#maintenance guy is here working on the hot water for the building
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
Text
oh and I also don’t have hot water
I didn’t notice that one, because I am Confined To My Blanket Pile and too cold to move from it to explore things like kitchen sinks
but I was texting with a downstairs neighbor, who says her heat has been fine, but hot water is out for the whole building
to reiterate. the city declared a “cold emergency” and closed schools yesterday because it was too cold. it is That Cold. I first called building maintenance 16 hours ago expressing concern that my heat wasn’t working in a cold-emergency and they blew me off, and I’m still waiting on a heat fix
#maintenance guy is here working on the hot water for the building#he stopped by to take a look at my radiators and tried something#(which didn't work)#and said he'd come back after he fixes the hot water#to see if it worked (it didn't)#that was like 90 minutes ago?#so I hope he does..... come back#(my radiators are steam heat; not hot water)#I've continued to have hot water when my heat's gone out before so idk#no idea why Just Me doesn't have heat#I have been up for 7 hours just sitting in my bed Being Cold this is an unextremely not fun way to spend a saturday#rent is way too expensive to let me be this cold for this fucking long
7 notes
·
View notes
Text
okay, so- the past three days have been pretty insane, hence no to-do lists. did not know hour-to-hour what in the hell i'd have to do next.
monday morning, there was a company meeting, and it was announced that we were being sold. this was not... the most surprising thing in the world, because about a month ago there was this sudden hasty push by the top to reorganize the business into distinct independent units that didn't depend on shared services. like, what else would the point of doing that be, if not to sell off pieces of the business? sure, they said that wasn't happening, but who the hell was fooled by that?
so i used to do most of my work on these projects for this one specific business unit, building and running a bunch of middleware API integrations for our learning management system. but my boss, who used to be in charge of the dev team generally, got assigned to this totally different unit- and she liked me enough that she pushed really hard to get me reassigned to her unit.
so i was already conflicted about that:
i really like my boss- she's really understanding of my need for flexibility to work on my side projects, she only cares that i get the work done (and even with many side projects, i still consistently exceed expectations and get a full-time workload done ahead of schedule), and she was pushing hard to get me a raise against upper management who'd taken to using covid austerity as an excuse to never give anyone any raises ever. and the team assigned to this unit didn't have any senior devs who could handle a big infrastructure transition, and i'd just become AWS certified, and without someone like me, my coworkers assigned to that unit would be in some hot water. plus, after the transition, maintaining a reduced suite of products would probably be easier day-to-day.
but on the other hand, all my projects in the other business unit, with the LMS- those are pretty vital, and the nature of the contracts with those clients necessitates frequent maintenance and changes. my code for those integrations is bad, for various reasons but mainly that there is no dev environment for testing changes. it's fundamentally about managing production data in databases we don't directly control, so every change has to be done very quickly and carefully, with no room for big refactors to clean things up (and risk breaking stuff). it's a mess, and no one in the other business unit is prepared to take it over. plus- i liked working directly with clients, doing work where if i did the work someone was appreciative of the work. it was motivating!
ultimately, i decided to trust my boss and follow her to the other business unit. we weren't completely splitting from the rest of the business- i'd still be able to train up someone else to take over my projects, we'd still have the shared customer accounts management software, and- crucially- i'd still have the boss who understood my needs and had no interest in squeezing value out of me.
so i went on vacation for a couple weeks right after committing to that decision- and then i came back on monday, and that day they announce we're being sold.
also that my boss is fired and being replaced by someone from the new company.
also that we have two months to completely disconnect all our products from shared service infrastructure and rebuild our own.
also no takesies-backsies, the acquisition agreement included terms that the former company not hire back any of the sold-off employees or even discuss the acquisition with them at all. no chance to react to the new information except to sign the new offer letter by close of business on Wednesday.
i was unhappy about this! can you tell???
so my first thought was- okay, this is bullshit. i still want to work for the LMS people, the LMS people still want me to work for them, there has to be a solve here. so i go to the guy in charge of that division, who also wants me to keep working there, and he says okay i'll have our lawyers look into it.
and then... he gets back to me sounding like a robot, "i am unable to discuss this further with you at this time", which is so obviously out of character for the guy that i can tell legal's thrown the book at him. i talk to legal myself- it's a dead end. they can't- they're unable to even talk about why they can't talk about it, because obviously this deal was engineered to prevent me from doing exactly what i'm trying to do here.
so i go at it from the other angle. president of the sold company, now a wholly-owned for-profit subsidiary of a nonprofit organization (is that even allowed???), i explain to him, hey, this is a mistake, i'm only here because my old boss really wanted me to be on her team, surely you can let me go continue doing my actual job?
nope.
so then i start playing hardball.
the salary they're offering me is, adjusted for inflation, less than the salary i was offered two years ago, which had come with the (entirely failed) non-promise that i'd be bumped up to a certain level very quickly after some formalities re: the employment structure. i explain, in detail, how upset i am with the entire state of affairs- and i threaten to walk, which i am allowed to do. i'm not required to sign their new contract- i'd need to go job-hunting, sure, but i have money in the bank, i can afford to do it, and i could definitely get a better deal somewhere else.
this is a tense situation! my old boss knew this team needed me- but they unceremoniously fired her while she was on vacation, so her opinion doesn't mean dirt to them apparently. it's unclear how vital i really am to this- they could maybe train up one of the other devs to handle the AWS stuff.
and on my side- if i walk, that's it. all that horrible messy code for the LMS stuff- i don't get two months to train someone else up and write documentation and do some housecleaning. i'm gone! my horrific dirty laundry (and hours and hours of regular maintenance work) gets handed off to some other dev who's totally unprepared for it, and that person inevitably puts a curse on my entire family line as retribution for me leaving them holding that intolerable bag. i don't actually want to walk, because then i end up the bad guy in the eyes of people i respect and care about.
(also i'd have to do a job hunt and that shit is so god damn annoying you have no idea you probably have some idea.)
so i tell the guy, look- i can do better. i'm basically starting over doing harder work at an unfamiliar company, and if i'm doing that anyway, why not do it for someone who'll pay me? if you don't give me X amount of money, i'm walking out, and now you don't have an infrastructure guy during the two-month window you have to migrate a shit-ton of infrastructure. i am a serious dude and you can't just fuck with me!
(and inside i'm like:
because oh god i am not a serious dude i am so easily fucked with what if i'm pushing my luck too hard)
and he lets me fuckin' stew. 5:00 on wednesday i need to have either signed a contract or not signed a contract, and he hedges and goes to talk with the higher-ups and makes no promises, and i have no idea whether it's because i scared him or if he's trying to work out how to replace me or what. all this negotiation has been eating my brain for the past couple days and it's coming down to the wire-
and then a couple hours before the deadline he gets back to me with a counteroffer. it's less than i was asking, because that's how negotiations work, but it is more than i was making when i was brought on, by a good 10k.
so now it's on to round two. i'm gonna stick around for this two-month period, make this transition work, clean up my mess and take care of things with my now ex-coworkers- and then if they haven't either proven their management is tolerable or given me a crystal-clear path to advancement, we're back to the standoff- except this time, they'll have a good idea of exactly what it is they stand to lose.
haaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. okay. okay. yeah. so that's dealt with for the time being. i can breathe now. we'll see how it goes. fuck.
27 notes
·
View notes
Note
May I request a TASM!Peter Parker x Reader fic,??
Feel free to do anything,,, if you're familiar with the Prowler,,, could the reader be a Prowler or smthng,? It's fine if not, I enjoy your work :D
Warnings: I put swearwords :( Oh and slang. Not 100% accurate to the movies mind you...
.
.
ORANGE COUNTY, NY. The last train stop before entering the New York metropolitan area. Geographically? Not far. Enough to be an inconveniencing commute, but quieter, greener. It's that time of the year, when light showers waft in from the warming ocean, the sky patchy and swirling with paint strokes that occasionally break, revealing clear blue skies. Airplanes disappear into those huge blooms of white and storming grey, airliners headed out and disappearing over the Atlantic.
Orange County, NY, was the northernmost entrance into The Big Apple. And for a broke nobody like you? It's not like it's hard to catch a train, after all. In fact, when the tracks pass right through your backyard, it couldn't be easier. This place used to be a factory warehouse, after all.
They're nothing like you see in the movies, though. No huge glass industrial windows and concrete floors. This was, in all actuality, a glorified steel tent in a vaguely rectangular boxy shape. The ceiling leaked onto the gravel floors, and the entire place reeked of mildew, not to mention the draft. Oh, the draft.
But it did its job, and it housed your stuff. As in your hammock, and your backpack, and your sleeping bag... Now that you've thought about it, being low maintenance has its perks.
And stashed in the one good corner of the building was a plastic tote bin. Good for keeping any extras, the kind that'd suck to lose, but wouldn't be impossible to live without. Water-damaged comics, some bottled water, a can of cold, soggy barbecue beans... The backups. The comics really didn't do you any justice. Nor did the papers. No, when entering the Villain's evil lair, usually it looked like you'd imagine in the picture shows. The gorgeous open spaces, the rows of gadgets and gizmos that would cost a fortune! A fortune! To create, let alone maintain. But here you were. Not a villain draped in black. Well, no, your suit had black on it, but that was to keep a low profile. And because who wants to wear neon yellow on a stealth mission? Oh, also, not rich, and did you mention the not-a-villain part? Yeah, no, not necessarily the big scourge of NY. As in vigilante. Nameless. On the prowl, or something like that. You do chump work for free hot dogs and kisses from grannies, or whatever. Or at least you did, before that hot-shot fucker hero of the city SPIDER-MAN swooped in just as you were about to intercept a purse thief and roundhouse kicked you in the stomach! Yeah! Not good for PR! Suddenly all eyes were on fucking you!
The goal was to pop in and pop out, make some cash by emptying some loser petty criminal's pockets, who was maybe probably also strapped for cash but hey, they asked for it! The goal was NOT to end up plastered all over the city in your torn and run-down trench coat 'n ski mask throwing hands with FUCKING SPIDER-MAN.
It might not have been the most morally upstanding business, but when you're sneaking into the back of run-down pizza joints just to take a pat-down bath in decently warm-ish water that came out of fifty-year-old lead pipes, you take what you can get!
And that Spider, Man, fucking SPIDER-MAN, who's oh so loved by the people is a fucking sham! A fraud! How do you know? Because he started out just like you! He wasn't a good guy, not some hero, he was just some guy in a suit who did what he could. The people just looooved that, they ate it right up! But heaven forbid he share the streets with anyone, nooooo, not looking out for the little guys, are we Mr. Big-Shot?!
Thank god you've got a local white boy brainiac to buy you hotdogs and hide you in his apartment for five minutes because by god the cops have been on your ASS.
SO YEAH. Yeah. No apologies from Spider-SHAM. No apologies from them wanted criminal ads either. And definitely no apologies from that fucking comic they wrote where you get your ass beat when you clearly got a good couple fucking punches in! And really, really thank Pete that middle-class Mr. I'm going to NYU after my gap year building geeky science contraptions saw you looking sad, pathetic, and starving in that alleyway you dipped into after getting violently assaulted by ASS-MAN and chased by police dogs. It really sparked an unlikely friendship. Mr. Straight-laced-n-narrow 'n you. And the hotdogs? The 'I've got some spare change, wanna go get a glizzy" hotdogs? They were the best thing that SPIDER-MAN has ever done. Well, indirectly. He's still an ASS. Oh, and Peter? He's a peach. Always fussing over you, letting you talk your shit, definitely normal about your hatred for SPIDER-MAN. Pretty much everyone in all the five boroughs would never let you off the hook for saying some of the shit you say about him! Naw, you've got a compadre in Peter. He pats you on the back and says "Yeah, how awful that guy is- yeeeahh." and hands you some chips along with your hotdog to make it all better.
You almost feel bad for mooching off the guy, but no, he insists. Dunno what you did to deserve such an angel, but SPIDER-MAN, if you're out there, you better telepathically receive this FUCK-YOU.
#x reader#reader insert#spiderman#peter parker#peter parker x reader#spiderman x reader#semi crack#comedy#humor#irony#requests open#You're implied to be the prowler#But your own sort of version#oh metaphors#anti hero#vigilante#heroes and villains
9 notes
·
View notes
Text
youtube
At The Drain Guys LLC, we are more than just a plumbing company. We are your trusted partners for all your plumbing Yukon needs. Our mission is to deliver reliable and effective plumbing services that ensure your home or business operates smoothly, without the inconvenience of unexpected plumbing issues. We understand that when it comes to plumbing, you need a team you can rely on-one that combines technical know-how with a deep commitment to customer satisfaction.
OUR SERVICES
We offer a comprehensive range of plumbing services tailored to meet the needs of our customers in Yukon, Oklahoma. Here’s a closer look at what we provide:
Plumbing Repair: Our team is skilled in all types of plumbing repairs, from fixing leaky faucets to repairing burst pipes. We use advanced techniques and quality materials to ensure that your plumbing system is restored to optimal condition.
Plumbing Installation: Whether you need a new water heater, a bathroom remodel, or a complete plumbing system for a new build, we’ve got you covered. Our plumbing installation services are reliable and efficient, ensuring that everything is set up correctly the first time.
Emergency Plumbing: Plumbing emergencies can happen at any time, and when they do, you need a reliable emergency plumbing service you can count on. We offer 24/7 emergency services to handle urgent plumbing issues, ensuring that you are never left in a lurch.
Plumbing Inspection: Regular inspections are essential for maintaining the health of your plumbing system. Our plumbing inspection services are thorough and detailed, helping you identify potential problems before they become costly repairs.
Plumbing Maintenance: Preventative maintenance is key to avoiding unexpected plumbing issues. We offer customized maintenance plans to keep your plumbing system in top shape year-round.
Water Heater Services: From installation to repair, our team is experienced in handling all types of water heaters. We work with both traditional and tankless water heaters, ensuring that you have a reliable supply of hot water whenever you need it.
