#lounging on the sofa and going for walks on autumn evenings

[heather--moors]

teddy bear chic

[aeneas75]

3

The next day she began to explore the small town and set herself up to live here till next year. 

It would be called a village in England and she reckoned she could walk from end to end in little more than thirty minutes. She found to her delight a small cinema, a gallery, pretty walks along the river (supposedly famous for its birch trees and a possible subject for a painting to sell). 

The autumn colours had clung on in sheltered spots along the river and beside the loch so she snapped away with thoughts of painting the same scenes in autumn and winter during her stay. 

As her mentor drummed into her; Landscape sells, famous landscapes sell better, and pets sell best. Portraiture does not sell unless the artist or sitter is famous but that is no reason not to paint it. It is the pinnacle of figurative art.  

At the independent cafe where she had lunch the friendly owner asked why she was here out of season but did not appear to be overtly hostile so fears of ostracism faded a little. 

However when she went shopping for essentials it was clear that food was going to be a problem. There was another (fancier) cafe; a small Italian restaurant that looked enticing and a couple of less appealing options but her budget was too tight to eat out much and the Co-Op had a limited supply of ready meals. 

As she picked at her microwaved Mac & Cheese later she suspected she would grow tired of that and ready made Chicken Tikka Masala quickly. Now the fear of starving to death, unable to eat what she had made seemed a lot more likely cause of her demise than sacrificial victim or exposure. 

But as she changed into her favourite silk pyjamas and curled up on the sofa to sketch and read she began to relax and let the tension of the last few days leave her body. And she began to realise how tired she was. Tomorrow she would sketch and see if any art store could deliver canvas to her, and if not plan a trip to Glasgow or Edinburgh, but not for a week or so. She was here now and wanted to enjoy this feeling. 

She was alone, blissfully alone, in a warm, quiet house, where she could lounge with no one to justify anything to, wearing her glamorous pink Pj top with matching silk shorts cut high on the thigh to show off her long slim legs, toned by barre and yoga. She would wake tomorrow when she choose to and spend the day on her own schedule.  

And then she heard a key turn in the front door.

Fuck!

She leapt up and ran to the hall, grabbing a rolling pin from the kitchen, cursing herself for leaving her pepper spray in her backpack hanging on the coat hook on the far side of the hall. 

The intruder stood in the doorway, clearly not expecting to be challenged. 

“Go away, I’ve nothing of value here and I'm calling the police so you’d better run.”

He looked shocked but made no attempt to flee.

“Who the fuck are you? And to be honest I reckon you could use that rolling pin to bake us something that will be ready before the police bother to drive up from Perth.” 

He was taller than her, 6ft at least and broad shouldered. Maybe ten years older than her, his thick brown hair and full beard were streaked with grey. He studied her, almost as surprised to see her as she was him. 

“And, I'll call the police myself, what are you anyway, some sort of hippy squatter in posh jammies?” 

His voice was thick with arrogance and he held his ground, trying and failing to intimidate her but she regretted her choice of outfit, it not exactly helping the fierce image she was trying to project.  

“I live here, till January anyway.” Chloe shouted with fear and anger, “The owner has sent me to house sit until her new tenants move in.”

She made a dash for her backpack and fished out the pepper spray from the front pocket in a single fluid motion that she didn't think she could repeat even with twice the time. 

“Back. The Fuck. Off.” She held the pepper spray up and stepped towards him, voice low and cracking with anger. 

How dare some prick just waltz in and try and take this away. 

“Whoaaa crazy girl with the illegal weapon. That's going in the police report along with squatting,” but he raised his hands, palms up and lowered his voice to something close to conversational. 

“So who is the owner who you claim asked you to house-sit, given that I am looking after the place til the Sayyids move up?” Conversational maybe but his tone was mocking. 

“Isobel Matheson you smug prick.”

“And she lives round the corner in Athol Drive yeah, let’s go see her then, come on.”

“Fuck off you arrogant wanker. No, she lives in London. She’s my neighbour for the last three years. And friend.”

“Right well done you, so you asked about who owns the place. So whereabouts in London then?”

“Somers Town.”

“Haha nope. She lives in Camden. Not wherever that place is.” He managed to sound even more smug than before, thinking he had caught her out. 

“Somers Town is in the Borough of Camden you hick.” 

“Is it? Well OK. Maybe it is.” 

A hint of doubt seemed to creep into his voice for the first time and she went on the offensive. 

“She lives in Walker House, flat 0/18. That’s about halfway between Euston and King cross. She has stupidly expensive wallpaper on her ex-council flat, wears vintage Dior most days and usually has a bottle of champagne in the fridge because Being alive is a celebration enough in itself to drink fizz.”

He gave a chuckle and rubbed his beard. 

“Tae be fair that does sound like Wee Auntie Bell. Does she really wear vintage Dior?”

“Yeah she’s on first name terms with all the charity shop owners in Knightsbridge and they call her whenever they get the good stuff in her size.”

“So. Ok. Wee Bell is my Aunt. Great Aunt to be precise. Can I sit down? I’ve driven up from Glasgow and I’m knackered” he moved to go toward the living room.

“No. You can fuck off” she stepped sideways to put her body between him and the living room door and raised the pepper spray higher. 

“Isobel gave me this place to look after. Fine you might have a set of keys but I’m house sitting, not you and I don’t want you here, you big fucking oaf.” 

“Charming. Shall I call her now?”

“No. She'll be asleep.” 

He nodded and leaned against the wall. 

“So here’s the thing,” the sharpness had gone from his voice and he sounded weary. 

“I told Aunty Bell I would spend the weekends here until Salim and the family move in. I’m working down in Glasgow, crashing in a mates spare room during the week then coming up here Thursday night to work from here Friday and spending the weekend. 

“I'm kinda “between flats” at the moment and I love it up here, wee Bell knows that and I know she would be cool with it. I’m definitely her favourite male relative. Although if you have ever met Uncle Malcolm you might say the competition is not that strong.”

He forced a nervous laugh he cut short when he saw she wasn’t amused. 

“I messaged her all this and told her I would look after the place and asked Mum and Eilidh to remind her when they next spoke. Only Mum would forget and Eildh probably just wanted to talk to her about wallpaper.”

He sat in the doorway. Cici remained still, pepper spray ready. 

“And? I don’t really buy the sob story and frankly don't care. I want you out.” Her fear was gone now but her determination had hardened. 

“Fine. Whatever. Just let me stay the night and we can talk about it in the morning.”

“No. What part of Get the fuck Out do you not understand?” 

“Fecking hell. They really do breed them differently down in London. Enchante.”

He ran his hands through his hair and slumped deeper, back against the front door. 

“So she sent you up until New Year yeah, is that your story? What colour are her eyes?”

“Blue but her left eye has a hazel segment. It’s beautiful and rare and she says it gives her second sight.”

“Fuck.” He sounded defeated,  holding his face in his hands. “Ok, Ok, fine. Crazy scary Auntie sends crazy scary angry London girl 500 miles across the country to house-sit but doesn't bother telling any of her actual family. 

“Again, tae be fair that does sound exactly like something Wee Bell would do.” He gave a wry smile in admiration. .

“But don’t chuck me out in the rain. Just one night at least? I’ve driven up from Glasgow in the pissing rain and just want to make something to eat and then sleep.”

“No. I don’t want you here.” She had to be firm. 

“Jesus, right, I get it. Ok at least let me phone around and try and work out where i’m going to stay the night. And I have a car full of food that I was planning to cook over the weekend, can I at least put that in the fridge so it doesn't get ruined?”

She nodded and sat on the floor at a safe distance, watching as he called the local hotel and caravan park only to find both closed for maintenance work in the out-of-season, and pre-Christmas dead zone and a search of rooms at the local castle turned spa elicited a; 

“Fuck me, no, I can’t afford that for one night.”

He rubbed his forehead and looked thoroughly miserable.  

“One night.” She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. “Just tonight and clear out in the morning.”

He almost sounded genuine when he thanked her. 

“I’ll try and keep it quiet but I need to get this food in the fridge and I haven't eaten since lunch and then i’ll crash out. You’ll barely notice me.”

She grunted as she gathered her sketch pad and novel to go to her room and get away from him. 

“Good night,” he called out from the kitchen, his cheerfulness forced, “Oh and nice legs by the way.” She glared at his back from the stairs. 

“I’ll have my pepper spray in my hand all night so don't even think about trying anything you creepy misogynist pig.”  

“Night night to you too.”

[sankyeom]

tattle-tale | l.sy

pairings: lee sangyeon x reader genre: teacher au, tooth-rotting fluff summary: in which teacher!sangyeon has a crush on teacher!you and anonymously leaves little gifts for you on your desk, only to one day be caught by your entire class word count: 5.9k series: sankyeom’s 2k followers celebration

masterlist

You loved your job, you really did.

Teaching little kids all day long was an absolute joy for you. But if you said recess wasn’t your favourite time of the day, you’d definitely be lying. “Finally,” you groaned as you took a seat on a sofa in the teacher’s lounge, a large cup of coffee in your hand as you closed your eyes.

Sangyeon, Jacob and Hyunjae �� three teachers at your school that you considered close friends – shared knowing smiles. “Rough morning?” Jacob asked.

“I love my students,” you said, eyes still closed. “But they can be little devils sometimes.”

Hyunjae burst into laughter as Jacob and Sangyeon grinned. “They can’t be that bad?”

You opened your eyes to observe your colleagues. “It’s Emma’s birthday today. She brought cake for the entire class, and they ate the entire thing within the first ten minutes of first period,” you recalled in a monotone voice.

Jacob winced. “Sugar rush?” he guessed.

“You have no idea,” you complained, having flashbacks to your students running around the classroom and causing absolute chaos. “I would literally kill for some coffee. Or at least maim.”

Hyunjae pointed at your mug. “What do you call that?” he teased.

“Terrible teacher lounge coffee that hasn’t been warm for, like, an hour,” you observed as you took a sip of your coffee. Then, you winced and pushed the mug away from you. “I may be desperate for a good caffeine fix, but I’m not that desperate,” you mumbled as you got up to toss the contents of your mug down the sink.

Sangyeon’s eyes trailed after your retreating figure, a mindless smile on his face as he observed the way you glared at your, now empty, mug in disgust as if it had betrayed you. His gaze drew towards Jacob when his colleague cleared his throat, a knowing look in his and Hyunjae’s eyes as Sangyeon gave them an innocent smile. “Are you ever going to ask her out?” Jacob asked with a lowered voice.

Although he knew he had been caught, Sangyeon still made his attempt at playing innocent. “Ask who out?”

Hyunjae rolled his eyes. “Don’t pretend. You’re a really bad liar and you’re just way too obviously in love with Teacher Y/n,” he said, imitating your students when they call out to you.

Despite his best efforts, Sangyeon couldn’t hide the blush that appeared on his cheeks. As he opened his mouth to protest, you took your seat on the sofa opposite the trio, muttering to yourself about terrible coffee. Noticing the shift in atmosphere, you raised an eyebrow at your colleagues. “Did something happen while I was gone?” you wondered.

“No,” the three men chorused, which only made you more suspicious of them. With a shrug, you dismissed their odd behaviour, deciding that it was best not to pursue your curiosity. “So Y/n, did you ever find out who your secret admirer is?” Hyunjae wondered.

A small pout appeared on your lips. “No,” you sighed, clasping your hands together to rest on your knees.

For a few months now, you had been receiving little gifts on your desk when you stepped out of your classroom for your breaks or free periods. At first, they were just little things that lifted your mood in the middle of the day; sticky notes with funny faces and encouraging quotes, or small gummy and snack packets to give you energy at the end of your long day.

Then, the gifts started becoming a little more personal.

A gift certificate to your favourite coffee chain, packs of stickers or staples that you just so happened to be running out of, muffins from your favourite bakery, and even a beautiful leather-bound journal that you had mentioned you wanted to a few friends and coworkers.

You didn’t know who the gifts were from, but you desperately wanted to meet them.

Not only did they brighten your day every single time you got a new gift, but they seemed to be presents that were specifically purchased for you.

“Has anybody else been getting gifts?” you inquired.

“Not as far as I know,” Jacob denied, Hyunjae and Sangyeon humming in agreement. “Besides, aren’t the gifts all perfect for you?”

You nodded. “Most of them are things that I vaguely mentioned, or silently pined after. Sometimes they’re just little pick-me-ups like snacks, but they still seem to know my taste perfectly.”

Jacob smiled. “That’s kind of romantic,” he mused, causing Sangyeon to choke on the water he had been sipping. He coughed, leaning forward to place his mug down, and covered his mouth as he tried to catch his breath. You, Hyunjae and Jacob gave him looks of concern, which he immediately waved off.

“I’m good,” Sangyeon assured the three of you. “You-“ he coughed. “You think it’s romantic?”

“Of course!” Jacob said cheerily. “Gifts that fit her taste without ever revealing who sent them… A secret admirer. Super romantic,” he assured his friend, sending him a subtle wink when you weren’t looking.

“I just wish I could repay them somehow,” you sighed. “I feel like they make my days easier and I don’t even have a way to thank them.”

“I’m sure they’ll reveal themselves with time,” Hyunjae told you, probably in an attempt to cheer you up. “Maybe they’re just a little shy.”

“Maybe,” you echoed half-heartedly. The bell rung, indicating that recess was over and class would start again in five minutes.

“Coming?” Sangyeon asked, standing up to walk you to your classroom. Your classrooms were in the same corridor, even though Sangyeon taught fourth grade and you taught second.

You shook your head. “My kids have Gym right now, so I have a free,” you said. “I have some grading to do, so I’m just going to hang out here.”

“Not going to hunt for a better cup of coffee?” Sangyeon teased, copying the horrified face you made when you took a sip of the cold teacher’s lounge coffee.

With a laugh, you merely shook your head. “I’m too lazy to leave campus. Plus, I should probably cut down on my caffeine consumption anyway.”

“Right,” Hyunjae nodded. “I’ll remind you of that in three hours when it’s lunchtime and you’re completely worn-out from your seven-year-old students,” he said, saluting you in lieu of a goodbye. You waved to him, Jacob and Sangyeon as they left the lounge, taking out your bag to get to grading your students’ tests.

Since they were only second graders, the grading wasn’t exactly difficult, just time-consuming. By the time the bell rang to indicate Gym class had ended, you had just finished all of their maths tests. After stretching, you made your way over to your classroom so that you could be there before your students changed after Gym class.

Entering your classroom, you could already feel a bit of fatigue kicking in, and you cursed yourself for not getting a cup of coffee after all. Before you could wallow in your regret any further, you noticed the paper take-away cup on your desk. The bright blue sticky note on the cup instantly brought a smile to your face.

Don’t let the little devils wear you down too much. x

You picked the cup up, delighted that the coffee was still warm to the touch and relishing in the taste as you took a sip. “Secret admirer, you must be from heaven,” you muttered, grateful that your secret admirer had gone out of their way to make sure you were properly caffeinated.

“Teacher Y/n!” someone shouted, barreling into your classroom. Several students trailed behind, giving you similar greetings coupled with large beams.

“How was Gym?” you asked, putting your coffee down and listening to your students’ excited stories about who won the dodgeball game that day. “Well while you guys were having fun, I was working very hard to grade your math tests! Do you want to see how you did?”

Their cheers were enough for you to burst into laughter as you took their papers out of your test. “Teacher Y/n,” one of your students, Minho, raised his hand with big eyes.

The sight was absolutely adorable. “Yes, Minho?” you smiled.

“What did your secret Santa give you today?” he asked.

“Secret Santa is for Christmas time,” you corrected. “The person leaving me presents is just a nice friend,” you explained.

“Okay,” Minho nodded, eagerly absorbing your words. “What did your nice friend give you?”

“Something warm to drink,” you explained, pointing in the direction of your take-away cup before handing the seven-year-old his test back. “The teacher’s lounge has coffee but the coffee from my friend is from my favourite store.”

“Do we know your friend?” Sana, a little girl who always wore pigtails and a huge smile, asked.

“I think so,” you mused. “They work here at school.”

“Who is it?” she wondered. “Is it your boyfriend?”

You laughed. “It’s not my boyfriend,” you assured Sana. “I actually don’t know who it is yet. It’s a mystery.”

“Like Sherlock Holmes,” Minho piped up.

“Yes, like Sherlock Holmes,” you agreed.

“We can try and solve the mystery together, then!” the boy decided. “We just need to look at the clues.”

“Alright,” you allowed, having finished handing out the tests. “We can do that after we go over this test. Does anybody have any questions on the test that they didn’t understand?”

“That’s adorable,” Hyunjae laughed as you told him, Sangyeon, and Jacob about your students’ interest in your secret admirer. The four of you were sat outside at one of the picnic tables to enjoy the last few days of sunshine that autumn had to offer you. “Did they come up with anything?”

“They actually did,” you admitted. Sangyeon’s back straightened abruptly, curious about what your students figured out. “They decided that it’s definitely a teacher.”

“Really?” Sangyeon exclaimed, earning a weird look from Jacob and Hyunjae. “What makes them think that?”

“Well, I always get a little post-it note with all of my gifts,” you explained with a laugh. “And who uses post-it notes?”

“Teachers,” your three colleagues chorused.

“That’s pretty decent detective work,” Jacob complimented.

“My class certainly liked to think so,” you allowed, amused. “Anyway, my theory is that the admirer really is a teacher,” you added. “I doubt anyone other than other teachers have heard me talk about my favourite cafe, or which of my stationary is running low. I only ever talk about those kind of things in the teacher’s lounge or when I’m on lunch duty.”

“Sherlock Holmes indeed,” Hyunjae grinned, eyes crinkling at the outer corners. “Any theories on who it is?”

You sighed, shoulder drooping. “None at all,” you confessed. “Makes me feel kind of pathetic.”

“Hey, you’re not pathetic,” Jacob denied, putting his hand on your shoulder. “A little slow? Maybe. But certainly not pathetic,” you laughed, pleased at Jacob’s attempt to make you feel better.

“Teacher Y/n!” you heard Sana’s familiar voice as she ran up to you from the playground, her best friend Emma trailing after her.

“Hi girls,” you greeted. “Are you enjoying your lunch?” the two girls nodded.

“Emma, it’s your birthday today, isn’t it?” Sangyeon recalled from your rant at recess. The girl’s eyes lit up at his question, prompting her to nod her head excitedly.

“I’m turning eight,” she told him proudly.

Sangyeon beamed at her excitement, a fond look in his eyes. “Well I hope you have a wonderful birthday, Emma. You’ll have to tell me what presents you get when you come to school tomorrow,” he asked, which she immediately agreed to.

“I will, Teacher Sangyeon!” she promised.

Suddenly impatient, Sana crossed her arms. “Teacher Y/n, is Teacher Jacob your nice friend?” she wondered, pointing to where Jacob sat across from you.

“He’s a nice teacher friend, but he’s not the one who’s leaving me gifts,” you explained to the two girls. “Why do you ask?”

“We saw him touch your shoulder,” Sana explained. “We thought that meant he was your nice friend.”

“Sadly, you have the wrong guy,” Jacob said with a shrug. “But I’m going to try to help Teacher Y/n to find out who her nice teacher friend is. You guys already did a great job at helping her,” he added. Sana and Emma looked proud at the thought before they said their goodbyes, rushing off to grab the vacant swings before anybody else did.

“They’re so cute,” Hyunjae almost whined. “Why did I decide to teach sixth grade? Those kids aren’t cute anymore, they’re just savage.”

You grinned at the idea of Hyunjae being lightheartedly bullied by his twelve-year-old students. “You adore those kids, don’t lie to me,” you retorted. “And they’re still plenty cute.”

“They’re not that cute in sixth grade,” he denied, pointing in the direction Emma and Sana went. “And they don’t look at me with big, adorable eyes, or cling on to every word I say.”

“That’s just Y/n,” Sangyeon told them, smiling to himself as he dug into lunch. “My students are just two years older, and they don’t do any of those things to me.”

“You’re being modest,” you argued. “Emma looked at you like you told her she was the most special girl in the world when you remembered her birthday.”

“Maybe because it’s her birthday,” Sangyeon allowed, looking up from his food to smile at you. “But they look at you like that every single day. And it’s not just your students, either.”

His compliment made you blush.

The gifts started coming on a daily basis after the day you got a cup of coffee.

Almost every time you had a free period, a fresh cup of coffee would wait for you when you returned to your classroom, and sometimes baked treats from your favourite bakery would accompany it.

You tried staying in your classroom to see who your gift fairy was, but on days you stayed your admirer never came. It was almost as if they knew every move you were making; like they had heard it before or could somehow read your mind.

“Is one of you giving out my plans?” you questioned your colleagues one day.

Hyunjae simply raised an eyebrow at you. “Explain.”

So you did: “I feel like my secret admirer is always a step ahead of me,” you mumbled. “If I ever wait for them, they don’t show up, and if I send students ahead to wait in the classroom, they still don’t show up. I don’t know how they do it.”

“Maybe it’s one of us,” Jacob said, causing Sangyeon to send a small kick to his ankle as a warning. Hyunjae snorted, covering it up by pretending to cough. “Have you ever considered that?”

“I hadn’t, actually,” you realised absent-mindedly. “But if it was one of you guys then you’d just tell me.”

“Sure,” Hyunjae nodded. “Eventually.”

“Right,” you said, as if this was enough evidence to suggest it couldn’t be Hyunjae, Jacob, or Sangyeon. “So I’m back to square one.”

The bell rang, indicating the end of recess, and you stood up to go back to your classroom. “I love art class,” you sighed as you waved your goodbyes to Hyunjae and Jacob, and made your way to your classroom with Sangyeon. “It’s the only time they get to be rowdy and excited and I don’t have to make them calm down.”

Sangyeon laughed. “Sounds nice,” he agreed.

“What do you have next?” you asked.

“I’m free, actually,” Sangyeon said. “I always have a free after recess.”

“How come you’re always rushing off, then?” you wondered, since he had never sat with you in the teacher’s lounge during recess.

“I use it as my lesson-planning time, which I prefer to do in my classroom because I’m always forgetting little things that I need,” he admitted.

“Well you should hang out with me in the lounge some time,” you offered. “It has terrible coffee but I hear I’m pretty good company,” you joke, stopping at your classroom.

“I might take you up on that,” Sangyeon grinned, winking at you before he made his way to his classroom a few doors down.

You cursed yourself for feeling shy at his wink. Sure, Sangyeon was incredibly handsome. But you had enough to worry about with your secret admirer; you didn’t need a schoolgirl crush on one of your closest colleagues to top it all off.

You sighed. “Control yourself, Y/n,” you muttered to yourself, entering your classroom and starting to hand out the worksheets for the period.

You regretted ever saying that you loved art class.

After a sugar-filled recess, your class was more hyper than you had ever seen them and there was nothing that could be done to stop them. You had attempted multiple times to get them to listen to music or talk quietly, even going as far as to threaten them with staying on after lunch time to make up for the time lost during art class. You were about to lose your patience out of pure irritation and frustration when a knock sounded on the door of your classroom.

Sangyeon’s head popped in, a look of mild concern on his face. “Y/n, is everything okay?” he asked.

“Not really,” you admitted, running a hand through your hair in an attempt to curb your oncoming headache. “They won’t calm down. I’ve tried literally everything I can think of.”

“Mind if I give it a try?” he asked, earning an enthusiastic nod and a grateful smile from you. Sangyeon let himself in and stood at the front of the room. “Hi everyone!” he greeted loudly, causing your students to start to quiet down at the sight of a new face. “Thanks for waiting to start art class until I came,” he smiled, as if he was supposed to be there all along. “I’m Teacher Sangyeon from the fourth grade class down the hall.”

“He teaches big kids,” you heard Emma whisper to her desk mate. Cute.

“Teacher Y/n was just telling me how advanced and mature her second graders are. She even thought that I could come and teach them a little bit of fourth grade art since you’re all so far ahead,” Sangyeon complimented.

Gasps rang around the room, and you couldn’t be more grateful to him in that moment. “But you guys were pretty noisy when I came in. I’m not sure if you guys are really mature enough,” he trailed off, a look of concern on his face.

“We are!” Sana exclaimed, shushing her classmates with a stern expression. “We promise we are!”

“Well...” Sangyeon pretended to think for a moment. “If you guys can promise to be calm and good listeners, maybe I can still teach you like I teach fourth grade art. But only if you’re well behaved.”

In that moment, you were almost as entranced by Sangyeon as your students were.

Sangyeon took their silence as a promise and made his way over to your whiteboard, writing down his name and a few bullet points down. Then, he began to talk about being in the fourth grade and how different things would be from the second grade. He spoke with an air of confidence and kindness that made you realise why he became a teacher, and why all of his students loved him so much.

He was patient and informative without being condescending, and he took any questions and comments happily at any given moment. Sangyeon was definitely in his element, and it made him glow with relaxed joy.

You had always thought Sangyeon was attractive, but this was on a different level. He commanded the attention of all of your students and the way he just swooped in, giving up his entire free period to help you, made your heart swell with something akin to admiration. Sangyeon had your students giggling at his cheesy comments, and you found yourself smiling along with them, just as enchanted by him as your students were.

When he was done teaching, your students looked at him in awe and their eyes were dripping with respect and admiration. He dismissed them to lunch with your approval, and you practically leapt onto him when all your students left.

“Woah, what did I do to deserve that?” he wondered, wrapping his arms around you to return your hug nonetheless.

“Saved my class, and myself from a migraine,” you replied, sighing in relief. “Thank you, Sangyeon. Really. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I appreciate this,” you acknowledged, squeezing your eyes shut to relish in the hug. Sangyeon tightened his grip on you and sighed back, butterflies fluttering around his stomach.

Maybe he should just tell you that he’s your secret admirer, he considered.

“Of course, Y/n. You know that I’m always here if you need anything,” he said instead, pulling away from your hug to offer you a genuine smile. He wasn’t ready yet.

“I do,” you agreed with a nod. “And I can help you out anytime as well. Thank you. Let me buy you coffee or something as a proper thank you,” you offered, grabbing your bag without letting him reply.

