#last week was rough with stuff none of the customers knew about

[ohgoddamnit]

Entree has nachos and Cajun food today 🥹🥹🥹

[rwprincess]

Head Over Feet (Brian Johnson x Fem!Reader)

Masterlist

Word Count: 4.8k

Synopsis: What’s that sound? It’s another anachronistic Brian Johnson songfic! (Based on Alanis Morissette’s Head Over Feet) You’re one of Bender’s trash-punk friends and things change drastically when he brings the scrawny brain from detention with him to meet you all. Set up in snippets, your relationship develops with Brian, even if you weren’t really looking for a relationship.

CW: Teenage smoking (including reader), swearing, parental abuse (being being kicked out), sexism, angst and fluff

“This is Johnson,” Bender indicated the boy he brought along to your group’s spot under the bleachers.

“Brian, please.” The kid corrected. You eyed the gangly youth from top to bottom; in his sweater over a crisply-ironed collared shirt and khakis, he definitely didn’t fit in here with you all. You’d be called grungy punks at best. You didn’t think any of you even owned an iron and crisp definitely wasn’t your style. You blew out a puff of smoke, exhaling the nicotine from your lungs and shifted your gaze to Bender, wondering what he was at with this. He wasn’t the best guy, but pranking this preppy little nerd by bringing him down to your hangout? That seemed beneath him.

“You, uh, running some kinda charity here, Bender? We’re not exactly Make-A-Wish material, kid.” Scorch told the blonde dweeb and you snorted at the thought.

“Shut the fuck up,” was all Bender said in response. The rest of the twenty minutes of Brian Johnson standing there was of course, incredibly awkward and it was clear to everyone that he didn’t fit in. But that didn’t stop him from coming back a week later. And again a few days after that. And again and again until, well, that dork had grown on the lot of you. While he didn’t partake in cigarette smoking like most of you, he did take Bender up on his weed on several occasions and was actually really funny while high. He did weirdly spot-on impressions and had a sense of humor that none of your group had anticipated.

And, as much as you would vehemently deny it, you liked him when he was sober, too. He was incredibly smart and helpful and while his jokes were different without marijuana in his system, he could be amusing. That first awkward encounter was back in March, maybe April. But now you spent time with him without the convenience of school pulling you together. Now it was June and you sought to spend time with him, even without the group. Tonight, you were laying in a field not far from the high school, just the two of you. You liked to listen to him ramble on about the constellations and the myths about why they were named as they were. You remembered liking that as a kid, but you didn’t remember most of the stories. You knew you could ask him questions about the actual stars, too. Like, the science of it, and he would know. But you’d rather let him ramble and tackle one subject at a time. Even though he focused more on science and math, he was a pretty good storyteller, and right now that provided you with more of an escape than talking about the chemical composition of a star. When he finished his retelling of Ursa Minor’s story, however, he remained silent and didn’t start up a new piece of lore. After a moment, you looked at him to see what the hold up was, but you just caught his eye as his gaze was already fixed on you. Your heart started pounding in your chest because you knew what was coming.

“You know, we could go on an actual date some time.” Brian suggested, breaking the silence. You closed your eyes, almost wincing at the words. He was generally more subtle than this, but the same idea had been brought up before. It wasn’t that you didn’t like Brian. In general, you did, and in the honest depths of your soul, it was as more than a friend. But, every time it came down to this subject, you panicked. You had never been serious with anyone and the thought of dating was completely foreign to you. You had messed around with some guys before but you never had feelings for them. You didn’t know how to depend on another person, to have an actual relationship with them.

I had no choice but to hear you

You stated your case time and again

I thought about it

You sighed, your eyes still closed. You didn’t know what to tell him. Before, he always left it as more of a hint and it was easier to dodge. Now he was just coming out and saying it. Basically asking you out, so you would actually have to turn him down this time. The terrible thing was, you didn’t really want to. The conscious side of you wanted to agree and go out with him, on a proper date. But your subconscious kicked you into fight or flight mode and if you weren’t in the middle of a field, you might have picked flight and walked away. But that didn’t seem to be an option.

“Look, Johnson. It’s not that easy. Just...don’t waste your time on me.”

“I’m already wasting my time on you.” He pointed out, but when you took a peek at him, he didn’t seem upset about it. He was actually grinning about it. “We’re already wasting our time out here. Or at the library, or under the bleachers… So why not like, a movie theater or dinner, or my house?”

“Oh yeah, your mom would love having me around.” You joked, humorlessly. The smattering of times you had met Brian’s mother hadn’t gone swimmingly. You could read the derision in her voice and knew she did not approve of her good little baby hanging out with a ne’er-do-well like you.

“She’d come around. You’re different once someone actually gets to know you.” He meant it as a compliment, but you took it as your out.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” You leapt up, indignantly and he just gaped at you like a fish out of water.

“I didn’t mean anything bad by it, I swear!” He put his hands up defensively as you looked down at him. “Forget it, I’m sorry.” You had victory, he dropped the subject and your friendship could last another night and you could try to pretend like he wasn’t right, that you two weren’t meant to be something more.

*~~~~*

You treat me like I'm a princess

I'm not used to liking that

You ask how my day was

For the most part, working at Bert’s auto shop felt worthwhile and valuable. Other days, it chewed you up and spit you out. It was hard being in such a masculine environment and not fitting into that type. Customers (mostly men, but even the women too) thought that you were less knowledgeable and handy than your cohorts. Bender’s teasing didn’t help that image, either.

Now you slid into the booth at Gino’s pizzeria utterly deflated and defeated. Of course, Brian took notice right away. “Rough day?” He inquired, pushing a menu towards you even though he knew you ordered the same thing every time.

“That’s not even the half of it. Why does Bender hafta be such a dick all the time?!” You asked, incredulously but sincerely, diving right into your problem.

“I don’t know. I think he thinks it’s part of his charm? Maybe it is. I mean, we’re still friends with him.” You nodded at his point, but clenched your fists just the same.

“I just wish he knew when to back off sometimes. Like, he never realizes he’s taking it too far and digging you further into a shithole.”

“What did he do this time?” Brian’s gaze on you was unbroken; it made you feel important, like your opinion, your story, was the only thing that mattered.

“So we got this old guy in the shop today. Beautiful car, so of course he was hesitant with me touching it.” You began and his eyebrows furrowed, already not liking the direction this was going. “And I’m trying to prove myself worthy to work on this car, even though I would just be doing an oil change, which isn’t like a big deal anyway, right? Simple stuff.” You looked to him to get acknowledgement to move forward.

“I mean, I guess. I don’t really know about oil changes or anything about cars. But I know you do.”

“Right, so Bender has to go and make a crack to the old guy about how they won’t let me near it and I’m just the secretary for the shop or whatever. Just a total dick move. But of course the guy believed him and laughed with him and sent me to go get him a cup of coffee? I mean, what the hell is that?”

“That’s not right. And you wear a mechanic’s uniform at work, why would he think--?”

“Because macho man Bender told him I was! He was more believable than me.” You sank back and put a hand up to brace your forehead as the waitress approached the table. You prepared to order your drink when she set down exactly what you would have ordered in front of you and walked away, promising to come back in a few minutes. You blinked at the cup as if it magically had appeared.

“I uh, figured you’d get the usual and you’d need it when you got here, so I ordered for you. I hope that’s okay.” Brian said and then looked away, suddenly embarrassed by the idea. Since he wasn’t looking at you anyway, you allowed your lips to twitch up into a smile threatening to break out on your face...but only for a moment.

“Yeah, whatever. So anyway, Bender…” you carried on, pretending nothing happened, but secretly cataloguing his gesture in your memory.

*~~~~*

The only thing worse than arguing with Brian or him pissing you off was him making you laugh. There were times that you would go home with sore sides and itchy eyes from the tears that formed while laughing so hard. Then you would always, always reflect on the hours you just spent together, feeling the warmth and butterflies tickle your insides and a nervous heat would prickle your skin as you thought about how happy Brian made you. He never pushed you to do anything; he liked you the way you were. Sure, he would drop hints here and there about how you should stop smoking or give you advice when you had a particularly bad argument with one of your friends, but overall, he just accepted you. And you knew how hard that was to find.

You had never been popular and when junior high rolled around, you accepted that you never would be. You found your own little group of outcasts who understood what it was like to be kicked down time and again, and now he had somehow joined that group too. You knew he understood how it felt. Even though he looked different and came from a very different social circle, he had been looked down upon by his peers all his life. You were guilty of judging him the same way when you first met him, but now you couldn’t imagine life without him. He was cut of the same cloth and you could see yourself in him, which is why you just clicked. And he was so kind and so patient with you. You tried to push him away dozens of times, to put up the barriers and the walls that worked so well for everyone that came before him; you couldn’t be hurt if you never got attached. Where most people gave up and only saw the cold, distant bitch you gave them, Brian always saw something more. He didn’t give up in breaking down those walls, and even accepted just being your friend. That made you love him even more.

Shit, wait. Did you just think about loving Brian? A crush is one thing. Having a buddy to fool around with is one thing. Being in love was quite another.

You've already won me over in spite of me

Don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet

Don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are

I couldn't help it

It's all your fault

*~~~~*

Mercedes Johnson was all about keeping up appearances, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t hear her arguing with Brian on the other side of the door, about you. Again. You had known from the second you met her that she didn’t like you. She was instantly worried about the influence you’d have on her son; it was a common reaction from parents based on the way you looked and the company you kept. You would think you’d be used to it by now.

However, it truthfully bothered you more because this was Brian’s mother. You were hoping that she would be different and see the person underneath like her son had, or at the very least, that she would eventually warm up to you. You had no luck with either.

“I’m not comfortable with having her over at the house right now.” You could hear her tell Brian.

“She’s my friend, ma. Of course she’s going to come over--”

“I’m aware of that but you know I wish she weren’t. I would prefer that you keep the company of other friends.” The formality of her sentences while she was still cruelly putting you both down made you cringe.

“You don’t know her because you won’t give her a chance. She’s not that different from my other friends.”

“You have friends in the Physics Club, from Knowledge Bowl, Honor Students. You don’t need the association with a hoodlum like that or John Bender and I don’t know why you keep insisting on bringing them into my home when I have repeatedly told you no. I don’t want them around your sister, or even you!”

“Fine. Then we’ll leave.” You heard the door swing open harshly and Brian was motioning for you to follow him out of the house.

“Brian Ralph Johnson!” You heard his mother cry after the two of you. Brian held open the front door for you and you looked at him cautiously before rushing out. You knew you weren’t wanted there, but you were worried that he wouldn’t come with you. You were even more worried that he would. “You are not leaving this house.” Mercedes put on the most intimidating tone you had witnessed her use.

“No, I am. We are. I’ll see you later.”

“Don’t bother coming back tonight if you walk out of this house!” She was now pink-faced and losing all of the reserved, polished look you had seen her have. She had never been so...uncomposed.

“Don’t worry. I won’t.” Brian said and grabbed you by the elbow as he escorted you down the driveway to your car. He immediately got into the passenger seat and as you sunk behind the steering wheel, you glanced at him.

“Brian, this is stupid. You don’t have to---you shouldn’t do this.” The whole situation reminded you of the many times you had been kicked out of your house. This was just another home you weren’t welcome in.

He clenched his jaw in response. “Let’s just go. I’ll figure it out later. Please, just drive.”

Your love is thick and it swallowed me whole

You're so much braver than I gave you credit for

That's not lip service

“Your mom gave you a choice, you know. It’s not like she told you to get out. She actually told you not to leave.” You said as you both sat on the trunk of your car, looking out across the field that was slowly turning to a golden hue, both from the afternoon sun and the change into autumn. Neither of your houses were really an option to go to, so you just chose the empty field that you would look at stars in during the summer.

“It’s not like it was really a choice though, was it? I’m tired of her trying to control every part of my life. I need to start thinking for myself, doing things for myself. She needs to understand that I’m going to do what I want, and like who I want to like.” He looked at you meaningfully for a moment, but you looked away quickly. It was too heavy for you to process right now.

“That’s a big step. I’m really impressed with you for standing up for yourself.” You told him, and he gave you an appreciative, heart-stopping smile in return that caused your cheeks to flush. Your parents had shouted at you to leave so many times before, any time you were ‘inconvenient’ for them, that it was hard to relate to someone who chose not to stay. But you wanted to support him and you did feel proud of him today. You thought back to the most recent event in which you had been dismissed from your family, and how you had tried to take it out on Brian:

You slammed your locker and watched him almost jump out of his skin. “I don’t want to talk about this.” You growled at Brian.

“I understand that, but you need to. You can’t just--”

“Just what?”

“You can’t just act like nothing happened or run away from it...run away from here.” You had been disciplined at school yet again and your parents had had enough. You had a big fight with them the night prior and did not sleep in your own bed. The tiredness racked your body today and you were stiff from sleeping in your car. If it weren’t for the social aspect, you wouldn’t have bothered coming to school. But you quickly realized you weren’t in the mood to talk to anyone, and you were only making the situation worse.

“Like hell I can’t.” You stated, quickly turning to walk away.

“Y/N, don’t. Come on, talk to me. Tell me what happened. We can figure it out together.”

“There’s nothing to figure out, bucko. I’ll be fine. I’ll do this on my own. I’m used to that anyway.”

“But you don’t have to be alone, Y/N. That’s what I’m saying! That’s my whole point: I’m here for you!”

“I didn’t ask you to be, Brian.”

“No, because friends don’t have to ask.” His words scared you. Nobody had so adamantly offered to be a safety net to you before.

“Yeah,” you scoffed, “we’re great friends. We’ve bonded so much in the, what, four months you’ve known me?” You rolled your eyes, trying to make him feel uncomfortable, to drive a wedge between you. You only knew how to put up walls, how to run.

“You know we are.”

“Yeah, sure, right. Friends. Not like you want to sleep with me or anything.” You tried to drive another knife into him, to play it off like he was following you only because he had a crush on you, one you tried to pretend wasn’t reciprocated. “It’s not going to happen, Brian. So just accept that we’re not friends.”

He let you get about three steps away before you heard him say, “No. I know what you’re doing, and it’s not going to work. Sure, part of me wants something more, but...I care about you, Y/N. And if we can just be friends, I am happy with that, I swear. But don’t do this to me. Don’t try to shut me out or walk away or act like you’re fine. I know you well enough to know you’re not.” When you turned around, you could see that he had tears rimming his eyes, threatening to fall, which made your own tears spring up as well. “I am your friend. I’m not going to just let you go and do something stupid. You are going to talk about this. If not to me, then someone else. But you can’t just run away or sleep in your car or, or…”

“Okay.” You said, softly.

“Okay?”

“Fine, let’s talk about it. I screwed up again and my parents kicked me out. So what do I do?”

“Y/N, I’m so sorry. I...we’ll think of something.” He began to tell you, but you bit your lip and drowned him out in your own sobs. Everything crashed in on you at once; you hadn’t escaped in time. You slid down your locker wall and sat on the floor. Brian joined you and put his arm around you tentatively.

You are the bearer of unconditional things

You held your breath and the door for me

Thanks for your patience

After that day, you knew he wouldn’t let you go. You tried your best to brush him off, to hurt him, to land irreparable blows. But it was all in vain; he stuck by you. You admired how he stood up for you, for your relationship, whatever that meant. He didn’t back down, even though you knew he genuinely cared what you thought. He was willing to put everything on the line just to be with you, in whatever capacity you would allot him. And today, he had chosen you again. He had picked a fight with his mother and chosen you. He placed you above being safe and comfortable and at home right now.

“I’m sorry, this must seem so stupid to be complaining about. I know I don’t have it that bad, it’s just that--”

“No, your problems are valid, too. Your mom sucks.” You told him and he laughed, “But I would be lying if I said it wasn’t...weird to have someone be given the choice to stay instead of being yelled at to get out and that you’re worthless and---I’m sorry. I don’t mean to make this about me.” You said softly, looking down at your hands.

“No, I get it. It’s gotta be on your mind a lot, the uncertainty. Plus, I don’t mind talking about you.” He nudged your shoulder with his own, trying to be playful but you knew he meant that. He always put you first. You couldn’t help your next impulse as your hand shot up to cup his face and you leaned in and kissed him roughly. You weren’t entirely sure why you had done it. It would probably change everything and you couldn’t tell if you were doing it selfishly to feel like someone cared or to keep him around or because you truly wanted to. Of course, he kissed you back, and the feeling it gave you pushed a lot of those doubts from your mind.

You're the best listener that I've ever met

You're my best friend

Best friend with benefits

What took me so long?

*~~~~*

The kiss in the field still didn’t mean you were “together.” Realistically, it complicated things for a while. You avoided Brian for a couple of days and didn’t discuss it when you finally caved in to your desire to see him. He didn’t bring it up either, even though there were many times he would look at your lips like he wanted to make a move again, but you never talked about it. Things began to look “normal” after about two weeks. You spent time at the record shop, or under the bleachers with your friends or in the library with his friends. He nagged you about giving up smoking and you finally listened, much to his surprise.

“What made you finally decide to quit?” He asked, looking at the nicotine patch on your arm. You shrugged, not wanting to tell him the truth.

“I guess I just finally got tired of you being a broken record, mother hen.” You teased him, but he just smiled because he was happy with your choice. The truth of the matter was, you had done it for him. While you weren’t with him, you wanted to be. You didn’t want to keep doing something that bothered him so much, but you also knew that eventually, your habit of smoking would cost time with him and you didn’t want that. You lied to yourself that you didn’t want a relationship and weren’t thinking about a future with Brian, but you were. Every time he helped you study or encouraged you to do your best, the time your parents were out of town so he had made you his “specialty” of spaghetti in your kitchen, when you drove him around singing songs together on the radio...you thought about doing those things with him forever and instead of the fear you used to feel at such a thought, you felt happiness. You anticipated a future with him, something to look forward to.

I've never felt this healthy before

I've never wanted something rational

I am aware now

I am aware now

*~~~~*

“It’s kind of weird, yeah. But they’re cute together, I guess.” You had just returned from a movie with Bender and Claire. You were surprised at how long their relationship had lasted, especially since you had hated Claire at first. You assumed she was dating Bender as a statement, but it had been over six months and they were still together and it just seemed to work.

“It must be nice to have someone like that. Even if they don’t make sense, they care about each other. It just must be a nice thing to have a relationship like that.” Brian looked at you for a moment before backpedaling, realizing he must have made it sound like he was guilt-tripping you. “Don’t worry, I won’t ask you out again. I really just was complimenting them--”

“Well, maybe you should.” You cut him off.

You realized how rare a find like Brian truly was. He always put you before himself; he listened to all of your problems and knew when to offer solutions and when to just listen. He was endlessly supportive, and kind. He kept taking giant risks just to be with you, to show you that you mattered to him. You knew, without him saying it, that he loved you. Why else would someone go to the lengths he did, just to make you happy? You had tried everything to shake him, to get rid of him so neither one of you would be in too deep to get hurt. But he stayed, and now, you wouldn’t want him to go anyway. It was too late; you were both already in too deep.

He just blinked at you, sure he had heard incorrectly. “Wh-what?”

“I said, maybe you should. Ask me out again.”

“Y/N, do you want to go out with me?” He asked, unsure. It felt like a setup, but he knew you wouldn’t do something so cruel to him.

“Yes.” You replied, softly.

“Why?” He asked with furrowed eyebrows.

“I don’t know. I guess you won me over.” You chuckled, but he failed to see the humor in it, so you changed to a more serious tone. “Brian, I thought that these feelings would go away, that you would go away. Lord knows how hard I’ve tried to push you. But...you didn’t and the feelings didn’t. I-I love you. And I’m pretty sure I’m going to keep loving you, I don’t want to waste my time with anyone else. And...And I think that you love me.”

“I do.” He breathed quietly, with zero hesitation.

“So, why fight it any more? I was afraid that I would hurt you, but I think I’ve already done that and you’ve stuck around.” He nodded in confirmation of that fact. “And I was scared that I would get hurt but...but I’ve realized that you won’t do that to me, either.”

You've already won me over in spite of me

Don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet

And don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are

I couldn't help it

It's all your fault

He took your hands in his, “You’re serious? You really want this? Because, you know how I feel. How I’ve always felt.” You nodded in response, tears quickly filling your eyes, which was a rarity for you. He leaned in towards you to kiss you, for the first time since your conversation in the field over a month ago. He waited for you to be ready in every aspect of your relationship and you had never known so much love and respect before. It took some adjusting to, but he had pulled you in and made you fall for him again and again.

Just gonna tag my buddy...

@90sinequity

[felix21im]

"Ice Cold", a Leon Kennedy x reader fanfiction

As an Art and Design student all you want to do is just knuckle down and finish that one goddamn piece you've been working on for months. Too bad your time is constantly stolen by your Waiter job with minimal pay, but hey, at least the tips are good if you unbutton your shirt that one more time.

Masterlist

Chapter 6: The Bar

“You have to be kidding me right now!” You couldn't believe what you were hearing. “It was the first time I haven’t shown up to work, I always did my job exactly how you wanted me to and this is your thanks? I told you what happened and you don't even care at all! I was literally unconscious and in shock after what occurred that day.” You exclaimed and shook your head, not believing what you were hearing.

“I'm truly sorry, but you know how we handle things here. I'm sure a young and outgoing person like you will find a new job without any problems. We will send you the money for the last days you were working. Now, if you will excuse me, I’ve got a restaurant to take care of.” Your boss, well ex-boss, went through the door and left you standing in his office in disbelief. You picked up all your personal items before then heading to the front door. You looked around once more, thinking about all the years you were working here. You said one last goodbye to your coworkers before heading out the door, leaving this part of your life behind.

You went to your own car - finally having a driver's license after Leon made sure you got your private lessons - ready to drive home. But as you were sitting down you realized that that wasn't what you really wanted. The best thing to do now was to see Leon, so that's exactly where you were going.

You pulled into Leon’s driveway and parked in front of the front door. “I didn’t know you were going to be here today.” Angel greeted you as you stepped out of the car.

“Neither did I.” You answered and walked to the door, letting yourself in. You found Leon in the kitchen and he was leaning over a bottle of whiskey. “Leon?” You raised an eyebrow, thinking it was kind of early to drink but didn't say anything to him.

You must have scared him as he shot up to look at you. He looked rough, his hair was a mess and his grey clothes were stained. “Buttercup!” He smiled as he walked over to you. “I didn’t know you were coming over today, I thought you were at work.” He planted a kiss on your forehead and rubbed your arms.

“I got fired.” You simply blurted out, rather than trying to avoid it. “Since I didn’t go to work that one day last week my boss seriously wasn’t happy.” You lightly waved Leon off of you and sat down at the kitchen counter. “I’ve never missed a day for like three years but one day! One day! Is enough to get me fired.” You placed your head in your hands and groaned.

“Well fuck that guy.” He pulled a cereal box out of a cupboard under the kitchen island and placed it into a bowl.

“Fuck that guy…” You replied. “Now I need to waste the next week of my life trying to find a new job.

Leon finally put some milk into the bowl too. “You’re a college student, you don’t need a full time job.” He placed the bowl in front of you as you looked up at him. “Eat up, Buttercup.”

You looked down at the cereal and you pushed it around with your spoon. “I’m not really hungry, Leon.” You pushed the bowl back towards him and you brushed your hair with your hand. “It’s not that I need a job, I just like having one, it keeps me busy and the extra money never hurts.”

“But wasn’t the pay terrible?” He raised his eyebrow as he began to eat your food. “And super sexual? Your co-worker Mimi told me about how you would unbutton your shirt and wear super tight pants so that the customers would tip you more…”

“True.” You admitted. “So I’ll look for something different. Maybe I can be a personal assistant like Angel and Daisy.”

“They’re more than just assistants y’know.” Leon continued to eat. “Those two have joined me on a job, saved my life once or twice.”

“It’s four in the afternoon, why are you eating cereal?” You eventually asked.

“We don’t have any food, Angel wasn’t able to go shopping this morning.” He said as he placed his empty bowl in the sink. “How about an office job?”

“That’s a bit boring, dontcha think?”

“Umm. How about that internship you were going for?”

“I still have three months left of college, once I'm done with that and I have the grades for it, I can apply.” You admitted as you got off the bar stool, not having eaten any of the food Leon gave you. Leon watched you while you were filling your glass with water and some ice to cool down. You drank it and watched Leon do the same, just with his glass of whiskey. “Isn't it a little too early to drink?” The words left your mouth before you were even thinking about it. Now it was Leon's turn to raise an eyebrow at your comment.

“Are you my mom or what now? I think I know when or when I cannot have a drink.” He snapped at you, which really surprised you.

"Obviously I am not. But that's not really responsible of you, is it? I just don't get it, why you're drinking at this time and so often in general the past weeks." You thought about what you were saying, realizing his drinking behavior dates back to the first time you even met. "I get that your job isn't easy and stuff but day drinking? Really? Seems kind of low to me, Leon."

Leon let out a laugh and shook his head. "If all you want to do now is complain you can leave. That's not what I wanted you here for."

You looked at him again with big eyes. "So you don't wanna talk? I don't know what it is that’s between us, but it can't always be good and fun. I'm literally just worried about your health!"

"Worried? I think I know what's good for me much better than you do, I'm not the child here." He spat at you as he drank from his glass.

"So if you’re not ‘the child’ does that mean that I am?” You looked at him speechless. “That's how you see me? I understand that I'm a lot younger than you but I'm not a child! And just because I'm trying to talk about something serious? What is going on with you Leon?" He didn't even look at you. Instead he poured himself another drink and took a sip. You shook your head and let out a scoff. You then grabbed your jacket and went to the door. Before leaving you looked back to Leon, hoping he would apologize or stop you from leaving, instead you got nothing. You slammed the door behind you shut and you heard something break. “A fucking mansion and his front door cant even handle a slam..” You muttered to yourself as you went over to your car. Angrily you left his driveway and drove in the direction of home.

Your roommate was home for the holidays, leaving you in your apartment alone. Rather than sitting on the couch feeling sorry for yourself you tried to get some work done.

Looking for jobs was much harder than you remember. “Host. Nope. Grocery store worker. Eh, I guess that could work. Stripper?! Hm, if I'm desperate enough, maybe…” You spent hours looking and applying to jobs, most of them being just over minimum wage but any money is better than none.

Eventually you gave up and just began to watch TV on your laptop, endlessly flicking through the channels available to you. Since none of it looked interesting you put on something random and picked up your sketchbook. As the noise played in the background and your pencil ran across the paper your eyelids became heavier and heavier, those combined with the fact that it was now eleven at night.

The sound of your phone vibrating on your wooden desk ripped you from your sleep. At first you ignored it, being far too tired to want to actually open your eyes. It started to vibrate again. You rubbed your eyes, trying to see clearly in the dark and waking yourself up. You looked at your phone confused, wondering who wanted you so late at night. You unlocked it and looked at the time first. “Almost two in the morning... damn”, you muttered to yourself. After that you checked your notification and let out a sigh. Multiple messages from Leon just in the past few hours you were asleep. You didn't even bother looking at them, knowing that he was drunk. Most of the messages didn't even make sense and there was no way to read or understand them. Before locking the phone again, an unknown number called you. Unsure about who it could be, you waited for the call to end. But soon after the same number called again. You let out a sigh, answering the call. "Hello? Can I help you?" You asked tiredly. You didn't recognize the voice talking to you, but you could hear Leon mumbling in the background. The person told you something about Leon being totally wasted and that he requested for you to come and pick him up. Unsure about what to do, especially after the argument you had earlier, you still agreed to picking him up. You ended the call and put your phone away. Putting your head in your hands, you let out another sigh and shook your head. You quickly went to your kitchen and put on a pot of coffee, needing caffeine otherwise you would fall asleep before you even got to Leon.

As you grabbed your jacket, phone and coffee you looked at your car keys and shoved them into your pocket. You knew you couldn’t take your car as you didn’t want to leave it at the bar considering it was twenty miles from home. “Why couldn’t he have gone to a local bar?”

You waited outside in the rain for a taxi to come and pick you up. You’d be sure to charge this cost on Leon’s credit card.

Faint music was in the background as you walked through the door to ‘Billy’s Bar’ and it only took you a second to find Leon. “Buttercup!” He waved and blew a kiss at you the second he spotted you.

“Hey Leon.” You somewhat smiled as you sat down next to him at the bar. “What mess have you gotten yourself into?” You muttered as you waved over the bartender, them giving you the bill. “How can you rack up eighty dollars in one night?”

You searched Leon’s pockets for his wallet but came up empty. “Woah there Buttercup, let’s go home first before you start to pull my pants off.” You simply rolled your eyes at his drunk comment.

You groaned as you gave up the search for his wallet and eventually you just placed your own stack of cash on the bar, giving a little extra for the bartender as a tip. “Come on.” You got off the stool. “Let’s get you home.” Leon got off his stool and he wrapped his arm around your shoulder, giving you a kiss on your forehead. “Jesus Leon, don’t do that…” You wiped the kiss off of you and shook your head as the two of you left the bar and into the pouring rain. “Keys?” You held out your hand and he placed his keys in your palm. The keys to one of his fancy cars that you don't even know the name of but you were pretty sure that it was an Audi of some sort. It had four doors and four wheels, good enough.

“I can drive Butterc- cup.” He hiccuped as he talked, proving just how much he shouldn’t drive.

“I’ll be fine…” You clicked the keys and the lights on the car flashed. You took Leon to the passenger side of the car and forced him off of you as you opened the door for him. He leant on the roof to help himself into his seat and you then closed the door behind him. “Alright, it’s just like my car… just a lot quicker and a lot more expensive…” You mumbled to yourself as you hopped in the driver’s seat and started the engine. The loud roar was enough to make you almost pee yourself due to your nerves.

You gripped your hands on the steering wheel and put the car into drive. The car immediately shot forward and you instantly slammed on the breaks, causing Leon to bash his face on the dashboard. “Oh fuck!” You put the car into park and looked at Leon’s nose. “I’m so sorry.” You carefully brushed your hand on his nose and luckily it didn’t feel as if it was broken.

“I’m fine…” Leon’s eyes rolled back in his head and he leant back in his seat. You simply huffed at him and leant over him, grabbing his seatbelt. As you went back to your seat you sighed at him as you looked at him sleeping.

You buckled your own seatbelt and started the car again, now more carefully. You checked all the buttons and hoped for the best as you left the parking spot slowly. Before you stepped on the gas once more to drive onto the street you looked over to Leon, who was now half asleep. Just sometimes he looked up again or out the window without saying anything. Which was probably better because he wouldn't say anything useful anyway in his state. You drove on the main street and gripped the wheel, concentrating on the dark and rainy road before you. You tried putting on some music but soon shut it off again because it just irritated you. So you just drove around silently trying to find a way to Leon's house. Every now and then Leon muttered something, more to himself than to you. You shook your head blaming yourself for his behavior. Letting out a sigh you concentrated on the road again and silently went on.

You drove for around five minutes before Leon began to get bored. “Buttercup?”

“Hey Leon…” You replied to him, keeping your eyes on the road because you didn’t want to swerve into a ditch.

“You’re the best.” You could see him smile at you in the corner of your eye. He held out his hand and you simply ignored it. “Please?” He wiggled his fingers, wanting you to hold his hand. You scoffed as you dropped your right hand from the wheel, placing your hand in his. “I love you, Buttercup.” He smiled at you again but you simply ignored it.

“You’re drunk, Leon.” You took your hand back from him, in annoyance.

You wanted him to say that he loved you, but not like this, not in a drunk slur. “I’m serious.”

"Yea, sure you are." You rolled your eyes and looked straight to the street, not giving him anymore attention.

"You're so mean, Buttercup." He began whining like a little child which made you laugh sarcastically.

"You’re behaving like a child now, Leon. I told you earlier today that it doesn't have anything to do with ages." You shook your head, thinking about the argument from earlier.

"I'm sorryyy..for snapping at you like that earlier.. do you forgive me? Pleaseeee Buttercup.." You raised your eyebrow at his apology, not thinking much of it.

"I can't forgive you when all you do is lie when you’re drunk. Say sorry again when you're sober and we'll see." You felt him moving in his seat, now directly facing you. You gave him a short look and tried pushing him back into his seat. "Leon, please sit down correctly. I can't concentrate like this."

He had a smug smile on his face now. "Am I all you can concentrate on now?" Leon came closer to you and you backed up, now shoving him away with your right hand. The road in front of you was still slippery and dark and you couldn't drive like this. In a short motion you stepped on the brakes and stopped at the side of the street. Now facing Leon as well you tried pushing him back into his own seat, hoping he would leave you alone now. He still resisted and even though he was totally drunk he still was stronger than you. He grabbed your wrists and came closer to you, almost sitting on your lap now. You were able to keep some distance with your legs but it wasn't an easy task. "Buttercuuup.." He began again as he started playing with your fingers. "I'm serious.. I loveee you, since the first time I met you." You looked at him, searching his face. People always say that drunk people speak the truth but a part in you didn't want to believe it. Not because you didn't have feelings for Leon, but this whole situation seemed wrong to you. You realized it wouldn't get you far when arguing in this state so you just let him talk, not giving it much thought. Leon continued talking but he soon noticed you didn't even listen anymore. As soon as he came closer to you again you snapped back to reality.

You unfastened your seatbelt and got out of the car. You walked through the rain to Leon's side of the car and also opened his door. He looked at you confused but didn't say anything. You loosened his seatbelt and almost threw him out of his seat and out the car. He just about caught his balance, looking at you perplexed. You tried finding the right words but didn't even know what you were doing here. Leon leaned on the side of the car, already totally soaking wet. "Leon, I don't know what's going on with you but I can't continue driving when you keep on annoying me like that! So please just shut up or we're gonna stay out here until you're sober again, I don't care!" You shouted towards him, hoping he would even hear you through the loud and heavy rain. You came closer to him again, waiting for an answer. It seemed like hours passed, but Leon didn't say a thing. You groaned and opened the back door. You grabbed Leon's arm and pushed him inside. Overwhelmed by the sudden force, he fell into the backseat taking you with him. So now you lay on top of Leon, both of you totally wet. You felt Leon's warm breath and also the smell of alcohol. You suddenly felt hot and everything around you seemed to stop, all you saw was Leon. He looked you deep in the eyes and you into his. Without even thinking about it, you felt Leon's big hand on the back of your head, pulling you closer to his face. And the next thing you felt were his lips on yours. For a split second you leaned into the kiss, before realizing what was happening. In an instant you shot up and pushed yourself away from Leon. He looked at you, confused and heartbroken. "Leon. Let's just get you home now." You helped him put on a seatbelt without speaking another word and then went back to the driver's seat. The rest of the drive home neither of you spoke a word but every now and then you felt Leon staring at you from the back.

Finally you arrived at his home. Even though it was raining you could still make out the driveway and main door. You didn't bother parking the car in his garage, so you stopped in front of the door. You took the keys and before leaving the car you looked back at Leon. He wasn't asleep. He looked out the window, like most of the time during the ride. It reminded you of a child that wanted to stop at the local McDonald's but his parents didn't want to. You shook your head and tried hiding your smile. After that you left the car and also helped Leon out. Both of you didn't say a word as you walked to the door. Leon's arm was around your back for balance but you didn't mind it. It was better than letting him walk alone and him ending up injuring himself. You opened the front door, which was unlocked to your surprise. Apparently no one in this house thinks it could be possible that a thief would come here to say hello. You took off your own jacket which was totally drenched and hung it up. You then did the same for Leon, without any words exchanging either.

"I should probably get you something dry to wear. You're gonna get sick otherwise." You said more to yourself than to Leon but he still heard you and agreed.

"Let's.. just go upstairs and change there. It doesn't matter if the house gets dirty." Leon already started walking towards the stairs but you soon followed after noticing how he couldn't even walk straight. You then helped him upstairs and you went into the bathroom.

"I'll get you something to sleep in, just.. sit here and don't move. Can you do that for me?" He nodded silently and you left the room. You went into his bedroom and got some pajamas for him and also something for you to wear. As you entered the bathroom you found Leon sitting in the bathtub, naked. Even though you've seen him half naked before this wasn't what you wanted to see. Covering your eyes you threw his pajamas over. Obviously he didn't catch them so now they were lying next to him. "Jesus, Leon. What are you doing? I asked one thing of you and-"

"Sorry, Buttercup.. I just didn't want to freeze." He put his legs closer to him and rested his head on top of them. You shook your head and even though you didn't want to, you had to agree with him. You were also cold and wearing wet clothes didn't help. You sighed and looked at him. "Are you gonna shower by yourself or do you need help?" You felt like his caretaker right now but you also couldn't leave him hanging now. He looked at you with big eyes, which basically begged for you to help him. You sighed once again before walking over to him. You started the shower making sure it was warm enough. It was just a quick way of warming him up, not wanting to spend any more time with a naked and drunk Leon. After you were done you helped him out of the bathtub and put him into a towel. After drying him a little bit you helped him get into his pajamas and walked him into his bedroom. You watched him get into bed and before taking a shower yourself you saw him drifting off into a deep sleep. Closing the door behind you silently you went back into the bathroom and took a shower and changed into some of Leon's clothing. Nothing too special but at least it would keep you warm. After you put all the wet clothes away you went downstairs to try to get some sleep as well. You entered the living room and lay down on the big couch. Just a few minutes later you felt sleep take over and take you into a world of dreams.

