in his neck. His glare was actually visible to the outside where people took photos through the windows before Jeff sped off. “Hey.. Y/N? You okay?” Harry spoke, pulling her back.

The experience was something Y/N couldn’t explain. As a person who had mild anxiety, she thought that she could handle a situation like that but it was intense in a way that she truly didn’t know what to explain to anyone. You really just had to experience it to know. When she was pushed it really sent her into a small panic, trying her best to hide her face a little now that she’d felt what paps could really be like. Harry came through though and genuinely helped her. She was so thankful for him and for him sticking up for her as well. It meant a lot. It went by so quickly she could barely process it, a bit shaky and out of breath. Going off instinct she nuzzled her face into Harry’s neck, taking deep breaths to calm herself down and relax. It was over, she had jumped the first hurdle and things would get easier from there. At least that’s what she told herself. 

“Y—yeah, I’m okay... that was just.. a lot.” Y/N told him in a soft voice, still close to him but she wasn’t sure if that was okay. Y/N decided that it would be more hurtful if he moved her off than if she moved herself, but she really couldn’t do that right now. “I’ll be okay, just need a second..”

“It’s okay.” Harry rubbed her back a few times. He wasn’t a complete asshole. She was obviously shaken and he couldn’t even blame her. He wasn’t sure why so many had popped up— he was positive they’d only called for 3 but, that’s a later question. “You’re alright? Yeah? Shit’s scary sometimes but you made it through.” He didn’t know why he slightly melted but seeing her in genuine fear and feeling her shake slightly against his body made his urge to protect her come right to the front. “Jeff, drive around for a bit, yeah? Pop into Waitrose and get her a drink.” He could tell that she was going to be okay but needed a little coddling. He continued to rub her back and let her hide in his neck. Her breath was hot against his neck, and he felt her start to calm down.When Jeff came back, Harry gave her the drink and gently peeled her away, letting her stay seated close to him. “Slow sips. Just relax. You did great.”

Y/N kept herself nuzzled into the crook of his neck while she waited, finding that to be the safest place on earth. She relaxed just by taking in his scent and feeling his heart beat through the pressure point that beat against where her nose was. That combined with his hand on her back was doing the trick. This wasn’t acting and she knew it wasn’t. It gave her hope that he wasn’t in fact a shit person, he was concerned and cared enough to ask Jeff to drive around some more and get her a drink. She really did appreciate it and him. 

“Thank you.” Y/N said quietly, taking the bottle into her still slightly shaky hands and took a small sip before taking another slow one. Y/N did do great, she knew she did. She had seen enough pap videos to know how to elegantly carry herself, but there were way too many paps there. She’d never seen that many. Maybe people were just that excited to see Harry have a girlfriend.

Harry knew later on he wouldn’t regret being kind to her right now. She was genuinely terrified and he didn’t want that for anyone. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe she didn’t want fame, but that didn’t mean he could trust her. Maybe he could be nicer. But he had to keep a distance because his cock was not on board with that. It wanted to bury itself in her plump little ass. But whatever— he could use that visual later. 

“You’re alright, Y/N.” Harry watched her carefully. “Didn’t know that many were going to be out there but, don’t worry. We’ll make sure we do our very best so that doesn’t happen again.” She wouldn’t get away from paps— but having 20 flashing cameras blinding her and pushing? That wouldn’t ever happen again. He was willing to risk his career on that. No human decency. 

“Now, let's get you home.”

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

[part 3]

A/N: H is soft, he cracks under pressure 🤧- n + d

let us know what you think! 

masterlist

[doomstypewriter]

would u do forbidden love, secret relationship moceit? i was thinking a pseudo-historical au, ideally with homophobia as the motivator for the forbidden/secret part but if u absolutely dont wanna do that janus being an outlaw would also work i suppose. just some whacky bois sneaking through windows to hang out, nearly being caught smooching, funny hijinks, then! sudden melancholy about how in love they are & never being able to show it

Finally, anon, I am done!!!!  I gladly present to you the final chapter, just in time for Valentine's Day (call that timing (once you read the thing you'll get this reference)). 

 Hope you enjoy it, and thank you for giving me the chance to write something this cool! 

<< Chapter 1                                       AO3

We call it an affair because it's a forbidden romance 

Word count: 9376 

 Summary: Janus is dumb. He may be intelligent, but intelligence isn't at odds with poor foresight. So he makes a mistake that can get him killed. Romina is very gay and very angry. Patton is confused but does his best. Virginia is the only one with a functioning brain cell. Or, how a chain of misunderstandings almost ruins everything. 

 TW: Seemingly Unsymphathetic fem!Roman (not really, she is just feeling very hurt and angry and it is all resolved eventually), mild transphobia, mentions of blood, mentions of violence (there is a sword fight), mild misogyny, internalised misogyny, internalised homophobia, homophobia, mild threats of violence (again, the sword fight), swearing... I think that's all, but if you spot anything else tell me. 

Chapter 2: The rest of their lives 

The light raised above the darkness and it was morning again. In two days time, Patton would be meeting the countess, just so he could start properly courting her, not because his father wanted to get a title and land for his son. To suggest such a thing would be ridiculous. Scandalous even!

Reputation ruining…

Janus got up from his cot, unfit for the heavy silks that covered it, some stolen, some gifted by Patton. He looked at the things surrounding him. His house wasn’t so bad. It was in fact bigger than the places inhabited by most peasants, and a palace compared to the things in which people like him had to sleep… the things where he had had to lay in. The house consisted of one room, like most, but the size made up for the lack of divisions. 

This was a cave reimagined as a home. The walls had been lined with timber and thoroughly coated with stucco, the curving grooves of its application were not that noticeable, Janus was not a professional but he had certainly done his best. Aside from the absence of windows, it didn’t resemble a cave. There was a section of rock he had left uncovered at the very back, where water seeped out of the wall and provided him with a steady source of the thing. He would prefer not drinking watered-down stucco. 

He began to get dressed. All of his clothing was stored within a small but beautifully carved cupboard he had stolen from a manor in Bohemia. He had plenty of garments from here and there, five outfits in total! Stolen as well. 

In the house, what he hadn’t crafted himself he had stolen. Perfume bottles from France, boots and gold from the Kingdom of Aragon, a stiletto and a medium-sized silver mirror from the Republic of Venice… he even had two tapestries. 

But, even then, it was nothing compared to Villa Morandi. He surrounded himself with opulence to quench his thirst for wealth, the easy life of those above. His home was an illusion, a taste of richness, in which a poor man could pretend. This was not a place where Patton could live, let alone want to. 

If he was to spread rumours, then what? A plan of keeping Patton to himself would not succeed and his lover’s life would be as good as done. 

After packing his fanciest clothes and putting on the ones he used for travelling, he set to leave. He carried his stiletto, a grappling hook and a sword, all three perfectly hidden under his cape. 

Using a hidden pulley system, Janus moved the boulder that hid the entrance to the cave, returning it to its place afterwards. No one would find his home no matter how long he left.

The path down the slope of the mountain twisted and turned. Janus was in no disposition to waste time, so he went across the forest. Half-lost in the trees lay the cabin of a woodsman’s family. A while ago, Janus had left them a steed along with one florin. The family cared for the horse, not knowing exactly what to do. As the horse appeared and disappeared, bringing them thirty soldi each time, they began to get the gist.  Upon reaching the cabin, he headed for a well-built timber shed where his horse waited, fed and rested. 

He left thirty soldi on a small stool at the corner of the shed, mounted his horse, and galloped away. 

The Regio county manor was two days away by horse. 

Patton left yesterday, as his carriage would take longer to get there, stops and all, than one man on horseback. 

Janus paused at the base of the mountain. With one whistle his hawk surfaced from the sea of trees to land on his forearm-length glove. 

“You are to find Signor Morandi’s and Patton’s carriage. Follow them without drawing attention to yourself, find me and report to me at dusk. If anything urgent were to happen, come to my side immediately”.

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

His room at the inn felt quiet despite the muffled sounds from down below, where people chanted and told stories. 

The cool breeze wouldn’t be half-unpleasant if he wasn’t leaning on the ledge of a wide-open window. I also didn’t help that he was in his underwear. Father would certainly scold him for letting himself be seen in his linen undershirt. Some may think he was waiting for some disreputable company. 

It was more hoping than waiting. Also, Janus couldn’t possibly be disreputable. Out of costume, he had no reputation whatsoever. He liked to keep it that way. His real identity had no friend nor foe, in that he found safety. It had been hard to trust each other. Believe a criminal could be good. Let the son of a merchant become a friend, form an opinion of Janus, the original one. A part of him felt so proud, to see him grow, believe him, love him… another part found it sad for people to miss on such a wonderful person. 

Nights like this made him nostalgic. The first floors had tallow candles cast their diffuse glow onto the streets. Cobblestones seemed softened by the warm tint. Darkness rendered malleable to the light. It all made him miss Janus even more. 

The touch of his palm, holding the weight of his lazy head, a poor substitute to Janus’ hand. 

On such a night they had met. How scared he had been! A bit angry too… captivated as well, even if he couldn’t admit it to himself at the time. 

Patton smiled in contemplation. 

He had spotted him right there, sitting out of the adjacent window, ready to jump and make a run for it. 

“Stop! You will get hurt, good sir!” at first he did not realise the true nature of what was happening. 

To think Janus could be harmed by jumping off a window! He knew better now. Balconies were his true weakness. Thankfully, the only balconies he climbed now were his. 

“Oh, I’ll stop at once. Care to join?” Janus said as he pulled a stiletto out of his cape. 

“You are stealing!” 

“I would never!” he feigned indignation.

“Then what is it that you are doing, good sir?”

Oh, Patton could still hear the laugh that had followed, velvety and insincere. It brought a chill up his spine. 

“Stealing, of course”. 

“That is vile!” 

“Is it? You’re all allowed to provide for yourselves by buying fabrics and goods created by others. Am I not doing as you do? Are merchants not thieves? How can you tell a vile man from another? What do you know of this world, dear?” 

“Well… I... I know for certain that the woman in that room, the one you are stealing from, sir, is not wealthy. She may look the part, but that is thanks to heirlooms. Her family has been impoverished for two generations”. 

“Does it make you virtuous to spread the secrets of others? Isn’t gossip frowned upon by those of…” he lifted his gold rosary from under his shirtfront with the tip of his blade “your inclination”. 

“I am merely explaining so you may be persuaded to accept my gold in exchange for returning her possessions”. 

“Why shouldn’t I just take your gold and keep her stuff too?”

“We may be allowed to provide for ourselves in ways others may view as vile, but should we condemn those who cannot on the account of not wanting to express vileness or having no means to? I do not mean to intrude, sir, but the thoughts behind your words betray your stance in this dilemma. You shall find more satisfaction in stealing what you believe was already stolen. A poor woman is not worth your pride, nor ridding you of the chance to make me lose mine”.

Janus frowned as if he didn't expect him to say something like that. Later he would confess to him that what shocked him was hearing him say something smart. It keeps on surprising him whenever he does.

"Quick, hand me your gold and I might consider it". 

"No, sir, I expect you to leave what you have taken first". 

He did try to hide his eagerness. But, how his cape rustled, once inside, betrayed him. What kind of thief was so noisy? He thought to himself. Once they had built trust, Janus explained that he had been quite shaken up by his offering. He neglected to mention the reason why. Patton imagined it was because he found his disposition to put himself in harm’s way for others ridiculous. 

The thief’s half-concealed face emerged from the window. 

"Will three florin do?" Patton asked, pulling his coin bag. 

Janus looked at the rich embroidered fabric almost in awe. If only, for a second. 

“I suppose…” 

“Well, then, there you go, sir”. 

His hands pried the bag open, ready to pull the golden coins. 

“Hmm…” 

“What is the matter?” 

“I could always just go back and get all the stuff”. 

“Is it not enough for you?” he showed him the three pieces of gold in his open palm. 

It was as if he could almost feel him licking his lips. The part of him, dark, often chastised, made him shake and quiver. His knees felt weak, somehow. This hunger in the thief’s eyes, almost akin to wonder, at the sight of gold, as if he had never seen so much before, it made him want to… dear Lord, no!

“To put such a price on mending the error of my ways” he laughed, staring right through him with those green eyes. Patton’s knees threatened to buckle for real.  “It isn’t very much, now, is it?” he leaned forward, and if Patton leaned as well maybe he could… what? Fall from this height for a pretty thief?

“What do you want, then?” 

That had been a first for Janus, Patton was certain. He didn’t quite get his reaction, but, picturing it again some days later he figured the thief was taken aback. 

“Uh… tha-that fancy coin bag of yours will do. Consider me a gentleman, I wouldn’t want to fleece you completely, the first time”. 

“Oh, I’m sure”. 

“Ha”, Janus stared at him in disbelief. 

Patton felt mortified. 

“I-I mean…” 

“Are you always this eloquent or is it just poor skill when it comes to existing?” the sentence did not sound as condescending as it should have, more like borderline flirtatious. 

Words would not come to him. 

“The coin bag, please”. 

His arm moved on his own, careful to avoid touch. It would be a bad idea to give this man a chance to tip him over the ledge. For a moment, he hesitated. This bag had been gifted to him by his father, he had two made for the two of them. It was two of a kind. But… the woman next door’s wellbeing was far more valuable than any piece of fabric. No matter how treasured. 

Janus dangled the bag from his pointer finger, right next to his face. Side-eying his price, he spoke again: 

“Looks like the virtuous are also the most stupid”. 

The thief readied himself to jump. Patton knew he had to say something, because, this moment, it told him he would regret it if he didn’t. 

“It is not about virtue, but goodness”. 

For a moment he thought he had heard him stop breathing. Then, he jumped. Patton jumped in his place as well. He couldn’t help but bring his entire torso out of the window. 

There he was! Running. He had made no noise in his landing. 

Just when he was about to disappear into the shadows, this weird new acquaintance looked at him one last time. 

Back then, Janus vanished for a while. Patton had come to learn that he would always return one way or another. 

Like now. 

A shadow moved, carefully, on the roof tiles at the other side of the street. Patton whistled, trying not to be too loud, not that anyone below would hear him. Knowing it had been spotted, the shadow flew to his side. 

“Hello, big guy”. 

After a rustle of feathers, the hawk landed at his left. 

“Why the grumpy face?” Patton laughed. “I know it’s just your brow feathers.  You’re so handsome” he caressed the top of the bird’s head with one finger. 

“He sent you all the way here. You must be tired. I don’t have any food for you here, but I’m sure I can get you something to drink”. 

Patton poured some water into a basin and carried it to the window, he placed it on the floor. 