“Not everyone is as obsessed with caffeine as you are,” Sangyeon retorted, gently nudging you with his hip to tease you.

“Hey, until they start selling it in an IV bag, I’m going to have to get my caffeine the old fashion way. C’mon, coffee shop three blocks away. My treat,” you smiled hopefully, holding up your wallet to jokingly entice him.

Sangyeon broke out into a large smile, eyes shaped like crescent moons. “I would love that,” he agreed, starting to erase his notes on the whiteboard as you clapped.

You watched him. “Your handwriting is beautiful,” you complimented, seeing the letters disappear. “I feel like I’ve seen it before,” you thought aloud, wondering why it looked so familiar.

“Really?” Sangyeon said, eyes wide as he sped up his process of erasing his lettering. “Probably in the yearbook or something.”

“Probably,” you dismissed the thought with a smile. “Now let’s go get our coffee on.”

After Sangyeon saved your art class, and your head from a brutal migraine, he started spending more time with you during your mutual free periods. Usually, you sat in silence in the teacher’s lounge as you did any grading or class prep that needed to be done, but with Sangyeon’s presence, your free periods were much more colourful and laidback.

Sangyeon had a lighthearted way about him; everything he said was assuring kind, and didn’t fail to make your heart flutter. Usually, you only ever spent time with Sangyeon when Jacob and Hyunjae were around, but being alone with Sangyeon was a different situation entirely. You had always known he was handsome and considerate, but he exuded a different kind of energy when he wasn’t surrounded by your friends.

As he sat next to you at one of the tables in the teacher’s lounge before the school day started, you couldn’t help but admire his profile; he was practically flawless. He had a long, slender nose and high cheekbones that made Sangyeon look more angular than soft. His deep brown eyes and pillow-soft lips-

“Y/n?” you snapped out of your trail of thoughts, realising that you had been blatantly staring at your coworker. Sangyeon gave you a concerned look. “You okay?”

“Oh, I’m fine!” you promised, clearing your throat and adjusting your shirt to give your hands something to do. “Sorry. What were you saying?”

The bell chimed, indicating that the school day would begin soon. You and Sangyeon stood up from your chairs and started collecting your papers. “I was just saying that I can’t stay with you during my free, I have some errands to run,” he explained, giving you a wave before he ran off to grab something from his car before class started.

You rose an eyebrow. “I don’t have a free today,” you mumbled to yourself, making your way to your classroom to start your first period class.

Sangyeon grinned, lifting the flower bouquet in his hand to smell the fragrant flowers once more, relishing in their sweet scent. You had told him about a little flower shop nearby that you noticed the other day, but you couldn’t bring yourself to buy yourself flowers because it felt a little embarrassing. Since you had a free today, Sangyeon figured it would be the perfect time to buy you some flowers and give them to you.

Anonymously, of course.

As Sangyeon snuck past the teacher’s lounge, he saw your bag on one of the chairs and quickened his steps so that you wouldn’t spot him as he made his way to your classroom. Checking the hallway, Sangyeon entered your classroom as quietly as he could as to not alert any other classes of his presence.

As carefully as he could, Sangyeon closed the door behind him and let out a relieved sigh when it silently shut. Smiling, he turned around to put the flowers on your desk.

Only to be met with the little faces of your entire class.

Sangyeon’s mouth fell open in shock, his eyes widening simultaneously as he realised the situation.

“Teacher Sangyeon,” Emma exclaimed, waving excitedly at him. “What are you doing here?”

“Um, hi class,” Sangyeon greeted awkwardly, making his way towards your desk. “I’m just leaving Teacher Y/n a little surprise, that’s all.”

Minho gasped. “You’re her nice friend that’s leaving her presents!” he realised, pointing his little finger at Sangyeon.

Knowing he was caught, Sangyeon nodded, hurriedly pulling a blue post-it note from his shirt pocket and writing you a little message to go with your flowers. “Yes, I am. But I would really like it if you guys could keep it a secret between us?” he pleaded. “Since I know you guys are so mature and clever.”

He knew that appealing to seven-year-olds’ will to be grown up was a low blow, but he didn’t have much time before you would return to your class.

“Of course,” Sana nodded her head. “We’ll keep your secret. Teacher Y/n is looking for her bag, she’ll be back any minute now!”

Sangyeon thanked her for her warning, giving your students a little wave before he darted out of the classroom and rushed to his own.

That was close. And he was probably screwed.

“Okay class, thank you so much for being patient,” you exclaimed, entering your classroom with your bag. “I’m sorry I left you guys to grab my bag but I’m so proud of you all being so mature and understanding,” you buttered up your students, feeling guilty for running around school like a mad person trying to find your bag.

“Teacher Y/n!” Minho raised his hand as far in the air as he could. “We know who your nice friend is!”

You froze in place from where you were writing on the whiteboard, knowing exactly who he was talking about. “You do?” you echoed.

“Hey,” Sana cried out. “We’re not supposed to tell!”

That’s interesting. You knew that if whoever your secret admirer was had convinced your class to keep their identity a secret, it meant that your class trusted and respected them.

“I don’t care,” Minho retorted, crossing his arms. “We’re supposed to be Sherlock Holmes and help Teacher Y/n, remember?”

You smiled; those kids were truly too cute.

“Oh,” Sana seemed to be struggling with making up her mind. “Well, I suppose you’re right. We did promise Teacher Y/n first.”

“Was my nice friend here?” you asked, spotting the bouquet of flowers on your desk, accompanied by the usual blue post-it note you received with all your gifts.

“He was,” Minho nodded. “Teacher Sangyeon came while we were waiting for you and he brought your flowers.”

Something fluttered in your stomach, excitement at the revelation of your secret admirer making your heart pound just slightly faster. “He did?” you said, so quietly it was almost a whisper.

“And he wrote you a note with a blue post-it!” Emma added. “We were right! Your nice friend is a teacher.”

You smiled, picturing Sangyeon trying to convince your students to keep his secret. He must have snuck in because he thought I had a free period, you realised. “Well, you guys are very good detectives,” you complimented. “Just like Sherlock Holmes.”

When you dismissed your students for lunch, you couldn’t help but sit at your desk as they all filed out to admire the flowers. It was a beautiful mixture of white roses, pink peonies, and beautiful green and purple wildflowers. The post-it note must have been more rushed than usual, because it had a simple message that said he hoped you liked the flowers instead of their usual buttery, warm message of encouragement.

No wonder Sangyeon’s handwriting looked so familiar, you thought as you traced the letters on the post-it note with your pointer finger. The loops of his lettering perfectly replicated those that were written on the whiteboard when he helped you with your art class a few weeks ago.

After assigning your students their work for the last class, you couldn’t help your mind from wandering to Sangyeon, and how you should confront him about being your secret admirer. Making up your mind, you got up from your chair and plucked the flowers and post-it note from your desk before exiting your classroom and walking down the hall.

Knocking on the door of Sangyeon’s classroom, you waited patiently for him to greet you at the door. “Y/n,” his eyes lit up when he recognised that it was you. “Come in, you don’t need to knock,” Sangyeon ushered you in, opening to door for you.

“Thanks,” you smiled, stepping inside. “So, I got another gift from my admirer,” you told him, holding up the flowers. “If I can even call them an admirer.”

“Why shouldn’t they admire you,” Sangyeon said with a small shrug, moving to wipe his whiteboard.

“Say,” you began, holding up the post-it note. “This looks a lot like your handwriting.”

Sangyeon dropped the whiteboard eraser with a loud clatter, cursing quietly before apologising for the noise and going to pick it up. “Oh, um, really?” he wondered, panic rising in his chest.

“Really,” you confirmed, making your way next to him and holding up the post-it for you both to compare to the white board. “See? Your lettering is super similar,” you said, as if you didn’t already know that Sangyeon was your secret admirer.

“Huh,” Sangyeon hummed. “Weird.”

“Isn’t it?” you agreed, smiling. “These flowers are beautiful though, aren’t they?”

Feeling nervous, Sangyeon only gave you a weak smile. “As long as you think so…”

“They’re from that little flower shop I was telling you about the other day,” you told him, recognising the name of the shop on the ribbon that held the bouquet together. “Isn’t that ironic? That they got the flowers from there.”

“Well it’s only a few blocks away so I’m sure other people know about it,” Sangyeon retorted, pretending to go through the papers on his desk to act as if his heart wasn’t beating at the sound of a tuba.

“I also got coffee from my favourite cafe, pastries from my favourite bakery, and any piece of stationary that I complained to you about being low on,” you listed off the different gifts you had received.

Sangyeon opened his mouth to retort, but when he lifted his head to meet your eyes, he knew immediately that he had been caught. “You know, don’t you?” Sangyeon mumbled, red flushing the tips of his cheeks and ears.

“Minho ratted you out,” you confessed, not wanting to take credit for figuring it out.

Sangyeon laughed. “Tattle-tale,” he muttered, eyes gleaming with mischief. “So you were just having fun, teasing me as if you were figuring it all out right in front of me?”

“Hey,” you exclaimed. “I figured the handwriting thing out on my own.”

“Really?”

“No. I just connected the dots after Minho told on you,” you admit, shrugging your shoulders. Sangyeon chuckled, picturing your class telling on him as you lean back against his desk. “I’m glad it’s you,” you revealed, making Sangyeon smile shyly at you.

“How come?” he wondered.

“Well, you’re pretty cute,” you teased, earning an eye-roll from Sangyeon. “And you’re just… I don’t know. You’re really special. The way you interact with your students and how you never fail to give up your free time to help me, or keep me company…” you trailed off, noticing how a more serious expression fell across Sangyeon’s face. “Why didn’t you tell me that it’s you?”

“I didn’t know if you wanted it to be me,” Sangyeon said, tucking his hands into his pant pockets. “You’re one of the most loved teachers at this school, by the students and the faculty. You’re funny, and kind, and beautiful, and I thought you were out of reach.”

“I’m not out of reach,” you shook your head, moving closer to the brunet man. “Not at all.”

“And you’re really happy that it’s me?” he wondered.

“Hm,” you pretended to think. “Let me get back to you on that one,” you teased. “Yes Sangyeon, I’m really happy that it’s you.” Sangyeon beamed, pleased with your response. “That’s your cue.”

“My cue?” he asked.

“Yes, your cue,” you emphasised, trailing your hands up his chest to play with his tie. An understanding look filled his eyes and Sangyeon leant down to kiss you, closing his eyes as you felt each other’s breath against your faces.

The door to Sangyeon’s classroom opened noisily.

“Yo, we were just-“ Hyunjae’s shriek cut off Jacob’s words as the pair realised the position that you and Sangyeon were in.

“Guys, you can’t do that during school hours!” Hyunjae exclaimed, looking scandalised. “Jacob, I’ll cover your eyes and you cover mine,” he said dramatically, causing the two of them to flail about in an attempt to cover each other’s eyes with their hands.

You rolled your eyes, releasing Sangyeon’s tie and leaning back with a sigh. Sangyeon gave you a sheepish smile but cast your friends an exasperated look. “You guys are lame,” you accused.

Jacob laughed, releasing Hyunjae. “So you finally figured it out?”

“I wish. Some little tattle-tales told me all about it after catching him,” you motion to Sangyeon.

Hyunjae cackled. “Genius. C’mon, let’s get lunch. I’m starving,” he moved on quickly, uninterested in your new relationship with Sangyeon. “No kissing on school grounds, either. Let’s go,” he cheered, marching out with Jacob in tow.

You laughed, always amused by your coworkers and friends. “Let’s get lunch,” you agreed with Hyunjae, sending Sangyeon a smile.

As you moved away, Sangyeon caught your arm and gently pulled you back. “School hours are over in two periods,” he reminded you with a cheeky smile.

“Dinner?” you offered, earning a nod.

“I’d be crazy not to go,” Sangyeon exaggerated. “You’re paying, though. I’ve bought you enough food and drinks to last at least a few dinner dates,” he winked.

Laughing, you nodded, pulling him out of his classroom by his hand. “It’s a deal.”

note: the first fic in my 2k followers celebration event is up!! i’m so excited to see what you guys think about it, please let me know and thank you again for 2,000 followers 💛🌻

[trueshellz]

Hello! Can I request Osamu and Kuroo finding out their S/O has trouble functioning recently. Like usually they're working a lot and being productive but now they're burnt out – no motivation, skipping meals, can't sleep, etc. If this is too much, please feel free to ignore! Thank you!

Thank you for the request! 💜

Osamu

You had always been good at hiding your stress from your family and it was no different when you started dating. Work had been more stressful than usual, there had been lots of looming deadlines and the change in management meant that the new person was trying to leave their mark on the company. Being a perfectionist, you didn't want your work scrutinised and had taken to working long hours with little sleep.

Osamu was aware of this, knowing to keep his distance when you had lots to do. Not because he didn't like your job, but more so that you would get little done, instead playing games or making out. You had planned to see him properly but he would always pop in during the early evening to drop off some food for you.

What you hadn't shared with him was how stressed you had felt. Instead of eating, the food had been piling up untouched. You were up most of the night working on the changes coming through from the new manager and relied on coffee and caffeine pills to help. When going into work had become too stressful, you had taken some time off to recover and focus on yourself. But this had just made you fall into a dark hole. You spent all day in pyjamas, barely eating still and slept most of the day. You didn't know how to tell your hardworking boyfriend how you felt, especially since he was so busy with the shop. If he could manage a business you should be able to do your job right?

It was the second week of not seeing you daily, Osamu was starting to get worried. You had told him that you were staying with family for a bit as you had been stressed with work and didn't want to take time away from him setting his restaurant up. You still spoke everyday, less so on video or the phone but your text conversations went on for ages.

"Osamu! How are you?"

Glancing up, he saw your parents approaching the shop as he was putting up a notice board. They had known for a while that you had been dating, being supportive of you both and the relationship between you had been great.

"I'm ok. How are you both? How's my lovely girlfriend doing?"

The shock on their faces was almost palatable, they both looked at each other confused before turning back to him.

"We've not spoken to her for about 3 weeks. She said she was staying at her apartment as she had deadlines to meet and needed to focus. You know how her siblings are when she's home."

"But..."

Osamu felt his heart stop as your parents told him what else you had said. The worst thoughts going through his mind as he listened half-heartedly to them. There was no reason to lie to him or your parents. He couldn't think of why you had spun this story to lie to everyone.

Waving farewell to your parents, his thoughts swirling around his head as he finished work and tidied up the shop. By the time he locked up, he was just angry at you. How dare you lie to him? You knew how much he valued truthfulness and honesty.

Storming to you apartment, he planned his conversation in his head. He was going to confront you about lying to your parents, lying to him and about not spending time with him. If you didn't want to date him, you should have just said. Knocking on your door, he waited for you to answer but there was nothing, the lights were off and he couldn't see inside. He didn't like using the spare key you gave him, not wanting to be that boyfriend who didn't trust their partner. But it seemed like he had no choice.

Unlocking your front door, he was shocked to see your post on the floor, more than would accumulate from a day or two. Walking through and calling our your name, he could see the apartment was messy too. The food he had been sending on the worktops, work papers all over the floor and your curtains were all closed too. He kept calling your name until he reached your room, hoping to hear you reply. Were you unwell? Why hadn't you told him? He would have helped you, looked after you.

You had been in bed all day, apart from a quick shower and eating a banana, the energy you usually had had completely depleted. Everything hurt. Arms. Legs. Head. Back. Your eyeballs hurt. How was that even possible? You thought you heard your name being called but figured it was just your mind playing tricks on you. It wasn't until your bedroom door opened and Osamu's face came into your peripheral vision did you really start to panic.

"'Samu... I... what?"

All thoughts of reprimanding you flew straight out the window when he saw you. Osamu actually felt his stomach drop. Your usually bright and cheerful face was dull, your eyes were sunken and you had bags under them, he was sure you'd lost weight and didn't even want to ask when you had last eaten.

"Baby."

That one word was enough to have you breaking down into tears, not pretty ones, loud and gut wrenching sobs as he rushed over and pulled you close. Yep, definitely lost weight. His chin resting on your head as he shushed you, arms wrapped around you tightly as he rubbed your back. Your tears soaking the front of his jacket, hand curled in his top as if he'd disappear. You hadn't realised how much you missed him until he appeared in front of you.

"Baby, why didn't ya tell me? I woulda come sooner."

You shook your head, unable to form words he he climbed into bed with you. Pulling you forward so you lay on him, his arms wrapped around you as you lay there. For a long time neither of you spoke, content to lay there while your breathing settled back down and eventually falling asleep again. As you did, he couldn't help but shed a few tears at the sight of seeing you so exhausted and broken, especially after he thought the worst, made him feel like shit. How could he have been so blind? He should have seen something was wrong?

"'Samu?" He felt you move and sit up, instead pushing your head back onto his chest, he cuddled you close and squeezed you lightly.

"I'm here, baby. Don't worry."

"'M sorry."

"For what?"

"Lying."

If he hadn't cried already, he was sure you were going to make him cry again. Closing his eyes against the tears, he propped you up so you could look down at him. Brushing the hair behind your ears, he thumbed your cheek lovingly before kissing you softly.

"I wish ya'd told me, baby. I woulda helped. I woulda checked on ya more and-"

"I didn't want to burden you. You've been busy with the shop and I just... didn't want to seem like I couldn't manage. And then it just got so much and I didn't know how to fix it."

Sitting up, Osamu pulled you into his lap so you were say sideways and rocked you gently as he spoke.

"Ya never have to be sorry for shit like this. If I'd known, I woulda come sooner. Baby, ya had me worried. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to ya. Listen to me, ya never gonna be alone ok? Let me help ya baby. Lemme take some of the burden ok?" When you shook your head, he smiled and continued. "I love ya baby. It's my job to help ya."

"How?"

"Come stay with me for a bit? Even if ya never leave ya room or wanna stay in bed, ya won't be alone. I'll be there to help."

"I don't-"

"Please baby. If nothing else, I'll know that yer OK. That yer not alone and sad. All by yerself thinking that no one cares. Please?"

Kuroo

It was the autumn term and you were struggling. You weren’t sure what it was about this weather that just drained you of energy, the lack of light or the cold seeping into your bones. The idea of having dark mornings and dark evenings made your mood sour and no matter what you did, it wasn’t getting any better. You knew you had work that needed doing, your to do list steadily getting bigger and your will to donit getting smaller.

You had been off school for a week now, with Kuroo away at traing camp he was none the wiser. You were able to hide your troubles from him, he would call in the evening which would he the time you got home. He was always so cheerful, face lit up with his stories about his day and games. Often you would have his teammates crash the call and hear the mayhem as he tried to wrestle the phone away from them.

Last night, Lev had stolen the phone and started complaining about being picked on. As much as you loved your boyfriend, Lev was a sweetheart and you had a huge soft spot for him. Kuroo had wrestled the phone away from him and you watched the fight ensue in the background. With so much going on, it was easy to divert the attention away from yourself, load all the focus on his team and their game today.

Glancing at the clock, you knew the team would be on their way back by now. It was the afternoon and school was still in full force, the homework from last week still on your desk and your phone full of messages from friends asking where you were. Soon you heard Kuroo's special ringtone light up your phone. He would always message you after a match and meet with you, walking you home at the end of the day while filling you in about the camp. You would pick up snacks on the way and the lounge around on the sofa watching movies together. But today? You just couldn't do it.

Kuroo was confused and worried. Not only had you not answered your phone but you weren't in your class. Your friends hadn't heard from you in a while and that wasn't like you. Dialling your number again, he waved goodbye to his teammates before making his way to your house. He was almost there, turning back at the last minute to grab your favourite flowers and food from your local shop.

Arriving at your house, he could see that the lights were off but your car was parked outside. Calling you again, he could hear your phone ring from inside the house but you made no attempt to answer it. Banging on the door, he waited and waited. Tension growing by the minute when you didn't appear.

"Kitten! I can hear your phone ringing. Answer the door."

You knew you should answer it, you phone had rang about twelve times and you had about twenty messages as well as four voicemails. Dragging yourself out of bed, you went to your window and peered out, seeing his dark hair as he bent over his phone. The image tugged at your heart, you could see his brows furrowed as he bounced on his toes. A sure sign that he was anxious and worried.

"Kitten. Open the door. I can see your shadow in the window."

You tensed as he said that, begrudgingly walking to the door and bracing yourself against it. Tears forming in your eyes as you thought about how you worried everyone, how much of a letdown you were and how unreliable.

"Baby." His voice was softer now, closer too. "Open the door. I'm worried about you. Lemme at least see you ok? If you wanna be alone afterwards, I'll leave."

Cracking the door open a few centimetres, you peered through and saw Kuroo's face. It instantly softened, you felt your eyes fill with tears as he reached across and ran his thumb under your eyes, most probably seeing the dark circles you had. Letting him push the door open further, you let him pull you into a hug. His arms wrapping securely around your body as you fell into him, his voice a low shushing in your ear and it was then that you realised you were crying. Tears tracking down your face and soaking his jersey as you stood.

"Kitten, I gotcha. I'll always be here for you. Shhh. Don't cry baby. You're breaking my heart here. Let's get you inside yeah? I bought some food and we can lounge around like always." He pulled away and a look of panic crossed his face. "If that's what you want. If not, I'll go. I don't wanna intrude or-"

"No, Tetsu. I'd love to have you here... but, I'm not in a great place. I don't wanna-"

"Baby listen, my heart is wherever you are. If you're hurting, I'm hurting too. We'll get through this together ok? Let's stay in bed, watch some movies and eat our body weight in junk. If you're feeling up to it tomorrow, we'll organise things yeah? School work. Homework. Whatever. I'm back now, you don't have to do this alone."

[stardancerluv]

Brother’s Keeper

Part 9

Summary: You’re reminded who you belong too while prep for Branden’s job begins.

Warning: consensual…slightly angsty rough sex, dommy!Branden.

Branden was silent on the drive back to your apartment. Glancing at him a few times, you couldn’t help but noticed the sharp edge his jaw took.

Even when you pulled up to the parking spot outside of it, he still didn’t say a word. Sliding from your car, you left the door open and went in and right over to your freezer. Before opening it, you pulled off your summer dress and tossed it on your sofa.

Finally, out of the freezer you took what had been your only loyal companion before Branden broke out. Laying the long cold glass neck against your skin, you closed your eyes. A sigh broke your lips as you tilted your head back, it felt so good.

“I should be the one pulling those kinds of sounds from you.” Branden’s voice rasped above you.

You jumped a little but still held onto the bottle. You saw his stormy eyes.

“Then do it.” You challenged.

In moves you couldn’t follow, he had managed to pull the bottle from your hands and turned you around. He twisted the cap off and took a swig.

The bottle clanked on the counter beside you. He easily picked you up and placed you beside the bottle. Pulling one the strings, the bottom of your bikini became loose. It soon fell to the tile like a leaf in autumn. A smirk curled his lips.

You put the bottle to your lips, took a swig and put it down. “Well?”

A moan came from you as you watched him tug open his belt, followed by his jeans.

“I imagined those fucking sounds.” He pulled you to the edge of your counter.

You gripped the edge. A whimper, followed by a moan of pleasure came from you as he entered you. “I imagined this. You buried in me deeply.”

He thrusted deep and hard into you. It boardered on almost hurting but in an incredibly delicious way. This was animalistic and hungry.

“Fuck,” He groaned. “Damn you feel so good.”

You couldn’t speak, you gasped and moaned trying to breathe. “Yes, yes.” You finally managed.

He slowed his pace which made you whimper more, inciting an dark chuckle from him. “I want to enjoy being in what’s mine a little longer.” Damn, how did his words excite you even more? He dragged his lips and tongue up your throat. “Tell me. Did you like me smacking your ass, letting all around know you’re mine?” He growled in your ear.

You moaned in response. He slid in deep, barely any space was between the two of you. “Yes. I love it when you own me.”

“Fucking right.” He kissed you then, the hunger surfacing again.

You wrapped yourself around him as he began moving in you once again. One of his hands left you as he held onto the counter. It did not take long and you were so aroused, that you felt yourself tighten as you grew close.

“Cum, baby.” He urged, a trace of the softer side was underlying the gruffness that came over him.

Your grip tightened and you called out. It was a mixture of a moan and his name. You came hard, making all of you tingle. You rested your head on his shoulder, your body beginning to wilt.

“Look at me, I want to see you.”

His eyes were fierce and managed to uncurl some deeper pleasure in you as he continued to move in you.

“You’re mine. Fucking mine.”

“Yes, yes.” Tears from the pleasure and from the force of how hard he made you come trickled out of your eyes.

Finally he arched against you, making you call out loud. He buried his face into your hair.

Somehow the two of you stayed like that. How long you didn’t know, but you were one as you regained your breaths.

He moved first, one of his large hands cupping your cheek as his thumb brushed away one of your tears.

******

Your legs were wobbly as you found a dress to wear to the race track. You would have never imagined to feel like that. From the apex between your legs and out, you were tingling. He had left you in a delicious sense of pleasure and a strong ache that reminded you he had just been between your legs.

In the back of your mind you knew something must have happened when you were lounging by the pool. What exactly, you didn’t know. Perhaps something bothered him about the job, or how he had to pay his debt. You were comforted by your connection and how good he made you feel. Your dreams didn’t come close.

Having left a note with Chris’s manager, all of you got some prime seating to watch him race in the damn mud. His car and the others tore it up as they sped by. The air was heavy with the scent of mud and gasoline.

If he wasn’t already focusing on talking to Chris about the job potential, having you sitting in his lap watching the race would have been rough. Though he did like the fact that your perfume did cut the sharp, otherwise unpleasant scents. Those scents were better than what he had to smell when locked up.

He drummed his fingers on your hip as he watched how tightly Chris took the turns. He had not lost his touch all these years. Sam may be considering a play of deceit, but he was going to come out of this rich and with you by his fucking side. He squeezed your hip. It made you hop a little where you sat on him. His lips curled into a wider smile.

“Branden!” You squealed and turned to look at him.

He pulled his sunglasses off. “What, baby?” His eyes drifted to you.

“That hurt.”

“Want me to kiss it to make it feel better?” He teased, as his hand drifted down and began to slowly pull up the skirt of your dress.