You woke up the next morning to Angel's voice. "Hey there. Sorry to wake you up, I just wanted to see you before heading out again." You sat up and stretched, looking at Angel. "Thank you for bringing Leon home. I wasn't home yesterday and.. I'm sorry you had to see him like that." You shook your head, putting a hand on Angel's shoulder.

"Don't apologize for that. It's no big deal.. I think. Does this happen often? He was so.. weird yesterday." You looked down, feeling guilty for snapping at Leon like that yesterday, maybe being the reason for him ending up drunk.

"It's, well, it happened before. He always likes to drink but I'm not sure what's going on to be honest. But don't worry, okay? It has nothing to do with you or anything. Chances are high he's just fed up with work, I don't blame him." You nodded, smiling at Angel now. She then stood up and gave you a small smile before turning to leave. Before leaving though she turned back to you. "I prepared some coffee for you and Leon. Maybe try waking him up. And.. try not to be too mad at him, would you?" She waved to you one more time before leaving the room and soon the house.

You got your two mugs of coffee and you went up the stairs to wake up Leon. As you put your hand on the doorknob you could already hear his snoring so you made sure to be quiet. He laid face up on the bed and his hair was extremely messy, so rather than waking him up like you originally planned you just sat on the chair by the window and drank your coffee. The rain from last night was still just as terrible, if not worse to the point where you couldn't even look out the window, you needed some other source of entertainment. You picked up one of the books that Angel had placed in there as decor and began to read it. It was only a small book, something about a knight in shining armor there to save the princess, just like all the other fairy tales. As you were reaching the end of the book you could hear Leon beginning to stir, his breathing had become a lot lighter and his snoring had stopped, meaning he was pretty much awake now. You took another sip from your coffee and you could see Leon sitting up in bed. He had his hand on his head and you could tell that it was pounding. “Good morning, Sleepyhead.” You gave him a faint smile as you tapped the table, another mug of coffee waiting for Leon.

He groaned as he waved his arm at you, wanting you to bring the coffee to him. At first you just shook your head at him and clicked your tongue but he wouldn't give up, you were too tired to argue about it so you just sat on the side of the bed, your back facing him. “You’re mad."

“You think?” You snapped at him, still looking forward, at the blank wall in front of you.

“I’m sorry, Buttercup.” He sat up properly and shuffled towards you, being careful not to spill his cold coffee. “I was being stupid. I had a bad morning and I just wanted to chill out for the rest of the day, have a nice drink and just relax by the pool or something.”

“Oh so me arriving for a surprise visit, that's what derailed your day?” You turned to face him and you could tell that the two cogs in his brain were working overtime.

“What? No!” He shook his head as he tried to get a grasp on the situation. “I overreacted to you asking about my drinking problem-”

“Oh so now you admit that it's a problem?” You interrupted him, by now your body was fully turnt to him, just by your body language he knew that you were more than just pissed at him.

“It’s always been a problem.” He ran his hands through his hair. “I can try and explain it.” You simply huffed at him, wanting to hear his excuse but still wanting him to know that you're angry. “After Raccoon City I began to get pretty bad nightmares. Like really, really bad nightmares. You can guess why.” You simply nodded at it, feeling guilty now that you got him to explain. “I couldn’t sleep for weeks at a time, so I tried my best to just keep myself busy. Hobbies, people, anything. I would sometimes go out to bars and whatnot and I figured out that after a few drinks I would usually sleep better that night.” He adjusted himself in bed so that he was fully sitting upright, his full attention on you as he talked. “I’ve been doing it for years, Buttercup. It’s just a hobby I guess.”

You didn’t really know what to say. Sure you lived with college kids so you were around drinking fanatics 24/7 but an actual alcoholic? You didn’t have much experience.

“Buttercup, I’ve tried everything.” He leant forward and grabbed your hand, rather than you recoiling like the night before you accepted it and you shuffled yourself closer to him, sitting cross legged next to him on the bed. You hesitated before leaning your head on his shoulder and also grabbing his hand.

"I don't know how I can help, Leon. But you can't continue like this. I.. I didn't recognize you yesterday, you were so different. I don't want to worry about you, when you're out for a drink. I just-" You looked up to him with big eyes, some tears forming inside them. You felt so helpless and even bad for not noticing anything earlier. Leon squeezed your hand.

"Shh.. it's okay, Buttercup. After I met you, I tried to stop drinking, you can even ask Angel. But the nightmares never end. The only time I was able to sleep through the night was.. when you were here and slept next to me. Knowing I wasn't alone, feeling you next to me, it helped me." You blushed and gave him a small smile, but deep down you knew this wouldn't help long-term.

"Even if I stay here to sleep in your bed, you will always want to drink. And I can't be here with you all the time. You need.. we need something else to fix this problem." You took a deep breath. "Leon, I think you need professional help. Like, I don't know, medication to help you sleep?" You looked at him unsure of what you could do to help.

"I tried that before, Buttercup. I swear I tried it many times before but I also fell back into this habit. I can't change it anymore." You shook your head.

"No Leon, stop saying stuff like this. You may have tried before but.. now I'm here. I'll help you. I promise I will not leave your side, we will do this together. We can work in small steps, you hear me? Like.. you always drink your whiskey with ice, right? What about you trying to put in less alcohol and more ice? Step by step? It's worth a shot and this way it isn't cold withdrawal. What do you say?" You looked at him with big eyes, kind of proud of your idea. A small smile rested on Leon's face as he looked at you.

"It's worth a shot. But don't get your hopes up too high. This won't be easy and.. if things don't work out, I don't know who I'll be then."

"Leon. I am not leaving you alone now. We will do this together and no matter what happens, I'll be here. I believe in you." You lay your arms around him and hugged him. You felt his arms around your body and smiled. After a short while you let go of him. Both of you took a sip of your stone cold coffee and sat there in silence, the only sound being the rain outside the house.

You saw Leon fidgeting around and looked at him questioningly. Before you could ask what he was thinking about he began speaking. "You know, uhm, what I said yesterday. I meant it. Sure, I was drunk and all but…", he turned to you. "I love you. I have for a long time now but I didn't know how to say it. But I really do." You looked at Leon with big eyes, shocked that he would bring this topic up again. Unsure of what to say you stood up and walked around the room. Leon's gaze followed you and you felt bad for not saying anything. After walking up and down you finally sat back next to him again. "Leon, I.. I don't know what to say. I mean.. I. God. Leon. I love you. I really do." You let out a small laugh. This whole situation felt so bizarre to you. You saw a big smile growing on Leon's face and you had to return it. He grabbed you by your arm and pulled you to him. You looked each other in the eyes, knowing what both of you needed now. Leon closed the gap between you two and after so long you kissed him. Without being drunk. Just a real and honest kiss, both of you wanting it and knowing it was the right thing. “So what was the bad news that you got yesterday morning?” You asked him as you pulled away.

“I have to go to Italy for a job.” He smirked. “But I think I might drag you along with me, we can have some time together once I'm done with work.” You thought about the offer for a split second before agreeing.

"At least I don't have a job where I have to ask for permission anymore." You jokingly said, trying to make the best of the situation.

"Well then we have a plan. Sooo, you better get home and pack your things. We should be at the airport early tomorrow morning. I'll text you the time and pick you up. Sounds good?" You nodded before going for another kiss. You stayed at Leon's house for a while longer before eventually going home and packing your stuff. You were excited to be by his side at a job and couldn't wait for it anymore. God knows what you've gotten yourself into...

----

Taglist: @trinswhimsys @dixanadu @oppsie--channie

[alovesthis]

all of those things // sam wilson

all of those things // sam wilson oneshot (also on my AO3 - pinned on my tumblr)

summary: Every single thing about Sam Wilson had made your stomach flutter with uncontrollable butterflies. The way he spoke and carried himself. His bright smile and the way he laughed. All of those things are what made you fall in love with him. But, you had some questions on why and how he loves you -- which leads Sam confessing every single thing he loves about you.

word count: 3.3k 

warnings: none

requests: send me a message, or an ask on my tumblr! I don’t have any prompts, but feel free to send me any ones you have on your mind! Marvel, SPN, Peaky Blinders. Just note, I’m currently mostly writing MCU characters!! specifically, Sam, Bucky, Steve... 

newly edited; may 24th 2021

Every single thing about Sam Wilson had made your stomach flutter with uncontrollable butterflies. The way he spoke and carried himself. His bright smile and the way he laughed and how it reached to his eyes. All of those things are what made you fall in love with him, but falling in love with your best friend was tricky.

For years you both stood in touch despite how many states you lived from one another. After Sam came back home and started living in D.C, you got a job there and he was fucking thrilled. You struggled to find a place to live, despite Sam’s efforts to get you to move in with him, as you wanted to do things on your own. But when it got extremely difficult, you gave in. How hard could it be to live with your best friend?

When you first asked yourself that, you didn’t really think anything of it. It was easy for the first few months. He was a clean person, kept things organized and had a great set up with his record player. That was one of the many things you adored about him. His love for music and the way he would always show you music you’ve never listened to. The way he’d cook breakfast early in the morning for you before the two of you went off to work. The way he’d say ridiculous jokes and laugh the hardest.

There wasn’t a thing you didn’t hate about him, or dislike. Sure, as best friends you’d annoy the shit out of each other from time to time. But, it never made you want to be without him. Even when times got rough, he was still there for you even if he was the one to make you upset. That was just the type of man Sam Wilson was; caring and the utmost loving human being. He’d gone through a lot, and that was an understatement.

Before The Snap even happened, you were scared you lost him forever. He was helping Steve find Bucky with some others and you had to stay on the sidelines, helping them find places of safety and running from everyone who wanted their hands on Bucky and them. You went months without seeing him because of that. And when The Snap happened, Steve came to you and explained everything. It hurt you because you knew that was going to happen: losing Sam.

Those five years were the longest years of your life. Family members dying, moving and you on your own in the apartment. It made a huge difference with the most warm person you knew was gone. Everything was cold and empty, no smile that could light up the room was there to be seen. No contagious laugh or someone to confide in. No more Sam. Although you two have been apart in life because he went on his tours, something was different about him being gone. No communication, no location. But still, the feeling you’d never see him again would linger in your heart, heavy on your mind. The picture frames were still there to remind you of him and all the memories you’ve shared.

Sometimes, staring at pictures of the two of you and listening to his favorite records made you cry. It made you regret that you never got to tell him you loved him. More than a friend, more than just because you were grateful for him. It was because you were utterly in love with your best friend.

For years, you couldn’t stand to be alone. And Sarah, his sister, knew how much you were suffering alone. No job, no immediate family around...so she made you pack up some stuff and move down to Delacroix to Sam’s childhood home. Sarah, and pretty much everyone who knew you and Sam, knew how you felt about him. And although you were oblivious to how Sam felt towards you, everyone knew how he felt about you. They all saw it. The way the two of you would brighten up either of you walked in a room. The way no one else took his place or yours.

During the five years he was gone, you would hang with Sarah and her kids. You were back and forth between D.C and Delacroix from time to time, whenever you could afford it. She never liked to ask for help, but you helped out because you wanted to. Sarah was a sister to you, and those kids were something special. Watching them grow up when Sam was gone, they reminded you of him. So did Sarah.

When Sam came back, there was no wasting time jumping in his arms. After the final war with Thanos (Sam told you everything about it), there was Tony’s funeral. Natasha’s. Everyone came together, including you. If that wasn’t enough to make things and everyone feel down, Steve left and it broke Bucky. Sam was in for a surprise when he was handed the shield.

For months, Bucky left and you and Sam went back to Delacroix. Although he went back into working after being pardoned, you worried for him and Bucky. You didn’t want them to overwork themselves and jump back in after fighting and running for so long.

But as you looked out for Sam, you realized he was okay. Even if you were worried about him every day (I mean come on, he’s your best friend), you knew that Sam was never to keep things bottled up. It was rare, but right now he told you he was fine but if he needed someone, he’d obviously come to you. As time went on, he went on missions. You stood back, working at home (in Sarah’s house) as a journalist for credible news sources in New York and D.C. Although you were grateful to have this family and them letting you stay, you were missing Sam too much. Sure, he wasn’t working everyday 24/7, but there were missions where he was gone an entire week.

After talking to him one night about it, he saw how concerned you were. He would change his schedule slightly, in order to make sure he wasn’t ever becoming work obsessed. He knew your family as a kid would be so invested in their careers, that you were somewhat neglected a childhood.

The things he’s done for you made you swoon for him. Sometimes, it made you feel guilty and selfish for asking for more time with your best friend. As you confided in him about little things like that, Sam would laugh and reassure you that you shouldn’t ever feel selfish or sorry for wanting him to be around.

He started taking it easy on work. Not only because you felt like he was working too much, but because the family business was struggling and he wanted to help out a lot more. This led to family time, which Sarah and you gossiped about while packaging plates for customers. Sarah would argue that Sam working is fine, and it’s better that he’s away from home. Although she understood your feelings for him (you didn’t think she knew, but Sarah had really good intuition), she didn’t want you or Sam to worry about the business, boat or home.

So yeah, he still kept taking time off work but that meant his missions were more tough and extremely longer than most. Even though that was a change, there were still those nights you both cherished. The ones where it was just you two, alone, staying up all night watching the classics you two both loved.

He caught you staring at him one night. Sitting on the couch together watching the third movie of the night. You stared at the way his smile made his cheek bones prominent, the way it reached his eyes. He would huff out laughs and his sculpted body would move up and down. You didn’t realize you were staring so hard, until he turned his head to react to a joke from the movie.

Your cheeks were set on fire and you were utterly embarrassed. The way his wide smile began to slowly fade as he watched your eyes glare down to his lips and back up to his eyes. Coughing, you quickly turned back to the screen with your breath hitching in your throat. You bit your lip and began bouncing your leg in anxiousness. Trying to watch the movie, you felt Sam’s stare burn through the side of your face.

“What?” Sam smirked.

“What?”

“What’s going on?” He asked softly. You didn’t answer, which makes him sigh and grab the remote so that the movie didn’t distract you. “Y/N?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing.” You stood up, hesitating whether or not you should head to bed or sit back down. “I’m gonna go to bed. I’m just exhausted.”

Sam had this thing about him. He knew when people were having a hard time, and he knew much better than to just let you walk away without letting you talk things out with him. He gripped on your wrist and pulled you down to the couch. You let out a tired sigh, and fell into his side.

“You gonna keep sighing or are you ever gonna tell me what’s wrong?”

“It’s been so hard these last few months.” You gulped, hoping it would stop you from being over emotional.

“You came back after all these years, fought against Thanos and Steve left the shield to you. And then you didn’t take it, so I thought maybe you would’ve taken it easy for a while. I worry about you every day, every time we’re not together. I kept trying to tell you every chance I had, but I scared. I got mad at myself for not telling you, but I was scared if I did I would ruin everything. I got mad at myself because I knew if I didn’t tell you, I could probably lose you one day on a mission and you’d never know…Sam, I-I’m-”

The nerves shoot up and down your body, making you anxious

“Hey, hey…” He pulled your hands from your face, making you look at him. “Tell me what? Is everything alright?”

Sam’s heart starts to drop in his stomach, worried that something was wrong and you didn’t tell him a thing about it.

“I’m in love with you. I really, always...truly love you.” 

You spilled your heart out, embarrassingly so, you try to leave his grasp. But he doesn’t let you go. He wants to listen, he wants to make sure you know that he feels the same way. So, he does.

He said your name lovingly, “I love you.”

Stunned, you tilt your head trying to make sense of those three little words you had no idea he’d say to you...in that way. He waited for your response, biting back a smile as he thought it was cute that you were flustered.

“I can’t...you?”

“Talk it out, baby, that’s alright.”

You swooned at the nickname, your heart pounding against your chest. Leave it up to Sam Wilson to make you melt by just speaking.

“I can’t believe you love me.”

Sam laughed lovingly, “What? Why’s that?”

“Fuck, I said that out loud.” You hid your face in his chest. The heat rises into your cheeks as you squeezed his biceps in embarrassment. “Sam, I’m serious. I just-”

“Look at me.” He tugged on your waist. His hand had started to glide from your hip to your jaw, caressing it gently. “Come on, I’ve loved you since we were kids. I thought all the flirting and back and forth was obvious! I love you now and I’ll continue to love my girl forever.”

Your eyes shoot up to his.

“Yeah, my girl.” He smiled, his eyes flickering down to your lips and back to your eyes. “This explains a lot too.”

“What?”

“Never bringing home anyone. Dates, sure. But the fact that we both knew inside we couldn’t bring anyone home, or came up with excuses.”

“You came up with excuses not to bring anyone home? Or date people? Jesus, Sam...why?”

“You’re telling me you haven’t?” You shook your head at him. “I thought so.”

“But why?”

“You really gotta ask me why?” He sighed, raising his eyebrows in concern. “Oh baby. I was gone for a second, but I lost years and so did you. I can’t ever imagine how that must’ve been for you, or Sarah and the kids. I’ve been thinking a lot lately, more than ever, about how the life I had before Steve walked in my life. All the people we had to fight, and save and run for our lives….That was hard. Being away from you for so long that sucked.”

“It did. So, I guess we both know how it feels when we’re away from each other for so long.”

“Yeah, and that made me realize I don’t want to waste anymore time. I love you because it’s always been you. The people I’ve met, all those dates or whatever they were: it didn’t work because they weren’t you. No one can even amount to you.”

You shook your head, “No, Sam. I’m not that special-”

“Don’t do that. Don’t think you’re not. Don’t do that self deprecating thing, because I know you know how I’ve seen you. How Sarah sees you, how those kids look up to you. Shit, even Bucky sees you. He won’t return my calls or texts, but somehow you get through to him. You’re special. The way you have the strength to get up early in the morning with me before I head off to work. I mean, who would really wakes up at five in the morning for someone and they don’t gotta wake up for another four hours?”

“You’re the only person I’d wake up early for.”

“See. It’s little things like that.”

“What?” He squinted at you, a smirk playing on his face.

“I mean...no matter what you do, or where we are. I just, it’s those things that made me fall for you. Much to my surprise, I didn’t think I’d ever tell you. Or even hear those words come out of your mouth.”

“Why?”

“For starters, you’re my best friend and probably the closest thing I have to a family. I didn’t want to jeopardize that. Not only that but just...I’m just me.”

“That’s right. You’re just you.” Sam said, pulling you into him.

“That’s why I love you.” You shrugged. “You let people know that they’re good, that they’re beautiful.”

“You’re just as caring and filled with compassion.”

“Yeah, but there’s only one Sam Wilson.”

“That’s true.” Sam laughed. “And there’s only one you. That’s what makes you unique, and that’s what makes you the woman I love.”

“Sam.”

Everything about you, from the way you woke up with him in the early mornings, to late night movies, cooking together was things he loved about you. From the way you passionately spoke about the things and people you cared about. The way you fumble over your words during a joke always made him laugh. The way you would stay up for him after his long missions and work, to make sure he was physically and mentally alright.

It was the little things and the big things in life that you did that made his heart grow even fonder of you by the day. And now, now that he had you here in his hold confessing your love to him...he really couldn't believe it.

He moved one of his hands to hold on your waist, as you sat together on the couch. He loved the way you said his name. Whether it was Sam, or Samuel, or Wilson when you were angry...or even when you called him Falcon in amusement, his mind couldn’t keep up with his heart that kept beating faster everytime he was with you.

“Y/N…” He said, matching your tone.

“You always know the right things to say, huh?”

“Yeah, and the truth.”

“Can’t argue with that.”

He laughed, then moved his fingers on your waist to comfort you. 

“Listen, I could list every damn thing and reason why I love you. Trust me, that list is endless. It’s always been you that’s made me feel things I’ve never felt for anyone, you know? The way you look in the morning, or anytime of day really. Your lips...whenever you’re concentrating on something you do that really damn cute scrunch of your face. You know, the one where your nose scrunches and your lips are pulled to the side. The way you listen to me. Whether it's my jokes, or going on and on about shit or just letting me open up to you. How could I not fall in love with my best friend?"

You closed your eyes, listening to the way he spoke. That’s another thing: his voice. Whether it was when he was joking around, or tired, or flirting...that voice made you feel more things for him than you’ve ever felt.

“Every, goddamn thing about you is what I love. Because it’s you.”

Suddenly, you felt his hand on your cheek and you open your eyes to stare up at him.

“You’re really warm.”

“You have that affect on me.”

“I know I do.”

You rolled your eyes at his confident flirting. Before you could even respond, his other hand is cupping your jaw. His lips gently grazed yours, slowly waiting for you to make the next move. But the fluttering in your stomach made you too nervous to even move. He caught on and with a faint smile, he leaned in more. You felt like you were frozen, in a dream. Your mind is still caught up in the ‘holy fuck my best friend, sam fucking wilson is kissing me.’ After a few seconds, he pulled away to rest his forehead on yours.

It stood silent between you too. Sam waiting for you to relax and realize what had just happened. He lets out a breathy laugh when he felt your hands start tugging on his shirt, asking him to come forward again. Your lips are instantly on his, and you finally feel it. The connection that pulls you into him, the love that you’ve felt for him for years.

Those butterflies in your stomach flutters up into your heart. Everything you’ve read, watched or heard suddenly starts to become true. There’s this wholesome feeling knowing you’re finally kissing this man you’ve had a crush on since you were kids. But then, there’s this loving and intense feeling that pulses throughout your body. His mouth opens slightly, allowing you to explore his. The nerves start up again, but you push them away once you feel confident enough.

Your lips detach from his for a second, and you both let out each others names in a low whisper. He felt it too. The way you were both vulnerable around each other more than other time. The way you both finally got those feelings off your chest, speaking them to each other.

Sam kissed you once more, just a peck but enough to make you feel weak all over. It was soft, but you felt him giving his all to you. And as he pulled away, it left you breathless and clinging tightly on his thick biceps.

“The things you do to me.”

“I could say the same thing.”

You leave a kiss on the side of his mouth, to tease him and for your own satisfaction. No words are spoken for the rest of the night. It gave you and Sam the opportunity to relax into each others arms.The two of you let out a relieved laugh, falling back into the couch together. He lets his hand wander from your head, down to your back, soothing you and making sure you know everything that had just happened was real. If you had the option of kissing him for the rest of your life, you would.

But right now, being in his arms and knowing that he loves you back, can suffice.

[maybedefinitely404]

Day 1: Logince

@tsshipmonth2020

Day 1: Your soulmate’s name is on your wrist.

Content: Flower/Tattoo Shop AU, background character death (unspecified cause, none of the sides), that’s pretty much it, it’s just soft Logince.

Word count: 2.7k

A small ding from the store entrance pulled Roman out of his thoughts, and he groaned softly. It was nearing the end of his shift, almost closing time, and another customer at this time would probably mean he was staying after hours again. All he wanted to do was go home and watch cheap reality TV in his sweatpants while shoveling handfuls of hot cheetos into his mouth. So sue him, it had been a long day. But nooo. Someone else had just walked in, probably someone with a very specific style that was out of season and they would argue for half an hour, no matter how many times he explained that tulips aren’t blooming right now, Vanessa! 

Sure, usually his customers were great. Nervous first anniversaries, eccentric brides, all that romance stuff. He loved it. And they were usually all too willing to give him a budget and a color scheme and let him go wild, which was the best part about his job. He was good at it, too. His boss had seen his eye for style and almost immediately gave him solo shifts, which meant decently good pay and hours alone to belt out songs amongst the flowers and daydream to his heart’s content. It was a small enough business that the only mandatory part of his outfit was a green apron, so he could wear whatever he wanted, and he didn’t need a pesky nametag. Those had always weirded him out just a bit. So yeah, he loved his job, but right now, he knew himself too well. He had awful luck. 

With a forced customer service grin, he poked out of the backroom and began his usual spiel of, “Thanks for coming to The Rainbow Bouquet, what can I get started…” 

His words died in his throat at the mere sight of the man before him. Never had he been so equally attracted and frightened at the same time.

He was tall, probably just taller than him, but he held himself in a way that made Roman feel miniscule. Both arms were covered in tattoo sleeves, the left one a flurried mix of black and white and color, beautiful strips of pink and blue galaxies blending with grayscale skulls and clocks. The other had more order; shadows of a forest growing from around his wrist, shimmering mist curling up over his bicep and ending with a full moon stamped on his shoulder like a crest. A corner of something peaked up around the collar of his torn vest, and if Roman had to guess, there were most likely plenty more tattoos that were covered by his ripped black jeans and blue Nasa shirt. Not that his mind was going there at all, no siree. 

Once Roman’s brain had screeched to a halt back in his body, he spoke again.

“What can I get started for you today?”

The man swallowed with difficulty, taking in the rows and rows of flowers surrounding him. He definitely didn’t look in his element.

“I need an arrangement for my mother. She’s in the hospital.”

Ah, the part of the job that Roman didn’t enjoy. Probably half the orders that came in were for sick people or funerals, and those were always a lot harder to arrange. It was always hard to find joy in creating for something so dismal.

“I’m sorry to hear. Did you have anything specific in mind? Does she have a favorite flower?”

“Daisies. She likes Daisies,” He murmured, still admiring the space around him. Roman couldn’t help but smile at the man’s expression. It was just a little awe inspired, a little bit of childish wonder, under that rough exterior. It was a gorgeous shop, that’s one of the reasons Roman had started working there.

“That’s good, it makes it a little easier for me to design something when I have that to go off of. Do you have a budget, or…”

He shook his head weakly, finally turning to look at Roman. “Price isn’t an issue. This is one of the last things I’m going to be able to give her.”

“Oh,” Roman whispered, slowly putting down the pen he’d been writing with, “I’m so sorry.”

“It can’t be changed. There’s no point in losing sleep over it.”

“Just because it’s going to happen doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck. You’re allowed to be sad about it.”

The man narrowed his eyes, giving Roman a once over before lifting his chin slightly. “I don’t need advice from a stranger.”

“Of course you don’t,” Roman quickly corrected, remembering he was still at work, “My apologies. When did you want to pick it up?”

“I’m visiting her tomorrow at noon. Could it be ready by then?”

“You bet. Can I have a name for the pick up?”

“Logan.” Roman’s pen skittered over his notepad, almost falling through his fingers. 

Having a common name on your wrist was a curse in and of itself. And poor him, the hopeless romantic that he was, had met countless “Logan’s” in his day, and consequently fallen for most of them at first introduction, only to figure out quickly that they weren’t destined for a “Roman”. As inconspicuously as possible, he tried to glance down at Logan’s wrist, only finding a mass of swirling tattoos covering his skin. Dammit. There were some people born without soulmates, or had their soulmark fade to nothingness when their person passed away, and he tried not to think too terribly hard on which one Logan was. He tampered his rush of excitement as quickly as it had arisen and turned back to his notes, ignoring Logan’s raised eyebrow at his sudden stop.

Roman scribbled down the name and phone number as it was given, setting down the notepad with a customer service smile. The man spent no time dawdling, immediately starting towards the door, only to hesitate before walking out.

“Her favorite color is yellow.”

Roman nodded, the fake smile slowly morphing into an authentic one. “I can work with that.”

It was now a week after Logan had picked up the bouquet, a somewhat awkward interaction filled with small compliments towards the arrangement and Roman nearly dropping the flowers as their fingers touched while passing it over. As he was ringing up the total, he’d been able to uphold a brief conversation where Logan revealed he was a tattoo artist (no shock, considering he showed more inked skin than plain), and Roman showed off his rose tattoo on his upper arm. It would have been fine if the conversation ended there, but no, Logan had to reach up tentatively to brush his finger along the edge of the piece, commenting off handedly about how the color had started to fade.

“How long ago did you get this done?”

“Probably ten years, give or take.”

“You’re what, mid twenties? There’s no way you were legal ten years ago.”

“Who said I was?” It was said with a small wink that made Logan pull his hand away, an action that immediately dampened Roman’s mood.

“If you ever want it touched up, come by the shop. It’s just down the road.”

Roman had promised to consider, pulling the collar of his long sleeve shirt back up over the rose and bidding the man a good visit to his mother. Even now, a full week later, he couldn’t help his thoughts that were so centered around the tattoo artist. So maybe that was why Logan walked back into the shop the following Wednesday. I simped so hard I summoned him, Roman thought weakly as the gorgeous man strode straight up to the counter, leaning on it like he owned it. 

“I have a question.”

“What’s your question?  

“A client asked me yesterday to design a tattoo for her. A bouquet, seen from the top, and all she specified was it should feature hydrangeas, and she asked me to, quote, ‘go nuts’.”

“This isn’t sounding like a question so far.”

Logan sighed apprehensively, adjusting his glasses, “I was hoping you could give me some ideas on how to start. All the tips I found online contradicted each other in some way or another, and the arrangement you created for my mother was so well done…”

He trailed off, giving Roman a look that clearly said I need your help but don’t make me ask for it. Chuckling slightly, he leaned onto the counter as well, his face inches away from Logan’s. For the first time, he could see the small piercing on the man’s tongue as he sighed again. God, that’s hot.

“I’ll help you. On one condition.” 

“Being?” 

“Help me design my next tattoo.” In full honesty, he hadn’t even considered a second tattoo until that second. 

“Deal.” There was no hesitation in his answer, and he took Roman’s offered hand, barely shaking it in the small space between them. 

“Alright!” Roman pulled back, satisfied but disappointed as their hands separated, “Let’s talk flowers!”

And talk they did. For hours, in fact. It started with Logan’s tattoo dilemma, and Roman’s skillful eye and creative mind solved that problem in a flash, crudely drawing out a bouquet idea that fit all the criteria. The tattoo artist took it from there, using the notepad paper and Roman’s sketch, along with a quick round of the shop to see what the recommended flowers, fillers, and greens would all look like, and drew out a detailed piece that put Roman’s own art talent to shame. After explaining that his shift was done at the parlor and he had the rest of the afternoon free, Roman invited Logan to stay for a while longer, seeing as his day had dragged on customer-less so far, and he was bored. Plus, now was as good a time as any to pay back the favor. Two mugs of breakroom coffee later, the two were huddled around the counter, Roman describing his ideas and Logan sketching them like there was no tomorrow. Maybe half way through the brainstorm, the conversation switched to Logan’s mother (which he talked about hesitantly), then to Roman’s family, slowly changing to the absurdity of satin couch cushions, then to their favorite foods, and finally ending with a loud debate on whether pineapple deserved to be on pizza.

“It’s a fruit, Logan! Why the hell would you put fruit on a pizza?!”

“All I’m saying is that the sweet flavor of the pineapple balances out the tanginess of the marinara sauce, and adds more to the plain crust!”

“That doesn’t make it right!”

Logan had to go soon after that, wanting to visit his mom before visiting hours ended. He left with a begrudging smile on his face and a promise to come back another day, drawing an ear to ear grin from Roman. He’s just a friend, he reprimanded himself sternly, all the while sliding the drawing of his next possible tattoo into his phone case with startling reverence. No use getting attached to some who wasn’t his soulmate. 

Yet, he still couldn’t help but feel saddened as a week passed again, then two, then a month. His job had returned to it’s boring normalcy, with only the flowers and no cute boy to keep him company. Even when he sat at his little desk next to the counter, hands working effortlessly to string together order after order, he couldn’t help the occasional glance at the door. The hope that his prince charming would waltz back in, piercings and ripped clothing galore, never faded. 

A month and a half later, the little chime above the door dinged, and Roman glanced up from his handful of Baby’s Breath (seriously people, there are other fillers). Immediately a huge smile pulled at his lips and he dropped the half finished bouquet onto his table.

“Logan! What took you so… long…” His expression morphed into one of worry as he took in the other’s appearance. Gone was the usual grunge attire he was so prone to wearing, replaced with a black hoodie and beaten up Vans. His eyes no longer held that dangerous glimmer that had intimidated Roman so much when they first met. He just looked… small. Logan had never looked small before.

“My mom died last month,” He whispered.

Roman was over the desk in a second, pulling the man into his arms before he could protest. It took Logan a second, a long, awkward, stiff second, before he let his arms wrap around his waist, allowing his forehead to rest on the florist’s shoulder. 

“I thought I’d be okay when she died… it was inevitable. It was her time… so why does it still hurt so bad?” The desperate whisper shattered Roman’s heart. 

“You’re allowed to feel sad, Logan.” He felt him merely shake his head in response, but he said nothing to push the topic further. 

Logan didn’t cry as they stood there, though he clung to Roman almost desperately. If he had to guess, the poor man was probably already cried out. He looked exhausted, and his unusually slumped posture only weakened more when Roman tightened his arms ever so slightly. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner. You were probably waiting.”

“Hey, no apologizing.”

“I just… didn’t want you to see me like this.”

“So what changed your mind?”

Logan shrugged, still not pulling away, “I couldn’t seem to snap myself out of it. And I needed someone who wouldn’t laugh at me. If our few interactions were anything to go by, you were that person.”

Roman decided to ignore the blatant implication that Logan didn’t have anyone except a practical stranger to go to. They could talk about that later, if he decided to stay for a while. Roman really hoped he did. 

When the tattoo artist finally pulled out of the hug, many minutes later, he pushed his sweater paws under his glasses to scrub at his eyes. Maybe he hadn’t cried, but he sure was close to it. 

“I’m sorry-”

“Stop apologizing.”

“I don’t even know your name, and I-”

“It’s okay, stop-” Roman reeled back slightly, eyebrows shooting into his hairline, “Oh… sweet Zac Efron. I never told you my name! Why didn’t you say anything?!” 

“It felt too late to ask,” Logan smirked subtly despite himself, letting his hands fall back to his side.

“Oh, my sweet summer child.”

“I am none of those things.”

Roman sighed in soft exasperation, smiling at the barely perceivable glimmer in the other’s eyes. Ah, there it is. “My name’s Roman. I can’t believe I forgot to tell you.”

He was instantly concerned with the way Logan’s face fell into one of total shock. Shit, what did he do wrong? The fear was quickly replaced with understanding, however, as the artist’s hand drifted to his right wrist. 

“What are the chances that your wrist says my name on it?” Logan said it like he was scared to be hopeful, like a happy ending was just not imaginable for him. Roman couldn’t comprehend all the emotions he felt at one time; elation, shock, fear. He answered in a choked voice, smiling all the while. 

“One hundred percent.”

The both upturned their arms in near harmony, Roman pulling his gardening glove down to reveal the name. He squinted at Logan’s wrist, finally noticing the small writing that just barely stood out underneath a grayscale (anatomically correct) heart. No wonder he missed it before, it almost blended in with the outline. 

And then Logan did cry, but so did Roman, so it was a little more okay. He seemed more confused than anything as Roman pulled him back in, holding him even tighter than before.

“I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing.”

“I’m so unused to… well, feeling. I’m not usually like this, I believe I’m just sleep deprived and worn out from-”

“You never, ever need to be guilty for feeling, you absolute punk stereotype.” Roman pressed a long kiss to the other’s temple, letting him unwind in his arms. “We’ll work on that together. I promise.”

A muffled affirmative hum was all he got in response. He pressed another kiss to the top of Logan’s head as his crying slowed, breathing out heavily into the man’s hair. Together. That’s all that mattered.  

Peep this gorgeous art piece for this fic

[dickspeightjrs]

Dean still thanked Bobby every day for giving him a job at his store. Bobby would only respond with ‘shut up and stop thanking me ya idjit!’

But still, Dean was grateful. With Sam in his first year of college (Stanford Smart-Ass), even with a hefty scholarship, affording to live is still a bitch – especially in one of the most expensive states in the country.

So, on top of his job during the week as a TA at the local university, Dean picks up a couple shifts over the weekend at his Uncle Bobby’s vintage antique store.

Now, while Dean was extremely grateful, the gratefulness didn’t stop the fact that the job was boring as hell.

If you asked Dean, half the stuff in the store looked like it should be donated to Goodwill not be in a vintage store on sale for hundreds of dollars.

(It’s not that Dean didn’t understand the appeal of vintage items. He could appreciate a vintage beauty. His car was a prime example of that. However, despite what the price tags may say, none of this junk held a candle to his beautiful 67 Chevy Impala.)

The place was hardly heaving, even on weekends. And when customers did come in each interaction went one of two ways:

People brought in their old junk in an attempt to pass it off as some rare artefact. Trying to convince those people that what they thought was a valuable medal, passed down through generations may as well have come out of a Happy Meal was not Dean’s favourite way to spend his Saturday.

The second, and perhaps the worst, type of customer would be the rich, entitled people who come into the shop wanting to expand their collection of antiques (which Dean knew without having to visit their homes that they only purchase to show off their wealth and don’t particularly care where they come from). They could be buying a Victorian butt plug to display on their mantelpiece but wouldn’t care as long as it’s as old and expensive as possible.