“There, it’s supposed to be used to wash your face… I guess you can do that too if you want”.  

The hawk flew inside and drank it all dry. 

“You ought to tell Janus”, he began saying as he bent his knees, “to stop worrying so much. I am okay. I know he is concerned, but it will all be fine. Also, when you get home, ask him when is he going to let me visit, I’d love to go”.

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

The carriage clattered over the stone pathway. Inside, the curtains were drawn, but a pang of curiosity made it so Patton moved them, ever-so-slightly, aside to take a discrete look. 

Big was an understatement when one tried to describe the Regio manor. It was a three-storey building comprised of a first floor with a rusticated facade that had four small windows on each side, the centre being interrupted by a wide mason staircase presided by a classic structure of pilasters, then followed by an entablature and a pediment with the most ornate of tympanums. He imagined the staircase lead to the primo piano nobile. To both sides of the main entrance were two sets of four architrave windows built in perfect symmetry. Above it all, was the third floor, which mostly mirrored the second, but had a total of ten slightly smaller windows, as there wasn’t another central element to interrupt their flow. 

If this marriage agreement moved forward, one day, this would be technically his. It will be his wife’s, but, as spouses, they are supposed to share it all. Villa Morandi will be hers as well, it was only fair. 

A part of him felt bad for not having had the chance to keep contact with Lady Romina Regio previous to now. How was one supposed to feel when they get no say in who they marry? Father, at least, had asked him. Yes, he risked disappointing him, but, ultimately, the choice was his.  Will this woman, on the account of her status, be allowed such a choice? He feared her parents were the only people who would decide. Father too. Does she even want the father of her fiancé to take this from her? Is it right to deceive themselves like this, to have God bind them when no love is to arise from this union? Is a potential friendship worthy of the sacrament of matrimony? 

Patton knew two things with certainty: he wanted to be a good friend to Lady Romina Regio and he could not sacrifice his feelings for Janus to achieve it. 

They were guided inside by Virginia Fusco, Lady Romina Regio’s personal servant.

The entrance consisted of a corridor, divided into three naves, by two rows of ionic columns made of rose gold marble. Above that, there was a straight ceiling with five rows of twelve coffers, all richly painted with floral and geometric motifs. His boots looked cheap in comparison to the flooring they walked on. Big and polished terracotta tiles in a diamond pattern covered the ground, the corners were clipped to accommodate small white marble accents. 

Once they passed the entrance, this father was led upstairs by another servant, while Virginia instructed him to accompany her elsewhere. 

“I am glad you arrived here safely after leaving Villa Morandi. Has everything been well?”

She stilled for a moment. 

“Uuh… thank you for the kind concern, sir. Things in the house have been… busy due to the news of your engagement to her ladyship” she began walking again. 

“I was asking about you”. 

“Pardon?”

“When I asked, before, I wanted to know if you have been doing well. It must be stressful to be sent back and forth between the palazzo and Villa Morandi during the last weeks, especially being a personal maid to her ladyship, it is uncommon for someone like you to be used as a messenger”. 

“I shall do anything her ladyship requires. Any task”. 

“Oh! Sorry! I did not intend to say you would not”, Patton stopped dead in his tracks. 

Virginia turned around and stared at him in confusion. 

“I… when you first arrived I did not expect her ladyship’s personal servant to be at my home. Her ladyship’s maid is supposed to stay with her, so I thought something bad might have happened… The trip in between is not too long but done enough times it can prove to be energy-consuming”. 

Patton was met with even more confusion from Virginia, so he kept babbling in hopes of fixing his mistake. “Not that you would not be willing to put up with it for her ladyship, I am sure. I did also not mean to assume anything, that is why I asked in the first place, I only meant it kindly…” 

“Sir, it is alright”, she began saying. 

If Patton had not been as worked up with the conversation as he was he may have detected the slightest hint of amusement coming from Virginia. 

“Her ladyship is--”

“Oh! Oh, that too! I did not mean to not inquire about her ladyship’s wellbeing, part of me dared to hope I could meet her today and ask her in person…” 

“Sir, please, follow me. I am afraid we cannot keep the person I am taking you to waiting, you see, her ladyship finds it upsetting”. 

Patton laughed. 

It caught Virginia off guard. People were not supposed to behave so… openly within these walls. At least she wasn’t used to it. 

“You must excuse this man’s oblivious nature, I should have realised where you were taking me earlier”. 

“Sir, I am undeserving of your apologies. But, if we keep stalling, her ladyship will require one”. 

“Of course, lead the way”.

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

His horse reached the palazzo just in time to see the Morandi’s carriage passing by. 

Unlike his dear Patton, he did not have an invitation. Sneaking past the guards, an easy task if you asked him, had to suffice. 

The place was huge, it was to be expected from such a family. Janus couldn’t care less for the grandeur, not when he couldn’t get his hands on it, and that wasn’t the reason why he had come there. 

It would seem the Regio had it going on. The palazzo was relatively new, built, at most, fifty years ago. If you checked the list, all of the items relating to appearance did justice to the status of the family. Looking closely though… 

There were only two boys and an old man tending to the gardens. Gardens as big as everything else, mind you. So, clearly, they were understaffed. Which was precisely why Janus had been able to hide between a set of unkempt bushes to change into today’s costume. As long as he managed to avoid getting any leaves of brunches stuck, it would all be fine. 

Back to the Regio, though. If one was as much of an expert at judging other people’s wealth as Janus was, save that one time with a woman at an inn, it became obvious that the counts were missing on the money. Firstly, the manor had been built recently, but most certainly not after the war. Secondly, the guards were as many as one would expect, but not as… on guard -curse Patton’s sense of humour- as they should. This just told him they weren’t being paid that much. Then was the matter of understaffing. 

And, of course, Patton’s presence here. 

Janus had not forgotten Signor Morandi’s words. Patton could only afford to marry a countess because the Regio could not afford anyone less wealthy. 

The clothes were on and he was inside the house. 

Why did these people never put any sort of vigilance at the servant’s entrances? It never occurred to them that even if people wouldn’t steal their laundry, perhaps they would get in with the laundry. Pathetic. 

It made his life easier, though. 

He was in. 

He was in and he was going to… what? 

For starters try to find any dirt on Patton’s dear future wife. Maybe any belongings that could give him some leverage. Just to be safe. 

Janus knew Patton would keep his word, even if it destroyed him, and it would. Nobles always wanted offspring. Janus just wasn’t sure if Patton would be up for the task when someone did not have his pretty eyes and his masculine figure. 

Causing troubles for his beloved was the last thing he wanted. But, if it came to it, Janus would do anything. Whether that meant creating accidents, blackmailing or appointing a convenient kidnapping during a wedding night. 

He went up the servant’s stairs and reached a second-floor gallery, open to the courtyard below. 

Just when he was about to leave, his ears caught some hushed shouting coming from above.

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

“How could she do this to me!?” 

Romina stormed the third-floor corridor, without any bearing nor destination. 

“Your ladyship, please, we must go back!” Virginia ran behind her, speaking between her teeth. 

“Did you see him, Virg?”

“Yes, I did, your ladyship”. 

“I-- this is outrageous!” 

“I beg you, can we not have this conversation here, your ladyship?” 

Despite Virginia kindly pointing out that the third-floor gallery was hardly an appropriate location for such or any kind of discussion, Romina did not heed her request. 

“I was going to become a princess! And because of this, I am deprived of royalty! Because my sister fancies herself a man!” 

“For the love of…, you know what, no. I am tired of this. She dresses like a man, she talks like a man, she looks like a man and she feels like one. In which way is she, no, he, not a man?” 

Romina grimaced at her own words. Still, she was far too angry to let go of her resentment. 

“In the fact that he has no honour. He lied to me, several times. First by promising we’ll stay together. Then he did not care to tell me I had a brother, didn’t even trust me for that, and now he has abandoned me. And what for? He saw that pretty ‘scientist’ or whatever he calls himself and decided to follow him to the end of the world. How come he gets to be a pirate when I have to become a wife?!”

“Romina, please, shut your big mouth before anyone overhears us” Virginia warned. 

“So now I must be quiet!”

“Yes! For your sake, you dumbass”. 

“Well, I will not be quiet, you… you sonnetist of elegies!” 

“That’s not even a--” Virginia placed her hand on the bridge of her nose. 

As if to make her point clearer, Romina kept walking into the gallery. 

“I don’t care! You know why? Because now I have to replace him in a destiny none of us wanted, but at least he had been prepared for! What am I going to do?” 

“How about you begin by coming back--” 

“He leaves me like this, to be mocked and compared to him,--” 

“Oh Lord, why do I even bother--”

“--who ran away. How could he be so selfish!? Let me ask you this instead, how can a man surrender his word and his honour so readily?”

Then, Virginia stilled completely. 

She didn’t know whether she felt angry or deeply saddened.

“What wouldn’t any of us do to seize the freedom that we have forever been denied? And, who wouldn’t cast away honour to be free and loved? Can’t you identify with that, or are you a liar too?”

“I…”

“Is it Remus who you’re angry at?” 

“It doesn’t matter what I think. I am still going to have to get married to some random person--!”

“Oh, shut up! At least he’s nice! Do you know what he did when he met me? Because he came to personally receive me, you see. He asked for my name! Not only that, but he remembers it. Just when I was taking him to see you, he asked me how had I been! Have you any idea how many people do that? You are so privileged you cannot get your head out of your stuck-up ass, Princess. Nobody ever cares how people like me are doing!” 

“Oh, so that is what this is about! Well, sorry I can’t pepper you with attention every waking moment, love--” 

“Fuck off, I already know that, stop making this about you!” 

“But it is about me!”

“You’re so lucky you get to marry a kind man! Any other person would just use his status to be a self-righteous narcissistic asshole, yes, Princess, like you, but not young Signor Morandi so quit mopping!” 

“Well, if you like him so much, then why don’t you marry him instead?!” 

Her hands gripped her apron tightly. Virginia could not bear her gaze at the moment. She bit her lip as if that could help her to cope with the backlash at the sheer stupidity of Romina’s words. 

“I am sorry”. 

“You… at least you’re… hmm…” she took a deep breath. In part to give herself time to consider what to say carefully, but, also, to calm down. “Male-inclined. I… your ladyship, if I did not serve you I fear I would only be any good left in a nunnery. You must understand, if I could choose who to marry, well, kind and considerate is not much of my type, as you must be aware. Neither is Signor Morandi”. 

“If…” 

Romina returned to her side. 

Her hands, littered with all sorts of rings, made Virginia’s hands give up on holding the apron. The labour-stained pair were squeezed safely. 

“Please, please look at me”. 

The request made Virginia want to refuse. But, aside from her position, these were the kind of situations in which Virginia could not deny Romina. 

“If I could choose who to marry, it would be one who would make me a princess, not on the account of status, but with word… if you know what I mean”. 

Virginia rolled her eyes. 

“The only one that dense here is you”. 

“The mouth on you. I am going to have to keep you by my side”, she paused for a second and then whispered, “my love”. 

Her gaze was most intense upon hearing that. The pair of dark brown eyes opening in a way that could be described as feline. 

“No nunnery could be at your level when it comes to sarcasm and bossing other women around. I, at the very least, can hold my ground for longer until you get me to do your bid--”

Finally, Romina was quiet. 

Virginia gripped her shoulders, squeezing the puffs of her dress’ sleeves, with the tips of her fingers touching against the golden netting that covered Romina’s chest. It was as if she was trying to drink the life out of those lips. Her very being was buzzing with want and anger. 

The bejewelled woman became pliant, yet passionate, under the touch. Bravery, whenever it surfaced in Virginia, was something to behold. Even more of a thing to experience. 

“Fuck” Virginia covered her mouth with her hands as she abruptly parted. 

“Likewise. Oh, I feel dizzy” she smiled. 

“No, not that way. I… shit… I just did...that! And here!”

“Now, now”, Romina grasped her hands. 

She caressed the base of Virginia’s thumbs with a devoted look. 

“Ro…”

“No reason to panic, my nightly gale”. 

“Well, I wouldn’t be so sure about that” a voice came from the other side of the gallery.

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

The room was quiet. 

No. 

The room was completely silent and Patton had no idea what had gone wrong. He never intended to say something that could harm anyone’s sensitivities. It just never occurred to him that someone could be offended by a pun about the weather. 

This first attempt at friendship had not been… great. 

His father would certainly laugh at Lady Romina Regio’s decision to storm out of the room upon hearing a silly joke. He would make nothing of it. He’d say womanly outbursts were to be expected. Darn it, most people would say so.

Ignoring it would be simple. 

Patton could not ignore it. 

Firstly, it became clear to him that her ladyship had no say in her marrying him. Not only that, but she might feel strongly against it. Secondly, and most important, he intended to build a friendship with her. 

Considering the circumstances, the best he could do would be to find her and speak from the heart. If he explained to her that he meant no ill by making a joke, or to be insensitive by indulging in frivolities in the face of such a serious matter as their first meeting, she might feel better. And, if she still refused him, he could offer to call the entire thing off. 

Except that would be a terrible idea. Her family needed the money and going back on his choice would make her chances even more difficult. But, maybe, she wanted that. Her reaction pointed to it. Father would be very disappointed, the last thing Patton wanted was to be a bad son. But wasn’t it worse to force a woman into a marriage? Also, Janus. He’d be free to remain with him for longer. 

What was he going to do? He didn’t know what the right answer to this was.  

Talking to her. Patton could start by doing that, but first, he needed to find her.

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

This wasn’t the kind of dirt he had expected to find, but only a moron would look a gift horse in the mouth right now.

The servant girl’s passion came out of nowhere. He almost wanted to take notes. 

“No reason to panic, my nightly gale”, said the countess, still entranced at the sight of her maid’s hands. 

She had just given him his cue, so Janus could not help but oblige. 

“Well, I wouldn’t be so sure about that”, he said leaving his hiding spot. 

Instantly, they turned to look at him. The countess let go of the other’s hands in a jolt. Her demeanour changed in a second. So, not only was she a countess, but also a terrific actress. 

“Oh! Good day sir! Are you, by any chance, lost? My servant can…” she looked at the aforementioned. 

Her maid was having none of it. She eyed him suspiciously, ignoring how her mistress’ body language asked her to calm down. 

“Were you coming to see his lordship? I am afraid he is busy at the moment”. 

“Oh, well yes. I was sent by Marquess Sanders to inquire about a series of matters relating to war expenses” he said as he took off his cape. 

By revealing his outfit he hoped to gain some credibility. Looking rich always got people off your back. Especially when you carried a sword. 

The countess’ eyes lit up in recognition of his dusack. Dusacks were one of the main weapons sent by Marquess Sanders during the war, this one so happened to also have the family crest attached to the scabbard. 