You wiggled, loving the soft panic spreading across your face. “No!” You looked around. “No, stop!” You wiggled hard.

He didn’t. “What?” He was at your knee. “If I hurt you, I should kiss it better.”

Your hands pushed at his. “Please no, it’s ok.” So he stopped there. He had begun to enjoy once again how you felt on his lap.

“All right, I suppose I can.”

“You are so wicked, Branden.” He pulled back and smirked.

“You love it.”

You whispered in his ear. “I do. That’s why this entire time I imagined blowing you.” You made a sound of protest. “I will have to wait till we are back at my place and you are reclining on my sofa, while enjoying a beer or the rest of the liquor from that bottle we began to polish off.

His stomach churned and he began to feel himself grow hard.

“Hey lovebirds, do either of you want a beer?”

He watched as the suddenness of Sterlo caught you off guard and you shifted and wiggled.

“We’ll take two, Sterlo.” You happily said.

“Great.” Sterlo got up, burped, then chuckled and walked back toward where the beers were being sold.

Branden glanced at the kid, seeing him entranced with the actual race. Then he turned his attention back to you. “You keep teasing me like you are and I may take you to darkened corner so you can.”

Your mouth formed a small O before a demure smile replaced it. “I’ll be good,” You looked from side to side then and leaned in close. “But you can pull me to any darkened corner.”

@thebeckyjolene @brookisbi @johallzy @mrskenobi19 @shantellorraine @sithonis @blondekel77

[bokutoisbestowl]

Fem!S/O; Meetings, Feelings and Futures: Kenma, Aone and Kyoutani

Thank you so much @kara-grayson04 for requesting!! 💞💞 I hope you enjoy it and that its good enough!!

Also thank you for requesting for Aone that man makes me S O F T 🥺🥺🥺

So I’m going to be introducing a master taglist, but it'll be limited to about 40-50 people, so please don’t hesitate to ask!! SMAU’s will have their own separate, unlimited taglist (unless Tumblr has some limitation I don’t know about) that you'd have to ask to be added to separately. 

The headcanons may be a bit shorter than usual just because of it being multiple characters but I hope you guess still enjoy it! Feedback is always welcome!

As always, requests are: O P E N

Kenma

You two met during high school, through Kuroo of course. see, rooster boy thought that having another game obsessed friend would make Kenma come out of his shell a little bit

little did he know that it wouldn’t change a thing apart from the fact that he now had two nerds to look after

at first, Kenma didn't really think much of it, you were just another person who befriended Kuroo and would most likely see around quite a lot.

when he saw you, he would be polite and node or mumble his greetings but that was about it at first. You were similar in a way and honestly Kuroo almost regretted it. 

almost

Kenma didn't know when it happened, all he knew was that one day he just saw you and blushed like a mad man after realising just how beautiful you were. He didn’t know why you, a simple acquaintance (at least) suddenly became the only thought in his mind

he loved how patient you were with him, even when he was being bluntly analytical of everything, you would simply smile whereas someone else would have complained or just left

he remembers speaking to you about his distaste for hot and cold weather, saying there was not in between. one was too hot, the other too cold and you just nodded along 

“That's why I prefer spring and autumn, they're the transitioning seasons so the weather can be more balanced.”

Kenma is just shook that you didn’t point out the obvious that well, one is summer and the other is winter.

you two just starting talking a lot more and Kenma starting falling deeper and deeper and so you did you

although you managed to keep it hidden a bit better but not by much

you two would always look over each others shoulders when playing games together, trying to help each other out and occasionally will discuss games seriously; their design, animation, mechanics basically a range of things

you two became friends quickly after actually talking to each other and his feelings only really became clear when you were absent from school one day

he started texting you straight away, hearing from Kuroo that you were ill and home because your parents still had to work. Surprisingly, he’d managed to convince Kuroo to let him check up on you after practice since your parents worked late

both were shocked seeing you covered in blankets with a red nose, teared up eyes (from all the sneezing) and an exhausted aura opening the door, Kuroo quickly getting Kenma to take you to your room whilst he looked for food to give you

Kenma made sure you were covered with a blanket, grabbing a cold towel to place on your forehead. But rather than sit in silence, he because quietly talking about the newest game, smiling when you became discussing it as well

honestly this boy was falling in deep

collabs are a must when you two create your youtube channels in University, whether it was gaming, challenges or vlogs, around half of yours and his videos always include the other person

your fans are starting to ship you to together, Kuroo being their leader

little did they know you two had been dating since your third year, Kenma having awkwardly gotten his sims character to ask your sims character out on a date and then asking

“So... should we go out for real or?”

you agreed instantly of course

Uni had gone passed easily and your relationship remained strong throughout the years, going on dates every Thursday (both in real life and on any game you could manage)

when you weren't going out on dates, you two were lounging in your shared room or sitting in the living room of the house playing games or watching movies

Life got better after he proposed

he did it after graduation in the celebratory dinner, with help from Kuroo and some of you University friends

you could tell he was slightly embarrassed but luckily it was a private dinner in your residence so he wasn't that bothered. Of course he wanted it to be private but he also lowkey wants to show your relationship off like

“Look at this beautiful woman I am asking to marry me. Like if she says yes i’ll be shook.”

and he was.

Your daughter came along soon after the wedding which was much more simple than anyone expected. You two got married in the back garden of your childhood friends in front of close family and friends.

Pregancy was difficult, but it did give you time to actually play some games rather than having to work all the time plus your YouTube Channel became a family channel

Kenma was forever supportive, reading up on what to expect and how he can help. He never really asserted himself as the type of partner to tell you not to do something, he knew you understood your limitations and so left you to it

but he was always by your side, no matter what

And when Kanna was born, you both fell in love all over again. She was the perfect mixture of you both, with Kenma’s shy, introvert personality and your socialable, patient personality 

honestly Kenma was glad of it, knowing that being a major introvert can sometimes be harmful, but he knew his daughter would be fine.

if not then BET he will do everything he can to make sure any problem gets solved quickly

his favourite thing though? 

Coming home from work to find his two girls asleep on the sofa

Kanna cuddled up ontop of her mother and you holding your daughter securely in your arms, the two of you breathing softly

calm and serene

it was that he though of when he came up to you one night, wrapping his arm around your waist gently and kissing your shoulder

“...Lets have another.”

Aone

You were on the train when he first saw you properly. Of course he’d seen you around school but didn't really think much of it since his school mates never really spoke to him anyway

something about him being too intimidating to approach (rude)

BUT on the day when the two of you met, the train was way too crowded and you were honestly suffering. getting crushed between bodies or walls daily was getting exhausting and you couldn;t take much more

thankfully you spotted an empty seat and Aone. It wasn;t that you were hesitant because of him, no, you just didn’t want to disturb him if it happened to be that he liked to be alone. but it wouldn;t hurt to ask, right?

so carefully you walked across the train and smiled at him politely, nodding towards the seat next to him

“hello Aone, would you mind if I sat next to you?”

HOLY SHIT HE WAS SOFT IMMEDIATELY

this baby nodded and stiffened as you sat down, he couldn’t believe you’d actually done it and that you seemed so calm and relaxed. did he not scare you??

the two of you sat in silence but that was fine with Aone because someone was sitting next to him

both of you were surprised when you got off at the same stop, you smiling shyly up at him as he let you off first. you were surprised once again to find him walking the same way as you

you walked next to him silently, enjoying his company until it was time to head your separately ways

“Well, thank you for letting me side beside you Aone, I really appreciate it... do you... think I could sit next to you again.. tomorrow?”

he quickly nodded, blush rising from his next to the tips of his ears

you two soon fell into a pattern, whenever you would see each other you would smile and wave, him returning the kind gesture - even at school time which made a lot of people curious and weary 

eventually you began waiting for him after practice, quietly waiting outside the gym and smiling when he would come out. he would always nod, giving you a look that you recognised as him saying “please wait a few more minutes” as he went up to get changed

will forever be surprised to see you still standing outside waiting for him

it would always be the same, quiet routine with Aone allowing you on the train first so you could sit first or get the last seat and he would simply stand in front of you, watching over you like a guardian of some sort

on occasions where the train was fully packed, he would gently guide you to a rail - oddly thankful for his intimidating nature since it would lead to people making room for you

once it starts to get darker, Aone refuses to let you walk home alone and goes out of his way just to make sure you get home safely. 

you were grateful for it though, simply because of the company

your parents met him once and they loved him. it was like they could also see his kind nature, smiling at him and always thanking him for getting their daughter home safely

he would always nod and bow politely

honestly he adores you because goddamn it finally someone isn't scared of him

goes out of his way to ensure your safety, happiness and comfort. listens to your every word. sometimes he’ll respond to you and sometimes he speaks with his eyes but either way he (and you) are content in each others presence 

your relationship moved quickly, dating after only a few months of properly knowing each other but neither of you would have it either way

you supported him in his volleyball career as much as you could, coming to his games or cheering him on when you couldn't make it. If playing is what he wanted to do alongside work then you were happy as long as he was

will bring you flowers and replaces those flowers once they die

all he asks is for kisses 

despite the quick beginning, it took four years for you to get married and another two for you to have your children. 

the wedding was beautiful, all your friends and family there, even his old high school friends (including the third years from back in his second year)

everyone was happy that this guy finally found love

the pregnancy was unplanned, and you were both shocked.

you’d missed your period and decided to take a test, Aone came home to you on the sofa, holding some baby shoes that you had gotten during the day to surprise him with

he was s h o o k

imagine both your surprise when you found out you were having twins

when you went into labour, Aone was terrified that his children would be scared of him, but his thoughts were quickly shoved aside when he heard his son cry out. and then his daughter

his heart was beating so fast, man was thankful they were in a hospital.

your son, Reo, calmed in your arms leaving your daughter, Aoi, to her father.

she cooed instantly and was labelled daddy’s girl

straight away

Reo was a lot like Aone in that he was oddly silent, even for a baby, you guessed he must have picked up on it and just went with it

Aoi was more like you, the talker of the pair and smiles all around

it was one day when he was watching the three of you play that he chuckled to himself, smiling happily.

Once upon a time his concern was that no one would sit next to him on the train

now it was that one day his daughter would get a boyfriend

god bless that boy

“Aoi, boys who are friends are okay. Boyfriends are banned.”

“Daddy... what’s a boyfriend?”

Kyoutani

Okay so ya’ll met under bad circumstances. and by that I mean he shoved passed you and knocked you on your ass, not even sparing a glance to you as you walked passed.

a bunch of the male students were immediately shouting at him for being rude to a girl, female students coming to help you up whilst the culprit just sulked off somewhere

you were a first year, friends to Kindaichi and Kunimi and also lowkey manager of the team

you had heard that Iwaizumi was having to take up some of the role and felt bad, since you were there watching your boys anyway you thought might as well so you spoke to him and Oikawa about applying for the position

You were SHOCKED to find him there, like how did a guy that unsociable get into a club??

you soon found out about the teams troubles with him and realised that it’s just his personality

but he was good at the game, despite stealing a few of Kindaichi’s sets and just being plain rude. But you loved how he was with Oikawa, laughing quietly to yourself as the older boy pouted when he was being ignored

Kyoutani thought nothing of you at first, you were just some girl he’d bumped into but then he saw you in club and was annoyed

did you follow him here to scold him cause it wouldn’t work

but then he saw how kind and attentive you actually were and boy was soon blushing (but only slightly)

it pissed him off whenever you went to Iwaizumi or Oikawa because obviously he saw Iwaizumi as the big dog and Oikawa was.... Oikawa so gross 

was also surprised when you came over to give him a towel, because he thought he’d scared you off with his rudeness

blinks before nodding and wiping he face, feeling your presence move before swiftly catching your wrist

“Sorry... ‘bout before”

you just smiled and nodded at him, when he let you go (he was receiving looks off of Iwaizumi otherwise he could have stayed like that staring into your eyes for the rest of practice) you went back to your friends, laughing at Kindaichi as he demanded for information

Oddly enough he became a lot calmer when you were around because you were call him out for his mistakes

“That wasn’t your set Kyoutani, you need to wait otherwise your spikes won’t be as strong as they usually are and might get blocked easily.”

honestly you didn’t know if your words were actually helping but he seemed to take them in a wait for Oikawa to actually set to him

it didn’t work all the time however, in actual matches he got so into it that he just forgets and acts out

Oikawa and Iwaizumi sometimes look to you to calm him down, again sometimes it works and sometimes all you can do is shrug and say you tried

no one is sure of when you two started hanging out or dating but it just kinda happened

like one day you just kinda went “yeah he’s my boyfriend” and visa versa

he would walk you home on the grounds of Iwaizumi telling him to

you walked home alone because Kindaichi and Kunimi didn't live near you and Iwaizumi just turned to mad dog like “Walk her home. We need to make sure our manager gets home safely.”

everyone thought he’d put up a fight but he just turned, grabbed your hand and starting walking.

will continue to hold your hand and actually intertwine your fingers if he sees other boys walking past you two

kinda like a claim? but a sweet one like

“back off she’s mine”

you were sad when, a year later, he graduated but he always came back to walk you home at the end of day like routine

like I said before, no one was sure when you two started dating they just knew he was soft for you but still growly and glaring

you didn't mind though because he treated you gently

you got pregnant after you left high school and starting working. well, a few years into your job you got pregnant.

totally unplanned and definitely outside of marriage

your mothers were like “excuse me. what”

he proposed a few days later

I say proposed

you two were led in bed and he just turned around and said “you wanna get married or what?”

you legit just nodded all chill like and said “sure why not”

instant grin and kisses because he loves the playfulness

you ended up having a son who was exactly like his father and finally

after all these years

Kyoutani got a taste of his own medicine

“He’s such a fucking little shit.”

“He’s your son smh.”

Itsuki was born with a scowl on his face, Kyoutani was sure of it. he swears to whatever god he can that he saw it with his own eyes

but there are some moments where he remembers just how much he loves his son

but in all seriousness, seeing his son take after him so much fills him with joy and he’s so happy that they have that little mad dog

any future children (daughters) will be well protected

“Mommy... I want a baby brother.”

Kyoutani just sits there grinning

“You heard the rascal.”

●●●●

Master Taglist: Ask to be added whilst you can!!

@reinyrei

[firefly-in-darkness]

Colours of Love

Characters → Y/N & Dean Winchester, Other Supernatural characters

Summary → Until you meet your soulmate, everything will be black and white. But what happens when you see the colours of the rainbow but no soulmate in sight?

Word Count → 1.8k

Prompt  →  Soulmate AU + Stolen by Dashboard Confessional.

Warnings → Fluff.

Beta → the superstar that is @princessmisery666 // all mistakes are my own.

Dividers → @firefly-graphics.

A/N → This is for @justagirlinafandomworld Pick Two challenge - I’m so sorry it’s late, hope you enjoy it!

Fear wrapped itself around your chest as you tried to recall the previous night while also having to deal with the adjustment of seeing all these vibrant colours. 

The previously faded grey armchair was now an emerald masterpiece and you couldn’t help your fingers trailing across the velvety material, enjoying the switch between the shades. 

The gold embroidered cushions enveloped you in a squishing hug as you curled around and let your legs dangle over the armrest.

Jessica was sitting opposite, sharing the couch with Sam, her head resting in his lap whilst he snored softly, “Are you sure you don’t remember anything else?”

“I drank a lot last night.” You groaned, your eyes stung with the strain of looking at her newly colourful features and the floral curtains behind her. 

You looked away and around the pokey apartment; the photographs of your friends were now more alive than before and the bookcase full of varying shades and tones framing the many books and ornaments. 

Your head pounded against your skull and your mouth felt like there was a cotton ball stuffed in it. The graduating class had celebrated late into the night, to welcome in the start of summer before they went off into the big adult world. You remembered throwing back shot after shot. 

The thought of the clear burning liquid had your stomach bubbling with nausea and making you sit up, “I remember leaving you two lovebirds by the firepit, I was dancing-”

“-If you call that dancing.” Sam interrupted, his head still tilted back, and eyes closed.

You attempted to roll your eyes, but the muscle movement hurt your head more than it was worth, “-in Brady’s kitchen and then I remember nearly falling over but other than that. Nothing.”

Jessica offered you a reassuring smile, “You’ll find them one day.”

Once your head and body had cleared itself of the alcohol, you relished in periwinkle, fuchsia and evergreen. But weeks later, you still hadn’t found your soulmate, the one that had enabled you to see all these new and beautiful colours.

Eventually, after many conversations with Sam and Jessica, you decided to let fate play out. You’d already planned to travel the world and now you were able to see it in colour, you were even more excited

Well, for a few months of your solo adventure, until the colour began to fade into muted tones alongside your aching heart.

One Year Later…

It was the last chance for the Winchester’s to enjoy the summer. To soak in the sun and spend time with their loved ones before the chaos of Autumn took over their lives. 

Sam and Jess had rounded up all the usual gang for a barbecue to celebrate their engagement as well as Dean and Castiel’s new business venture; a bar in the next town over.

Across the garden, Sam had his arm around Jess while they welcomed guests as they wandered through the side gate. Ellen and Jo were the first to arrive, a selection of beers and chips in hand. Not long after, Bobby and Rufus brought in the burgers and more beer. 

Dean welcomed them all and then retreated to the other side as they all began to gush about Sam and Jess’s engagement. He hovered over the barbecue as the charcoal heated up, sipping on his beer, watching the excitement unfold across the lawn. 

Of course, he is over the moon for his brother; finding his soulmate, settling down in this beautiful white picket fence home and, now, getting married. He recalled how Sam’s name flashed on his mobile out of the blue, Sam’s words a little slurred and the raucousness of the college party in the background as he recounted how he needed his older brother’s advice on how to get the girl. 

Sam’s vision had changed the moment he caught sight of Jess across the lecture room, he spoke of how her blonde hair glowed, the way her pink plump lips grew into a huge smile then turned into a breathy chuckle once Sam realised he’d been caught staring at her.

Dean glanced back over to his family and friends, the strip of freshly mown grass was dull and the flowers he’d helped plant were no longer hosting vibrant petals. The feeling of jealousy and the worry that he was being left behind took over and he looked down at the grill. 

It all started years ago, it happened the night of Sam’s graduation party; the beautiful woman in the kitchen, dancing completely out of time to the music. Instead of going towards her and relishing in this newfound vision, Dean had decided to keep it to himself. He wasn’t ready for settling down, falling in love or even meeting his soulmate. 

Dean decided to rush past her and out of the house. His mission nearly failed as she collided into him and nearly fell over. He set her steady and without a second glance, left the party. Deep down, he knew he’d regret his actions, and that he’d end up in this position; watching his brother lead a life that he could only dream of. 

The dull colours were a constant reminder of what could have been. He turned his focus back to the grill, placing the burgers down and drowning out the sounds from across the garden. 

The moment the porch door swung open, you wrapped your arms around Jessica and nuzzled your face into her curly blonde locks. The travel tension dropping from your body, the soft gesture and the sepia tone of her face brought a warmth into your chest.

Jessica held your hands as you soaked in each other’s appearance “Y/N! Would ya look at yourself? Your video calls have not done you justice!”

“Says you!!” The pair of you grinned at one another before you glanced down at your right hand, pulling her left one up to expect the sparkling diamond, “The boy did good!”

"That he did.” Sam sauntered over and wrapped an arm around your shoulders, his locks fell across his face as he grinned down at you. “It’s about time I made an honest woman out of her. I’d crash and burn if it wasn’t for Jess.”

You rolled your eyes and slapped at his chest and turned back to Jessica, “Is he always this cheesy? I don’t remember him being this bad!”

“You’ve been away too long,” Sam chuckled and tugged you closer, pressing a kiss to the top of your head, “Nice to see you again Y/N. Let me take your bags; I’ll let Jess give you the tour.”

The lounge was homely with its large plush corner sofa and the floating shelves full of books, framed photographs and ornaments. Jessica guided you to the guest room and you relished in the normalcy, especially after years of owning nothing but a rucksack and a few days’ worth of clothes.

“Our bedroom is up the stairs and to the left, the room opposite is Sam’s office and then the bathroom on the right.” Jessica then rushed out the final words, “Dean’s room across the hall. He’s been staying whilst he sorts out the bar with Cas.”

“I’ll just freshen up and I’ll be straight out.” You smiled and shooed Jessica out of the bedroom. “Go and entertain your guests, I won’t be long!”

You wandered through the kitchen, a slight smirk on your lips as you twisted around to do a full rotation of the room; it was just how you imagined it would be. With the refrigerator adorned with magnets, gadgets neatly placed on the counters and the photographs dotted along the walls.

Without realising, you turned and walked straight into someone. Your face smashed into the soft cotton adorning someone’s chest. You gasped and stumbled backwards; the heat of embarrassment settled on your cheeks as you looked up at the wall of muscle you had collided with.

You found the bright green eyes of Dean Winchester looking like a deer in headlights. The golden flecks around his dilated pupils pulled your gaze across his features. His tanned skin and freckles splattered across his nose and cheeks had you follow the darker stubble along his jawline. His mouth was slack, and his pink fleshy tongue darted across his bottom lip.

A laughter echoed from outside, bringing you out of your trance. “I am so sorry!” 

You rushed past him and out into the garden with the want for the ground to swallow you whole. The only time you had met, well-spoken to, Dean, was during a phone call with Sam and then you had seen him when Sam had video called him. Of course, the webcam footage back at college was not the best but you had felt a warmth grow each time you walked past Sam’s room and could see Dean catching up with his younger brother.

A warm welcome by Bobby and Rufus was exactly what you needed to distract yourself from how the first time of meeting Dean Winchester had gone completely wrong. The offer of a beer and a patted spot on the blanket from Ellen had you grinning but not enough to stop your thoughts from wandering back to the man you collided with in the kitchen.

It had always been a surprise to you that it had taken this long to meet Dean, you’d met everyone else in Sam's circle except the closest member. You sipped on the beer, relished in the sunshine and the laughter around you as your thoughts drifted back to the way Dean looked, frozen in the spot just like you.

The pictures and videos did not do the man justice, and well, the last few years had done wonders and the way his bright green eyes sparkled in the frame of soft wrinkles.

Bright green eyes. You almost choked on your beer as you looked down to the ground. The navy and white striped blanket was no longer a dull tone, it was almost vibrant. Your heart raced as your hands glided along the soft fabric. 

Slowly, you glanced up at the raised flower beds to your left; luscious green leaves and dazzling pink petals facing upwards. You followed the flowers’ gaze; the cotton white clouds looked delicate against the contrasting blue sky. 

Your mouth dried and your skin shivered in anticipation as your eyes fell back down to the house, and the man standing on the decking in front of the French doors. 

His sparkling green eyes focused on you, and only you.

Everything Tag List: @reann-loves-sebstan / @aroyaldarknessblr / @thefridgeismybestie / @kitkatd7

Supernatural Tag List: @deanwanddamons

SPN Pond Tag List: @manawhaat / @thing-you-do-with-that-thing / @nichelle-my-belle-spn-con-blog / @notnaturalanahi / @deanscarlett / @whispersandwhiskerburn / @roxy-davenport / @deathtonormalcy56 / @samsgoddess / @frenchybell / @for-the-love-of-dean / @mysupernaturalfics / @spn-fan-girl-173 / @deandoesthingstome / @jelly-beans-and-gstrings / @fiveleaf / @deansleather / @whywhydoyouwantmetosaymyname / @waywardjoy / @mrswhozeewhatsis / @imadeangirl-butimsamcurious / @kayteonline / @supernatural-jackles / @wevegotworktodo / @quiddy-writes / @babypieandwhiskey / @wi-deangirl77 / @deantbh / @sinceriouslyamellpadalecki / @deanwinchesterforpromqueen / @chaos-and-the-calm67-blog / @memariana91 / @plaidstiel-wormstache / @chelsea-winchester / @becs-bunker / @writingbeautifulmen / @lucibae-is-dancing-in-hell / @castieltrash1 / @supernaturalyobessed / @ohwritever / @ruined-by-destiel / @inmysparetime0 / @winchester-writes​ / @evilskank-inthemegacoven​ / @maraisabellegrey-blog​ / @faith-in-dean​ / @winchestersmolder​ / @bennyyh​ / @clueless-gold​ / @deanwinchesterxreader​ / @melbelle45 / @winchester-family-business​ / @4401lnc / @there-must-be-a-lock​ / @just-another-winchester​ / @canadianjelly / @emoryhemsworth​ / @cas-backwards-tie​ / @coralanadianspnhunter / @mostly-shawn / @sierra-grace1227​ / @flamencodiva​ / @kalesrebellion​ / @emilyshurley​ / @deanwanddamons​ / @ellewritesfix05​ / @idreamofplaid​ / @emptycanvasposts​ / @herfalsegod​

*Bold - unable to tag

[hxhhasmysoul]

Unexpected Gift

Day 1 of @hxhsmallchristmas​ 

Pairing: Alluka/Canary

Rating: T

AU: Modern setting, they’re in their 30s, working as doctors in the same hospital.

____________________

Early thirties, hot, single and an accomplished professional gets you a lot of interest on dating apps. At a hospital it gives you the Christmas shift if your profession is a surgeon at a children’s ward. In the minds of your colleagues: no partner or kids of your own means that you won’t be missing out on anything if you stay at work, besides you’ll get a day off later, maybe. Okay, so maybe Canary’s attractiveness mattered only to Alluka, who had nothing to do with the decision as to who worked on Christmas, then again people were an envious bunch. 

Absolved from any involvement Alluka could shamelessly use this opportunity to make a more serious move. On an average day, when they sometimes met in the break area, she couldn’t do too much with other people present. With the hospital almost empty on the night between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Alluka could get bolder. 

Or do nothing at all. They didn’t keep a surgeon on site for the fun of it, one of the kids spending the holidays in the ward took a turn for the worse and had to be operated on immediately. Alluka had to walk past sobbing parents and a sleeping sibling on her way to the break area with a picnic basket in hand. She felt like a fool and questioned whether she shouldn’t turn back and toss the green and red ribbon decorated thing into the nearest dumpster. The thought that the family would somehow spot her, even if she tried the staircase at the other end of the building, kept her put. She killed time watching videos on her phone.