Drain Cleaning: Clogged drains can lead to more serious plumbing problems if not addressed promptly. Our drain cleaning services are designed to clear blockages quickly and effectively, restoring proper flow to your plumbing system.
Sewer Line Repair and Replacement: Sewer line issues can be a major headache. We offer comprehensive sewer line repair and replacement services to resolve these problems efficiently.
Bathroom and Kitchen Plumbing: Whether you’re remodeling your bathroom or kitchen or need repairs to your existing plumbing, we have the expertise to get the job done right.
Commercial Plumbing Services: In addition to residential plumbing, we also offer a full range of commercial plumbing services. From routine maintenance to complex installations, we are equipped to handle the unique needs of businesses in Yukon, Oklahoma.
WHY CHOOSE THE DRAIN GUYS LLC?
Choosing a plumber Yukon OK can be challenging, especially when so many options are available. However, what sets us apart is our unwavering dedication to our customers. We are not just another plumbing company; we are a business built on values like integrity, honesty, and hard work. Our team of skilled professionals is dedicated to providing high-quality plumbing services at competitive prices. When you choose The Drain Guys LLC, you are choosing a company that prioritizes your needs and works tirelessly to exceed your expectations.
One of the core strengths of our business is our ability to tackle any plumbing issue, big or small. From minor plumbing repairs to major installations, our team has the experience and knowledge to handle it all. We don’t just fix the problem; we go the extra mile to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Our focus is on providing long-lasting solutions that give you peace of mind.
OUR COMMITMENT TO CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
At The Drain Guys LLC, customer satisfaction is at the heart of everything we do. We understand that plumbing issues can be stressful and disruptive, which is why we strive to make the process as smooth and hassle-free as possible. Our team is known for its clear communication, timely responses, and fair pricing. We believe that these elements are crucial in building trust and maintaining long-lasting relationships with our clients.
When you call The Drain Guys LLC, you can expect a prompt response from our team. We know that time is of the essence, especially in cases of emergency plumbing. Our goal is to address your plumbing concerns quickly and efficiently, minimizing any inconvenience to you. Whether it’s a small leak or a major plumbing emergency, we are here to help.
WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT?
When you search for a plumber near me, you want to find a company that stands out from the rest. At The Drain Guys LLC, we are proud of the reputation we have built as a trustworthy and reliable plumbing company. Here are some of the reasons why we are the preferred choice for many homeowners and businesses in Yukon, OK:
Experienced Team: Our team of plumbers is highly trained and experienced in all aspects of plumbing. We stay up-to-date with the latest industry trends and techniques to provide the best possible service to our customers.
Honest Pricing: We believe in transparent pricing with no hidden fees. Before we start any work, we provide you with a detailed estimate so you know exactly what to expect.
Customer-Centric Approach: We put our customers first in everything we do. From the moment you contact us to the completion of the job, we strive to provide a positive and stress-free experience.
Quality Workmanship: We take pride in our work and are committed to delivering high-quality results on every job. Whether it’s a minor repair or a major installation, we approach every project with the same level of care and attention to detail.
Local Knowledge: As a locally owned and operated business, we understand the unique plumbing needs of homes and businesses in Yukon, Oklahoma. We are familiar with the area’s plumbing systems and building codes, which allows us to provide services that are both effective and compliant.
THE IMPORTANCE OF PROFESSIONAL PLUMBING SERVICES
While some minor plumbing issues can be handled with DIY solutions, many problems require the expertise of a professional plumber Yukon Oklahoma. Attempting to fix complex plumbing issues on your own can lead to more significant problems down the line, resulting in costly repairs and potential damage to your property.
At The Drain Guys LLC, we have the tools, knowledge, and experience to handle any plumbing issue, no matter how complex. We use advanced diagnostic equipment to accurately identify the root cause of the problem and implement solutions that are both effective and long-lasting. By choosing professional plumbing services near me, you can have peace of mind knowing that your plumbing system is in good hands.
WHY REGULAR PLUMBING MAINTENANCE IS ESSENTIAL
Regular plumbing maintenance is crucial for preventing unexpected plumbing problems and ensuring the longevity of your plumbing system. At The Drain Guys LLC, we offer comprehensive maintenance services designed to keep your plumbing in top condition. Our maintenance plans are tailored to the specific needs of your home or business, addressing potential issues before they become major problems.
Some of the benefits of regular plumbing maintenance include:
Early Detection of Problems: Regular inspections allow us to catch small issues before they escalate into more significant problems, saving you time and money in the long run.
Improved Efficiency: A well-maintained plumbing system operates more efficiently, reducing water waste and lowering your utility bills.
Extended Lifespan of Plumbing Components: Regular maintenance helps extend the life of your plumbing fixtures and appliances, delaying the need for costly replacements.
Peace of Mind: Knowing that your plumbing system is well-maintained gives you peace of mind and allows you to focus on other important aspects of your life or business.
Contact Us:
The Drain Guys LLC 104 Chickasaw Ln, Yukon Oklahoma 73099 405-489-4939
Find us online:
Our Website: https://thedrainguys405.com/
Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/?cid=11837416360336458383
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/00t36d0i6hnqpnbi70qggzg8hc2fqp/
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-drain-guys-yukon
Zumvu: https://zumvu.com/thedrainguysllc/
Proven Expert: https://www.provenexpert.com/the-drain-guys-llc/
Muvz U: https://muvzu.com/home-pros/the-drain-guys-llc
0 notes
Text
Not as soon as I anticipated, but we meet yet again old friend. How have you been?? Yeah it's hard to keep up and it's hard to adjust. I saw you are trying to improve though. Me? Let's not talk about that. Fine I can be honest, truth is I still tell people I'm fantastic or it's another day in paradise when the reality is I don't know if I'm OK. So much in my head... I...my wife I'm pretty sure she's joking when she calls me gay, but sometimes I'm not sure, I know I'm not totally straight. I spent 2 years on the down low with a guy and only 2 people that weren't me or him know and one is my wife and that telling was far from great, anyway we were both from religious homes and had to keep everything hidden. And on the note of religion I think it has led to some of my issues. I don't know what I believe, I know what I have been told to believe my whole life, but I don't know what I believe. I was raised in a Seventh Day Adventist home, as was my mother, and her parents and I know my great grandparents were so it's a long standing thing in my family. My friend was from a equally long line of deep south Baptist beliefs. The SDA beliefs are much more strict and holds to the old mosaic law. I was 30 at my first sampling of bacon. Now crazy as it sounds I work for a Christian based non-profit and have been there 4 years now. I am a maintenance technician and also do grounds care. I am on call and we rotate weekends so I work some Saturdays and Fridays after sunset which is a ticket to the bad place. Not that having had relationships with another guy wouldn't also be a reason for that,but sometimes I still have a desire for it. I still have to keep things hidden because it could be grounds for dismissal from my job. My job is super flexible with days off and hours so I can raise my kids and I know nowhere else would be so forgiving to me. I wasn't careful one day and was sighted in the building with my Proud Furry hoodie on(I had gotten diesel fuel on my other it was the one I had in my truck)so that combined with the nail polish has left people suspect. I have to wonder sometimes if my wife believes I'm more gay than straight or if I want something else. She would be the one to know as she knows more about me and my past than my parents, a therapist would have a field day but until then I will have to settle with emptying my mind here. Have spent the last several nights after she goes to sleep sitting on the shower floor for an hour or two and just letting the water rain down. I don't know if it helps but the rain is still too cold for such things. There is so much I don't understand like pronouns and transjender, I was never exposed to things largely due to religious sheltered life. I have finally encountered a person who is non-binary and it's hard to remember to use they/them and people call you out for you and tell you you don't care about others or you would just change, but I was programed to think, act and talk this way for 30 years! Ask a smoker who has smoked 5 years to quit cold turkey. My grandfather on my Dad's side used the N word and did so openly, but his best friend was an old colored gentleman Mr.Milton and every day before he ate his dinner rain shine or hurricane he would take him a hot plate of food. If you didn't know and didn't see you'd thought him a racist white supremacist, but it wasn't the case. People talk about care but are so quick to judge or tell you how you should feel... That's part of why my wife knows things my parents don't. I won't elaborate much but I took a problem to people you were supposed to trust and it went just as I was told it would. So I made changes and because I was young and of such a light build I likely stunted my growth a smidgen and damaged my joints. I don't know why my wife stays when I'm so damaged. I wish I could see what she does or did see. She still spends a lot of time on her phone and I asked her to talk to me yesterday and she didn't put down her phone. Some days are so much more a struggle than others. I'll see you later old friend. Thanks for being here.
0 notes
Text
There is some news and it happens to do with my husband's situation. There are several things that are going to materialize shortly. One of them is he might get a new roof and it's because if they want to expel someone and have the police down there they might want to put a roof on it also not the cops would noted but the sewer needs to be fixed and they said the town is starting to make tons of noise about it and they're threatening my husband to displace him and the threatening Ken let's make the maintenance man hasn't done any real work there and it's not the code there's a lot of stuff you made a list and you found 20 things including the garage is open to the house and there's a lot of stuff doors that don't work right lots it or not working and he says he's going to fix it the roof needs to be replaced basic cold stuff and for the state you need more.
The state requires a solid door and they have hollow core doors on all his houses
The state requires a certain type of passage set lock and the ones on there are not the right one and you must have a secondary lock and they don't at all and it's required for group living when it's considered to be an apartment and they violated the code and law and my husband can sue them for his rent money back because the situation was hostile and he created it too didn't even have to it's the point don't even have to sue for that reason just the door knob alone
+they're not enough refrigerators in each house you need one refrigerator for two people and they're mean about it and on purpose and you can sue for that too and we will shortly
-power outages are not documented and food is not replenished and they happen often there because the wiring is messed up and they don't fix it and also there are wires that are hanging down that's not to code for the state and for local code and federal code for buildings
-the hot water is undersized it's a fire hazard firstly and is incorrectly sized means that you can shut the whole house down because of the hot water heater being teeny and he ignored him and he's not going to now he's going to get beat up on these points
-the locks on the door to the garage or the wrong way they should be on the inside of the house and people are felt threatened by it but that doesn't matter it's against code and against the estate board of health because it creates a hostile atmosphere
-the floors were bare concrete and that's a No-No with the State board of health it creates a hostile atmosphere
-people are left to fend for themselves for furniture and other things for their rooms and that is a No-No for the State board of health my husband asked for a bed several times they never did anything he asked for a test they never did anything and his room was disgusting and didn't have any air and put a fan in and they said from not to use it and he ignored them and that's against the rules and they do not have the percentage and it was proven that they don't have that air and they were suffocating people and you can not only Sue but it's a violation of building code and the State board of health for housing people
-the wall and fences around the house are decrepit and in bad shape and can harm people is against the State board of health and building code you cannot have people house there according to the State building code if your house is damaged there's several points to that they put in doors the wrong way that are not to code they're supposed to open to the inside and these doors open out too in the apartment here and there's an argument in this state about that and it's not an argument with the code the code says it has to open inside and so the house doesn't pressurize and blow the doors out
-there's a lot more code violations the fire alarm was never operational and they were told 20 times by one person and 30 by another and they never did the work the guy was using the garage and storage for his stuff and he was not supposed to it's a code violation with the state for the housing requirement there's a big list mostly they had a roof that was leaking and that's against building code and the code of health that certifies the place and I'm really having an inspector down there but they're giving these people s*** when their place is a mess the big violation is the garage is open to the rest of the house that's very illegal and they're having people clean their own rooms the fan the walls and things like that and it's in writing and that's cruel and unusual treatment they're not responsible for doing full cleaning that's the responsibility of the housing provider and it's in law and every single law will be held on you she better go and educate yourself because once I take over you're going to have to go to jail and I don't care what you think he said that to Terry cheesman and he she had a bird starts trying to be nice he didn't care and told her him then I don't belong here from treated poorly you can hear about it and so the big shot and the assholes making it happen and I'll be buried dead in hell and he started getting mouthy and the president was stuck there and Terry cheesman and then they're still mouthy at what point do you decide to shut your mouth because I think at this point you're 50% gone and it was about right and he said that's a lot I said that's that's way too much and it's happening because of this place here and what people are doing and exposing themselves by being a dick so he looked at and said he's right and we have to stop it he's been trying to stop it what would you do if you were very important grew up well off people wouldn't let you have your money you're extremely valuable in other countries are willing to kill anybody for it it was mistreating you think about it there's no reason for me to be nice or to help anybody so he looked at a logically and he went around telling people and nobody did anything right and they still suck it's not his fault and really that's going out of your way if you're a Satanist and he says that look like you so I'm like what the f*** you doing I can't stop by me and being angry and said c*** and she's a f****** huge b**** he's talking about Lily she did that routine at the mall and they start getting upset and said that's what he's trying to do and he's a loser so they're going after Dan to shut him down it's the same routine they all get mad and hate each other but seriously you're going to publish this because Castle is giving the apartment a problem and there's many more code violations there the way they're treating people is illegal in the alma budsman has about 50 pages on Joe alone of what they're doing to him to make him angry and they're using devices and all sorts of things I'm going to come at dinner or lunch and breakfast and people started saying why don't you come at a time other than dinner lunch and breakfast and then they did the whole kitchen and they had no place to fix their food and there's no offer of a substitute and they can't go without a kitchen it's like a month without a kitchen it was operational and he goes why don't you sue me and says I will so we're going to sue him too and we'll see how he likes this people going to start complaining they're going to start beating the s*** out of this idiots
Hera Zues
Olympus
It doesn't want to go drinking with you and you're spitting on him and you're a slob and your retard and he wants his money and he's staring at him and he's saying I'm not going to get him this money he said well so lousy reason to die is over a few pennies and that's what's going to happen to you so he's walking his house and he said I can't stand anymore everyone's saying it they got beat up anyways cuz he's just going to keep doing it
Hera
0 notes
Text
HOT DAY AND A TIRED MAN
This fic is dedicated to @lovelyladyraven for being my first ever paid commission.