Normally, he would have covered it to avoid getting Thomas into trouble. 

“Well, in that case--” Romina began to say. 

“Excuse me, sir, but I am sure her ladyship would first like to see the letters that his lordship always has his people carry”. 

“Is your maid often allowed to talk over you, your ladyship?” 

“I...uh…” Romina looked at her maid for help. 

“Well, that is to be expected, as she is allowed to do much more than that, is she not?” 

The maid squinted at him. 

“Oh, that thing? It was a… a token of friendship!” the countess proudly proclaimed. 

While she may be a fantastic actress, she surely was a terrible liar. The maid scoffed in the way Janus could not, whether it was due to hearing her lover say something that ridiculous or because of the awful lie he could not tell. 

“If that is how I treated all my friends I am certain my lovers would be confused”. 

Both women caught their breaths. 

“I would, of course, not be so indiscreet as to say anything, for a price, that is”. 

“What is it that you want?” 

“I’ve heard you are soon to be married--” 

The maid looked at him even more intensely, and then…

“Your ladyship, this man is deceiving you”. 

“Yeah, I can tell, we were just discussing--”

“You dense ass, not now, all the time! His money bag over there, it’s Signor Morandi’s!” 

Oh, fuck. 

Well, it couldn’t be helped. 

Janus unsheathed his sword and pointed it to the maid’s neck. 

“I suggest we keep this matter quiet, or else I’ll have to keep it quiet forever”.

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

Patton’s efforts to find Lady Romina Regio or her servant, Virginia, had not been successful so far. He had explored the main areas of the house, now finding himself at the first-floor courtyard. 

The smells coming from the kitchen, where the staff worked in their earnest to prepare tonight’s dinner, danced in the air. Patton sat at a stone bench, wondering what else he could do. His only chance would be waiting until both families dined together. He’d wish to apologise to her ladyship before that, so they could indulge in the dishes without any looming over. 

Then, the faint sound of a voice coming from above called his attention. 

It was barely hearable due to the clankings of nearby cooking. But there was no way he wouldn’t recognise it. 

“I would... be so indiscreet … price...” Patton could make out. 

Indeed, it was Janus’ voice. If that and the words ‘indiscreet’ and ‘price’ were anything to go by, he was blackmailing someone. 

Her ladyship was nowhere to be found and Janus was being Janus nearby. It didn’t take too much to put two and two together. 

Patton moved around the courtyard while staring upwards. 

There they were! He only had to find a way to…

Oh no. 

Janus was pointing his sword to Virginia’s neck. 

Before Patton could realise what he was doing, his feet were already running upstairs.

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

This would have been a great time for both of them to bail, hadn’t a sword been pointed at her. But, that's life. Some days you wake up next to your lover in her chambers with a deep feeling of dread over, well, everything; other days you are about to get basically beheaded, what can you do. 

For starters, Virginia was going to fight, because she didn’t feel particularly inspired to think at the moment. 

“Please, do not hurt her, I beg you”, Romina said. 

Wonderful. Virginia was either about to get hurt or be very lucky on her own accord. 

She quickly leaned back and ducked, taking advantage of the man’s attention being redirected at Romina’s plea. 

Definitely, she was getting hurt, not lucky, as the sword fell down on her with a swift swoop. 

That was it. 

Then, Romina pulled another sword from the pocket opening of her dress, crossing blades with the thief, but, most importantly, saving her life. She was going to be really cocky about it, if they made it out in one piece. 

“Well, this was a lovely surprise”, the thief said as Romina and he circled each other, edges sliding in a sharp sound, “but if you don’t give it up, you’ll end up maimed and, after that, let’s say… your maid may take a nudge downstairs”. 

Romina slid the sword away and twirled it back to strike. The thief had enough reflexes to put his dusack across his face before it got cut in half. 

A strong clank echoed all over the gallery and the courtyard below. 

“You foul fiend! You may be brave enough to threaten me, but your overconfidence in thinking you can get away--” she struck again, “with endangering her--” Romina turned them, making it so Virginia was behind her, as if to underline her words, “shall be your downfall”. 

“Thank you for enlightening me, your highness” the thief began to say. 

He overpowered Romina by twisting their swords. She collided against Virginia’s chest after the villain shoved her away. 

“This has, clearly, proved how friendly you are. By all means, tell me, are you also willing to die for all of your friends?” 

His next move was more successful now that he had gained more range of attack. The thief plunged forward in a piercing motion. Romina stopped it with a backhanded sweep, then turned on herself, making it so his blade pointed to the ground. 

“I would die for her, any day”. 

Virginia did not have the right to feel as flustered as she did, not when they were in mortal danger. Somehow, Romina’s best romantic lines happened whenever she did not speak them directly to her. Seeing her look that fierce when fighting may also factor into it. Why did Princess always have to be so intense?

“Is this a confession? Scandalous!” 

“It is a promise”. 

There was a delicate balance between each other for a moment. Their eyes locked in a stare. 

It was so strange, Virginia thought. This man keeps on threatening them, but he hesitates. What was holding him back? Also, why steal a coin bag when you plan on blackmailing someone? Yes, it had to be planned, otherwise, the marquess lie made no sense, too much preparation involved for that to be a coincidence. Could he actually be sent by the marquess? But, why? The Regio and the marquess had had a wonderful relationship over the years. 

Something didn’t fit. 

The thief moved ever so slightly. Romina, clearly, wasn’t taking any chances.

In a display of quick reflexes, she side-kicked him on the chest, making him stumble backwards. 

While the thief struggled to regain his footing, Romina sliced through the cord keeping Signor Morandi’s coin bag attached to his waist. She smiled playfully. 

“For someone so smug, you are surely a clumsy opponent”. 

“I’ll give you clumsy” he replied stepping forward and thrusting with the sword. 

Romina blocked his attack effortlessly, but, soon, Virginia realised that wasn’t the thief’s intention. His right foot was just in front of the bag, ready to move it towards him like a hook. 

“Ro, the bag!” Virginia warned. 

She looked down and smirked. 

“This the price of greed”, Romina mocked as her sword turned to strike the thief’s right leg. 

The dusack crossed blades, again, with Romina’s before it could do any damage. 

“Your willingness to lose a leg over some gold only proves the worth of your lot”.  

He leaned closer to Romina, looking at her in the eye as he twisted their swords to get the upper hand. 

“You know nothing about me or what I stand for”, he said in a deep and menacing voice. 

Romina laughed in between her teeth. 

“I may not, but I know one thing”. 

“Oh, and what is that?”

“You just got distracted”. 

Romina’s foot slipped past the thief’s, kicking the coin bag away from him. He ran to his left while blocking Romina’s attacks at his right. 

What was so special about a coin bag anyway?

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

Patton began to hear sword fighting noises just before he reached the entrance to the stairs. 

What was Janus thinking? Engaging in a face-off with Lady Romina Regio, who not only was a countess with an apparent disdain for weather puns but also a remarkable swordswoman, had to be one of his worst ideas to date. 

While he had faith in Janus’ skills, he also knew that her ladyship’s fencing instructor had been fired, as a lesson, after she stabbed a man on the shoulder during a ‘casual’ duel.

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

The coin bag was kicked and pushed from one place to another by the thief and Romina while they dodged attacks.

“Is it the gold you are fighting for or is it your pride, villain?” she said, smirk reflecting on her blade. 

“Hasn’t anyone ever told you not to project your desires onto others? So honourable protecting her frail maiden!”, he pushed forward. “Still… it would almost seem, not because of the self-indulging banter, that you only duel to flatter yourself”.

“The one who is so set in getting a stolen coin bag dares to lecture me on selfishness!” 

Romina used her weight to stop him from making her retrocede any further. Her grin widened, satisfied in this victory. 

“Takes one egoist to know one”.

Right then, the thief made a sudden move. 

“Romina!” Virginia exclaimed. 

“I’m fine!” she said, wiping the bleeding cut on her jaw. 

The thief looked at the prized coin bag that he now held in his hand. 

“Loved beating you, but I think I will take my lea--” 

He was interrupted by Romina’s scream. Her sword wooshed several times in front of his face, barely leaving him time to bend backwards to avoid it. The dusack clancked against the floor. 

“Shit” the thief cursed. 

Things looked dire for the thief. With his sword out of reach, there was little he could do. Romina’s sword flashed by one more time, slashing through his left upper arm. Despite the painful burn of the cut, his left hand did not let go of the coin bag. Nevertheless, he fell on his knee, clutching the wound with his free hand. 

“I will make you an offering, villain”, Romina pointed at him with the sword, gloating over his tilted gaze. “Return Signor Morandi’s coin bag to me, and I shall let you go”. 

“Your ladyship, kindly get stabbed in the chest”. 

She turned his back on him, twirling her sword while at it. 

“As you wish”. 

Time froze before Romina could even think about delivering the killing blow. 

Virginia saw the thief reach for his boot, pulling out a stiletto. He stood up and positioned his knife pointing upwards. Because of this, Virginia panicked, already imagining the tip breaking through Romina’s lower back and into her chest. 

Immediately, she ran in front of the thief, head empty of thoughts, only consuming fear. At the same time, the thief began a descending motion, making Virginia realise where he aimed for. 

‘He’s going for her leg!’, Virginia thought. 

This would not help. When they crossed, the thief’s knife was at the height of Virginia’s gut. 

Virginia looked at him in terror. 

The thief looked at Virginia in panic. 

The fabrics of Romina’s dress could be heard twisting in the air, as she turned around, only to see the back of Virginia’s head. 

“No!” Romina cried. 

In yet another display of quick reflexes, the thief let go of the stiletto, just before it could do any damage. 

Romina only heard the blade fall as she shoved Virginia aside. 

She punched him on the left cheek, leaving the outline of her rings imprinted on his skin, red and slowly swelling. 

The thief’s boots staggered backwards. 

He fell face up in the middle of the gallery corridor. 

Faster than ever, Romina’s sword moved and settled its tip at the base of the thief’s neck, sort of mirroring how he had threatened Virginia. 

Virginia brazed herself against the wall. Her breathing heaved like the bellows trying to get the fire back up. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw young Signor Morandi emerging from the path that connected to one of the third-floor staircases. 

“Please, do not hurt him, I beg you”, he said while catching his breath. 

Romina looked upwards to stare at him. 

“What is the meaning of this?! Do you know this man? Did you send him?!”

Sometimes, Romina could outmatch Virginia when it came to reaching conclusions. This just so happened to be the worst possible moment. 

“I--” 

Only Virginia saw how the eyes of the thief went wide at hearing young Signor Morandi’s voice, his frown when Romina accused him. 

“Look at me!” the thief shouted. 

“Trying to protect your master, villain?” 

“That is not quite… this is a complete misunderstanding, if we talked--” young Signor Morandi began to say. 

“Shut up!” both Romina and the thief replied in unison. 

“Stop talking nonsense, your highness”. 

“Oh, so it is nonsense! He seems to know you, how do you explain that?” 

Virginia squinted at them, getting the sense that she was missing something more than ever. 

“Janus, please, let me tell them the--” 

“We now have a name for our thief!” she announced triumphantly. “So you do know each other! Let me tell you, Jolliest Caesar, he has betrayed you. Whatever you paid him seemed to be less than enough, so he stole your father’s coin bag”. 

Young Signor Morandi’s eyes went straight to said item, lighting up in recognition and some other emotion much harder to identify. 

“Is this the outcome you desired? I thought you were silly, I was... persuaded to believe you were kind. But, this? Do you owe your father so much disrespect?” 

He grimaced in response, looking away. Meanwhile, Janus pursed his lips in a thin line. 

‘Why does it matter to him?’, Virginia wondered. 

“Signor Morandi is an upright man, someone who carries himself proud and virtuous. I will not insult him by denouncing you to my family, but I hope you learn to have--” 

“Oh, poor and noble Signor Morandi! Rid of a coin bag, whatever will he do?!” Janus shouted.  

The gazes of all people present turned to him.

“It’s not as if he could buy another. Are we to pity him?! He is so good! You defend what you think to be the property of a man who would gladly pull any pair of lovers apart. Gift his son to a stack of classist swine in exchange for a title! What an estimate of his worth!”

One could almost marvel at him having the nerve to spit his anger even under the point of a blade. Romina frowned, taken aback.  

“But he’s so upright! Admit it, you couldn’t care any less about this ridiculous coin bag, you just want to use it as an excuse to keep your affair with your servant hidden. Am I the one you wish to kill or does it make you feel less powerless to pretend you’re stabbing another man? None of us gets a choice”.

Young Signor Morandi held his breath. 

Virginia let hers out. That was it! Of course! How could she not have realized earlier?

“Spilling my blood won’t change that! I may not be good, but I can at least see through the lies, and you aren’t good either. You’re as selfish as I am and you won’t get to keep her, we never do”. 

“What?” Romina answered. 

She looked at Virginia, then at young Signor Morandi, then back at him. 

“Are you seriously doing this? I could make these your last words! What is wrong with you! This is madness. I am about to die” she began to mock him, “let me make this moment into a speech about society and another man’s stolen money. Who does that? I know I am dramatic, but, at the very least--!” 

“Princess, shut up!” Virginia shouted. 

“Excuse me, I was only trying to give some fair critic--”

“Not the time. Also, you are completely missing the point! 

“What do you mean?”

“Do you know how we always talk after dinner?” 

“That is not what we do after…”

“Yes”. 

“So what is your point? Oooooh!” 

“Now you get it…” she closed her eyes. 

“They also talk…” Romina smiled.

“Hmm”. 

“And he is actually…!” she pointed back and forth between the two with her sword. “They are…!”

“We are, and if you would” Janus flattened himself against the floor. 

“Your ladyship, please, my Janus has had enough of sharp objects for…” young Signor Morandi looked at him. 

“For forever, put the sword away”. 

Romina did as requested and promptly offered a hand to help Janus get on his feet. 

“You are one menace of a woman”. 

“Thank you”. 

“What is going on?!” 

A large set of rushed footsteps accompanied the question. The four turned around to see his lordship, Count Regio, his wife, Signor Morandi and a myriad of servants. 

“Oh, father, mother!” Romina exclaimed. “Signor Morandi”, she greeted more formally. 

“Romina, what is the meaning of this?” said Count Regio. 

“Your lordship, your ladyship”, Janus spoke after a bow. “I was sent by Marquess Sanders”. 

Romina turned to look at him. His attire was mostly back in place, a part of her couldn’t help but be impressed. After spotting the family crest on Janus’ dusack, the counts’ expression changed from confusion to shame. 