Canary went past the window of the break lounge after 5 am, she gave Alluka a quick smile before she disappeared to talk to the parents. More waiting and double the stress. And of course over analysing how it was the dumbest idea Alluka’d ever had. Instead of romantically swooping in with sandwiches, honey tea and gingerbread she’d been caught waiting, her intentions clear. 

Canary looked tired when she finally came in.

“Fancy seeing you here,” she greeted Alluka with a sweet yet knowing smile. 

“Do you mind?” At that point trying to sell her some silly story didn’t feel right.

“No, though because of the sneakiness you didn’t inform that kid’s guts that internal bleeding is going to ruin your plans, he’d’ve been better off if you had.”

Alluka snorted. “How did it go?”   

“Fine, the crisis is averted.” She dropped onto a sofa. 

Alluka picked up the basket and pulled up a chair to sit next to her. “This is for us … you … I mean you’re probably hungry.”

“Aren’t you after so many hours?” Canary took the basket from Alluka’s hands and opened it. “What’s in the thermos?”

“Tea with orange slices, ginger, spices and honey, I hope it’s still hot.” Alluka got up to get some mugs from the cupboard. 

“Good choice.” Canary put the thermos on the coffee table.

 “Winter is the best time for drinks.” She returned with two mugs and poured them the tea. The bland lounge instantly became more homely as the sweet citrusy scent filled it. The small plastic tree with a few lights was suddenly putting in far more work to create the right ambiance. 

“I agree, though late autumn is pretty good, too. The fruity and spicy season starts then.”  

“Yeah.” 

They unwrapped their sandwiches. 

“You did shapes! Like in Mito Freecss’ recent video. So cute.”

“I tried to make the star with the tail first, but it kept breaking off, so just regular stars and bells,” Alluka said flustered. Canary’s enthusiastic reaction made her want to play down the effort.

“And they taste amazing, too!” Canary said after she tried hers. Alluka paired bitter orange thick cut jam with nutella for the maximum Christmas flavour.  

Sounds of chewing and sipping filled the room, but the moment didn’t pass, they kept glancing at each other and smiling. 

“Will you have some time after Christmas? I could make you some sandwiches in return, I’d hate not to be able to reciprocate such a great gift.”

Alluka bit her tongue, she was still learning how not to make herself small. 

“I’d love that.”

“It’s a date, then.” 

________________

This ship has 7 fics on AO3 and I’m very positively surprised that 3 of them aren’t mine XD I have some more here that I haven’t posted there, but that’d probably bring the total up to 10(?)

[modern-vellichor]

In Her Blood; Seven

Summary: You go back to college

Warnings: Angst, smoking, age gap relationship.

Pairing: DadsBestFriend!Bucky x Reader

In a week leave for your final year of college. Most of your things have already been packed. Your closet empty, your suitcase sitting full and open at the end of your bed.

You and Bucky never really made up, you just slipped into an uncomfortable sort of civility. With tight lipped smiles and soft touches, both begging for forgiveness but too stubborn to forgive.

Everyone was dreading your departure, your parents and Sarah hugging you every chance they got, their embraces lingering until your ribs hurt. It was a lot of night curled up in the living room, hot summer afternoons spent lounging in the garden, mornings clutching a steaming cup of coffee while Steve read the paper.

Claude, on the other hand, was excited to see you again. He was calling every evening, telling you all the latest gossip, explaining how excited he is to see you, how he would pick you up at the airport. A few times, your sister or your parents had walked in on you on the phone, staring in awe as you spoke in tongues. Once Steve had walked in with Bucky, you heard Steve boasting about his amazing daughter while he was closing the door. You swear you heard Bucky mumble; "dont I know it". Maybe he said it so only you could hear, because Steve's bragging never wavered.

You were sure that Bucky would be the death of you, all muscle and soft blue eyes. Every evening your nimble fingers flicked to the pages of vaguely threatening sketches of scarred skin and metal appendages.

It's a cooler evening, sun just disappearing over the horizon. Autumn was finally starting, leaves not yet browning but nights becoming longer and cooler. You had cozied up under a blanket, sprawled out on the sofa, eyes glued to the movie on the tv. Steve and Sam were talking in whispers with each other across from you, Sarah asleep to your left.

The doorbell rang, half pulling you from your trance, but Sam got up. He came back with Bucky on his heels, the only available space currently taken up by you. He just gently tapped your shins, you curled them into your chest without a word, taking the blanket with you.

You continued to watch the movie, Bucky watching over your shoulder. It started getting gory towards the middle, blood and teeth scattering the ground, everyone shouting and screaming as throats were being cut. You both were unbothered by the bloodshed, it was only when the movie got uncomfortably silent that you were set on edge. Expecting the worst around every corner, you subconsciously curled into Bucky's touch, his arm soothing around your shoulders.

You never jumped, never made a peep, but you were stiff until the screaming started again and you could predict the horrors.

Obviously your parents noticed, but instead cooed at how close the two of you had gotten, attached at the hip they would say, better friends than Steve and Bucky back in the day.

Eventually, as the night got darker, you and Bucky were left to your own the devices, the movie not quite finished.

Bucky waited until he heard your parent's bedroom door shut, then he took your chin between his fingers, forcing you to look at him. You turned around to face him, already annoyed.

"What", you huffed, the hint of bitter sadness all too obvious in your anger.

He pressed his lips to yours, soft and gentle, pulling away with a playful bite.

"I'm sorry", he mumbles, diving back in. The words linger in the air and the weight is lifted from your shoulders, your ribs dont hurt anymore and you can breathe again, the kiss soon turns desperate. You both mumble strings of breathy apologies between heated kisses, your lips travel down his neck, but you stop when you reach the collar of his shirt and you pull away.

"say it again"

"What?", he pants.

Your gaze drops to his hands, pressed into your thighs.

"say it again", you mumble, quieter this time.

It takes Bucky a moment to realise what you're asking.

"I love you", he whispers with a smile.

You take a deep breath, savouring the raw intimacy.

"I love you, too"

Tears were shed at the airport, Sarah sobbing as you all chuckled. She embraced you first, you thought she might never let go. Sam gave you a tight hug and a quick kiss to your head.

Steve held you close and gentle, mumbling into your hair.

"when are you home next?"

"Christmas"

"why not Thanksgiving?"

"no Thanksgiving in France"

He chuckled as he let you go, then Bucky was pulling you into his grasp, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead.

The flight was long, but you wrote letters to your secret lover in New York, thinking of all the things to tell Claude.

The French air was a new breath that you needed so desperately, but now you had to start missing him.

[cosmiclatte28]

Lie to Me (Jaemin x you)

Angst.. I am still learning to write angst that can really make you cry, but I can’t 

Warning : cheating is not a good thing.

Enjoy! 

When people say first love won't last long, you often question them. Why? Because apparently you see some people sticking to the end with their first love, and up to this day you believe your love story will end the same way or maybe even better. That was what you have in your mind living with two children under a comfortable roof with your first and last love, Na Jaemin. Today however, you start to question if there will be a happily ever after for you and Jaemin or at least for you. With what Jaemin have, there's no way he cannot get his happiness. Look at the amazing group of friends he worked with, look at the swooning number of fans! All of those fans out there are willing to die and kill for him. His income is flowing in regularly, he doesn't need to worry about heart breaks, it's either he broke heart, or he got broken and find another one. There are many fish in the sea and apparently this will work for Na Jaemin. It's been two years of hiding from public media and fans. Two years of holding on to the pain of not being able to tell anyone that you are dating the idol Na Jaemin. Eight seasons of sneaking Jaemin into your room or sneaking into the dorm. The members knew about you, but they are a good brother and they keep their mouth shut. Everything was worth the hustle the pain and the love, not until you got home from your tiring nine to five work and got greeted by a trending news. You take the bus ride home, wishing that Jaemin is now here beside you, holding your hand through the orange candied sky. You cannot lie that autumn looks good at some point and you actually want to be able to walk home with Jaemin while sipping on hot pumpkin spice latte. On your seat by the window, you open your phone and curiously click on the website that appears on the first Tweet you see. Right at that moment your eyes shake and your lips tremble. The loud voice of the busy road and bus engine were gone replaced by a long deafening silence. Your finger froze midway to the news and you lock your phone. There in the media, was a picture of Jaemin and a secret girl, along with screen shots of their chats and selfies. Luckily there was no bad news coming with it, the girl did not accuse Jaemin for anything bad, but the media was clearly stating "Na Jaemin, fan service king turns out to be dating a fan for three months."

Three months?! That's also how long Jaemin has been dumbly smiling to his phone at night, the time he woke up earlier than you did which confused you before, but now made sense. You try to remember all the odds he did in the past three months, you knew that style of chatting was Jaemin's and that is enough to convince you that your boyfriend might be cheating on you for three months without you realizing it. Stupid? Kind of. You got home after the long ride and with big stride you take the lift to your apartment, wishing with all your heart you have something to eat since you don't feel like going out. Right when you enter the house, the least expected man you want to see right now is already lounged over your sofa. There sprawled on your couch, is Na Jaemin in his sweet innocent sleeping face. You want to choke and strangle him with the pillow right now, but how can you when you see that fragile kid face. For a second you feel like you're the most evil person in the world, trusting rumors rather than asking your boyfriend about the truth. Looking at his sleeping baby face, you can't imagine Na Jaemin actually cheating behind you, but that's the point right? If he knew you won't slightly think or believe he is cheating, one might as well use the benefit right? Your mind is playing with "what ifs" and finally you choose to wake up the problematic person in your life right now. Jaemin squirms when you toss him a pillow to wake him up. "Hey my baby is home." He yawns and gives you that sweet smile while still having his eyes closed. He stretches and you cannot decipher if he is acting cute so you won't be mad as he explains the rumor or does this child did not know the news has spread. Your face was sour and he quickly catches on that you're not in a good mood and it's his goal to always bring back smile on your face. "What's with that evil with face?" You sigh, and sit down beside him. You hold his shoulder to face you and stare into his eyes deeply. "Please look at me," you whisper hopelessly Jaemin still has his confused face on. "Tell me what is going on Nana." Jaemin glances down to your phone, he clearly knows what you are talking about. Hell he already received a lecture from Taeil, Johnny, and Taeyong not to mention Jeno and Haechan. "You know I'm not like that right?" Jaemin swallows a lump on his throat, gosh the audacity he has to lie on your face. Your pupil trembles as they search the truth Jaemin nicely hide behind hid Idol eyes. You shake your head, "How can I trust you when I cannot read through you." "She's just a friend," Jaemin squeaks. "Is she really just a friend?" your voice cracks, Jaemin saw the news he saw the chat and oh it doesn't wonder if you think that snippet of chat is more than friendly. Jaemin cannot answer your question, he wants to fight back but he messed up. He cannot lie anymore to you, or can he? "I am sorry, I was not in my right mind." he reaches out to hold your hands, but you quickly hide them. "What do you mean by that?" your chest is raising up and down faster. Jaemin closed his eyes, "Some of them are true." Your heart shatters and you cannot think of anything else. Did he just shamelessly confess that he indeed was cheating? "You're lying!" you try to deny the fact, but Jaemin shakes his head. "I am not lying. I am sorry you had to discover it." Your eyes shot open, did he not expect you to know at all?! How belittling was that. He shifts closer to you, and you flinch "Stop Jaemin, give me some spa-" "Don't give me space, that's the least thing I want with you." His puppy eyes made a big impact here. "I know I shouldn't be here," you let out a huff Jaemin gets flustered, "What do you mean by that, I can explain we broke up already. I told her I was with you." "You deserve more," you whisper and tears finally fall down your face. "I'm scared." you stare in horror to Jaemin, this sweet angel has been lying on your face for god knows how long. Were you some kind of toy for him?! "I'm sorry. I swear I'll do things different this time, believe me..." He pleads to you. "I want to believe you, I do, but you're just going to hurt me again Jaemin," You shake your head when he pleads you with his eternal sweet angelic face. "Do you ever mean anything you say?" you ask him. Flashes of videos you see on the internet haunts you, Jaemin can easily say "I love you" to his fans and be called a fan service, but have you ever think if the one he gave to you were not a part of fan service too? Did he really mean it when he whispers "love" to your ears. Jaemin stays quiet, "I mean it," he whispers after a while. "You won't understand. Was I just another fan service thing to you? Did you see me also as one of those girls who will swoon over you when you do that?" you're hurt by the fact that this sentence was true. Look at you, not even realizing if he is cheating on you because you are blinded by his sweet nothings. "Can I hug you?" he asks slowly when you just stay quiet and out of your mind. You shake your head, "I need to go. See you Jaemin." You grab your bag and coat and rush to leave him. You need to clear your mind first, maybe a talk with the other members may help you keep your mind straight. The young boy crashes to the sofa, his eyes can no longer hold back his tears. In silence he sobs by himself, he knows he did something so wrong and it's his own fault this happens. "Am I too late?" Was all he asked when he think of the times he kept all of this a secret, it started as a harmless joke with a fan he find interesting in the fansign. Then the joke turns into small talks, to midnight calls, and to secret meetings. Jaemin did not mention he is dating you; it'll blow up your two years of hiding with him. But then one night he went over the border, teasing the fans and their chat was no longer on the side of friendship. It goes beyond and when Jaemin explains he needs to stop this thing, the girl blew up all of the secrets. Making distorted rumors here and there, You apparently was one of the victims of the media and Jaemin hates himself more with the fact that you did not even give him a chance to explain. Two hours later he got a voice message from Jeno. "Jaemin, she's here with us. (y/n) is alright, just meet her when you are ready and she is too. I think tomorrow she can see you." That was all Jeno left to him and that night Jaemin spends the night on your bed, realizing it was cold and lonely without you.

 want a next part? 

end or continue?

[drariellevalentine]

Medically Inevitable

Chapter 6- Satirical Shocks

Characters:- Arielle Valentine, Ethan Ramsey, Sienna Trinh, Elijah Greene, Jackie Varma, Landry Olsen, Aurora Emery, Rafael Aveiro, Naveen Banerji

Warnings:- None

Pairing:- Ethan Ramsey x Arielle Valentine

You wake up quite early, deciding to go for a mile of cycling to work off all that chocolate and sugar that you ate the past two weeks. After changing into a black and aqua streaked gym outfit and pulling your thick hair into a high ponytail, you head out to your balcony, headphones in hand. Playing your regular playlist, you roll out your yoga mat and start stretching. Working your way through your body from head to toe, you head out to the empty and dark kitchen. “Guess no one’s up.” You open the fridge and pour yourself a glass of vanilla almond milk. After drinking, you check your phone and pager to make sure there aren’t any emergencies and head down to your parking lot after grab your backpack, phone, water bottle, and your Apple Watch to track your stats. You get your bike from the garage and ride it down the quiet street. You decide to circle around and head to Edenbrook and get ready there, knowing you have a spare outfit in your outfit. Adrenaline spikes as you ride like the wind, the cool autumn breeze in your hair. After a good 30 minutes, you circle towards Edenbrook, deciding to get a head start on your shift.

Ethan’s PoV:-

Driving towards Edenbrook, you can’t help but think about yesterday with Arielle. The way her violet eyes lit up when she saw the drink you ordered or the way her cheeks turn pink from the cold breeze. “Stop it, Ramsey! The reason you come so early to the hospital is to make sure you have a moment of peace before the interns do something. You’re parking your car and getting out when you notice her. In a skin tight pair of leggings and a sports bra. You don’t think you’ve ever seen her without heels, she’s quite short without them. How she manages to stand in them is beyond your train of thought.

“What is she doing here so early?”, you wonder. You see her parking her bike against someone’s car and stretch. You can’t but stare at her, the morning sun hitting her luscious hair, making it shine. You snap out of it and head inside before she can see you...or anyone else for that matter.”

Arielle’s PoV:-

You enter the locker room and see Elijah. “Hey Elijah.”

“Hey Arielle.” He turns to look at you. “Woah! Where’d you do?”

“I went for a ride.” He gives you a look. “...on my bike. Give me ten, and then we’ll go check on Eliza.” You quickly take a shower and get dressed in a lightly cropped white top with a pair of pinstriped navy blue and white pants. Pulling on your white coat, you grab your things from the shower and go back to the locker room.

“Done?”

“Almost. Just hair and makeup.”, you reply.

“You know you look beautiful without it, right?”

“Nice try, Elijah. I would feel really bad for the patients who have to see my dark circles.”

“Yeah, your invisible ones.” You laugh and quickly get ready. Applying your usual amount of makeup, you brush down your hair and quick twist the sides and pin it against the back of your head to avoid hair in your face. “Done! Let’s go.” You head towards her room, going over her chart. After discussing her treatments, you exit the patient’s room with Elijah.

"Is it just me... or is the ground actually shaking?" Elijah asks confused. Hearing his question when you actually pay attention, even you can feel the floors vibrating.

"Uh, Elijah, does Boston get earthquakes?" you ask back. Looking at each other we are about to move forward when we turn back hearing commotion. A crowd of interns pass us running towards the atrium, talking amongst themselves. Seeing us at a side Landry approaches us.

"Guys, Dr. Ramsey is posting the rankings of second week!" He announces before moving that way. Seeing another group of interns coming in our direction, you take shelter in the nearest patient room, grabbing Elijah with me.

"What? Not excited to see the latest ranking?" Elijah grins at me.

"I'd rather not get Mufas'ad," you smile.

Once the coast is clear, you and Elijah get out of the room and move towards the elevator to get to the atrium, where the excited herd of interns are surrounding Dr. Ramsey, who just pinned the rankings to the board. "Can't you people exhibit a modicum bit of self-control. You work at Boston's best hospital for God's sake!" He pinches the bridge of his nose and walks away. You can't help but notice that he seems distant, it feels like he's barely acknowledging what's happening. He walks away, leaving us interns to check the rankings.

"You guys! I'm finally up to fifth!" Landry smiles proudly.

"I slipped to number...thirteen. Weak," Elijah sighs his voice low and sad.

"Ugh...seventeen. I knew this would happen," beside me Sienna slumps sadly. Poor girl, feels like she's going through a lot. I look towards her.

"Dr.Ramsey caught me crying in a supply closet yesterday. I've just had a lot of...sad cases recently," I see her eyes glistening with tears.

"Wanna talk about it?" You give her a side hug in an attempt to comfort her.

"No point wallowing. Just gotta smile my way through," she fakes a smile but you can clearly see her hesitation. After comforting Sienna for another moment you turn around to find Jackie standing silently looking at the ranking sheet . I follow her gaze to see that she's dropped to eleven.

"Eleven? Really?" She nods in disbelief.

"Number ten," Sienna smiles nudging me. You look at number ten to find your name. “From nineteenth to tenth, that's good.” Happiness washes over me. But after seeing my friends’ dropped positions, the small spark of joy vanishes. Hours after, I walk towards the staff lounge to take a break being tired for working for at least 4 hours without a break. As I near the elevator, I can hear faint sound of cries from somewhere near. On instinct I walk forward hearing the sound and it leads me to the nearest supply closet. I think for a moment whether or not to go inside. What if the person inside doesn't want me too see them like this? After giving it another thought I decide to get inside thinking what if the person wants someone to talk to. As I open the door, light rays enter the dark supply closet falling on a small figure and I run towards her as soon as I see it to be Sienna. "Hey, what's wrong?" I ask softly side-hugging her.

Leaning on my shoulder she sniffles. "I- I j-ust lo-st a pat-ien-t," somehow managing to say this she again starts sobbing.

"I'm so sorry, Si," you hug her more tightly.

"He didn't deserve it," she sniffles ,"He was just 14. He had a whole life to live."

"I understand Si," you try to comfort her, “But there's nothing you could've done." After comforting her for some more minutes and letting her know that it was not her fault, she stops crying. You have an idea.

"You've any patient to check on right now?" I ask after she's stopped sobbing and she nods in negative.

"Good. You're taking a break then. We are going to grab something to eat,"I say.

"But-" she tries to protest.

"No ifs or buts, you clearly need a break. You need to talk about this and somewhere which is not a supply closet," She hesitates at first but then agrees to it. You take her to the milkshake parlor to Bryce took you when you were down.

"You are going to love their shake!" You smile and say to Sienna whose mood is much better now. After ordering our shakes we take a sit in one of the booths near the window. We both order chocolate caramel milkshakes. "So you want to talk about it?" You ask her after taking a seat on the sofa opposite to her.

“I already did.”, she smiles sadly. “But I can’t help but feel that maybe I could have done more, something that would have saved him.”

“Si, you did all that you could. Sometimes things in life just don’t go the way they want to. What happened wasn’t your fault, you can’t blame yourself for it.” She nods sadly.

“Thank you, Arielle.” You smile.

“What else are besties for?” The waiter serves up our order. We thank him and each take a sip from our milkshakes after I take a pic and post it.

“This is so good!”, Si exclaims happily.

“I know right. Bryce took me here a few weeks ago. It became my official favourite milkshake place.”, you exclaim. We both giggle like high schoolers.

“So...did you find out anything about Patient X?”, Si asks.

“No, I haven’t. I’m still trying but I haven’t found anything.”, you reply.

“Maybe it’s just some kind of case study?”, Si speculates.

“I don’t think so...I think it’s someone near to him. I don’t know if you noticed, but he seemed distant and out of it this whole week. Especially the day after the f.M.R.I testi”- you clasp your hands to your mouth, realised what you just spilled.

She looks at me smirking, “What f.M.R.I?”

“I-he” you stutter. “Dr. Ramsey-he”, you look her smirking. “Stop smirking!”

“Then you have to tell me everything!”, she exclaims.

“There’s nothing to say!”, you counter but you’re sure your cheeks gave you away.

“Sureeeee!”, she teases me.

“Tell me everything, and I mean everything. Do you hear me?”

“Fine!” You reluctantly start telling her what happened. roll my eyes, "Stop it Si! I was just helping him to check whether or not it works."

"Remember I went after him to update him about Mrs. Turner? " I ask and she nods. "I told him about the housewarming party and asked if he'd like to come-" Sienna smirks at this but you pretend not to notice. "Obviously he denied-" And you explain her how he asked for help to test the fmri machine.

"Wait! You are telling me you were standing half naked in front of Dr.Ramsey," her smirking face turned into a surprised but then again retreated back to the former one. "I bet he couldn't tear his eyes from you!"

"Sienna, he's a grown up. He'd obviously have the minimum amount self-control to not stare at his half-naked intern," you say.

"Mhmm, if you say so..." She motions with his hand for me to continue, " What did he ask you?"

“My middle name. That was his first question. Then he asked about my favourite childhood memory.”

“Yeah? Tell me too! I want to know how it was growing up in a luxurious mansion!”, she says excitedly.

“I told you about my godfather, remember? So when I was little, I would head to his lake house every Friday to spend time baking desserts and talking about life then. I would stay there until he had to drop me off at school Monday morning.”, you smile as you recall the fond memory.

“Aww! That’s adorable! What did he ask next?”, Si excitedly asks.

“He asked me about one of the happiest days of my life. I told him about the day my niece was born. He was surprised though.”

“You have a niece?! Why didn’t you tell me?! Ooh! What’s her name? Promise you’ll bring her one day!”, Si rambles.

“Okay okay! Calm down! Yes, I have a niece. Her name is Arabelle and she’s 4 years old. I do sometimes babysit her, so...we’ll see.”, you reply.

“So...what was his reply?”, she asks.

“He didn’t say anything. And that was the last of the questions. Then, somehow, while getting off, I managed to fall down. So when he entered the room, I was sprawled on the floor.”

“That’s all?”

“I showed him a pic of my niece.”

“Ooh! Show me!” You pull up the pic and show it to her.

“Aww! She looks adorable! And you look like a princess! What did he say?” You blush.

“He said that she’s cute.”

“Finally! A compliment from Dr. Terminator!” You laugh. “Did he say anything about you looking gorgeous?!”

“Si!” She giggles and soon you join in.

“Wait! You never told me what happened after you saw Dr. Ramsey st the baseball game.”, she says.

“Not much. I helped him close a deal for Edenbrook and then we just talked, ended up telling him why I wanted to be a doctor. Then it got late, so he dropped me off.” Her grin widens. “What?”

“Nothing!..”, she says in a singsong voice. You stare at her. “Well what, Ari! He invited you to a private box suite, he gave you a ride, and he asked you to help him test a machine. So...”

“What so.... There’s absolutely nothing! Now come on, I have a few patients to check on.” You both head back to the hospital. After your regular rounds, you go to check in on one of your newest patients, Remy. When you enter his room he is strumming on a guitar, singing softly with it. He smiles as you enter the room.

"What's up doc? You ready to let me out of here?" He grins.

"Well, that depends on what your lungs would say, Remy," you smile. "Any wheezing or coughing today?" You ask after going through his chart.

"Nope. I'm feeling one hundred percent!" Putting your stethoscope on, you listen to his breathing.

"It looks like you respiratory infection have cleared up. Let me check your vitals and then we can think about discharging you." You slip a blood pressure sleeve around his arm and pump it. “All your vitals look good. You’re about to get his discharge papers signed when you notice his calf covered in reddened nodules. “What happened?”

“Don’t know doc. But it itches though.”

“Well, it might be an indication of something else, I want to do a few more tests.”, you reply.

“Well if it makes you happy! My parents have sweet insurance so test, test, test away!” You laugh as you leave the room.

After ordering the test for Remy and a few check-in’s on your patients, you head towards the cafeteria to get a light lunch. You’re standing in line, deciding what to get when you notice Aurora standing in front of you, surrounded by her usual circle of suck-ups.

“Dr. Emery, can I get you a latté?”

“Dr. Emery, I’ll pay for your lunch.” You roll your eyes.

“What you can do is take a step back so your hair doesn’t go into my food.”, Aurora snipes. You decide on a garden wrap and head towards your usual table, where you find your friends.

“How is she still number one in the rankings?”, Jackie says.

“I know right. She barely spends time with her patients, literally ten minutes!”, Landry says.

“Does she solve the case?”, you ask.

Landry reluctantly says yes. “Well then, there’s your answer.”, you reply.

“Maybe Chief Emery’s rigging the competition. Or Dr. Ramsey favours her?”, Elijah says.