Shouta Aizawa x fem reader
Tw:dangerous situation, breeding, OVERSTIMULATION
Word count: 3.5k
This was not how you had planned to spend your day. Your boss had decided that the roof needed to be cleaned on the second hottest day this summer! Of course you were the only one who had just finished up their task so he sent you to do it by yourself with a promise of sending the next available person up to switch with you soon. Instead you had spent two hours cleaning up dirt and shining the vents on a roof that no one but maintenance workers ever set foot on! Once you had seen how much time had passed you went to the door with every intention of stomping down the stairs and clocking out, not willing to do overtime just to clean a roof. But the knob wouldn't turn no matter how hard you pulled. You banged on the door a few times only to realize that one of the idiots that you work with had locked the door. Quickly you took out your phone and called the store phone no answer, then your boss's phone no answer, then you called the two other coworkers who had been working with you today. Not a single person answered you! You went over to the side of the building that looked over the parking lot seeing that all their cars were already gone from their usual spots. The bastards had left for the day and left you locked on the roof with no way to go home or even get water. You tried for another 30 minutes to reach your boss and coworkers only for them to start rejecting your calls. They did this on purpose. You went and sat in the shade of the roof door access and took a few calming breaths. You knew that they weren't going to come back until tomorrow and you also knew that they probably expected you to sit up here and cry waiting till morning for them to come and "save" you. So instead you looked up the number for the local fire department. Once someone picked up you heard a deep gravelly voice through the speaker.
"Fire station 6 what can I help you with?"
The man seemed tired and kind of put out but instead of apologizing for bothering him like your brain was screaming at you to do, you cleared your throat and spoke. You gave him a detailed rundown of your situation and explained that you would have called the emergency line first except your boss's wife worked the police directory and if he was locking you on the roof like this you were afraid that his wife would just not send anyone to help you. It was a small town and things like that were constantly looked over as long as you knew the right people. He hummed in agreement.
" That's sad but true. I know your boss and his wife well enough that you're probably 100 percent right about what they would do and how they would cover this up. They've done it before. Me and a few guys will be there in about 20 minutes to come get you down. Just keep calm and do your best to stay out of the sun until then we don't need you getting any more dehydrated than you already are."
He gave a quick goodbye and hung up. You breathed a sigh of relief knowing that you had chosen correctly when you called the fire station. You sat in the shade and tried to put a face to the voice of the tired firefighter who would be coming to free you from your rooftop prison. Like a fool you had never asked his name. As you thought about it you started to get a bit lightheaded. It had definitely been too long since you had any water. The heat was starting to get to you now that your adrenaline had stopped pumping so hard. With nothing else to do you layed down as much in the shade as you could and did a breathing exercise. During your exercise you must have blacked out because the next thing you knew you were being carried down the stairs in a set of strong arms.
The person carrying you was speaking to you but you couldn't make out what they were saying over the fog that was covering your brain. You knew the sound of that voice though. It was the tired firefighter but he sounded a whole lot less tired and a whole lot more angry. You really hoped he wasn't angry at you. Maybe you were too heavy and he was annoyed at having to lug you down the stairs. With a weak hand you reached up maybe to apologize somehow, but ended up cupping his cheek. His stubble felt funny in your already funny feeling hand. He stopped walking at the feeling of your hand on his face. You still couldn't open your eyes so instead you mumbled a garbled sorry and proceeded to pass back out going limp. The last thing you heard was the tired firefighter yelling at someone, maybe you?
You woke up again this time to the feeling of something plastic on your face. Opening your eyes was still a bit too much for you so you listened and tried to figure out what was going on. You vaguely remember the tired voice you had spoken to before you felt light headed and the feeling of being carried. As you listened you could make out the sounds of machines. Slowly you took stock of your body. You were sore and kinda warm but you could move a little bit. You breathed deeply, finally realizing that the plastic was an oxygen tube. You were definitely in the hospital then. After a few more minutes your eyes were in good enough condition that you opened them to look around the room. When you did you saw someone slumped in the chair in the corner. This was incredibly strange since you had no family in this town. Doing your best you cleared your throat preparing to ask who they were. At your sound the person's head shot up, eyes wide.
It was a man with tired eyes and long black hair that was on the scruffy side; it easily matched the stubble of a beard on his chin and cheeks. He stood up definitely tall enough to tower over you even when you were standing up yourself. The man walked to your bedside and took a deep breath before speaking.
"It's good to see you awake little one. I was beginning to think you weren't going to wake up. I'm the firefighter you spoke to asking for help when you were on the roof. I have a lot to explain to you but I'm gonna call the doctor in and have them look you over before anything else."
He called out into the hall after that and a doctor and a nurse bustled into the room within minutes. Your throat was too dry to answer their questions so you stuck to little nods and head shakes as they began to check your vitals and adjust your iv drip. Once they were sure you were stable enough you were once again left with your savior and no voice to thank him with. He came closer and pulled the chair along with him to settle in for your conversation.
"So you've been out of it for about 3 days. You got sunstroke while you were on the roof and your boss had double locked the door to get in and the door to the roof which slowed us down in getting to you. Your boss and his wife and your 2 coworkers have all been arrested. It was your boss's idea though apparently he kept hitting on you but you didn't give him the time of day so he wanted to teach you a lesson. His wife had your name flagged so that if you had called for help it would have given a dispatcher a notification to ignore you as a false reporter. His wife found out about his interest in you and was planning on making sure you were stuck on that roof all night. Your coworkers just went along with it because they didn't want to deal with your boss's anger."
Hearing all this pissed you off beyond belief. They could have killed you all because you would be a man's mistress and the man's wife would rather hurt someone than confront her husband. He looked at your face and patted your knee knowing there was nothing he could say that would make you feel any better about this. You looked up at him and grabbed his hand and brought it to your forehead, touching his knuckles there before placing a kiss on them. You were kind of happy that you couldn't really talk just yet because the blush on this man's cheeks was well worth the dry throat. He poured you a cup of water and handed it to you. You gave him a small smile and drank it gratefully.
Eventually you could speak some and the two of you formally introduced yourselves. He was Shouta Aizawa, the fire station chief and local fire safety instructor for this area. He hadn't felt right leaving you alone after he had gotten you off the roof and found that you lived alone in this town. He came off very blunt and serious but you could see his deep kindness in his actions. The doctors came back in, cutting your conversation short and making Shouta go back to his spot in the corner. After a few more checks the doctors cleared you to go home the following day as long as you had someone to watch over you for the next three days till your follow up appointment was. You frowned cause you did have any close friends who could do that for you. As you pondered over it you heard Shouta's voice over the doctor's.
"If you don't have a problem I can have you stay over in the guestroom at my house. I was already on a temp leave due to watching over you here so it wouldn't be much different with you at my house."
This man with a deep whiskey voice truly had a heart of gold. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth you readily agreed. After you had been up a few more hours and had a little bit to eat, Shouta left with the promise of a freshly cleaned room waiting for you tomorrow. You fell asleep that night feeling more cared for than you ever truly had. You woke up again slightly disoriented and thirsty but in much better condition than you had been the day prior. It was early so you took your time shaking the numbness out of your limbs and getting back your bearings. The nurse came in fussing about you standing with calling anyone to be a catcher for you. She stopped fussing though when she realized that you were indeed stable enough to walk to the bathroom alone.
Shouta had called the nurses station around 10 to let them know he'd be there by 12. With a few puppy dog looks you had a shower chair and an orderly who helped wash your hair and walk you back to bed. They had given you some hospital pajamas that you happily wore instead of the ugly gowns you had woken up in. You were clean and relaxed by the time Shouta had arrived to sign you out of the hospital. A nurse came around with a wheelchair and wheeled you down to the exit while the car was brought around. Shouta opened the door for the backseat but instead of giving you a hand to climb in he leaned down and scooped you out of the chair. Once you had been sat comfortably on the seat he shut the door leaving you with a moment to appreciate just how strong his arms were.
The drive to Shouta's home was relatively quick as is the way of small towns. His house was nice and seemed to be a cozy ranch style. After pulling into the garage you tried to get out yourself only to be caught up against a hard chest as your legs gave out the moment they were made to take your full weight. You looked up to see an exasperated glare. Part of your brain filled with chastised thoughts as the other filled with dirty thoughts. You really had to be better behaved when It came to your savior and benefactor but with him being so sinfully attractive it was kinda hard to do. Once again you were carried by the tired man this time into his home and deposited on the lone couch in his living room. He sat on his coffee table and faced you with a sigh.
"You're really gonna have to rely on me for a few days brat. Your body is trying to heal and you pushing it as you just did isn't doing the process any favors."
You sighed and agreed with him. After a short conversation about a few things you might need from the store and checking about any food allergies he got ready and headed to the store. You sat alone watching tv before clicking into his YouTube app to see what he watched most. A loud laugh burst from your chest as you realized that most of his watch history was full of cat videos and a few interviews with a local late night radio host. You watched the radio hosts videos thoroughly entertained by his boisterous personality. The next thing you knew you were being shaken awake by Shouta having fallen asleep with videos still playing on the tv. He helped you up and walked you to the bathroom and waited outside before scooping you up yet again. He was making it so damn hard not to think dirty thoughts when he kept carrying you around as if you were a small animal or something. Like sir the butterflies are in the stomach now but they will quickly fly south if you keep being so quietly sexy. A few hours later you were lying in bed when your thoughts finally got the best of you and had you touching your pussy as images of Shouta glaring down at you with his arms crossed showed behind your eyelids.
You had no idea how loud you were being as you rubbed your clit harshly, trying to get to the finish line. As you came you choked out his name. While you panted and came down from your high Shouta made his way back to his room quietly. He leaned back against his door and made a call before laying in his bed to jerk his very hard, very neglected cock. His brain kept replaying the sounds you made, the way you choked out his name as you came, how a satisfied little smile curled on your lips after you reached the finish line. He came with a growl, satisfied but not. He was definitely going to end up in trouble by the end of the week and he couldn't find it in himself to care. The following two days followed the same pattern, spending the day together and spending the night getting off to thoughts of the other in separate rooms. Though you were surprised to find that Shouta regularly walked around the house in nothing but sweatpants holding a full mug of coffee. On the fourth day you had become well enough to no longer need to be carried or walked everywhere. You were a little confused by Shouta's attitude as he had been glaring at the space above your head for most of the day. Finally tired of him doing this, you confronted him about it. You were not expecting his answer in the slightest.
"I've spent the last three nights hearing you play with your pussy while calling my name, I'm hard enough to hammer nails and I can't get out any over this energy cause I'm supposed to be watching out for you. All I wanna do is fuck you till you lose your mind. me glaring above your head has been me doing my best not to seduce you like an asshole."
He said everything in such a deadpan manner that you couldn't help but laugh. Once you caught your breath you grinned at him and pulled your shirt off over your head. Sitting on his couch with your tits hanging free and your nipples hardening in the cool air you proceeded to play with them. You were immediately picked up and taken to his room before being dropped on the bed. Never let it be said that the tired man couldn't move fast as you were stripped of your remaining clothes before he stripped himself bare. He pulled you to the edge of his bed by your ankles and dropped to his knees, a fierce smile on his lips.
"Been wanting to taste this bratty pussy for days. Bet it's as sweet as it looks."
His first lick was long. From your hole all the way over your clit. The squeak you let out at the feeling only made him more hungry. He spent what felt like an endless amount of time licking and thrusting his tongue as deep into your pussy as he could. By the time he finally gave your clit some much needed attention his chin was covered in pussy juice and your hole was fluttering as if it was seeking to be filled. Shouta teased you with a few small licks over your clit, making you whine and beg him to give you more. His arms wrapped around your thighs as he locked eyes with you and sucked your clit into his mouth. He sucked hard making you scream and thrash wildly. Your hands were buried in his hair as you squirted into his mouth. Your hips only stayed on the bed because of his strong arms keeping you in place. When he finally released your clit pussy juice was steadily leaking from your still twitching hole.
"Oh did I break you already? You were so bold before and now you're just a mess. Think you can take my cock or do you want me to tuck you in for a nap."
The shit eating grin on his face was enough for you to pull his hair and glare at him. He sat up and shoved your wrists above your head to hold in one of his large hands. Slowly he worked his fat dripping cock into your almost too tight pussy. You whined and moaned his name as he finally bottomed out hitting your back wall. He stretched you more than you ever had been before but it was so damn good. Shouta started slow, one hand gripping your thigh as he ignored your demands for him to speed up.
"You're gonna take what I give you like a good girl or I'll just pull out and cum all over you right now."
That shut you up except for the constant stream of moans that left your throat. Just as you were finally getting used to being split by such a thick cock he changed his rhythm. Fast pounding thrusts that knocked the breath from your lungs were nearly constant. You didn't have enough breath to scream so you sobbed. Your half words were incoherent except for "sho please." Shouta leaned down and whispered in your ear as his thrusts once again spread up. He bit your ear lobe before making you lose your mind.
"Such a tight little hole. I can't believe I had the strength to ignore it for three days. I could have at least eaten it while you laid back and rested. God I'm gonna have you for breakfast tomorrow."
The utter heat in his words threw you over the edge making you cum so hard you began to shake. He growled as your pussy clenched down on him. Shouta sunk his teeth into the pillow by your head before shoving his cock against your cervix and shooting his cum against it. As soon as he finished cuming he started to thrust again. No slow start this time, just hard pounding thrusts that made you wail in pleasure. It didn't take long for you to cum again but Shouta lasted longer this time entirely fucking his cum out of you before finally cuming inside again just as deep as the first time.
He pulled out and laid down next to you before pulling you on to his chest. You both panted trying to breathe like normal human beings again. Right as your breathing evened out you heard a voice from the doorway. And looked up to see the blonde radio host trailing his eyes over the two of you.
"I told you you wouldn't make it till I got home sho."