“Romina, did you duel this man? Apologise this instant!” Count Regio looked livid as he spoke. “We already had to be rid of her fencing teacher, do not worry, Signor Morandi, we will also dispose of her swords”, Countess Regio reassured. 

In the scandal, Virginia was the only one to notice the coin bag forgotten on the floor. She stepped to the side, knowing no one would pay attention to her, as per usual, especially with such chaos. The coin bag disappeared under Virginia’s skirts, dragged by her foot. Young Signor Morandi walked past her and nodded in a silent gesture of gratitude. Perhaps one person did notice. 

“Your ladyship, that will not be necessary, I come as a new fencing teacher, an early engagement present of Marquess Sanders”. 

“But how did he know…” Virginia muttered. 

Janus did hear her and went on: 

“He was very impressed by the letters sent by your daughter. Marquess Sanders believes that someone with such impeccable diplomacy, and a disposition to secure the future relationship of her family, should not be deprived of outstandingness. To preserve such remarkable, dare I say, rare, qualities on a lady, he sent me. Marquess Sanders hopes my instruction can further her skills and aid her to grow more accomplished than ever before”. 

“Oh, that is fantastic to hear!” Count Regio said, looking a lot more uncomfortable than her tone would suggest. “But, Lady Romina, as you already are aware of, is engaged now. We ought to hear young Signor Morandi’s opinion on the matter”.

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

All eyes turned to Patton. 

“Actually…” 

For a moment, he doubted himself. 

Lying, as he had always been told, was sinful. But so was ignoring the struggle of the weak, breaking your word and not honouring one’s spouse. 

Most importantly, Patton had to honour his heart. 

If lying was the price to pay… well, so be it. 

“I asked her for a demonstration. I have always harboured a burning admiration for her dexterity with the sword. Her ladyship is truly heroic and radiant when duelling”. 

Romina turned to look at him.

It would seem he had managed to become friends with her after all.  

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

The moonlight shone in its quiet dance with the nightly air. This was, once again, a clear summer evening, but it marked the end of an insane day. The sounds of dining and chatting had died out. Everyone, gradually, left for their rooms. Janus, crossing the gardens, intended to do the same. 

Climbing with a wounded arm made his ascend harder than usual. Luckily, the ostentatious facade of the palazzo gave him countless points to anchor himself to. Slowly but surely, he got to Patton’s open window. 

 As what felt like always, Patton held him by the lapels of his cape and pulled him inside. 

Rather than saying hello, Patton kissed him. It was gentle, devoid of the despair that had marked all their meetings during the last weeks. Patton pulled apart just as softly. 

“Here”. 

Janus stared at the coin bag in his hand and smirked. 

“Dear, if you keep on offering me your money you’ll turn into the worst noble ever, and I, the worst thief”, he said with no real smugness. 

Patton laughed. 

“Virginia retrieved it when nobody looked”. 

“I’ll remember to thank her”. 

“Please, be nice this time”. 

“You saw that?” 

“Yes. Janus, pointing at someone with… that thing… don’t do it again”. 

Janus shrugged and leaned in to kiss him again. A pair of hands pulled on his cape, that fell on the floor, forgotten. 

“I don’t think” Janus half-laughed, “I could get away with it again”. 

His bandages were fresh. The bleeding had stopped, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. Patton stared at it and furrowed his eyebrows. 

“I could have lost you today”. 

“You saved me again”. 

“Well, that isn’t entirely true”. 

“Oh, why would that be?” 

“You managed to stand your ground until I could save you”. 

“Call it good timing”. 

Patton smiled. 

“What’s so funny?” Janus smiled as well. 

“I’m happy. We… we are going to be together after this. I even gained two friends”. 

“You keep meeting the strangest people, dear”. 

“I’ll have to make sure that you kids don’t get hurt”. 

“We’ll try to be in our best behaviour”. 

Patton got closer and whispered:

“Liar”. 

Janus swallowed and stared at him, suddenly feeling defeated, yet happy about it. He loosened his belt, letting it fall to the floor with his dusack. 

It made an awful lot of noise. Patton looked down, almost in disbelief at Janus’ newfound capacity to make a sound. 

“Hmm. Where did you really get that sword? Romina could get in serious trouble if…”

“Don’t worry, Thomas won’t mind covering for me”. 

“Thomas? You know the marquess?” 

“Let us sit on the bed, I think that you deserve to know this secret”. 

Both of them got comfortable on the ridiculous wall of pillows placed against the headboard of the canopy bed. 

“I used to work for the Sanders family. Ever since I was a boy, I tended to the horses, which is how Thomas and I became friends in the first place. As we grew, he decided to make me his personal servant, and, aside from learning to lie as easy as speaking, I also learned I hate rich people. Thomas is okay though. I think you and Thomas are the only rich people I tolerate”. 

“Well, that’s rich”. 

“Patton! I’m telling you my tragic story!” he said, not at all bothered. “Anyhow, I decided that wasn’t for me, so I told Thomas. He was sad, but he respected it. Before I left, he gave me his own sword, I guess as a safe-conduct of sorts, maybe to remind me I could always come back”. 

“That is… a lot”. 

“I know. He’s a good friend. Believe it or not, I’ve never used it until today. I… couldn’t let you get caught in any of my… shall we say, activities, so I figured…” 

Patton grabbed him, mindful of his wounds, and pulled him close. 

“You need to let other people in, Janus. I know I’m kind of silly, but I can still help. I wish you could see that when you let people know you they want to be on your side. You are someone worth knowing”. 

“And you are more of a bastard than people give you credit for”. 

His laughter made them shake a little. Janus stared at Patton’s joyful expression feeling satisfied. 

“I guess I am”. 

“Pity you don’t want to do anything wicked with it”. 

“I’ll leave that to you, just, tell me beforehand”. 

“How else would I be saved last minute, dear?” 

They stared at each other for a while. It hadn’t fully hit Janus until now that this, this thing right now, would be his life from now on. Thinking that, perhaps the world wasn’t as cruel as he had always made it to be. 

“You are so good”. 

Patton kissed him again. 

“Only when nobody’s looking”. 

“Jan, name’s Patton, not nobody”. 

“You think you’re so funny”. 

“Am I not, when I make you smile like this?”

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

Taglist: @joylessnightsky , (the following interacted with my tagging request post, so I assumed you wanted to be tagged, if not, please tell me) @jerasings , @daemoade , @grandhairdofarmgoop . 

[diaryofabeautyfiend]

I’ve kept you waiting long enough. Finally some smut! Please enjoy like repost follow and give me feedback. Love and appreciate all 20 of you who read this.

Small Time Witch (8)

Steve set the table in the dining room. He put a note on the door saying , “Do not enter under penalty of death!” The lights were dimmed and candles were lit. He had a bottle of wine breathing and your salmon salad in pretty white bowls. Even though he told you not to change your clothes you borrowed a dress from Wanda. It was long with long sleeves. It almost reminded you of a nightgown but it had a deep V down the front. “Don’t ruin my dress. Have fun.” She said with a wave.

You got out of the elevator and Steve was waiting for you. “You look beautiful.” He kissed your cheek and took your hand to lead you to the table. Neither of you could stop smiling. You ate in a comfortable silence for a bit. He poured you another glass. “So what was your life like living with a coven?” he finally asked.

“My life was painfully boring. I went to a normal school until I was twelve. Came into my powers and spent middle and high school at Charles Xaviers School for Gifted Youngsters. Got myself under control. Went to MIT and the rest is history.”

“What did you study?”

“Electrical Engineering of course.” You smiled and took a big sip of wine.

“So you are super smart.”

“I wouldn’t say super.”

“I like super smart women. When you were going over your part in the mission briefing today, that was sexy as hell. I think Tony is in love with you.”

“Most men are intimidated when I tell them what I do. Mutant girl with weird powers super hot. I tell them I’m regular girl electrical engineer who works for the government and they’re regretting buying me a drink.”

He scoffs, “Amateurs. If they can’t handle it they aren’t worth your time.”

You smiled and held his hand across the table, “You’re worth my time.” He tried to hide his cheeks that were turning crimson.

“I’m glad. I like spending time with you too. So what is Charles Xaviers School...”

“For Gifted Youngsters? It’s a mouthful I know. Mutant school basically. Professor Charles Xavier and his band of merry mutants created a school for young mutants. That way we could be ourselves without being harassed.”

“You keep calling yourself a mutant. I thought you were a witch.”

“I am. We do spell work and all of that Mother Nature bullshit. We also all have...well had...specific genetic mutations that gave us various abilities. My Aunt Helen took in my mother when she was pregnant for me. Eventually we grew into a coven of twelve. Then we weren’t.” You had a far off look in your eyes like you were lost in your memories.

Not wanting to bum you out he changed the subject.

“So I watched ‘Chamber of Secrets’.”

“Without me?! What did you think?”

“Just bottom line me. Are Hermione and Harry going to fall in love?” Your eyes got big and you laughed.

“Sir, you have many more movies to watch. To the tv!”

You cleared the plates and tidied up. You made small talk sharing your favorite of things, getting to know each other.

In the elevator going up to his room you would glance at each other then look away blushing. You both felt it. An invisible string pulled you towards each other and, in an instant you were in his arms. He brushed his lips over yours. You could taste the ghost of wine on his breath. He ran his fingertips up the back of your neck and tangled them in your hair at the nape. His desire was almost overwhelming for you. It radiated off of him and sent tingles through your nerve endings. You felt like you were made of static. A million pulses of light fluttered through your body. He hit the emergency stopped lowered his head and kissed you.

This was a deep kiss. It was tentative at first like he was testing the waters. When you didn’t pulled back it became desperate. Your hands trembled as you ran them up his arms. He held your face drinking you in like you were the first drop of water he’s had in days. He pushed you against the wall and pressed his hard on into your hip. You just couldn’t stop kissing him. You were so lost in the moment you didn’t feel the sparks forming on your fingertips. When you brought one hand up to touch his chest there was a crackling sound and then he went sailing across the elevator.

You looked down at your hands in a panic. He sat up shaking his head. Your eyes were fixated on the singe mark on his shirt. It was right above his heart. You burst into tears and backed into the corner. “Y/N. I’m ok. It was just a little jolt. It’s ok.”

“I could have killed you!” you sobbed.

“No. It’s ok. Super soldier remember? It was ok.” He went to hug you but you pushed him away. “Don’t touch me! I’ll hurt you again!”

You frantically pushed the elevator button to get back to Wanda’s room to get your things. Every time he tried to grab you you got more agitated. The more agitated you were the bigger the sparks were. The lights started to flicker. You couldn’t breathe. Once the doors finally opened Wanda was there waiting. She could hear you screaming for her. You hadn’t even realized you were. You stumbled out of the doors into her arms. Sparks were flying from your fingers. The others stood by watching not knowing what to do. She smoothed your hair and shushed in your ear. “I want to go home.” You whispered.

“Ok. Ok. Let’s go.” She helped you stand and you left without looking back at him.

“Wait. Y/N. I promise I’m ok.” Steve pleaded.

“I’ll drive.” Nat came out of nowhere with your keys. Steve came closer to you but Nat put her hands up to stop him. “Look. Rest up. I’ll call when we get her settled. No one needs to be on edge for tomorrow.”

He ran his hands over his face through his hair.

Bruce had an intense look on his face. He touched Steve’s arm to get his attention. “Steve that was really close to your heart. I’d like to run an EKG to make sure you’re ok.”

“I’m fine, Bruce. Really.”

“Please. Your skin is singed. I know it will heal quick but your heart may not. Let’s just check it out.” He went with Bruce to the lab and let him do his thing. What he really wanted to do was go after you. Turns out, as he suspected, the shock you gave him was minor. Though he didn’t want to make it a habit, he was no worse for wear.

Loki was half asleep on the couch when he felt you getting closer. You were so scared it made him feel ill. He didn’t know exactly how close you were but he felt compelled to run to where ever you were. He called Wanda. “We’re almost there. I know you feel it.” She answered.

“Anyone within a twenty block radius can feel it.”

“Open the door. We’re parking.”

He paced the floor until he saw you. You were no longer crying. You looked drained. “Darling. Hey” he held your face in his hands waiting until you focused on him.

“Tell me what happened.”

You took a deep breath and held Wanda’s hand while you told the whole story sparing no detail. He wanted to scream when you said you were kissing.

“I could have killed him, Loki.” He held your head against his chest trying to calm you. You started crying again.

“Honey. Do you want us to stay?” Wanda asked.

“No. I just want to go to bed. We all need sleep.” She hugged you both sandwiching you in between their bodies. You visibly relaxed when you felt her warmth.

“I love you, Y/N. We’ll see you both in the morning.”

“Quinjet leaves at 8.” Nat rubbed your arm “I’ll let Steve know you’re ok. We’ll see you in the morning.”

“Thanks, girls.” They smiled and walked out.

“Y/N. Has this ever happened before?”

“Once. Right when I came into my powers. I was holding hands with Bobby Myer and I shocked the shit out of him. He peed his pants. That’s when my mother took me out of school.”

“I have to ask. Did the soldier wet himself?” You both laughed a little harder than you wanted to perhaps.

“Come. Let’s get you to bed. You’ve had enough adventures for one night.”

“Don’t leave me alone please, Lok.”

He hugged you tighter, “Wouldn’t dream of it, darling.”

You called Steve to check on him. “Hey. Bruce looked me over and I’m perfectly fine. I have a patch of chest hair missing and I smell like burnt toast but I’m fine. Can we FaceTime? I’d love to see your face.” Loki rolled his eyes when you shooed him out of the bed.

Steve appeared on screen. His shirt was off. Right where you shocked him he outlined his bare skin with a marker in the shape of a heart. You smiled and teared up again. You wished you could kiss it. “No tears, Princess. Get some rest. We have a long flight and a really long few days ahead of us.”

“Thanks for not hating me.” He chuckled. “Hate you? Not a chance. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Loki opened the door a crack, “Can I come back?”

“Yes. Please. I need you to snuggle me.” You positioned yourselves around each other. He contemplated what may have caused you to involuntarily erupt. He thought possibly it was a sign of arousal. Though he wasn’t sure why it didn’t happen any other time you were intimate with someone. He wanted to ask but you were already fast asleep.

It was three in the morning which, in Loki’s opinion, was the darkest part of the night. He felt too warm and a light was mysteriously streaming into his eyes. When he opened them he was in his bed chambers in the palace in Asgard. He still felt the weight of your body but you were not there. His sheets were cool and pooled around his waist. They were crisp and a much higher thread count than yours. He sat up and looked around seeing all the familiar things. His big tufted chair in the corner where he did his reading. His massive book cases that went up to the vaulted ceilings. He even thought he could smell his mother’s perfume. It wafted in like she had just walked through the room.