Dean had a customer just last week who took hours trying to haggle on the price of an antique brooch, despite clearly being about to afford it at full price. If Dean didn’t need the job to support Sam he would have told the woman exactly what he thought of her. (Even Bobby had rules when it came to professionalism). Regardless, she was a total –

“I need a ring!”

Dean was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of a man entering the store looking pretty flustered – emphasis on the pretty.

The man made quick strides of the distance between the door and the counter where Dean was still stood – transfixed by the frankly beautiful man coming towards him.

The man stopped and let out a deep and calming sigh.

“I need a ring.” He repeated more smoothly.

Regardless of how he feels about the customers, no one could say Dean wasn’t awesome at his job. So he put on his best customer service smile, tried to ignore the things this man was making his body feel and silently thanked Bobby once again for this.

“Of course, Sir. Was there anything in particular you had in mind?”

The man frowned.

“Please. There’s no need to call me ‘Sir’. Just call me Castiel.”

Castiel. Angelic

Go figure.

“Okay, Castiel. Are you looking for any kind of ring in particular?”

As he spoke, Dean started to move towards the key box that held the key to unlock the glass cabinet, which housed all of their rings.

“Your most expensive if possible, please.”

Dean stopped in his tracks and looked momentarily at Castiel with wide eyes.

Not only is this dude hot as fuck, he’s rich as fuck too?

Dean was used to asshole rich people throwing their money around but even they had a limit. Coming in and asking for the most expensive ring before even seeing it? Dean didn’t care how gorgeous this guy was, or how blue his eyes were, or how rough his voice sounded, or how sharp his jawbone looked, or –

Anyway! This dude was clearly a douchebag so Dean wasn’t interested.

He opened the glass case and lifted out the most expensive ring, placing it delicately on a black cloth for Castiel to look at.

Castiel picked it up between his finger and thumb – inspecting carefully.

He seemed so quiet and unassuming – nothing like the normal wealthy douchebags Dean encountered. Maybe he got him wrong. Maybe he wasn’t so bad.

“Yes, I think she’ll like that one.”

Ah. So not a douchebag but definitely not single.

Dean sighed internally. That put an end to that before it even began.

Castiel dropped the ring back onto the surface and reached into his pocket for his wallet. Dean picked up the ring and carefully placed it inside the matching box. He was painfully aware that ring was worth more than he could earn in almost a year. Even if Castiel was single, Dean would never keep up with that amount of wealth.

He tried not to let the disappointment of Castiel’s impending engagement affect him – he was still just a stranger after all (a beautiful one at that his brain unhelpfully supplied). Dean plastered on his customer service smile.

“Would you like our complimentary cleaning cloth to help maintain its colour? We recommend cleaning it properly every week or so with this cloth as it is one of the older items in our collection.”

Castiel thought for barely a moment, “Sure.”

Gee, for a guy about to spend the rest of his life with the love of his life, he sure seemed uninterested in a pretty essential part of the process. This was just getting more and more depressing – and confusing.

Dean rushed to finish the transaction so he could get back to the normal status quo of the regular two types of customers and not a third who comes barreling in and turns his system upside down.

He finished the payment – Castiel barely flinched when Dean told him the price – and packed the ring carefully with the cleaning cloth into a gift bag.

“Thank you and I hope you and your soon-to-be fiancée have a wonderful life together.”

It pained Dean to say as he looked into Castiel’s eyes. Bobby should give him a raise just for the smile he was fighting to keep on his face.

As if Dean couldn’t take anymore, Castiel tilted his head and squinted his eyes making himself look adorable as hell.

“I’m not getting engaged.”

What?!

“What?”

“I’m not getting engaged.”

“B-but you just bought a really fucking expensive engagement ring!”

The confused part of Dean’s brain was overpowering the other part screaming ‘He’s not getting engaged – he might be single!’

“It’s for my mother.”

“Okay dude, you’re gonna have to walk me through this one. I mean, I love my mom but who drops that much on a ring for their mom?”

“My mother loves material things and good reputations – perhaps more than her own children. She has been rather angry with me for a few days so in order to ‘get back in her good books’ I needed to get the most expensive and oldest piece of jewellery I could. I see her tonight, hence why I was so flustered when I came in.”

Dean chose to ignore how adorable Castiel looked doing air quotes – his bran was about to explode.

“Ouch. What did you do to make her angry enough to need something as pricey as this?” Dean indicated to the bag he realised he was still holding out.

“My brother accidentally told her I’m gay.”

At this point, the other side of Dean’s brain finally took over.

DUDE HE’S NOT GETTING ENGAGED. HE’S PROBABLY SINGLE. AND HE’S INTO DUDES! ASK! HIM! OUT!

After a few prolonged seconds of Dean having an internal breakdown, Castiel started to look uneasy. Dean immediately recognised that uneasiness and managed to spit out a sentence that actually made sense.

“She’s angry at you for being gay? Sounds like a complete bitch to me.”

Dean realised what he’d said and instantly went to take it back but was stopped by the smirk on Castiel’s face.

“Oh don’t worry. She is. But as I said, she puts good reputations before her children and that means she’s paying for my law school. Well, what she thinks is law school.” There was that smirk again. Dean might just die. “I’m actually getting a degree in Education and Psychology. But I’ve got a year left so I need her to keep paying for my tuition. The day I graduate is the day I walk away from that family for good.”

Castiel held his head a little higher at that and Dean couldn’t help but admire the guy. Sucking up to a homophobic mom while tricking her into paying for the degree he wants? Frickin’ badass!

“Dude, I don’t know you from Adam, but, going on that ring alone, are you sure you could give up all that money?”

Castiel shrugged. “I’ve never been interested in it. I suppose that made me a bit of a black sheep. Add in the fact I’m gay, it pushed my mother over the edge. Hence the much too expensive ring.”

Wow. Was this guy for real?

Dean stood up from where he’d been leaning on the counter, listening with rapt attention. He put his hands in his pockets, looked down at a scratch in the counter top and looked up again slowly meeting Castiel’s eyes.

“So you’re not getting engaged?”

“Nope. Far from it, in fact.”

“You’re giving up the family money to live your own independent life?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re definitely into guys?”

Castiel smirked. “Yes. Very much so.”

“So… would you wanna go out some time? I promise it’ll probably be the cheapest date you’ve ever been on – I’m not exactly loaded myself.”

Dean avoided Castiel’s gaze, picking at the scratch on the counter.

A finger came out and lifted his chin, forcing him to meet Castiel’s eyes again.

“That sounds perfect. I’d love to go out with you but I do have one condition.”

Dean’s heart soared. He was starting to wonder where this guy had been all his life.

“Yeah?”

“Tell me your name.”

Dean threw his head back as a sharp, loud laugh burst through him.

The one day he forgot to wear his name tag. (He could hear Bobby’s ‘idjit’ ringing in his head.)

“It’s Dean.”

“Okay Dean, I’ll be out of town for a few days – to deliver the ring and reassure my mother that my brother was wrong, that her law school son is just looking for the right woman to settle down with.” Castiel rolled his eyes. “But when I get back I’d love to get burgers and see a movie or something?”

Dean’s smile could outshine the sun.

“Sounds awesome.”

*   *   *

A year later, they were all gathered in Dean’s garden celebrating Castiel’s graduation.

Since they met, Dean’s family had slowly started becoming Castiel’s too.

Now, Castiel was free from his biological family and was surrounded by his found family.

Dean was telling his Aunt Ellen the story of how they’d met but Castiel had zoned it out, focused only on looking at the beautiful man he got to call his.

“What a bitch!”

Castiel was drawn back into the conversation by Dean’s ‘cousin’ Jo’s outburst. Ah. They’re up to that point in the story.

Everyone in the group was looking at Castiel with sympathy and anger in their eyes.

Castiel shrugged.

“It’s fine. I used the family credit card to pay for the ring anyway. Plus I left with the most priceless item in that store anyway.”

The small crowd aww’d as Dean rolled his eyes and pulled Castiel in for a kiss.

This was my first fic since 2016 so please forgive if it’s a bit naff! I’m still re-finding my feet. 

If you’d like to be tagged any of my future stuff just drop me a message and let me know. :) 

[we-are-luxury-and-treasure]

Bad Day Gone Right - Ten

Hello! Here’s another quick little oneshot for you! - Luxury 

Description - You had a bad day at work so Ten helps to make it better

Word Count - 841

Warnings - Talk about an almost car crash and crying

Genre - Angst/fluff 

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Everything in your life has gone wrong in less than twelve hours. First, you woke up late and were late to work. Thankfully you are very rarely late to work, so you weren’t in trouble, but it still really showed what kind of day you were having. You got cursed out at work three times, none of which was your fault. The rest of your co-workers were also in shitty moods, so the whole vibe was shitty and made the day drag on. You were so ready just to go home. But on the way home, you got cut off by two other cars, and then to top it all off, a deer ran straight into your vehicle. You were on a country road with literally no one else around for miles when the biggest buck deers you have ever seen in your life decided just casually to slam right into your car’s side. If it had even been slightly to one side, it would have totaled your car and could have killed you. It took the rest of your willpower to drive yourself the rest of the way home without a panic attack. 

When you finally got home and walked through the door, the first thing you did was drop everything and immediately start bawling. Every little amount of stress and anxiety being built up from the last week just came flowing out of you. Your boyfriend, Ten, hearing you came running into the entryway to see what was wrong. Of course, he was extremely confused seeing you standing with all your stuff lying randomly around you while you cry among it all. But he also knows that he has to calm you down before talking through all of it.

“Hey honey, it’s okay, I’m here.” He says as he wraps you up into a hug. 

He kisses you softly on the head and holds you tightly to his chest. You wrap your arms around his waist and grasp onto the back of his shirt while sobbing into his chest. 

After a few minutes of you crying and him whispering into your ear to calm you down, your sobs finally start to subside into little sniffles. As you calm down, you pull away slightly and look up at him.

“I’m sorry, Ten,” you say, looking down at the tear stain on his chest. “I got your shirt all wet.”

“Don’t worry about that; you’ve had a rough day and needed to let it out. I will always be here as a shoulder to lean on or a chest to cry on in his case,” he says, chuckling. “Do you want to talk about it?”

And then you just let it all out. You told him about the customers cursing at you for no reason, and all the other little things that happened that caused your day to be shitty. And of course, to top it all off with the deer hitting you. Ten was extremely concerned about the deer, but you reassured him that you were not physically hurt in any way, and all you got was a dent in the side of your car. 

After hearing all this, Ten knew he had to give you the most relaxing night possible. He leads you upstairs and starts running a nice hot bath for you complete with bath bombs, candles, and soft music. While you are relaxing in the tub, he quickly orders sushi from your favorite sushi restaurant and heads out to pick it up. You didn’t even realize he had left until you had come down in the comfiest pajamas that he had laid out for you. When you get downstairs you see the sushi placed perfectly on plates lying on the coffee table and your current favorite show pulled up on Netflix, ready to be played. Ten walks into the leaving room with a bottle of your favorite wine and two glasses ready to be filled. He smiles sweetly at you as he leads you over to the couch.

“Come on, sweetheart,” he says while pouring the wine. “Let’s just relax and forget about everything that happened today and have a nice night.” 

You look at him in wonder, “what did I ever do to deserve you?”

“I don’t know, I am a gift to this world.” he grins mischievously at you.

You glare at him and slap him across the arm as he just laughs at you. You both sit on the floor, eating sushi and sipping wine while watching the show. Once you finish, you carry the dishes into the kitchen and leave them in the sink for later. You then cuddle up on the sofa with his arms wrapped around you while you lay your head on his chest. Your cats lay across both of your laps as you continue to watch the show. As you lay there, you can’t help but think about how blessed you are to end up with such an incredible boyfriend and how perfectly content you are in the moment.

[shreddedleopard]

Between The Pages

Happy Birthday, Historia!

Since Historia has insisted on giving him something for his birthday each year since they began working on the orphanage together, Levi finally supposes he should reciprocate, and undertakes the impossible task of finding the perfect gift for her. In doing so, he comes to some interesting realisations, and raises more questions about the nature of their friendship.

The little bell over the shop door let out a soft tinkle as Levi pushed inside. He shook out his long coat and ran a gloved hand through his hair, displacing the snowflakes that had settled there. The winter was a way off from thawing yet, but at least the snow only came in short flurries now - barely enough to coat the ground properly.

The bookshop was deserted. Good. Last thing he wanted right now was to bump into anyone he knew. He glanced around, wondering where the hell he was even supposed to begin with the task at hand. There were around ten to fifteen book cases set out in the shop, virtually identical to the one he and his squad had erected for Historia in the main room at the orphanage, and every single shelf was crammed to breaking with books. Tomes of varying thicknesses, colours and titles stared back at him as he stalked the aisles; not one of them doing anything to present itself as the perfect gift he sought. He found himself pausing beside the section labeled 'Romance,' squinting at the spines as he read the titles, a particular memory from a week ago replaying in his mind.

AO3

Fanfiction.net

Or read in full below the cut!

She was already in the kitchen when he wandered downstairs in the early hours in search of tea. She sat at the long dining table, a steaming china pot set before her, and a tattered book in her hands.

Wide, blue eyes met his as he approached.

She said nothing, merely sliding the pot towards him with careful fingers and a grin, before returning to her book. This had become the new routine whenever Levi and the squad would stop over at the converted farmhouse to help out with odd jobs. They'd been coming here to help out for years, but he'd noticed that just recently, she always happened to be in the kitchen when he woke in the early ours, and sometimes he found himself wondering whether she did it on purpose.

He retrieved his favourite cup from the cupboard, sliding into the seat across from her.

"What's that shit you're reading?"

He poured his tea, not looking at her.

He felt her shift, and then she was sitting forwards, forearms resting on the tabletop and book set down before her. "This? Why - are you looking for recommendations, Captain?"

"Tch - like I ever get the time to read." It wasn't a complete lie, although the fact that he hadn't even learned to read properly - at least, past recognising the simplest phrases needed to get by - until he'd come to the surface in his mid twenties likely had something to do with it. At Historia's age, Levi would sooner have burnt a book for warmth than read the damn thing. But he didn't want to admit any of this to her; she might think less of him for it. It was weird how much he cared what she thought of him.

Historia gave him another tight lipped smile, reaching to sip her tea. She eyed him over the rim of her cup for a moment, as though taking the measure of him. When she set it down again, her fingers traced down the spine of her book. "Well anyway, I highly doubt this would be your cup of tea."

Levi's eyes followed the movement of her fingers. He paused with his own cup inches from his lips. "Oh?"

Historia pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yes. It's a romance. You know, princess is imprisoned in a tower by an evil king, brave knight comes along and gallantly saves her, they fall in love. That sort of thing. I've actually read it twice before."

Levi merely let out a hum as he drank his tea, neither agreeing or denying her claim. When he set the cup down, he crossed his legs beneath the table, foot knocking hers accidentally as he did so. He wondered why it made her blush.

"You don't really strike me as the damsel in distress type," he said quietly. "Seems to me like you can save yourself. Why would you want to read that?"

His words apparently settled her, because she gave him a wide smile again. "You know me too well." He felt what was unmistakably her foot tap his lightly beneath the table, and it made him straighten, fighting to keep his expression neutral. "What I'd really love is a romance story where the princess gets to save herself and still ends up in the arms of the knight." She sighed wistfully, toying with the handle of her teacup. "But I just can't seem to find that sort of book anywhere. It's like that story just doesn't exist."

His body was already betraying him as his cheeks began to heat up. He rubbed at his chin agitatedly, the thumb of his glove brushing just below the spot her lips had met his skin the night before his birthday. Damn her, why was she so insistent on giving him gifts every year? No-one else bothered at this point, since he'd warned them all off the idea. And yet, Historia Reiss was still as stubborn as ever, taking no notice of his gruff warnings, and now here he was, stuck in some stuffy bookshop in Mitras on the day before her birthday, trying to conjure up the impossible. Because of course, it would be rude not to give her something in return.

"Shit." He growled the word in frustration. It was hopeless. She said such a story didn't exist, so why was he trying to find it? She'd probably laugh at the idea of him getting her a gift, anyway. She knew him as well as he did her at this point; he was no man of grand gestures.

Deciding he should just give the whole thing up as a bad job, he turned to head towards the door.

"Excuse me, young man, can I help at all?"

It had been so long since anyone had referred to him as a 'young man,' that Levi automatically stopped in his tracks. He turned to find an ageing shopkeep regarding him over the top of half-moon spectacles.

"You seem as though you're looking for something in particular."

Fuck. Why was he even doing this? This was such a bad idea.

"Uh, yeah. I need to buy a book." Well, shit. Helpful. He rubbed his forehead, the material of his glove rough against his skin. "I mean, there is a specific book I'm looking for, but pretty sure it doesn't actually exist. So, guess I'm all out of luck."

The old man put his hands on his hips, surveying Levi intently. "Is it a gift?"

How the fuck did he guess? Levi just about managed to avoid rolling his eyes. "Yeah."

"Hmm. Perhaps I could find something similar to suit the recipient, if I don't have the actual book you're after?"

A conversation in a book shop about the intricacies of romance stories was not something Levi ever wanted to participate in. This damn brat had better be grateful. "Yeah. sure."

The man gestured for Levi to follow him back to the romance section. "What does your friend like? I'm assuming it's for a friend ...?"

A friend? Was that what Historia was to him at this point? He could hardly admit it was for the Queen; this shopkeep, however discreet he might be, must recognise him. But then … would it be weird for the Captain of the Survey Corps to be purchasing a birthday gift for the Queen? Maybe not. But a romance book …?

He cleared his throat. "Yeah. A friend."

The man nodded. "Alright. And this friend of yours, it's a romance novel they'd like?"

Levi shoved his hands into his pockets, thoroughly uncomfortable. "Yeah."

"Explicit romance?"

Levi felt his face practically glow. "Eh? Fuck no! She's only …" Only what? Nineteen? An adult woman now, perfectly old enough to enjoy whatever explicit pleasures she might choose to, whether that be between the pages of a book or otherwise? Damn. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, the realisation for some reason making him lose his words. "Huh. No. I don't think that's what she wants." He tried not to get caught up wondering whether the book she'd been reading that night when he found her at the kitchen table could have been as steamy as the tea they'd drunk. "Look. She wants to read a romance story where the woman is the heroin, alright? None of this shitty damsel in distress stuff; she doesn't want to be saved by the knight, but that doesn't mean she doesn't want to be fucked by him, either." His own eyes grew wide as the last sentence registered in his head. "I mean, you know, have all that romantic shit happen. Or whatever."

If the shopkeep was offended by his crassness, he didn't let on. Oh, he definitely recognised him, of that Levi had no doubt at this point. Wonderful.

The man adjusted his glasses, turning to the shelves. "I see."

An agonising silence fell between them. Levi glared at the man as he seemed to deliberate for an impossible amount of time, before finally selecting a book and turning to him.

"This is the best I can do, I'm afraid. It's a story about a noblewoman who chooses to abandon her family name and status in favour of saving a poor orphan girl. It's not very popular with the customers here in Mitras - it's been hidden away in my storeroom for quite a while. Funny you should walk in today and be looking for something similar. The young woman is most certainly the heroin, but I must tell you, while there are casual lovers which come and go during the story, there is no real romance. No knight to be spoken of."

He presented the book to Levi. His gaze swept over the cover, which portrayed a beautiful woman with long, dark hair, and a grubby little blonde girl that was half hidden in her skirts. Okay, so it wasn't exactly what she'd been looking for, but there were enough elements that he thought she might enjoy. Plus, by this point, he was ready to take anything and high tail it out of the damn shop.

"Yeah. Sounds good."

At the counter, Levi tutted at the price quoted by the shopkeep.

"It's a first edition. Although having said that, I'm not even sure if any further editions were made." The man shrugged, taking Levi's money and handing over the book, now wrapped in brown paper. "You know, Her Majesty Queen Historia came in here just the other day, asking about the sort of book your friend wanted."

Levi stiffened as his change was emptied into his open palm. "Huh. That so."

"Yes indeed," the man continued. "If I'd have had this book out of storage, she probably would have settled for it. You're lucky."

Levi pocketed his change, slipping the book quickly into the inner pocket of his long coat. "Well, my apologies to her Majesty, in that case, for stealing her book."

The shopkeep laughed, startling Levi. He narrowed his eyes at him.

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind so much if I told her it was Humanity's Strongest that got his hands on it first."

Humanity's Strongest. That unofficial title of his had become somewhat redundant, since they'd discovered humanity didn't merely consist of those within the walls of Paradis. Who knew what strength lay across the sea, after all.

"Haven't been called that in a while."

Levi nodded to the shopkeep gratefully, before making his way out of the shop.

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

She was staying in the capital for her birthday this year. The sun had already dipped below the horizon by the time he met her on the balcony of her royal quarters at the government's HQ. She looked tired, standing there in her formal green coat clad with the military's emblem.

"Oi, brat. Long day?"

He didn't miss the way her eyes brightened as she turned to regard him. He came up beside her, resting his hands on the balustrade. The view here was of some peaceful formal gardens, away from the hustle and bustle of central Mitras across to the other side of the grounds. A light mist was settling between the trees in the advancing chill of the evening.

"Hmm. Yes, a bit. The parade this morning was nice. Good to see people properly, you know. The public. Everyone was so kind." She fiddled with the buttons of her coat.

"People adore you," Levi said matter-of-factly.

This seemed to make her blush. "Oh. Well. It's nice to be appreciated, although not sure how much of a difference I really make."

Bored of the view already, Levi turned around, leaning back to rest his elbows on the cool marble as he watched Historia. "You do more good than any crusty, old king I can remember."

She made a face at him, hand on her hip as she turned her body towards his. Alright, fair. So he'd only ever known one King since he came to the surface. Didn't even know they had a king when he was underground; didn't give two shits. But still.

"Well anyway, happy birthday, and all that." He muttered it at her; almost throw away, but at the same time he reached into the inner pocket of his coat. He didn't meet her eye as he held the small, brown paper package out towards her.

There was hesitation. Finally, he turned his head to regard her. Her blue eyes were round as plates as she stared at the thing. "What's this?"

"Tch. What's it look like? Just open it."

"Can I really?"

"You damn well better. It was a pain in the ass to get. If it's wrong, I'm not taking it back." He'd rather face a hundred titans than look that shopkeep in the eye again.

She tore it open fervently. The sight made his stomach lurch, for some reason. Fuck, what was wrong with him? It was just some shitty book for her birthday. And only because she'd had the balls to give him gifts in the first place. Yeah. Just some shitty book. Well; that and the other thing he'd slipped between the back pages of it on his way home from the bookshop, on a whim. Maybe he was worried she was going to laugh at him. He wouldn't blame her.

To his relief, her eyes lit up as she ran her palm across the cover. She turned the book over, inspecting it. It took her too long to say anything, and his nerves got the best of him. He cleared his throat.

"It's, uh. A story about some noblewoman and an orphan that she saves, or something. But she's the heroin - the noblewoman. No damsels in distress." He ran a hand through his hair. "Best I could do. Tried to find exactly what you wanted - you know, what you said the other night. Over tea. But apparently, that story really doesn't exist."

Finally, she looked up at him. Her eyes were weirdly glassy.

Had he fucked up? She really didn't like it, did she?

He blinked at her. "Shit, Historia. Say something."

"It's wonderful," she breathed, looking from him to the book and back again, as though he'd just presented her with a golden teapot, or something. "I love it." Then she beamed.

He felt his neck grow hot, so he messed about straightening his cravat. "It's just a book."

He didn't miss her wiping at the corners of her eyes. "It sounds like just the sort of book I'd like."

"Hmm. Except …"

Before he could finish, she was leafing through the pages. When she reached the back, something slipped out of the book. He looked away again as she bent to pick it up, wondering if he could fein ignorance. Did he really want her to know he was a total sap?

"What's this?"

He didn't need to look at her hands to see the flower she held. He remembered picking it all too well on the ride back to the barracks. He tried to figure out how to answer, but she beat him to it.

"A snowdrop?"

"Ah. That's what they're called, then."

She was frowning at him when he glanced sideways. "You … put this in here?"

He shrugged, clearing his throat again. "Saw it on the ride back. Looked too pretty to leave it there, all on it's own."

Historia moved a fraction closer to him, and it made all the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end when their arms brushed lightly. "You were lucky. It's still pretty early in the year to find any. They mean spring is on it's way - brighter days are coming."

Well. That was pretty ironic, then, considering why he'd found himself drawn to it. "That so? Funny." He looked down at the dainty, white flower as she held it between her fingers. "They were the first flowers I ever saw, when I came … up here."

She seemed to understand what he meant, by the way her brows raised. "Really? How fitting."

He merely grunted in reply. An awkward sort of silence fell between them. He wasn't really sure what to say to her - why he'd given her a flower, of all things. Wasn't that the sort of contrived romantic gesture to be found from the knights in her shitty romance books? That hadn't been his intention at all.

Right?

He huffed, pulling his hands back out of his pockets. His elbow nudged hers in doing so. "Well … I suppose I just slipped it in there by way of apology. 'Cause the romance and the knight are missing from your story."

She considered, twirling the stem of the snowdrop between her fingers, the book clutched tightly to her chest with her other. When she looked back up at him, there was a sparkle to her eyes.

"Perhaps they're not missing, though. Perhaps he just hasn't shown up yet. The story doesn't always have to end when the book does."

Damn, this girl had an answer for everything. Always a ray of sunshine in the dark; the positive spin; the hope when all else seemed lost. How she'd turned out such an angel, when life had fucked her almost as badly as it had him, he'd never know.

"Well … yeah. Guess that could be true."

Perhaps a snowdrop really had been the right flower for her. Hope and resilience at the end of a dark winter. That summed up Historia Reiss perfectly.

[starryrogue]

So some people said they wanted my extended Blathers/Tom Nook story. 

I haven't written anything like this in years. But it was a nice exercise.(its pretty rough)

So blow the cut an Idea Blather/Tom Nook, childhood friends to???

When they were boys they would stay up into the night dreaming of the opportunities of city life. The success and sophistication. The chance to grow where the same festivals happened season after season, where weeds popped up more than people. Tom Nook knew he could get out here no sweat. He’d been hacking as long as he could remember. Taking food from the unsuspecting and odd jobs where he could just to get by. Blathers never worried about that with his family but he never seemed to worry about what was in front of him. He was either focused on the tiniest of details on a hermit crab or the vastness of history behind, never on how to act on day to day. It was the most annoying quality to someone who used all his energy to survive and to plan, but it was also the most admiring. Tom could give him something as simple as an interesting rock and it was like giving his friend the universe. He would sit back and lose himself in the facts and figures that would gush out after and pretend he could be part of that universe forever. 

The one thing Blathers could never get right was astronomy, but when they lay in his back yard, Tom could weave stories in the spaces between. Quick thinking and connections. He’d always been envious of that cleverness. But what did it matter when it belonged to someone so close. He could sit back and learn about how Tom saw the world too. The knowledge way just as valuable 

Tom knew he couldn’t bear to stay in the town any longer and soon left. He was sure Blather’s who saw entire worlds in everyday life could be fine, even happy despite being. For someone as detailed oriented as Blather’s it wasn’t hard to spot when a large absence appears where your best friend used to be.

Life with Redd was exciting. It was everything Tom Nook thought he wanted. Making big money. Scamming fools for profit. Succeeding in the big city. Parties and Clubs and Fun. Art heists, back alley dealings, con after scam after ruse and bells…lots and lots of bells... And the charming devil may care fox he could spend the thrills of thievery and the late nights of drinking and partying with. A rush of a man who would help him with any of his desires in life, form the finical, to the late night personal. After a youth in poverty in a small backwater town, the money was what mattered.

Not for everyone. Blathers who prized intellect over success. Who valued passion, over profit. Who spent all night studying everything from history to entomology (the stuff of nightmares, but at least it kept him awake into the early hours). Knowledge and experience has value that bells couldn’t buy. Teaching a little sister the stars. Helping his friend start a small coffee shop. Applying over and over for universities, and grants and materials. And despite the rejection, and there were many, the study of life itself could outweigh any small inconveniences  

When Tom ever needed to get away from the hustle and bustle, or away from an unsatisfied “customer” he would always make a point to drop in on old friends. And he knew just who would want to hear his storied and who he could turn to for peace of mind. Hand him a gift and let the words wash over you and it will be like you never left. However when he went to visit Blather he could only see everything he’d run away from. The cramped apartment he shared with his sister, 2 cots separated by a wall of shared book. His closet of an office acted as a second wardrobe and workspace and sometimes a bedroom after late nights of research. The underfunded museum’s café was more often his kitchen than not, not that the barista minded the company or the small impromptu lectures on archelogy and anthropology. 

Tom thought Blathers deserved so much better. Who could live like this? Scraping by in a town whose population dwindled each year, where the donations had stopped coming in. Blathers was so smart and clever, he could be working anywhere he wanted. why stay here? He hoped his gift of a Wistful Painting would be a consolation and an invitation. A glimpse at the wealth he could have. He deserved the world. A proper library instead of a stack of second hand torn textbooks. Proper equipment and an assistant to take care of those nasty bugs, to have the bags disappear from under his deep intelligent eyes. To rest, to be rich, to be happy. 

The night before he was set to return to the city, Blather was waiting in his office by his request. It was hard to move between the clutter, the extra person and the painting.  This had been a hard one to acquire and the reason behind his latest trip from the city. The danger even leading him to flee from his safe house and split with Redd, taking his prize to safest place he knew, where no one would look and with the person he trusted most. 

Pressed up next to his friend, he watched closely for the excitement and happiness upon the opening of his gift. And while it started with the bright eyes excitement Tom had grown to admire, it swiftly shifted to confusion, to realization, to the kind of sweating fidgeting horror as if Blathers was face to face with a tarantula. 

What was supposed to be a sweet moment, a gift for a dear friend turned into an interrogation. “Where did you get this? It’s been all over the news?!” A pause and a conclusion drawn “Was it you?” More an accusation than a question.  Tom tried to justify himself, not even getting to invite Blathers into his world of wealth while on the defensive. It became clear he had not brought a prize to share, but crossed a line. He couldn’t lie to the face of his most honest friend admitting to what he had done to steal and take, how great it was to have wealth and room to grow and to be far away from this dying village in the middle of nowhere. 

Those large eyes studied him as if he were an ant, a mix of fear and curiosity instead of the enthusiastic awe tom had hoped for. Blather was unable to look away at this puzzle he needed to solvee. His eyes shifted back to the stolen goods where he found another curiosity more interesting than his dear friend turned thief.

“This isn’t even the real one.” 

“…What?”

“Does that look like a Pearl Earring to you?”

It wasn’t possible. He had removed it from the gallery wall himself. Had it stashed with him for the last week under his old bed in his childhood home (more like a shack) and no one here was bold enough to leave town, let alone steal. Only one other person knew where the painting was. Redd

He left that night, leaving Blathers with the fake painting and unanswered questions. Back at the safe house, it was clear he lost more than one painting. The place had been emptied out. Every fake watch and ID, the tools of the trade but also the things that had made this a home. The furniture gone, the silverware filched, each poster and cushion and every scrap of food disappeared. All that was left was his stripped bed, half of his clothes, a half empty bell bag and a single gingko leaf resting on the bare mattress. 

The Museum had long since closed. Paintings had been moved or sold to private bidders, the specimens had been relocated. The fossils had been the most painful. It had taken so long to finish the exhibit and it had only taken a week to take it all down. Brewster had helped him make ends meet when he wasn’t subbing a class. Blathers tried to make learning fun, but students weren’t like the patrons who had volunteered to learn. The kids would just sit and not even pretend to listen over their worksheets. Between looking for a more permanent job and the long hours at the café, there had been no time to further his studies. On the upside, this was the most sleep he had gotten in years, but it was never restful. Celeste had left for college and now grad school and so he had more space to spread out, but it just felt empty even with the piles of unread books filling the leftover space.  Behind the stacks propped on the wall, the girl with the …Star earing stared at him. He hadn’t been able to let it go but didn’t want such an insult to art looming over his home. 

Flipping through his mail of would-be bookmarks and bills, a hand written letter. His name scribbled on the top by childish hand. An invitation and brochure? The note offered him a spot as curator and surveyor of an island, a chance to run a museum of his own on a tropical get away! This was too good to be true but it made his heart flutter none the less. A place to put his specific degree and interest to the test. The whole letter smattered with personal details about his life only ignited his curiosity. Signed at the bottom T&t&t N. The enigmatic initials only another mystery to be solved then he turned to the more professional looking brochure, for a tropical getaway. A beautiful view stamped with a name that he thought he’d buried behind, but like the portrait squirreled away behind his book, he knew it was always there  

What a beautiful scam. A promise at a new start. A blank slate for those who could help build a new community. A low price in exchange for free labor? On the back, an older version of a thief, who looked as if he’d gotten away and grown fat and happy. No doubt at someone’s expense... He almost dismissed the whole thing out of hand but looking further down showed two mini versions of himself on either side. Family? Children? And further still surrounded by a smattering of smiling faces, all looking a little burnt, and a smidge filthy, with dirt under their nails and wrinkles in their clothes, but beaming ear to ear. The mark of honest fulfilling work. 

His buzzing phone pulled him out of his curiosity. 

“Hello, who may I ask is calling?”

A boy’s well practiced voice

“Hello Mr. Blather sir..sir. We are calling on behalf of Nook Inc…Inc”

A brochure. A promise of a new life. A call. A promise at a fresh start. There are no such thing but what did blathers have left to lose. At the very least it would be a nice vacation with a chance to study the local wildlife. And maybe fill that absence that always lingered in his collection of knowledge. “What happened to him?”

When he arrived, Tom saw, under years of stress, and the bags under his eyes heavier than the ones in his hands, an old friend and a chance to make amends. Blathers could see the work a former thief who was clearly trying in to right wrongs. That was clear as the pilot saluted as he left the vigor that those twins to his bag  A tent has been set up with all his equipment, right next to the amenities provided by resident services. 

As Blathers unpacked, the sun sunk low over the horizon. The cool night air breeze alerting him to someone entering. Tom, with two mason jars full of something tart with cherries and something strong to help with the vacation. A small toast, to fresh starts and new arrivals. Blathers no longer saw the thief he had given up on but a leader and a friend, who needed forgiveness. More from himself than from his friend. If he was being honest, Blather’s had stayed mad b/c it made the distance easier to bear if he could justify it. But as he was handed another drink and single. No a few. No a dozen! Specimens including a fossil.  He knew his friend has come home. 

They sat side by side on the brand new cot (only the best for the new arrival). Blather’s went on and on about each cage and tank, Tom nook felt the same wave wash over him in the pouring of word’s he hadn’t heard in years. And with each drop of knowledge that came, more of that anger leaked out of Blathers. Before he knew it he was ready to sleep, the earliest he’d felt in a while, it couldn’t be past midnight, but travel and drink and forgiveness can really where a person out. What was more pressing was the warm mass pressed into his shoulder. Tom had drifted off somewhere between the sea angel and the squid. He probably should wake him up, but resident services was all the way a few yards over, and besides, it had been years since they slept side by side under the stars. Before closing his tent for the night, he looked up at a new sky and couldn’t recognize the consolations. It was ok, they could make some up together tomorrow.

[fightevilandthengetblownup]

FIC: Something Borrowed, Something Blue ii

---

PART ONE

Wednesday morning started dark and early for her. Sleepy kisses as she bid good morning to the other in the bed, not due to get up for another three hours, and checked in on the youngest of the household to ensure he was still fast asleep before showering and preparing for the day.

Usually Jo would sleep for another thirty minutes, but given today was due to be a long one filled with photos as she baked and decorated the demonstration trial cake from scratch, she figured an extra thirty minutes to ensure her hair and make up looked nice for the day (though inevitably she’d be flour covered by the end of the day and tendrils would fall out of the nice high pony tail before lunch). Usually she would get to wake up and luxuriate in bed for a while before getting up, showering and then waking Billy to get prepared for pre-school. Today, Jack would get the pleasure of preparing the boy for the day, making him breakfast and hearing him babble about whatever strange dream he had the night before.

Dressing for the day in a pair of denim shorts and one of the oversized shirts that still remained in her wardrobe after five years, Jo smacked her lips together and blotted the excess from her red lips as she gathered her recipe-slash-sketch book and headed out to the bakery as the sun barely made it’s creeping way into the sky. Overhead the clouds were still the dark inky blue of night time, just slightly tinged golden to the edge and purples slowly building their way through the rolling masses. The perfect inspiration for her work that day, quickly snapped a few times as she walked on her way to the bakery.

As she reached the front door, she could see the exhausted looking journalist outside already, hands clutching as if to a lifeline to the Starbucks cup. At least she knew she looked more prepared for the day than him even if it was only just past five in the morning.

“Good morning Chuck.”

The grumbled sound she got in response made Jo laugh as she unlocked the front door of the bakery. Moving inside and flicking the lights on, she noticed the man slip in behind her before sinking into one of the closest chairs as she got the space prepared for the morning. The smell of baking bread was already filling the air, her favourite part of having automatically timed ovens that she could avoid the two am starts that other places had to endure. Flicking the coffee machine on, refilling the front displays with prepared trays of cookies, cakes, slices, pastries and other goodies, Jo hummed to herself practically forgetting the other was there aside from the odd groan.