#bnha simping hours#bnha smut#mha smut#aizawa shouta#aizawa fanfiction#aizawa x reader#aizawa smut#firefighter aizawa
376 notes
·
View notes
Text
Easy Candlework 101 - All you must know
So you wanna use candles, right?! Keep reading for more juice.❤
Hey guys, today I'm sharing with you the most essential info & rules to achieve effective candlework in your everyday life. I'll try to keep it as concise and simple as possible & hope this post helps you maximize the outcome of your rituals!
Little disclaimer: by *ritual* I mean the sole purpose you're using the candle for. Your commitment and intent IS THE RITUAL. Not necessarily related to a session featuring other magic tools and formal spellwork.
To make sure you're using the best candle for your intent, check each specific correspondence here below. Focus on your goal and consider for how long are you going to use the candle. Practice makes perfect! *PLEASE STAY SAFE WHILE HANDLING CANDLES, FIRES AND MATCHES. BE EXTRA CAREFUL, DON'T LEAVE CANDLES UNATTENDED.*
Thank you loves, xox msmoonfire IG: msmoonfire
1. When to light a candle.
Candles should be used ONLY IN MOMENTS OF NEED, STRUGGLE AND WEAKNESS. Using a candle in moments where it's not necessary is INEFFECTIVE. You can't use them as an "additional" or "supportive" ritual for what is already perfectly fine. Save yourself some money and stop wasting candles for non-honorable purposes. Fire energy is proud and very strong, it doesn't like just to be a useless "accessory" in your space. Do not offend it.
Each time you light a candle, there must be a serious reason why.
2. What candle do I choose?
Size, height, duration, color and scent all depend on your needs.
Maxi votive candles (40h+ duration) - Use if you're stuck in a situation that'll take long weeks or even an entire month to come to an end: you can light it every night for 2-3 hours until you achieve your goals.
Big candles (30h+ duration) - Use if you're stuck in a situation that'll take about 15 days to come to an end: you can light it every night for 2-3 hours until you achieve your goals.
Medium candles (20-26h duration) - Use if you're stuck in a situation that'll take between 1 week and 10 days to come to an end: you can light it every night for 2-3 hours until you achieve your goals.
Mini candles (2-4h duration) - Use if you're invoking the help of fire energy for just a 1-day matter, use tealights and small candles. Let it burn until the flame expires by itself, do not suppress it.
BARE CANDLE: it's the candle alone, you decide what type of candle holder goes underneath. Plates, flat coasters & ashtrays are recommended. Very effective in small sizes. Use if you don't need extra protection and for shortest term rituals (1-2 days). When larger, it can be placed inside a lantern or vase (read VASE C. or LANTERN). Can't be lit in social settings, indoor only. This type of candle supports the presence of other flames.
JAR CANDLE: Jarred candle or jar containing a candle, includes a jar cap. The cap is very useful for suppressing the flame gently; this type is recommended for long term rituals that require you to light up and extinguish the candle every night. Excellent for patience, perseverance, affection and self-help. Can be lit in social settings ALONE, without the interference of other candles.
LANTERN: whatever candle you decide to place inside a lantern. Best effective for welcoming GUIDANCE, spirituality, PEACE, HOPE and INSPIRATION. DON'T USE for anything related to sadness/negativity/confusion, this candle WON'T HELP YOU SOLVE PROBLEMS. Can only be lit in private or familiar settings, both outdoor and indoor. This type of candle supports the presence of other bare flames at a reasonable distance.
VASE CANDLE: candle poured or placed inside a vase holder. Vase candles don't have a cap, they're open on top. Best suitable for pyromancy/flame reading, social relationships, deep spellwork and protection (the taller the vase/the darker the color of the vase, the stronger the protection). By far the most powerful yet sensitive of all, can't be lit in social settings. Indoor only. This type of candle DOES NOT support the presence of other flames.
ROUND/FLOATING CANDLE: has round edges, made to float on water during a relaxing bath or just for atmosphere in a pond. They interact well with water energy, best suitable for emotions, mystery and for any sort of healing ritual. Can be lit in social settings but most effective in private, both indoor and outdoor. This type of candle supports the presence of other "twin" flames.
CLASSIC THIN & TALL CANDLE (candelabra): typical slender candle, excellent for spirituality, enlightment, ambition, special occasions and wealth. Being a tall candle, it strives towards a higher dimention and energy. Can be lit in social settings, indoor only. Supports the presence of other flames. Best effective if colored (non-white).
3. What color should I pick?
White: neutral wishes, positive energy within ourselves, light-hearted thoughts, purity, weather, anything home-related, balance, equality, winter.
Black: deep issues, overcoming fears and disorders, difficult problems of any sort, protection, investigation, inner strength, vision, tension, explicit clarity, negative energy to fight off.
Indigo, Purple: spirituality, beliefs, transformation, rebirth, higher knowledge, research, prayers, emotional connection, meditation, strong neutral energy that needs to be channeled upwards.
Blue: motivation, logic, control, consistency, physical movement, gaps and lacks of any sort, donations, masculine energy, males, assertiveness, addiction, prizes, charts, competitiveness, law.
Lilac, light blue, turquoise, periwinkle etc.: freedom, exploration, travel, serenity, peace of mind, good will, big steps, dreams, mood improvement, healing, positive energy that needs to expand, summer.
Light/Dark grey: must use this color only in case you run out of candles or have a minor neutral doubt. It's the weakest, most vulnerable color of all. Its absolute neutrality can be affected by negativity.
Yellows: your own relationship with nature outdoor, vitality, the arts, music, musical instruments, games, service, help, encouragement, small steps, new life, newborns, babies, spring.
Oranges: boldness, personality, social relationships, respect, parties, breaking control, breaking the rules, breaking patterns, decision making, negative energy from other people that needs to be sent back to the source, breakups.
Browns: formalities, work environment, stability, assets, tasks, stasis, milestones, practicalities, buildings, construction, neutral energy that has to stay fixed and stored inside your own body and possessions, long term memory, autumn.
Greens: environment, plants, progress, accountability, sustainability, food, sports, animals, crafts, strong neutral energy that is essential for our survival, common sense, empathy, inspiration.
Pinks (antique, candy, dust...): Love, collaboration, confessions, talks/chats, sex, behavioral changes, patience, understanding, menstrual cycle, labor, delivery, reception, friendships, courage, gossip, feminine energy, females, intuition.
Reds: passions (hobbies, competitions, dreams, jobs), determination, fury, anger, negative energy that needs to be balanced out, high pressure, stress, beauty, glamour, taboos, speed, war, drama, devastation, destruction, short term memory.
Fuchsia: anything moral, ethic thoughts, human rights, philosophy, heightened sensitivity/intuition, humanitarian propaganda, originality, demonstrations, collectivity, unity, deep conversations, study, culture, open mind.
Gold: = Yellow + all things money-related and sunshine.
Silver: loneliness, cozy environment, cold temper, sacred space, the outer space, modernity, modern style, metals, fish, any measure of time, time, clocks, watches, anything cold/frozen/precious/eternal.
Bronze: similar to brown + the past, hearth, wood, the 4 seasons, strength, warm environment, anything cooked/boiling hot/old/seasoned, spices, resistance, hospitality, endurance, restoration, recycling, maintenance.
#candles#candle#fire#fire energy#candle work#spellwork#love spell#spells#protection spell#bos#book of shadows#ritual#rituals#pagan witch#pagan#witch#paganism#wicca#witchblr#witches#magick#magic#witchythings#witchery#witchcraft#cottage witch#fire spell#energy work#witches of tumblr#witches of instagram
1K notes
·
View notes
Text
Stuck with You (Ksj)
Summary: When the run-down elevator in your building breaks down, you find yourself trapped inside with your cute neighbor Seokjin.
Notes: 2k, One Shot, Neighbor!Ksj, N2L, Ksj x reader, fluff, mild angst
Warnings: Mild panic attack caused by claustrophobia [Any further warnings will be added upon request]
A/N: Please be nice this is the first time I write for BTS 🙈 {Also this was 0% Edited. oops}
Cold sweat makes its way down your back as the pads of your fingers nervously press down on the emergency button of the elevator for just about the fourth time in the last fifteen minutes. They’re starting to hurt. Maybe not as much as your feet in the stupid shoes you decided to wear today, but they were definitely not this red when you first entered the building. Nevermind that, it’s starting to get ridiculously hot and you’re not entirely sure if the sweat is really from how stuffy it's getting in here, or if your fried nerves are starting to get a hold of you.
You’d told the owner several times that the elevator needed to be fixed, and now your worst nightmare had come true before your very eyes. Not even two seconds in and the sound of screeching and whining metal rang in your ears before the elevator stopped completely, only to leave you in darkness and a pounding heart that was very close to giving out on you. You’d never admit that you were claustrophobic, but with each second that passed, the air entering your lungs seemed to have more and more difficulty finding its way out.
Had you been by yourself, you’d have completely lost it by now, but as luck would have it, the quiet - and much more controlled - breaths beside you told you that you very much weren’t. In your panic you’d nearly forgotten you weren’t alone in the metal death trap you found yourself in. Thinking back to it now, you’d managed to avoid everyone in the lobby until his hand broke through the gap of the elevator just as the doors were closing.
Seokjin, your neighbor who moved in next door almost a year ago, stood about a foot away from you, nowhere near as worried about your current predicament as he probably should've been. In fact if it weren’t for the thin sheen of sweat gracing his forehead, you’d think he was just as content here as if he were at home.
In the short amount of time you’d known him it was more than clear he was a sweet and kind person, not to mention his ridiculous sense of humor and his even more ridiculous good looks. It was unfair really, that someone who looked so perfect was just as beautiful on the inside. His presence now had kept you somewhat sane, for the most part. His kind smile now met your panicked eyes, offering you silent comfort in hopes that it would stop you from banging on the steel again. He approached you slowly, stepping over the grocery bags he’d been carrying when he ran inside. In your pacing back and forth you’re sure that you’d smushed an orange or two into the floor, but you could worry about that later.
His hand finds your shoulder and your breathing suddenly takes a turn for the worse. Not that you didn’t want his touch of course, you’d been crushing on him since the moment you met him walking up the steps of your apartment one cloudy afternoon. You’d craved to be this close to him for a while but given the current circumstances, this was far from any daydream you’d ever ran through your head before.
“Are you sure you don’t want to eat something?” He began, pulling your attention away from your thoughts. “I have those chocolate bars you like.” He nods towards his bags and you arch your brow at him in confusion. All the blood drains from his face at the confession and he tries his best to backtrack without much success. “I mean- I just. I’ve seen you always grab some at the vending machine near the laundry room. Not that I always watch you. No wait-” A twitch of your lips gets him even more worked up. You watch in awe as his ears turn bright red and his words come out of him louder and faster. If you weren't filled with utter terror at the moment, you'd find it the most adorable thing in the world to see him this flustered. “-I mean N-Not that I was staring! Why would I be staring at you! Sometimes I just happen to pass by when you’re there. Anyone could be there, it’s a public place you know? I just mean that- I…” You shake your head at him to stop his rambling.
“It’s fine Jin” you muster with as much calmness as you could. He was a good distraction, but you were still stuck in a metal cage, dangling who knows how far above the ground. You were definitely gonna start taking the stairs from now on, this was getting to be too much for you. “I just lost my appetite really… I’ll just order something. If we ever get out- ” your voice breaks and before he can stop himself, his arms envelop you in a soft embrace.
“Hey no don’t cry. It’s gonna be okay ______” he coos as you try and fail to control the stream of tears that leave you. You didn’t even know you were crying until he spoke, and now every time you tried to rein them in, more made their way out. “I’m here, you’re not alone.”
Jin wasn’t sure what came over him when he caught a glimpse of you entering the elevator, but he’d never been happier with his decision to run after you. Now as he felt you tremble in his arms, all he wanted was to make the fear go away. To make sure every tear was gone from your soft face and that nothing ever made you feel like this again.
He’s not really sure when he started to like you, but the moment he realized, it hit him like a truck. Maybe it was your kindness towards your elderly neighbor across the hall, or the way he could hear you belting out to your favorite music as you vacuumed your apartment. Or maybe it was because you were just so damn beautiful. With your sparkling eyes and the bright smile you gave him every time he was lucky enough to cross paths with you. He never stood a chance.
He really shouldn’t be feeling like this, like he wanted to keep holding you in his arms every day, to protect you. It made no sense after all, he was nothing but a stranger to you. But with every moment that passed, and every second that you didn’t push him away, something inside him fed hope that perhaps his feelings weren’t as one sided as he’d thought.
“Listen,” he began again hoping to at least distract you. “You heard the maintenance guy not too long ago. The fire department has been called, we’ll be out of here in no time ok?” His voice was calm and soothing, and if it weren't for the fact that his touch sent a fire through your body, you're sure it would've been a cool balm to your nerves. You wipe your face with your sleeves and look up at him.
“I know, I- I just can’t breathe, I hate these things and it’s been too long now… I just-” You cut yourself off at the last minute to stop yourself from breaking down in front of him again.
“I understand ______. It’s perfectly reasonable for you to feel like this okay?” You nod and he reaches a hand to your face to wipe the remnants of a tear from your cheek.
“You know -” he starts again, “ - one time I went fishing with a friend and our boat got stuck a few miles in. Man the fear I felt… I thought we’d be gone by then, but the human body is very resilient….” You listen as he rambles on about his friend and how he’s never taking him fishing again because not only were they stuck in the middle of the sea, but they didn’t manage to catch a single fish. “Could you imagine my handsome face sunburnt? A horrible tragedy if there's ever been one..”
You latch on to his very word for who knows how long, until he’s got you giggling and the fear inside you is all but forgotten. The minutes pass and you don’t even realize that you’re still holding on to him until he reluctantly pulls away to offer you water, not fully letting go of your hand in the process. You both make it to the floor eventually, sitting side by side. He shares stories of his friends and you listen intently, now and again contributing with a comment and he swears your voice is the most beautiful thing he’s ever heard.