He hurried to his feet to get dressed as he had done so many times. Friga would barge into his room even though his staff was told explicitly that he was not to be disturbed. She would throw open the heavy drapes and profess that his tender haunches needed to see the sun. Sometimes there were girls to shoo out of the room. He didn’t ever stop her. He would just roll over groaning but she ignored him. “Put something on and join me for tea.” This time was no different except for one big thing. His mother was dead. He found her on the balcony looking over the majesty of her gardens beneath them. He stood frozen behind her trying to make sense of what was happening.

“It doesn’t have to make sense, darling. Come. Sit with me.” He opened his mouth to say something when she looked over her shoulder and said, “Don’t argue with your mother.” His eyes filled with tears. When he held her hand he let them flow.

“Oh. Sweetheart. Don’t cry.”

“I miss you terribly.”

“How can you miss me when I’m always with you?” He wanted to crawl in her lap like he did when he was a child. She stood from the chair and wrapped him in her arms and allowed him to fall apart.

“Talk to me, son. What is troubling you?”

“Nothing.”

“You wouldn’t have summoned me here if there was nothing wrong.”

He unloaded on her. He felt like a weight was lifted off of his chest.

“May I offer my opinion?” He nodded yes.

“She’ll come around.”

“That’s it?” He felt cheated. She patted his hand, “That’s it. What? You wanted some profound advice? Son, you already know how she feels about you. You never allow anyone in. Once you do, she’ll come around.” She hugged him again. She buried her nose in his hair and inhaled deeply. “I love you, Loki.”

“I love you too, mother. Will I see you again?”

“I’m not one to linger.” She blew him a kiss and he woke up to the sound of your alarm.

You hit snooze and put your hand back on his chest. He smoothed your hair out of your face to see you had fallen back to sleep. It was now or never he thought. With that he gripped you tighter praying you couldn’t hear and he said the words burned on his heart. “I love you, Y/N. I know you’re with Steve and I won’t stand in the way of that. But I love you.” He let out his breath and closed his eyes. He felt you stir a little. The alarm sounded again. You turned it off and he rolled to get out of bed. You pulled him back down.

“Let’s not piss off your boyfriend this morning, pet. I’m sure he’s anxious to get going.”

“Wait.” You climbed onto his lap and wrap your arms and legs around him. “I love you too.” He peeled you off of him looking hopeful but confused. “It doesn’t have to make sense, Lok. But I know this isn’t where you want to be. Not really. You have galaxies to explore. What do you want to do in upstate New York? Steve is....he’s dependable.”

“So you’re saying you don’t trust me? You can’t rely on me.” He looked away but you turned his face back towards you.

“With my life, I trust you implicitly. I can’t say the same for my heart.”

He was crestfallen. Love was not something that Loki gave freely. The way you shot him down made him feel like you had been mulling this over for some time and you chose before he even gave you the chance to hear him out. Before he could say anymore your mouth was on his.

“Y/N, what are you doing?” You kissed your way down his neck and fumbled for the draw string of his pants. Loki was in no position to stop you. His arousal had taken over. “Y/N, please...”

“I love you.” Finding your way back to his lips you hovered there for a second. The tingle ran all through your body begging to break loose. “I love you, Loki. Please don’t be angry. I can’t be with you. It’s too much. You’re too much.” Your fingertips crackled and sparked. Unfazed he intertwined his fingers with yours absorbing some of the current.

Tears shimmered in his eyes but they never spilled. No way he’d give you the satisfaction. You thought you could feel his heart breaking under your palm. You pressed harder to feel it beating strong but fragile. He silver tongue eluded him now. He held you as tight as he could letting your magic die down and he kissed you again with abandon.

He ran his hands down your back and cupped your ass cheeks to pull you forward. His cock was aching under the thin material of his sleep pants. He could feel your dampness as you pressed down on him. Your heart fluttered against your chest like a bird trying to break free from its cage. He slipped his fingers into the front of your panties coating them in your wetness. You gasped. He could feel the hair on his arms standing at attention. “Easy pet. Breathe.”

His fingers reverently explored your needy cunt. He moved slowly but each movement was deliberate squeezing out every bit of pleasure. “That’s it. Come for me. Find your peace.” You clamped down like a vice grip around his fingers. When you came the bed shook and the lights flickered finally giving way to darkness.

His mouth was on you again taking his time to enjoy you. He managed to get his pants down and your panties moved just enough to slip inside of you. The weight of his cock felt exquisite. You held there for a moment enjoying how it stretched you yet fit in perfectly like your body was made for his. You rocked your hips grinding down to relieve the pressure on your clit. He positioned his hand in between your bodies and pinched and rolled the swollen bundle between his fingers causing the wave to build again. “Darling listen. Focus on my voice.” You looked at him through hooded eyes. Everything felt so extraordinary you could barely make your brain understand him. His emotions mingled with yours. Your brain was worked into a frenzy.

“When you come I want you to pull in the tingle. Find your center and withdraw. Ready?” You nodded. “Come now. Come with me.” He growled in your ear. That sent you over the edge. The noises you made were sinful. When he came he pulled you in and rested his head on your chest. You were able to control your magick in an intense situation. “Good girl,” he panted. “Thank you for not electrocuting me.” You both laughed and kissed again. A long languid kiss that would normally help you drift off to sleep.

You had to shake yourself out of your sex haze fast and get to the compound. You forced yourself to only think about the mission for now. Loki’s mind searched for yours trying to keep the connection. You had already shut him out. He wouldn’t do the same to you. Those flood gates were opened now. He was waiting for you to emerge gasping for breath. If only he were the man you’d look to for rescuing.

[ciggylungz]

Butterflies and Bandaids pt.7- Anniversary

Butterflies and bandaids chapter.7 -

Anniversary

word count. 5.3k (lord)

warnings: smut (finally)

Y/n feels like she’s been on cloud nine the last new weeks, and she woke up with a surge of happiness yet again today because it marked her and Harry’s one month anniversary. She was ecstatic, she knew he had planned a special little evening for them since they were lucky enough that their anniversary landed on a Friday, and even more lucky Anne was going out of town this weekend so they had his house to themselves without the threat of toddlers or parents intruding on their night. Y/n was also extremely excited because she’s been having some rather intimate dreams about her boyfriend for the past few days, and she thought this night would be a good night to try and bring those dreams to reality.

Harry on the other hand, felt a bit nervous about his date he set up for them in honor of the day, he wanted everything to be perfect because she deserves the best. He refused to settle for any less for his angel. He felt confident enough about his schedule for the evening, he decided he’d take her to their favorite little diner, snag some booze Gemma had agreed to buy him and walk to the treehouse his dad had built him when he was little in the woodsy part of his backyard. Her and Harry still hung out in there from time to time, when some alone time was needed and he definitely liked that her siblings didn’t know about it and his mother never checked it since he told her it’s full of spiders (it isn’t, he always cleans it so Y/n doesn’t panic over bugs that may be looming inside the wooden structure, but he needed an excuse for his mum to never check up there) .

He brought up the battery powered Christmas lights and strung them along the trim on the ceiling and made sure to clean up any leaves and rouge spider webs from the corners, sweeping the throw rug that decorates the floor and tidying the small couch and few beanbags that sat in there. He wanted it to be perfect, romantic, cozy and exactly how his girl likes it to be. He even brought in her favorite blankets he has and a few extra pillows, stashing the bottle of vodka behind the sofa and putting the presents he got her on the cushion making sure it all looked good.

He knew it was silly to be so nervous, but he always wanted to make Y/n feel special. She’s the girl he loves, and he loves the way her eyes light up when he does something she finds endearing, the way she cuddles into him when he brings his laptop up there with an extra long extension cord so he can keep it charged from the outdoor plugs while they watch movies and random YouTube videos together. He certainly doesn’t mind the make out sessions she awards him with when he makes her really happy, and he never fails to melt when she giggles at his corny jokes while they lay together up in their tree house, in their own little world.

Harry had set everything up perfectly, even grabbing a door stopper and extra lock incase they decided to spend the night out there so he could feel 100% confident that no rouge tree dwelling burglar could get in and take away his princess. He knows it’s rather dramatic, but he doesn’t want any chance of anything bad happening to her.

He gave the space a good once over, making sure the rather spacious treehouse was up to his standards, making sure the little glass windows were sealed, and the curtains were drawn, the door was maintained enough to not be so squeaky and he had enough extension cords to keep the computer, and their phones charged. Once he decided it was perfect he made his way back down the ladder and went to get himself cleaned up and ready.

__

 Y/n was finishing taming her curls and putting on her makeup when a light knock sounded on her bedroom door, a smiling Harry peaking his head in after and giving the girl a coo.

“Hey love, you ready for our date?” he felt like he sounded a bit awkward and cliché the way he said it, like a badly scripted Disney teen movie, but his insecurities washed away when she gave him her biggest smile putting her mascara down and jumping to her feet to hug him. Her little body fit right inside his arms, his nose breathing in the scent of her freshly washed rose smelling curls and her floral perfume that he loved. He’d even made her spray his bed with some of it so he always smells her when he’s going to bed.

“Missed you H, know I saw you yesterday but I still missed you and thought about you all day.” She was beaming as she tipped her head up, chin resting on his sternum as she spoke to him, receiving a happy hum and few smacking kisses to her cherry flavored lips. “You ready doll? Got everything set up for us.”

When she nodded and broke free from his hold to grab her bag he couldn’t help the wide grin on his face, watching her have a little bounce in her step since she was excited grabbing his hand and leading him towards the front door, managing to dodge the babies and prying eyes of her older siblings as they made a mad dash out of the crowded home.

__

 “guess what?” Y/n proposed as she finished chewing her bite of melon she had ordered with her food, she always chose fruit salad as her side yet had a bad habit of snagging a few (most of) Harry’s typical side of fries.

“What’s that darlin’?” Harry had his chin resting on his palm as he played into Y/n’s playful tone, he swears he’s never felt more content then he does sitting in the dingy little family run diner with his girl then he’s ever felt in his life. “I got you a present!” she clapped her hands for a beat before squirming excitedly in her side of the booth, doing a little happy dance as he chuckled at her silly antics. “Yea? I got you one too babe, goin’ ta’ give it to you after dinner.” Y/n gasped lightly and shifted to sit on her knees, “Really?! I’m so excited!”

The older boy laughed before leaning forward to peck her a few times, “ ‘m excited too, can swap gifts. Hope you like yours. After 10 years of friendship I still sometimes draw a blank when figuring out what to get ya’, gotta work on being so picky love.” His tone was teasing and he gave a playful eyeroll which she stuck her tongue out at. “I’ll love it, because it’s from you and I love you.”

Harry swears his heart did a back flip in his chest, he’s heard her say it thousands of times yet every time it still makes him putty in the palm of her hand. He wasn’t ashamed to admit, he was deeply, helplessly in love with her.

The pair never let go of each other’s hands as they made the trek back to Harry’s home, him giving her a slight fond squeeze of her hand when she got giddy realizing he was leading her to their special hang out spot. She always adored that treehouse, they went from playing ‘house’ in it as little kids to now using it as their own little sanctuary where they got to be in their own little world together. Two young people in love, happily in their own little house where nothing could bother them. She think’s it might be her favorite place on earth.

“you go up first, love. Gonna come behind you incase ya’ lose your footing. Bit hard to see, forgot how dark it gets in the fall.” Harry stood at the bottom of the ladder while she quickly climbed up, turning to scoot her bum up over the ledge onto the little deck that wrapped around the structure. Getting herself steady before standing up and leaning against the railing that secured the deck, waiting for Harry to climb up so he could unlock it. “oh my god!” her voice was an octave higher showing her surprise and joy seeing the cozy set up he prepared for her. The lights twinkled as they hung from the ceiling, their writing and carvings illuminated by them showing the scribbles of ‘Y/n and Harry allowed ONLY!’ and little flowers and stick figures they carved into the wooden walls and floors as little kids when Harry got a pocket knife from his boy scouts troop.

“You like it?” Harry scratched the back of his neck bashfully as he took in the joy radiating off her, stumbling a bit as she threw herself into his arms, her legs wrapping around his legs as he managed to catch her and hold her up spinning in a circle giggling with her while kissing all over her pinched up cheeks. “I love it! Aw Hazzy I love you so much! You’re the sweetest boy in the whole wide world!” she planted exactly 6 kisses on his lips while he fumbled around closing and locking the door while keeping her held in his arms. “I love you more sweetness, I’m glad you like it. C’mon got presents waiting princess.”

Once Y/n had her feet firmly planted on the ground once more, she tossed herself onto the couch taking the box he had waiting for her into her lap, rummaging through her bag to grab the box she had for him.

“Open yours first H.” Y/n insisted as she thrust the pastel, wrapped box into his lap. She used her special wrapping paper, the nice expensive one with a darling design of clementine’s and cherries on it along with other assorted fruits. The paper was special, Harry even knew the back story about how her grandmother had given her the wrapping when she was young and how it was twenty whole dollars. She had adamantly told him she was saving it for a special occasion and he couldn’t help but coo knowing he was special enough for her most prized decorations. “c’mon! Open it Harry” if Y/n had one flaw, which he doesn’t even consider it a flaw because to him she’s perfect, it’s her impatience.

“alright alright, don’t get ya’ knickers in a twist love.” Harry made sure he was careful when unwrapping it, going along with the tape so he could save the paper later in his little memory box he has with all the special things and memories he has of her, she has one of him too and of course their siblings teased them for being cheesy when they first started collecting items when they were 8 and 10.

When he managed to perfectly strip the box of the paper, he felt butterflies invade his tummy, his own excitement building as he opened the gift. He was met with a soft velvet interior lining the jewelry box. Inside was a second box but littering around it were pictures of the two, the notes they’d passed to each other in class, a pack of bubblegum and a gift card to his favorite clothing store. Harry blew out a breath taking it in, his eyes crinkling in their corners from his wide grin. His dimples sunk deep into his cheeks, and his eyes almost teared up. “This is absolutely adorable..” he pried the second box out of the wooden jewelry box, taking in his girlfriends excited feet tapping on the floor and her giggles as he cracked open the second part of the gift, finding a gold locket in the shape of a heart. He held it up by it’s chain seeing the charm dangle and shimmer in the gentle lights, his heart becoming a puddle in his chest as he saw the date they got together engraved on the front of the heart and her name engraved on the back, opening it to see a tiny picture of the duo both blowing bubbles with their favorite pink bubble gum. As silly as it is, they hold their sweets close to their hearts because if she hadn’t been chewing it the day he met her, she wouldn’t have the nickname he gave her, they wouldn’t have a special treat they only share with each other, and they wouldn’t have a shrunken down picture of them at 10 and 12 years old, blowing bubbles right at the camera with an ‘I love you’ carved on the rim of it. Harry felt his eye’s get misty as he took it in. “I love it honey…this is the best gift I’ve ever gotten thank you bubble gum.” She blushed and batted her eyelashes a bit as she secured the jewelry around his neck, “I love you Harry”, his arms wrapped around her bringing her into his lap as he mumbled how much he loved her and appreciated the gift, kissing her a couple times before allowing her to sit in his lap so she can open her gift.