There were breads to be pulled from the ovens, trays of prepared cupcakes and brownies to go back in, a pot of caramel to be placed on the stove while the shortbread bases baked; there were muffins to be loaded into the cake displays and covered with their glass dome, glass cookie jars to be refilled and brownies to be stacked high on plates within the display case. There was milk to be checked on, fruit tarts to be glazed and mixers to be started up with bases for the rest of the days work. And finally there was a section of the kitchen to be set up in preparation for making the wedding cake base later in the morning, butter to be set out to come up to room temperature and ingredients to be laid out in decorative bowls and artfully positioned.

As the clock approached six am, the first few customers began appearing - mostly other cafes for their daily pick ups that Jo moved through easily with a laugh and a smile, and the exchange of a bunch of mint with one of the herbal stores a few blocks away that always ordered raisin and oat cookies, an entire crate full of lemons and beetroots from Mrs. Mills who ran a tea shop just out of the city who grew her own produce but was a failure baking them into anything herself but would trade ingredients for discounted trays of pastries to go along with the tea and best homemade lemonade and hard cider in the area, and the constant flirting that even now Jo never could stop partaking in when Andy came by blushing and stammering for his special brownies for the medicinal store he ran across town. Others breezed in and out smoothly, and Jo had already poured Chuck his third coffee before the hour was out by the time her long-haired barista-lawyer arrived to start up the morning as the first of the commuters would begin to arrive.

“C’mon Chuck, lets get this shoot set up for today, huh?”

There was an almost awake nod before Jo lead the way back into the kitchen where she began to lend a hand setting up a selection of cameras to capture time-lapse as well as real time footage of her working through the preparations for a demonstration cake with all the elements she’d discussed. The cupcakes had been selling well and she thought that the blueberry icing was the way to go underneath the fondant for today’s trial in preparation of Friday’s mock-up. Usually Jo mocked up cake after cake once every few weeks for a wedding, but with the amount she’d be making these flavors this week she felt comforted that she’d be fine until a few weeks before the wedding itself this time around.

“Alrighty, fondant time.” Jo chirped to herself quietly two hours later, an ongoing stream of conversation from her having filled the morning where mostly she talked to herself or sang along with the radio while Chuck seemed to either work on typing up his notes from the last two days or try to wake up still. The fondant work was always her favorite thing when she got the chance to do it, for one important reason. Slapping the large white block of fondant down and cutting it into pieces with a dough scraper, Jo let out a laugh as she started working a quarter out with her rolling pin. “Who needs a gym when you can bake instead?”

“Who indeed?” Chuck’s answer was just as vacant and distracted as her own question had been, and Jo felt a laugh pop right back up at how relaxed and unobtrusive the other was to her work. He’d barely looked up from his laptop as she’d made the batter for each tier of the much downsized trial cake for the development today; and Jo liked it that way.

Working the white fondant out until it was a thin enough sheet to go through her larger scaled roller, she called him over to move a camera to catch the process as she fed the fondant through one end over and over until it was paper thin. Slicing out little shapes of various sizes and laying them out on a baking sheet dusted with potato starch and layer separated by a tea towel, Jo spent the next hour slowly making those white petals and then various petals of lilac and deep aubergine as well in smaller amounts. As she did that, there were cakes and brownies removed from ovens, loaves of bread traded out and cupcakes and pastries a plenty made and prepared all over again like her Monday in anticipation of the day off tomorrow to keep the bakery ticking over.

By lunch time, Jo had three full trays, six layers deep of petal and leaf shapes, and long flouncy ruffles to do an ombred ruffled layer, as well as the white fondant ready to be marbleised with the different purple shades after a lunch break.

“So,” The journalist’s voice caught her as Jo finally sat down for the first time in some seven hours as the clock hit just after one in the afternoon as she cut herself a slice of salmon quiche after dishing up the same for the other man. Perched on her stool and pulled up close to the central island, Jo raised a brow across at the finally awake voice and her eyes spotted the running silver dictaphone in the middle of the bench as they started her lunch break. Sam had been in the hour before for a quick bite while Jo’d worked the coffee machine for the quick lunch rush, and the amount of cocoa on her cheeks was less than normal considering. “I got my rough draft from a lot of stuff yesterday-”

“Was that helpful for you? Thinking about getting into INKED and leaving Rolling Stone?”

“Eye opening, yes, but I’m stuck here until this sham of a wedding is complete.” Chuck grumbled the words out quietly, eyes focused on the trashy magazine pile he’d brought with him that day that held stories that Jo suspected were about the bride and her ‘whirlwind’ romance - the fake stories that didn’t have a lick of truth to them.

Her back when rigid and Jo found herself snarling sharply at the accusation against her friend, lips curled into a sneer. “Now listen here, buddy. Absolutely nothing about this wedding is a sham.” Jo’s brown eyes flashed dangerously for a second as she caught his eye finally, and found herself shaking her head and holding up a hand as the other’s mouth opened to speak. “No no. No talking until I’m done. I get that you might have an image of what Shada is like, what she does for a living, how she presents herself to the world, and the way the show she’s on has given her whole... storyline. But absolutely none of that is accurate to the woman I know. Nor to the man that loves her, and the depth of their romance.”

“Oh?” Chuck’s brow raised in return before he set his magazines back down and picked up his notepad and pen instead even though his laptop was open beside him. An analog guy it seemed. “Well, I’ve got to say - I’d love to be able to write the most genuine series of articles I can about this wedding compared to this-”

“Trash.” Jo supplied the word at the gesture of his pen towards the stack of magazines, and the bemused smile she got for it made her hackles drop from how they had been risen.

“Exactly.” The other nodded for a moment before gesturing his hand at her. “Well, tell me the real story again then - I know we covered some yesterday but that’s just broad strokes. Give me fine details, huh?”

Jo found herself sighing, and then launching into the many, many positive and wonderfully genuine parts to her friend throughout the rest of the afternoon. For the next four hours as she layered the small cakes together with buttercream, crumb coated and then fondant wrapped one in the ombre ruffles, one into the beautiful purple marble coated and then sparkling with carefully placed gold-leaf, and the lilac purple buttercream cake which was then covered in the delicate roses made out of the petals - each with tiny edging of silver-leaf and shimmering with a light layer of lustre dust. And as she assembled the small practice cakes, she talked of her friend.

Shada’s genuine smiles, her love of her brother, how she’d always be kind to anyone and everyone she met. The way the dark haired woman never once ordered anyone directly to do something, unless it was followed by an apology for being pushy. How the girl had grown so much in the two years Jo had known her, and the maturity and wisdom that she spoke with on a regular basis. How Shada was so kind to her son, and the way the girl truly wanted to get married and have a family. That Shada had been unsure about the wedding being a part of the show and covered as much as it was, even if she’d daydreamed as a teenager of being rich and famous and a star-studded wedding to one of the Jonas Brothers - that now she was marrying the love of her life, that the brunette would be truly happy marrying in a potato sack (”one that she would obviously make purple and look beautiful in though!”) and still be happy. How the starlet had planned originally to have a quiet, intimate wedding at Ian’s family manor in France during the break in filming, before the couple had talked about the opportunity and agreed after being approached that they could do this for Shada’s career and have the smaller, intimate celebration for their anniversary the following year.

It was as Jo continued to place tiny edible pearls around the roses, that she found herself being guided into reminiscing about her own wedding in comparison. The quick court house event that she’d worn a lacey, white shift dress she’d bought for $2.50 at a secondhand store while her Marine wore his dress uniform. The posey of baby’s breath in her hand and the way the ceremony was completed in no time in front of her mom, Bobby the other couples getting married right before and after them. How the only photograph was taken by Ellen on the courthouse steps as she’d been lifted in her husband’s arms and one of her shoes had fallen off as she’d laughed. That her wedding dinner was pizza in bed as they watched some old black and white movie that he loved, and Jo’d fallen asleep in no time. That he’d been shipped out two months later, and dead within four from then.

And she spoke softly, as she wrapped the fourth option in a layer of plain white fondant before collecting her airbrush kit and the array of purples, blacks and golds to start covering the blank canvas in her own form of art, of how much she wished the couple far more than half a year of happiness. The gentle whistle of the airbrush as she delicately mottled the colors together and as she smiled thinking to herself that she was absolutely certain the pair would have that.

The noise from the front of the bakery was quieting down as Jo finished the last flourish and grinned across at the journalist as he continued to look up and down between her and his notepad. It was closing time, and she had four examples to show her friend on Friday when her and her fiance arrived originally for the final design choices, and she’d have enough cake prepared to do a full size mock up of the design they chose that day as the journalist would talk to the couple and snap photos beside her and her work. But for today, she was done and began putting away the demonstrations and the baked goods and doughs she’d prepared for Sam to utilise tomorrow while she was out with the bride and her entourage.

“Jojo, mamacita, your boyfriend is bothering me again!” The called voice that bounced through the door to the front as Ash pushed it open and followed in the grinning professor with his own laugh. “He was bothering me about someone’s photoshoot and when those photos would be coming in.”

“I wasn’t-” Jack’s blushed furiously as he moved towards her at the fridge, his hands reaching out to go around her waist before stopping short noticing the scruffy journalist packing away his laptop and notepad though the dictaphone stayed out in the middle of the bench. In an instant, his arms dropped to his side and Jo found herself frowning to see the smile drop just as quickly from his face and whatever he’d been saying disappear along with it. “... Jo.”

“Hunny.”

“How was your day?”

Arching a blonde brow, Jo let out a bit of a laugh to herself as she noticed the focus of Jack’s eyes on the silver recording device until Chuck’s hand wrapped about it and tucked it away in his messenger bag.

“It was fine,” Jack’s voice was still tight and quiet, brushing against the curve of her ear as she moved in closer, before he spoke a little louder and clearer. “Have a good evening, Mr Shurley. Big day tomorrow, right?”

“Oh, absolutely. Seven beautiful women and an array of gowns?” Chuck grinned widely as he moved about the kitchen towards the door and Ash’s equally appreciative grin. Raising a hand in a wave, he pressed it against his chest, mocking a wound. “How did I get this job, huh? Luckiest bastard-”

“Your week just keeps gettin’ better and better!” Ash laughed along with him and he followed the reporter out of the bakery with a wave behind him at the couple, closing the swinging door behind him. “See ya later, lovebirds.”

“Tell Sam I’ll close up!” Jo called out loudly to the others back as the door swung back and forth and finally closed, before she found two hands wrapped around her waist and then let out a squeal as she was lifted up onto her still floury work surface. “Hun!”

“Yes?” Jack’s lips spread into a wicked smile as he leaned in to catch her own for a moment before pulling back. Jo could feel her cheeks heating up as his fingers brushed over her flour and sugar covered hair to tuck a few strands back before he kissed her again, thoroughly and hard, fingers tangled in her messy hair. There were a long, heated moment before he pulled back again leaving her breathless as he let out his own sigh. “What a day.”

“Yeah? What happened?” Jo ran her own fingers through his hair gently in return as the slightly stressed look she’d remembered from the last years exam time started up again. He always ran himself ragged during them, and if nothing else, she could ease some of his stress with her kisses and touch. “Tell me all about it over dinner?”

“I’d much rather hear about your day.” He replied gently, leaning into her touch for a moment before they both smiled at one another.

Jo recalled the discussion of the day as they packed up the kitchen and closed up the front of the bakery too, with Jack’s hands carefully wiping the flour from her jeans and then helping her to pack each thing away as needed. They took no time at all to close up and walked hand in hand on their way back to Jack’s house. As he’d wrapped his fingers around hers, Jo couldn’t help but think as she talked about how happy she was for his little sister finding the love of her life, that perhaps she’d been lucky enough to find another one.

Dinner was quieter that night - Bobby and Ellen taking care of Billy for the next two nights as a fun sleep over as well as to keep him from getting Jo to run late the next morning - than usual with just the two of them, but at the same time it meant that Jo could relax on the sofa with her feet up and a glass of wine while she could hear the quiet humming of a song and the sizzle of bacon and the bubbling of pasta from the kitchen without lifting a finger.

“Carbonara?” Jo sniffed the coated pasta happily as the bowl was offered out to her and she swung her legs around to sit upright as the dark haired man took the seat beside her. “You spoil me.”

“Not nearly enough for what you’re going to be dealing with tomorrow for me.” Jack’s voice was gentle and teasing in equal measure as he slumped beside her and kicked his own feet up on the coffee table. The baker curled up beside him and tucked her feet under his legs as they both dug into their dinner together.

Jo shook her head, smiling. “Nah, I’m doing it for your sister, you idjit.”

“How am I an ...idjit?!”

“Because, hun,” She giggled quietly, slurping up one of the noodles with a loud noise before smiling widely. “Not everything is about you. And I love your sister all on her own.”

“You do, do you?” His voice was softer than before then, the teasing tone bleeding out and replaced with something gentler and that made her stomach flip a little as he chewed on his own mouthful thoughtfully before swallowing. Jack turned his head to catch her eyes with those piercing blue ones of his, staring straight at her and if Jo could she would have melted right then under his look as he quirked one side of his lips up. “And why’s that?”

Jo’s tongue felt ten times too big while her mouth felt parched of any kind of moisture before she blinked a few times out of that look. Her cheeks a bright red, she smiled back simply. “Because, she’s more like family now.”

“Aunty Shayday and all?”

“Exactly.”

If she was red before, it was nothing on the flaming feeling of her whole face and neck as Jack’s eyes had searched hers for something she wasn’t sure of as they spoke, before he finally seemed to reach a conclusion and turn back towards the television with a small, secretive smile. “Well, that’s good that you’re not going to be tortured for me.” There was a beat as Jo recovered herself and the other chewed another mouthful of pasta, before he added cheekily, “Now I don’t need to spoil you tomorrow night too.”

“Hey! No fair!” Jo laughed and giggled then, cuddling into his side as they settled in to watch a movie and then head up to bed later. It would be a relaxing night before the inevitable stresses of the next day, and she was going to savour every moment of calm she could fit in before the morning came.

But come it did.

Rolling over onto her back as she climbed off of her love with a quiet, happy moan as his hands followed her path to continue running across the bright colors of her sides, Jo wished she didn’t have to get out of the bed at all. Her skin was marked all over between her tattoos and the signs of their lovemaking, but if she had it her way they’d both stay there until there wasn’t a piece of skin without the ghost of his lips on it. Stretching her back and letting out a giggle at the slight tickle to her side, she finally sat up after the other rolled out his side of the bed to grab a shower and rush out to work. She’d made him late for his 8am class, but as Jack threw a glance in the mirror from the ensuite over his shoulder back at her with his toothbrush dangling from his lips and sudsy teeth flashing a grin at her, Jo knew she wasn’t in trouble for keeping him in bed.

Rolling her hips back and forth and tossing about languidly like a cat waking from a long nap, boneless and pleased, she finally pushed herself upright  before going to wrap an arm around the dark haired man’s shoulder to press a kiss on his back before heading to the shower.

She used to argue about staying the night here in his lavish townhouse - about his giving her a drawer in the ensuite and another in the wardrobe, and then more wardrobe space, and then how he got a cot-attachment added to the spare bed so that Billy could stay sleeping when he’d go down after dinner. And then it seemed pointless when her yearly lease came up and instead of renewing she found herself moving every bit of her life into a new house. Even the box of the clothes and books she’d still not thrown away, though she’d forgotten she still had it before the move. The spare, spare, spare room was reconfigured into Billy’s room, and Jack had even added another desk to the study and cleared shelves for Jo to add her cook books to the lounge and dining room spaces. Her cupcake cushions replaced his modernist blue ones, and there was a toy box brought in and added to each and every room in the house. Her tattoo designs went up on the wall beside a large oil painting of some beautiful woman with her face hidden behind shadow that held a dripping book out - Jo had not been surprised to learn that was one of the last of Jack’s work before he quit, the sheer mania, depression and confusion in the brush strokes hit her hard every time she stopped to stare up into the dark void where the woman’s eyes should be but weren’t yet felt like she was screaming out from. And in the kitchen her trinkets and gadgets and utensils had filled the drawers that before had the spartan one knife-fork-spoon combination.

The rainfall shower head was a luxury, and Jo waved goodbye through the fogged up glass as Jack left, leaving her to spend a good amount of time lathering and rinsing her hair. The whole room smelled like the bakery as she stepped out from the mists and set about doing her hair and make up nicely, but not too nicely as to upstage the stars of what was going on today. A little wave, a messy bun and just enough concealer to cover the darkest spots that littered her neck and her under eyes for different reasons was all that she needed to do to look suitable - if she needed anything more, Jo figured since it was actually being filmed but not scripted, she’d have access to an actually talented make up artist. Besides, she was known as the bubbly, cute baker girl so it made sense she looked a little rougher around the edges. At least this time she’d not have flour in her hair or cocoa on her nose.

Jeans and a black knit sweater, followed by a green hoodie borrowed from Jack’s wardrobe was her choice for the day. What she wore on the outside mattered less than wearing the nude colored strapless bra and nude toned underwear, but she drew the line at wearing heels for the whole day. Tossing her keys, phone and a few paper bags of snacks into her bag and her travel mug of coffee in hand before dashing out the door, the blonde flagged down the first taxi she saw and spent the trip chewing on her nails.

She hadn’t had to deal with bridesmaids for her own wedding - there hadn’t been time, and besides she hadn’t had female friends back when she was twenty-one and flunking out of her history major - and the few bridal parties that had come through the bakery had scared her immensely that a group of women with one goal in mind was a terrifying thing. To be part of said group felt entirely alien for her, and Jo half wished she could be on the grooms side of the aisle in a suit and without any drama instead.

Far quicker than she had wished, the taxi pulled up out front of the nondescript building with the small black sign and Jo handed over a twenty to cover the trip and tip as she clambered out ungracefully onto the pavement before steeling her nerves. She could spot that one camera guy she always spotted winking at everyone and who she had enjoyed flirting shamelessly and harmlessly with every time they filmed at the bakery leaning against the brickwork by the building’s door.

“Hey Gabey, what’s cracking?”

“Well now, gorgeous, that’d be spoiling the surprise wouldn’t it?”

“Like you care about spoilers!”

Gabriel, the previous camera man turned B-director, shook his head with a laugh and a smirk as she needled him for answers. “Come now, you know I need to get genuine reactions from you all.”

The blonde laughed in return, quirking a brow up at him. “Are you suggesting that I, Jo Harvelle, might not give a genuine reaction?”

“I plead the fifth.” The dark haired director laughed back, shouldering his camera bag on his shoulder with a sigh as a trio of black cars arrived and began unpacking with the rest of the small camera and other crew members poured out and then quickly into the building. “Ugh, I know Shada wished this could have been skipped-”

“But that would miss out so much potential drama, right?” Jo smiled back at him for a moment, before digging about in her bag to pull out one of the paper bags. Waving it at him, she raised a brow. “I’ll trade you these for confirmation that there isn’t any scripted drama today and that I don’t have to fake anything other than that I don’t think Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee are vicious conniving bitches.”

The bag was exchanged in a flash, and the wide, toothy grin she got back in response when the other saw the selection of chocolate chip cookies that were also made using her burnt butter base and shards of salted toffee inside made her smile back at the cheeky salute before Gabe moved off with a shout for some hair stylist ‘Balthy’ to get his ass inside quickly.

Jo found herself leaning up against the wall herself instead, the warmth from the other’s back still in the brick, as she pulled her phone out to start getting ahead on orders and emails while she had the time. She dipped a hand into her bag to fetch out the bannana bread, oat muffin with peanut butter she’d packed for her breakfast that she started nibbling at between coffee sips as she waited. It was just before nine, but the girls were known to be late.

Over the next thirty minutes others slowly trickled into arriving - first was the taller blonde girl with a big, wide smile and the cutest habit of always covering her hair in little lace bows that was Ian’s little sister; followed by the brunette Bela who’s sunglasses hid almost all of her face except for her pout, and then the newly black haired Ruby with a snappy greeting for everyone before disappearing off at the wave of greeting from the director of the day. Jo was talking at length with Ombre about the different cake designs she had been working on and was showing her the photos of the trials from the day before when the next two women arrived.

“Oh lookie, the baker is here too.” The clipped tone pulled Jo out of explaining to the excited Ombre just how to make the ruffled cake that matched her name, and looking over her shoulder at the new arrivals, the blonde didn’t even bother to keep the sneer off her lips as she looked at the redhead. Anna smirked back, smugly, raising a brow at her. “I suppose you’re here to make our dear Shada seem more grounded right?”

“No, no, Anna, it’s cause she’s trying to fuck her way into society the same way Shada did.” Lilith’s snide comment rolled out from her with an equally vicious grin on her lips at getting to throw a few comments in before she would need to play nice-r to the cameras. “Tell me, Jojo, did you give her pointers for how to do that with your step-daddy or-”

“Lilith, you better shut your goddamn fucking mouth before I shut it for you.” There wasn’t even a beat before Jo had the other blonde pushed back against the brickwork with a hand around her neck, pressure tight but not dangerous as she glared up at the other woman. She held the position for a count of five in her head, before stepping back and leaning down to pick her coffee up from where she’d left it earlier. “Today is about Shada, and I will not have a single person say a negative thing about her, her life, her choices or anything to do with her and this wedding or anything else, okay?”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself!” The deeper than usual tone cut through the small crowd of women as Ruby arrived back with their director in tow right then. Gabriel’s eyes caught Jo’s for a split second longer than the others as he stared each woman down - and all she could think was that this poor man had to herd this crowd of women day in and day out without anyone unconnected enough to lay down the law, and how much harder that must be dealing with five grown women than one almost-five year old. “Anyway, ladies, if you could head inside for the last touch ups and then Shada should be here and we’ll reconvene outside for the outside shots, right?”

Jo wasn’t at all surprised by the warm clasp of the dark haired Ruby’s arm around her shoulders leading her and Ombre inside into the ridiculous process of last minute checks and confirmations from the miniature hair and make up team preparing for the day. The younger blonde almost cried when the hair stylist Balthazar suggested taking out some of her bows, and then the fact both Anna and Bela were made to change their dresses to something different due to ‘looking too alike’ in the camera was insane. Jo watched on in a mixture of shock, awe and disdain as the make up, hair and wardrobe stylists did their work, and was only a little relieved when she was left alone as ‘good enough’ since she doubted she’d be filmed much that day. If she was, she’d have to bring out her back up bribery too. Ruby likewise was left alone, and the make up artist glared daggers at Jo when Lilith complained her neck looked ‘a little too red’. But everyone was touched up and finalised within half an hour, and Shada too had arrived and was barely containing her nerves.

She wasn’t sure when he arrived, but Jo noticed Chuck walking about behind other cameras and ducking under wardrobe racks at one point with his camera out and dictaphone hanging from a cord on his neck. Jo smiled when she caught his eye, but thankfully today wasn’t actually about her. Today was his content for the month after her cake special - all about the bridesmaids - and she would barely be spoken to today. This was his first chance to interview and speak with the other five bridesmaids, so really Jo would get to spend most of the day talking to Shada and keeping her company instead.

As the group were guided out to the black trio of cars again and slid into various seats to represent the way they would arrive to the studio, Jo laughed when Gabe grabbed her arm and had her lean up against the building instead.

“Really?”

“What can I say? The lighting looks great on you like that. Besides,” Gabe grinned conspiratorially at her as they waited for Shada and Ombre to climb into the third car, with Ruby and Lilith into the second and Anna and Bela in the first, “It means you didn’t have to go into one of the cars with those conniving bitches.”

“My hero.” Jo replied with a flourish of eyelash batting and laughter alike as she picked up her coffee mug, refilled by Shada’s PA Kevin, and began checking her phone as instructed and felt natural to her as she waited for this intro shooting to finish.

Soon enough the group were ushered back into the salon - now looking like a proper boutique rather than the explosion of wardrobe and styling that it had looked before - and Shada was greeted enthusiastically by the extremely smug fashion designer Meg Masters from Mastersara Bridal.

“Welcome, ladies, to my boutique.” The brown waves around the woman’s face were so well quaffed, like the other starlets that surrounded Jo as they moved into the space and were guided by the designer towards the luxurious white sofas with the golden accents. The whole group looked mostly put together, and Jo could tell as she made sure not to look directly down the lens of the camera walking backwards before them as they moved that there was a clear line between the reality stars, and herself and Ombre. If she hadn’t already been sure, then the look of distaste that swept the designers face as Jo slumped down on one end of the couch beside the perky blonde was enough to confirm it. “Our sophisticated designs are here for your review, and I am certain that you will find the perfect design for your vision in our collection.” The glance towards Shada and the rest of the stars as the B-camera came to pan across each womans’ reactions was enough to make Jo fight not to snort. “Mastersara Bridal is for not only the modern bride, but the modern bridal party - and we are so touched-” Jo found herself frowning at the tone as the dark haired woman said that word, the tiny curl to her lip and slight sardonic element to it as Meg’s eyes forcefully stayed staring straight, “-that you are here to select your gowns.”

Glancing to her right at the bride herself, Jo could see the glimmer of excitement and the wet sheen in the brunette’s eyes as she smiled that beautiful way that lit up the whole room. The family trait that Jo knew so well, and found herself smiling in return about it as Shada clapped her hands excitedly.

“I love shopping!” The excited giggle that came from the bride was perfectly timed, and the laughter that rippled out was almost entirely genuine from the group that were there, before Shada bounced back up to her feet. “I’m so excited!”

“I’m sure you are,” Meg smiled back, a tiny slice of danger behind white teeth, but waved a hand towards one side of the room. “Let’s see what we can find, shall we ladies?”

Jo actually flinched at the loud squealed exclamations from all the other women, before the group dispersed quickly in a rush in all different directions. Blinking in surprise, she caught the bemused look on their director’s face for the day as he bit into one of his cookies with a wink as he waved a hand for the three other camera men to start following the rest of the group.

Taking a deep breath as the noise slowly quieted down and instead each small group of women began talking amongst themselves, the blonde leaned over her knees as she breathed in and out. This was a lot. She was used to having this level of excitement and such around her, but as she finally got to her feet and approached where Shada was talking animatedly about only wanting purple shades regardless of if certain people’s hair would clash horribly and wash them out, Jo was surprised to realise that it was overwhelming for her in a way she’d never experienced before.

“Oh Bela, I know you’re not a fan, but green just is so not my color wheel.” Shada giggled loudly at the seductive green silk dress the other brunette was holding up to her frame. “Besides, you’re a bridesmaid - you’re not there to be sexy.”

“Says you.” Bela tossed her head back with a smile, eyes flashing and Jo was sure that the camera was eating every second of that wicked look. “You know weddings are the perfect place to meet men, and I know that Ian has some equally rich and handsome cousins-”

“No!” The chirp came from the blonde that stuck her head with a very exaggerated scowl through the nearest clothing rack. Ombre eyed the actress with a frown for a moment before adding sharply, “My cousins are all gay. Or married. Or-”

“Or you’re lying to disuade me.”

“Maybe.”

“Girls, lets not fight - we’ve got to find dresses.” Jo found herself speaking up as the bickering back and forth began and all she could envision was how frustrating it was to deal with Billy’s squabbling with his friends and put her foot in before it could get going. “Shada, how about you get everyone to grab a dress or two - so long as they can be made in a purple tone - and we can get started?”

There was a second before her friend’s arms went around her waist and Jo found herself laughing along with Shada as she grinned back at her. “See? This is why we need a mom around here! Someone who knows what they’re doing!” Looking over Jo’s shoulder, Shada flapped her hand at those around the room. “Let’s get trying!”

The god awful squeal happened again, and biting down on a wince, Jo let Shada link their arms together and herself be towed about the room as the brunette reviewed dress after dress with the designer pointing out features left and right. It took forever, but perhaps that was just how it felt to Jo, before the six bridesmaids were each sent off to their own dressing rooms with a large array of dresses in each to match one another - guided to start from the left to the right.

Letting out a sigh, Jo stripped off and quickly pulled on the first dress with little struggle. At least this one, compared to some of the others, looked a lot less intimidating. Tugging the chiffon straps carefully, Jo frowned when they wouldn’t stay up and instead hung off her shoulder. It must have been intentional, she thought as she readjusted her bra and settled everything where it should be before there was a called out direction by the directing man for the bridesmaids to emerge on the count of three.

Sighing to herself, Jo followed instructions and moved out of her changing room towards the central space in line with the other bridesmaids to scrutiny.

Looking down the line, the blonde found herself smiling to see Ombre swishing the skirt of the soft lilac dress happily, while both Anna was trying not to scowl on camera while trying to pull her dress down enough to show more cleavage than should be necessary or was acceptable in such a simple and classic dress. The color looked beautiful on a few of the other women’s skin tones, but washed out others like Bela and Ombre.

Jo jerked at the sound of a laugh near her, and looked over to see Chuck with his camera pointed directly at her while Gabe was directing his own the cameras away from her. Frowning, she raised a brow at the men in confusion.

“Have a good night, Jo?” Chuck asked, tone full of implication, as Shada and Lilith bickered about whether the color of the dress was dramatic enough or not. Jo frowned further in confusion until the reporter gestured at her neck. “Should have remembered you were doing things today.”

Turning her head towards the mirror, Jo let out a loud laugh noticing the dark patch under her ear that was visible now she’d switched her borrowed hoodie out for a dress. Giggling, she looked about for an option before a tall, lanky blond came over with a compact and whispered at her in an accent that would have once upon a time been dreamy about “got mauled by an octopus did you, dearie?”

Thankfully the rest of the women were busy squabbling or enjoying their dresses that by the time all turned towards Jo she was covered sufficiently and could simply say she thought the dress was ‘nice’ and ‘a good start’ without any further questions other than to turn the topic back to the bride.

“I agree, Jo, it’s a good start. I love the color - its so lovely and reminds me of spring! It would match the wisteria arches perfectly...” Shada frowned slightly in the sweetest looking frown Jo had seen in a while, tapping at her lip with a finger as her brows furrowed and a camera came in for a close up. “But something about the strap bothers me. Onto the next!”

The clap that followed that was order enough for the bridesmaids and director alike for them all to return to the dressing rooms for the next dress.

Jo emerged before being called this time - half to check that she didn’t have anything extra to be hidden and half to check on the bride herself - and found herself blushing at the loud exclamations of how beautiful she looked from her friend.

“Oh Jo, you have to get a dress like this some day. My brother would eat you up!” Shada leaped off of the sofa to run up to her, all smiles and grins as the camera crew focused on taking b-roll of the store itself while the other women struggled to get dressed. The brunette took her hands in a second before tugging for Jo to spin so the soft, tulle swirled about in a beautiful arch while Jo could hear in the background the shutter of the reporter’s ever observant camera going off. “Look at your figure, wow. Wow. You’d totally steal the show from me!”

Jo laughed along with the other at that, aware that the warm tone and the way the other pulled her in for a hug that that would in no way be true but the sentiment felt so strongly. She did look nice, she supposed, catching a glimpse in the mirror. She was just lucky her breasts had shrunk back to almost the same level after having weaned Billy onto a bottle all those years ago, because with much more cleavage and she’d look very different in this dress.

The rest of the bridesmaids slowly emerged, and Jo bit down on a smirk at the decreasingly excited or pleased reaction each woman got as more appeared in the beautiful design. The deep-v that looked lovely on Jo, Lilith and Ombre, looked borderline tacky on the two dark haired women when Bela and Ruby emerged even if the dark purple color of the bodice looked beautiful on their complexions. And on the redhead when Anna eventually emerged, it looked downright tawdry.

“Oh no.” Shada shook her head, eyes fixed on the ample curve of bossom visible in the deep-v of the redhead’s dress before she swept a glance over the rest of them with a wistful look. “No, no, this one won’t do. You all look far too sultry and amazing. Though perhaps I should buy one of these for my hen’s night?”

The round of laughter and eye rolls that came from that, as well as the extreme pout from the redhead were amusing, and Jo made her way over in a swish of fabric as the rest moved back to the dressing room to catch the bride’s arm.

“Hey, Shada sweetheart, it’s absolutely okay if we don’t find something today, okay?”

“But-”

“No,” Jo shook her head at the somewhat deflated look on the other’s face as Jo guided her to sit down. “I know all those girls have their own expectations of what they want to look like, but you should know that this is about what you want and what will make you happiest.”

The glance the dark haired woman gave to the cameras that were now focused on the pair was concerning, though Jo reached out to grip her chin firmly but gently and caught her eye again. “No. This is about you Shada, not any of that. This is all about you, and your love and your happiness - not the dresses, not the cameras or the opinions or the whims of everyone else. You tell me which dress you want, when you see it, and I will make sure you get exactly what you want.” Jo could feel the prickle of tears at the corner of her eyes as she said it - remembering the voice that was becoming less clear growling to her that 'whatever makes you happy’ when she’d said she just wanted her own wedding over with - before smiling widely. “You are the bride, Shada, and this is about your big day. Not everything else happening around it.”

There was a beat before the younger girl nodded her head a few times and Jo wrapped her up in a tight, bone-crushing hug for a moment regardless of the cameras on them and the shutter sound of the smaller ones. After a moment, she pulled back and knocked her fist gently against the other’s chin before rushing back to her dressing room to get into the next dress.

Jo barely refrained from jerking away when she noticed the next dress, scowling to herself as she pulled it on and tugged at the turtleneck of it as it scratched at her skin. Turning in the mirror, she pulled a face all over again at the figure hugging nature of the dress and just how much of a Mom-ass she looked to have already in that dress.

Heading to her spot in the line up, Jo found herself biting back a laugh at the vehement fight breaking out between Shada and Lilith over the dress itself.

“No way! They’re too sparkly-”

“I happen to think these are better than those trashy, boring dresses from before.”

“You all look trashy now!”

“You would know!”

“Get the Hell out of those things!” Shada shrieked, gesturing along the line of women as the smirking blonde continued to tug her dress to show of every single curve of her body in the dress in a way Jo was trying to conceal for herself. “My wedding is not in Las Vegas! No way, no how, get out of them now!”

Jo was glad to turn tail without even being out in that one for even a minute, before catching sight of the next dress with a sense of dread. Sparkles and sequins weren’t exactly Jo’s dream idea, but as she struggled to work out the straps to the open sides and back of the next dress and had to call a store girl in to help, she couldn’t help but find her breaths rushing realising that perhaps if this dress was chosen she’d definitely stand out.

Emerging to the floor to see Shada, Ombre and Bela gushing about the dresses in the centre of the room and how pretty the color was on each woman, Jo tugged a little at the side of her dress. Glancing towards the large mirrors before them, she could see three quarters of each of her ribcage tattoos on display under the straps - dark lines and bright colors standing out against her skin and the deep eggplant color. Frowning to herself, she moved up towards the other women and blushed brightly when all three turned to look at her with matching frowns at the distracting ink from the design of the dresses.

“What do you think? Too much?” Ruby’s voice cut over them as she moved up as well, and Jo’s eyes went straight to her chest and the limited coverage in this dress compared to the other deep-v.  “Not enough?” The additional comment seemed to be addressed over the women’s heads towards the camera crew, and Jo bit down a smile at the smirk and thumbs up sent back to the dark haired beauty from the directing chair. “Shada, me thinks this might not work-” There was a pause as Ruby glanced behind her to see Lilith and Anna emerging too with their own problems of either not filling out or over filling the dresses respectively, before looking around and at the tattoos visible on Jo’s sides. “For multiple reasons.”

Shada’s own face slowly shifted from a smile about how lovely Ombre and Bela had looked in the gowns to taking in the rest with a growing frown before nodding. “Yeah, I love the color though-”

“It’s definitely lovely!” Ombre chirped up from beside Shada with a wide smile, and Jo couldn’t help but feel glad that at least there were two of them on Shada’s side.

“But perhaps the design isn’t quite... accommodating enough?”

“We can expand the cups.” There was a sniffing sound as Meg moved forward to gesture towards the redhead’s chest with a sneer. “For those who need a little more coverage.”

Shada’s eyes darted about between the dresses and the designers frowning disapproval uncertainly, and as she blushed brightly, Jo could tell where this was going. She was such a people pleaser and so lovely a person, but that just meant sometimes she could be trampled too much. Not on Jo’s watch though.

“Oh, but you’d have to change the whole bodice of the dress to cover my tattoos though.” She quickly snapped out, tugging surreptitiously on the dress in the middle to show even more of her ink as she turned to the side, drawing everyone’s eyes over to her and away from Shada. Jo locked eyes with the designer fiercely, lips twitching to go into a smirk at the way the other woman’s own curled up into a sneer. “And then it’s jut a whole different dress. We might as well keep looking.”

“Exactly right, Jo. Thank you.” Shada spoke up then, stepping up to point and tap disapprovingly at the side of her dress as she looked back at the designer and then made a flapping, shoo-hand towards the rest of the bridesmaids. “Next dress, ladies!” As the group dispersed back to their own dressing rooms, the bride reached to hold Jo’s wrist with a smile. “Thank you,” She whispered quietly then, the intent and gratitude clearly pouring out that Jo could do little but smile back before shuffling back to the next dresses.