It’s almost a whole hour after the elevator stopped that you hear banging from the other side of the doors. Tears spring in your eyes again as you realize your imprisonment is almost over. Jin clears his throat and with a heavy heart you release his hand, knowing your time together is almost at its end too. He gathers his things from the floor and you help him. You’re not sure why you suddenly get so bold, but you let your fingers linger on his a little longer than necessary when you hand him back one of the chocolate bars you liked.
“Here” he says, handing it back to you. “I think you need it a little more than me right now” You chuckle and graciously accept it.
“Thank you Jin. I’d have gone completely mad without your help” He offers you a sweet content smile and your heart leaps, knowing it’s for you.
“Any time_____. Though let’s hope they actually fix this damn thing for once.”
The sounds of the doors being pushed open grow louder and the relief you feel when you start hearing voices outside is indescribable. As soon as you are able to, you pull away from Jin and drag your way out into the bright sunlight you never thought you’d see again. The firefighters help Jin pull you up and out of the elevator, slowly pulling you to the side to tend to your hand.
There’s a small crowd standing by the lobby, watching and shaking their heads as they watch the firemen work. A few of them have less than kind looks for the owner as he stumbles his way in, with disheveled clothes and a distraught look in his eye. You’re offered an oxygen mask and you watch as a few moments later Seokjin is also pulled out to his freedom. He finds you almost immediately and moves his way over to you with nothing but relief in his eyes.
“You okay?” he says as he pulls an oxygen mask to his face.
“Yeah, much better now.”
“I’m glad. You were very brave, you know?” You scoff and he shakes his head. “Now don’t give me that, I'm serious ______. If we’d been stuck in a room full of insects you'd have had to give me cpr.”
“Well let's hope the owner never decides to start a butterfly sanctuary on the roof”
“I would literally move cities” He deadpans and you start to laugh again.
The rest of the afternoon passes by in a blur as the firemen ask you a bunch of health questions. The owner comes by to apologize to the both of you, begging you not to press any charges and only leaving you both alone once you both agreed to. Jin’s hand finds its way to yours again, and this time neither one of you breaks the contact.
After the sun has long left the sky, the lobby is mostly empty save for the maintenance folks who work on the elevator that you never want to spare another glance to. Jin makes to stand.
“Come on _____ let me walk you up to your apartment. With the way the elevator went, I’m not taking any chances with the stairs” You actually let yourself laugh at that and take his outstretched hand to pull yourself up. “Are you hungry?” As if on queue your stomach decides to growl loudly. You throw your hand over your stomach and his face breaks into a huge grin.
“I’m actually starving, now that you mention it'' you admit sheepishly.
“Well I got some dinner waiting to be reheated at home and I wouldn’t mind sharing. What do you say?” He gives you a smile so dazzling, you think you’d melt back into the ground if it weren’t for his steady arm holding on to you.
“I’d love that”
A/N: Thank you so much for reading! 💜 [If you liked this please help me out by leaving some feedback on my ask box. It’s always appreciated!]
#seokjin x reader#jin x reader#seokjin fluff#seokjin fluf#jin fluff#bts imagines#jin fics#bts fics#seokjin fics#seokjin x you
104 notes
·
View notes
Text
Neighborly
I had a bad case of writers block and rabbit brain trying to work on my wips yesterday, so I went and dug through my prompt lists, sat down with the sprint timer, and scrawled out this little bit of nonsense. I'm not sure about the final result but it broke the block, and I figured I might as well share it, so I hope you enjoy!
AO3
Rating: T
Marinette's been crushing on her cute neighbor for weeks, but she's never gotten the courage to speak more than a few flustered words to him. Now it might be too late--he's at her door begging for the use of her shower to get ready for his big date.
Marinette stared at the man standing at her door.
“I’m sorry?” she said faintly, and the man smiled at her. That didn’t help the situation at all, as it made her knees wobbly.
“Weird ask, I know,” he said, ruffling a hand through his blue-tinted hair. “It’s just that I’m supposed to have a date tonight and my shower’s been out for two days. Maintenance has quit answering my calls and I’m getting desperate. I really like this girl and I don’t want to give the wrong impression.”
“Oh,” Marinette said, voice still weak, and then she plastered a plastic smile on her face. “O-of course you can! What are neighbors for, right? Um—”
“Luka,” he supplied, still smiling. Marinette already knew that, of course. She knew an embarrassing amount of information about this man, considering they had only spoken in passing. The first time, he’d caught her when her shoe had broken in the hallway, and she’d pitched straight into him somehow managing to stop her fall and haul her back upright against him with only one strong arm. He hadn’t even lost the groceries he’d been carrying in the other. He’d smiled at her and told her to be careful with that soft velvet voice and she’d looked up into blue eyes that seemed far too gentle for his handsome, angular face and—
Marinette suddenly realized it was her turn to talk and that she was taking too long. “Um M-Marinette, I’m. I’m Marinette,” she stammered.
“Nice to finally officially meet you Marinette,” Luka said easily, as if she wasn’t the most awkward person he’d ever spoken to, as if she hadn’t run away from him after a few awkward words every time they’d bumped into each other—literally or otherwise. “If it’s okay with you, I’ll pop back over and grab my things, and be back in a few minutes?”
“Oh, um. Y-yeah, yeah, of course,” she babbled, and he turned away, raising a hand slightly.
“Great, I’ll be back in a few then.”
Marinette shut the door numbly, and then walked over to her couch and buried her face in a pillow. She screamed, kicking her feet, and then tossed the pillow away, moaning as she dragged her hands down her face.
It wasn’t enough that the super hot musician with gorgeous shoulders and dreamy eyes was coming over to use her shower. He had to need her shower because he had a date . Marinette wanted to be his date! She’d been half-stalking him trying to work up the courage—well. Not really stalking him, just...observing. She just noticed things, that was all, like how he had a smile and a question for everybody, the way he fed the stray cats that lived behind the building, and always held open doors no matter who was behind him, and how hard his chest was beneath the baggy layers he wore, and—oh, that chest was going to be in her bathroom and—her bathroom!
Marinette’s eyes flew wide and she nearly tripped over her own feet, flinging herself off the couch, running to the bathroom to grab anything too girly or potentially embarrassing and shove it under the sink. Fortunately her bathroom wasn’t dirty (she wasn’t an animal after all), just cluttered, and she frantically grabbed the underthings she’d draped over the shower rod to dry and ran them to her room, shoving them frantically under her pillow before going back to make absolutely sure she hadn’t missed any or left anything embarrassing. She put a clean towel on the rack and threw the dirty one over her arm and triple-checked to make sure there was no hair in the shower drain. She heard the knock on the door and jerked up, banging her head on the faucet of the tub. She yelped, dizzy with the pain for a moment.
“Marinette?” Luka called, as she tried to extract herself from the bathtub with one hand clutched to her scalp. She couldn’t help the whimper that escaped her; that hurt.
“Are you all right?” Luka asked, and Marinette whirled around wide-eyed to find him standing in the bathroom doorway. “I heard you yell and I let myself in, I hope that’s okay. Did you hurt yourself? Are you bleeding?” He dropped the backpack slung over his shoulder onto the floor and came over to her, gently tugging her hand away from her head.
“I don’t think so,” Marinette gritted. “I was just...trying to clean up a bit, and…” She gestured at the faucet and Luka winced in sympathy.
“Ouch,” he muttered as he parted her hair with gentle fingers. He was so nice, Marinette mourned. Although...he did smell like he needed that shower. She held her breath and tried not to make a face. “It looks okay,” he said, stepping back away from her. “You didn’t have to clean for me.”
Marinette gave an embarrassed shrug. “Wouldn’t you?” she asked dryly, and blushed when Luka laughed.
“Probably,” he conceded with a grin. “Thanks. I really didn’t mean to put you to inconvenience.”
“It’s no big deal,” Marinette said, finally mustering a smile. “Besides, how could I leave you in the lurch? Big date and all. I don’t need any more bad karma on my dating life.”
Luka’s eyebrows rose, and Marinette flushed, cursing her stupid mouth that never shut up when it should. “So I’ll, um—” she gestured behind Luka to the door, “get out of here, so you can. You know.”
“Oh, sorry.” Luka moved out of her way, pressing himself against the sink, and Marinette squeezed past him and out of the door. “Thanks again, I really appreciate it.”
“This girl must be something special,” Marinette smiled as she backed into the small hallway. “For you to go to all this trouble instead of rescheduling.”
“She is,” Luka grinned. “She’s amazing. I think so, anyway. I don’t know her very well yet, but she’s awfully sweet and super cute.” The grin on his face turned a little goofy. “I’ve been smitten since I met her, honestly.”
“Oh,” Marinette kept her smile in place, trying to ignore the cold feeling in her stomach. “Oh, that’s really sweet. Um, well I don’t want to make you late, so I’ll just...music! I’ll go turn on some music.” That way she wouldn’t hear the incredibly cute soon-to-be-naked boy in her bathroom. “Um, take your time, let me know if you need anything.”
Luka’s grin widened a little. “Thanks Marinette.” He shut the door, and Marinette marched herself back to the living room to scream into another pillow.
After a few deep breaths and a lot of nervous fumbling, she got her music player running. Jagged Stone should be enough, right? Loud enough to cover—she heard the curtain rings slide across the rod. The shower started running and Luka’s deep sigh of relief. Poor guy , she thought, he must have been miserable . She put the music player on and sat for a moment, chewing her thumbnail nervously.
After a few minutes she sat up straighter, listening. Was that—over the sound of the running water and Jagged Stone wailing through her sound system, she heard another voice. Luka was...singing? He was singing along with the song that was playing. Marinette giggled, and moved to the other end of the couch, listening. He had a nice voice, she thought wistfully. She’d seen him with a guitar on his back in the halls. She wondered if some of the music she occasionally heard through his door in the hall was music he made, rather than the radio as she’d assumed.
She flopped on the arm of the couch and groaned. He was so cool, and she was such a disaster. She would have never been brave enough to ask to use a stranger’s shower, no matter how miserable and disgusting she was.
Poor guy , she thought again. He must have been really desperate.
She sat up, and picked up her phone, looking at it in her hands. Maybe she could...well, it might be stupid but it couldn’t hurt to just ask, right?
Marinette dialed the building maintenance number. “Hi Pierre,” she chirped brightly when the grumpy old technician picked up the phone. “It’s Marinette in 34 B? How are you doing?
“Miss Marinette!” The gruff tone softened. “I’m doing well, doing well. Tickets lined up like crazy, though. Everything seems to be breaking at once these days.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that,” Marinette said, putting on a tone of great sympathy. “Maybe I shouldn’t bother you then—”
“Now, now, none of that. What can I do for you?”
“It’s not actually me,” Marinette said, “It’s my neighbor across the hall, Luka? His shower’s been out for a while now and he came over tonight to see if he could use mine—”
“What?” barked old Pierre, and Marinette grinned to herself. “That punk with the piercings? You shouldn’t be letting him traipse through your apartment Miss Marinette. Guys like that always try to take advantage.”
“Oh, I’m sure he wouldn’t do that,” Marinette said innocently. “I’m sure he wouldn’t do anything like that. I was calling to see when his shower might be fixed, but if you’re so busy, maybe I should just give him my spare key so he can—”
“No, no,” Pierre said quickly. “I’ve got his ticket right here, see, he was next on the list. His shower will be fixed tomorrow, so don’t be making any foolish offers Miss Marinette. You’re too nice for your own good, you know.”
“Oh, it never hurts to be nice, Pierre,” Marinette giggled. “I’m planning on making some chocolate chip scones tomorrow to take to a friend, so if you do come to fix Luka’s shower, stop on by, I’ll save a few of them for you.”
“Well, I’ll stop by if I have time,” Pierre said gruffly. “Not that sweets are much to a man my age, but if you made them…”
“Great, I hope I’ll see you!” Marinette giggled. “Thanks so much Pierre, you’re an angel.” She hung up, grinning to herself.
“I can’t believe it. You’re magic.”
Marinette jumped half out of her skin and whirled around. Luka grinned at her sheepishly, but she hardly noticed, because while he was wearing pants—a different, more fitted pair than what he’d had on when he arrived—his torso was bare, and her fluffy pink towel hung around his shoulders, catching only most of the drips falling from his blue hair. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, and I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop. I just wanted to ask if you had a hair dryer I can borrow. I forgot to grab mine.”
“Oh, um, sure,” Marinette said, jumping up. “I’ll just...I’ll get it, if that’s okay.” She blushed, thinking of all the things she had shoved in the cabinet before he came.
“Sure.” Luka moved back out of her way, and she shimmied past him into the bathroom. She blinked a moment at the amount of paraphernalia spread on her counter. She’d never thought guys used that much product, but she shook herself and bent over to dig in the cabinet, trying to block it with her body so Luka couldn’t see inside. It took some effort to find the hair dryer, which had been shoved against the back of the cabinet in her frenzied tidying, but by some miracle she extracted it without dumping all of the piled up junk onto the floor. Sighing in relief, she straightened and turned. “Got it!”
Luka was looking at the ceiling. His darkly tanned skin was flushed from the hot shower and the line of his neck made her swallow. “Luka?” she repeated, trying not to squeak.
His dropped his gaze back to her, and she froze under the intensity in that look for a moment. Then he blinked and smiled, softening, and Marinette felt she could move again. She offered him the hair dryer and he took it. “Thanks, Marinette,” he said. “And thanks for getting Pierre’s ass in gear. He hates me, so I figured it’d be a week at least before I could get him to come out.”
“Oh, that.” Marinette shrugged, and grinned mischievously. “I have a lot of experience dealing with grouchy old men.” She winked, and to her mild surprise, the color in Luka’s cheeks deepened. He cleared his throat.
“Well, thanks for making the effort, I really appreciate it.”
“Why does he hate you?” Marinette frowned, as Luka’s words caught up to her.