“Please, he doesn’t even know our names.”, Jackie scoffs.

“He knows Arielle. She even helped him with something. I saw both of them coming out of the new equipment room a few days ago.”, Landry says.

“I was just helping him test the new f.M.R.I machine.”, you reply. Sienna gives you a look. ‘If only they knew...’ You try not to blush.

“We should try to make a better impression on Dr. Ramsey, does he have office hours?”, Elijah asks.

“I don’t know if he has the time. He’s wrapped up on some secret case right now.”, you accidentally blurt out. They give you a look. “He dropped some CT scans and when I gave them back I saw the name as ‘Patient X’.”

“Whoa! Do you think he’s working on some cutting edge treatment?”, Elijah wonders.

“Ooh! It might be the President! Do you think he’ll tell us?”, Sienna rambles.

“Guys! We’re talking about Ethan Ramsey here. You do not want to get on his bad side.”, Landry says. You and your friends speculate on Dr. Ramsey’s case as you eat. Everyone says goodbye and splits, but you notice Jackie heading off without saying anything.

You head towards the ER for the next part of your shift

“Hey Jackie! Wait up!” She reluctantly stops and whirls around.

“What do you want?”, she snaps. You’re taken aback.

“Did I do something wrong?”, you ask.

“No. I’m mad at myself. I came here to be the best and right now I’m not. I can’t let whatever emotional thing you want to do distract me.”, she says. It hits you like a slap in the face.

“So you’re saying that our friendship is a distraction?”

“Yeah.”, she heads off.

After a short shift in the ER, you’re filling out charts at the nurses’ station.

“Hey there, had a rough day?” You look to see Bryce leaning against the station.

“You don’t know the half of it. What about you?”

“See this hand? It just touched a beating human heart.”

You smirk. You’re about to reply when you see Dr. Ramsey furtively looking over his shoulder and turning a corner. “I bet he’s going to see Patient X.”, you discreetly point towards Dr. Ramsey. His brows furrow in confusion. You fill him in on what you’ve learned so far. You’re about to follow him when you notice Ines and Zaid heading your way. “Shit! They’ll definitely stop me to ask about my patients. By the time they’re done, he’ll be long gone.

“I didn’t know you were so badass Elle. Following your boss?” You ignore him.

“Can you do me a favour”, you ask.

“Let me guess. It requires me distracting two doctors by the name of Ines and Zaid.”, he replies.

You give him your signature puppy dog eyes and pout, “Please?”

“Fine. You’re lucky you’re so adorable.” Giggling, you thank him and round the corner to the hospital’s new wing when you collide straight with Dr. Ramsey.

Ethan’s PoV:-

You can see Arielle following you as you head down the hallway. You decide to stop right at the end of a corner and wait. A few seconds later, a light force collides with your chest. She squeals. You look down to see her raking her perfectly manicured fingers through her long violet hair. “Why are you following me?”

“I wanted to ask how you’re doing.” You’re surprised.

“And what made you want to ask?”, you question.

“Working as an intern at this hospital has a lot of pressure and stress. I can’t imagine what level your’s would be.” Her baby pink lips melt into a smile. “Just because you’re a world class attending doesn’t mean that you’re immune to stress or people aren’t allowed to ask you if you’re okay.”, she replies. You feel the corners of your lips tug.

“I’ll be fine once I get a coffee. The coffee machine in my office is broken and you know I don’t drink the dishwater from the cafeteria. There’s a small cafe a few blocks away that I don’t hate.”, you reply.

She smirks, “Wow! An actual compliment from Ethan Ramsey. They should have you as an endorsement.” You give her an incredulous look. “You should swing by...”

“Are you saying I can come with you?”, she asks.

“No, but I won’t mind if you decide to follow me there too, though.” What the hell are you thinking, Ramsey! Are you flirting with an intern?!

“I could use some coffee.” You both walk towards Derry Roasters.

“The breeze is beautiful this time of season.”, she says flipping out her hair and letting it flow freely in the gentle breeze. “Have you ever been apple or pear picking this time of season?”

“Once or twice, I think.”

“Really? If I was your height, I would be picking things every chance I get. It’s quite annoying having to jump every single time to pick a pear.”, she says with a ridiculous tone. You laugh, something you haven’t done for many days.

“My family has a fruit orchard. Apples and pears are best picked this time around. My brothers usually pick all the fruit while I run around with my niece. I still try to pick a few though, it does get quite annoying though. That’s why I opt for strawberries, they’re much easier to pick. You can’t help but imagine Arielle and her adorable niece running around in the fall leaves, the warm sunlight shining on her face, making her striking violet eyes a touch of pink.

“Here we are.” You lead her inside and head towards the counter. “I’ll have the Vienna, she’ll have the... Fall Frappé.” She pulls out her wallet to pay but you gently lay a hand on her wrist, “I’m the one who invited you.” Pulling out your wallet, you pay the barista and sit down at a table.

“So... do you come here often?”

“I do. Sometimes I need a moment where nobody needs anything from me. Nobody recognises me nor gives a care.”, you reply nonchalantly.

“I know what you mean.” You’re about to contradict her when you notice the genuinely sorrowful look in her eyes. You change the subject.

“A good roast and a medical journal does wonders, but I didn’t bring one so I suppose you’ll have to entertain me.” Her eyes light up. A server arrives with your coffees. Her eyes widen with joy as she sees the obscene amount of chocolate syrup and marshmallows, with a vanilla flower and roll of cinnamon. “This is sooo pretty!”, she squeals ridiculously as she takes a picture. You won’t tell her you’ve seen her countless times order something with chocolate, the vanilla and cinnamon she would like because that was the scent of her body wash. She takes a sip, sighing with pleasure, “Delicious chocolatey goodness.”

“That’s not a word.”

“I don’t care.”, she says.

Suddenly her eyes widen. “How did you know that I liked chocolate?...”, she asks surprised.

“I observe, Rookie.”

“So you study me. Am I that interesting?”, she asks, smiling.

You scoff, “I observe everyone. As should you. In fact, that’s why I enjoy coming here. The clientele are quite intriguing.”

“Nah, I like to curl up on the couch, covered in a fuzzy blanket with a good romance novel and a nice mug of hot chocolate.” You wouldn’t expect anything else.

“The art of observation is important for a diagnostian.”

“Okay then, what else do you observe?”

“You see that woman there, with the cup of gelato?” She nods. “She’s waiting for someone.”

“How do you know?”, she asks.

“Look at her. She keeps on checking her phone and is taking very minute bites of her gelato.” Just then, a young man enters and walks up to the woman, kissing them on the cheek and sitting down.

“Very well, let me try.” She looks around and spots a young woman entering the cafe, hair in a breezy mess. Arielle’s lips form into a devilish smirk.

“There! That woman just got laid.” You blink in astonishment.

“She had sex. Look at her hair.”

“I’ve seen your hair looking like that at the end of your shift.”, you counter.

She giggles. You find it ridiculously cute. “Well I certainly wouldn’t wear a dress that scandalous to work,” She points to the tight sparkly minidress peeking underneath from her trench coat.

“Okay, you win that one.”

“Now... what else have you ‘observed’ about me?” You think about what to say.

“You’ve worked very hard to get where you are now. You’re somebody who is selfless and caring and always make sure your friends are always happy. If people you love or respect say anything about you, you take it to heart. Others, you don’t give a damn. You would go to any extent to help the people you love.You have an unconfronted past, but you’re looking to change that.” Her mouth falls open into a perfect circle. “Am I right?”

“You are.”, she replies.

“Now do me.” She coughs.

“You’re someone has faced many obstacles to get to where you are in life. The people you truly respect can be counted on one hand. You don’t give a damn about what other people think or say about you, nor let it affect you. You don’t bring your walls down for anybody. Right now, you’re lost.” How did she manage to...

“Lost? Whatever could you mean by that?”, you ask.

“You’re trapped in some kind of problem, not knowing what to do or where to go.”, she says.

You fake scoff, “You’re half right. In diagnostics, that means nothing.” Your gut churns as you flat-out lie to her. Your pager beeps.

“I have to go.”

“I think I’ll stay here for a few minutes. Thank you for the coffee, Dr. Ramsey.”, she gently smiles.

“You’re most welcome, Dr. Valentine.”

Arielle’s PoV:-

You decide to post the picture of the mouthwatering coffee. Sipping the rest of your now new favourite coffee, you caption it ‘Delicious Chocolatey Goodness!”, ignoring what Dr. Ramsey said about it not being a real word.

You reply to a few of the comments and head back to the hospital when your pager beeps. Heading towards the nurses’ station, you see Danny.

“Hey Danny, are the tests I ordered for Remy back?”

“Yeah. Here you go.” He hands me the file, going through it as you head to Remy’s room, you collide headfirst with a rock hard chest. You look up to see Rafael.

“I’m so sorry, Raf.”

“It’s okay, Arielle. What you got there?”

“I saw some markers for a genetic disorder, so I ordered a test. But it looks good so fa”- The words die on your lips, your face falling downcast as you read the last page.

He notices your face. “What’s wrong?”

“The test I ordered came clear, but there are some other markers that clearly point to another disease, he won’t be able to walk by the time he’s fifty. Surfing’s his whole life.” You look to him for help.

“I can’t make the decision for you Arielle. But sometimes telling the truth does more damage. Just keep in mind that no decision is wrong or right. It’s different in everyone’s eyes. I’ll wait for you here.”, he gestures to the door.

Taking a deep breath, you enter the room to find Remy strumming on his guitar. “What up doc, am I cleared to go?” You steel yourself.

“Remy, the tests came back. I’m afraid you have genetic markers for distal muscular distrophy.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that you won’t be able to use your hands or legs at the age of fifty. The disease is quite a late onset, it starts by atrophying the muscles of the hands and legs. It only starts at the age of around 40. I’m so sorry, Remy.”

His face morphs into fury. “I didn’t even want you to do the stupid genetic test! Is this what you wanted, to ruin my life?!” He throws the guitar at you, you dodge just in time and exit. You look back and see him sobbing on the bed. Rafael comes over and engulfs you in a bear hug.

“Hey, it’s ok.” You nod and bury yourself into his chest for a few minutes. “Hey, what if I take you out for dinner?” You look at him.

“Hey, not as a date! Think of it as a friend trying to cheer you up with the best comfort food in town.” You laugh.

“Okay. I have to change though. We’ll drive back to my apartment, where I’ll drop my car and change, and then you can attempt to cheer me up.”

You drive back with him to your empty apartment. “So... where is everyone?”

“Jackie and Landry have night shifts, and Elijah and Sienna want to keep an eye on their post-op patient overnight. So it’s just me.”

“Come on, I’ll show you around.” You give him a little tour of the place, giving him a glass of lemonade to drink.

“ I bet this is your room.” He points to the master bedroom, decorated with a trio of blush, pearl and gold hues all over the room.

“It is.”, you laugh. He looks at all the pictures on the walls.

“Anyone who’s met you can guess this is your room. It’s filled with positive and meaningful quotes all over the walls.” You giggle.

“Now get dressed quickly, I’ll wait.”, he exits the room. You close the door and decide on a pair of comfy leggings with a flowy cold shoulder baby blue top. You grab a small crossbody purse and a nice jacket. Deciding to skip makeup, you quickly twist both sides of your hair and clip it back, giving an illusion of a half up, and head out.

“See...you look pretty. Now, let’s go. I’m hungry.” You walk with Raf, him guiding you on a busy street.

“So...where are we going?”

“You’ll see.” He leads you down the street and suddenly turns your body to the right.

You see a beautiful little street lit up with lantern and fairy lights, outdoor tables set up for little shops and food carts along the way. “Wow! I wasn’t expecting a street market. It’s beautiful Raf.”

“Now, what are you craving?” You inhale the smell wafting in the air and deduce spices, particularly the ones Naveen would use when he made your favourite dinner.

“Indian.”

“Nice choice, follow me.” He leads you to a food truck and ushers you into a seat while he orders something. A few minutes later, he comes with two bowls filled with steaming jasmine rice and aromatic curry.

“You take a bowl from him and smell the delicious, mouthwatering scent. “Mm! That smells delicious.” Almost like the one Naveen makes, you think.

“Wait here.”, he goes back to the truck and gets drinks and spoons.

“Dig in!”, he says handing you the drink and spoon. You take a small bite and let the flavour dissolve on your tongue. You moan.

“It’s good, isn’t it.” You nod instead of replying, your mouth full of rice. He laughs. “Okay okay! I won’t disturb you. Eat in peace.” You both finish off your dinner in peaceful silence, taking solace of the beautiful view of the fairy lights against the night sky. Washing off your dinner with a special lemonade you say, “That was the best meal I’ve had in a long time. Thank you Raf.”

“Of course, Arielle. You’re my friend, don’t forget that.” He puts a hand around your shoulder and you head back to your apartment, talking about your favourite Indian dishes. You don’t even notice you arrive at your apartment cause you’re so tired. The only reason you were able to walk all this way was Raf helping you.

“We’re here.” You look up and blink.

“Oh, I’m so tired. Goodnight Rafael.” He gives you one last hug saying, “Goodnight, Arielle. Promise me you won’t beat yourself up about the decision you made.”

“I won’t.” You ride the elevator to the top floor and stumble into your apartment, locking the door. You fall asleep the minute you hit the bed. Waking up to the sound of loud intro music, you rub your eyes and head out to the living room. “Oh shit! I completely forgot tonight was movie night.”

“It’s okay Ari. Join us.” You see Elijah, Si, and Landry on the couch with popcorn and a few other snacks. “Where’s Jackie?” Landry points to her closed bedroom door. You knock on her door.

“Jackie? You in there?” You open the door to find medical textbooks scattered all over her bed. She looks up.

“Hey. Tonight’s movie night. Aren’t you coming?”

“No. I have to study.” You think about the various times in college you’ve put off meetings with friends to study.

“Good call.”

“I know. Close the door.” You slowly close the door, as sadness creeps up on you.

General PoV:-

Arielle slumps on the sofa between Elijah and Sienna. “So did anyone find out anything about Patient X?”, Elijah asks.

“No! I asked a bunch of residents and nurses, they thought I was joking.”, Landry says.

“I asked Danny, he didn’t know anything.”, Si says.

“So you asked Danny, huh?” Arielle gives her a knowing look as a slight blush creeps up on her face.

“They’re right. I checked all the patients’ records and there no ‘Patient X’ in the hospital.”, Elijah says.

“Okay, enough! Let’s start movie night!”, Sienna exclaims. All four of them bicker over what movie to watch and end up binge-watching Grey’s Anatomy. Arielle falls asleep again on the 3rd or 4th episode. A couple of hours later... Arielle wakes up to bright sunlight shining on her face. “Hmm....” She rolls of the sofa and onto the plush rug with a thud. After laying there for a few minutes, she gets up stretching her sore limbs and heads towards her room to get ready for the day. If only she knew nothing would have prepared her for what she was about to witness.

Arielle’s PoV:-

The first thing you do is check on Remy. You tentatively head towards to Remy’s room when he sees you and gestures for you to come in. “Hey Remy... how are you doing?”, you wince waiting for the reply.

“First of all doc, I want to apologise.” You look up in confusion.

“You’re a doctor and it isn’t your fault that this happened to me, it’s kinda your job to tell me.”

“I know Remy, but still...”

“I’m so sorry for lashing out at you, hell I acted like an ass.”

“I think I can excuse you for just this once.”, a smile blooms on your face. “But what made you change your mind?”

“If you hadn’t told me, I would have probably wasted a lot of time fooling around and doing idiotic things. Now that I know, I can make sure that I enjoy life and spend my time wisely. A lot of people don’t even know that they’re going to get sick, but I do. I should be grateful.” You smile saying, “That’s a poetic way of looking at life.”

“And... I wanted to thank you but didn’t know how. But luckily I came across something.” He pulls up his phone and shows a picture of you, a few years ago, strumming and singing with a guitar. He then pulls out his guitar and hands it to me. “Your voice is beautiful and way better then mine. This is way more useful for you.”

“Remy... I can’t possibly take this.”

“Well you have to. Think of it as a small price for the 20 years of life you gave me.” You accept the guitar and hand him his signed discharge papers. “Now go live your life.” You head towards the 4th floor for rounds, stopping at the locker room to safekeep the guitar that he gave you with a smile on his face.

Later you’re heading towards your next patient right before lunch when a gut feeling stops you in your tracks. “Wait, I followed Dr. Ramsey here yesterday... and the week before that too.” You remember what Elijah said, “They’re right. I checked all the patients’ records and there no ‘Patient X’ in the hospital.”

Following your gut, you enter the new wing under construction, stepping over the barricades. You go quite far into the corridor and peer into the halls but find nothing. You start to doubt yourself, “I might just be grasping at air here.” You decide to go a little further and notice a glow emitting from one of the newly constructed patient rooms. You peer into one the room to see someone lying in the patient’s bed, but you can’t see clearly who it is. You look beside the bed to see Dr. Ramsey, head in his hands. Taking a few steps closer, you make out the face lying in the bed. Naveen! Your heart stops. “No, no, no, no, no. There’s no way.” You try to deny it, but all of it makes sense. Why else would he quit his job. He can’t be sick, can he?”

“Before you can understand what’s going on, Naveen locks eyes with you. His eyes widen, his face morphing into utter shock. You’re frozen in place. You can see the pain in his eyes, the pain you caused. Your hearts beats way too fast. Your head is spinning. You don’t know what’s going on. It’s hard to breathe, hard to focus. So hard that you don’t even notice Dr. Ramsey looking at you. You don’t hear him shout, “Rookie!”. All you hear is the words you last said to your godfather, the ones that broke your inseparable bond and the ones that broke his heart.

Everything goes black.

[365days365movies]

February 2, 2021: Pretty Woman (1990)

ALL RISE FOR THE KING AND QUEEN OF ROMANCIA!

First, we bow to the Actor King of Romancia, Richard Gere. Gere is a DYNAMO of romantic movies, having starred in The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, American Gigolo, An Officer and a Gentleman, Sommersby, Autumn in New York, Chicago, Shall We Dance?, Runaway Bride, and of course, Pretty Woman. He was crowned king of this fictionation both because of his film prowess, and because DUDE HAS DATED A LOT OF FAMOUS PEOPLE GODDAMN

Second, we bow to the Actress Queen of Romancia, Julia Roberts.

Roberts’ resume is equally romantic, including films such as Notting Hill, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Eat Pray Love, Steel Magnolias, Mystic Pizza, Runaway Bride, and of course, Pretty Woman. She was crowned queen of this fictionation because, I mean...it’s Julia Roberts, man. Who else was gonna be queen, Meg Ryan? She’s too busy ruling the Holy Romance Empire.

Yes. Yes, I will be visiting the Holy Romance Empire soon.

Anyway, one of the advisors to this great land was the now sadly passed Garry Marshall, a seasoned romantic movie director, responsible for The Princess Diaries (and its terrible sequel), Beaches, Runaway Bride (shit, should I watch this one?), and those bad holiday romance movies from the late 2000′s. You know, Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Eve, Mother’s Day? Yeah, that’s the guy.

Marshall was appointed an advisor of Romancia because of his role as director of the film...you know.

Enough navel-gazing; let’s get into Pretty Woman, shall we? I, for one, am looking forward to venturing further into the land of Romancia! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap

We start at a party where...George Costanza?

Huh! Phil Stuckey (Jason Alexander), a lawyer and kind of an asshole, is romancing women at a party, held on the behalf of Edward Lewis (Richard Gere), a businessman from New York. However, he’s currently in California away from his unhappy girlfriend back east, who’s feeling a tad neglected by the constantly busy Edward.

Meanwhile, on a less-than-great side of town lives Vivian Ward (Julia Roberts), a prostitute working the mean streets of Hollywood. Making her way to the red-light district, she enters the Blue Banana Club (which is...a name, that’s for sure), where she finds her roommate Kit De Luca (Laura San Giacomo). Laura’s unfortunately spent their rent on drugs, during the height of the cocaine epidemic in Hollywood.

The two meet each other on the street, where Edward’s lost, and struggling with Phil’s stick-shift Lotus Espirit. She offers to give him directions for money, and he reluctantly accepts. She gets in, and guides him back to his hotel. As he struggles to drive, she displays her knowledge of cars from back home. He then offers to drive the car for him, and also shows her prowess as a driver. Which...is pretty neat.

He asks how much she makes in her profession, as the two roll up to his hotel. As they begin to part ways, he asks her instead to accompany him into the hotel. She’s about as charmed and gawky as I would be going into a sick-ass hotel like that. The elevator in it has a FUCKING SOFA INSIDE, YES PLEASE

Edward’s a little embarrassed by her gawking, but they quickly get past it. Edward’s graveyard-still complacency is contrasted by her manic pixie energy. Not that she’s a manic pixie dream girl...I think. It’s more of a “rock-and-balloon” relationship deal. When Vivian busts out the condoms (she’s a “safety-girl”), Edward instead says he wants to “talk.”

During this talk, it’s revealed that his girlfriend has officially broken up with him, leaving him conspicuously single. He asks if she can stay the entire night, and she agrees for a price, to which he gladly agrees. They spend the night getting to know each other, although Edward is doing business during much of it. And she’s watching TV, and it gives off these kinda weird daddy-daughter vibes (not kink-shaming, mind you), and it’s...mildly uncomfortable.

This quickly progresses into her beginning to seduce him, and the two presumably have sex. We cut away just before anything happens, though. Afterwards, Edward takes a shower, as Vivian falls asleep, taking her wig off for the first time.

The next morning, Edward talks to Phil about an upcoming business purchase, when Vivian walks into the room. He’s ordered breakfast for them. ALL OF THE BREAKFAST. Seriously, everything on the menu. Motherfucker, do you KNOW HOW EXPENSIVE ROOM SERVICE IS? WE GET IT YOU’RE RICH

He reveals just how rich he is, noting that he buys companies on the brink of failure, and then sells pieces of the companies he buys. Vivian equates this to a chop-shop, which seems extremely accurate. On another call, Phil tells him that it would be better if he had a date. And it looks like...he already has one.

Yeah, Phil “hires” Vivian to be his girlfriend for a week. For $3000, she accepts, and I feel just a little icky. And yet...I dunno, we’ll see. He’s doing this purely to avoid romantic attachment, which is a little weird, but understandable? Maybe?

At this point, we get one of the most iconic scenes in the film, as the uptight women at a Rodeo Drive store tell her to leave, like assholes. They’ll get their comeuppance, though. OHHHHHH, THEY’LL get it. This compounds when the hotel manager, Barnard “Barney” Thompson (Héctor Elizondo), questions her presence there. And while it seems that he’s going to kick her out, he actually helps her out with an outfit.

Meanwhile, Edward’s business deal begins to go somewhat south, until Edward takes advantage of GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION. Anyway, Vivian goes to a local department store, where Barney’s friend Bridget (Elinor Donahue) helps her out with a cocktail dress. When she heads back, Barney acts like a bro once again and teaches her proper etiquette, Emily Post style.

Edward heads back to the hotel, where Vivian is waiting for him. And she looks cuuuuuuuuuuute. Edward thinks so, too, and they head to the corporate dinner. There waitselderly businessman James Morse (Ralph Bellamy), and his grandson David (Alex Hyde-White). We get a taste of just how vicious of a businessman Edward is, and Vivian makes a much better impression on the Morses than Edward does. Also, Eddie’s kind of a sociopath, huh? Or, at least, he has some sociopathic tendencies. I dunno his pure emotionlessness is rubbing me a weird way.

After the dinner goes VIOLENTLY south, the two begin to relate to each other a bit more. He notes that he prefers not to bring emotion into business, although he apparently does like Mr. Morse. He also notes that his father died a month ago, but it doesn’t appear to affect him much. Still he heads downstairs to get some air. Later, Vivian gets the bellhop, Dennis (Patrick Richwood) to help her find him, and she does. He’s playing piano like a GODDAMN MANIAC HOLY SHIT! Just like, “Don’t mind me, I’m just playing an operetta to PUT THE KNIFE FEELINGS TO SLEEP IAMTHEZODIACKILLER.” This manic performance is followed by the two just...fuckin’ on the piano. They just FUCK IN THE LOUNGE RIGHT ON THAT PIANO JESUS CHRIST GUYS

The next morning, post-musex, they go to get outfits together, in which Gere buys a massive set of outfits, and we get the first makeover montage this month! He also flashes even more sociopathic flair with a clothing store owner, goddamn. And that’s...when we get the song.

I mean, we had to get this song in here at some point, right? She also engages in the most iconically HUGE moment of the film. You know what I’m talking about, and it’s beautifully cathartic, my Lord.

Meanwhile, at work, Edward’s starting to...lose it, I guess? As Phil’s encouraging him to close in on Morse for the kill, Edward’s beginning to grow a heart. And may I note that he’s been in this relationship for TWO DAYS. Jesus, buddy, you’ve really never had a meaningful relationship, huh? They eventually go to a polo match for business reasons, here Phil finally meets Vivian. Vivian also notices that none of the high-society people here seem like, well...friends.

Turns out that David Morse is one of the polo players, and Vivian starts to speak with him. Phil, meanwhile, notices this, and suspects her of being a corporate spy. And Edward, like an ABSOLUTE ASSHOLE, tells her that Vivian’s a prostitute. Phil LITERALLY IMMEDIATELY GOES AFTER HER, and solicits her like a fucking CREEP.

This obviously very much upsets her, and she chews Edward out back at the hotel. And the argument that follows IMMEDIATELY puts me on Vivian’s side, because Edward’s being a sociopathic douchenozzle. Goddamn. She rightfully wants to leave, and he just lets her. And here’s the real kicker; she doesn’t take the money.

And that’s when Edward sincerely apologizes to her, as best as he can. And yeah, he’s a little sociopathic, but I can see that the dude is trying? The two make up, and once again open up to each other. Edward starts to realize, in turn, that he legitimately has feelings for her. And we head into the third act of the film.

The next day, Edward leaves work early to go on a date with Vivian, and Phil asks if the date is with “the hooker.” And Edwards flashes him a look that’s just...knifey. I’m still not convinced he isn’t the Zodiac Killer. He takes her to an opera in San Francisco, before which we get this scene.