He watched her pink painted nails undo the ribbon, popping the top of the gift box off squealing excitedly at the pile of treasures he gave her. Her favorite sweater of his, one she wears all the time and never wants to give back, a little notebook with pressed flowers in it, little love notes to her written on the pages around the plants and a jewelry box similar to the one she gave him sitting on top. “Looks like we had the same idea H” she smiled as she held up the chain that had his name on it, while a bit narcissistic she loved that he was a bit possessive over her and how she got to wear her love’s name above her heart, “Great minds think alike huh?”.

The pair continued to gush over their gifts as he used his nimble fingers to fasten the jewelry onto her. her fingers toyed with the necklace as they talked, endless ‘I love you’s’ and ‘i’m never taking this off’ were said over the next few minutes while he prepared the laptop for their viewing.

  “This movie is awful but I can’t look away.” Y/n commented as she watched the horrible lifetime movie, the actors sounded like they were first graders being forced to read in front of their class. “She sounds like she’s in pain” Harry snorted taking a sip of his vodka fruit punch mixed drink he held securely in his palm, he didn’t plan to get drunk but it’s always nice to have a little buzz going.

“I don’t know why I love terrible movies so much, at this point I think I may just enjoy bullying actors.” Y/n smacked his chest lightly and grabbed his cup taking a sip before cringing a bit as she swallowed it, Harry laughing at her pained expression, “Bit strong for you eh? Maybe that’ll teach ya’ not to steal my drinks ma’am” Y/n flipped him off before taking another sip sticking her tongue out before handing it back. “Yea…I’ll stick to wine coolers and sugary booze.” “what did I tell ya’ about being picky?” this only got him an eyeroll before she turned towards him, laying herself down so her heads in his lap letting him toy with her hair while she watched the laptop screen. Both of them simply content with being in each others arms.

“Harry?” “yea love?” “wanna know a secret?” she had a playful little smirk decorating her pretty face and she looked up at him, both of them feeling a tad bit warm and fuzzy feeling a small buzz take over their bodies. “Ooo a secret? Do tell!” Y/n sat up and leaned against the back of the couch her cheek pressed to the leather. “You sure you wanna know? It’s a little naughty” This got the boys ears to perk up and his eyes to meet hers, “Naughty?” “very” Harry took a deep breath while searching her eyes, coming back with a look he’s seen before but never on her, her eyes looked almost sultry with her bottom lip caught slightly between her teeth, “Tell me” he swallowed hard watching her lean forward to whisper in his ear “I’ve been having naughty dreams about you” she leaned back with a playful smile on her face while he licked over his lips. He set his cup down before leaning back into the throw pillows, resting his arm along the back of the couch “Oh yea? Care to elaborate…set the scene for me baby” his eyes flicked from her feet to her eyes, lingering for a tick on the imprint of her perky breasts on her shirt. Y/n giggled quietly walking her fingers on his knee still too shy to make eye contact. “Not sure I should, told ya’ it’s naughty Harry” she blew a raspberry through her plump lips, leaning back over to whisper in his ear cupping her hand around the shell of his ear, even though they were the only people around “I dreamed about going down on you…and f-fucking you” she pulled away with red cheeks and his eyes widened, the butterflies returning to his stomach and his muscles tensing for a second.

“Yea? You dreamed about playing with me doll face?” he got a shy nod and giggle in return, but Harry wanted more than that. “No no, tell me. Say it out loud, tell me what you dreamed about princess” Y/n took a deep breath, letting him pet her cheek a bit “C’mon can tell me, won’t get upset tell me baby” he leaned forward to kiss her gently before pulling away, and Y/n felt a bit of confidence surge through her, “I was watching porn before I went to bed.. and playing with myself…and I had a dream about sucking your…-“ “say it princess, c’mon can say it” “dreamed about sucking your cock” she said the dirty word with a hint of nervousness, her shyness peaking through a bit. Harry couldn’t help the groan that fought it’s way through his throat hearing her say such dirty things. God he loved it. “Really? Played with your pussy before dreaming about putting my cock in that sweet mouth? Yea? What else, go on tell m’ pet.” Y/n chewed on her lip a bit, scooting a bit closer to her boyfriend. “I dreamed about you putting it in me…taking my virginity…and when I woke up I had to…touch myself in the shower”

A smirk tugged at his lips, her words getting his cock to plump up a bit behind it’s denim confines. His tongue darting out to wet his lips yet again, “Is that what you want love? You want me to fuck ya’?” she slowly nodded her head before popping her lips, “I do…but not yet. Tonight I wanted to try…sucking you off and..i wanted to know what it feels like for someone to lick down there.” she was adorable, her shy innocence fighting with her hormone, and it made Harry even more turned on. His fantasies he repressed for so long coming to life, to say he was willing was the largest understatement of the century.

His hands quickly darted out to pull her into his lap, getting a squeak from her out of surprise her giggles showering his ears as she got situated on his thighs. “Ya’ wanna give me a blowie and let me eat your pussy for our anniversary? Fuck doll, I’m down.” His deep chuckle vibrated her ribcage as he pressed her body into his, “I’ve never done it before…you got ta’ teach me how to do it Harry” “would be a pleasure, princess.”

 Soon the pair found themselves with their tongues in each other’s mouths, massaging them together as they tugged on each others clothes. Harry guided Y/n’s hips to grind down on his very prominent bulge, his thumbs pressed into her hip bones as he dragged her back and forth over the tent his groans getting swallowed by her mouth that’s locked on his, her breath hitching every time he nudges her clit on the seam of her jeans, tugging them a bit to define her cunt through the material making sure she’s getting as much friction as he is. “G-god fuck love, cmon I’m gonna cum in my pants if we keep humping like rabbits. Think you’re ready to try giving me head?” he held her chin with his fingers to make her look at him, getting a dreamy “uh huh” in response as she slowly drifted from his lap onto her knees on the floor. Letting Harry take his belt off, sitting back and letting him undo his button and zipper pushing his pants off his hips, letting them rest on his mid-thigh while she comes face to face with his lightly clothed manhood. “C’mon, take me out pet. Don’t gotta be scared, ‘m not gonna hurt ya’.” Harry was trying to keep himself from squirming in his seat while he watched Y/n slowly reach forward to pull the waistband of his boxers down, seeing her flinch slightly as his cock popped out hitting his belly button through his shirt as he sprang free.

Her eyes widened as she took in the sight of his cock, bare and bobbing with every beat of his heart from how hard he is. He was big, intimidatingly large. She looked at the vein running up the underside of his cock, his pubic hair and his swollen balls. She admired how his foreskin retracted behind the crown of his cock leaving his red leaking tip fully out to see. “Woah…i-it’s bigger than ones I’ve seen” Harry loved the praise, how could he not? His girlfriend gawking at his junk while telling him how big he is, he felt like he’d bust just hearing her talk. “Touch it…wrap your hand around me…ah fuck yea like that…squeeze a little bit there you go. Good fuckin’ girl lovie.”

Y/n smiled a bit at the praise, feeling herself get a little surer of herself as she stroked his cock like he instructed her to, feeling her chest swell with dirty pride as he continued to praise her. “Alright, lick the tip right there, tongue flat there you go” she did as she was told, giving the crown of his cock kitten licks before taking her own initiative and licking from the base of his shaft to the little slit in his tip loving how he moaned for her and tugged her hair a bit. “Don’t tease me baby, put the tip in your mouth and suck like a lollipop.”

Y/n pushed his tip between her lips, sucking on it like a sweet a she taught her feeling his thighs clench as she sucked harder moving to take a bit more into her warm mouth sucking till her cheeks hollowed around him, the flesh of her cheeks massaging his cock like velvet. Warm, wet, velvet.

“feels so fucking good darlin’, got no idea how good you’re doing…tuck your lips under ya’ teeth try not to bite down…just like that, doing so good such a fast learner baby. Good girl y/n, good girl.” His eyes struggled to stay open as she started inching deeper bobbing her head slightly. He felt her constrict a bit as his tip pushed her uvula back, he quickly pulled her head off giving her a chance to breathe,

“Don’t push too hard baby, don’t want ya’ to get sick on me. When you try to take me in your throat keep it open, like if you’re singing or yelling, open that pretty throat up. If ya’ spit up a bit on accident it’s alright. It’s your first-time sweetheart.” He gave her cheek a gentle petting before letting her sink down on him again, taking his advice and keeping her throat relaxed and open while his tip brushed the back of her warm, slick throat. He was a moaning mess as his eyes screwed shut, feeling her salivate so much at the stimulation of her throat it was dripping down his shaft and puddling on his balls.

He was in heaven. He knew he didn’t have much time left when he felt her small hand move to massage her spit on his swollen balls moving back a bit so his cocks not as deep letting her tongue massage the underside of his shaft while suckling his tip. “sh-shit, shit doll I’m gonna cum��fuck atta girl, where do you want it? Your mouth? Fuck baby s-stop sucking yo- oh- fuck!” Harry couldn’t control the bucking of his hips while his balls constricted, pulling towards his body while still in her grasp spilling his cum into her mouth and onto her lips some dribbling onto her chin as she pulled off him.

Harry was dazed for a minute, post orgasmic haze overtaking his mind as he experienced the wave of euphoria. When he finally opened his eyes he saw his girl still on her knees holding his cum in her mouth, looking at him with big doe eyes with some of his seed dripping off her face onto her shirt. He chuckled a bit seeing her, “Can swallow it if you want” she squinted her eyes a bit and he breathed out a bit “Don’t want to? Doesn’t taste nice? Salty innit? Can spit love, here” he held a empty red plastic cup under her chin watching as she spit his rather large load into it, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. “Sorry…but Harry it was really salty…like sea water” she cringed a bit and he laughed. “Yea, I’ll start eating more fruit and staying hydrated so my cum doesn’t taste as bad next time. Sorry baby.”

“it’s okay H…did I do a good job?” she rested her palms on his knees, eagerly awaiting his response a proud grin plastered on his face as he nodded. “Fuck yea, did amazing baby. Made me cum like a gallon, you’re a natural just gotta work on watching the teeth. You did great, you’re a good girl princess. So proud of you, made me feel amazing I promise.” Harry didn’t care about the lingering taste of him on her tongue as he kissed her, tongues battling for dominance ad he pulled her up and laid her down on the sofa. Her back came in contact with the cool leather, her warm body relaxing into the comforting coolness.

“Think it’s your turn angel, want me to eat your pussy love? God, I’m gonna be the first person to get a taste of your pretty peach. Gonna make ya’ feel good yea? If you don’t like something then tell me, got it?” Y/n nodded quickly, letting him rid her of her shirt lifting her back so she could undo the clasps. When her tits finally came into his view, Harry made a pathetic whimpering noise, she’s fucking gorgeous. His hands groped at the buds while his mouth and tongue worked on her neck. She was already a writhing moaning mess just from his simple touches alone. He knew she was hyper sensitive, she had mentioned she started her cycle soon so he assumed it was her ovulating time. he learned in health class that during ovulation women are more sensitive, and he honestly loved the fact she was so sensitive for the first time he eats her out. He wanted her to feel every single movement of his tongue against her.

He slowly made his way over the valley of her breasts, sucking on and toying with her pink, taunt nipples while using his knee to grind against her still clothed cunt. The friction was driving her up the wall, feeling close already. She knew she wouldn‘t last too long but she didn’t care, she felt amazing.

His fingers made quick work of her pants, tugging the tight jeans off her legs revealing her pale yellow, lace panties that were sticky with her arousal, slippery even through the fabric, so much so she was dripping down her thighs. “Christ pet…look at you, making a mess huh? Who got you this wet sweetheart?” “Y-you, god you Harry please touch me, please it’s aching now” her pleads had his eyes rolling back, hooking his thumbs into her waistband and dragging them off her body, shamelessly bringing the crotch of her underwear up to his face to inhale her scent and suck her juice off the lace.

His senses were on high alert while he did it, he swears he could feel every nerve in his body tingling, every taste bud on his tongue dancing with her sweet, heady slickness. Her panties were shoved into his back pocket, deciding he’d keep them for later when he tugs his cock when he can’t sleep, he wanted to smell her pussy while he thought of her.

Soon, his body was situated stomach down on the couch, face level with her dripping quivering heat, his fingers running over the trimmed pubic hair she chose to keep on her mound, his other hand tracing the shape of her sex, teasing her, watching her pussy quiver every time he ghosted over her split lips her hips shaking as he finally gave her what she wanted, he went nose deep between her pretty lips breathing her in as he lapped at her core. He had to pin her hips down, her sensitive womanhood being serviced by his tongue was making her body jolt and buck into the air, and he wouldn’t have that. No, he was going to keep his mouth attached to her peach as long as he could. He was like an addict taking a hit while he was between her legs, his drug of choice was definitely Y/n .

“H-harry oh shit! O-oh god I f-feel it my tummy, i-im go-gonna… Harry I’m gonna cum!” her voice wavered as she took in frantic breaths, one hand tugging his hair harshly the other toying with her nipples. Harry replied only with a grunt and a speeding of his tongue on her clit, using his thumb to pull her hood back so he had direct access to the bundle of nerves she had tucked between her legs, and soon enough she was convulsing, dribbling down his chin and gasping for air like a fish out of water. She was a quivering mess as he sucked her juices right from the source, not letting up till she had to push his head away, snapping her thighs shut from the over stimulation. Letting himself linger over her watching her face a she drowned in pleasure, pleasure he gave her.

His thumbs gently rubbed against the apples of her cheeks while he watched her try to even out her breathing, her lips trembling a little from how intense she’d just came. “My pretty girl, hi sweetness I see you there. C’mon come back to me, deep breaths you’re alright. Are these good tears bunny? Felt so good made your eyes water? Good, that’s okay, don’t worry it can happen. You did such a good job tonight sweetheart. Proud of ya’, look so beautiful could stare at you forever. Open your eyes princess, eyes on mine wanna see my girl, there you go..”