Luka nodded vaguely in the direction of the back of the building. “We got into it over me feeding the strays. He was nattering on about disease and just breeding more and blah, blah, blah.” Luka rolled his eyes. “If he’d actually listen for five minutes...anyway, I have a friend, the blond that was with me that one time, you remember? He runs a trap-and-release program for feral cats, gets them vaccinated and fixed and all that and then lets them back out into their home territory. The cats behind our building are probably as safe as your average indoor cat, in terms of disease.”
“Oh,” Marinette gasped, awed. “That’s really cool.”
Luka grinned. “He’s pretty passionate about it. He did all the real work, trapping and transport and all that. I just make sure they have a good meal. May I?” He gestured towards the sink, and Marinette jumped.
“Oh, of course, please. I’m sorry, I’m going to make you late with all this chattering—” Marinette babbled as she and Luka did a slightly awkward dance to let him in and her out of the bathroom. He smelled much better now, she noticed giddily as they had to squeeze together. She only barely managed not to squeal when he took her arm lightly to guide her around him.
“By the way,” he called once she was out, and she glanced back to see him unscrewing the lid on one of the sink jars. “Do you have any suggestions for good places to eat close by?” He looked over his shoulder at her and grinned. “I’m always looking to try new things.”
“U-um—” Finding it hard to think while staring at his bare back, Marinette turned away and tapped a finger to her lips in thought. “What kind of food do you like?”
“Anything,” Luka replied, running fingers coated in some kind of gel through his hair. “I like all kinds of things.”
“What does she like?”
“I don’t know yet,” Luka admitted.
Marinette considered. “Well, my favorite is this Italian place about two blocks down, but Italian is chancy on a first date. Messy, you know. She might not be comfortable.” Marinette raised her voice as Luka turned on the hair dryer. “There’s an Indian place that’s a little farther away, and there’s a really cute little patisserie right next to it, that could be romantic. Oh, and there’s a park right there, if you feel like a nighttime stroll.” She frowned. “You didn’t already figure this stuff out?”
“I’m not really a planner,” Luka laughed, his deep voice carrying easily even over the noise of the dryer. “I had some ideas, but sometimes the universe throws you an Indian place and a cute patisserie, with a moonlight stroll in the bargain.” He winked at Marinette. “It pays to keep an open mind.”
Marinette started to smile, and then remembered she was helping him plan a date with someone else, and turned away again. “Okay, well, you’ll have to let me know how it goes,” she said quickly as she went down the hallway. Her eyes were stinging and she took a deep breath as she blinked. Stupid , she scolded herself. She didn’t even know him, because just like always she’d never found the guts to actually talk to him, besides a hello and good night! and one very rushed um, cat food was on sale and I noticed it was the brand you buy so...here! SEEYOULATERBYE! He was her neighbor and she hadn’t even asked his name before today, only seen it on the mail that had been misdelivered to her box instead of his. All she had was little stolen scraps, because she hadn’t been brave enough to ask for more.
Ugh she was such a loser, it was no wonder Luka had never even—well, he had said a word to her, actually. Words like Are you all right? and Can I help you with that? and Wow, thanks, that’s so cool of you . Because he was sweet and nice as well as good looking, and if she’d had any guts at all maybe she could have—
“Marinette?”
She whirled, and Luka was standing there, his bag at his feet, closing the last two buttons of a black dress shirt. “Are you all right?” he asked as he began rolling the sleeves up to bare his forearms. “I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable.”
“What? No, of course not.” Marinette clamped her teeth down on her tongue before she could blurt something like I have shirtless men in my home all the time . Luka was looking at her with a slightly furrowed brow.
“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I should have gone back to my place to finish up, I wasn’t—I mean I didn’t mean to impose or anything.”
Marinette took a deep breath and let it out slowly, and then gave him a genuine smile. “You didn’t. Really, Luka, I wasn’t bothered. I just, um. I got emotional about something for a moment there, but it wasn’t your fault.”
Luka nodded. “Something about bad dating karma?” he guessed, voice so gentle it made her ache.
“More or less.” Marinette tried to smile.
“Well,” Luka sighed, finishing the second sleeve. “Honestly I haven’t been too lucky in that department myself. I was hoping tonight would change that, but...maybe...maybe it isn’t the best time after all.”
“What?” Marinette cried, staring at him. “Why? Luka, you seemed like you liked this girl so much, and you’re all dressed up.” She stepped to him and adjusted the set of his collar without thinking. “You look so good, it’ll be great. She won’t be able to resist you. Believe me, I know it’s scary to put yourself out there, but won’t you regret it if you don’t?” I do .
Luka caught her wrists gently. “Yeah, I really think I would.” He grinned. “Now I just need to ask her.”
Marinette blinked up at him. “You didn’t ask her?” she asked, bewildered. “Isn’t it going to be kind of short notice?” She frowned. “You said you had a date tonight.”
Luka dipped his head in a kinda-sorta motion. “I said I was supposed to have a date tonight,” he chuckled. “And I would have—or at least I hope so—if I’d asked you out two days ago when I planned. But then I got home from work and of course I was sweaty and gross and then my shower wouldn’t work, and I couldn’t talk to you while I was disgusting. Not when you’re always so pretty and neat and put together.”
Marinette’s cheeks flushed.
“And then Pierre didn’t show and he didn’t show and he didn’t show,” Luka rolled his eyes. “And if I didn’t ask you out today, I’d owe my buddy that runs the cat rescue my favorite signed Jagged Stone album. He’s been bugging me about asking you out for like a month.” He grinned. “Ever since you brought me the cat food? He could see how much I liked you and he decided then and there we were meant to be, and somehow I let him talk me into this stupid—bet or dare or whatever, that if I didn’t man up by today...well. I would’ve asked you anyway one way or another.”
Marinette’s mouth dropped open, and she was sure her face must be on fire.
“So, now that I’m presentable,” Luka grinned slowly. “Will you go out to dinner with me tonight? I heard about this really good Indian place. Maybe afterwards we could grab dessert and take a walk in the park? I’d really like to get to know you better.”
Marinette gasped, and then her lips pursed into a pout. Luka laughed. “You’re mean,” she told him, kicking his shin lightly.
Luka’s shoulders hunched a little, and he looked guilty. “I didn’t mean to be. I’m sorry for teasing.” He blushed. “I guess I was nerving myself up a bit, telling you how much I liked you without you knowing, but I didn’t think about how it would come across. I didn’t mean to upset you. No pressure, okay?” He slid his hands from her wrists to her hands and lowered them between them. “If you don’t want to, no hard feelings. Just, like you said. I’d regret it if I didn’t try.”
“But—” Marinette let go of his hands as her own flew to her hair. “I’m not dressed for a date!”
Luka chuckled. “You look gorgeous to me. But I can wait if you want to change.”
Marinette reddened. “I—w-well, I mean...I mean I guess we could—” Luka laid a finger on her lips.
“Breathe,” he told her, clearly trying not to laugh. “You’re really cute, you know that?”
That didn’t help her efforts to calm down, but she did manage to breathe, despite the very distracting slide of his finger as it left her lips. “Fine,” she said finally. “But you better be prepared because I’m going all out for our second date.”
Luka’s grin went wide and bright and more than a little silly. “I can’t wait.”
ETA: Okay, yes, I know this was a bit mean for Marinette. I did actually really waffle about it while I was writing it and I almost scrapped it a couple times, but the whole point of the timer is to keep me on task and stop the second guessing and overthinking that was sabotaging me, so I ran with it. I did ultimately decide to keep it because really, they haven't had a chance to really talk or anything here, and so Luka doesn't really know that Marinette's into him. He's aware there's some attraction between them, but he doesn't know how hard she's crushing. So really, he's just a bit insecure himself and psyching himself up a bit for The Moment. So I justify it to myself anyway. As soon as he's able to actually take in her mood he's aware he's messed up. If you can't forgive him, that's okay. Mari will get him back later.
Fiction Master Post
#quickspins#neighborly#i'll never not know you#lukanette#endgame lukanette#lukanette endgame#luka couffaine#marinette dupain cheng#miraculousladybug#miraculous ladybug#ml fics#pro lukamari
74 notes
·
View notes
Note
hello!! i really loved your hq writing and i think they were pretty spot on! do u mind writing abt a reader who’s basically a first year version of kiyoko (like everyone is attracted to her) and all the first years are just into her but come to find out she’s been dating yamaguchi all this time ? jealous yams maybe? sorry if it’s too specific🥺👉🏼👈🏼
Yamaguchi Tadashi x Really Sexy Yoga Instructor S/O
———————————
A/N: Thank you so much anon! You’re speaking my language with this request😍
It sounds a lot like the first ever request I got here, so this can be seen as a part two, or read as a stand alone. I hope you like it!!!
Not NSFW, but please only read if you’re over 18 y/o.
———————————
Yams, your beloved boyfriend of a few months will be the first to admit that he made a mistake volunteering you to help his volleyball team
About a month ago, Coach Ukai felt as though the team was way too pent up and ordered his players to indulge in some calming activities on one of the no-practice days with the goal of making the team less irritable
The coach found that Yoga would be a great solution
Coach Ukai had read that the benefits of Yoga include but are not limited to: increased flexibility, increased muscle strength and tone, improved respiration, more energy and vitality, maintenance of a balanced metabolism, improved athletic performance, protection from injury, overall relaxation and stress relief.
Ukai thought that yoga was a no-brainer because if Karasuno was going to win the National tournament, then they had to adopt unconventional means in order to get an edge on the competition
Unfortunately, Takeda, the volleyball club’s advisor, couldn’t exactly find the budget to get the entire team signed up for weekly yoga sessions at the big studio downtown
Aw man :(
But fear not! smh
Your boyfriend to the team’s rescue! Great 😑
Thank goodness for your sweet baby 👍🏾 not
He’s just too caring for his own good isn’t he? You wish he’d stop
Because he..... well, lucky for Karasuno, your boyfriend Yamaguchi happily suggested that the team goes to the Karasuno High School’s Yoga Club sessions at the local community centre. The community centre hosts great swim, cooking, and even archery lessons! It would be perfect because it would be within budget and the 7am yoga sessions were always empty, because not many people knew about them.
“How do you know they’re legit? I don’t want my players getting hurt because some kids think it’s fun to twist n’ contort their bodies —“ Inquired coach Ukai. The entire team turned to Tadashi, awaiting his response.
Your annoying sweet man explained that all of the Yoga club members are certified by Japanese Health Standards and they are well-versed in their instructing, it was kind of the point of the club. He was sure the club would love the volleyball team’s company
Your boyfriends’ coach’s face lit up. When Ukai’s next question pertained to how tf Tadashi knew all of this, that’s finally when his face fell
Oops.
He’s so cute He wanted to help so badly he forgot that this could be a bad idea
How did he know all this? Well, maybe because his girlfriend of 3 months, you, run the damn club. And he knows everything about you because he’s whipped.
However, Tadashi couldn’t exactly tell them that was the reason because he is very private and didn’t want to introduce his beautiful girlfriend to guys that were sure to drool over her
Plus he wanted to make sure you weren’t in a daze when he confessed to you, testing whether one day you’ll wake up & realize you made a big mistake
Yamaguchi, quick on his feet, just said that you were his friend and you ran the club.
They believed it obviously, and that’s how it all started
Since there were multiple morning Yoga sessions, Coach Ukai divided the team into years for mandatory session attendance. The first years were scheduled for Monday’s at 7am, the second years on Wednesday’s (same time) and the 3rd years were on Fridays (same time).
You were late to your first session with the boys because even though Yams told you the team would start coming (and to keep your relationship a secret) you were used to being the only one here doing Yoga
You were only slightly startled when you opened the door to your beloved studio and saw Karasuno volleyball’s first years: Tsukishima, Kageyama, Hinata and your beautiful man Yams sitting down on Yoga mats patiently.
You cheerily introduced yourself and greet everyone, finding yourself happy to have the company
Yamaguchi was the only one to verbally greet you back, because the other boys were staring at you with what you would deem odd expressions
Yams noticed his solo greeting too and looked over to his teammates. He frowned because he knew the look on their faces and the lack of a voice very well.
How could he not? It was the same reaction he had when he saw you for the first time he was sure you came out of his wet dreams
You are so hot, and now his fellow first years were noticing
Yams pouted inside
Anyway, the same way you didn’t notice when Yamaguchi had that stare when you two met, you just got straight to business, setting down your pink yoga mat and water bottle and explaining all the rules.
It’s a good thing yoga sessions are supposed to be silent with only the sounds of the rain forest playing loud through the rooms speakers because I don’t think the boys could have spoken anyway
You did basic yoga stretches and had the boys follow your every movement
As you showed them the simple beginner poses, Tadashi caught Hinata and Kageyama sneaking glances at your figure with heavy blushes on their faces
If Tsukki thought you were attractive, which omfg did he ever, he didn’t show it in the slightest
Yamaguchi was happy to call him his best friend
The quick-attack boys could not say the same
Like the schoolboys they are, they relished in seeing a gorgeous female’s flexible body easily contort in front of them
Tadashi noted that, for two of the most intensely competitive people he knew, the two were peculiarly a little TOO happy with not doing any of the yoga poses correctly, he could guess why
You, still clueless, walked around the room to help the boys get into correct positioning platonically, the way every Yoga instructor does.
Tadashi on the other hand, was doing so well and you badly wished you could kiss him whenever you moved his body but you were respecting his wishes to keep you two a secret
Kags and Shōyō almost had internal panic attacks when you touched them or got close
They weren’t the greatest with girls but they were especially bad when one of the prettiest and fittest girls they’ve ever encountered was touching them and whispering in their ears to ‘turn like this’ ‘open up a bit more’ because of how quiet yoga should be
The combustion train has left the building! Choo choo 💨
You laughed when volleyball duo boys started shoving each other when Hinata fell out of a pose and landed on Kags
Tadashi’s eyes narrowed because he selfishly didn’t want you laughing at anything those boys did. Nevertheless, he shook it off
Maybe it will get better once the initial shock of your hotness wears off, Yams thought to himself when he left Yoga that morning.
Sure, because that’s how it worked with Kiyoko right?