Adorable. God, I love Vivian. Also Dennis and Barney are the best, and they’re super fucking invested, and I am HERE for it. Their date to the opera is...sublime. Understand, my girlfriend and I watched this entire film together, and we’re both in love with Vivian and the opera after it. Imma take her to the opera on a date one of these days, I swear it.

That night, they play chess together, and Edward actually takes the following day off. He also actually sleeps in a bed for once, instead of going to work. And this is when my girlfriend the following phrase:

Is he sculpting her, or is she sculpting him?

OK, that fantastic question is one of the reasons we’re together, but also a very interesting point. Lemme explain here. This is very much a Pygmalion story in a few ways. While not a straight adaptation by any means, this film is definitely taking a few ideas from the Pygmalion trope. See, if you don’t know, Pygmalion’s a Greek myth about a sculptor who falls in love with his statue. It’s been adapted multiple times throughout the history of the arts, but the most prominent version of this was the stage musical My Fair Lady, famously adapted into a film starring Audrey Hepburn in 1964.

And again, a lot of adaptations of that, too. While Pretty Woman isn’t explicitly an adaptation of either work, the themes are still present in the work. So, yeah, it’s a good point. In this version, she’s changing him as much as he’s changing her. The sculpture is sculpting the sculptor. Which is cool.

And then, as we had that cute little revelation, Vivian tells Edward that she loves him. And OH FUCK. It’s the last day. And when he says he doesn’t want this to be the last of them together, she takes it as romantic. But when he essentially proposes making her a beck-and-call girl, putting her up in an apartment and hooking her up with dresses...she’s understandably not interested. She says that, as a little girl, she dreamed of a white knight that would sweep her off her feet and take her away. But Edward isn’t that knight.

Have I mentioned how much I love Vivian? Because Vivian’s fuckin’ fantastic, Jesus Christ.

Edward decides to leave, and says that he’s done all he can at this point. He leaves, and she’s shattered. Kit, meanwhile, comes to visit her at the hotel, and she admits that she’s fallen in love with him. While Kit’s initially worried about it, she says that they could maybe settle down and buy some diamonds and a horse. I also love Kit.

Meanwhile, at the meeting with Mr. Morse, Edward turns the tables on Phil and his yes-men, and asks to speak with Mr. Morse alone. Phil’s gobsmacked by this, but agrees. Once they’re alone, Edward admits that he no longer wishes to buy his company and destroy it. Instead, he wants to help him rebuild his company. And Morse agrees, telling Edward that he’s proud of him.

Phil, EXTREMELY irritated by this, and decided to make his way to talk to Edward at the hotel. And that’s when he finds Vivian. FUUUUUUUUCK. As expected, Phil tries to r*pe her, and that’s when Edward shows up, and BEATS THE FUCK OUT OF HIM.

Edward tells Phil off, calling him an EVEN BIGGER sociopath than he is, and kicks him out. Friendship ended with Phil. Now Vivian is his best friend. But despite this, Vivian still realizes that their relationship, at least the one she wants, seems impossible. Conceding, and on his way back to New York now, Edward pays her, and tells her to call him if she ever needs anything. 

But he asks her to stay one more night with him, not because of money...BUT BECAUSE OF LOVE. And she replies that she can’t...and they part ways. Vivian goes to say goodbye to Barney, who still rules. He calls a cab for her, and says that she can visit them anytime. My girlfriend says that she would leave me for Barney, and I agree. I agree so much, because she deserves the best, and the best is Barney, and I could never BE Barney. 

I could never be Barney.

It’s over now, as the song in the background says, and Edward laments his lost relationship as the thunder rolls in. Vivian decides to finally go to San Francisco, and finish high school, inspired by Edward’s love and faith for her. She passes that faith onto Kit as she says goodbye. Fuuuuuuck, man, this goodbye hurts as well.

Edward goes to the lobby, and talks to Barney one last time. AND BARNEY TELLS EDWARD WHERE VIVIAN WENT, LIKE A GODDAMN CHAMPION. WHY CAN’T I BE AS PERFECT AS BARNEY????

He makes his way to her apartment, and buys flowers from a woman with a Cockney accent, WHICH IS A MY FAIR LADY REFERNCE! HOLY SHIT! He arrives in a white limo at her place, overcomes his fear of heights and climbs a fire escape in a metaphorical tower to rescue his princess. 

THAT’S HOLLYWOOD, BABY! And it’s Pretty Woman as well. That was a very heartwarming film, and I’m very glad that I watched it! Is it perfect? Ehhhhhhhh, see you at the Review.

[picturetoburnnn]

Sweater Weather | C.H. x Reader

word count - 2.4k+

warnings - insecurity i guess?? idk

propmt - I was hoping you could do one where you’re cared to wear values clothes? Like you see Sierra and crystal wearing Michael and Luke’s clothes but you’re nervous that claim won’t want you to? (theres more but for the sake of length i’ll tag the request here !!

a.n. - long time coming!! life majorly got in the way, i did my best to get this done as fast as i could while still keeping the quality. accidentally got carried away. hope yall love it 

ps we are pretending calum still has his curls in this fic because that was my favorite

tags - @songforhema @asht0ns-world @lukesflaredpants @sunflowerxcal @star-gazing-calum @cxddlyash @emomack @merryblueberry02 @kinglyhood @caswinchester2000 @babe-babylon @irwinkitten @1delicate-fangirl dm me to be added!!! 

“You always look so cute in my clothes,” Luke whispers with a smile as he presses a kiss to Sierra’s temple. Sierra smiled giddily, bringing her sweater paw hands up to her face. The couple looked adorable cuddled up on the couch, sunlight stumbling over their figures with a throw blanket haphazardly thrown over their laps.

I frowned, looking down to my feet. 

Cal’s clothes probably wouldn’t even fit me.

“Hey,” Calum slung his arm over my shoulder. “You okay?” He asked, big brown eyes full of concern.

“Yeah.” I plastered on a fake smile, meeting his gaze. “I’m good.”

“You sure?”

“I’m fine, Cali,” I chuckled. 

He didn’t look convinced, but relented. His arm fell from my shoulder to my waist as he tangled his feet with mine on the loveseat.

The open windows blew autumn air into the living room in Ashton’s house, a gentle chill filling the air. Luke, Sierra, Michael, and Crystal were all lounging on the sofa, leaving Ashton with the recliner chair (“Fine by me, thank you very much,” he huffed).

The end credits rolled, leading just about everyone to a stretch break. As Crystal stood, I couldn’t help but notice how she wore Michael’s sweatpants.

He’s never even offered to let me try on one of his shirts. He probably doesn’t want me to. 

 Calum stood, stretching his arms behind his head, shirt riding up to show a tiny bit of his adorable tummy. He leaned down with a groan, placing his hands on the couch’s backrest on either side of my head, boxing me in. “I’m gonna step outside for a smoke break, okay baby?” 

“Okay,” I whispered, smiling at him.

He gave me a quick kiss before standing up, motioning for Ashton to come outside with him.

“Do you know if we have any more blankets?” I asked the two couples. “It’s kinda chilly in here.”

Luke answered, “I think the rest of Ash’s blankets are in the wash, but I’ve got one of Cal’s old hoodies in my car. I’ll go grab it for ya.” 

“Oh no, really, it’s not a big--”

“Nah, I’ll go grab it.”

Before I could say another word, he’s out the door. Idle chatter filled the room until the singer’s return. He dropped the green Empathy hoodie in my lap, mumbling a quiet “Here you go.”

“Thanks,” I grinned up at him, trying to hide my worry. How would Calum react to me wearing his clothes? Would he be mad? I put my arms through the sleeves and pulled it over my head. Guess I’m about to find out.

A few minutes pass before Calum and Ashton come back inside. I sat on the loveseat, scrolling through my phone when I heard the back sliding door open. I looked up, and my heart fell.

Calum was staring at me, shocked. I knew he didn’t want me wearing his stuff. I tore the green hoodie off my body faster than I’ve ever taken anything off before, muttering a small ‘sorry’ as I dropped the ball of fabric on the sofa. I stood up quickly, rushed past Calum into the hallway, made a sharp left to the bathroom, and locked the door behind me. The ground swayed beneath me as I slumped down, my back against the door as I balled my fist against my mouth, trying to silence the impending cries.

I wasn’t about to cry in front of my boyfriend and his friends. 

Of course I wasn’t supposed to wear his stupid shirts. They’re HIS, not mine. What made me think otherwise?

“Y/N, baby, what’s wrong?” His lovely voice drifted through the door. 

“Go away, Cal. I’m sorry,” I whimpered, tears choking me.

“Sweetheart, open the door.”

I shook my head, even though he couldn’t see. 

“Y/N.” Calum’s voice sounded more desperate than anything I’d ever heard.

Perhaps it was that exact desperation that led me to silently twist around and unclick the lock. Within an instant, Calum was standing in the doorway, looking down on my crumpled form. He knelt down, moving to put his arms around me. 

Silently, I pushed his arms away. The gesture was sweet, but suffocating. 

“Can you please take me home?”

“Tell me what’s wrong, baby,” he pleaded.

“I wanna go home,” I whispered, hands shaking as I wiped my tears.

A deep sigh. “Okay,” he relents. “We can go back home.”

He walked me silently to the car, waving off the concerned questions from our friends. The drive was a silent one, leaving me to break the quiet. The clock on the dash read 4:46.

“Can you please take me to my place?”

Calum all but slammed on the brakes. “W-what? Baby, all your stuff is at my house.”

“I just… I really think I need to be there tonight,” I sniffled.

Calum nodded, but I could see it hurt him to do so. 

Great. Not only did I wear his things, I also hurt his feelings. God, what a mess I am.

He pulled into the parking lot of my apartment complex. “Are you sure, Y/N? Do you want me to stay with you?”

“No.” I shook my head, sniffling again as I opened the door. “I’ll be fine.” It didn’t feel as if I were moving as I climbed out of the car.

“Hey,” he called before I shut the door. “I love you.”

I nodded, then swung the door shut.

~~~

Calum called Ashton on the drive back home. 

“So what happened?” His best friend asked.

“She isn’t telling me!” Calum exclaimed, one hand on the steering wheel, the other rubbing his forehead.

“But she asked me to drive her back to her place. The only times she stays there is if I’m out of town and you’re taking care of Duke. She always stays with me.”

“And you didn’t do anything that you can think of?” Ashton’s voice held no malice, but Calum felt the underlying implication.

“She won’t tell me. I don’t want to press her, I’m sure she’ll tell me when she’s ready, but I’m worried about her. I was so happy to finally see her wearing my stuff, but she whipped it off and ran to the bathroom. She seemed on the verge of a panic attack when she finally opened the door for me. I love her, man, and it hurts she won’t tell me what’s wrong. ”

“I don’t know, Cal. I’ll see what I can get her to tell me.”

Calum’s heart ached. Why couldn’t she just talk to him? He loved her, just wanted her to be okay, but she shut him out? What was wrong? What had happened? What thought wormed its way into that pretty little head of hers and made her shut down completely?

~~~

It was almost eleven p.m. when my phone rang, lighting up my nightstand in the black. I picked it up, not even checking the caller ID, desperate for some distraction from this empty feeling inside. 

“Hello?”

“Y/N,” Ashton sighed in relief. “What’s going on? Are you okay?”

I swallowed. “I’m fine.”

“No you’re not, girl, and it’s okay. Tell me what happened.”

And the floodgates opened. I poured my heart out, everything that went through my mind came rushing past my lips before I could think twice. 

“I was just cold,” I choked out. “I wanted a blanket, but Luke said all he had was one of Calum’s sweatshirts so I put that on. Crystal and Sierra are always wearing Mike and Luke’s clothes but Calum’s never once even mentioned it to me so I figured he didn’t want me to. I was afraid to put on the stupid hoodie in the first place, but I did anyways cause I fugured ‘what’s the harm,’ right? He comes back in with you and he’s looking at me as if his entire world just came crashing down around him. I knew I shouldn’t have worn that freaking green sweatshirt. It’s his, not mine. I didn’t need to be wearing it - I shouldn’t have been wearing it. But I did, and he looked so upset that I panicked and almost accidentally threw myself into an attack. He’s right to not want me wearing his stuff. I’d probably just stretch it out and make it unwearable for him.”

Ashton was silent for a moment. “You really think that?”

“Yeah,” I coughed out between cries. 

“Y/N…” Ashton breathed. He went on in the calmest voice he could muster. “He was… overjoyed to see you in his clothes.”

I could have sworn I stopped breathing. 

"Honestly, he’s never been more in love than he is with you. And I know for a fact that all he’s ever wanted is for his love to tell him they’re his in the subtlest ways. That includes wearing his shirts. It’s something he’s wanted since the beginning of your relationship, when he realized he loved you.”

A beat of quiet. No sounds could be heard but the ticking of the clock on the wall. 

“You still there?”

“I’m so stupid,” I breathed. 

“No, you’re not. Just a little oblivious. He’s worried sick about you, though. He told me you’re at your place instead of his?”

“Yeah.”

“If it’s because you think you cause him difficulties or struggles or are the source of his problems, I can guarantee you that is not the case. I‘ve never seen him happier than he is when he’s with you. You brought him joy when he was in his darkest spots. He loves you, Y/N. And I know you love him too.”

I stayed quiet, thinking about what he just said.

“Y/N?”