Y/n used all the strength she had left to look back at Harry, her eyes misty from the intensity and her body trembling under him, “You okay love? Just a bit overwhelmed huh?” she nodded, swallowing harshly trying to wet her dry throat after all the moaning and screaming she’d done. “F-felt go-good, liked it h-harry” she couldn’t help the stutter from her shaky jaw, but Harry didn’t mind. He stared down at his girl with so much love and adoration, she had never felt better.

“I’m glad honey, can do it for you any time you want, yea? Lets go inside, wanna get cleaned up? Can go to bed then, see you’re all sleepy now huh? Cmon, think we’ve celebrated this anniversary right. Can’t wait till next month.”

[pressedinthepages]

Eunoia

Greek. noun. beautiful thinking; “a well mind.”

Fandom: The Witcher

Pairing: Eskel x Reader

Word Count: 2168

Rating: T

ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24882895

Masterlist

a/n: Reader Request: “ Hiiii you said you're in writing mood... what about an eskel x reader? Like, Eskel trying to court the reader? I've seen some fics where the reader tries to do the courting. I would like to see the other way around. I don't know if what I said made any sense 🙈 “

Tags: @whitewolfandthefox​

Warnings: nothing outside of the ordinary swearing, this is soFT AND FLUFFY!!!

Eskel wishes to try to court you, but he has no clue what he's doing.

    Eskel is well and truly fucked. He’s been searching for hours, trying to find the perfect gift for you in the little market. Lambert has been complaining the entire time, clearly not thrilled about having been dragged down the mountain into the little village of Yspaden. 

    You’ve been the healer here for as long as Eskel can remember, he even remembers you carefully patching him up a few times as he passed through the town into Kaer Morhen. And even though you may have done the same, actually quite a few more times, for Lambert, he holds no qualms about voicing his displeasure.

    “Oh my Gods, Eskel, why in the ever-loving fuck are you looking at perfumes? I thought you were trying to court her, not tell her she smells bad.”

Eskel sighs, running a hand over the scars on his face as the merchant glares at Lambert. Eskel pulls the other Witcher away before he can start a brawl and moves to a quiet alcove around the courtyard. 

“How about instead of making everything more difficult, you actually help?” he growls, shoving the younger man against the wall. “Sooner I find something, the sooner you get back to lazing about and complaining about literally everything.”

“Well, what the hell do you want me to do? You think I’m some sort of love expert?” Lambert quips back, gesturing rudely as he does. He clenches his jaw for a moment before sagging his shoulders, resigned to help his brother. “Maybe start with something she’d actually like???” 

Eskel shoots him a glare from the side of his eyes, grating “You think I haven’t been trying? I mean, what do you get someone who wants for nothing?”

“Did you ask Jaskier? He probably knows plenty about this courting nonsense.”

“Of course I asked Jaskier, you definitely weren’t my first choice.” Eskel earns a punch in the arm for that, grimacing as he continues, “He said that typically, people give each other jewelry or flowers, or will write a song or a poem for them. Lucky for me, since I’m not a poet and she has a garden with just about every flower known to man already in it.”

“Hmm...he give you any other advice?”

Eskel runs a hand through his hair, the dark locks flopping right back into his eyes. “He said that ‘Love is like a pear. A pear is sweet and has a distinct shape. Try to define the shape of a pear.’” 

“What is that even supposed to mean???” Lambert groans loudly. “Why are you even doing this?”

Eskel looks askance, his golden eyes lowering to his boots. “I’ve never met anyone like her, she’s taught me what love feels like,” he murmurs, somewhat ashamed of admitting this to his brother. 

Lambert grips Eskel’s shoulder, maybe a little bit harder than necessary. Eskel looks up at him, their eyes locking. Wordlessly, Lambert holds his gaze and searches, finding only honesty and vulnerability that he hasn’t seen in years.

“You’ve really got it bad for her, don’t you?” he whispers, Eskel nodding at his words. ‘You know, Aiden never really gave me trinkets...neither of us really needed more shit to carry around,” Lambert says quietly, eyes blurring a bit with the memories. “Every now and then, though, he’d stick a flower behind my ear, and I don’t think I’ve ever felt so...so special.”

Lambert’s cheeks redden slightly as he speaks, but it is with a quiet reverence that he chooses his words. “That’s what you need to do, show her just how special she is to you.”

 Lambert steps away, promising to stay in the market as he looks to collect some spare supplies for them. Eskel slides his back down the wall, resting his elbows on his knees as he sits.

I think I understand what Jaskier meant… he muses, there aren’t words to describe how special she is to me. Now that I know what having her in my life is like, I can’t imagine a world without her.

He hangs his head dejectedly, thinking that it would be easier to just court Lambert. He’d get the man a new sword and call it a day...wait a second…

Eskel leaps to his feet, weaving through the stalls in the market towards the blacksmith. Not long after and with a promise to return tomorrow, he sets out to track down Lambert and buy him some supper as a peace offering. 

…

The next evening

You’ve just stepped back into your little cottage, wiping your hands on your skirt as you move to the hearth. You’ve just finished tending your garden, trimming and pruning the plants as you prepare for the upcoming winter. You have a few more days before you can pick the last of your vegetables, and then you’ll focus on turning the soil and protecting the ground from the frost.

The hearth has died down to only embers, which is just enough to keep your home warm. The autumn air has a chill, certainly, but you welcome the refreshing feeling of being warmed by the embrace of the cinders flowing around the room. 

You close your eyes, content for a moment as you take a deep breath in and allowing yourself to relax. However, it doesn’t last long, as a knock on your door startles you from your tranquility.

You cross the room, picking up the metal rake that lays by the entrance that you use as a makeshift weapon. The door creaks as you open it only enough to peek at the man standing at your steps, and you promptly drop the rake. 

“Oh! Eskel, it’s so good to see you!” You cry, flinging the door open and almost falling into his arms as you fly down the steps. He steadies you and you wrap your arms around his neck, melting into him as he winds his hands around your waist and holds you close. You feel him take a deep breath into your hair, knowing that he finds comfort in your scent.

You step back, slipping his hand into yours as you pull him into your home. “Would you mind terribly…,” gesturing over to the faintly glowing embers.

Eskel grins, striding further into your home and making a sign with his fingers. The fire comes back to life, strong and warm with his magic. You step behind him and fit his body to yours, wrapping your arms around his middle and nuzzling into his back. He is only wearing a dark chemise and his trousers, his boots a bit dirty around the toes. 

Eskel’s fingers find yours once more, still tingling with the aftereffects of magic. You feel him shift, so you only increase your hold on him, trying to squeeze all of your care into him. He chuckles and pulls your hands away, and you hum against his back.

He turns and catches you once more in his gaze, his hands settling back at his sides. “I uhh...I have something for you…” he murmurs, reaching into his pack to grab the small brown parcel. You can tell that he is anxious, his gaze flittering and his heart beating a bit faster than normal.

“Oh Eskel, what’s this for?” You grin, reaching out to take the box. You move to the bed in the corner of the room, settling on the edge and patting next to you. Eskel’s lips turn up at the edges, the small smile cracking his nervousness as he moves to sit next to you. 

You begin to pull away the brown paper that wraps around the box before Eskel stops you, pulling your hand back to your lap before you can see what is inside. 

    He clears his throat before taking a deep breath, looking over at you with determination. His eyes are the color of molten honey, the fire licking along the sweetness and dripping down his cheeks.

    “I can’t pretend to be good at this…” he begins, holding up a hand to stop you from speaking since you had opened your mouth to reply in some sense. You relent with a smile, grabbing his hand and threading your fingers together as he continues.

    “I’ve been wanting to give you something that would really show you how special you are to me, especially because every time that I try to say it, I can’t find words that are sufficient enough.” His voice is low, wary even, but his eyes never leave yours as he tries to tear down the walls that have taken numerous decades to build around his heart.

    Eskel strokes his thumb along your knuckles, falling quiet for a moment as he does. You allow this, letting him collect his thoughts in the comfort of your home. 

    “Every time that I find myself thinking of you, it’s all I can do to not come racing back here and make sure that you’re okay,” he whispers, vulnerable and timid. “I know that you can take care of yourself, and I admire your strength and confidence, but I can’t help but be terrified that I may lose you someday.”

    You feel your eyes begin to well up and you grip his hand tighter in yours. He nods down at the package, so you move to tear away the paper and open the box. 

    Inside, you find a blade, maybe half the length of your forearm. You gently grip the hilt and remove it from the box, delicately letting it rest on your fingers. The hilt is simple, the dark brown wood polished to a shine. It fits your palm perfectly, the weight of the dagger balanced in your hand. The blade is dark, darker than black, like ink spilling across parchment. On one side, there are runes engraved into the metal, sharp edges infusing the blade with palpable magic. On the other side, engravings of ivy and small blossoms creep and twirl along the length of the metal. The ridges and valleys jump with the light of the fire, glinting and shadowing as you turn it in your hands. 

    “My gods…” you exhale, barely audible even to Eskel, “this is gorgeous…”

    You bring your eyes back to him, silently asking him to explain his meaning further. Thankfully, he takes the hint, shifting to better face you on the bed.

    “If something happened to you, I have no idea what I would do,” Eskel says quietly. “It would be like someone snuffing out the sun, leaving the world in cold, unfeeling darkness. Knowing that you’re here, safe, and able to protect yourself...I...I need to protect my sun…” His voice trails off, but his eyes are screaming with desperation and adoration.

    You offer a shaky smile, a few tears falling down your cheeks as you do. You’ve had people try to win your affections before, using flowers that would wilt like their love or words stolen from someone else’s mouth. But never before had someone laid out their heart for you, shown you that you owned it, and given you the power to do whatever you pleased with it. 

    You turn, gently setting the dagger on the little table beside your bed. As you settle back to facing Eskel, you move forwards and take his face in your hands. You can feel the raised skin of the scars on his cheek, the blood flushing just under his skin, the infinite weight of the indescribable feeling in his eyes. 

    You lean down to rest your forehead against his and feel his hands raise to come to rest on your hips. “Eskel, I can promise you this,” you whisper, “I’m not leaving you without a fight.”

    You move once more, bringing your lips to brush against his. It’s just the slightest contact, but you feel sparks behind your eyes and taste fire in your mouth. You both surge into each other, desperately clinging to the moment. Your fingers wind into his hair and you feel him bunch the fabric of your blouse in his hands. You lick along his mouth, sucking and laving his lips as you both fight for dominance. You nip his bottom lip as he pulls back, tugging a low groan from deep in his chest. 

    You stay like this for what could be moments, or it could be days, just breathing each other in. Eskel looks utterly wrecked, his hair disheveled and shirt hanging askew on his broad shoulders. You’re sure that you can’t be looking much different, but the light that shines in Eskel’s eyes is blinding in its glory. 

    “I love you, Eskel” you murmur, feeling the grip on your hips tighten. You’ve known ever since he stumbled into your home that this man was leaving with your heart, but you now know that he is leaving his own heart here with you. 

    “I love you too,” he says against your lips, and you know that he has never spoken truer words as he pulls you to him once more.

[tolkien-fics]

The Sleeping Princess

Word count: 1,801

Trigger warning: Mention of blood, violence

Pairing: Ecthelion x Human! Reader

 Plot: Based on the fairy-tale Sleeping Beauty. Y/n is a mortal princess in a far land south west of Middle Earth, cursed from birth to fall into a death-like sleep. 

Year YT. Long ago, before the Fellowship was formed, there was a kingdom in the South West of Middle Earth. This kingdom was ruled fairly by the King and Queen, who made sure to provide for their people. The Kingdom was known for their riches, possessing precious gems they would trade with Dwarves and Elves. The people of the kingdom were happy, and praised their royal family. 

After a five year reign, the King and Queen wished for a child. Not out of needing an heir, but out of love. However, they never received the gift they desperately wished for. It took three years of wishing before they finally got their little joy: Princess Y/n was born.

Overjoyed, the King and Queen instantly set out of inviting the entire kingdom to the celebration feast.

"Over here!" One servant called to the other as they decorated the Hall with cloths of all color, the cooks displayed their feast on a long table, the minstrels practicing their music. The joy of the castle could be felt from miles away. But there was an evil mage who lived in the forest just out of kingdom grounds, watching the events unfolding from her reflective pond. Laced with magic so she could spy on the kingdom's people.

"So, they think they can get away with not inviting me to the little brat's party? They won't get away with this!" She growled, cooking up a plan in her mind. Everyone had gathered in the palace to welcome the newborn into the world. The people were laughing, drinking and eating. All paused when the King stood to make a speech.

"Dear friends, we thank you for attending the celebration this day. We have wished for a child for so long, and now she is finally here. We cannot be more grateful than we already are. Now without further-ado-" There was a slam as the hall doors burst open, the guards scrambling to unsheathe their swords at the surprise visitor.

"I suppose I am not considered one of your friends, your majesty?" The mage spat bitterly, brows furrowed and hands placed on her hips. She was a simple mage, dressed in rags. Those who never heard of her would have mistaken her for being homeless, but to the kingdom folk she was a powerful witch, one not to be crossed.

"Oh Lithia! You're-!" The Queen was shocked, eyes wide and a hand placed on her chest.

"Alive? Of course I am! Though you would know that if you bothered to check in." The mage replied, hand waving dismissively in the air.

"We apologize, Lithia." The King started. "You haven't appeared for years! We merely thought you had left, or died! We did not mean to cause offense."

Lithia scoffed. "Enough! Let's see the new princess." The mage quickly moved to the basin in which you laid, wrapped in delicate silk. Lithia quickly picked you up, keeping you at arms length. 

"That's it! Put her down this instant!" The King commanded. "Guards!"

"Am I not allowed to give the princess my blessing?" Lithia questioned, not waiting for your parents response before beginning:

"Dear little princess, this is my blessing to you. Upon coming of age you will fall into a deep sleep, one that you will not wake from. Not even the powerful magic in the world will save you!"

Lithia cackled, roughly thrusting you into your mother's arms. She left the hall, the door slamming shut behind her. Everyone began to whisper among themselves, your mother began to cry sorrowfully. "Our daughter, our poor daughter." She sobbed while holding you close.

"Perhaps I can help." A voice spoke from the far side of the table. Instantly, the King and Queen looked up, hope in their eyes.

The voice belonged to a young elf maiden, one of the few that resided in the kingdom. She too knew magic, pure magic of good. 

"Oh, can you please help our daughter?" The queen asked, teary eyed as she clung to you.

"I cannot reverse the magic, your majesty." The elleth spoke. "But I can change the outcome. The princess will indeed fall into a deep sleep, but she will wake up. The mage forget the mention the greatest magic known. Love. The princess' one love will break the curse."

"Oh thank you!" The Queen expressed her gratitude. "You have given her the gift of life, another chance! I can only hope that it will be enough."