Yeah, right. The following Monday you were still hot and the boys were still drooling over you.
At real volleyball practices and at lunch time Yamaguchi has to constantly hear the team (minus Tsukishima) gush about how attractive you are and how it wasn’t so bad waking up early in the morning if you were the view they were getting up to see
Now, Tadashi would definitely describe himself as a pretty calm guy......as would anyone who knows him......
But hearing his friends gush about you like you weren’t the smartest, most creative, genuine, conscientious person...... just an ideal body and gorgeous face not that they would know evoked jealous emotions deep within him
On dates with you he would inquire about the other volleyball yoga sessions you taught and you would tell him truthfully that your class of 3rd years were always fine, well behaved and very quiet because they were too busy fantasizing about you in their heads to talk dkm
and then you told your boyfriend that 2 of the second years were pretty flirty take a wild guess who? But that the one boy named Ennoshita got them to simmer down and then stop with the comments completely
Tadashi made a mental note to do a favour for his future captain
He was beginning to get irritated with the way these strong amazing athletes that he looked up to were reduced to goo when his girlfriend came around
He knew it was irrational to be so upset because he was sure they would chill out if they knew she was his girlfriend but
He just wasn’t ready for that yet.
So he endured the comments because even though the team was full of hormonone-crazy males, they never were vulgar or disrespectful in their remarks that was saved for all of their dreams and shower time
Either way,
None of that could stop the locker room talk.
“Did Y/N teach you guys the puppy dog stretch too this week?” Chirped Nishinoya as he bounced on the balls of his feet. The boys nodded. “Man is she s-m-o-k-i-n-g or what?? Don’t you think so, Asahi?”
Yams looked over from his locker to see the quiet and timid Ace of the team unable to help sporting a blush and nodding in agreement to Nishinoya.
Tadashi did NOT like this conversation. He took to chugging his water in order to distract himself from saying something he was sure to regret
“I-I really like Y/N’s yoga pants. They’re really cool!”
Kageyama rolled his eyes at Hinata's comment. “Of course you do, Boke.”
“Keep dreaming short stack!” Hollered Tanaka as he hopped in a super man pose on top of a bench. “For I will one day marry Y/N!”
Uncontrollably, Yamaguchi’s entire liquid contents in his mouth drenched Sugawara’s back in a spit take. Everyone laughed.
Let’s just say Karasuno’s vice captain made Yams do laps until his legs felt like they would fall off
By the third week, poor Yamaguchi had it up to HERE with the team’s pining after his girl.... be it Daichi’s subtle suggestion to the coach to extend AND increase the amount of yoga sessions, to Nishinoya’s memorization of the exact colour of your lip gloss per session
Yams actually growled under his breath when he heard both I swear to God
Yamaguchi felt like he was going to burst if he didn’t wring any necks first .
The entire team was smitten with his secret girlfriend and it made him insanely jealous. He couldn’t deny it anymore.
You were his. And only his. He wished he never volunteered you to help the team in the first place!
On your dates as a couple, you noticed that Yams was much more tense than he used to be before you started instructing the team. You told him over and over that you would quit this very second because he was so much more important than some silly club. You even suggested easily swapping with your second-in-command as instructor but
He wouldn’t have any of that. Apparently the team was already improving significantly in skill from Yoga like the Coach predicted. You are the best instructor your club had, and his team needed the best.
Plus he knows you love doing it and he puts your happiness before his own
The situation just sucked!
On the final yoga session before nationals, you arranged for the entire team to conjoin in one single morning session that would be longer at two hours instead of one, to go through everything they have learned in a mass session. It was also to make sure the numbers were even because today would be strictly focused on Partner Yoga!
The crows filed in to your studio, excited to see you and set up as usual
You walked in and told them about the partner yoga, and before they could volunteer to be your partner and upset your boyfriend, you told everyone you already had a partner and gestured toward the studio entryway:
Kiyoko walked in with a wave at her introduction and she spread her yoga mat next to you facing the class
They said 😳😳😳😳🤯🤯🤯🤯
The entire room was silent. Everyone minus Tsukki and your boyfriend combusted. Like they were done
Remember that combustion train? Yeah it just arrived at its destination: Nosebleed Central.
The boys’ little minds couldn’t fathom two extremely hot girls in compromising, stretchy positions that would look anything but innocent in their male minds
It was kind of a dream come true
You didn’t care that they were acting weird and you started the session, telling the boys to pair up and follow yours and Kiyoko’s lead
Even Yams started to feel hot and bothered at the sight of the multiple positions
he always felt horny watching you instruct yoga but he was able to satiate his lust by reminding himself that you told him you want to sleep with him when he was ready, even though you were taking it slow. he’s always blushing so none of the guys ever thought anything if it
Satiating himself with that thought again, though, flew out the window as an option because you just looked too incredibly hot in partner positions. It got to the point where he wanted to kick Kiyoko out so you could practice these yoga positions with him
He wanted to be the one to put your leg on his shoulder as he pounded into your heat, not Kiyoko no matter how hottttttttt it was to look at
Suga used his fingers to flick Tadashi on the forehead to get his attention away from his secret girlfriend and back to the yoga positions he should be trying with him
“Dude.... trust me, I know, and I agree...” Suga nods in understanding as he glances over at the beautiful girls once more. It takes a good amount of effort for him to peel his eyes back to Yamaguchi. “But we have to do this. Try to pretend they’re not as hot as they are.” He gives your bf a thumbs up for encouragement
Yams didn’t smile back even though he commenced yoga again like his vice captain requested. Yams just wanted all of this to be over so he could somehow sneak you into one of the abandoned rooms in this community centre and take you right there.
Since Kiyoko was only there to demonstrate the positions and not join the class because she had other commitments, she had to leave pretty early
You went around helping everyone like you usually did, and now you definitely noticed how red all the boys’ cheeks were. Yams couldn’t even look at you the entire time he did yoga with Suga and you started to wonder if you did something wrong. Hm.....
Yams couldn’t look at you because he was using every ounce of his restraint to keep from jumping your bones
Before long, Y/N’s final yoga session was nearing completion until you realized that you had forgotten to demonstrate the final pose when Kiyoko was here.
Glancing at your boyfriend who was giving you the cold shoulder, you timidly asked if anyone minded being your partner to demonstrate—
Like zoo animals, all of the boys volunteered!!! You yelped because of how loud they got in the quiet room in a split second.
Does it matter who you choose?
Yamaguchi felt himself boil over in jealousy. These boys were throwing themselves at the woman who means everything to him, and that was enough to drive any man to the brink of insanity.
While the boys bickered about who would be your partner Hinata and Nishi already started the Rock Paper Scissors tournament, including the usually collected captains, Tadashi briskly made his way towards you with purpose. Without even thinking about it he cupped your face with one of his hands and tilted your lips towards his for a deep kiss.
You felt your knees weaken at the intensity of the unexpected kiss from the love of your life.
Yams wrapped an arm around your waist to hold you steady when he felt your knees weaken.
You two barely heard the collective gasp in the room...
...Nor did you hear Tsukki mutter a flat “I knew it.”
When you finally pulled away from your boyfriends perfect lips, you were still drunk off the kiss while he remembered where you two were
With an aura of manly confidence that could only come from the overwhelming satisfaction of giving into the animalistic urge to claim your mate in front of other males, Yamaguchi turned to his team. Shoulders back and confident, he smiled smugly
“Did I forget to tell you all that Y/N is my girlfriend? I’d appreciate if all the endless comments about how beautiful she is would cease to exist, at least around me. She’s very much taken. Oh, and I, ONLY I....will be her partner. Thanks.”
Ok can you imagine how fucking sexy shy Yams would look being strict, intimidating and completely territorial over you? 🤤
Karasuno’s team was stunned into silence before Nishinoya started a slow clap applause like they do in the movies.
Only Tanaka joined in with him. The rest of the team is not that lame
You, on the other hand, got so turned on by your boyfriend display of protection and jealousy that you muttered that class was over and you used your hand to turn Yams attention back to you. You got on the tips of your toes to pull him into another passionate kiss again.
You loved it.
Seeing this side of him stirred up a lot of emotions in you and you couldn’t help but ask your boyfriend if he wanted to skip school today. Your parents weren’t going to be home for 2 days and you had the house to yourself.
With half lidded eyes that only served to turn you on more Yamaguchi agreed.
I hope he knows that he was in for a really long and pleasurable day and night.....you were about to put those years of yoga training to good use, and your boyfriend couldn’t be luckier.
#tadashi yamaguchi#tadashi x reader#yamaguchi x yn#haikyuu#haikyu requests#haikyuu smut#haikyuu scenarios#haikyuu boys#karasuno#tsukkishima#yū nishinoya#tanaka#daichi#sugawara#hinata shoyo#kageyama#ennoshita chikara#coach ukai#takeda#ukai#haikyuuwritersnet#hq yamaguchi#yamaguchi smut#yamaguchi x you#hq headcannons#hq headcanon#haikyuu headcannons#haikyuu headcanons
2K notes
·
View notes
Text
The Fall of King Romulus Chapter 7
Summary: Twin Princes Remus and Romulus are cursed at birth with Honesty and Obedience. When Romulus, who cannot disobey any order, is told to kill his brother the next time he lays eyes on him, he changes his name to Roman and runs away. Roman joins up with a misfit group of adventures and plans to never return to his homeland. But the fae have other plans for him…
Warnings (for whole fic not necessarily individual chapters): Violence, mind whammying/memory altering, curse of obedience related consent issues, references to sex, references to war related injuries/PTSD, references to child abuse/neglect (YMMV on that one but just in case), antagonstic-but-not-exactly villian!Janus, Extremly-moraly-dubious-but-not-exacty-unsympathetic-Remus
Feedback appreciated.
NOW ON AO3 :D
Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6
The grey man was dead.
The grey man looked like he had been dead for some time.
What little skin he had remaining hung loosely from the bone. The eye sockets were empty, the patches of remaining hair were stringy and dirty. The skull had caved in around the crossbow bolt, revealing an awful wriggling mass of maggots on the inside. The stench of rotting flesh, which Roman had only been able to smell up close before, now filed the room, making him gag.
Roman squeezed his eyes shut, wishing desperately for whatever glamour had made it so hard to see the details of the grey man’s face to return. He griped Mittens’ soft fur tightly with his good hand, earning him a disgruntled meow.
“What the fuck.” A voice muttered.
Unseen by Roman, a figure emerged from the doorway. One with skin bleached white under the lamp light and eyes that seemed to glow an unnatural shade of violet. Most of him was hidden under a dark cloak, save for the fearsome looking crossbow he held at his hip.
Had there been anyone left to see, Virgil would no doubt have made an intimidating sight. At least until he reached out one foot to poke at the grey man's body and recoiled with an undignified ‘eeeeeew!’ when the flesh gave way easily under the pressure.
Virgil had served more years then he cared to remember in the Finaley’ed army. He had seen many dead bodies. That did not make it any better to hear one squelch.
“Okay.” He called, “Okay, the coast is clear and I shot a dead guy.”
Roman heard a second pair of footsteps approaching before a new voice asked: “Did you retrieve the bolt?”
“The bolt that is covered in maggots? No. No I did not.”
“That’s a waste of resources.”
“That is not my main problem with the corpse in the basement Loga- no don’t touch it!”
“This looks like several months of decay- but there’s no surrounding detritus – do you think they moved it here? For what purpose?”
“I don’t care! Maybe it’s just…some, some unlucky bath house guy that got left down here. Who knows! Just help me find the damm cat.”
“Ah yes,” Roman could hear the disdain in Logan’s voice, “The magic cat.”
On the ground, obscured from their view by the network of pipes, Roman kept his eyes firmly shut. So long as his eyes were shut, he was listening to Logan and Virgil’s bickering and was seconds away from rescue.
But what if he opened his eyes and they weren’t there?
Julius had been found of testing his curses’ limits in this area. He would order Romulus to ‘see’ imaginary monsters in the shadows and then have him describe them. Or to recount conversations that never happened. Or to forget ones that had. None of this research had ever been particularly successful - he couldn’t be ordered to alter reality, even in the privacy of his own head – but Julius had never quite given up on it.
What if he had found a way to make it work?
Roman could hear his own heartbeat, the fast paced thump melding with the rush of water in the pipes that surrounded him, making his head throb and his whole body tremble.
What if it wasn’t Virgil and Logan there at all? What if it was Niki and Marcus back again, or Lucius himself, or no one at all?
What if it wasn’t even Julius doing it, just his own pain-addled mind playing tricks on him?
Romulus bit back a whimper, squeezing his arms tight around his middle.
This was too much for Mittens, who let out a yowl of protest and wriggled out of Roman’s grip.
“Oh!” He gasped, eyes flying open “Sorry!”
Mittens ignored his apology, scampering away through the open door and disappearing into the gloom of the corridor. There was a shout, a sudden rush of footsteps and a loud clang followed by a short curse as someone tripped on one of the pipes running along the floor.
And then two men were standing over him. Twin expression of relief morphing quickly into concern.
Virgil swallowed hard, the healers eyes flicking rapidly over each visible injury before meeting Roman’s own.
“Hey there Princy.” Virgil said softly.
***
The journey back through the corridors was a lot slower than their journey in. At least Logan had managed to retrieve one of the lanterns from the maintenance room so he was no longer relying on clinging to the back of Virgil’s cape to navigate.
When they had initially followed the….cat….to the bathhouse they’d thought their luck was beginning to change. It was coronation day, all businesses were closed; it should have been an easy matter to sneak in. When Virgil had scaled the opposing buildings for some roof top reconnaissance however he had come back grim faced – the upper floors were full of soldiers.
The design on their uniform matched the symbol Lucy had drawn the night before, and that Logan had identified in the library that morning. It belonged to the house of Orenlla in Notaleveale. It was not three ‘Vs’ as Lucy had thought, but a stylised version of the three largest peaks on the Sarindu mountain range, which marked the border between Notaleveale and the middle kingdoms. The man she had seen had apparently been wearing his clasp upside down.