“I gotta go.” I hung up the phone right then.

~~~

Hours of contemplation later, I finally came to a conclusion. Grabbing my phone, I ordered an Uber, sliding on my shoes and scrambling for my keys. 

I waited for just a few minutes before I got the notification that the car had arrived. The driver was kind enough to understand that I wasn’t in the mood to talk, and offered the aux cord to me. I kindly refused, thanking them for the offer.

“Let me know if you need anything,” they said softly as they began the drive to Calum’s.

I bounced my leg up and down in anticipation. Was he mad at me? Would he understand? Is he upset that I didn’t understand? 

I spent the majority of the drive trapped in my thoughts. I didn’t process the vehicle pulling up to the curb until the driver gently said, “Miss?”

That snapped me out of my reverie, snapping my head to the window. “Oh, thank you so much. Sorry about that.”

I put a ten dollar bill on the center console. “For you,” I smiled quickly, and was out of the car before they could argue. 

I braced myself against the cold, crossing my arms and rubbing my biceps. In the rush to get here, I forgot a sweater (yet again). As I stepped onto the porch, I knocked before I could think about what I was doing. As seconds passed, I started second guessing myself. This was stupid. He probably isn’t even awake. 

Before I could turn around, the door flung open. “Y/N?”

His hair was a tousled mess, as if he had constantly been running his fingers through it - something I always knew he did when he felt stressed. His eyes were shadowed by dark circles that hadn’t been so prominent earlier in the day. 

I flung myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck and burying my face in his shoulder. After just a moment’s hesitation, he reciprocated. 

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled into his sleeve. “I should have come home, I’m sorry.”

His hand ran over my hair as he gently shushed me.

I pulled away, snifiling. 

“You catching a cold, angel?” His hands held my face as he looked me over.  “Let’s get you inside, sweetheart.” I nodded, crossing the threshold with him hot on my heels. 

The door shut. “Wh-”

“I thought you were mad at me,” I blurted, spinning to face him. “For wearing your sweatshirt. “That’s why I acted like that. I thought you didn’t want me in your stuff, that you were upset at me for it. I threw it off and ran because you thought I’d stretch it out and make it unwearable again. I was cold and that’s all Luke said he had so I just took it, y’know? Ashton called me and told me I was wrong, though. I wanted to say sorry for jumping to conclusions.”

Calum stared at me for a minute before letting out a breathy chuckle that eventually turned into a full belly laugh. 

“Okay,” I say only half-jokingly. “I poured my emotions out there and you’re laughing.”

“Baby,” he wheezes. “Why would you ever think I’d be mad for something as small as that?”

“I don’t know,” I say quietly in my stubborn voice, pouting. “That’s just how my brain works.”

Calum puts his hands on my arms, smiling at me. “Y/N. I love you. Very, very much. I would be eternally happy to let you wear my sweatshirts any time you want. I don’t think you can possibly stretch them out more than I already have. And if you do, then so what? It’s just a hoodie. You, my love, are much more important to me than that.”

I blushed, hands covering my face as he wrapped his arms around my waist. “I cannot believe you,” he giggles, resting his chin atop my head.

“Hey!” I cried, but was muffled by his chest. “You’re the one who laughed as soon as I told you!”

He sighed dramatically, pulling away but keeping his arms tight around my waist. He looked me in the eyes. “I guess that was a little rude. I’m sorry angel. Can I make it up to you with some snuggles?” He gave me his best puppy-dog look, big eyes and all.

“Yeah,” I smiled, leaning up on my tip-toes to bring my face closer to his. 

“Yeah? Pretty girl gonna forgive me for laughing?” He ghosts his lips over mine. 

“Only if you give her a kiss.”

“I can do that.”

He presses his lips against mine, and everything feels like it’ll be alright. 

~~

Twenty minutes later, there’s a John Mulaney show playing on the television, a bowl of popcorn between us as Calum’s feet tangle with mine. My head rests on his shoulder, his hand on my thigh. 

And I’m wearing his hoodie. 

[abundanceofsoph]

SkyFire 2: Chapter 15

The Bachelor(ette) Weekend in the Cotswolds: Nov 2016

Word count: 3.2k

SkyFire 2 MASTERLIST

This wasn’t meant to be such a big chapter, but I was just having so much fun with all of them together having fun so here you go, enjoy 3k+ Also I feel like I neglect Aurora’s friendship with Liam too much and while she’s definitely closest to Louis with Niall being a close second, I think she’s still really great friends with Liam as well so it’s time to give them a little time together in this chapter.

>Instagram posts

Aurora connected her own phone to the Bluetooth and queued up their go to road trip playlist. Her fingers started to warm up and she finally slipped out her jacket as Harry merged onto the North Circular, heading west and leaving London behind them. They’d flown out of Nashville a few days after the CMAs and spent the last 4 days lounging around Harry’s north London house. Louis had text a few hours earlier to let them know that he, Niall and Lottie had picked up the keys for the cottage they were renting and were heading back into town to pick up some groceries to get them through the long weekend. Liam, Gemma and Ella were already on their way and would probably arrive an hour ahead of Harry and Aurora given that Harry’s phone estimated that they should arrive in Cirencester just before dinner time.  

It was getting dark by the time they turned off the small country lane into the driveway that led to a cute two story, thatched roof cottage on the banks of Somerset lagoon. Light spilled from every window and Harry pulled the car up next to the 2 other vehicles parked around the side of the house. Aurora had barely made it halfway to the front door before it was thrown wide open and Louis came rushing out into the yard. He wrapped his arms around her, and she squeezed him tightly in return.  

“Oh yeah, no that’s fine,” Harry huffed jokingly as he walked to the back of the car. “I’ll get the bags; you guys just continuing making out.”

“If you insist,” Rori laughed at him. “Missed you Lou.”

“Missed you too love,” he replied, stepping back from the hug with a broad smile still on his face. “Head inside where it’s warm and I’ll give Harold a hand before he gets in a strop.”

As Rori headed inside the cottage to where Ella, Gemma, Lottie, Liam and Niall were all gathered around the wood fire in the sitting room, Louis walked over to where Harry was pulling bags out of the car. “Good to see you lad,” he said, quickly hugging Harry before picking up one of the bags and leading the way inside.

“Good to see you too, mate,” Harry replied.

Louis led him upstairs to where the master bedroom had been left for him and Rori and after dumping their bags, the pair wandered back downstairs to join the rest of the group.

They were all scattered around on the sofas and on cushions on the floor, drinks in hand as they chatted. Harry collapsed onto the ground in front of Aurora, her fingers immediately going to his hair.

They stayed there, chatting in front of the fire and at some point, Gemma went into the kitchen to throw a few frozen pizzas in the oven and get everyone another round of drinks.

“Can I just thank all of you?” Aurora said after the pizza was finished and the fire was burning low. “Lou and Gem this was such a great idea. A chill long weekend in the country was exactly what I think we all needed. I know I needed it.”

“Don’t mention it,” Gemma shrugged. “It’s just great to all be able to get together.”

“Besides,” Niall added, “we had to do something celebrate the first of the group getting married. We must be getting old now with Lou being a dad and Liam having one on the way.”

“Look at us, being all grown up,” Liam joked. “It’s kind of terrifying.”

“Speak for yourselves,” Lottie said. “Just because you lot are middle aged.”

“Middle aged?” Louis gasped. “You better watch yourself little one.”

Harry rolled his head back against Aurora’s knees, looking up at her through his curls, a wide smile pulling at his dimples. Everyone was laughing around them and Lottie threw a cushion at Louis’ head, but neither Harry nor Rori noticed as she lent forward to kiss him, chuckling at the awkward angle.

“Looks like it’s time to call it a night,” Ella announced. “The bride and groom are starting to get disgusting.”

“Heyyyy,” Harry drawled out, still looking at his wife to be with a goofy grin. “We’re not disgusting, we’re adorable.”

“El’s right,” Niall agreed, “it’s a bit disgusting how in love you two are.”

Everyone laughed as Rori muttered something about them being jealous, but a little while later they all headed off towards the bedrooms. Louis and Lottie took one of the rooms downstairs, and Niall and Liam took the other, while Ella and Gemma shared the other room upstairs across the landing from Rori and Harry’s room.

“I better not hear you two,” Gemma threatened as they reached the bedroom doors.

“Wear headphones then,” Harry replied, earning him a slap on the chest from Rori.

Gemma and Ella rolled their eyes at each other, but their smiles belayed their amusement as they closed the door behind them and left the couple alone.

“You’re such a shit stirrer Styles,” Rori chuckled as she started getting ready for bed.

“Just fulfilling my duties as a little brother,” he said. “Wouldn’t mind fulfilling my duties as a loving fiancé either,” he added, his hands landing low on Rori’s hips as he stepped closer to her.

“No, you don’t,” she replied. “You’re drunk and we are going to go to sleep.”

Harry pouted, widening his eyes as his hands trailed under the hem of her shirt, tracing the smooth skin of her back.

“If you behave yourself tonight, we can fool around in the morning before the girls wake up,” she conceded, unconsciously leaning into his hold.

“Fine,” Harry agreed, dropping his hands and stripping out of his clothes before climbing into the bed.

xXx

The sky was bright blue, without a hint of clouds when the group all made their way into the small kitchen downstairs on their first morning. The late autumn chill of the previous day had been chased away and the pleasant weather raised everyone’s spirits as they chatted over coffee, toast and cereal.

Given the beautiful day they decided to make the most of it and go for a walk to explore the area. They headed off around mid-morning, Aurora walking ahead with her arm looped through Ella’s as the two laughed and caught up after months apart.

Harry hung back a few metres, smiling softly every time Aurora threw her head back in laughter; after such a painful year, he was so thankful to see her having far more good days than bad as of late. He was startled out of his thoughts when Gemma threw an arm around his shoulder.

“What’s going on in that head of yours, baby brother?” she asked.

“Just thinking about what a great idea this trip was,” he replied, smiling softly at his sister. “Thanks for pulling it all together.”

“It’s what a Best Woman is for,” she said with a cheeky grin, “and you both deserve to get away from it all for a bit. You’ve both had to deal with so much and you’re both too young to be as stressed as you are.”

“You’re starting to sound like mum,” he replied, rolling his eyes behind his sunglasses but secretly touched by his sister’s words.

“Well good,” Gemma chuckled. “She’s a bloody smart woman, our mother.”

“That she is,” Harry agreed, laughing as they watched Liam chase Louis ahead of them, brandishing his drink bottle as a weapon. “You might have a point about us being young.”

“And to think they’re dads,” Gemma laughed. “Lord help us.”

They group continued wandering the countryside for the better part of 2 hours, finally returning to the cottage for a late lunch as the wind picked up, ensuring that the rest of the day was reserved for indoor activities. They spread out around the sitting room playing rounds of cards that slowly turned into drinking games. Aurora sat on the ground in between Harry’s legs where he sat on the sofa, her head tilting back as he combed his fingers through her hair and braided it back from her face. He had been styling her hair most days over the past few months after watching her struggle to pull it back one handed and frustratingly leaving it down most days. After he snapped the hair tie into place at the end of the braid, he kissed the crown of her head and she tipped her head back, her lips puckered in silent request, smiling softly when he obliged with a soft peck.

xXx

On the second day of the trip, the four girls piled into Harry’s Land Rover and headed into the nearby town to the day spa there. Louis and Gemma had organized for them to spend most of the day there, being pampered with mani-pedis, massages and facials. Given that it was the offseason for tourists, the small little town was quiet, and they were able to move around unrecognized, but even so Louis had made sure to book out the spa for the day so that they were the only ones inside. Without realizing it herself, the day was exactly what Aurora had needed and she closed her eyes, leaning her head back as her feet soaked in the warm, rose scented water. One of the staff had just finished applying a mud mask to Rori’s face and had now turned her attention to buffing the nails on her right hand in preparation for applying the pastel tone gel colours she’d picked out before sitting down. The other girls were similarly being pampered on either side of her and once their nails were dry and their faces were cleaned, they were each handed glasses of champagne as focus was turned to their feet. Aurora had picked out a simple peach tone for her toes, while Ella, sitting to her left, had opted for a bright red colour on both her fingers and toes.

After there pedicures were finished the girls headed out to the enclosed patio where a light lunch was spread out for them. The large floor to ceiling windows allowed the bright sunlight to stream into the room without the inconvenience of the biting wind. The girls ate and drank, laughing often and just enjoying the day. Lottie made sure to take plenty of photos, catching Rori and Gemma sipping tea near the window in their robes looking very pampered.

“What do you think the boys are up to right now?” Ella asked as they headed back inside for their full body oil massages.

“I don’t think I want to know,” Lottie snickered, causing all of them to break out into giggles as they imagined what the boys could be getting up to on their own.

Back at the cottage the 4 men were lounging around on the two sofas, empty beer bottles scattered on the coffee table in front of them, their attention trained on the tv on the wall and the controllers in their hands.

“Does anyone feel like Paul’s about to walk in the door any minute and yell at us for being late for rehearsals or something?” Liam asked.

“Oh, thank god,” Niall laughed. “I thought it was just me. How are we still not used to the concept of free time after almost a year?”

“It’s so bloody weird,” Harry agreed. “I’ll catch myself every so often just thinking I’m late for something. Like there’s somewhere I need to be and then I remember that there isn’t. It’s the weirdest feeling.”

They all nodded, smiling at the knowledge that they were all struggling to adjust after years spent on such tight schedules that would have made relaxing trips like this one impossible.

“Miss being on stage some days though,” Louis mumbled.

“Can’t wait to get back out there,” Niall said. “After dropping the single in September I’m itching to get out there.”

“Agreed,” Louis replied. “Can’t wait to get back into it next month.”

“You’re dropping the single on X Factor, yeah?” Liam asked to which Louis nodded with an excited grin.

“Think I’m gonna release the album after the wedding,” Harry added. “Gonna be too hectic if I do it before and Rors and I are looking to buy a new place together in London.”

“Really?” Liam asked. “What about Erskine?”

“I was gonna sell it, but Rori thinks we should just rent it out.”

“She doesn’t wanna live there?” Niall questioned. “Thought she liked the place.”

“Nah it’s me,” Harry answered. “I want to get a place that isn’t hers or mine but it’s just ours and we can decorate it together and just make a home for us.”

“You’re disgustingly romantic, Harold,” Louis laughed. “Please tell me you’re not writing your own vows because I think I might vomit at the ceremony if you do.”

All of the boys broke into howls of laughter and Harry threw a cushion at Louis’ head, only succeeding in making him laugh louder when it bounced off his shoulder.

Aurora felt so relaxed that she was almost melting into the passenger seat of the car when Gemma pulled up in front of the cottage. The girls all tumbled out of the car and into the house, finding the boys in the kitchen attempting to throw together dinner for them all. Aurora collapsed into Harry’s arms the moment she reached him, her arms wrapping around his waist as her head found its way to the familiar cushion of his pecks.

“Did you have a nice time?” he murmured, his hands lifting automatically to rub along her spine. She hummed in response; her eyes closed as she smiled softly at him. “How about a nap before dinner?” he asked, chuckling when she nodded, still not opening her eyes or moving away from his comforting warmth. He let go of her, catching the adorable frown that pinched between her eyebrows for a brief moment before he scooped her up in his arms and carried her upstairs to their room, ignoring the wolf whistles and hollering that filled the kitchen behind them.

Harry placed her gently on the bed, letting her pull him down beside her when she refused to let go of his shirt. She curled against his chest as he settled, her lips following the curve of his jaw until she reached his mouth, smiling into the kiss as her hand trailed under the hem of his shirt and splayed across the smooth expanse of skin.

“Thought we were gonna nap,” Harry mumbled against her lips.

“Not really interested in sleeping,” Rori replied before she trailed her lips down the length of her fiancés neck, pausing at the hollow at the base of his throat as her hand travelled down to the waistband of his joggers. “That ok with you?” she teased.

“Think I like your plan better,” Harry sighed, his own hands wandering across her body.

xXx

On their last day in the cottage Aurora made her way outside after lunch. “Mind if I join you?” she asked, stepping out onto the patio at the back of the cottage.

“Pull up a seat,” Liam replied, smiling softly from where he sat, staring out across the lagoon. The sound of a rowdy game of Charades floated out to them from the sitting room at the front of the house. “Didn’t feel like playing?” he asked.

“Turns out it’s a lot harder to mime one handed then you’d think,” she chuckled, pulling her chunky knit cardigan tighter around her. The sun was shining brightly but the light breeze chased its warmth away before it reached them. “Besides, with you out here there’s an uneven number.”

“Yeah was just on the phone with Cheryl,” Liam explained.

“How is she?”

“She’s good. Just wanted to check in with her, you know.”

“How are you Liam? It’s been too long since you and I got to hang out.”

“I’m really good, Rors,” Liam answered, a soft smile crinkling the skin around his eyes. “Really glad we took the break.”

“It’s nice seeing you all be able to take a breathe,” Rori agreed. “Don’t think any of us realised how insane the schedule was while we were inside it.”

“Yeah it was easy to get caught up in it and just keep looking ahead to the next thing. Feels good to be able to get away like this if we want to.”

“And it’ll be good to be able to stay home with the baby,” Aurora pointed out. “Can’t believe you’re gonna be a dad.”

“I’m so bloody excited Rori. Can’t wait to meet him. You and Haz talked about kids?”

“We have and we both want them, but I’m not ready to rush into it even though I think Harry would have them tomorrow if I agreed. I mean I can’t wait to be a mum and see him be a dad, but I’m just not ready for that. Not with Harry about to drop a solo album and then tour it. I just can’t imagine doing any of that with a baby.”

“That makes sense,” Liam said. “There’s no rush. Maybe we can just try to get you guys down the aisle first. Just because Louis and I are having kids’ young doesn’t mean you guys have too.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Rori agreed.

“H said he asked you to join his band for the tour.”

“He did. Still not sure if I’ll take him up on it.”

“Why not? Thought you’d jump at the chance.”

“The old me wouldn’t have hesitated to say yes,” she admitted. “Everything’s different now.”

“Because of your hand?”

“Yeah. I mean just look at what happened last week. I slipped in the rain and now I can’t wear my prosthetic for weeks. What if something like that happened on a world tour?”

“You know injuries are a worry for anyone on tour,” Liam pointed out. “How many times did one of us fall on stage and hurt ourselves? Or get sick and have to be on vocal rest for days? Things happen that you can’t control, but you can’t let that stop you.”

“I’ve missed your advice Liam,” Aurora sighed. “You’ve always been able to see things so practically when I’m too in my head about something. You’ve got a way of cutting through all the crap and getting straight to the point.”

“So, you’ll do it?”

“I’ll talk to Harry about it, but yeah, I think I will.”

“Good. You two will have a blast on the road. The Styles family travelling show.”

Aurora cracked up laughing. “I will be a Styles by then, won’t I?” she said after she stopped laughing. “Seems crazy we’ll be married in a few months.”

“I’m so happy for you two, you know?” Liam said, reaching out his hand to squeeze hers.

“Thanks Liam.”

NEXT CHAPTER

OR CONTINUE READING ON AO3

[monstersandmaw]

Male minotaur x female reader (sfw fluff)

Edit which I’m including in all my works after plagiarism and theft has taken place: I do not give my consent for my works to be used, copied, published, or posted anywhere. They are copyrighted and belong to me.

Here’s the second of my recent Patreon-only commissions! They asked for a female reader with PTSD and a big monster who understands, and discussed the nature of the condition with me in detail in the chat. The story isn’t focused on that, but the reader suffers an episode in a busy marketplace, and meets the minotaur because of it. Their relationship develops from there. 

Here’s 3700 or so words - I hope you enjoy! Meet Axel! This story also features a cameo from my gorgeous centaur boy, Iskandar from my very first orc boy story with Khuruz!

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“Oh, it’s going to be one of those days,” you hissed as you sat up in bed, sunlight streaming through the curtains, birdsong filling the air from the garden outside, and that lung-clogging anxiety promptly settling into every muscle in your body for no discernible reason whatsoever. Some days were just like this, and as you swallowed down the bile and tried to calm your racing heart, you swung your feet out of bed and sat there with your eyes closed, trying to steady the world and your pounding heartbeat at the same time.

To make matters worse, you knee full well that there was no food in the pantry. Perhaps some dried meat, and possibly a sack of flour, but other than that, it was bare. It had been a few days since you’d even been out of the house other than for work, but unless you wanted to starve, you were going to have to beat this thing today, and venture into the bustling marketplace.

After three rounds of procrastination and one very thorough clean of the whole house, you finally stepped outside, and inhaled deeply. In fact, the weather wasn’t so bad, and the scent of jasmine filled the crisp autumnal air from a garden nearby as you stood on the doorstep, basket over your arm, breathing somewhat more rapidly than was perhaps ideal.

The rumble of the marketplace seeped out into the narrow side streets, their looming houses seeming to close in overhead as you made your way there, grinding your teeth and flinching at even the slightest sounds. A housewife opened her shutters and shook out a cloth into the street and you jumped, turning with eyes wide before you managed to get a hold of yourself.

“Stop it,” you growled under your breath. “Just… stop it. You’re safe now. All that is past you. Just focus on getting food.” Truly, you felt awful. The events that had left you like this were years in the past now, but still you limped on, mind so ragged some days you could barely remember your own name. Of course, there were other days when you were absolutely fine.

Moving from the cool shadows of the three-storey, brick-built merchants’ houses that lined the wide market square, each one with colourful window boxes and red-tiled roofs, you made your way into the heart of the market. You made it to two stalls, picking up a box of eggs, and two loaves of bread, before any hint of your earlier episode showed itself. Your creeping hyper-vigilance had you looking about until you must have looked more than suspicious, but you forced yourself on until you had bought almost everything on your list. You had just congratulated yourself on surviving what was ordinarily a huge challenge, when you heard the rattle of a cart up ahead. Your chin snapped up instinctively, seeking out the source of the noise, but you relaxed marginally when you saw what it was.

Someone was laughing not far away from you at a stall selling fresh pastries and cakes. You glanced over your shoulder and saw a truly massive minotaur leaning on a tall walking staff, chatting to the owner of the stall. He had a thick black coat with little grey tufts at the ends of his large ears, huge horns that curved forwards a little before tilting up to the blue sky above, and his modesty was just about covered by a simple, loose tunic of dark greenish grey cotton. His hooves and fetlocks were caked in drying mud, and you assumed he’d come in from outside the city for the market, and wondered if perhaps he’d brought produce with him to sell. He carried no bags or baskets, just a belt pouch around his waist, and the stout walking stick.

A second later, the crash and clatter of crates hitting the cobbles sent a spike of adrenaline and blind terror through you. You half turned around, knowing it was just the cart of empty boxes that had been upended somehow, but the shaking and the ringing in your ears descended on you a moment later and you forgot everything, even how to breathe. Time stopped and stretched on forever in front of you in an endless corridor as you stood there, hardly seeing the stones of the market square before your wide eyes. It had been like this for years now; any sudden, loud noises, and you were gone.

A colossal shadow slid across you, draining the warmth of the sun and setting your clammy skin prickling. “Hey,” a kind, deep voice rumbled. The figure made no move to touch you, but when he knelt in front of you, you began to be able to focus a little better on the words he was saying. “Hey, you’re alright. Can you hear me?”

You focused on the glittering nose ring, suddenly unable to look away. He smiled then, and you nodded in answer to his question.

“Great, you’re doing great. Listen, I’d like you to do something for me. Catch…?” he said, standing up again and shielding you from the chaos of the clear up behind him with the sheer width and height of his body. He held out a bright green apple and tossed it gently at you.

You caught it on instinct and stared at it.

“Good,” he chuckled. “Now, toss it back.”

You did, and he kept throwing it back to you, asking you after a few more throws to count them aloud.

He watched you sliding gently out of your shock, and he held onto it after thirty or so catches. “You doing better now?” he asked.

You nodded. “Thank you,” you croaked, feeling shaky. “How…?”

He smiled again, such a warm and open gesture that lit up his dark, glimmering eyes and he leaned once again on his staff. “You want the apple?” You shook your head, and he bit into it. “I used to be in the army,” he said simply. “I have ‘bad days’ and ‘oh shit’ moments too, and doing something mundane like that helps to refocus my mind sometimes. I figured I’d give it a go with you too, not that I claim to know what works best for you, of course.”

You had to smile. “Thank you,” you said, trying to draw in a steady breath. “What’s your name?”

“Axel,” he grinned. “You want to get out of here?”

“Please,” you nodded. Normally you’d never have gone with a complete stranger, but perhaps it was your lingering shock or the trembling in your fingers that craved the safety of his kind face and a broad back.

“Fancy a drink? There’s a great place down by the river, and I’m parched. They do the most amazing fresh lemonade you’ve ever tasted, I promise.”

You accepted, and he led you away through the marketplace to the south towards the wide, glimmering river that flowed through the trading town with its stone walls and high castle at the far end. It was a beautiful city, and since coming here you’d had fewer episodes, despite the bustling streets and noise. Though, on reflection, it was probably because of the life and vibrancy of the place that you were doing better. The stillness and silence was all very well for sporadic moments of calm, but it could quickly overwhelm you and leave you crushed and panicky.

You discovered that Axel made an excellent shield, vigilant enough of approaching figures to step easily between you and them and create a clear path for you, but not so on edge that you felt nervous. His massive presence was a steadying support as well; he was just so calm and friendly. He spoke a little about the weather, and you asked him if he’d come from far that day.

He glanced down at you, eyebrow raised. “How’d you know I’m not a city slicker like you?” he chortled.

You smiled back up at him, cricking your neck slightly to get a good look at his strong-boned face. His ears waggled playfully and you had to laugh. “You’re all spattered with mud,” you said, flicking your gaze down to his huge hooves.

His tail swished and he laughed his deep, rich laugh again. “No fooling you. Yes, I live just outside the city walls. It rained pretty heavily last night, and the roads were a mess this morning.”

“What do you do for a living?” you asked. “I’m assuming you’re out now,” you added, referring to his military service.

He nodded. “Yup. I’m a woodcutter these days, working with a few of the others over on Jenson’s farm.” He stretched and rolled his muscular shoulders, the fabric of his sleeveless tunic shifting slightly to indicate a toned chest beneath, and he added, “It’s hard work, but it’s nice, you know? To be doing something physical…”

You hummed in soft agreement, and he nodded at a cafe sign just up ahead.

“That’s it,” he said. “Willa’s a good friend of mine,” he added as he held the door open.

The interior was bathed in late autumn sunlight, streaming through huge windows at the back of the building, and beyond you could see a terrace that overlooked the river. It was stunning. A tiefling sat sipping elegantly from a delicate china teacup, and a gnoll was lounging in a far corner on a very comfortable looking sofa, a book under his nose, and some adorable glasses sliding down his muzzle towards his nose.

Behind the bar was a waif-like faun, chatting quietly with a human and dwarf, all of whom wore the dark green aprons emblazoned with the logo of the cafe. When the faun saw Axel, her pretty, freckled face lit up, and her large ears swivelled forwards as she scampered around the side of the bar and barrelled straight at him. She barely came up to his waist, but she threw her skinny arms around him and hugged him tight.

Something cold lanced through your chest at the sight of their closeness. Perhaps you’d been foolish to hope that he wouldn’t have anyone in his life, but there was no mistaking the affection between these two. And then he pulled back and ruffled her hair in a way that would have irritated at least any partner you could imagine. “Hey there,” he laughed. “How are you?”

“It’s been ages!” she practically squeaked. “Gods, Ax, you are even bigger than you were last time, I swear it!” Then her hazel eyes landed on you and widened in surprise. “Oh,” she added. “Hi…”

“Hi,” you murmured, trying to conjure up a smile.

He introduced you by name and added, “This is Willa. I served with her brother.”

“Oh.” Oh.

“Saved Rudi’s life too,” she smiled. “Anyway, what can I get you both?”

“I was told the lemonade is good here,” you said, trying to lighten your mood and succeeding now that you knew they weren’t together. It felt stupid and selfish. You’d only just met him for goodness’ sake.

As if he sensed your shift in mood, he cocked his head to one side. “Ok?” he asked softly while Willa poured two big glasses of lemonade for you.

You nodded. “Where d’you want to sit?”

“I don’t mind being outside, but it might be a bit chilly for you,” he shrugged a shoulder, his shaggy coat rippling. “I’ll get these,” he added, laying a small handful of coppers down on the counter with a smile at Willa.

“Let’s see how cold it is?” you asked, and you moved through the tables until you reached the double doors at the back of the cafe. He held one open for you and you drank in the freshness of the river air, the breeze that swept down from the Red Mountains upstream, and sighed most of the lingering tension away. “Yeah, outside is good,” you said.

You set the drinks down and he pulled out a chair, squeezing himself into his own with only a little difficulty. He caught you looking and barked laugh. “I’ve got stuck in chairs before, you know?” he said. “And it really isn’t funny…” Such light danced in his eyes that you suddenly couldn't stop the wave of giggles that bubbled up from your chest.

“I’m so sorry,” you said, still grinning.

He only smiled back at you and sipped his lemonade. “If it makes you laugh like that, I don’t mind.”

You chatted for ages while the river rushed by below the stone wall, and it was only as it started to get cold that you realised how long you’d been there. He’d told you almost everything, from adventures with his brothers as a young calf to the sights he’d seen in the army - he was very open about his experiences, though he didn’t dwell on anything difficult or unpleasant - and all the while you sat there with your hands clasped lightly, leaning your weight on your elbows on the table, drinking in his deep baritone and glittering, playful eyes.

As you shivered, however, he scowled and raised his eyes to the sky, his ears darting back in surprise. “Gods,” he swore. “Look how late it’s getting! You must be freezing!” and he reached his hands instinctively to cover your own with his. His palms were smooth and warm and leathery, and as they landed over yours, engulfing them, a thrill shot through your whole body. Ordinarily, a stranger’s touch would have felt nine kinds of nasty, but there was nothing but gentle kindness in his eyes, and you began to ache for the closeness you had come to miss. You turned your hands over and held his fingers in yours.

“I am cold,” you admitted, “But I’ve had the best time today.”

“Me too,” he grinned, nose ring flashing in the sinking sunlight. “Let me walk you home though before I have to find a fire drake to come and thaw you out.”

With another laugh, you rose, and he ushered you politely ahead of him. His large shadow loomed behind you, but again it felt like a shield not a menace, and you basked in the safety of his strength.

You agreed to meet up in a few days’ time at the clearing where he worked, and when you parted at the door of your house, he asked if he could give you a hug. You nodded, and he drew you briefly close to him. You inhaled the scent of him, warm, musky, and comforting, and sighed.

“Thanks for today,” you said as you pulled back afterwards. “I really needed that, and… not just in the market place.”

“Me too,” he said again. “It’s been a long time since I’ve met someone I can just… feel this easy around, you know?”

“Yeah,” you rasped.

“Well, I’ll see you in a few days then,” he grinned, walking away and waving over his shoulder. “Be sure to wear your warm boots - the roads are muddy, you know?”

You snorted, gaze dropping to his colossal hooves, and nodded.

“And dress warmly too…” he said, glancing at the sky. “Don’t want you catching a cold.”

“Don’t worry,” you smiled, and he shook his head.

“I’m sorry. I’ll see you, alright?”

And as he disappeared round the corner, you sensed a deep calm settling into you, beginning in your chest and radiating out through every vein and artery. You’d not felt the like in years.

Three days later, and it was another glorious autumn day. You’d finished work early and headed back to change, and were on the road out of the town well before the sun began to set. Over one arm you carried your basket, but this time it was full of goodies for a picnic supper, and the fizzing in your gut was nothing to do with that nebulous fear that always seemed to be hovering in the background, waiting. This time it was true, undiluted excitement that had your heart skipping along in a merry rhythm.

The steady chorus of axes hitting trees reached your ears as you climbed up the slope towards the copse perhaps a mile or so out of town. A huge piebald centaur with long black and white hair was chatting and laughing with a cervitaur at the edge of the camp, and they looked up as you approached. Your fear of talking to strangers suddenly rushed in to replace the fluttering excitement, and you felt like shrinking back into yourself and running, but the weight of the basket on your arm reminded you why you were here. You could do this.

“Hi,” you croaked. “I’m… I’m looking for Axel?”

“Oh,” the cervitaur smiled. “Sure. You want me to get him for you? He’s just over there…” The toffee-coloured coat of his cervine hind quarters was dusted with specks of wood dust and shavings, and as he pranced away, his little white tail bobbed merrily. The centaur smiled down at you, but didn't offer any conversation, which was fine by you.