The fifth dresses resulted in a shouting match about just why was no one in the color purple and why would Shada want to look at silver dresses when none of those designs came in her chosen color; and the sixth was in another pale lavendar color but looked a little too sweet and girly on everyone except Ombre. Jo half thought that girl should be treated as a junior bridesmaid, given she wasn’t even nineteen yet, and could wear the flowy, laced halter dress to be different from the rest - but that idea brought tears to the other blonde at being treated differently and was quickly shut down. The brown bag of elephant ear cookies was quickly brought out and the younger woman calmed down with sugar before they moved onto the next dress.  The seventh dress was widely agreed to be Nice But Wrong in a way that nobody could put a finger on and was after about five minutes of dissection to get to the bottom of it called off with a shout of “NEXT!” from the bride that sent them all scurrying away.

Jo had noticed between dresses that Chuck had been making the rounds talking to each of the other bridesmaids for a few minutes before they changed to discuss the wedding, Shada, their involvement and connection, and whatever else he seemed to want to draw out of these women thrown together by a job or through the groom in Ombre’s case. Jo was just glad to avoid talking today until she noticed him hovering by her dressing room as she emerged in the eighth dress.

“So, how is this compared to shopping for your own dress?” Chuck’s voice was quiet, thankfully, in the space as he held the dictaphone between them with a warm smile. “You said it was at an op shop, but did you have much to choose from?”

“Not really. There’s only so many white dresses about the place that aren’t stained, if you feel me.”

“That makes sense. Did you get that feeling though?” Jo found herself raising a brow at the question, which brought out a chuckle from the reporter. “Oh I know, odd for me to ask. But all the other ladies keep talking about some magical feeling or experience, figured you’d be the one to know the truth maybe.”

Jo laughed a little at that, shrugging a bare shoulder as she tilted her head to the side considering. “Hmmm... I don’t think I did. I just picked the dress that fit and looked the nicest.”

“If you were to get married again, what do you think you’d be after this time around? That magical feeling?”

She shook her head as she moved out towards the group, smiling sadly to herself as she glanced back over her shoulder at the man. “Sorry Chuck, I’m a bit too much of a realist these days about marriage and weddings,” Jo felt that prickle again and blinked rapidly for a moment before sighing gently. “Once you’ve experienced that young love feeling, you know that fades. Real love is about the real world, and facing that together. I don’t think you need a magical feeling - just to feel like you’re home and safe together.”

The reporter nodded repeatedly and Jo watched as he pulled out his notepad to make a few more notes as he moved off distractedly out of shot from the other cameras as Jo stepped up on the podium beside the other bridesmaids in this dress.

She had felt a little self concious of her hips and butt in the dress in the dressing room, but standing in line with the other women she couldn’t help but think they’d stumbled upon something that flattered each woman individually without drawing too much attention. Sure, she definitely looked curvy in the dress beside the others, but Anna and Ruby’s chests looked equally full, while Lilith and Ombre’s hair color and svelte figures looked statuesque and beautiful. And Bela just looked gorgeous in any and every dress she���d worn that she blended in with the rest just as lovely in the deep plum dress beside the rest of them.

“Oh. Oh these...” The bride’s eyes had lit up as soon as the six of them has assembled along beside one another, taking in the elegant drop sleeves and gentle curve of the silhouette that flattered each of them together. “I think, maybe...”

As each woman took turns to speak how much they liked the dress - with the sole exclusion of Anna who pouted repeatedly and played up to camera that it was too form fitting while clearly meaning the complete opposite as she continued to perk her chest up higher and twist to make her butt stick out more as she glanced between her own behind and Jo’s own - or at least appreciated the design for various reason, followed by the designer to talk incessantly about how lovely and flattering it was, Jo kept her eyes on Shada’s own wide, glossy ones.

“Well, we still have two more to try!” Ombre interjected when no one seemed to be making a move either way, and watching Shada shake herself out of her thoughts, Jo smiled that perhaps they’d found the one that would make the other happy already.

Stripping out of the dress, Jo let out a yelp at the sound of her curtain being pulled open before scowling in the small mirror in the room back towards the blonde and redhead that were in her doorway, delayed in changing from their interviews with the reporter.

“Excuse fucking you?” Jo snarled the words out, turning to sneer back at them as she lifted the dress back up from the floor to cover her front as she raised a brow at their own nasty looks. “Your rooms are further down.”

“Oh, are they?” Anna’s question sounded innocent, but the way her eyes raked over her disapprovingly made Jo question just how good an actress she thought the other actually was. “Our mistake. Hmm, Jo, what on earth happened to you?”

“What?”

“Those marks. You’re absolutely riddled in such horrible stretchmarks!”

“You’re right, Anna!” Lilith jumped right onto the line of picking as her own eyes ran across Jo’s skin in a way that made her want to throw punches - bra and panties be damned. “Were you a fat little kid? Or is that all from that little bastard you’ve whelped?”

Everything seemed to flash red in that moment, and if it hadn’t been the slight movement of something silver out the corner of her eye, Jo would have grabbed the other blonde by the hair and shut her up one way or another. Instead she glared hatefully at the recorder that stopped her from breaking the sneering bitch’s nose then and there and instead snarled back harshly. “Lilith, grow the fuck up.”

“What?”

“And you too Anna,” Jo hissed the words out, holding the dress tighter against herself as she tried not to let her rage boil over as she glared hatefully between the two of them. “I get you’re pissed that your boob job last year was fucking lopsided, and that you, Lilith, only got released last month for that little coke habit of yours - but I won’t have either of you talking shit about my son or trying to ruin this for Shada. So shut the fuck up, grow the fuck up, and don’t make me force the issue after we’re done here.”

There was a pause as the other two women exchanged a look, and Jo felt a small amount of pleasure as the redhead hiked up her dress on one side self-consciously in a way that Jo had felt before her mind got flooded with anger, before they turned about on their heels to go back to their change rooms. As she slid the curtain back in place she could hear them continue to whispering viciously about her ‘dumptruck ass’ and stretch marks, and one comment that as Jo turned back to the mirror, dropping the dress to the floor, stuck harder. ‘What makes her think she’s so special to be included here? Just cause she tricked Shada’s rich older brother into thinking she’s someone worth anything.’

Staring back into the mirror for a moment, Jo struggled to keep her face straight even to herself as she ran an eye over each of the imperfections they’d named as well as every other problem she saw in herself - each cut and mark and the less taunt skin around her stomach that had never gone back as tight as it used to be and the way her arms were too muscular from all the kneading and her hair was getting the odd silver strand amongst the blonde between running a business with such early hours, having a child and trying to restart her romantic life - before she spotted the dark bruising starting in the tops of her thighs and the curve of her breasts and the spots covered faintly still by make up on her neck. The proof that all those little bits, those little flaws and problem areas, and pieces that showed the history of her life in them, weren’t anything to be ashamed of.

Shaking her head, Jo quickly pulled on the next dress with a scowl of disgust at how washed out the color was compared to the deep jewel tone of the previous one, and the flacid ruffle along one side that made her want to tear it off. Some how this was almost as bad as the sparkly one.

When Jo got out onto the platform with the rest of the bridesmaids, she was not surprised to see both Anna and Lilith refusing to meet her eye before the redhead said loudly to the other, “Oh it’s such a shame some people look like old mothers rather than young bridesmaids.”

“It’s a shame some of us look like an episode of Botched,” Snapped Ruby with a smirk as she lifted her nails pretending to inspect them as a few of the other women frowned uncertainly. “But as I believe Jo said earlier, it’s about the bride right? So if someone’s tits are pointing in opposite directions then it’s probably very helpful for us all that we’re supposed to blend into the background, right?”

Jo bit down on a snort of laughter at that as she could spot a few of the crew trying to hold in their own noises. The fact there was no script today meant absolutely nothing to the ability for Gabe and his crew to get enough soundbites and drama for an episode. Glancing towards the reporter who was fiddling with his voice recorder, she could see the bemused look on his own face as well.

“Shada?” The uncertain question cut through the tension, and Ombre blinked sweetly a few times at her future sister-in-law before everyone turned back towards the dark haired bride. “What do you think?”

“Get rid of the tapeworm dresses, please, immediately!”

Jo found herself laughing hard at that description, and louder still when she shimmied the excess frill towards the bride and got a horrified squeal in return.

This time she wasn’t disturbed as she changed into the last dress. The sequined monstrosity that it was.

Shada didn’t even let half the women emerge from the change rooms before the call was made for everyone to put back on the deep purple mermaid dress with the off the shoulder cut. The one dress that made everyone look gorgeous and equally beautiful, though the way Jo could see the dark haired woman’s eyes cutting towards the redhead she could tell she wished it looked worse on her.

As they stood in line as they would on the day, Shada let out a loud and excited squeal - clapping her hands and bouncing happily on the sofa as she looked at the line of bridesmaids with joy. “We found it you guys!” The woman practically buzzed with excitement as they looked them all over and then got swamped by a giant hug from the youngest blonde who launched herself over for a hug. “We did it! Oh I have such pretty bridesmaids!”

“She using the right term? For you I mean.” Jo startled at the question from beside her as the other women milled about to try on accessories, looking out the corner of her eye at the reporter. His dictaphone was away at this point, as was his notepad, and Jo felt her cheeks heating up at the implication of the words before she got called away by Bela to try a necklace.

The rest of the day was a quick blur, and as soon as she was back in her normal clothes and wrapped up in the faint smell of aftershave, Jo felt much more comfortable as she got talked through how to do a brief interview for the show itself rather than the reporter, and then got to take Shada and Ombre for a late lunch at the sushi restaurant that the brunette never got to go to often any more. It was a relaxing time, with all three talking happily and confirming that Shada had chosen a beautiful dress that would compliment her own wedding dress when it was finally chosen too.

After lunch, Jo stopped by the bakery but was shooed straight out by Sam with the end of his broomstick and a lot of laughter. Instead of heading home, she swung past the college instead to check on Jack. That led to her sitting in on his last two lectures, staring moonily at him as she watched the passion with which he talked about his work and whipped his classes up into a frenzy of enthusiasm and appreciation for whatever topic he talked about. Then it was dinner, a movie on the couch and kisses in bed before sleep caught up with her.

The next day was equally calm in the morning, with the opening of the bakery as standard and her morning breezing by as if it was any regular day. It felt kind of strange to be back to her regular routine without her reporter shadow or anything out of the ordinary planned like shopping or photo shoots. It was quiet even as she bopped around to her tunes and worked on her usual catalogue of treats and baked goods. It felt good to be back to normal.

That changed as the clock hit one, and Jack arrived alongside his sister and Shada’s fiance Ian. Just after Jo had served up lunch of pithiviers, the door swung open to let in Chuck as well as Ash for their own lunches and bringing in a tray of coffees for the others. Jack’s attitude dipped slightly at the reporter’s arrival, but as the questions bounced about simply interviewing Ian and Shada about their feelings about Jo’s baking and why they had chosen to have Jo make their cake, he calmed some and slowly relaxed next to her as Jo rubbed her thigh against his under the bench.

As soon as lunch was finished, Jo fetched out the four different cake styles as well as the base crumb coated tiers to make a three tier mock-up of the cake itself based upon whichever design the couple chose.

It was a quick blur discussing what elements they each liked of all the cakes, and what they didn’t, but the silver dictaphone was out and Jo found herself talking more professionally than she usually would between friends but taking the time to really discuss at length the different elements. That Ian really liked the demonstrated fondant flowers but they both would be so intruiged to see some pulled sugar demonstrations as well. That Shada loved the understated, modern elegance of the airbrushed cake. That neither liked the ruffle effect of the ombre cake, even though Ian softened at hearing the name of the style and both thought it was a sweet connection to Ian’s sister but not quite their style. That they trusted Jack’s opinion on every single element.

As they finally settled on wanting to see a three tiered airbrushed cake, Jo set the fondant rolling for each cake and after wrapping and stacking the bottom two tiers - she held her airbrush out to the dark haired artist with a smile.

“You want to do the first spray?” She asked with a smile as she started wrapping the last of the cakes. “Or do you have any suggestions for the patterning?”

“Jo, I’d never suggest I could paint a cake near as good as you could.” Jack’s smile was blinding as he turned back to her as she started putting the last tier to the top with a steadying hand from him to help her when it was above her head. There was a pause before a sudden gust of air and edible dye splattered onto her cheek as Jack sprayed at her lightly on accident with a laugh. “See? I’m all thumbs!”

“That you are!” Giggling herself, she set about starting to do the same mottled effect of blacks, greys, golds and definite purples across the side of the cake - spinning it carefully left and right on the cake stand so she could create a gentle gradation that worked on both sides of the cake at once. So that no matter where you stood, you could see a gentle flow of color spreading along the while surface and swirling together. “Whatcha think, hun?”

There was a pause before Jo felt the other’s hand wrap around her fingers and lift the gun to point at one last spot. “A tiny bit there, and I think it’s good.” Jack’s lips were brushing against the shell of her ear as he talked, and she almost forgot hot to breathe when his finger pressed down on top of hers to pull the trigger for a moment before releasing again as the final, perfect brush stroke finished off the cake. The noise of the whole room had dropped away as she took a minute step back into his arms, her back to his chest and his other hand spreading across her waist, before a loud squeal broke the spell wrapped around her like her love’s arms.

“Oh my gosh, Jo! It’s absolutely perfect!”

The happy exclamation from the dark haired girl felt so good after the week of worry and stress trying to perfect the design and flavors and options for the other, and as Jo turned to look across the bench top from between the beautiful mocked up cake and the warmth of her lover’s embrace, she found herself grinning widely to see the same amount of love and excitement that she felt on the young couple’s faces as they looked between her cake and each other. Tilting her head back to catch Jack’s eye, she couldn’t help but think Shada had it utterly right.

Letting out a laugh, Jo smiled back and after a loud cough from the reporter, quickly moved to pose with both the bride and groom and the cake alone, before Chuck announced he had more than enough content for his cake article.

“I’ll see you all in a few weeks for - what was it, florals and bridal showers?” Chuck looked equally as confused as the other men in the room, shrugging his messenger bag with all his gadgets up onto his shoulder. “This article should be out by then, I think, depending on what date exactly you’re doing those parts Shada.”

“Not until after, I don’t think.” The brunette smiled gently from her perch on one of the stools, holding hands with her fiance and barely glancing away from him even as Ian was answering some email on his phone. “I loved the first article!”

“Oh yeah, that one was good.” The reporter nodded a few times, and shook hands with the distracted groom before extending a hand towards Jack as well. It took a second before the men shook hands, and Jo quickly jumped to her feet as Chuck went to leave.

“Wait! Take one of these with you, won’t you? I’ve got more cake than I’ll need for ages!” Jo flapped a hand and quickly fetched out a large cake box to slide the cake covered in the edible flowers into it for him. The ombre ruffled cake was boxed up already to be dropped off by Ian to his sister as a surprise, and Jo knew she’d use the other two as cake specials for the rest of the weekend. “I hope you like lemon.”

“You better believe it.” He looked surprised and a little uncertain to be receiving the full cake, and Jo was confused by the almost guilty look that crossed his face as Chuck took it from her with a sigh. There was a pause before he smiled again and waved goodbye with his free hand and headed back out to the main part of the bakery.

Frowning to herself, Jo moved back over to the three tier cake and grabbed a knife, holding it out to Shada and Ian. Looking between them and her own love, the blonde grinned with a wicked smile before asking cheekily, “You two need to get some practice in before the big night?”

---

[todo-ho-ki]

If It’s Convenient For You, pt.3

Hello everyone! I think it’s time for part 3! Not much else to say except thank you if you’re reading my self-indulgent shit.

Word Count: 1,382

Pairing: BakugoXReader

Warnings: Just swearing. Again lol.

Part 1      Part 2      Part 4    Part 5   Part 6

@chims-kookies

A few days went by without so much as a mention of the three heroes stopped in your town. You were working peacefully, legs kicking in rhythm like they always did.

You weren't thinking much about anything but the email you received, telling you to prepare a two-minute piece for your audition and to be at the airport at 6:00 am Friday, two weeks from now.

Your excitement couldn't be contained and when the store was empty, you were belting out songs, trying to find a good range and tempo for your voice.

"Afternoon, Shouna!" Your coworker exclaimed. "You look super excited." She hung up her jacket and clocked in on the register.

"More than super excited! I got a call from Producer X last night!" You twirled happily in circles.

"Woah! What!? You got a call from him?"

"Yeah! He wants me to fly out and audition for his new singing show."

"That's incredible! I'm excited for you! Oh, and you can head to lunch now."

---------

When you returned, there was only one customer in the store. His back was turned and his head was down, scanning the drinks. You almost didn't recognize him when he was all dressed down but there was a stutter in your breath as you realized it was Ground Zero.

This ass has no shame, does he? He was just rude to me like three days ago and he's back in the store? There are other convenience stores.

You took your time clocking back in so you wouldn't have to deal with him, but he was still standing motionless. Until you walked behind the counter, that is. He whipped around completely and suddenly, eyes boring into you, making your skin crawl. There was a tense moment before he spoke.

"Oi. Which one of these has more electrolytes?" There was none of the venom from a few days ago in his voice as he held up the drinks awkwardly.

You almost scoffed out loud. 

Does he really care about that? What kind of question-

Your train of thought was interrupted by him clearing his throat.

"Uh, they both have the same amount," you called back. Is he...trying to make small talk?

You recognized the signs immediately. He could've asked your coworker. He could've said, oh, maybe literally anything else that wasn’t weird but instead he chose to ask a weird question to you specifically.

"Feh. I'll take them both then." He sat them on the counter with an attitude, arms crossing.

Jesus actual christ.

Under the bright store lights, his limpid eyes gleamed. A heat broke out on the back of your neck.

His stare was imposing, but he seemed somehow relaxed. Without a scowl and a mask covering his face, you couldn't help but notice his boyish charm and the way a calmness claimed his face.  A sharp jawline, but otherwise young features. He had to be in his early twenties just like you.

And he was...stunning? Absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. He wasn't frowning or making a fuss. You didn't realize how much beauty pent-up anger could take from someone.

What the actual fuck are you thinking Shouna? He's still an ass. Ring him up and get him the hell out of here.

But you looked again with a hand on his drink, about to swipe it.

His crossed arms were perfectly chiseled, veins and muscle perched almost delicately atop them. His pale complexion was perfectly flawless. His collar bones peeked out from his tank top and his shoulders were so defined you could almost see the sinew beneath the skin.

This boy was fucking stacked, and the way the glow from the descending sun bounced off his skin made him look like an angel. A really buff angel.

There was clearly breath entering your lungs but it felt like you hadn't taken a breath in months. Your mouth was going dry with your heavying breath, nerves taking over. By now you were sure he noticed your sudden change in demeanor, face growing red.

Oh god. Am I...sweating?

There was a struggle to keep your grip on the second bottle and move quickly. He took his eyes from the drinks in front of him and looked up at you, raising an eyebrow smartly. He was about to say something annoying, you were sure.

"Did you forget how to ring stuff up?" He mocked.

You smiled. You deal with rowdy customers all the time. This is no different.

But good lord it was so different. Your heart was racing, blood finding its way to the surface of your skin.

"No. I'm just not feeling well," you lied.

He stared at you for a moment, an inquisitive look on his face.

"If you're sick you shouldn't be at work." He replied shortly and snatched the bag from your hand."It's probably from walking around in this weather without a jacket."

You tried your hardest to keep your eyes on the register as you told him his total, his hand still on the bag.

Don't look at his hands don't look at his hand don't look at them-

Shit. Too late. They were big with long fingers and prominent veins. Your heart was going fifty miles a minute and all you could hear as you replied was the blood rushing in your ears. And why was it so hot? Was your hair always causing such a wave of heat on your face? Did you always feel like you were going to burst into flames?

"It-isn't contagious. It'll be 650-" He didn't wait until you were finished to drop a few bills on the counter.

"Make sure you eat something. You're pale."

He gave you a once-over, sending you into a frenzy. "And sweaty." 

He looked nothing if not disgusted as he walked out without another glance in your direction.

It was like he placed a spell on you. Your breath returned to your chest and your temperature sank back down to a normal one as soon as he was out the door.

"I'm not pale," you huffed, placing a shaky hand to your hot face. "I pride myself on my glowing skin."

In the midst of all the nerves and embarrassment, you'd forgotten about your coworker.

"What. Was. That!?" She motioned. There were many days well-spent goofing off with her and she knew you like the back of her hand.

"That was the most painful transaction I've ever seen you complete. You're really bad at hiding when you like someone."

"Shut up! I don’t like him! I don't even know him. I just know he's an ass," you snarled, taking offense to her implications.

"A cute one though, yeah? You like 'em a little trashy right? A little rough around the edges?" She teased, making big sweeping motions with her arms and shouldering up to you.

"Well you're not wrong about that. But-"

"He was the one that asked for free drinks the other day right? I could tell as soon as you mentioned it to me." A smile pulled at the edges of her mouth.

All you could do was sigh. You supposed you really should've seen this coming. You were very keen on the underdog types. Rough dudes who no one else seemed to like, guys who were- wow. The revelation struck. You liked assholes. You fucking loved them. If they even looked like they were capable of being a dick, you were all over it.

"Literally everything about him is your type! He's all tall and handsome and probably doesn't like anyone or anything in the world.." She kept teasing until you spoke up.

"Look, I'm not ashamed of who's my type. It's just- he's so fucking irritating." Your grip on the counter tightened.

A stare out the window revealed that he'd really left. As if he'd be standing there. He wasn't even nice. There were literally no redeeming qualities. Not one.

"If it makes you feel any better, he didn't say a single word until you clocked in." "Wow! It doesn't!" You exclaimed sarcastically.

She spent the rest of the shift teasing you, noticing the way your head involuntarily poked up every time the bell went off. 

You spent the rest of the shift with Ground Zero’s messy blonde hair and alluring red eyes in your mind.

[softjeon]

Feu Rouge | Pt. 1

• Pairing: Yoongi x Jungkook  • Genre: Smut, Angst, Fluff/ Romance | Brothel!AU • Words: 12k | written with @cassiavioletblue • Disclaimer: nsfw content, sexual abuse

↳ “Being young and offering your body - that’s not that special, is it? What makes you think I would want you? Besides who knows how you might look under those clothes?” Yoongi didn’t change his stance, just watched Jungkook start to get uncomfortable under his gaze.

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A shiver ran down his spine as the cold breeze was finding its way through his shirt. The fabric was way too thin for his liking, but it highlighted his collarbones, his fair skin. There were almost no scars on his body, but the one on his cheek. Tracing it with the tip of his finger, the young raven-haired boy bit his lip, looking up at the sign. He stood there frozen on the spot for ten minutes now, taking in a few sharp breaths.

The sun almost hit its highest point and still it was too early for a business like that to be open yet. Nonetheless he startled when the door to the establishment opened and someone walked out, eyeing him a little warily. Jungkook averted his gaze, trying not to look as if he had been caught red-handed. A rosy blush on his cheeks. The man didn’t mind and just passed him. He let go off the breath he was holding. There was no going back now. He had tried everything. Everything but this. Jungkook had nowhere else to go, had nowhere to be or where he belonged to. This was his only chance to survive.

His hand wrapped around the cool metal of the door handle as he pushed it down. Jungkook’s brows were furrowed as he peeked inside. Something floral mixed with the rough smell of passion and sex, making him feel nauseous for a moment. His heart was beating fast against its cage, threatening to jump out. But he had no other choice. He promised himself to only do it for as long as he needed to survive and ignore the comments about how you couldn’t escape it when the night swallowed you whole. People told him that love wasn’t a real thing and in the end it came down to surviving. Like a puppet in a play. No choice.

Jimin had referred to himself as some kind of actor before and now that Jungkook had thought about it, it was very fitting. Play pretend for one night. Make money. Survive. And do it again.

This was the safest place he could go to. He knew that. Jimin had told him so much, the things he would need to do, to make sure he would become one of them. It was exciting and scary at the same time to a young man like him. Jimin had said that ‘he’ would like him. That ‘he’ would make a lot of money off of him and make sure that Jungkook would be safe. And he was hoping he would, because he had nowhere else to go after this. Jungkook’s eyes wandered around the main room a little, his voice sounding small when he called out. “H-hello?” A smile appeared on his lips when he saw Jimin peeking his head out a door and walking towards him.

“Oh, there you are! I’m glad I caught you. We didn’t really agree on a time, did we? The afternoon can be a long time - or pretty short, if you are in here. ‘Time flies by if you have fun’ or so they say.” Jimin brushed back his hair in a nervous habit, “Ah, don’t mind me rambling, please. I’m just a little nervous about this. But I imagine it must be a lot worse for you! Everything is new and exciting, and you will have to talk to him and make a contract and all those bureaucratic details...”

Despite telling Jungkook what he could (or should?) be scared about Jimin smiled warmly. “You’ll see, you’ll find your place and call this home before a week is over. The boys are nice, and the rooms are warm and comfortable and beautiful, and we can choose what to eat and have our own stuff and... I’m rambling again, sorry.” He laughed and then took Jungkook’s hand as if they were friends. “I’ll just show you the way to his office, then you can see and hear for yourself. Do you have any kind of belongings that you need to get?”

Jungkook listened attentively, his heart still beating fast making his answer sound a bit breathier. “Don’t worry. I like your rambling,” He smiled at him, but his eyes kept flickering around nervously. “Not really. I have a bag,” He nodded over to where he held on tightly to his few things that he called his own – all stuffed into one bag.

“That’s all?” Jimin quickly continued talking. Jungkook wasn’t the only one who had come here from a poor background and with no other options to take. “That’s great, then you don’t even have to go back to get your things. We made it all nice and inviting so you would feel welcomed in your new room and there’s lots of free space so that you can place your items where you want...” Jungkook had only shrugged his shoulder at Jimin’s question about his belongings. He had been a server before, so most of his clothes were coming from his superiors and therefore Jungkook wore some kind of uniform that identified him as such all the time. He had no need for own clothing. And no need for an apartment. A server always had a small room in the superiors mansion. But now. He had none of the above.

“Do you think he will take me in?” The younger one fumbled around with his shirt, smoothing over the fabric once more while he followed Jimin down the hallway until they came to a halt again.

Jimin’s smile faltered a little at Jungkook’s question. “I can’t say. He has his own way to pick out boys, just a pretty face is not enough here. But it is a good start, so you’ll definitely get bonus points for that.” He tried to keep Jungkook’s spirit high by ruffling his hair. “Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll like you. And even if he won’t…” Jimin hesitated for a second before ending, more quietly, “You could always try again in a month or so.” It was a stupid thing to say because depending on the weather and who else was out on the streets Jungkook might not survive a month out there.

Jungkook frowned, trying to fix his hair again and not think about Jimin’s words for too long. His eyes grew wide when Jimin raised his fist to knock on the door. A quiet ‘good luck’ was all he got before Jimin vanished and a low voice ordered him inside. Jungkook took one last deep breath, his hand closing around the door handle to push it down quietly.  

“Mr. Min? My name is Jeon Jungkook,” He was proud of himself for sounding so confident despite his nervousness, his voice was only shaking a little, “I am here for an interview and my contemplation.”

Yoongi didn’t look up immediately. He had been working and so he took his time stacking his papers up into a neat pile and then putting it away. Only then did he look at the boy who had just entered the room. He narrowed his eyes, intensifying his gaze as he stared at the younger that had told him his name with confidence - although it didn’t quite fit the look on his face.

“Close the door behind you, dear, will you?” He casually spoke as he stood up, walking around the big wooden desk before leaning against it, facing Jungkook with nothing in between them anymore and crossing his arms in front of his quest. “So… your contemplation, hm? What is there for me to contemplate? What do you have to offer?” The side of his mouth quirked up into a lopsided smile that was somewhere in between friendly and teasing.

It had only taken a few seconds until Jungkook’s confidence had crumbled. He put his bag onto the floor, quickly closing the door behind him, giving himself more time to think about what he wanted to answer. Despite what Jimin had told him about his boss before, Jungkook couldn’t help but notice his good-looks. The soft eyes and the white almost porcelain like skin. He wondered if it would feel as soft as it looked like.

“My body,” Jungkook finally answered, tearing his gaze away from Yoongi’s cheeks and stood his gaze, “I am young. My skin is almost flawless, despite two scars.” He wasn’t really sure if telling Yoongi about his body was what he had wanted to hear. Yoongi’s face was motionless, so Jungkook just kept on talking. “Jimin told me you’re looking for new boys. So, I am here.” He bit his lip, before he added, “I am no virgin…”

“Hmm, that’s a pity...you get a really good price for those,” Yoongi didn’t make it obvious if he was being serious or just riling Jungkook up. He looked the younger up and down slowly, noticing every little twitch and nervous breath the younger was taking. “Being young and offering your body - that’s not that special, is it? What makes you think I would want you? Besides who knows how you might look under those clothes?” Yoongi didn’t change his stance, just watched Jungkook start to get uncomfortable under his gaze.

“I can take them off if you want to take a look?” Jungkook said, knowing about the procedure about Yoongi’s interviews a little since Jimin had told him about them. “I know it isn’t anything special and I wouldn’t say I am but,” He hesitated for a second before he continued, “I will do my best and work hard. I am good at what I do, no matter what.” Out of instinct, Jungkook bowed his head a little, averting his gaze. “Please consider.”

“You’re polite. I like that. And the customers will appreciate that as well. There’s something else I have to check on first. Are you healthy? We have an in house doctor who will take a look at you in a second so there’s no need to lie, it will only waste both of our times and make me angry so if you’ve got any kind of disease or chronic illness you should better tell me now. If not and you’ve got the clearance then I will have a look at your body. And if I still want you afterwards then you can take a look around and meet the other boys. You can stay here for the night then. And if you’re still adamant on working for me tomorrow morning then we can have a little chat and get into further details as to what the rules will be and how your life here would look like. Is that okay with you?” Yoongi reached out for a bell that had been sitting on his desk, waiting for Jungkook’s answer before calling in the doctor.

“I have no diseases.” Jungkook shook his head quickly, while his heart was jumping so hard against his ribcage. Jimin had said if Yoongi lets the doctor view him than he was basically in. Yoongi never wasted his time, that’s how he had said it. A smile appeared on Jungkook’s lips, one that made his nose scrunch up his nose in a cute manner. He could feel something like hope.

“Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

Jungkook stood there, hands intertwined as he waited for the doctor to accompany him to a different room. He noticed the casual clothing of the stranger right away, only the white smock and the question he was shooting at Jungkook gave away that he had quite some knowledge about medicine. The young boy shook or nodded his head whenever he needed to and in the end it was easier to take off his clothing in front of a stranger than he would have thought, placing his clothes neatly over a chair. The cold breeze let him shiver, as he tried to keep still as possible whenever the doctors hands were on him, examining him, before he turned and scribbled something down onto a piece of paper only to turn back to Jungkook.

“That’s it! Wasn’t so bad, was it?” The doctor said, reaching into his chest pocket as if he was about to give him a lollipop for being a good boy and playing along but he simply pulled out a little piece of paper with a pre-printed message saying that Jungkook was healthy and approved for work. “You can tell Yoongi that he can get the full report in half an hour, but you don’t have to worry, there’ll be nothing in it that will change his mind about employing you. You’re a little on the skinny side and maybe have a little vitamin deficiency but that’s nothing that a few weeks of good care won’t solve. I’ll write some food recommendations in to your file so the kitchen will be stocked accordingly.” His expression turned a little softer as he dropped the professional manner. “I know you’re scared but I can assure you there are establishments that are much, much worse. You’ll be taken care of in here. And I’m one of the people who will make sure of this. Especially in the beginning it might take your body a little to get used to your new profession but if you’re ever in discomfort or feel unwell don’t hesitate to come to my room If you need me.”

So far, so good, Jungkook thought to himself and held onto the little paper tightly as if one could tear it away from him in a second. He thanked the doctor again, the kind words coming from him making him smile and already feeling taken care of. Jungkook had definitely heard about other brothels, but this one had the best reputation. Therefore, the casting and interviews were quite strict, and the hardest part was yet to come. Jungkook had to convince Yoongi that he could sell his body to a lot of customers, that giving him a place to live wouldn’t be a waste of money. And he couldn’t do that with words, not that he was good with them anyways. Nervously, Jungkook licked over his lips reaching for the robe that the doctor had given him earlier and put it back on. It would only take too much time to put all his clothes back on. Tying it tightly around his narrow waist, Jungkook grabbed his clothes and made his way back to Yoongi’s office.

Yoongi was already waiting for him. He had sat back down at the desk but this time he reacted to Jungkook the moment the other knocked on the door. He got up again and motioned Jungkook to come over, a little bit further away from the door where there was a soft carpet to stand on and enough light coming through the windows to illuminate every corner. “Did you pass?” He waved Jungkook over, the smile on his face making it obvious that he was expecting Jungkook to show him the right piece of paper. “Of course,” Jungkook said, feeling a bit more confident now and gave the small paper over to Yoongi, “I don’t lie.” He smiled, biting his lips and taking little steps closer to Yoongi. He wasn’t sure how close he needed to be, so Jungkook stopped at an arm’s length. “He said you can expect the file soon. I just lack some vitamins or something.” Jungkook stopped when he noticed how he was starting to ramble just like Jimin always did. Suddenly the nervousness was right back and Jungkook was awfully aware of his naked state under the robe, making his cheeks blush. “D-do you want me to undress or do…do you?”

“Or do I what?” Yoongi cocked his head. “Of course, you need to disrobe. How else am I going to look at you?” He chuckled slightly. “If you can’t do this in front of me then you might have chosen the wrong job, sweetheart.” Despite his talk he stepped closer, helping Jungkook disentangling his belt and opening the robe for him. Then he stepped back and let Jungkook do the last few movements to let the robe slide down his shoulders. He was completely naked underneath so Yoongi had a perfect view of endless amount of skin. Soft, creamy, flawless skin. He kept the little distance, not touching Jungkook even once but he inspected him closely. “Turn around please.” Jungkook had kept a hold of his robe at the elbows but now he had to let go of it, slipping out of the sleeves completely so that Yoongi would be able to see his backside if he turned.

Jungkook easily did as Yoongi ordered, trying to not think about what he was doing right now too much and only focus on what he needed. A job. A place to stay and be safe.

He let the robe fall and turned around, feeling Yoongi’s stare on his shoulders and back wandering down his body. No one had ever inspected him so closely, not even his lovers before. Jungkook didn’t blame them, he didn’t think of himself as very beautiful, but he was aware that people liked his youthful aura. If that was what the customers wanted, than he could portray that easily for them. He stayed completely quiet, but he couldn’t help but peak over his shoulder and see what Yoongi was doing – while he was staring at his backside far longer than he did with his front.

“You’re right,” Yoongi finally spoke. His throat felt a little too dry and his eyes kept zoning back in on Jungkook’s narrow waist and those hips over deliciously muscled thighs. “You weren’t lying. Not about your health and not about your beauty. You said that you’re young. How young are we talking? You are legal, aren’t you?” The younger had looked mature enough to be or else Yoongi wouldn’t have let him into the house, but it made him a bit worry to see how beautiful and unmarked the other was, considering that he was desperate enough to sell his life to him. Normally you saw traces from the boys past life on their body. “Show me your hands.”

Blinking his eyes in confusion, Jungkook turned and held out his hands for Yoongi to look at. “I am twenty-one, Mr. Min. Very much legal,” He said nervously, his eyes flickering back and forth between Yoongi and whatever he would do now.

Yoongi brushed Jungkook’s palms with his fingertips and furrowed his brows. “Your hands are soft as well. What did you do before? Didn’t you work with your hands?” He reached out for the younger and pulled him in at the waist, completely unbothered by the younger’s nakedness. “How did you get this?” His fingertips ghosted over the barely visible scar above Jungkook’s cheekbone.

Jungkook stumbled a little, his eyes wide and cheeks blushed as he spoke, “I had a fight with my little brother when I was young. We were pretending to be knights and…” He stopped himself, knowing that Yoongi didn’t want to know about unnecessary details. Jungkook gulped, as he could feel his hot palm against his back and Yoongi’s breath against his neck – that’s how close he was. His heartbeat going into overdrive. “I was a server before. My last superiors were really nice people and I take good care of my skin. They always provided me with lotions and everything else,” Jungkook said in all honesty and giggled as he added, “I love flowery scents.”

Yoongi’s frown deepened. Jungkook sounded so open, so honest and hopeful when he talked about his past that their current situation felt quite out of place. It was easy to fall the social ladder down hard when there was no safety net but someone like Jungkook surely had better options - unless there was a flaw in him that Yoongi hadn’t seen yet. Because it wasn’t visible on his skin…

“Then how did you end up here? Did you steal from them?” Yoongi didn’t hold back, asking his questions sharp and merciless right in Jungkook’s face. “Or did something else happen that made them cast you out? I don’t have a place for you if you aren’t loyal and honest.”