It had been twenty years since that day. You grew to be a fair princess, admired by all. Your beauty was breath-taking, and your heart was good to match.

"What a beautiful day it is." You mused as you strolled through the royal gardens, kneeling down to admire the small daises, picking some to make a flower crown. Your gentle hands weaved the stems together, humming a soft tune as you did.

You were soon distracted by a vibrant butterfly, fluttering past you and ahead.

"Such beauty." You admired, standing to follow the creature and abandoning the flower crown. You wished the catch another glimpse of the butterfly, jogging through the garden to catch up.

"Strange. I have not seen this part of the garden before." You thought aloud, seeing a whole flower bed of red roses. They were vibrant and alive with color, compared to some of the dying flowers you had seen.

"They smell good, too!" The lovely scent wafted to your nose from the light breeze that blew past. You reached a hand to pick one, a thorn breaking the skin of your finger and drawing blood. The red liquid dripped down your finger, droplets staining the luscious grass.

Looking at the blood, you began to feel faint. Your surroundings started to spin, making you feel unbalanced.

"I don't feel good." Was the last thing you spoke before your body hit the ground. The King and Queen were heartbroken as your body was delivered to your chambers and placed on your bed.

"How could we have overlooked the roses?" The Queen sobbed, covering her face with her hands. The King stiffled his own tears, "All we can do now is wait, my queen. Wait for her one true love, as the elleth predicted."

As their cries sounded, the kingdom was slowly pausing, the residents turning into stone for as long as it would take for their princess to awake.

Days turned into months, and months to years. The story of princess Y/n had spread far and wide, elves and men attempted to rescue you but none succeeded. Until one day, a handsome elf lord had arrived from Gondolin. Ecthelion of the fountain had heard of your story from his kin, and even though nobody had rescued you, he hoped he would be the one.

"What makes you think you will succeed?" He was told, but he shook their words off. He just knew.

He rode for exactly thirty days before reaching the kingdom. From the outside, it had lost it's charm it once had: the trees rotting, a musty, damp stench overtook the once glorious smells of baking, flowers and perfumes. As Ecthelion rode through the streets, he noticed that all life stopped. Everyone had become statues, paused at the moment they were working, buying, and chatting. Ecthelion shrugged his shoulders, trying to escape the terrible feeling that overcome him. It was a sort of uneasiness, he guessed. Despite this, he looked towards his elvish sword, knowing he was capable of protecting himself if necessary.

The elf lord gazed upon the castle as he arrived at the half open gates. He got off his steed, stroking the soft mane before arming himself with his sword, walking through the grounds. The corners were littered with cobwebs, the guards looking more like ornamental statues than the people they were. Ecthelion felt sadness at his surroundings: He had heard stories that the kingdom was once vibrant and joyous, a truly happy place to live. But now it had lost it's spark.

"Get him!" A terrible cry reached his ears. Instantly, the elf drew his sword, deflecting the attacks that came from a small group of orcs. Now, he didn't hear about this. They must have inhabited the place during it's time of silence. Ecthelion hit, stabbed, kicked and beheaded the orcs coming at him. His skin was damp with sweat, blood dripping from his nose after receiving a punch. He beheaded the last orc with a fierce yell, panting for breath.

Now on his guard, he made his way down corridors, hallways and up a flight of spiral stairs. When he reached the top, there was a single door at the end of the short corridor. He couldn't hear anything, no orc growls or sounds of footsteps. 

Ecthelion opened the door warily and entered, his breath taken away at the sight. He was in your chambers, and saw your figure laying on the bed, hands clasped together. You looked dead, but he saw you still had color in your cheeks. Though it was faint, he knew you was still alive somehow.

"You are beautiful." He whispered as he came to your bedside, his hand covering yours. He rubbed his thumb along your hand, feeling the coldness of your skin.

"I pray to Eru that you will wake up, and greet me with your glorious presence." Ecthelion bent down and pressed his lips to yours in a gentle, loving kiss. His eyes re-opened to see yours twitch, then open slowly.

"Oh dear. I must have fallen asleep." You spoke in a hoarse voice. "Please don't think of me as rude, sir. Who are you?"

Ecthelion smiled, helping you to sit up. "I have come to release you of your curse, princess. I heard of your story and knew in my heart I had to come. My name is Ecthelion, Lord of the Fountain."

The King smiled, as he too had awoken. Along with the rest of the kingdom. 

"You have saved us, Lord Ecthelion! However can we thank you?"

The elf lord smiled, eyes on you once more. "I wish to ask for your blessing to court your daughter, and one day make her my wife. For her beauty shines brighter than the stars." 

You was taken aback, a blush dusting your cheeks. You smiled gently, covering his hands with your own. "Oh Lord Ecthelion, my beauty could never compare to your own."

The King chuckled, "You may, indeed! You have deemed yourself brave and worthy enough to court my daughter. For saving us, we will forever be thankful." Ecthelion gazed into your eyes once more, full of love and kindness. He bent down to kiss you once more, making a promise to himself that he would always be there for you, no matter what.

[foreficfandom]

Mystic Messenger - Buying MC A Gift

– Zen –

For years, Zen dreamed of buying his love a classic, dainty necklace, romantically delivered in a box all wrapped up in a silk bow. And now he has you! A chance to fulfill this boyfriend dream of his!

He tends to kind of, enforce an image of cuteness on you, even if it’s not your aesthetic. He just likes his love to be innocent and girly. It’s okay if you’re not, he loves you just as much. But when he buys you things, it almost always swings in that direction ‘cause he’s a little unconsciously stubborn like that. 

So he checks his savings and decides that, yep, he’s got enough to splurge a bit, and buys a gold heart necklace. It wasn’t luxurious, nor designer, it was just this teeny 24k gold pendent on a gold-colored chain. The best he could afford at the moment. He asks the store to gift wrap it with the most ‘romantic ribbon’ they have available.

The two of you go on one of your many lunch dates, where Zen has to tuck his hair underneath a hat to make sure the both of you aren’t hassled, and you eat sandwiches with coffee in a cute little shop. 

He slides the box over to you, and there’s this huge smile on his face when you open it to fawn over your gift. 

“It’s only a small thing, but I hope you like it. One day, I’ll be rich enough to afford what you deserve, jagiya.” 

He reaches over and pulls your hair aside to put it around your neck. You touch it with your fingers. It’s all just like his old fantasies. Zen’s romantic dream #35329 fulfilled!

Romantic dream #35330 was when you eventually mentioned to someone in passing, “Oh this necklace? My boyfriend bought it for me.” He just about melted. 

– Yoosung –

For many years, Yoosung didn’t have much money to his name. But he still wanted to buy you gifts because he couldn’t stop thinking about you? Every day he’d daydream about the two of you, about what kind of stuff you’d like to do?? He’d pass by windows of shops and think, “Would MC like this?”

Once he decided to start giving you gifts, he’d kind of freak out a bit because he was worried he’d give you something stupid. He googled for ideas, and talked to Zen, but couldn’t decide what sort of trinkets to shower you with. 

He couldn’t afford good chocolates, and he didn’t know how to buy clothing for another person without going up to you and being like, “Oh, by the way, MC ... what’s your shirt size? Asking for a friend - wait no that’s not what I meant -”

One day, he walks into a bookstore to shop for more mechanical pencils, and by coincidence found large selections of gift items. There’s scented candles! Creative desk toys! Gag gifts of flavored bubble gum and imported mints! 

He ends up choosing what he thought was the cutest. You’d like cute things, right? Cute stuff is universally cheery, so he’d thought you’d enjoy the character-designed set of highlighter markers. 

Turns out that yes, you did enjoy them, and he puffs up with pride all day because yay!! He did a boyfriend thing!

His later gifts were of similar caliber, like sticker sheets or pretty notepads. And later, he finally branches out of the bookstore and looks as jewelry, chocolate boxes, and flower bouquets. Regardless of what he chose, you always loved them. 

– Jaehee –

Most of her ‘gifts’ tend to be of the practical bend. Like stuff for the house both of you end up using, or a set of nice socks because she remembered you mentioning that you needed to replenish your stock.

Not the most romantic gifts, but arguably more appreciated because of how useful they were. Jaehee’s your Functional Adult™ girlfriend and it brings you plenty of joy.

But sometimes she’s compelled to be more whimsical. Her job at C&R didn’t leave her with nothing, and the cafe’s been going so well her wallet’s been more stacked than ever before. So it didn’t take much for her to walk into that gourmet chocolate boutique and purchase a sample box of their best truffles.

Managing your own small business means evenings are usually free. You and Jaehee enjoy a homemade meal, and settle down to drink some beer and watch dramas. Before you can relax completely, she goes, “Oh, I remembered something,” goes to the bedroom, and walks out with a small paper bag. 

“Just a little thing I bought earlier today. I saw it and thought of you.” You opened to reveal your chocolates, your smile making Jaehee’s eyes light up.

You insisted she share them with you, but she refused. She got a smaller box especially to avoid you wanting to share a portion with her. The two of you share most of her gifts already, this is intended to be for you and only you.

So instead you enjoyed your chocolates, biting them in half and showing Jaehee how the chefs filled each one, and discussing the flavors. It gave her inspiration for a new seasonal mocha blend for the cafe!

– Jumin –

Rip in fucking pieces your old commoner life. If a month doesn’t go by where Jumin doesn’t try get you at least two designer items, the world is ending. 

Salvatore handbags. Jewelry from Prada. Balmain dresses. Vuitton shoes. Gourmet boxed strawberries, giant influencer sets of luxury makeup, oh Valentino is producing these cute teddy bears for some reason? Here’s five. 

He’s pretty unpredictable about it, too. Some days, he comes home from a business trip with only one piece for you, for which you’re almost thankful for the lack of a heart attack. And sometimes, he just ups and gets you a car or something, or five new Saint Laurent blouses.

Depending on who you are, it can get pretty overwhelming, or even troubling. All this worth sitting in your room, and is it even towards a productive cause? You remember the days when your family had to struggle with debt and insurance and student loans, you think of all you know who have to deal with eviction and EBT cards, you think of those who starve or die from sickness because they have no money.

You try to explain to Jumin that all this excess is so ... it’s too much. “But my love, I just want to spoil you,” he says. 

 “Then spend more time with me. Don’t blow all this money on material things. I want you.”

That’s a harder thing for Jumin to grant. He’s a perfectionist when it comes to his work, and it’s an internal struggle for him to forgo his crowded schedule to make room for you. 

But it’s a gift that rewards you both. Jumin’s time clears up a bit more, and he stops trying to bury you in luxury you don’t need. You get to wake up next to him more, and spend afternoons and evenings and nights with him. It’s the best gift he could ever give you. 

– Saeyoung –

No, this is not a shitpost. This boy gifts you a fucking gun. Which, depending on who you are, could even spark an argument where Saeyoung insists strongly that he just wants to keep you safe. Carrying guns is highly illegal in South Korea, but since when did Saeyoung care about the law?

You woke up one morning to Saeyoung already five hours deep into his work, because his sleep schedule is still fucked up even though he’s no longer part of the agency. A strange black box was next to your handbag, and you opened it to reveal a small plastic pistol with ammo cartridges. 

“It should be small enough to fit in your purse. Keep the safety on unless you want to shoot. Stay safe, baby - S”

Saeyoung already gives you crazy gifts of robot cats, automatic night lights, talking dolls, and even at one point a taser. But this was crossing a line. If you got caught with this in your purse, it’d be a legal disaster. 

Now granted, Saeyoung didn’t actually intend for you to be carrying a concealed firearm whenever you go to the cornerstore to buy milk. He just kinda thought it’d be an extra precaution during more troubled times. Being slightly sleep deprived and hopped up on soda at the time didn’t help his decision making. 

You wait until he leaves his hacker den to testily shove the gun under his nose and demand an explanation. He pleads his case, and tries to insist that he was only thinking of your safety.

If you’re not comfortable carrying the gun around, he helps you tuck it away in an accessible part of the bunker. 

“Please, baby, just let me know you’re protected.” He hugs you, and you thank him for his thoughtfulness. Even if its a bit weird. 

– Saeran –

His Ray alter would have scoured the globe for anything you asked of him. Saeran today still wants to spoil you as much as he can. Which, as his life slowly stabilizes, begins to grow in opportunity.

Like his brother, he makes tech for you. Mostly software, such as tricking out your laptop to have firewall defense that no money could buy, or hotwiring your phone to run quicker and faster than new.

His money begins to flow in from freelance work, and he starts to look for more classically romantic gifts. First, it was bouquets of flowers he’d surprise you with, then it was little wrapped boxes of macaroons, and then he would shop for crystal jewelry and expensive perfumes.

He wanted to pursue that ‘princess’ image. He no longer tried to force you into it, but instead let it inspire his romantic bent. Every holiday or occasion that allowed for the slightest excuse for gift giving, and he was guaranteed to give you something or another. On Chuseok, he gave you a silk shawl. For Halloween, it was a large box of decorated sweets. On Christmas, it was a pressed flower pendent. New Years was a smart watch that he reprogrammed. 

And on random occasions, he’ll still come home with a large bouquet of carefully arranged flowers, or perhaps a new potted plant to decorate the house. 

You always reward him with a kiss, and it makes him feel really appreciated. A bit of loving normalcy in his otherwise troubled life. 

– Jihyun –

While Jumin tends to be very ostentatious with his wealth, Jumin is a lot more reserved. He may not buy you Chanel coats on a whim, but he still shells out quite large amounts of money for dinner at a fancy restaurant, or a beautiful hand-printed silk scarf he bought while working in Shanghai.

When he buys you smaller gifts, he picks up things from co-ops and other independent, artsy places, usually while he’s running other errands. He’d be shopping for kitchen gadgets and touring the wellness section, and he spotted this beautiful set of bath salts that he’d thought you enjoy. Or, he’s on his way back from the gym and passed a natural produce boutique, and saw a gorgeous gift box of unique tea mixes. 

He’s a believer of sustainable living, so most of what he buys he tries to put his money towards ethical practices. So if you’re getting something from him, expect it to be natural-grade, vegan, fair-trade, etc. Whether its a bag of candied oranges, or a pearl necklace. 

He likes to be spontaneous with his casual trinkets, and traditional when it comes to occasions. You never know if he’s gonna come back from grocery shopping with a scented candle for you, but it’s for sure that he’s got some special bracelet or hair barrettes for Valentine’s. 

To him, these are all just evidences of his newfound peace and tranquility. There’s nothing like being out and about, seeing something, and being able to go, “Hm! I wonder if my love would like this?” So it propels him to buy it and test out the hypothesis. And it almost always results in your smile, which to him is the best reward.