About a minute later, the cervitaur reappeared, and behind him was the familiar bulk of the dark-coated minotaur. He looked tired, but the moment he saw you, he grinned and tossed his head, tail swishing. He wore no shirt, only a leather covering from waist to mid-thigh, and he looked magnificent. His chest was a pale, silvery grey, and he exuded the kind of physical strength that made you want to lie down beside him and burrow up against him while he held you in his big arms.

“Thanks, Mikken,” he murmured gently to the cervitaur as you offered your own thanks to him as well. He turned back to you and said, “I would hug you, but I’m all sweaty and gross. Hey -” he added, snuffing the air and staring at the basket. “You brought food?”

“Thought you might be thirsty and hungry after work…” you mumbled shyly.

“She’s a keeper, Ax,” Mikken tossed over his shoulder as he took the centaur’s hand and the pair of them headed off down the hill towards the neighbouring farm.

Axel scratched the back of his head and you watched as his ears flattened themselves in shyness. “Huh,” he huffed self-consciously. “Sorry about that. I may have been talking about you quite a lot today. I was… excited to see you again…I guess. I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok,” you laughed. “I’m flattered, I guess.”

“You want to eat here?” he asked. “Or you could come back to mine? I only live in a little cottage just over the hill that way…” he said. “It’s not much, but it might be warmer than sitting on the ground here…”

You swallowed. There had been so much change lately, but this felt good and right, even if it was a little intimidating.

He must have seen the thought processes on your face because he added swiftly, “No pressure, of course…”

Taking a deep breath, you smiled up at him and looped your arm through his. “I’d love to,” you said, and he puffed a relieved sigh and laughed.

“Give me that,” he said, taking the basket from your other hand and leading you back down the hill towards his house.

It wasn’t far, and on the way he pointed out the various farm buildings visible in the distance. “Mikken and Skandi live over there,” he said as you neared a burbling brook that trickled down a gully in the hillside and into a wooded valley below. “They grow wheat and apples there mostly, but they’ve got some geese and sheep too. I helped them put in a new paddock last spring for the lambs. It’s turned into a bit of a centaur sanctuary too lately. They’ve got two more just moved in.”

“Oh?”

“Mmm,” he said, “They were kept as little more than carriage horses in the capital,” he said darkly. “But Skandi took them under his wing - so to speak. They’re nice lads. And there’s a bunch of half-feral orcs who work there, but they’re a great bunch really.”

“Sounds like it’s a nice community,” you commented, taking his hand as he simply waded through the freezing water of the stream and helped you balance as you walked over the rickety little plank that stretched across it. He steadied you as you hopped down off the end of it, and you squeezed his knuckly fingers in fleeting thanks.

Up ahead, the cedar tiles of a wooden cabin came into view, with a metal chimney poking out of one side, and a number of window boxes displaying late autumn flowers. A bench sat outside the front of the house, sheltered under the large eaves, and at the back a few chickens scratched determinedly in the dust of a little wicker pen.

A dog began to bark, but when Axel bellowed a welcoming call to it, you saw the appropriately huge dog hurtling around the corner of the house, paws scrabbling on the loose surface of the yard, and it made its way at break-neck speed towards the pair of you, big triangle ears flapping wildly, tongue lolling.

“Hey buddy!” he laughed, getting down on one knee to fuss the dog. “How was your day? Who’s a good boy?” The dog leapt and whined, trying to lick Axel’s muzzle and wagging his tail so hard you thought he might just wiggle it right off. “Now, I need you on your best behaviour,” he said to the dog. It was the size of a small pony, and had any number of breeds mixed into its heritage. Black fur, white tummy, little tan dots above its eyes, and one white sock on its hind paw were the most distinctive features, and as Axel asked him to sit, he sank onto his haunches, his tail still trying to wag. “Meet Scrap,” Axel smiled up at you.

“Scrap?” you asked, snorting a laugh as you extended your hand and the dog licked it, whining again in excitement. “He’s hardly what you’d call a scrap… He’s huge!”

“He was just a tiny little scrap when I found him,” he chuckled, levering himself back upright with a grunt. “Come on, let’s get inside.” He picked up a stick from the side of the path and hurled it a good hundred yards, sending the dog flying away in a cloud of dust and yips of excitement.

“You have a habit of picking up strays then, I take it?” you asked him pointedly as you approached the beautiful little cottage.

He glanced down at you and smiled. “No, only the really special ones.”

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The next Patreon commission will be a colossal 9000+ word Fae Prince of the Night Court story, and will be up to view on my Pixies and Goblins tier on early release (as this and the last commission were too) shortly! There’s also a ‘wiki style’ Fae Realm lore post available on my Patreon so you can see the structure of the twelve courts etc.!

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| Masterlist | Patreon | Ko-fi | Writing Commissions |

[mollymauk-teafleak]

Black Coffee (part five)

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4

If you like this, please consider leaving a comment on Ao3, reblogging this post or even donating to my ko-fi!

Huge huge thanks to my lovely beta readers, @minky-for-short and @spiky-lesbian

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Percy hadn’t known it was possible to feel this tired.

It wasn’t the relieved, letting go kind of tired he felt when he’d step into the building’s elevator at the end of a long day at the office and know another day was over. It wasn’t the proud, warm glow kind of tired when he stepped back from his workshop bench and saw his latest project, whatever had been driving him insane for the past few weeks, fully completed and polished until the gears shone. It certainly wasn’t the smug, sweet, achy tired when he’d lie back and hold Vax in his arms or be held by him, the elf’s strained, wanton cry of his name still echoing in his ears, their heaving chests pressed against one another, panting breaths the only sound in the room.

This was a different kind of tired. This tired made him feel like he’d been taken apart systematically, opened up like one of his own machines, everything picked and turned and examined. Everything he’d ever tried to hide had been dug out, the dark, grimy, neglected bits of him on display and undeniable.

But they’d come back feeling cleaner. It came back, but it somehow found a place inside him where it fit better. Where it was easier to bear.

He supposed that was the point of therapy. It was exhausting and damn near broke him sometimes but he could feel the benefits of it as soon as he stepped back out into the waiting room.

“Same time again next week, Mr de Rolo?” the receptionist asked politely as he approached the desk.

“Please,” he nodded and smiled back at him.

Once it was all signed off, Percy left the building, shouldering his jacket rather than bothering to put it on. It was getting colder by the day but he had a thick jumper on and he didn’t mind the bite in the air, he never had.

Vax clearly didn’t agree with him.

He was sitting on a bench on the other side of the street, shivering even in the massive, puffy coat he was wearing. The hat, gloves and scarf didn’t seem to be doing much either, to judge by his expression. Trinket, however, was doing his best, stretched across his feet to warm up his toes.

The dog saw Percy first, jumping up and straining at the lead to greet him, making the half elf jump with how fiercely he was suddenly having to cling to it to keep from being yanked into traffic. Percy crossed as quickly as he could and greeted him eagerly, bending down so he could put his forepaws on his shoulders, hugging and kissing him and laughing as a large, wet tongue returned the kindness.

“Hey!” Vax yelped, “It’s my job to lick his face, not yours. Get down, you big rug.”

“You know I don’t mind,” Percy protested weakly as Trinket obediently sat back.

“I mind. Cos now I want to kiss you but you’re all gross,” Vax huffed, his breath a puff of white in the air, settling for a kiss to the top of Percy’s head. His manner gentled a little, “How was it?”

“Just the same really,” Percy straightened up, “Exhausting but...helping. You know, you don’t have to wait outside, you can sit in the waiting room.”

Vax wrinkled his nose, “Doctors offices give me the heebie jeebies. Too much time spent in them myself.”

Percy gave a short, little laugh. Now it meant even more to him that Vax came and met him after every session, bringing Trinket whenever he could because he knew Percy loved him, just being there so Percy could have a set of arms to fall into if he needed it.

“Well then, you need a hot chocolate,” Percy took Trinket’s lead and Vax’s hand, “Come on, we’ll take this guy through the park and go get some.”

“Percival, take me now,” Vax said, with all apparent seriousness, making Percy snort.

“Gods, don’t call me that. Especially sexually.”

They walked for a while, trading comments when there was something to say, lapsing into a comfortable, companionable silence when there wasn’t. Percy found himself stealing glances over at Vax, fixing on his eyes, his mouth, his nose in turn like he wanted to commit every inch of his face to memory.

It was impossible to put a value on just how much Vax had helped Percy over the last month or so. He just knew it was a hell of a lot. Deciding to go to therapy, navigating the maze of doctors appointments and referrals that lead there, finding the energy to actually go on mornings when it had disappeared, all of that had happened with Vax holding his hand.

And now whenever Percy tried to imagine his life without Vax, he just drew a blank.

That didn’t feel like a relationship built solely on exchange, on one person needing an income and one person simply needing companionship. When had it stopped feeling like that?

“Oh hell yes!” Vax suddenly yelped, darting away with Trinket hot on his heels, his target the bundles of autumn leaves pushed to the sides of the path by the winds, carelessly discarded bronze and gold in heedless piles.

Percy could only watch in awe as he playfully kicked his way through the piles of fallen leaves like a child would, laughing loudly as they arced over his head and not caring who turned and saw, his dog running around him in circles and barking fit to bust, trying to snag them in his jaws.

Percy smiled softly, not even hesitating before he ran to join them, seizing fistfuls of muddy leaves and sending them careening overhead, whooping loudly. Vax laughed in delight, joining in until they were lost in their own snowglobe of leaves, just the two of them and their enraptured dog, lost in the reckless, heart bursting joy of making a mess just for the sake of it.

Once nature’s inherent neatness was utterly destroyed the two of them were left panting, Percy wincing as he extracted the leaves Vax had shoved down the front of his jumper, their bodies unable to decide if they were overheating with the exertion or freezing from the cold.

“That was fun,” Percy wheezed, finally leaf free and turning to look for Trinket and get him back on his lead.

And suddenly, just for a moment, he realised Vax had been staring at him. The eye contact was broken after a heartbeat, so quick it could never have been there at all but Percy was certain.

Because Vax had been looking at him the same way Percy had been looking at Vax just moments before. A little shocked, a little helpless, with the exact same question in his eyes.

When did this start feeling like something real?

Percy let the moment go willingly, though a hope had been sparked in his chest that wouldn’t be fading any time soon.

“Odd choice of tactic, to shove leaves down the shirt of the guy thats buying your drinks,” he hummed, brushing down his jumper.

“I’m banking on my offer of sex when we get back to your place to get me back in your good books,” Vax grinned shamelessly.

“Ah, you know me so well,” Percy grinned, kissing one cold blushed cheek.

The apartment was of course empty when they tumbled through the door, already practically climbing each other in their eagerness to get at one another.

Trinket pushed past them, heading straight for the sofa that was wide enough for even a gentleman of his stature to lounge with impunity, happy to have his post walk snooze and get his hairs all over some very expensive leather. He’d been in this position many times, he seemed to understand that his uncle and his uncle’s nice smelling friend didn’t want to be disturbed for the next hour or so.

Vax’s discarded layers formed a haphazard path from the door to the bedroom where, impatient, he’d just pressed Percy up against his desk in the corner. He was already on his knees, working open the button on his jeans and yanking the fabric, still chill with the outside air but warming quickly as Percy’s skin took fire, down to his thighs.

“Vax…” Percy murmured, words a little foggy and distant as his brain tried to speak through the all encompassing want.

“Hush,” Vax murmured, focused on the prominent bulge in Percy’s boxers, straining against the fabric. He kissed at it teasingly, just wanting to hear the ragged gasp and feel the pull of curling fingers in his hair, “Like I said, I’m getting back in your good books.”

And he did a pretty fantastic job of it. He lost himself in the act, in making someone else feel good, enjoying the pull of tense muscles under his skin, in the taste of Percy’s skin and sweat mixed with the lingering taste of the hot chocolate on his tongue, in having Percy slump helplessly against the desk under the careful attention of his lips, his tongue and the none too light scraping of his teeth.

Percy tried to warn him before he orgasmed, stammering helplessly but he couldn’t make the words work. Vax didn’t mind, he’d felt the closeness in how Percy gasped and bent over him, legs trembling. He’d been ready, gulping down the heat that flooded his mouth, a little running from the side of his mouth.

Once Percy was done screaming his name, a sound Vax would replay over and over again in his mind to great satisfaction, the hands turned from tense to gentle, stroking back his hair and pushing back his fringe, away from his sticky forehead. A thumb collected the spill down his chin and he accepted it past his lips, licking it clean with a grateful whimper.

“Vax, I…” Percy’s voice was raspy, chest going like a bellows.

Vax looked up, smiling innocently, “Yeah?”

Percy seemed to pause a moment, shaking himself and smiling a little more coherently, “You’re just wonderful. You know that?”

“I’ve heard people mention it,” Vax chuckled, accepting Percy’s hand to help him to his feet, “Was that worth two hot chocolates?”

“It was worth ten thousand,” Percy’s legs had enough strength in them to get him collapsed on the bed, no further.

“Don’t send that to my place, my sister will go nuts no matter how many times we walk her dog.”

Percy snorted, dragging Vax down with him until they were both sprawled together, half dressed, letting themselves feel their tiredness. Vax was soon dozing contentedly, letting his mind wander through delightfully filthy daydreams about what he was going to do with the various exciting purchases Percy had been buying lately.

Percy lay there fully awake, looking up at the ceiling, thinking about the things he could have said.

Vax had realised long ago the best place to do his stretches- the only place, really, once he’d realised there was next to no available space- was the living room. With Vex and Trinket out, he was free to get into his sweats, pile his hair loosely on top of his head and stretch to his heart’s content.

He sat with his legs perfectly split, humming contentedly as he folded himself across his knees one after the other. He enjoyed reminding himself what his body could do; he took comfort from knowing that even though he and it had definitely had some arguments, he could still exert control over it, that they could work harmoniously.

As often happened when his body was occupied with exercise, his mind went for a stroll. Quiet times scared Vax’ildan, as a rule, times where his brain had no distractions and he was at the mercy of his thoughts. But when he was working on his routines, dancing or stretching, moving smoothly in time with music, he wasn’t scared of his own mind. He got to taste something close to being relaxed.

What he thought about now was Percy.

As nice as their days always were together, something was starting to worry him. A few things actually. Such things rarely came neatly individually packaged and ready to deal with.

As much as he’d been trying to shove his ridiculous crush to the back of his mind where it could happily gather dust and eventually fall apart as all his unrequited feelings had done, he found it pushing back in ways he didn’t want it too. The absolute last thing he wanted to do to Percy was put pressure on him, ask him for more than he was willing to give. As much as he put on a brave face, he was dealing with so much right now, only just starting to heal old, festering wounds. The last thing he needed was to realise the comfortable, contented relationship he thought he had was now awkward and sticky and unmanageable.

Vax felt he knew what Percy needed of him. And a pointless, puppy dog infatuation was not on that list.

So Vax was just going to have swallow it and keep smiling.

His music, playing softly from his phone,  was interrupted suddenly by the chime of his text alert. Vax sighed irritatedly, drawing his legs back to a more natural position, losing his comfortable headspace but keeping his unpleasant thoughts. Exactly what he didn’t want.

But when he saw the name on his phone screen, an enormous smile spread across his face.

Shaun Gilmore.

It had been so long since Shaun was in town, he’d been all over the country, opening up new branches of the store he’d turned from a gamble into one of the most treasured, depended upon fonts of anything and everything in the whole city. The two of them had fooled around a fair bit, one of the many playful, easy hook ups he’d maintained after he’d first moved to the city and tasted freedom.

He’d always loved the simple, uncomplicated happiness Shaun brought him. He was the kind of man who, when he told you something was going to be okay, you fully believed it. He laughed loudly, dressed brightly and spoke effusively. He was sunshine personified.

In short, he was exactly what Vax needed to get his mind off his stupid feelings.

Guess who's back in the city for the weekend! It’s not for long, mind, but I’ll be damned if I don’t see my little bird while I’m home. Dinner and drinks, Saturday? My treat Xxx

Vax smiled and fired off a quick, whole hearted acceptance. It was only after he’d exchanged a few messages back and forth with Shaun, after he’d been teased with all his fun stories from his travels and showered with compliments in every other sentence, that he remembered. He was supposed to be getting dinner with Percy on the same night.

Vax chewed his lips forlornly for a while before shaking himself. He needed to do this. He needed to prove to his ridiculous, confused heart that Percy wasn’t an option, that Percy wasn’t anything real. He had a very real, very available Shaun Gilmore offering him pleasantly distracting sex with no awkwardness or hidden feelings.

Time to stop being an idiot. Or at least be less of one.

Vax flicked up his text history with Percy, making sure he did it before he could change his mind.

Hey, going to have to cancel Saturday. Old flame in town so I’m going on a date. We’ll reschedule, yeah?

He didn’t notice until nearly an hour later that he didn’t get a reply.

Percy lay on his side on the sofa, listening to the rain hit the windows. His phone lay where he’d thrown it, like it had suddenly grown hot enough to burn him.

He stared out onto the grey world, the sheets of water coming down as they had been doing for hours without any let up. All that could really be seen past the glass was a scattering of lights, miniscule windows and tiny cars coming and going. Everything going past him like he wasn’t even there.

He had no right to be upset. Percy knew that.

Which just made it all the worse that he was.

Angry tears burned behind his glasses and pooled in the bottom of his lenses, his stomach roiling with bitter anger at himself.

He’d had it planned out. Saturday morning, back to the Blooming Grove, back to where they’d first met, take his hands from across the mosaiced table and just...tell him. And whatever happened would happen. But the weight on his chest would be gone, he’d have an answer to the question he’d only realised recently had been growing inside him like a flower growing from a lost seed.

It had been Kiki who helped him work it out. Well, she’d flicked his nose as they watched the Great British Baking Show and told him of course he’d fallen for Vax’ildan, you could see it from space. But it had certainly helped. It had made him just brave enough to imagine the words coming out of his mouth, to get the gears turning and take the risk.

For all the good it had done him.

And least he hadn’t made a total arse of himself. At least he hadn’t had to see the expression on Vax’s face, the pity and discomfort and awkwardness. At least he was spared that.

At least he was allowed the dignity of crying on his own.

Of course Vax would never feel the same way as Percy did. He’d been a complete idiot to even hope. He’d been paying him for the facsimile of a relationship, for crying out loud, how had he thought anything real could come from that? What he’d felt whenever Vax would smile, would say his name in that soft way, would touch him and make him feel like he’d finally woken up...all of that was just him doing a good job.

That was all Percy had asked for. He was an idiot to expect more.

He pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes, “Shut up. Stop crying, stop being so pathetic.”

The tears didn’t want to stop but he forced them, scrubbing at his eyes until they ached. He wasn’t upset. He wasn’t. He refused to be angry at Vax either, the bitter tasting resentment burning at the back of his throat was only directed at himself. For thinking he deserved anything more than what he had.  

That’s what he told himself, over and over again as he blindly snagged his phone and finally typed out a response.

Don’t worry about it. I’ll message you.

The restaurant was lovely, one of those vibrant places bubbling with light, music and scents, somewhere Vax would never have imagined existed in his own city and instantly resolved to go to more often.

Not that he took much of it in, he spent too much time laughing and talking with Shaun, hearing his stories from Marquet and Tal Dorei and the Menagerie Coast, stories of colourful people and exciting conversations.

It made him smile, Vax had always known Shaun was meant for something more than most people. But right here, for now, he could pretend they were both still barely out of their teens and  living by the skin of their teeth in the most fun way that could be done, Shaun running his tiny little store and selling all kinds of fantastical products straight out of storybooks, doing things with magic that no one had ever seen before, both of them spending their days working and nights dancing, kissing just because they could.

They were currently both howling with laughter after Vax had tried some of Shaun’s meal on a dare, knowing fine well it would be far too spicy for him. Sure enough it left him panting and drinking nearly the full ewer of water on the table.

“Now don’t think giving yourself heartburn will change the subject,” Shaun chuckled, wiping a tear from the corner of his amber eye, “Tell me more about this Percival character.”

Vax would have blushed if he hadn’t been already scarlet in the face from an excess of chili powder, “Yeah...I get paid to wear lingerie and suck a handsome guy’s dick, can you believe it? My dream job.”

Shaun gave a good natured bark of laughter but he pressed gently, “And is he? Handsome, I mean.”

“Oh, he's a dreamboat,” Vax shrugged, “In a nerd kind of way, I mean.”

“And nice? He treats you well?”

“Of course, I wouldn’t hang around if he didn’t,” Vax hesitated, “I guess I just saw my dad and assumed having lots of money automatically made you a festering, pustulant bag of bollocks. But...I guess not.”

Shaun hummed, taking a long sip of wine, “And have you told him how you feel about him?”

“I...wait, what?” Vax’s suddenly jerking elbow nearly sent his own glass flying, “I...I never...all I said was that he wasn’t a dick!”

“Yes, that’s all you said then,” Shaun smiled fondly, knowingly, “But the other forty or so times you’ve mentioned him, despite insisting that there’s nothing special about him, you said a lot more.”

Vax spluttered, suddenly realising the night had gone crashing off in the opposite direction than the one he wanted, “Come on, Shaun…it’s just a stupid crush...”

“Listen,” Shaun put his much larger hand over Vax’s, patting comfortingly, “Stupid or not, it’s clearly affected you. You can’t fight these kind of feelings, believe me.”

“But…” Vax looked down, biting his lip. If he couldn’t trust one of his best friends, who was left? “There’s no way he’d ever feel the same way about me. He just sees me as a friend he pays for sex. What kind of start is that for a relationship, even if there was any way in hell he’d ever be interested in me?”

“Stranger things have happened, little bird,” Shaun frowned gently, “And I’d thank you to stop being so cruel about my best friend. You’re a catch, as I can personally attest to. You’re fun, you’re resilient, you’re gorgeous...and from what you’ve told me, it seems clear that Percy’s noticed all that too.”

“What do you mean?” Vax looked up, startled.

“Love, he brought you soup when you had a cold! Does it need to be on a ten foot tall marquee for you to realise he’s into you?” Shaun laughed at the expression on his face.

“Apparently so,” Vax pouted, “Seeing as this is news to me who spends nearly every day with the guy.”

“Precisely why,” Shaun gestured at him with his glass, close to spilling some on the tablecloth though he’d never do that, “It’s hard to see what’s right at the end of your nose. Especially seeing how you’re- no offence, my little bird- one for seeing the darker side of things.”

Vax slumped back in his chair. He so desperately wanted to believe what Shaun was saying but gods, there were some knots you couldn’t undo in a hurry…

“Oh, don’t give me that look,” Shaun tilted his head, the light catching in the gold bands accenting his hair, “Listen, you’re one of the bravest people I know and it’s time to use a little of that. Tell him how you feel. I’m nearly positively sure he’ll feel the exact same way but even for the miniscule chance I’m wrong...Vax, keeping this in his so clearly killing you. Surely anything is better than this?”

Vax gave a long exhale, fighting the urge to just let his forehead hit the table, “Fuck you, Shaun. Fuck you for being so goddamn right. I just hope you’re right about all of it.”

Shaun shrugged, making his abundant jewellery ring out, “If you want an apology, you’re not getting one. And, hey, if I am wrong and your feelings aren’t reciprocated, I’ll always be here. We’ll run away to Marquet together.”

Vax’s face fell at that, realising the implication behind his words, “Oh. Sorry. This night probably isn’t going to end the way our dates usually do…”

Shaun waved him away, squeezing his hand, “Little bird, in another universe, you and I are very much in love and we never leave our bed. But right here, right now, all that truly matters to me is that you have the happiness you always deserved. If Percy can give that to you, he’s my new second favourite person in the world after your good self.”

Vax smiled through his blushing, squeezing Shaun’s fingers back. They were rough and scarred from his work, the only parts of him that weren’t perfectly polished, the only parts that showed how much he’d fought to live his life how he wanted. Vax had always loved his fingers.

“Hey, chin up. He might reject and totally humiliate me yet.”

Shaun laughed heartily, finishing his wine and signalling for more, “There’s always hope, isn’t there?”

Vax knew the concierge in Percy’s apartment building well enough to give her a wink and a wave by now. They made him seem a lot more confident than he actually was.

Once he was safely alone in the elevator, he let his nervousness show through, sinking shakily into one of the breathing exercises Vex shared with him sometimes when she knew he was in a rough patch.

He didn’t have to do it today. Not if the moment wasn’t right. But still, knowing it was coming, knowing his ridiculous pulled grenade of a brain could blurt it out at any moment was terrifying. But, as in most things aside from how much velvet should be included in a day to day outfit, Shaun was right. Anything was better than swallowing down his feelings and feeling them poison him.

Though it didn’t help his nerves that something seemed decidedly up with Percy. He hadn’t actually gotten in contact to rearrange their date; Vax had been the one who’d announced he was coming over after a few days of exchanging Trinket pictures for strings of rainbow emojis and not much else.

He knew Percy had a patent application coming up for his new engine design, something that made Vax’s brain hurt but he understood involved a lot of finalising and polishing and complicated forms. He just hoped he hadn’t lost himself in that, doing that thing where he got a handful of hours of sleep if he was lucky and had to set reminders on his phone to eat. Every time that had happened before, it had taken a lot to pull him out of that cycle.

The elevator pinged as it reached the top floor and Vax stepped into Percy’s apartment, ready to steal the keys to his workshop and throw them out of the window if he had to. Percy hadn’t been happy the last time he did that but it sure as hell worked.

His heart sank when he saw the living room empty but then his voice came from the bedroom, “Vax’ildan?”

“Percy!” relief brightened his voice and he left his jacket on the sofa and shoes in the hallway, following that voice eagerly, not realising it was a little heavier than usual, “What, have you just woke up or something? I expected to find you bent over your workbench like the Phantom of the Opera.”

The laugh that came in reply was a little limp but, when Vax actually entered the bedroom and saw Percy, everything about him looked a little limp. His hair was unbrushed, his glasses were smudged and not sitting right on his nose, he was in bed but he didn’t look like he’d gotten a wink of sleep any time recently.

“Is everything okay?” Vax asked, blinking, his smile flickering out, “Are you sick?”

“No, no, no,” Percy said quickly, jumping like he was only now aware of how he looked, smoothing his hair down and straightening his glasses as if it wasn’t too late, “No, I just… I’m fine.”

Vax frowned, “Have you been in your workshop today?”

“Uh, no,” Percy patted the blankets, trying to straighten them out and look like they hadn’t been tossed and turned in all day, “Not today.”

Vax finally tipped over the edge into worried. He clearly hadn’t been to the office. He hadn’t even been tinkering.

“Listen, if you don’t want to have sex right now, we can just hang out? Seems like you’re having a bit of a rough day…”

“No,” Percy shook his head, getting to his feet, staggering a little though he caught himself on the edge of his desk, “This is what you come here for, after all.”

Vax stopped in the step he’d been taking forward, ready to put his arm around Percy, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Dark rimmed eyes fixed on him, looking like he’d said something he hadn’t meant to, “Nothing? I just...it’s been a while, right?”

Something didn’t taste right but Vax let it go, “As long as you’re sure…”

Percy answered by closing the distance between them, finishing the action Vax had left behind, pressing his lips to Vax’s. Vax was surprised, for a moment, but soon found himself melting into the strong hands that came up to hold him at the small of his back and between his shoulder blades.

“Freddy…” he gasped, pupils wide and black enough to nearly fill his elven eyes. He couldn’t remember being kissed like that before.

“Just...just let me, Vax,” Percy pressed him back gently but insistently, making sure he fell gently onto the bed, “Let me take care of it.”

Chest heaving, a fire burning low in his chest but ready to leap upwards at a moment’s notice, Vax could only nod eagerly.

Percy moved purposefully, making Vax hopeful that he’d been imagining anything had ever been wrong. He removed Vax’s clothes in a frantic rush, like he resented them for getting in the way of what he wanted, tossing them aside carelessly. And then his mouth was everywhere and it was burning hot. He kissed hard enough to mark, everywhere that was in his reach, only spurred on by how Vax cried out throatily every time. His hands weren’t shy either, their scar tissue knotted fingers tracing everything they could, opening his legs.

“I...I want your hands,” Vax panted, well aware he was in no position to make requests or demands and loving that fact, “In me. Please?”

The possessive darkness in Percy’s eyes faded a little, remembering that wasn’t a request Vax often made, “Are you sure?”

Vax nodded, blushing fiercely, “Please...sir.”

Percy’s breath stumbled a little and his eyes flickered back to pure want, pure need, “Then that’s what you get.”

He kissed him again, somehow managing to be even harder, more encompassing, his teeth closing around his bottom lip briefly. His hands kept going, sliding further into the valley of Vax’s thighs, feeling the skin get warmer and warmer until they found the epicentre. Vax moaned into Percy’s mouth as his fingers opened him up, parted him and cracked him open like he was ripe fruit in his hands. Within moments there was enough slick to run down Percy’s wrist, following the sharp lines of his tendons, pulling and snapping as he worked him over with a precision and deft he normally reserved for his projects. He searched deep and found the ridge of skin within Vax that made him buck and cry out, working it over with the pads of his fingers.

He was well rewarded with Vax’s ragged panting, his voice high and breaking as he stammered out pleas for more, his legs wrapping around his hips and gripping tight as a vice.

Before long he was fighting to marshal enough of his brain to make words, “Percy...fuck, I’m close…”

Percy could feel it, in the trembling of his legs and the slur in his voice. He pulled him in again for another searing kiss, feeling everything else close off as soon as their lips met, like they’d been dragged underwater. And in that hollow, echoing moment, Vax came, hard.

Vax came up for air, gasping and trembling and moaning, hair falling across his face and sticking to his forehead.

But Percy still felt disconnected, like he’d been left behind still floating, unable to care as his lungs burned for want of oxygen.

Unable to care as he ruined things yet again.

As felt only natural, moving where his heart called out for, Vax rolled and reached for Percy. He did love this part, going blissfully boneless and relaxed, listening to his lover’s heartbeat gradually slow and gentle into its usual rhythm. All he wanted right now was to hold and be held.

But Percy wasn’t there. He was back in the position he’d been before, hunched on his side and turned away, eyes cast out at the grey, drizzly day the city had been locked in since dawn. Though Vax couldn’t see his face, there was a tension in his shoulders, something cold and unyielding like in the instant he’d been turned away, his love had been replaced by a marble statue.

“Percy?” he frowned, his voice suddenly feeling like it was echoing in the slight space between them, “What’s wrong?”

“Hmm?” Percy turned a little, enough to see the sharp lines of his face traced out in the low light, “Nothing?”

“You seem...off. If something’s wrong, you can tell me,” Vax reached over, making to trace between his shoulder blades, something soft and soothing, something to bring those blue eyes back to his own.

But that was when Percy muttered, “I just don’t want to keep you here for long. I don’t want you to miss any more dates.”

Vax froze solid in less than a second.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Percy flinched, like he hadn’t meant for that come out of his mouth, let alone be heard. But he still didn’t turn, only curling in tighter on himself like he was trying to disappear entirely.

“I didn’t...I only mean you don’t have to be here if you don’t want to be. I’m not trying to…to... “ Percy sounded lost, trying to staunch a gushing wound with a scrap of tissue.

Vax drew away, sitting up, eyes dark and angry, “Percy, I actually cancelled plans to be here with you today. You know that?”

“I never asked you to do that,” Percy shot back, anger flooding in to fill the emptiness guilt chewed out, “I said right at the start…”

“Then why are you pissed off now?” Vax scowled, his own anger rising quickly as it always did, burning hot and filling him right to the tips of his fingers. Everything he’d been holding inside him, all the anticipation and love and wanting, it was all fury with the snap of his fingers, “You have no right to be.”

“I’m not… I know…” Percy’s voice grew thicker, “Vax, look, I can’t do this right now.”

Vax sat stunned for a moment. No please, it wasn’t supposed to be like this.

“Fine. Whatever. I don’t care. Like you said, got what I came for, right?”

He dressed faster than he ever had, yanking on his clothes, eyes burning as he waited for Percy to take it all back, to say it was a mistake, to say they could start again. And when he was finally dressed, nothing left to do but actually leave and no words had come from him, his heart finally broke in his chest.

Only when the elevator doors slid shut did Vax feel safe enough to cry.

Only when he heard the mechanism of the elevator sink lower and lower down the spine of the building did Percy feel safe enough to cry.