The younger was sure that Yoongi could feel and hear his heartbeat with the way he held onto him. Yoongi hadn’t let go of Jungkook even when his gaze tore away from the scar on his cheek. Jungkook couldn’t help but let his own eyes wander over Yoongi’s features, trying to read what he was thinking of Jungkook and if he had a chance in this. He held his own arms still, fighting the urge to reach out and let his hands smooth over the fabric of Yoongi’s suit to feel up his body just as much as he was doing it with his own right now. When he asked about his former superiors, Jungkook’s expression turned far more sad than he intended to. “They died,” He explained, “First it was her, but he couldn't live on without her I guess. The illness got him soon after.” Looking up at Yoongi, he held his gaze, “I tried to find something new, but I’ve been with them for so long. I don’t have much other experiences and this is a small town. I can’t afford to take a train to a bigger city.” Jungkook smiled, “I just need a job and I know I can be good at this. I served before, so this isn’t too far away from what I know, and I am eager to learn.”

Even sad the younger looked exceptionally beautiful and Yoongi felt his heart stutter in his chest at Jungkook’s melancholic smile. There was still a glint of hope in his eyes even though he’s had so much bad luck that he had gone from being a servant in an obviously wealthy home to becoming a possible prostitute in just a few days. That was the crux in this, you didn’t get paid enough as a personal servant to save something up for bad days but you had a place to stay and were well fed and when you were old enough you sometimes got special education or were allowed to help out at festivals and galas where you made connections and friends and found benefactors and sponsors if you were lucky… unfortunately Jungkook’s situation must have gotten drastically worse after the lady of the house had died because he was a little too skinny and his hair looked dull although Yoongi was sure it would look different if Jungkook was only allowed to have a bath and take care of himself again. Yoongi tipped Jungkook’s chin up, stroking the hair back from his face. He couldn’t wait to brush through it when it was all soft and fluffy again.

Jungkook seemed to take pride in it, how well he had taken care of his skin and himself till now and it pained Yoongi a little to know that everything Jungkook had achieved so far was for nothing just because the death of his employers had robbed him of the chance to have a better life. It had gifted Yoongi with this opportunity though, to take in someone soft and pretty, someone with manners, with pride, with the eagerness to learn and the look to have any of his customers fall for him in an instant.

“Okay, you’re in, pretty one. However, you’re on probation for today. I’ll let Jimin show you around as you already know him and tomorrow we talk details and make a contract. After you signed it you won’t be able to back out so think about it carefully if you’ll really be able to work for me. You have all night to think. And I won’t be mad at you if you back out. But I will if you can’t live up to your promises after you agreed to work for me. So, look around, ask the boys whatever you want, take a bath, eat something - and then decide how you want your life to be.”

The smile on Jungkook’s face grew bigger and bigger until he was scrunching up his nose and if he wasn’t naked, maybe Jungkook would have given in the urge to hug Yoongi out of gratefulness - but he was his boss now, he probably shouldn’t do that and keep his manners. So, he bowed instead, deep, and then reached for the robe again to slip back into it. “Thank you so much. I won’t disappoint you,” Jungkook said, glad to have finally found a job again, even if it was something completely different, something that entailed danger and giving himself over to strangers. But he would learn how to do so, how to lure in, seduce and become the best at it. He needed the money and maybe one day he would have enough to leave this small town in the end.

With his happiness flowing over and his nose scrunching cutely Jungkook looked even younger and Yoongi had the sudden and unexpected urge to take his words back to protect Jungkook from this kind of work, have him working in the kitchen instead or as a cleaning apprentice. But he swallowed down the urge as quickly as it came. It would mean less money for both of them - and degrading Jungkook who had been willing to go through this procedure to make quick money even if at the cost of his integrity. He could still keep his dignity though, it all depended on how he would be handling this. And in the end, even though some out there saw brothels and their employees as the last step of society, this could be what Jungkook needed to get back on his feet and make enough money to move on, get another education or qualification to live the life he wanted to. This could be just a little pause, a means to an end - or it could break him completely and leave him scarred and damaged beyond repair. It all came up to him. And knowing that he had a great role in this with his decision who he took in sometimes weighted like a burden on Yoongi. But he hadn’t made many mistakes in the years he had owned this brothel, so he just hoped that Jungkook was one of the strong ones.

Yoongi had told Jungkook where he found Jimin, while he quickly put back on his clothes. He grabbed his bag, thanked the owner once again and then followed the instructions he had given him. It was easy to find Jimin, the door to his room stood ajar and therefore Jungkook could spot him easily. He knocked twice, pushed against it to reveal himself to him. “I made it,” Jungkook’s smile was still big as before, “Mr. Min said you and the boys will show me around tonight and if I am still willing to do this work, I can do the contract with him tomorrow.” He walked in, taking in Jimin’s luxurious looking room with wide eyes.

“Oh, that’s amazing!” Jimin looked honestly happy for Jungkook hugging him close and tight before letting go. He chuckled at Jungkook’s awed expression. “Take a look around if you want. For now, you’re allowed to. Normally we shouldn’t visit each other’s rooms because… for different reasons. But as long as we don’t make it obvious we all bend that rule once in a while. And I guess as the newbie you’re even supposed to get to see what will be yours too.” Jimin sat back down onto his bed, a king sized one with peach colored satin sheets that were decorated with cushions of the same material. There was a comforter on the side, plush and pastel colored and even a plushie of some sort that was half hidden under another blanket. Jimin watched Jungkook carefully walking around the room as if he was on forbidden ground, taking a closer look at his book shelf where not only novels but also private notebooks and boxes where stored. Jimin was proud of his little collection of crystals that he had gotten from a customer, each crystal for a special night that he had spent with him and when Jungkook hesitated, visibly entranced by them Jimin encouraged him. “You can pick them up if you want. They gleam so beautifully in the sun. Those were gifts. If you are lucky and you get nice customers it’s not uncommon for us to receive gifts. Not only things like this. Also, clothes or chocolates or even a night out. I’ve been taken to the theater once. Normally we are not allowed to meet customers outside the house but because he officially asked for permission from Yoongi he made an exception. You’ll see, the horror stories you might have heard about the brothels in the suburbs aren’t true in here. Of course, it’s not all sunshine and flowers but all in all you can live well here. You’ll have a home. Friends. Your own kind of crazy little family. Each of us has their own charm, their specialties. We look out for each other. And if you decide you want this then you can be a part of this too.”

Jungkook nodded eagerly, “I’d like to be.” He let his hand wander over the crystals and then the soft fabric of Jimin’s bed. “I like your room. It’s as soft looking as you,” Jungkook smiled at him playfully, glad that someone like Jimin who he had only met a few times on the market had become his friend. They had been meeting up there a couple of times to shop together. Jungkook for his superiors and Jimin for his room, outfits, or just himself. He never had a problem with the idea of Jimin being a prostitute, indeed Jungkook always loved the stories he was telling him. It was like another world, one that Jungkook was going to be a part of soon. “Will you show me around and my room, please? I know you have to get ready soon, right?” Jungkook asked, feeling excited to see what a night in the brothel would be like.

“Yes, I will. You don’t have to participate in the whole thing for now - not before you’ve signed your contract. Which means I can show you around and then leave it to the others to take care of you tonight while I go change. Will you be okay with that? They are nice, you’ll see. And you can stay in the kitchen or in your room and lend a book from me or you can take a bath while we’re all occupied. You’ll have the bathroom all for yourself How does that sound?” Jimin took his hand and led him out of the room, carefully locking the door behind him. Your room should be next to Tae’s. He’s been the youngest till now so you two will get along well I think.” Jimin kept talking while they were walking down the hallway. “He’s very lively and if you’re bored he’s always up for stuff. You won’t get bored much here though. You’ve always got the morning for yourself and most of us sleep in because working the night is the usual. Then we eat together at lunch time - you don’t have to be there, it’s not mandatory, you can also just eat in your room if you feel like it but it’s actually nice to eat together. Some of us are from bigger families and used to taking care of the others… you can always count on Jin if you need help in the kitchen. In the afternoon Yoongi often calls for us, to tell us if we were reserved for certain customers or for our checkups or just to talk. He wants to make sure that there are no secrets here and that we feel comfortable because ‘happy employees make a happy employer” he says. He often looks grumpy, but you can believe me when I say that he means it. We all trust him to a certain degree. And then in the evening... I guess you’ll talk about the details with Yoongi tomorrow. But I’m sure you know the basics. Like if you haven’t been reserved and booked already you’ll stay in the main room, mingle with people, mostly men. And then some of them will take you to your room, for a certain service, for a few hours or for the whole night. You always settle on which it is first, and you tell someone of the servants who will keep track and tell Yoongi. For the money. And for your safety. That’s about it. Any questions?” Jimin had stopped in front of a wooden door and turned to face Jungkook and look at him properly to see how he handled the information.

There was a lot to take in for him, but Jungkook nodded, nonetheless. “I got this,” He answered confidently. He was excited to meet the others since Jimin had told him a lot about them before. When Jimin revealed his new room to him, Jungkook gasped quietly. It wasn’t as big as Jimin’s, but it was far bigger than he was used to.

“This is all mine?”

He walked in with careful steps, his eyes wandering over a small desk and the big bed that already had simple sheets on them. The room had no personal touch to it, yet but Jungkook was sure the longer you lived her every room got its own style, wondering how the others decorated their rooms. “This is also where I take customers, right? If they didn’t book something special…,” Jungkook asked, while he put his bag onto the bed, walking over to the one window he had to look over the streets below. “I got so many questions, Jimin,” Jungkook turned back around, a glint of excitement glowing in his eyes, “But I don’t even know where to start…”

He wanted to know about how customers were lured in, if he needed to make sure they were clean beforehand himself or if they took a shower before? Then he wanted to ask Jimin if he could lend him something for his first night then, because he absolutely didn’t own anything that was revealing and question him more about how they did business with the customers. Jungkook was sure Yoongi would tell him a lot more about the rules tomorrow, but he wanted to at least get a feel for it.

Jimin smiled softly at him. “It’s a lot, isn’t it? You don’t have to  figure it out all at once tonight. I guess you really want this, no matter what, right?” His smile grew a little more sad. “You’re not the only one who came here as a last option - but you will forget about that soon. In that room you are wanted. You won’t be ignored or overlooked or treated badly. Cause if you are you can tell one of us or Yoongi and that person will be kicked out. You have worth in here. You matter. I don’t know how your life has been before this because... we didn’t really talk about personal stuff during our trips, did we? But I want you to know that you don’t have to hide. You can tell us everything - or you can tell us nothing and actively forgot about your past if you want to. It’s all up to you. This is our safe space. We might bare our bodies to whoever pays for it, but they will never get our souls, our dignity.” Jimin brushed his neck, embarrassed about how serious he had gotten. “Uhm, anyway, are you hungry? I’m sure you are. We could get a snack for you in the kitchen and see who else is there.”

It really felt like Jimin liked it here and that everyone involved in the business were taking care of each other. Jungkook easily followed Jimin again, happy when the other gave a key over to him so he could lock his own door up. He listened attentively, trying to take everything in that Jimin was telling him, pointing to various rooms or corners when he stopped abruptly making Jungkook bump into him. “What is it?” Jungkook asked, watching how Jimin’s smile turned into a smirk and then a giggle. There were sounds of laughter and deep voices coming from somewhere. Jungkook didn’t get an answer, instead Jimin’s hand wrapped around his wrist and pulled him along and into a room – the changing rooms.

Jimin placed a finger on his lips to signal Jungkook to be silent before he pulled on the door handle, barging into the room behind. “Hey guys, look who’s here - our newest member. He’s going to be the youngest so say goodbye to getting out of trouble with ‘but I’m the youngest’, Tae.”

The boys had turned around immediately, each of them in various stages of being dressed or undressing, none of them trying to cover themselves up. Jimin simply had pulled Jungkook along so now they were both standing in midst of the others - and all eyes were on Jungkook. “Oi, why did no one tell me we get a new one?” Hoseok spoke up, getting closer to Jungkook to get a better look at him. He was only wearing small black shorts that were tight enough to leave very little to the imagination, but his chest was even more noticeable. Not for the lack of clothes but for the bruises and abrasions he sported. Some almost faded, some fresh and raw and in all different sizes and colors.

It left Jungkook speechless and wondering about where he had gotten them from or if this was just Hoseok’s special charm like Jimin had put it earlier. Or if anything had happened. He bit his lip as he tried his best not to let his eyes wander down to certain areas, but when Taehyung stepped up in front of him, stark naked, he couldn’t help himself. What he saw was quite …impressive.

He gulped hard, when his eyes wandered over his golden skin and then over to another man who was rather tall and wore glasses – the warmest smile on his face. Jungkook smiled right back at him and then finally introduced himself, bowing his head politely towards them – naked or not, he didn’t care, he still had manners.

Taehyung started laughing as Jungkook bowed deeply, getting precariously close to his groin. “Are you bowing to my dick now?” It brought him a light slap against the back of his head by Jin who hissed something about ‘manners’ and ‘first impressions’. “Don’t mind them please. They are just excited to see you. We haven’t had a newbie in quite a while. Namjoon bowed his head as well, quick and with a smile but nonetheless it was a show of respect. Of course, he had noticed the way Jungkook’s eyes had widened at the sight of Hoseok’s body (and Taehyung’s lower body) so he gently addressed the topic. “Also please don’t be scared about the state Hoseok’s in. It’s not against his will, he just takes the rougher customers because he doesn’t mind, and it means more income. He can handle them. And you absolutely don’t have to do that. You could specify in whatever kind of sex you want..”

“He’s perfect for flowersex as pretty as he is!” Someone from the back yelled and Jungkook blushed as Hoseok chimed in, “I guess Yoongi would have something against that. The soft and pretty are always the dirtiest, right, Jimin?” Jimin threw a shirt and Hoseok who ducked and shamelessly laughed at him. All in all, it was very chaotic.

Jungkook loved it, nonetheless. The others made him feel like a part of their group right from the start and Namjoon’s words were reassuring him immensely and the more the others were talking, the more of his confidence came back. When they were walking back to the kitchen, all of them were happily chatting, talking about the shift that were ahead of them.

“I hope I can learn a lot from you guys tonight,” Jungkook said, thanking Jin quietly who had brought him a plate with all kinds of snacks after everyone had complained how skinny he was while he was listening to Namjoon, who held onto Jimin while the younger sat on his lap so everyone could fit around the table. “I mostly take care of the ladies,” Namjoon smiled at him, “I’m the longest here so...if you need anything, just come and ask. Though we are all open to help you anytime.” Jimin nodded at that and took over, almost making it seem like it was staged, “I do a bit of everything but not with everyone.” He winked at Jungkook teasingly.

“He likes the rich people,” Jin chimed in, turning to lean against the kitchen counter, “That’s why he has so many gifts and the biggest room. Did you see his bed? It was custom-made because he fucked the owner of the furniture company.” Jungkook gawked at that, looking back and forth, his mouth hanging open in awe. He wondered if he would ever get presents from a customer. “Don’t act like you have never received any gifts,” Jimin teased Jin right back and the other just shrugged his shoulders as an answer. “I’m handsome, of course they will do anything for me.” Namjoon laughed at that, shaking his head fondly, “Like you’ve seen before, Hoseok is doing a lot of special treatments, so if you don’t want to something you can always tell the customer to ask for Hoseok. He will most likely do it.”

“He probably makes a lot of money, right?” Jungkook asked carefully, taking a bite from the sliced up apple. “Yes, but Yoongi is paying a lot more for him as well because he has to see the doctor regularly,” Taehyung reached for the water and poured himself a glass. “Do you know what you want to portray, yet?” He asked and Jungkook shook his head. He had no idea about any of this, yet so he would probably just go with his guts and see what would be best, hoping that he could learn a thing or two from the others tonight. “You should definitely observe Taehyung tonight, he’s good at acting and really versatile,” Namjoon said, making a big smile appear on Tae’s lips. “Oh,” Jin exclaimed loudly waving his hands in sudden excitement making everyone’s heads turn towards him, “I completely forgot about it, but it’s perfect, Jungkookie! Mr. Kwon is coming tonight!” Jungkook blinked up at him in confusion, not really sure what it meant, or who even that Mr. Kwon was, but it seemed like everyone else knew as they were nodding their heads approvingly, talking about how it was a great idea and that he wouldn’t mind. Jungkook was completely lost - that was until Jin made it perfectly clear for him.

“Mr. Kwon likes to be watched, meaning you can come with me tonight and you can watch. It’ll give me some reason to charge him extra and he’ll definitely be coming faster than usual, so I can get some more customers. It’s perfect, Jungkookie!” The younger gulped a little at the thought of watching someone else have sex but nodded anyways. He would needed to get used to it sooner or later and if he could learn a thing or two it would even be better, right?

“I thought we would take it slow?”, Jimin was the only one not 100% on board with this. “Are you really okay with this?” When Jungkook didn’t answer immediately he nervously addressed Namjoon. “He hasn’t even signed his contract! What if this gets us in trouble? I’m not sure Yoongi would approve! What if Mister Kwon wants him to do something as well? You know we aren’t supposed to use boys that don’t know the rules and don’t officially work here?” He leaned a little more into him and whispered “What if Jungkook freaks out? Or if he just runs out the room?”

Namjoon bit his lip, deeply in thoughts for a few seconds before he said, “I will make sure Yoongi knows about this and I think Jungkook could stay for a blow-job maybe? I mean how else will he learn if he has never seen how it all works before. Yoongi won’t mind that, but you are right about it maybe being too much. Yoongi wouldn’t want anything to happen on your unofficial day.” He sighed and then patted Jimin’s thigh to make the younger get up from his lap, “I’ll talk to him or just…why don’t you just show him, Jimin? With one of us?”

“What?” Jimin’s eyes widened. “You mean now? Here? Not.. not that I wouldn’t do it, but you know the rules Namjoon. No sexual relationship between the employees. If Yoongi’s giving permission then I’d be up for showing Jungkook... whatever he wants to be shown.” The flirtatious smile hit Jungkook absolutely unprepared - and Jimin went full on flirt mode on him, even giving him a wink. “You don’t need me to show you what an orgasm feels like, do you?”

Jungkook was utterly confused from all the talking about him, when he didn’t even know what was going on. “I know what that feels like and I know how a blow-job works,” He said with confidence and leaned back in his chair, “I’ll be fine just watching you guys a little tonight and see how you work, then I’ll be fine with it all.” He got up from his own chair and then looked at the watch, “You said you’ll be starting in a few hours, so I guess I unpack my things and then you will show me a bit?” He looked over to Jimin, smiling at him, “I really don’t want to anger Yoongi right away, so I’ll just stay put and observe.” Namjoon nodded at that with a smile, “You have manners. They will like that.”

Jungkook couldn’t help but blush, Namjoon’s words reminding him about how Yoongi had said the same about him. He could only hope that the customers would like him too. The excitement and nervousness was rushing through his veins the more he thought about his first night, his first customer, his first time being paid for sex. Jimin didn’t seem convinced but he kept his mouth shut after mumbling a quiet ‘Pity..’ to himself. He did remember his own first night and he hadn't been half as confident as Jungkook was right now. But Yoongi didn’t take him in so quickly either. Maybe Jungkook was just special … Quickly he snatched Jungkook last piece of apple away that the younger had left on the plate when he had put it away and then followed him suit.

Jungkook had unpacked his stuff rather quickly and still the room looked empty and not at all personal, but he figured it would happen over time. Maybe after his first paycheck he could get himself some decoration.

That evening, Jungkook had chosen some simple dress shirt to wear, since he still needed to represent the brothel without actually being part of it. When there was a knock on the door, Jimin was already fully dressed in his attire and even had put on some makeup. The smell of perfume hit Jungkook right away and he scrunched up his nose a little as he had always been quite sensitive to smells. “You look good,” Jungkook complimented him and followed him down the hallway, listening attentively to Jimin who reminded him about a few more rules to be aware of. “You can serve some drinks for the guests while you observe, so it’s not too obvious and customers won’t try to book you,” Jimin explained and the younger nodded, before they both came to a halt and Jimin’s persona completely changed. He let his robe slip over one shoulder, his walk becoming more lascivious, his eyes gleaming with a flirty glint. There was music playing in the background and Jungkook stood in awe as he let his gaze wander over the main room of the brothel. There were velvet curtains drawn over the windows darkening the room a bit further which was compensated by all the chambersticks with their cream-colored candles and the massive chandelier on the ceiling. There were cut glass crystals all over it and it would have perfectly suited a theater hall as well. There was a polished black piano in one of the corners and although no one was playing there was still soft music coming from somewhere. There were chairs and a chaiselongue, small tables in the corner and a few potted vines as decoration and although there were so many different things to see somehow it all fitted together.

Jungkook could have just stopped and stared for hours but he would have stood out like a sore thumb because everyone else was moving in some way. There were pairs talking, somewhere on his right Tae was already sitting on some old man’s lap, leaning in as if they were sharing secrets. Over to his left Hoseok was dancing, swaying his hips gently as if he had forgotten everything else but the music. There were boys and girls Jungkook hadn’t seen before serving drinks and Jin’s loud laughter made him turn his head to where he and Namjoon were joking around with three elderly ladies.

In a way it was like watching a movie. It didn’t even take Jimin thirty minutes when he was taking a customer with him. Jungkook was observing him closely, as he dried a few glasses behind one of the bars. In his mind, he was taking notes about how he walked up to Yoongi, who stood behind a reception keeping close track on everything that was happening. Jungkook wished he could read his lips, wondering what Jimin was telling Yoongi but the other just nodded – and whatever it was, Yoongi had given his approval so Jimin went back to the customer, taking his hand and leading him back up into his room. A smile appeared on Jungkook’s lips. This shouldn’t be too bad, he thought to himself as he watched the others. All were seemingly having fun with whatever they were doing and Yoongi was keeping a close eye on everyone. It was safe. He would be fine.

Biting his lip in thought, Jungkook turned around, bending over as he lifted a box up the bar to help sort in new bottles for the barkeeper. The man had turned out to be really nice, too, giving him some more insight information on everything. He had commented on what the boys were doing from time to time, making it easier for Jungkook to understand each step of how they lured in customers. Being completely immersed in his task, the raven-haired boy didn’t notice how a customer walked up to Yoongi, pointing his finger at him.

“How much for him?” The customer licked his lips slowly, “Is he a virgin?”

Yoongi didn’t react to the others demanding tone. “Ah, you’ve got a sharp eye. He’s beautiful, isn’t he? Sadly, he’s only here his very first day so he’ snot for sale. Not yet. And the virgin thing… I don’t want to embarrass him in front of everyone. But tell me does he look like he’s got a lot of experience? He gets shy even when you look at him too long.” He pointed with his pencil over at Tae who was talking to someone else now, leaning on the armrest of a chair so that he was slightly bending over, and his ass was flatteringly on display. “How about him? Tae is almost as young as Jungkook and he can give you shy if you want to. He can give you dirty just as well. He’ll be whatever you want.”

The customer nodded, waiting patiently when Yoongi called Taehyung over. “Make sure to save me an appointment with him. I hope he stays,” He said, his arm wrapped around Taehyung’s waist as he leaned in closer to Yoongi, “I don’t think I am the only one interested in him.” He nodded his head over to where Jungkook was cleaning off a few tables, bending over just as deliciously making a few men and women alike turn their heads around and when he noticed, the blush visibly on his cheeks he earned himself some flirty winks. The customer had gone with Taehyung and Jungkook only saw it, when they both passed him with his tray in hand. He pursed his lips a little, feeling angry at himself that he didn’t see Taehyung work his magic when he passed Yoongi at the reception. His pout turned into a big smile and he bowed his head at him, almost tripping over his own feet in the process. The blush turned even more evident and Jungkook quickly turned around proceeding to do his job.  

He had just emptied his tray when Jin came up from behind, sneaking an arm around his waist and whispering into his ear. “Do you see the man on the red couch? the one in the blue dress shirt. That’s the one I told you before. I told you about him and he’s very interested in you joining us to watch. Do you still agree with coming with us?” All the while Jin was keeping eye contact with Mr. Kwon, making a show of pulling Jungkook flush against him and looking like he was luring the boy in to join their dirty little agreement. Breathy little gasps escaped Jungkook’s mouth as he felt Jin’s hands all over his body, carefully sneaking under the hem of his shirt just a little bit. He was awfully aware of the heat in his cheeks, but he nodded, nonetheless. It was like it was all Jin needed, taking Jungkook’s hand and intertwining their hands as he pulled him along. Jungkook didn’t even notice how he was holding his breath the whole time. When they were about to pass Yoongi, Jungkook leaned in to Jin a little more, his voice sounding a little shaky, “D-does Yoongi know? Is he okay with it? I don’t want him to get mad.”

Jin smiled at him, sweet and gaze not half as intense as he wasn’t acting for a customer but simply reassuring Jungkook now. “Don’t worry, of course I checked with Yoongi before. He says it’s okay as long as you keep your distance and keep on all of your clothes. So basically, just watching is okay as long as you don’t do anything. We’re just telling him that we’re leaving now and what we’ll be up to which is just a formality with Mr. Kwon as he is a regular customer.” He let go of Jungkook’s hand to go the last few steps over to Yoongi, telling him something Jungkook couldn’t hear. Yoongi’s eyes weren’t on Jin, they were solely on Jungkook the whole time Jin was talking. then he scribbled something down and directed his attention elsewhere.

Jungkook gulped against the lump in his throat but he tried to keep his posture, his shoulders rolled back and chin up. He didn’t want Yoongi to think he wouldn’t be able to handle this. When the older turned around again with a smile, he intertwined his hand with the customer this time, motioning for Jungkook to just follow him. It was weird to do so in a way, but Jungkook saw this as a learning experience and just observing how Jin was flirting with the man all the way up to the room was worth it. They were both already kissing, and bodies intertwined as soon as the door closed and Jungkook stood a little shocked with his back against it, quickly searching Jin’s room to find a chair to sit on.

Jin went full out on his customer, pushing him back onto the bed before climbing up onto it himself. Jin’s room was much more multicolored than Jimin’s but it felt just as cozy. There were mirrors on two sides of the room and so when Jin pulled the shirt slowly over his head Mr. Kwon could watch him on three angles. He chose the one right in front of his face. When Jin was shirtless Mr. Kwon’s eyes flickered over to Jungkook. “Won’t your friend undress as well?” Jin quickly shook his head, not losing his flirty smile for a second, instead he ran his hand all the way down the man’s chest drawing his attention back again to him. “No, he’ll stay as he is. He leaned down as if sharing a secret, but he spoke loud enough for Jungkook to hear. “He’s a little shy. But who knows, next time he might be comfortable enough around you to get as naked as we’re going to be in a minute… and we might even switch places so that it’s going to be his pretty mouth around your cock and me watching in that corner. Though I can’t promise I could keep my hands off of you, you are way too delicious. It would be hard for my self-control! Apropos hard…” With a sassy little chuckle, he palmed the man’s length.

Jungkook could feel his heartbeat quicken as he observed Jin closely, ignoring the lusty stares of the man who apparently got off on it even more, liking the feeling of being watched by him. Jin was really good at his games, riling the customer up easily, though Jungkook thought that since he was a regular Jin must knew what he liked by now. When Jin went down on him, licking along his length with the most delicious sounds, Jungkook couldn’t help it – his eyes flickered up at the customer to see his reaction, only meeting his dark gaze. A smirk appeared on his lips and Jungkook quickly averted his gaze back to Jin, his breath quickening. Jin definitely hadn’t lied about the customer loving it to be watched by others.

Taking a deep breath, Jungkook concentrated back on what the other was doing and how the customer reacted. It wasn’t as awkward as he thought it would be, getting more used to it the longer he was watching. It didn’t even really turn him on. He was just a quiet observer, taking mental notes about Jin’s techniques – that were just as impressive as Taehyung’s cock.

It was over pretty quickly just as Jin had said it would be if someone was watching. Apparently this was all that Mr. Kwon wanted because he didn’t ask for more and Jin just put his clothes back on after it was over. He still kept flirting with him, telling him how much he had enjoyed this and that he couldn’t wait for the next time he would be allowed to ‘take care of him’, helping the man to get himself dressed as well. Only when they were about to leave did the man come over to Jungkook, standing right in front of him and reaching out for his face. He dragged his thumb over Jungkook’s mouth as if he was checking out if his lips would feel as nice as Jin’s. “Pretty..,” was all he said before he turned, leaving the room with Jin who had silently gestured for him to stay seated until he came back because he needed to show the customer out and not let them run around on the hallway on their own.

Jungkook’s face turned into a frown the second the customer was out of view. He wiped over his mouth with the palm of his hand, not liking the way he just had touched him, when it wasn’t even his place to do so. He had endured it, nonetheless. Pulling his knees in, Jungkook waited patiently for Jin to come back into the room. He yawned, feeling tired and exhausted already when he wasn’t even the one having sex. He had only helped out, observed and taking everything in – but he was tired. Very much so. He leaned his chin on his hand, closing his eyes a little to rest as he waited for Jin to return. He had a smile on his face despite his exhaustion, Jungkook couldn’t wait to test out what he had learned today.

When Jin came back Jungkook was almost dozing off. It was a miracle that he had still managed to keep sitting on his chair and not fallen over with the way he was curled in on himself. Jin smiled fondly at the sight of the younger who seemed even more innocent and soft like this, with his long lashes fanning out over rosy cheeks.

“Hey there, sleepy head,” He gently shook Jungkook awake who blinked confusedly and then hurriedly tried to straighten up, “I guess it’s enough for today. You had a lot of new images and information to stomach. How about you allow yourself to get some rest and we can talk about anything you still have questions about tomorrow over breakfast? Yoongi won’t ask you to come to his office before ten so if you get up early you still have some time to think if this is what you want.” He had a feeling that Jungkook wouldn’t change his mind though. He wouldn’t have agreed to go this far if he wasn’t sure. He helped Jungkook off the chair who was a little wobbly on his legs after being folded in on himself for a little too long and then guided him back to his room. “You got the key to your room, right? Lock it when you’re inside please. Customers are not supposed to wander the hallways, but it happens sometimes so better be safe than sorry. Good night, Jungkookie.” He hugged the younger short and tight before turning around to go back to the main room and try to get another customer for the night.

Jungkook had fallen into bed that night. He didn’t even really bother to get into his pajamas, instead he just slept in his shirt and underwear. No one would care anyways. Jin had been right. He had a lot to process, but still he went out like a light.

When the first ray of sunlight were mocking him, making him blink his eyes open the next morning, Jungkook still hadn’t processed what had happened. He turned around, groaning, his gaze wandering out of the window, while the soft feel of the bed sheets were luring him in to stay a little longer – but Jungkook had to get up. He had a contract to sign.

He took a long shower in the shared bathroom, glad that the others were either still sleeping or already up and on their feet, so he had it to himself. He wasn’t nearly as confident walking around naked as Taehyung. Fully clothed and washed up, Jungkook skipped breakfast to walk right to Yoongi’s office. He probably wouldn’t have been able to eat anything anyways, the nervousness and excitement making him feel nauseous.  

“Yes?” Yoongi’s stern voice called him in and when Jungkook entered the other one frown. “Yes? Do you need something? Or did you change your mind and decided to leave early?” Yoongi placed his things aside and steepled his fingers. “Which is it?”

Jungkook gawked at Yoongi for a second and then shook his head, “N-no, I want to stay…but wasn’t I supposed to come by for my contract?” He gulped nervously, not sure whether to step into the office further or not. Quickly, he searched through his mind, trying to remember what exactly Yoongi had ordered him to do, when he was so sure that he should have come over the next morning. “I apologize if I am bothering, I assumed I should come by the next morning just as you told me.”

“No, pretty, I would have called for you. Unless there’s something bothering you or something you need you do not come for my office. If I need you, I’ll call you.” Yoongi smirked at Jungkook’s eagerness to do right and his obvious confusion. “However, as you are already here why don’t you take a seat while I go fetch the documents.” He motioned for Jungkook to sit down in front of the desk while he went to get a few papers from a shelf. Afterwards he sat back down on his side of the desk. Jungkook looked a little like a frightened pupil sitting in front of a school director waiting to be reprimanded. His eyes following every movement of Yoongi, his gaze lingering a bit too long on his hands. Jungkook cocked his head to the side, wondering how he hadn’t noticed before how beautiful they were and how fluently he was moving the papers around, making it almost seem like slow-motion – or maybe it was just Jungkook’s mind playing tricks on him. Fighting the urge to reach out to feel if Yoongi’s hands were feeling just as soft as they looked like, he wondered what they would feel like on his skin, if he would caress over his cheek, if they would dip a little lower on his body and…

Jungkook jerked when Yoongi cleared his throat and began talking and he quickly concentrated on his words, his eyes focused and his expression determined.  

“So, you decided to sign a contract. I was very surprised when Jin told me that you were so eager to learn that you wanted to watch him and his customer, but I appreciate your initiative. And I am glad that you decided to stay. Before you sign this I will tell you a few rules and then we can finish the official part and go to the more personal one. I’ll ask you questions - very private questions - not to pry but to access how exactly you will fit in and where I should place you with the boys. Are you alright with that?”

A determined nod was all that Yoongi got. Jungkook had nothing else to lose. He was ready to dive into the darkness, to let it embrace him and seduce. He wanted to be the tempter. The one no one could resist. And then he would make a good amount of money, just like Jimin was. His body had never been his anyways. Being sold and serve was all he knew in the end. This was nothing different. He was more than ready.

“The first and most important rule is: You do as I say. I make the decisions and I do so in your best interest. So, if I find out that you are going against the rules or starting trouble you’re out. No warning, no second chance. Do you understand?” He waited for Jungkook to nod before continuing, “You are not allowed to sleep with your coworkers or with your customers outside of this house. Each and every sexual service has to be discussed with me first. You wouldn’t be the first one who wants to make some extra money and gets into trouble. You are protected in here. Out there there’s no one looking out for you. And I also won’t be cheated out of my part of the money. So, no sex outside. Not even for gifts or conveniences - or love. If you’ve got a boyfriend or girlfriend then you tell me. I’ll go check your partner out and only if I give you permission are you allowed to meet them. There are too many young boys blinded by love running head first into their downfall and I won’t let you be another sad story for as long as you work for me. Also, there aren’t only rules for you, there are rules for the customers as well. They are not allowed to hurt you - unless you agreed to it and talked to me first. Which means if a customer ever does something against your will in any way you are definitely allowed to defend yourself, to scream for help and do whatever necessary to protect yourself. Your integrity is important to me. Let no harm come to you or your body. It’s what makes you valuable for me. So, no outside activities that are dangerous and could damage your body, please. If you are injured in any way you don’t hide it, no matter what happened or how you got it because even if it was against the rules my doctor can take better care of you than you can yourself.”

The younger was listening attentively, nodding whenever he felt like it was appropriate. “I understand. Basically, I need to talk to you about everything,” Jungkook smiled proudly, feeling more relaxed now, though he was still anxious about the personal questions Yoongi wanted to address later on. There was still a slight chance for Yoongi to say ‘no’ to him. Maybe he wasn’t what he was looking for after all. His stomach growled low, filling the little silence while Yoongi was waiting for another approval of Jungkook and the younger blushed. “Sorry, just…keep going.”

Yoongi lifted a brow. “By the way eating regularly falls under ‚taking care of yourself‘ which you absolutely need to do. Just like personal hygiene. You should also never engage in unprotected sex with customers unless they official asked for permission, were tested and I gave you my ok. Though even then you have the right to refuse. You don‘t ever have to do anything you‘re not okay with. If you sign the contract you agree on medical checkups whenever I feel it necessary but normally around once every two month. If u feel sick and can't work then you tell me immediately. I’ll reschedule your appointments if necessary. But if you abuse that and are ‚sick‘ more often than working or I feel that you’re trying to fuck me over you’re quicker back on the street than u can say ‘I’m sorry it won’t happen again.’ If at any point there’s something you’re uncertain about or if you have questions: ask me. I’d rather have you feel safe and confident and reassured than insecure because it makes you vulnerable to a certain kind of customers. You are important to me. I’m putting a lot of money and care into you and I want you to feel good and be healthy so that you can bring the results I want. I’ve got a flawless reputation. So, you either agree to my rules and live up to what I expect, or you have to go.”

The tension was palpable in the room. Jungkook was sure if he would reach out he could feel it thick in the air. Yoongi’s stern gaze was shooting holes through him, therefore he answered quickly. “Yes, I do understand, and I am sorry about not eating, yet.” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, “I am not really used to do that, yet and…to be honest I was really nervous so I wouldn’t been able to eat a thing.” Jungkook smiled at Yoongi, giggling softly in the process, “But I’ll take care of myself. I’ll work hard and follow your rules advisedly.”

“Good. Then you can sign this. Read it through before please but it’s basically what we just talked about. And that in exchange for you working for me you get a room, get taken care of and a certain amount of money for each customer depending on what you are asked to do and the duration of it.” He gave the papers over to Jungkook and placed a pen on top for him to sign it.

Jungkook took his time to read over it again. Yoongi didn’t mind it, rather proud that the younger was going through it one more time as he had seen so many before that had signed it just like that, not even sparing the papers a second look. “Okay,” Jungkook said more to himself than Yoongi and signed the paper, “Is the second copy for me, Mr. Min?” He smiled up at his boss and pushed the contract back over to him.

“Yes, you can keep it. But please put it somewhere safe where the customers can’t find it. I don’t like them snooping around in your rooms but some of them do when they’re in there, so you better find a place to hide things. I know Jimin has a carved out book he uses, and Taehyung has a box with a lock. Find yourself something like that as well please. And you also have to decide how you want to store your money if you want to have it with you are if you want to have a bank taking care of it. I can help you with all the details if you want. But you can decide on details after your first paycheck. Now let’s talk about you.” Yoongi took a new sheet of paper and took up his pen. “I’d say we dive right in. I know your age, weight and all the obvious I got from your doctor's appointment. I don’t know your sexual history though. You said you‘ve had sex before? How much?“ At Jungkook‘s facial Expression he clarified, “I don‘t need you to give me a number, just a little more intel. Did you have many different partners? Women or men? Is there something you are especially good at? You don‘t have to lie about this, please be honest. I won‘t judge and it is neither good nor bad to have experience. I just need to know what I‘ll be working with.

Jungkook took in a deep breath, when the conversation switched from business to personal and he shifted in his seat nervously. He wasn’t really one that talked about sex, maybe not because he was prude or lacked experience but because he never had anyone to talk about it before with. Well, before he had met Jimin.

“I…I guess it wasn’t as much, but enough to know a lot and have experiences,” Jungkook said in all honesty, trying not to show how weird it felt to him to talk about it so openly to his boss. But he wanted to be sold. He wanted someone to want to pay money for him, therefore he needed to be honest. “I can do women and men. Did both before, though I prefer men,” Jungkook’s cheeks were still blushing, despite him trying to be cool about it. He bit his lip in thought, “I thought I was good at giving blow-jobs until I saw Jin last night, but I learned a lot.” His eyes were just as big as his smile. “I think…I just…I like the more…well, not the dominant part. Not always. I can do that, too but…if…I could choose. I’m really good with pleasuring anyone.”

“That sounds very promising. You’re a little shy about this though, aren’t you? Are you comfortable with playing that role? The shy, cute, inexperienced one? Or do you think you’ll get more confident over time and go more in Tae’s direction? I think you could learn a lot from him. You could learn from all the boys of course but I think what Tae portrays is closest to what you might be comfortable with. Just a few last questions and then you’re free to go and get yourself some breakfast. Did you ever have a sexual disease? Is there anything you are scared of, won‘t do or have had bad experience with?”

The raven-haired boy nodded at the comparison, recalling everything about how Taehyung had lured in customers last night. He could imagine himself well in a role like that.  “No, I haven’t.” Jungkook sighed and shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t think I like being tied up or something like that. I can handle some roughness, but I don’t want to be degraded.” He averted his gaze, fumbling around with the hem of his shirt, “I mean it’s probably nothing and I could just endure a few words.”

“Then I’ll write that down and we go from there and see where it will get us.” Yoongi smiled and nodded contently. “Welcome at the Feu Rouge. You’re officially one of my Boys now.”

A/N: Here we go again! And yes, can you see a pattern? Our favorite pairings? Anyways. We really hope you enjoyed the first chapter into this story! It’s gonna be a lot more angsty than the one’s before again. Thank you babes for always reading and supporting us! Don’t forget to leave a message or a comment on how you liked it. ♡♡♡

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[sourw0lf]

Seemingly Insignificant

Summary: “It wasn’t until a couple months later that you knew you needed to find that arrogant bastard and meet him at least one more time, if only to inform.”

Relationship: Dean Winchester x Reader

Tags: Unplanned pregnancy, Fluff

Word Count: About 2000

Read it on AO3

You first met Dean in a greasy bar in Sioux Falls, North Dakota.

At first sight, you hated him. He was obviously a fed, and a dick. Neither of which you chose to waste your time on, even if he was pretty damn handsome. You watched him from afar, sitting in a booth across from the bar and thinking with curiosity. Why was the FBI in town?

It must have been Amanda. The poor thing was found strangled to death in her dorm room. You didn’t know her well, she lived a few blocks away from you. But, from the interactions you did have with the girl, you know in your heart she didn’t deserve what she got. It must have been some psychotic prick lurking the girls fraternity. Disgusting.

Girls had been attacked before of course, it was a college. But no one had ever been murdered in the history of Falls University. It was big, everyone talked about it when it first happened.

But it had been weeks since the horrific event, so why did they care now?

“Hey, uh. You happen to know a girl by the name of Amanda Reed?”

You were suddenly pulled out of your thoughts by a hard voice. When you looked up, the federal agent was in front of you, green eyes full of question. He look semi-dedicated to his mission but more focused on getting your attention.

You played along.

Two beers, three whiskeys, and a shot of tequila later you were moaning his name (which was Dean, apparently) back at your apartment two blocks from the bar you started at.

Though he looked like a dick he…. Well, he actually was one. He was really fucking rude and talked like he knew everything, but you ignored that fact in favor of his actual dick which was fucking divine. Made up for it, even.

Though he wasn’t good enough for you to regret when he got up at four in the morning and threw on his jeans. He gave you a quick kiss and walked out the door and you never expected to him again. You didn’t want to see him again, you didn’t have any desire to pursue something with a dumb cop.

-

It wasn’t until a couple months later that you knew you needed to find that arrogant bastard and meet him at least one more time, if only to inform.

The time you went to Taco Bell those couple weeks ago and ate three five-layer burritos and a supreme nacho as your dearest coworker, Kevin, watched in awe didn’t seem that weird. You were just hungry. The time you passed out watching tv at six in the evening and woke up at noon wasn’t weird, and neither was the next couple days when you did the same exact thing. You were just tired.

It wasn’t until you started puking in the mornings, when you started avoiding food and smells you once loved, when you were suddenly missing two periods in a row, that you realized.

You were pregnant, the two stupid little lines on the stupid plastic stick that you bought from the stupid convenience store down the road only confirmed it.

And since you didn’t do dumb things like hook ups with mysterious assholes often, you knew exactly who the father was. Now, you were on a mission to find the prick and break the news.

-

As it turns out, finding him was very hard. You would think tracking down a federal agent would be easy. How were they supposed to serve the people if you couldn’t find them for fucks sake.

What if you had new information on Amanda? How would they ever know? It was all very frustrating.

You contacted every office you could, he couldn’t be found. None of them had heard of a Dean Dills no matter how hard you looked and you were starting to give up hope. In the two months since you saw him, something must have changed. He obviously wasn’t working for the feds anymore. Which was kind of weird.

A month and a half later on a Thursday you were given something very useful. You were out with a couple girls and Kevin from work, they were drinking and you weren’t but you were having a good time anyways. Somewhere in the conversation Dean was brought up, you were very obviously pregnant now and everyone was curious and you knew it.

“I don’t know, you guys. Some agent that come through here a while back. I can’t find him, it’s fine.” You accepted the single parent status as soon as you realized you were pregnant with a hook-ups baby, and a dick at that.

“What was his name? You can probably call up and-”

You helped yourself from rolling your eyes. Of course you looked him up. Of course you called.

“Dean Dills. Already did.”

They were just trying to help but you had gone through enough work looking for him and he wasn’t to be found. You were done with it already.

“Did you say Dills? FBI?” The bartender spoke up from a foot away, investing in a conversation she had clearly been eavesdropping in on. “Tall, dark, and handsome?”

Shocked, you spoke, “...Yeah?”

“He was working on Amanda’s case. He questioned me about it. Left a card, told me to call if I remembered something.”

“Well, do you still have it?!” Jo spoke up next to you, enthralled in the drama of it all. She was your best friend of a few years, her mother took you in when you were a homeless teenager and the both of you had been sisters since.

“Yeah, it’s in the office. I’ll go get it for you.”

You didn’t get your hopes up. This man wasn’t an agent anymore and that means there was a 50/50 chance his number was still working. Even if he did pick up you weren’t confident he would remember you, both of you were pretty drunk at the time and it had been almost four months.

“Here you go, hun. Good luck,” the bartender gave you a sympathetic smile and then worked her way down the bar to help a customer.

-

And then there you were, sitting on the edge of your bed with your phone shaking in your hands. The call was on speaker phone and it was ringing loudly.

You almost thought he wouldn’t picked up. Then, a familiar rough voice spoke from the other end, “...Hello?”

“Dean?”

He must have been used to urgent phone calls because he made it down to your apartment in a couple hours, speeding from the state over he told you he was in. The Impala was loud when it rolled in and he looked tired when he came up to the door.

He was only able to knock once before you swung the door open, “Holy shit.” being the first dumb thing to slide out of your mouth.

“Uhh, yeah? You called, I came. What’s the crisis?”

“Come in, let me show you.”

Dean followed blindly, “What, you got a body in here or something?” It almost sounded like a joke but his tone was far from amused.

When you closed the door behind you he turned and looked at you, waiting for an answer.

You couldn’t tell him, the words wouldn’t come out of you mouth. So you stripped yourself of the baggy, maroon sweater you were wearing, revealing your bump through the thin tank top beneath it.

Dean took many deep breaths and stared at your abdomen with question, “Well… I’ll be damned.”

He didn’t seem as surprised as you’d expected and he sure as hell wasn’t as surprised as you had been but the shock was evident on his face for at least a brief second. And then it was just down right worried.

You thought it was because of the baby, he didn’t want it. Didn’t want to take care of it.

But then he told you about it, about everything. Why he was in town those couple of days, why you couldn’t contact him and why he didn’t seem to exist (his last name was actually Winchester, you had figured out sometime later). And then he explain what he did for a living.

And then you lived it.

One day you had a life. A job, friends, and an apartment. The next day you had nothing but the Winchester brothers and the baby you carried.

Demons had killed Kevin and you were next. If it wasn’t for Sam, Dean’s brother and your newfound friend, you and the baby would have died. The giant hunter had killed your threat with a large, detailed knife and you were more than thankful for it.

Now you had no choice but to live life on the road with the Winchesters, it was the safest option for everyone involved. Your name was out there and apparently all of hell new you carried Dean’s baby. Which was not a good thing for you, you had found out.

-

For the most part, though, you enjoyed it for the most part. The baby like burgers, you found out. There had been more than one occasion that you woke Dean or Sam up in the middle of the night to drive you to the nearest fast food place. They were always happy to do it, Dean got a burger for himself too half the time.

You found out soon that the Winchesters were very patient people. They worked you through the grief of losing one of your best friends and helped you breathe through every panic attack you had, onset of the discovery of a new monster.

Hell, Dean had even shushed you through the time you had puked on him in the middle of the night. He swore up and down it was his fault anyways, because he wrapped an arm around you when you were trying to get up out of bed and that’s why you didn’t make it. You still cried and apologized through the mess off peeling his puke-covered clothes and getting new sheets for the bed from the front desk. Sam took care of the mess and Dean dragged you into the shower with him to clean and calm you down.

You were thankful for him.

He collected stuff for the baby too. Half the time there was no room for anyone in the back of the Impala. It was cute, really. Whenever he went to the store and saw something he liked for the “little bean” he grabbed it. He stocked up on diapers and clothes and toys and smiled every time he showed you something new.

And Bobby complained every time Dean dropped more crap off at his house but if the old man was being honest, he was excited for his pseudo-grandchild to come. You liked Bobby too, he seemed like a hell of a better father than yours had ever been and it sounded like Dean and Sam could agree on that front.

Sam was fascinated with the little ones kicks. You got excited every time they started up because the smile on Sam’s face when he sprawled his giant hand over your stomach and felt his niece or nephew kick at him was possibly one of the most adorable things you could witness on a daily basis.

They were happy with you and with the baby and you couldn’t be more happy with them.

And when the baby did come, it came naturally in the back of the Impala on a deserted highway weeks before your due date You were all scared when it happened, Dean probably more than anyone. But you got through it and then you had a beautiful baby girl.

Her name? Mary Rosalie Winchester. The boys were more than thrilled.

[goliath-de-senfina-sango]

Local Teen Unaware of how Weird Family is, Local Goth Decides To Go All In and Learn Magick, Exhausted Teens Do Fun Dumb Teen Stuff 

It was the day after they’d taken down Skulker, and Tucker had to collect up the armor.  Danny helped him, of course, and he flew home with some help from his favorite ghost boy.  They landed in Tucker’s room, and Tucker gave Danny a hug as soon as the suit was set down.  Danny returned to his warmer flesh and blood self and hugged him back before they got to work searching for a port to plug Tucker’s laptop into.  Thankfully even the dead respected the U in USB and they manage to connect. Before long, however, Tucker’s mind wanders from his code-breaking program that’s now hard at work with Skulker’s head and to his situation with Sam.  And considering what all he’d learned about Danny’s family so far, he might as well ask. “Danny do you have access to transparent solar panels?”

“Yeah, all the windows at Fenton Works are solar panels - I think they run at uh 50% efficiency.  Why?”

“Danny, that’s like, the exact last piece I need for my solar-powered car design.”  Tucker was tempted to inform Danny of how amazing that fact was, but he knew Danny wasn’t a fan of being extraordinary, so he’d let it slide for now.  “Now I just need some way of building it.”

“Well, you have the design itself saved right?”

“Yes…”  Tucker wasn’t sure where this was going, but he was hopeful that it’d be a place he liked.

“We can just print out the design at my house?”  Danny shrugged, as though that was obvious and the most simple thing in the world.  “We have like, a pretty big 3D printer, it’s uh modular, and we use scrapped metal from junkyards that we liquified as filament.  We can print a car pretty quickly.”

Danny was going to say something that made Tucker fall completely in love with him one of these days, the idiot.  “Danny I need you to take me to this 3D printer.  Now.” Skulker’s head was left where they’d put it on his desk, the rest of the suit stuffed in Tucker’s closet, and the pair flew off to Danny’s house.

When they arrived at Fentonworks, they turned to one of the other buildings on the block and set down there, Danny taking the time to unlock the door and everything.  “So this 3D printer you guys have…”

“Well, Dad calls it the Fenton Fabricator.   See, there's a theory that went around a while ago when 3D printers and fabricators first started, it was the Recursive Loop Theory. It goes like this. You buy a 3D printer. Mid-range, sorta useful, but with enough detail and strength that you like it. But then you need something a bit more detailed. So you look online and you find a set of 3D models for a second printer. This one you can build on your machine, and with only some minor parts you can make the more detailed printer for a tiny fraction of what it would cost.”  

Danny took them to a set of stairs and Tucker was so focused on his friend he nearly missed all the art Danny’s ever done hanging all over the walls.  

“So, you can make more detailed parts. And you find designs for a bigger printer. It's modular and sorta rough, but it needs those detailed parts. So you can then build massive somewhat detailed pieces… and so you do. And now, with your 3 printers, you find designs to a fourth. Bigger, better, more detailed, it's another generation, and you can print it off your current designs. Boom, bam, rinse and repeat.  Eventually, your diminishing returns drop till you can’t make a more detailed printer, but at that point, you have one hell of a machine, particularly if you have a couple of crazy hackers building your final design as a custom project. Course, it’s not quite that easy. We had to fabricate a lot of weird and unique bits for them in other ways - well, my folks and their friends in the Secret Scientists did anyway."

“So the Fenton Fabricator?”

“Is a massive, customized high detail 3D fabricator that can even print metal and glass, yes.”  Danny turned on the lights as they entered a large underground workspace. Tucker saw the fabricator and felt he might’ve gone to heaven.  It was a massive aquarium tank, easily twenty feet from corner to corner and at least eight feet tall. Above it, hanging like a mechanical spider on segmented green and red limbs with shiny metal joints and points, was a motorcycle sized 3D printing extruder. Tucker could see a set of lasers for dust printing, a pair of high-heat high-speed extruders for wires, several dozen smaller legs with colors and specific grades of wire, all of which fed up and around the room to spools of plastic and cylinders of dusted metal.

“There are hidden parts in the walls with directed gravity manipulators and some arms kept out of the way until needed for assembly-based stuff.  I think Mom and Dad built a car or something down here recently. The canisters are all refilled completely.” Danny shrugged, moving around the lab and grabbing up papers - notes about what feeds to use, hints for setting things up.  “I can help you connect up and plug in your stuff - though you’ll have to leave it here so that the thing can print. If you’re legit making a car here, it’ll take about 2 days to finish printing it out at all, let alone assemble.”

“Danny, after I finish with that, we are so using this place for other projects together, do you understand me?”  Tucker saw doors that likely lead off to other rooms in the lab and wondered just how Much of Fentonworks there was.  “This is too amazing.”

“If you say so, bro.  Here, let’s get started.  I can help with setting up the print file.”

Sam had to say, going through the bs of school was beyond irritating when both of her friends were barred from the school until they could get around the weapons the Fentons were installing.  Paulina’s gratingly loud personality was especially difficult to tune out that day, and Sam found herself feeling proud of her self control in not throwing something at the shallow cheerleading idiot when she started going on and on about the upcoming spirit week.

Once school was out, Sam grabbed the board that Danny apparently made for her after he finished Tucker’s, though she wasn’t sure how, and put on her helmet.  New, magnetic boots planted firmly on the board, Sam pulled out her phone, put in the address of the Skulk and Lurk, and activated the Nav AI that Tucker had managed to make an app for to download.  “One of these days Tucker is going to overwork himself into an early grave.” Shaking her head Sam took off into the sky, and no amount of gothic reputation could keep the smile off her face or prevent her from cheering.  “Woooohoooo!” Who could possibly blame her? She was flying .  There was nothing more awesome than this that she knew of.

When she arrived, Sam had her board hover itself up to the roof, where it was less likely to get snatched by someone who thought it’d be cool to snag a hoverboard.  Walking into the store, Sam took off her helmet and grinned. The Skulk n Lurk was one part book store, one part poetry reading area, and one part coffee shop. It had the gothic, occult theme down pat with black, blue, and shades of purple being the only colors to be found around the store.  Heading straight into the books section, Sam managed to flag down an employee and nudged him in the arm. “Nice mohawk, Chris, I see you’re branching out.”

Chris turned around, hair dyed a brilliant blue and his clothes all pastel shades of purple and grey with a bat-shaped nametag pinned on his chest.  He smiled and elbowed her right back. “Yeah, just got it done the other day. How’re you holdin up, Sam? Parents still trying to push you into being a prep?”

“Such is my curse.”  Sam sighed and leaned heavily on Chris while he laughed.  “But, that’s not what I’m here for today. Think you can help me find some books on magick?”

“Cursing people is wrong, and will always go wrong for you, I hope you know that.”

Sam rolled her eyes, standing up straight.  “It’s not for cursing anyone, Chris, it’s for something else.”

“Hitting that cheerleader with a love spell is not the way to go about getting over your crush on her.”  Chris smirked and turned away from her, walking steadily while Sam scoffed and scowled at him.

“That’s gross on two fronts.  A love spell sounds ridiculously creepy, and I don’t have a crush on Paulina of all people.”  Sam made a gagging noise and Chris laughed yet again.

Ludicrous notions about cheerleaders aside, Chris lead Sam to a section about magick and left to go help another customer while Sam browsed.  She held her hand up, letting her fingers brush over the spines of the books as she read their titles and stilled. There was a vibration, warm and far more humid than any bookstore should be and humming so much like Danny and Agatha and even that piece of trash Grovsner did when she was close.  It was a feeling that she hadn’t really noticed until now that all of the ghosts she’d encountered shared, however few of those there were. The tiny hairs all over her arms and the back of her neck stood on end and Sam grabbed the book.

Roots, stems, rain, warmth, leaves, petals, heat, crushing cold, withering emptiness, life granting rain and growth .  Sam dropped the book and just barely bit off a loud swear, staring at the cover.  Magick: The Life Blood of the Earth.  “Well.  Danny can see weird shit, I guess I can feel it.  Being that close to the portal must’ve done something to me.”  Picking up the book slowly, Sam waited for any weird feelings to hit her again.  When none did, she grinned slowly. “Let’s see what I can do with that.”

Danny takes some of the time after fighting Skulker to relax at home, get his schoolwork done that was emailed to him, and figure out a plan for working around the school's new anti-ghost security system.  It had been two days already and he was coming up blank. Of course, it's at dinner that Danny thinks to ask his parents. "Hey Mom, you said the Fenton Finder works by keeping track of a ghost's ectosignature, right?  What is that, exactly?" Jazz, as she standardly did when Danny instigated ghost-themed rants, looked as offended as one might have had their mother been described with every cuss word in the dictionary. She stabbed her chicken alfredo while holding this look for 5 continuous seconds without blinking.

Mom smiled wide and ecstatic.  "Well you see, Danny, an ectosignature is the frequency of electrical signals running throughout a ghost's body, shaping its form and directing its actions."

"Like brainwaves?"

“Exactly, hon!”  Mom reached into her pocket and pulled out a macaroon, which Danny devoured immediately.  “When a ghost manifests outside of the Ghost Zone, its ecto signature is a signal being broadcast from the Ghost Zone into our reality.  Since ghosts are 4-dimensional constructs made of exotic matter that of which exists beyond our standard perceptive abilities, a ghost can receive this ectosignature from just about anywhere on Earth or beyond.  Like the best cellular reception in the universe.”

“Like any signal though, an ectosignature can be tracked!  And that signal can be disrupted and blocked!” Dad only spoke in exclamation points Danny realized some time ago.  He waved his fork around in presentation at the blueprint that his mind had likely superimposed on the air next to him.  “The Fenton Thermos™ uses charged ectoplasm and what I’ve coined as Fentonite to isolate any ectoplasmic mass contained inside of it from its corresponding ectosignature by creating a four-dimensional enclosure!  The filthy ghost is still charged with the ectosignature though, there’s a centralized network of energy that allows the ghost to immediately take on its form after it’s released.”

“So the ghost is conscious within the thermos?”

Mom shrugged.  “As conscious as a ghost can be, sweety.  It’s not an actual person or anything, just a static imprint of what used to be a person’s thoughts.  Like an A.I.”

“The Fenton Finder™ used scanners specially made to detect ectosignatures that are on our satellites up in space!  It’s also how our security system works, though that works off of scanners here in the house!”

"So is there a way to track down ghosts by their specific ecto signatures?  If you can track the general signals maybe you can create a way to lock into a specific one."

"Mm, I suppose we could!  That'd be useful for tracking down that scum that attacked you and friends!  We've got the blueprints for the ecto signature scanner down in the lab somewhere if you wanna try the idea out, son!"

"Will do, Dad.  I'll tell ya how it goes."  Danny grinned around his chicken and pasta.  He had a game plan now. 

After dinner, Danny raced downstairs to print out the blueprint from the computer - his father stacked the blueprints in an infuriatingly chaotic way that Danny hadn't the patience to sort through - and then ran through the door on the left.  Behind it was a hallway into a tunnel, one that lead Danny to the alternative lab under the building right next to the house. Hopping into his wheely chair, Danny slid over the linoleum floor to his work table and laid down the blueprint.

"Alright, I can work with this.  A signal can be tracked, and it can be isolated.  Which means that My signal can be isolated and tracked specifically."  A smirk crossed his face. "Which means the scanners can be set to ignore my signal.  Perfect!"

Danny slid over to the laptop connected to a second Fenton Fabricator, glad that his parents were always thorough enough to make a back up of everything they did.  "This should be done in no time. Then Sam can help me test it and Tuck can- speak of the devil." Danny whipped out his phone and hummed, tilting his head at the simple message his best friend had sent him. 

FriarTuck: Hey Dan, almost fin breaking the security in Sklkr's suit.  Bout to crack this badboi open n make it mine. Muahahahaha! Hyd?

"Ugh, stars, I don't wanna think about that asshole."  Danny shot back a quick reply and set his phone down, finding a notebook he typically kept around.  Writing in a code only he, Tucker and Sam knew, Danny got everything down that he could. "Skulker has been a major set back in my plan to prove not all ghosts are evil to Mom and Dad, and a few other weird developments made themselves known.  I can now see everything in the lower intensity ultraviolet spectrum 24/7 instead of having to concentrate, as well as the electrical currents running through everything; I can somehow see my emotional connections with people I'm close with and use those connections to influence their emotions as well as read them clearer than other aurae."  He stopped, taking a breath and looking over what he'd just written. " Mierda , ain't that creepy?"  Danny pulled on his hair a bit while he wrote.

"Joining that on the list of creepy-ass things about Danny: I can reach across that link to everyone and pull on their love and affection and all that and use it to heal myself.  Stars, that's such a gross way to look at everyone's care for me. Just a fucking- a bandaid? A free trip to the nurse in a minute?"

Turning back to the parts being made, Danny huffed and dragged his nails against his scalp a touch too roughly.  "Physiological changes in my ghost occur when Tucker and Sam are in danger; Canines grow into fangs and according to Sam my voice starts to echo as though it's coming from everywhere.  Thankfully a check in Tucker's mirror proves that the changes are temporary. Reaction to my temperament? On that note: being a psychoreactive exotic material, the ectoplasm that makes up my ghostly body reasonably reacts instantaneously to my emotions, but it seems to be enhancing them as well.  It's either that or maybe puberty, but I have a feeling puberty doesn't make you violently angry at the slightest provocation and likely to turn any ghost you see into a splatter on the ground." Danny groaned, closing his notebook. "I fucking Executed Skulker. What the fuck? Why didn’t I just suck him into the thermos?"

A ding from his phone and Danny snorted.  

GardeningClaws: Hey Star boy, don't go angsting without us there to hug you.  We will know and you will pay the price.

"And what price is that, being buried in a pillow fort?"

GardeningClaws: do you know how many pillows I have in this house??  Do you think, like a fool, that I won't use them against you?

Danny laughed, sending a quick 'fair point' before heading to the door opposite the one into the house lab. Behind it was a room with rows of lockers, each holding three sets of suits.   Danny didn't need them though. At the far end, there was a large octagonal metal rim, blast doors sealed shut within.

Opening it up to just the right coordinates, Danny watched the doors pull back and felt the building charge of the portal's startup.  For a fraction of a second, Danny was filled with a bone-deep fear that gripped his entire body and held him stock still. With a thunderous crack, the fabric of space-time was folded around and torn, and Danny relaxed, staring out at an expanse of white and grey.  Opening the blast door, he let the void fill him up and spread outward to chill his bones and freeze his veins. Skin blue, eyes and freckles green and his fluffy hair snow-white, Danny flew past the event horizon and gasped silently at the sight before him.

The moon is so much more beautiful when you can look with your own eyes instead of through the lens of a helmet visor.

Sam, smartest of the group that she was, called Danny and Tucker both to head to her house for a horror movie marathon.  “After what we’ve been through, none of these B rate movies are gonna scare us.” It was so close to inarguably true that the boys both shrugged at their phones and headed on over.  Danny came down from the sky in that space where everything was heat and impossible colors, everything around him highlighted in a panorama view that almost made him dizzy. Landing in an alleyway, Danny checked to make sure he didn’t see anyone around him and took a deep breath.  He folded himself up, cold edges practically trapped within him tugged and bent until the brilliant moonlight that bled from his form retreated into the center of his chest, light and freezing cold as it hummed in an offbeat pulse next to his heart.

Pulling the hood of his jacket over his head, Danny jogged out of the alleyway and down the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets.  He looked around the neighborhood properly and hummed, wondering how he never put together that Sam was rich when the address she’d given them ages ago was very obviously in the rich part of town.  “Stars, we’re really just that oblivious aren’t we?” The stars in mind, Danny cast his gaze up and smiled at the full moon that greeted him, counting the tiny dots of the stars around it while he walked.  Thankfully, his odd kaleidoscopic vision seemed to extend to his human form a bit and his foot froze mid-step as a car drove past him at an intersection. “Sweet mother of the gods, why can rich people not drive right?”

When he got to the gates of Manson Manor, Tucker was there typing away at his phone.  When he looked up Danny waved and grinned, pointing a thumb at the huge mansion behind the gate.  “This is ridiculous.”

“It’s just so much .  Why does anyone need that much space?  How do they keep it clean?”

“If I meet some butler named Alfred I’m going to eat your hat.”

“Are you sure you wanna make that bet, Danny?  This is looking Batman-ish.”

The gate opened up before Danny could respond to that and instead, he nudged Tucker’s side before jogging toward the door.  Sam was there, opening it before Danny could trip on nothing and faceplant into the mahogany or whatever expensive wood the door was probably made from, and he instead landed on a soft carpet.  Tucker nudged his foot with his shoe and Danny groaned, resigned to simply laying there for the rest of his life. Two pairs of hands lifted him up from the ground however and Danny laughed, getting up properly.

“You can’t just let me wallow in my shame in peace, can you?”

“Of course not,” Sam scoffed.  “If you’re going to be ashamed, I have to be there to make sure it’s appropriate.  Now, c’mon!” Sam dragged Danny down a few halls, and up some stairs, followed closely by Tucker.

“I need to make a map of this place so we don’t get lost the next time we come to visit,” Tucker muttered, and Danny nodded.  When Sam opened the door she was headed for she let Danny go and grinned at them like a cat that’d eaten the canary. Walking in, Danny felt his jaw drop and took a moment to soak in what he was seeing.  “You have an entire movie theater in your house?”

“I know, it’s grossly excessive and we absolutely don’t need it, but-”

“Sam, what the heck are you talking about?”  Danny waved a hand in the goth’s face and snorted when she swatted at him.  “This is awesome! We can marathon every Dead Teacher movie here and it’ll be like when we went to see it in the actual theaters but better !”  Danny pulled down his hood and hopped over one of the chairs - of which there were two whole rows - and plopped himself into the soft cushioned seat with a laugh.  “The only thing that could make this room better would be if you had movie snacks.”

“Well, good thing I have a popcorn machine right back there full of fresh popcorn, a cotton candy machine, and ordered us pizzas.”  Sam grinned, sitting next to Danny with a bowl in hand full of greasy buttery popcorn, and Tucker sat on his right. “What should we watch first?”

Halfway into Dr. Sleep, the pizza arrived and three laughing teens had to pause the movie and pull themselves together from the heap of giggles that they’d become.  “Oh, oh stars, that hurt , laughing so much hurts!”  Danny leaned on Tucker while Sam leaned on him, the bowl of popcorn practically forgotten next to Tucker.  After a few minutes, Danny took a deep breath and patted his friends on the back. “I can grab the pizza - I can fly, so unlike you two I can actually go and be back before the things are cold.”  Before either friend could protest, Danny let the shimmering void of silvery dark cold spread out from the center of his chest to every hair on his body in a flash of light. He slipped through Sam and Tucker like water through the air and flew off toward the red aura of the pizza guy, diving to transform behind the front door when he appeared outside.  In just a moment he was back inside and setting three pizza boxes down on the snack table. “I see we got ourselves a meat-lovers for Tuck, a veggie everything for Sam, and-” Danny gasped. “A dragon’s tongue pizza for me! Aww, Sam~”

“Oh stuff it you goof,” Sam said as she and Tucker grabbed slices and plates.  “I just knew that you’d complain your pizza isn’t spicy enough unless it has ghost peppers, reaper peppers and every other kind of spice known to man and dolphin on it.”

Tucker rolled his eyes, already scarfing down his first slice.  “Dolphin? Really?”

“Dolphins are the closest animals to humans in behavior and observed intellect, Tucker.”  Danny took the time to go through three slices of pizza while Sam ranted about how dolphins might as well be classified as non-human people before pointing accusatorily at her.

“There is nothing wrong with my sense of taste, thank you.  Anyone with a strong enough tongue can handle this pizza, Sam.”  Danny took a bite to emphasize his point and smirked when he was flipped off.  “I’ve just got the strongest stomach here.”

“ Excuse you? ”

“Unlike you, I can eat veggies without my stomach declaring a mutiny.”

“Um, go fuck yourself?  That was the lowest of all low blows, I am utterly betrayed !”  Tucker covered his forehead with the back of his arm and half fell backward.  “Truly, my trust has been shattered by mine own brother, how could you? And I’ll have you know that the amount of capsaicin you consume is well beyond what any human being should have in their body.”

“Funny, I’m pretty sure I’m not human.”  Danny paused mid-chew, ignoring the look of disgust on Sam’s face over the two of them talking around their food.  “I wonder… what smaller changes like that might be going on because of my ghost? Like, regular puberty is already horrible enough but now I’ve got like, ghost puberty to deal with.”

“First of all, ghost wise, you’re baby.”  Danny pouted at Tucker, feeling mildly offended.  “You haven’t even been half-dead for a whole year yet, you’re baby.”

“Tucker, can you be reasonable for one moment?”  Danny nodded, gesturing to Sam, who was clearly the only one with her head on straight between them.  “Danny is always baby, not just because of his ghost.”

Crossing his arms over his chest, Danny rose up in front of the movie screen, less crossed in the air as he frowned down at his friends.  “I am offended, I am revolted, I dedicate my life to our lord and savior Jesus Christ and this is the thanks I get?”

“I wonder,” Sam said loudly as she walked toward his pizza box.  “What it would taste like if I put cotton candy on your pizza?” Danny dove for his pizza box, nearly crashing into Sam as he grabbed it up and flew toward the ceiling.  He flipped upside down and stood with his feet to the ceiling, grinning down at his friends. Carefully opening his box he took out a slice and stopped.

“Sammy that is a wonderful question!”  Gravity shifted, reasserted itself in the correct direction, and Danny flipped with it, landing in front of the cotton candy machine.  He dipped his pizza slice into it and smirked at the despaired wail of his friend while he ran away from her, munching away at his unholy pizza slice.  “This is so sad, Alexa-”

“You don’t think I’d have Alexa in my home, do you?  First you defile my cotton candy, now you insult my common sense?  Do me a favor and parish.”

“Been there, done that.”

“As amazing as all that is, I was wondering something about you, Danny.”  Danny flew over to Tucker, landing on his shoulders with a snicker. “So like, can you do that thing from the movie?  Like, turn your head all the way around like an owl?”

A wide grin spread over Danny’s face and he set his food down on the table, before pulling the void up and out and around himself.  Bright silver light illuminated Tucker and cast odd shadows on his face. To think about later.   Danny turned his head slowly, cautious of being wrong, and almost stopped when he heard the pop of the joints in his neck.  Still, he kept going until he was looking at Sam’s gaping face right behind him.  He raised a hand to give her a thumbs up and winced at the sound of more popping joints - though, fascinatingly enough… “None of this hurts at all.”

“Well now I gotta see you spider-walk up the walls, that’s just the natural result of you showing off like this, Danno.”  Turning his head the rest of the way around, Danny saw Tucker’s phone pointed at him and snorted. “Dude this is wicked !”

“Oh my gods, we have to time you, hold on.”  And like that, Danny was doing laps around the walls and ceiling, reversed on all fours while Sam timed him and Tucker recorded.  When he dropped back down to the two rows of seats, Danny crossed his legs behind him with a hum.

“Anything else y’all wanna test?”  Tucker raised his hand and Danny let his gaze slide from Tucker himself to the brilliant yellow-gold-grek air around him.  “I’m going to regret hearing out this question, aren’t I?” Tucker nodded, his grin widening and the grek in his aura growing brighter.  Danny sighed and pointed at his brother.

“Can you possess people?  Cause that would be pretty fuckin cool.”  Tucker T posed as if that would help Danny with the wave of discomfort that crashed over him at the idea.  “How would you know? Go ahead, try me. See if you can like, take me over.”

Danny drew the darkness back into his chest, warmth and the beat of his heart and the weight of gravity tugging relentlessly against him like countless invisible chains made themselves known to him.  Digging in his pocket, Danny pulled out a coin, looking at Tucker with as much seriousness on his face as possible. “Heads I tell you to yeet your PDA into the cotton candy, tails I try to possess you.”  Danny flipped the quarter and caught it in his open palm. He took in a deep breath through his nose, and let it out the same way. “Shut.”

Slipping back into the void, Danny stared at his Tposing best friend and considered just how he was supposed to do what he had asked.  The only thing that made any sense, of course, was to slide even deeper into the void. Light and sound and even the air circulating through the room all faded away and the world shifted like a gradient scale from Xtreme Indigo to a deep dark blue sprinkled with green that lit up the empty world in bands, rivers, and threads that Danny could’ve stared at for the rest of his life and probably never grown tired of.  The only constants were the gold and green aurae at the ends of silver threads that shone like solid moonlight. Danny dove for the golden light and dipped a hand in where he guessed Tucker’s head was. The silver thread practically yanked him in, and Danny sank into a desert of yellow and glittering light.

In the next instant, he was blinking unfamiliar eyes, falling out of a dumb pose he hadn’t taken, stumbling on legs longer than he was used to and warmer than he’d been in months.  “Holy shit.” Danny held out his - Tucker’s hands and turning them over each other again and again. He took a few testing steps forward and back, turning and stretching every way he’d ever seen Tucker move, and felt a laugh bubble out of hi-Tuck’s mouth.  “Sam holy shit!”

Sam was staring at Tucker-Danny like he was the most out of this world thing she’d ever laid eyes on and she wasn’t sure how to react to him.  The cheer of figuring out yet another ability dimmed at the sight of her expression and what might’ve been horror was building itself up in his chest.  Then Sam schooled her expression and pointed at him. “You sound the way you do when the two of you are speaking in unison.”

“I feel like I’m wearing a costume that doesn’t fit right, I’ll be honest about that.  Stars, Tucker’s vision is horrible.”

“Alright, that voice thing is actually getting annoying, can you like, leave him now?”  A moment of silence passed, the room growing incredibly small and Sam stepped closer. “Danny, you can leave Tucker’s body now, right?”

“Gimme a second, Sam, I didn’t know I could go into him in the first place.”  Danny huffed and closed his eyes. He focused on what was different and wrong about being in Tucker’s body instead of his own, thought about floating upward to the surface of a large body of water, the moon coming to his mind’s eye and he reached for it.  There was a solid kick at the edge of his shadows, golden sands rising up and filling the empty space to push him up and out toward the moonlight and-

Danny flopped onto the ground face first, sensing a trend of him faceplanting on Sam’s floor, and Tucker let out a loud gasp.  “Holy balls, that was weird as fuck !”  Danny flipped around onto his back, letting his own familiar warmth and heartbeat fill his senses before he looked up at Tucker and found him wiggling his fingers and toes.  “It was like blacking out or something. I had the weirdest dream where I was like, I dunno, made of fire or something?”

“It was a lot of weird, hard to describe feelings on my end but mostly like a suit that doesn’t fit right.  Like, I know what my body feels like and that wasn’t mine, ya know?” Sam and Tucker nodded and while Danny knew they had absolutely no idea what he meant, it was relieving all the same.  Standing up, Danny reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the scanner he’d printed earlier. “By the way, I made something that’ll help me get back into school.”

Tucker, without missing a beat, said, “That sounds like a horrible evil device.”  Sam snorted and Danny nodded. “What does it do?”

Danny launched into an explanation of what he’d learned about ectosignatures and his idea for tricking the security system at school.  “Also,” Danny added when it came to mind, “the car should be done printing in my basement by now.”

“Wait, you not only finished designing it but also started making it?”  Sam looked between them with narrowed eyes. “What do you mean printing?”

“The Fenton Fabricator™ is a giant, modular, high detail 3D printer that can make complex metal technologies - like our hoverboards.  The first 3D printed car took a couple of days and it wasn’t as complicated as this so I guessed about 48 hours.” Danny shrugged. “Probably done by now.”

“Isn’t that cool?”  Tucker practically had stars in his eyes.  “We can build anything in there, Sam!”

“Before that, we gotta get this ecto signature of Danny’s recorded."  Sam held up the scanner and Danny nodded. Things had to happen in the right order or things would go wrong.

Danny reached inside of himself and pulled the dark, endless space between space that rested within him out to wrap around him like a cool, relaxing blanket.  The extreme indigo of the world rose to an even more brilliant blue and purple that blended together and unwove from each other and wrapped around everything. Tucker shone from within with gold that glittered like desert sands and Sam was wreathed in the viridian green of the forests.  The threads between them were silver and thick as though woven from many. "I never need to take drugs cause all I need to do to get a trip is go ghost. I swear."

"Yeah, well, I think I have the reading on you right here.  Tucker, can you make any sense of this?" Tucker rolled over and stared at the data on the Fenton Finder remake.   After a moment of silence, Tuck started tapping away at his PDA ferociously. "I'm gonna guess that means yes."

"I can record this signal and have a filter to keep the school's system from recognizing you as a threat by tonight.  Think we can break in and do it then?"

"Probably," Danny shrugged, flipping a few times in the air.   "Ishiyama probably had them set the security system to an activation button or lever or verbal input.  They wouldn't want them to make something automatic in case a ghost was too close to a student."

"Fair.  Tomorrow night then?"  Tucker grinned as Danny tucked that blanket of not so empty empty space back into the very center of his everything and flopped onto his seat.

"Sooner I can tell my family we beat Skulker the better.  I don't like worrying them like this." Ever since his Spirit Vision or whatever got turned permanently on, Danny could feel the undercurrent of anxiety that ran through his family.  It made his skin crawl with the itch to make them all feel better and left a bitter taste on his tongue.

"Agreed, I can only keep this info from my parents for so long."  Sam sighed, rolling her eyes. With a grin she handed the scanner fully over to Tucker and ran a hand through Danny's hair, messing it up as much as she could.

Danny swatted away Sam's hand after a moment and sank further into the soft cushiony seat.   "Your chair is eating me, Sammy."

"You've been getting a healthier amount of meat on you, so yeah it might be."  Tucker was steadily getting engrossed in his task and Danny knew they had precious few seconds before he was completely lost to them so he decided now was a good time to be a dick. 

“So like, when the first hoverboard exploded and I put up a forcefield on a reflex we completely skipped over that cause of hyper-focus but like.  Should we talk about that?"

"You have protective instincts," Tucker mumbled, "and ghost stuff reacts to the deeper parts of your mind right?   So it's just you defending someone you care about."

"Which reminds me."  Sam poked Danny in the sides until he was squirming and giggling to get away.   "You're keeping like, a journal of all the things you can do right?"

"Mostly notes on what I learned about ghosts in general, like a bullet point list of the stuff that happened with Agatha and Skulker, and stuff but yeah.  I need to add ‘owl neck’ and ‘possession’ to my list of Things I Can Do."

“And what, pray tell, is on that list?”

"I can turn intangible or invisible, defy- no, actually, with what happened at the zoo I guess I can influence gravity, I can see all the radiation in the world, which is a trip lemme tell ya, I can apparently make a wall of ectoplasm?"  Tucker and Sam were staring at him for a long beat of silence before both were tackling Danny and pulling him into a big group hug. “I know, I’m awesome, but so are you guys and you should celebrate it.”

“Yeah, I am pretty awesome,” Tucker said with a grin.  “You guys are lucky to know me. I feel I deserve a reward for the amazingness I bring to this group.”  Tucker was promptly dropped by Sam onto the floor and Danny laughed.

“Another cool thing you can do is heal yourself and other people.” Sam poked Danny in the side until he was squirming away from her in that unreal state of being, slipping through her fingers like the space between air and flopped onto Tucker’s lap before solidity came back to him.  “That’s probably one of the coolest powers you have.”

“One day, Tucker is going to copy everything I can do, but with technology.”  Danny poked Tucker a couple of times and got his hand swatted away for his trouble.  “He’s already copied my language-”

“Spanish doesn't belong to you just because your dad is Mexican, Danny, try again.”

“And now he’s tryna say what’s mine isn’t even mine, can you believe this guy?”  Danny didn’t even try to hold in his laughter now, waving a hand emphatically in Tucker’s face.  “Next he’ll say I’m not the greatest ghost fighter in the world-”

“Your Mom.”

“Or the first boy to step foot on the moon-”

“Neil Armstrong - also, did you just say you walked on the m-”

“Or the unthinkable, like I’m not the very first Fenton that’s gonna be built like a brick house.”

“No no, you can’t just talk your way out of this one, Danny, you were on the moon? ”  Ah, Danny loved riling up his friends.

[josephmozzerellaswife-blog]

Expecting the Unexpected Part 5

After several weeks of finals and studying I had time to write Chapter 5 for you guys! I hope you enjoy :))

Warnings: So much fluff it’s gross, angst!!! Yeah that’s it.

Word Count: 4.7K

Summary: When Joe gets back from his recent business trip he notices something is up with your new little one. Can an urgent ER trip can change your lives for good?

You woke up to the warm touch of your husband’s hand spread across your back, his body close to yours. Your mind never stopped racing all night, the constant fear that when you revealed your daughter’s diagnosis to the world, that the fans would think of you both as failed parents. You worried for Joe’s career. How was this going to affect him? What if the backlash prevents his success?

The rapid pacing of your breath woke Joe from his sleep.

“Babe what’s wrong?!” He croaked worriedly.

Tears were slowly falling from your cheeks but no sound left your body. Your voice almost none existent. He cuddled you tightly into his arms, his chin resting against your head.

“Love please don’t cry. I hate to see you so upset, please talk to me. Your fear is my pain.” His pleading increasing.

“What if this ruins your career. What if you don’t pick up anymore jobs because the people think we failed our child. What if they send CPS on us and take Scarlet away. What if-“. Joe stopped you from your rant, his lips pressed against your forehead as his hand held your cheek.

“Don’t let your anxiety get the best of you my love. I know that this will be hard. I’m here for you every single step of the way. I’m not going anywhere and if I don’t get anymore jobs it’s not the end of the world. And I don’t think anyone would call CPS on us because our baby became ill.”

“But you love your work Joey. I cant be the reason it all ends for you.”

“Don’t ever say this is your fault again. Scarlet’s illness has nothing to do with our parenting. If I lose my jobs it’s not the end of it for me. Yeah I love my work but I love my girls more than anything else in this world. Nothing is going to change that.”

Your panic slowed as his touch calmed your body. His words slowly easing you back into your sleep.

Joe carefully shifted himself out of bed making sure he wouldn’t wake you up. His plan for the day changed when he saw you so upset. He quickly but quietly got dressed and left you a note to make sure you knew where he was. He wouldn’t be gone for long but didn’t want you to worry anymore than you already had been that morning.

He swiped the keys off the table and tip toed his way out of the hotel room making sure to give you a kiss before he left.

Joe’s steps were rushed as he made his way downstairs, doing his best to try and avoid the press since the cafe incident. He threw on his shades and slide right past the front desk out of sight and on his way to the car.

Before pulling onto the highway, Joe shot Ben a quick text.

Hey bud I’m on my way back to the house right now, do you think you could have Scarlet dressed for me when I get there? Y/N and I decided that we need to tell everyone. I cant have people bashing my family anymore Ben, I just can’t.

Yeah of course. Is Y/N ok?

I’m hoping after today that things will get better. It kills me to see her so upset.

I cant even imagine what you guys are going through. I’m so sorry Joe.

Yeah it’s rough, but we will get through it though I just know we can. I’ll be there in an hour or so, I have a few things I need to get.

No problem. I’ll have the little one all ready for you!

Joe set his phone in the cup holder just before taking off to his first stop. Considering the news you would be unloading into the world today, it’s only appropriate that the post should be as accurate as possible to avoid any questioning. For as long as Joe has been dealing with the press, he’s become quite the genius when it comes to addressing the public.

His plan was to get some flowers for you because as much as you tell him he is all you need, he loves to spoil you no matter how much you object. He picked up some of your favorite white peonies mixed with the brightest of yellow daisies. A couple of baby snacks and some coconut chips for you and Joe was on his way. Grocery shopping was usually a bit odd considering your husband was a well known actor since he was a child but most of the time he wasn’t recognized which made him at ease. Sure he loved the fans and always stopped to take pictures but something about today just made him want to avoid the media.

“Oh my these are so pretty! Special occasion i’m guessing?” The cashier asked with delight.

“Sure you could say something like that.” Joe responded with a small grin on his face.

“Wait I’ve seen you somewhere. You look soooo familiar! Aren’t you an actor?!” The girl’s tone become increasingly higher.

“I am actually yes. Just picking up a few groceries today though.” Joe’s mood slowly uplifting by the girl’s enthusiasm.

“You were in that new Queen movie right?”

“Guilty.” Joe said putting his hands up while laughing.

“You did so incredible! Very well rehearsed.”

The growing line of customers was soon pushing Joe out the door.

“Ahh thank you so much I really appreciate it. Have a great day!” He replied before making his way past the automatic doors.

He sneakily maneuvered his way past the press again before jumping in the car and on the road to your house. It had only been half a day and he was missing your little girl like nuts.

Just as he pulled into the driveway, he saw Ben standing there with your bundle of joy peacefully sleeping in his grasp.

“Geez if she wasn’t my kid I would have mistaken you for her dad.” Joe laughed.

“Woah man just doing my fun uncles duties, that’s all for now.” Ben proceeded to laugh with Joe.

Joe swiftly jumped out of the car and ran to hold his precious little one in his arms. Her touch drastically increasing his spirits as she rested her head against his chest, Joe’s breathing lifting her with each pace.

“So did you and Y/N have any fun last night?” Ben chimed in.

“Oh you don’t even know dude. You wish you could have those details don’t you.” They both began to laugh again. Joe’s chest slightly bouncing Scarlet’s head.

“So you’re gonna do it tonight then, reveal to all?”

“I have to man. I cant stand to see Y/N trying to blame herself for this. She thinks that she is gonna ruin my career because of Scarlet’s diagnosis. She keeps telling me it’s her fault and she won’t listen to me.” Joe’s eyes started to become glassy.

“Listen Joe, I can’t even begin to imagine how difficult this must be for you guys but I’m always here to help with anything. I know i’m going back to England in a few days but I can always jump on the first flight out. She is my niece after all. I’d do just about anything for this kiddo.” He implies before gently rubbing his hand across her back, causing her to shuffle a bit in Joey’s grasp.

“Thank you Ben. For everything. I know it probably hasn’t been easy for you either. Watching us go through this and all. But I just don’t know how I can stop Y/N from blaming herself. She keeps seeing all those posts about the guys doing stuff and how the fans don’t think I have anything new coming up. It’s horrible seeing her this way, it just kills me.” Ben takes Joe and the baby in for a hug. He knows it’s what he really needs right now. He knows that Joe has been staying strong for Y/N even when he doesn’t have to.

“Listen. I’ll go back to England for a week or so just to get all my projects situated and then i’m flying to New York for the week to help you and Y/N with the baby. Isn’t her second treatment around that time?”

“Ben you don’t have to do all that for us. We can handle it.” Joe explained.

“I know you both are totally capable of doing this yourselves, but Joe you don’t have to. You have me and your mom, Y/N parents, the guys, heck the fans would even help if they could.”

“It’s just a lot to ask man. I cant have you putting your career aside for us.”

“You weren’t asking I was offering. Scarlet is my niece Joe and I want to be there for all of you.”

Joe stood there in awe. His best friend was willing to put his career on hold just to help your family when you need it the most. Just before Joe went to speak again, his pocket lit up and played your song. It was the one they played on your wedding night, a elton john song, considering how much you adored his music and Victim of Love was one of your favorites.

“Hang on its Y/N I have to get this.”

“It’s fine bro just go. I know you still have things to get done. We can talk more about this later, i’ll just lock up and be on my way.” Ben pleaded before walking back inside.

Joe quickly mouthed the words ‘Thank you’ to Ben before buckling Scarlet into her car seat.

“Hey baby is everything alright?” Joe answered frantically.

“Yes Joey everything’s fine, where are you?” You questioned, his note he left for you still lying by the bedside.

“I just ran out to do a couple errands I’ll be back in like half an hour.”

“Oh ok.” You whispered in a puzzled manner, confusion plastered across your face. I thought Joe didn’t have any work stuff this week?

“I love you darling. I’ll see you in a few. Don’t have to much fun without me.”

You giggled. Seeing as how much fun the two of you had last night, you knew exactly what he was referring to.

“How could I ever.” Your giggles echoing through the phone.

You pressed the end call button quickly after that before setting your phone back down by your side. Your half naked body still sprawled against the sheets. You couldn’t help but replay the pleasure you had just the night before. The way Joe handled your ever so fragile body with his. His touch comforting your every move as he guided you. His love so securing against your thoughts.

You unwrapped yourself from the silk sheets and stumbled your way to the bathroom for a quick shower, wondering what Joe had planned for the day.

Little did you know that Joe was heading to your favorite coffee shop before coming back to the hotel. The coffee shop was where Joe took you on your first visit to LA together while he was there for one of his short films with his friends.

He unbuckled Scarlet and bundled her up considering it was still somewhat chilly in California before heading inside.

“Ahh Mr. Mazzello! Here for the usual I presume?” Y/N’s favorite barista insisted to Joe.

“You know us so well.” Joe replied, pinching Scarlet’s chubby cheeks.

The service there was always incredible for the Mazzellos. We were, after all, frequent customers.

The barista swiftly slid your coffee across the counter with a small brown bag by its side.

“Wait what’s this?” Joe questioned the woman.

“For the little one. My son has stage 3 and i’ve become pretty prime in seeing the signs.” She gave Joe a sideways smile.

He knew he could trust her considering your relationship with the girl.

“It’s been a rough couple of months.” He sulked.

“I wish you guys the best, really I do Joe. Hugs to the wife for me.” She said before reaching out to Scarlet for a high five.

Although today might be one of the hardest days of yours and Joe’s life, it seemed as if everything was in your favor today. The people you ran into only want the best for you. The kindness in the world really shining through on the toughest of days.

Joe quickly buckled the baby back into her seat as she dozed off into her first nap of the day. The medication has really been taking a toll on her body lately. Joe drove around town for a bit longer than usual just to give Scarlet enough time to keep her out of the grumpy stage before pulling into the hotel parking lot.

He grabbed your beautiful baby girl out of her car seat and fixed up her bedhead before grabbing the rest of the bags from your car. With his hands quite full, Joe made his way to the elevators, juggling all the bags while trying to keep Scarlet from falling back asleep.

The loud ding of the elevator hitting the suite floor made Joe’s heart race. He couldn’t wait to see the joy on your face. His walk down the hall with your little one clinging to his chest lasted what seemed like an eternity to Joe, yet he enjoyed every moment with Scarlet. His steps becoming heavier as they inches closer to your door.

You could hear someone coming down the hall and have been anticipating when Joe will come back. Your love for that man was endlessly unconditional. Just as you go to pick up your phone, a light knock came from the front door. Your face became painted with excitement as you ran to the door and find your husband standing in the doorway, arms full of so many joyful things.

“Joey I-“ your words snatched from under your breath.

“I wanted to do this the right way Y/N/N. I want everything to be perfect and I wanted to make you happy and what better way than this cutie.” He exclaimed as he passed the baby to you.

“She is absolutely perfect isn’t she.”

“Oh I was talking about me being the cutie but I guess she can be too.” Joe barely managed to get out because of the enormous amounts of laughter spewing from his diaphragm.

Your eyes quickly met his as a tear sneakily ran down your cheek. Joe always found a way to make you happy, always. He set down all the stuff by the bed and wrapped you in his arms. Your head gently fell against his chest as Scarlet’s was rested on yours.

“This is all I ever wanted in life and you always manage to give me more. You really are the love of my life Joe Mazzello.” You expressed to him with a sweet tone.

“Until the day I die darling.” He smiled before placing a kiss against your soft, pillow lips.

Joe grasps your waist as you slowly sway from right to left, trying to ease your restless baby.

“I’m sorry we have to do this Y/N. I’m sorry that my life is so public that we can’t keep things for ourselves. I’m sorry that-“ Joey couldn’t even finish his sentence before you stopped him.

“Joey stop apologizing baby. This is your dream and you deserve to enjoy it. I knew what I was getting myself into when we got engaged. I knew it was going to be difficult to live with the press always up our ass. I knew it was going to be worse when Scarlet was born too, but that didn’t make me resent your dream love. We want you to be happy.” The words slipped off your tongue so easily just like the tears running down your cheeks.

Joe’s hand raises against your skin as his thumb brushes off the salty crystals from your under eyes. A few tears leave the corner of his eyes while you both just sway together, holding each other close, one of his hands warm across the arch in your back while the other rests against Scarlet’s auburn curls.

You gently rest yourself against the bed while Joe unpacks everything he brought for the day.

On your side table displayed the extravagant bundle of peonies with little pops of bright yellow speckles throughout the petals. The quiet snores of the fragile infant resting in your arms provided you with the happiness you so desperately craved for today. Her soft, rosy skin pressing against yours brought you so much hope and love every moment. You sat with Scarlet for a while, singing to her and swaying side to side as she rested between your legs, her eyes hardly staying open and her hand rested against her face with such beauty you didn’t understand how you could be so lucky.

Meanwhile, Joey was getting everything we needed for Scarlet’s checkup to make sure she was healthy enough to fly back home to New York. You could hear Joe quietly mumbling off a little check list so he didn’t forget anything, bless his heart.

“Blankets, check. Diapers, check. Uhh...what else, hmm. Oh can’t forget bunnie, what was I thinking.” Joe whispers slowly turned into his inside voice.

You couldn’t help but giggle to yourself. When Joe was concentrating it was really hard to get his attention and it always makes you laugh when he starts conversations with himself.

Scarlet’s appointment was in about an hour and Joe had finished up his ‘checklist’ a while ago. Joe had come over and laid down beside you before turning on some Tom Hanks movie, probably Turner and Hooch or something I can’t remember, but anyways, Scarlet was wide awake and was happily having some tummy time before we had to leave. Joe was switching between watching Scarlet and watching Tom run after Hooch for 30 minutes. The vibration from your phone pulled you from your distraction.

Appointment for Scarlet E. Mazzello. Confirming for 3:15pm on Wednesday, March 6th. REPLY WITH YES OR NO.

You quickly replied yes and returned to the fantasy sitting right in front of you. It was 2pm now and it only took about half an hour to get there so you let them entertain you for a little while longer. While Joe snatched the baby up for a quick diaper change, you thought you’d treat yourself to a quick pamper session before jumping in the car for Scarlet’s appointment.

You quickly rinse off in the shower before throwing on a warm peachy sundress with white lace on the top. You went with a little look for makeup, peachy eyeshadow maybe a little bit of concealer to hid the stress bags under your eyes. Joe was watching you from the doorway as he put Scarlet on the ground for more tummy time.

He used his Eugene Sledge voice on you to catch your attention, which always drove you mad.

“Now how does a pretty little lady like you end up here in the arms of a marine.” He imitated, grabbing your hand to twirl you into his grasp.

“Why how on earth could I resist such a brave man like yourself?” Your southern accent kicking in.

“Well if you don’t mind me askin’ ma’am but would you like to dance with a man like myself?”

“How could I say no? You are the best man to walk into my life you know that.” You reply, breaking character.

Joey’s lips soon crashed into yours with the most passionate kiss, his hands resting in the arch of your back as yours soon glide up to his neck. A small squeak came from the ground which pulled you from your distraction. There a few feet in front of you was your tiny little baby resting on her tummy trying to push herself up, but this time she was a few feet over.

“Did she just-“ you asked Joe in confusion of the sight in front of you.

“I don’t... Did she?” He replied back.

You both crouch to the floor as you admire your chubby mini me pushing herself off the ground. Joe rests his hand on your thigh as Scarlet gets further and further from the floor and is in full stance position. Within seconds Scarlet was slightly pushing herself across the floor towards you.

“Joey she just-... Oh my gosh Joey she just did it!”

“Scarlet you crawled for the first time baby girl.” Joey spoke with delight and pride in his words as he lifted her up into the air.

You admired as you watched your husband celebrate this monumental moment with you in your daughter’s life. How even though she’s sick, she still will grow up to be the bright little girl we wish for her to be.

Joe’s lips met yours once again, but this time with a taste of joy and relief. He set the baby gently on the playmate again before helping you up on your feet and pulling you back into his arms.

“We’re gonna be alright darling. She’s the strongest little girl in the world, not even the fans can take that from us.” Joe comforted you.

His hands held your waist tightly while you both stared down at your newly crawling baby scooting across the floor. You glanced at Joe’s watch to find that it was 2:40 and that you might be late for Scarlet’s appointment.

“Baby we better get going, or we’re gonna be late.” You nervously insisted to Joe.

He nodded and paced off to grab the diaper bag and got the car ready while you threw a few loose curls in your hair and finished getting the baby ready. You thought that since this would be how you were going to tell the world about Scarlet, she would at least need to be adorable, as if she already isn’t. You dressed her in an orange long sleeve onesie, considering she has been getting cold much easier, and a light grey beanie but making sure to keep her light auburn locks peeking out on the sides. Joe brought the car seat in and got the baby situated while you finished cleaning up the bathroom.

Rushing out of the house, Joe opened Scarlet’s door so you could buckle the car seat in. He went to lock the front while you got into the other side. You noticed all the things Joe had bought for you and how he brought you so much joy in every situation. You swirled your decaf coffee as Joey hopped into the drivers side and drove down the hills of Calabasas.

You loved how Scarlet almost admired the things outside the window. Her small mind always looking to wonder about the world. Her curiosity always brought you joy, all the both of you could hope for before she was born was that she would be happy, healthy, and adventurous just like the both of you.

Joe whipped into the parking lot just before 3:10 and you scrambled to get everything put away while Joe grabbed your sleeping child from the backseat.

By the time you got inside, Joe was signing in the baby and quickly joined you. A couple minutes went by before the nurse called you all back and brought us to our normal room.

She examined Scarlet as usual, checking all her levels, drawing a bit of blood which she will never grow fond of, and this time inserting an IV before leaving to grab the doctor. The worry was painted on your face from across the room.

“I assure you there is nothing to worry about Mrs. Mazzello. This is just to make sure she is hydrated and it also pushes in some other medications from the chemo that keep her systems healthy and keep her happy.” She explained for reassurance.

You gazed at your sleeping child from the seat across the room. Joe had gone for a quick business call while you waited for the doctor to come in. The way the room was set up was perfect, the doctors always let you keep things in the office because of the time you have had to spend here while Joe is on work trips. It made the room feel a bit more homier each time. Lucy added a few things to the window sill the last time we were here. She insisted that she come to an appointment to do anything she could.

The slight creak from the door pulled your from your thoughts and your attention was drawn to its hinges. Luckily it was just Joe.

“Jesus Joe you scared the shit out of me.” You panicked.

Joe couldn’t stop himself from laughing in the corner, his face turning a shade of pink. He makes his way to you as he apologizes and kisses your sweet lips. His gaze is pulled to your snoring angel, sleeping away on one of the large pillows from the day bed.

“I think this is it love. This is how we should tell them.” Joe persisted.

“Scarlet sleeping by the windowsill? Don’t get me wrong it’s adorable but is that really how?” You questioned.

“Think of it from a film makers perspective. Scarlet lying on the bed sound asleep while being treated for the illness she is going to beat with the support from everyone around her. Also the aesthetic in here is just gorgeous too.”

You giggled.

“Thank Lucy for that one. She’s the decoration queen.”

He grabbed your hand and intertwined his fingers with yours. You handed him your Canon from the chair and let him work his magic. It took him one angle, one shot, to find the perfect explanation for her story, our story.

You gazed at the glowing screen in front of you. The photo was stunning. Each section telling a piece of the story so vividly but also dramatically. This was how the world was going to find out.

Joe downloaded the photos while the doctor came in and discussed how Scarlet’s treatment was beginning to work and that a few more months of chemo and she would be looking at a good recovery.

Once Joe had finished the photo editing and showed you, it was everything it was supposed to be. You held your baby with such joy and love as each moment of reveal became so much closer.

Joe wrote out the post and proceeded to read you what it said.

To our daughter, Scarlet E. Mazzello. We know that life has been rough in the first few months of your life, but we want you to always remember that everyone loves you and will support you through every step of the way through this journey with us by your side sweet girl. Our baby girl was diagnosed with Stage 2 Pilocytic Astrocytoma, a rare form of childhood brain cancer. She has been receiving treatment and is recovering from each fight with a giggle and a smile. We apologize for keeping such a thing secret from the public but wish for time to spend with our baby out of the public eye. We also wanted to say a very grateful thank you to everyone who has been extremely understanding and supportive through the last few weeks.

A tear slid from you cheek as Joe wipes it away.

“It’s perfect Joey. Post it.”

His thumb tapped the blue arrow and the secret was out. Everyone was going to know. Everyone.

You get a sudden rush of relief as you held your baby close between you and Joe. Her gorgeous hazel eyes gazing up at you two, not knowing a thing about what’s happening. Joe pulled you close to him as he coddle the little one alongside you.

“So what’s next?” He questioned his eyes fixed on Scarlet.

“We beat the hell out of this cancer.”

“Agreed.”

You all remained close for what seemed so little of time. Enjoying each other’s company and watching you daughter discover the simplest of things. Everything seemed normal again, or what seemed normal for the time being.

Taglist:

@deakyspuff @radioxtaylor @everybodyplaythegame @winnielinleigh @slutfordeacy-mazello @benmeadowstaylor @super-heros-are-my-life @ixchel-9275 @onehystericalqueeen @queens-n-roses @soberandfurious @sevenseasofky @toger-raylor @sincereleygmg @mrsmazzello @myfreakydeaky @readdyyfreddie @mr-stank-i-dont-feel-so-dank @misterbrianmay @heartsarecompatible @okiegirl120491 @imagines-xxx @classypaintercolorcowboy @rogersradio @sssmileyriley @florenceivy @dr-tim-murphy

Thank you all for your endless patience I love you and enjoy��

[gwenbrightly]

Elements

Oh look! My brain decided to create a random drabble about elemental powers instead of focusing on OMAC… Oops. I guess Misako's appearance will have to wait… All the headcanons and stories I've been reading lately that mention Lloyd's powers acting up when he gets emotional made the temptation to write this too great. So yeah. This one shot can probably be considered a part of Of Milk and Cookies, and takes place just after the chapter titled Awkward. I hope you enjoy!

Elemental powers are weird, Lloyd muses early one morning not too long after their visit to Darkley's Boarding School. He can control his now – sorta – and the others can do some pretty amazing stuff with theirs – like being able to lift a sports car with your pinkie. Or spark fire with a snap of your fingers (literally). Or charge your phone using only your own energy. Or meditate inside of a freezer for hours on end without getting cold (okay, maybe he hadn't been around for that). All those things are incredibly cool, and Lloyd's not complaining, because someday he'll be able to do all of that too, which is super exciting. He can't wait, really.

But sometimes... Sometimes having powers isn't exactly the best. He's been around this weird, dorky family of his long enough to notice that there are days where things get a little out of wack. Where Kai or Zane get emotional and the temperature around them suddenly changes to the extreme, or any number of other bizarre side effects. Just last week, Lloyd walked into their skimpy apartment only to feel his hair immediately begin defying gravity due to the sheer amount of electricity filling the air. Puns involving shocking had most definitely been made. Cole and Jay's latest argument (See: whether or not pineapple is an acceptable topping for pizza) had gotten a little... heated, and the master of lightning's powers had acted up as a result. It wasn't the first time this sort of thing had happened, and the blonde is pretty sure it won't be the last. Still, he has to admit that it's a little (a lot) unnerving to deal with the aftermath of an elemental outburst... Especially... now that he's experienced his own for the first time... Okay, he'll admit it – that's the real reason he's up right now – not because he was craving poptarts. Which is what he plans to tell the others if they question it. Not that they're awake, so he's safe. For the time being, at least. Maybe he can get this glass cleaned up and replace the lightbulb before anyone finds out? If he's lucky. Lloyd slips over to the meager set of cupboards that they've installed in one corner. They have to be keeping some extra lightbulbs around here somewhere... Honestly, given what's happened during training, he really shouldn't be surprised that his latest nightmare ended with him blowing up their light source – it had been so vivid, and just… he'd woken up terrified. He hates feeling like that. He'd stared at the mess for quite some time, too shocked to do anything about it at first, but. Having all that power running through his veins was guaranteed to catch up with him eventually. He knows that, but it doesn't make attempting to quietly remove broken glass from the floor any less of a struggle. Carefully picking up the largest piece of what used to be a lightbulb, Lloyd shoves it in the garbage. Bit by bit, the debris begins to disappear. The green ninja has managed to dispose of most it by the time someone else wakes up (it's impressive that it took this long, to tell the truth). It's Nya, of course, trying hard to cover up the fact that she isn't a morning person (at all). The girl seems to have some sort of magical sensing abilities that activate whenever he's in trouble. She gives him a concerned look before wordlessly grabbing a fresh lightbulb from a shelf too high for him to reach. The samurai drags their one whole rickety stool over to the socket and screws it in with a large yawn. Then, Nya gives the floor a quick scan, looking for any remaining hazards that might exist. There are none.

"So. I earned some extra cash at the autobody shop yesterday. Wanna go get some donuts?" The girl asks her adoptive brother, eventually.

"Huh?" Lloyd stares at her, not fully processing the question. She shakes her head with a sigh. Clearly today's gonna be a rough one. He really could stand to get away from the apartment for awhile – to decompress and all that therapeutic stuff you're supposed to do when you're dealing with emotional triggers.

"Donuts, Lloyd. You know, those pastries police men are so obsessed with? I'm leaving in five with or without you." His mind may not immediately get what she's saying, but his stomach certainly does. Growl.

"That's a yes, then?" Nya says, smirking.

"Sure. Okay." He replies with a shrug, because donuts do sound awfully good, now that he thinks about it and. He's not gonna pass up the opportunity to eat something other than off brand cereal for breakfast. That would be completely out of character, no matter what the reason for doing so is. They slip out of the apartment, careful not to wake the others (though Cole's definitely going to be offended if he finds out about it later) and wander down the sidewalk. As it turns out, the nearest donut shop is less than a block away. The smell of freshly fried dough greets the pair as they push the door open. Mmm… It's only when she notices the distinct lack of customers inside that Nya realizes how early it is. A glance at her phone (which she probably should've checked before they left) tells her it's not even 5:30 yet. Oh well, if the place is open, it's not like they're intruding or anything. Lloyd perks up noticeably when she lets him pick out his own donut – a questionable decision, since he immediately chooses the one with as much frosting as humanly possible and a thick coating of rainbow sprinkles. It even has gummy worms on it. A part of her wants to scold him for being so unhealthy, but the grin on his face. She can't. So, she selects a donut of her own (powdered sugar with raspberry filling) and hands the drowsy cashier a bill. They find themselves a booth near the windows lining the front of the store and enjoy their breakfast in silence for a few minutes before Nya says anything to Lloyd.

"So. Nightmare?"

"Yup." He tells her in a small voice, playing absent mindedly with one of his gummy worms.

"I kinda figured." She comments wearily, "You gonna be okay?"

"Dunno. Hope so."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"I-I…. Don't really remember much about the dream itself… Just… It was so freaky to wake up with the light going crazy… and then it exploded, and I've never had my powers go out of control on me like that and…" Nya wraps a comforting arm around the blonde's shoulders. He leans against her, regretting having been woken up so early, and perhaps still a little shaken by the events that transpired earlier.

"I'm sure it was pretty freaky… You know you can always wake on of us up if you need to, right?" Lloyd nods unconvincing. There are no tears, surprisingly, which Nya takes as a good sign.

"I know… And I was gonna. Eventually. But I wanted to take care of the glass first – so nobody stopped on it. Thanks for helping. With the lightbulb. Being short sucks sometimes."

"Course it does. But it's gonna suck even more someday when you finally stop being such a pipsqueak and end up taller than me." Asserts the samurai. He giggles weakly.

"You don't know that that's what's gonna happen… maybe you'll get lucky?"

"I guess you have a point there. But seriously, if you have any more issues with your powers, I'm here to help. And so are the others. I mean, Kai accidentally set his bunk on fire when he first got his true potential… Maybe you should talk to him about this – I'm sure he'd understand…" Kai is a pretty okay listener from what Lloyd's seen at this point. He probably wouldn't have convinced himself to revisit Darkley's without him.

"M'kay. I'll think about it." He decides through a mouthful of donut, "Not right now though? I kinda just wanna forget about the whole thing…"

"That's valid. This can be our little secret. Betcha the guys aren't even awake yet." The girl agrees, figuring he'll share more when he's ready. She's not gonna push him. This time.

"They're really missing out. This donut is delicious." Lloyd tells her, clearly done talking about powers, nightmares, or anything related. Life's really not so bad when you've got an awesome older sister to buy you junk good. Even if it is only because your elemental abilities went haywire in your sleep.

"Totally. But they don't need to know anything about that. You, on the other hand, will be taking a nap as soon as training is over for the day. And I don't meaning laying around reading comic books. Actually sleeping will be expected." Nya stated, giving him a pointed look.

"What? But that's not fair! I just got a new one!" Lloyd groans indignantly.

"And I'm sure you find plenty of time to read it eventually. However, you also need your rest, so that's gonna have to be a priority for now." Deep down, he knows she's right. He just doesn't plan on admitting it. So, he decides to focus on what's left of the mound of pastry, frosting, and sprinkles instead. He feels better now, anyway.

" So, that happened?" Lloyd says one day, several years down the road, as he stares at a soaking wet Kai. He's not even sure where that much water could possibly have come from.

"Uh... Oh my gosh, Kai, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to..." Nya apologizes, attempting to use her abilities to draw the moisture away from her brother.

"I mean, we all knew it was gonna happen eventually. S'not that big of a deal. But you do owe me a new tube of hair gel..." He shrugs, not particularly concerned. The reason for their... Disagreement isn't important anymore. Things have been tense for everyone since the battle with Morro. He just wants her to be okay. She's not exactly the biggest fan of her elemental powers in the first place.

"Yeah. That's fair." She agrees after a second, looking sheepish.

"Happens to all of us." Lloyd reminds her, "Wanna go get some donuts?"