Despite his success, Logan had left the library disappointed. Ornella was a noble house in Notaleveale but not one significant enough to warrant a permanent residence in the middle kingdom city of Steveange. It was surely possible to find out where the contingent were staying – the townsfolk seemingly obsessed with the movement of the visiting nobility- but the librarians he spoke to all gave different suggestions, if any at all. Checking every possible address was going to take days.
As desperate as Logan had been feeling, at least he didn’t return to the meeting point with a cat.
Patton had gone to see the crone – or ‘Mama Tay’, as she apparently insisted Patton call her - who had no new information as to where Roman had gone or why he had left, but who had offered to help find him anyway.
Using her cat.
(“I don’t like it.” Virgil said.
“Thank you Virgil.” Logan said, relived to find at least one of his companions hadn’t lost their minds.
“It’s blood magic”
“It’s a CAT!”)
Apparently, when Mittens had scratched Roman at the crone’s – Mama Tay’s – house, it had collected enough blood for a simple locator spell. And Patton, bless him, had agreed to swap a bushel of fresh food from the market for an hours use of the magical bard seeking cat.
Logan had despaired.
Logan wasn’t quite ready to eat his words (dogs could be trained to track blood scents couldn’t they? Why not a cat? There was a reasonable explanation somewhere, surely) but even he had to admit, Mittens had been a lot more successful than any of them.
After Virgil had returned from the rooftop shaking his head, Mittens had meowed piteously until they followed him to a side street, where thin slits set at ground level vented hot air from the bathhouse basement. The cat had slipped in easily, and after a few minutes debate, Logan and Virgil had wiggled their way in after.
They’d used a rope to reach the ground, finding themselves at the base of a set of stairs. There was a soft glow at the top, presumably the main floor of the house, enough to illuminate Mittens’ tail as he trotted off deeper into the basement.
It was only Virgil’s night vision that prevented them from breaking their necks on the next set of stairs, but eventually they had made their way to the a well-lit and uncomfortably warm maintenance room.
And to Roman.
An injured Roman. A glassy-eyed Roman who could barely stand and started shivering as soon as they left the heat of the room.
“He’s going into shock.” Virgil muttered, fixing his cape around Roman’s shoulders. He pulled it tight, wrapping the ends securely, but making Roman whimper in pain. Not knowing what to do, Logan just held the lantern higher. It illuminated the cut on Roman’s sallow face, and the bruises that surrounded it. Bruises which continued over his shoulders and no doubt down his back. Logan had seen the stick, lying next to the corpse, it’s end strained with blood from where the skin had split.
Stupidly, he wished he’d taken the time to break it into a hundred little pieces.
When they reached the first set of stairs, they paused to let Roman catch his breath. His breathing was shallow and he slumped heavily against Logan’s side.
Logan had once watched Roman hop on one foot for almost a mile rather than swallow his pride and admit he needed help. Logan exchanged a glance with Virgil, not bothering to keep the panic from his face.
Virgil let out a long exhale an reached over to squeeze Logan’s shoulder reassuringly, shifting himself to take some of the bard’s weight.
“He’s not going to be able to climb out the way we came in.” Virgil murmured.
“Obviously.” Logan nodded.
That was okay. They had a plan B.
As if on cue, a distant roar rang out above them, followed by quite a lot of screaming.
“Issat Patton?” Roman asked, staring into the darkness with unfocused eyes.
“Mmhmm”, Virgil leaned over and pushed some of Roman’s damp hair away from his face. “He was meant to come get us if we weren’t out in twenty minutes. I think he’s early.”
“There’s at les’ a dozen of ‘em.” Roman slurred “Niki said.”
“Patton can handle it.” Virgil said firmly, though his eyes flickered to the ceiling, betraying his nervousness. “Can you walk?”
Roman nodded, though he needed both their help to actually manage it. It was painfully slow going, with Roman unsuccessfully trying to hide a wince of pain with each step.
The first flight of stairs was relatively short, but by the time they had reached the top Roman’s shaking was so bad it was making Logan’s own teeth rattle. Still, they pressed on, almost dragging the bard between them to the base of the much larger set of stairs that would take them to street level.
Here the noises from the floor above were much louder – the clash of steel on steel reverberating down the stairs.
Logan stared at the next obstacle, uncertain. There were what amounted to five flights, with a small flat platform at each turning point. There was a banister running each side of the stairs, but it was missing in several places. What was there didn’t look like it would hold much weight.
Above them, there was an enormous crash followed by a bellow of almost inhuman rage.
“Frog mode?” Roman asked drowsily.
“Frog mode.” Virgil said grimly.
The berserkers of Krutova painted their faces with the green and blue mud from the rivers and swamps that saturated their forest home. Legend said they could lie in wait for hours, hidden under the water, using hollow reeds to breath before leaping out on unsuspecting enemies with a monstrous frenzied rage, dragging their opponents to a watery grave – assuming they didn’t, quite literally, rip them apart first.
Logan had never seen Patton paint his face. And the big man did not like to talk about his time at war. But Logan had seen him fight off more than a dozen men in a bar brawl without breaking a sweat. He’d once seen him wrestle a wild boar just for fun.
Still. The men upstairs were trained guardsmen, not drunks. And they were armed. And it had only been a small boar.
Virgil was clearly having similar thoughts, his fingers twitching against his side, his eyes constantly flickering up and then back towards Logan and Roman. .
“Go.” Logan said, “We’ll follow you.”
Virgil hesitated, but Roman nodded, straightening up as much as he could “We’ll be righ’ behin’ you. Go help dad.”
Virgil dithered a moment more and then let out all his breath in a rush, reaching for the crossbow strapped to his back.
“Okay just. Go slow. We’ll come get you when the coast is clear.” he waited until they both nodded before turning and all but leaping up the stairs. Roman held his pose until he was out of sight and then collapsed once more against Logan’s side.
The scholar adjusted his grp on the lantern, and hooked his other arm over Roman’s back. With a grunt of effort, the bard managed to sling his left arm over Logan’s shoulder, leaving his uninjured hand free to grip the rickety banister. Logan squeezed, holding him tightly. Roman groaned as he pressed against the bruises and welts that coated his back but Logan held firm.
“One step at a time.” the younger man said softly. “Okay?”
Panting, Roman nodded, giving Logan a sickly lopsided grin.
The staircase spiralled five times before reaching the top floor. They made it round twice before trouble found them.
“You.” The man growled.
The man standing between them and freedom was generically handsome, with large eyes and a strong jaw. He had a passing resemblance to Roman; with the same dark reddish brown hair and tanned skin. He wore a doublet of pink and navy, with the three peaked mountains embroidered in gold thread.
“Luc’-“ Roman gasped out, “don’t-“
“Shut up!” the Marquis de Orenlla snapped. He held a wicked looking dagger in one hand, eyes ablaze. “Is there no end to your duplicity? You foul traitor, I should have you hanged!“
Also like Roman, he seemed to favour being loud over being coherent.
With a grunt, Roman removed his injured arm from Logan’s shoulder and clung to the banister.
“Go!” he shouted to Logan.
Logan spared him an exasperated glance and threw the lantern at the Marquis head.
He went down with a screech, rolling back and forth on the small platform to put the flames dancing on his embroidery. The dagger skirted away and over the edge of the platform.
“You go.” Logan snapped at Roman, pulling out his sword and stepping between the two men.
Technically it was Roman’s sword, the one he had left behind in the inn. But Logan has been taking their training sessions seriously and it felt comfortable in his hands. He pointed the blade a the Marquis throat, effectively pinning him to the ground.
“Wow!” Roman laughed and lent to the side to grin at the flabbergasted noble “I trained him.” he said smugly.
“Hurry up!” Logan hissed and to his great relief, Roman did so, inching his way behind Logan and starting up the next flight of stairs.
“Stop.” The Marquis croaked out.
Roman stopped.
Logan turned towards him, frustrated “Roman, I’ve got this – just keep-“
Later, Logan would blame the stress of the situation for just why he chose to turn away from his prisoner at that precise moment.
Before he had chance to process what was happening, he was falling. Pain rippling through his ankle from a well placed kick from the Marquis. He dropped the heavy sword almost immediately, only for it to be snatched up by the larger man.
Logan felt himself being dragged through the air, and all at once he was pinned against the Marquis chest, sword now held at his own neck.
He saw Roman start back down the stairs towards them and felt the Marquis’ hot breath against his ear as he shouted: “Stop!”
Roman stopped. One foot frozen in the air, he lost his balance almost immediately and toppled to the side, reaching out instinctively to grab the banister with his injured hand, letting out a howl of pain.
The Marquis shuffled backwards, dragging Logan with him, dangerously close to the edge of the platform.
“I’m serious, Romulus.” the Marquis growled. “Not one more step. Or your friend here is going to be even shorter.”
“I'm average height.” Logan muttered sullenly.
The Marquis snorted in his ear. “Where? In the Dwarf kingdom?”
“Lucius!” Roman whimpered, he was hunched over, cradling his bad arm to his chest. “Please – he’s just a kid!”
“I am only three years younger than you!” Logan cried indignantly.
“Oh right.” Roman muttered. “My bad.” And then Roman straightened up. He hadn’t been cradling his arm at all – he’d been working something out of his tunic.
Roman’s dagger, a dull pointless object in desperate need of replacement, came hurtling towards them.
The Marquis let out a shout and instinctively raised the sword to bat the dagger away. Logan took the opportunity to wrench out of his grip, blindly kicking out behind him as he did so.
His foot made satisfying contact with the Marquis’ knee, sending him toppling off the platform, a resounding series of crashes and shouts echoing through the chamber as he bounced down the stairs.
Logan hurried towards Roman as fast as he could, not bothering to turn around and see how far the Marquis had fallen.
“Can you move?” he asked breathlessly.
“I don’t think so.” Roman admitted from his prone position at the base of the steps. Logan bit back a wail of frustration. Roman truly looked done in, his eyes battling to stay open, and there was no way Logan was going to be able to carry him up the-
“Logan? Roman?”
Logan hadn’t been to a city temple since he left his apprenticeship. He had no particular interest in the Gods or their silly squabbles. But the sight of Patton - working his way towards them with his clothing torn and face splattered with blood that wasn’t his own – well. Logan was fairly certain he could pass for an angel.
“You’re safe now.” Logan whispered, although he had no proof of the long term truth of that statement, “go to sleep Roman.”
Roman did as he was told.
Part 8
#roman sanders#virgil sanders#logan sanders#patton sanders#sanders sides fic#sanders sides#cretivitwins#i wasnt planning to get another chapter up so quick but im gonna have other things to focus on this weeek and aaaaah i just wanted to write#the rescue scene#EVERYONE IN THIS UNIVERSE IS A DISASTER BUT THEY LOVE EACH OTHER A LOT SO ITS OKAY#sidespart writes#ts: fall of romulus
136 notes
·
View notes
Text
It’s Electric - One Shot
a/n: I have no idea what this is or why I thought of it, but enjoy CEO!Harry with a blue collar!Y/N
Warnings: Smut (slow burn, I’m so sorry.) Not proofread, sorry!
Words: 15.2K
Being a female, blue collar worker was interesting to say the least. Most of the guys you worked with were either fresh out of college and starting their apprenticeship, or they were in their mid-forties, married with kids. You did the college thing, and got a degree in mathematics, but you didn’t want to be a teacher, and you sure as hell didn’t want to go into computer science. Your father was an electrician, and you asked him for help getting into his union. Electrical work involved a lot of math, especially trigonometry.
You were in your mid-twenties, able to live alone, and working a job that had good benefits. A lot of your friends didn’t quite understand it because you sometimes had to work traditional holidays, and you really couldn’t take time off. But the overtime pay was incredible, and when you were able to take a vacation, you had plenty of money for a good time. The one thing you were sort of missing was companionship.
Most of the guys on the job just assumed you were gay. It was a stupid stereotype. To be fair, you did have to wear a lot of flannel and you never wore makeup, and you constantly had hat hair from your hardhat. Again, a lot of stupid stereotypes.
Your union had gotten a contract together to do maintenance on a specific building in the city. It happened to also be where one of your best friends works so you’d be able to go on lunch together.
“Y/N!” She squeals. “Look at you, I’ve never seen you on the job before.” She tugs at your flannel. “I think you’re the reason mom jeans came back into style, you look so cute.” She was the best hype man there was.
“Thanks, Stacey.” You chuckle. “I don’t wanna get in trouble, I’ll see you at lunch, okay?”
You had never changed so many lightbulbs in one sitting. You hated maintenance work, but it beat being on unemployment. Next on the list was to run some tests on the electrical outlets. You make your way through specific people’s offices. You see your friend again, her desk was outside the CEO’s. She was his executive assistant.
“Let me just make sure he’s not on a call.” She says and you nod. She knocks on the door and opens it. “Mr. Styles? The maintenance crew is here to run inspections in your office.”
“Thanks, send ‘em in.”
She smiles and gestures for you to go in. She grabs you first, pulling you back.
“Remember, he’s British, and very hot.”
“Stacey…you have a boyfriend.”
“I’m well aware, I’m just preparing you.”
You roll your eyes and walk in.
“I’ll try to keep it brief.” You tell him and he nods. You click your pen and make a few notes on your clip board. You grab your outlet tester from your tool belt and get to work. He tries to continue typing at his desk, but curiosity gets the better of him.
“This might sound rude, but I was expecting some old guy to come here for this.”
“Sorry to disappoint.” You smirk at him and continue around the room. “This office is huge.”
“Well…it should be. Worked hard enough for it.”
“Right, you’re the CEO?”
“That’s right, darlin’.”
“Don’t call me that.” You make a disgusted face.
“Sorry, it’s just something I say.” He blushes.
“I need to get under there.”
“Excuse me?”
“Under your desk, I need to check the floor outlets.”
“Oh.” He stands up and moves his chair out of the way. He looks away as you get on your hands and knees, but he’s a man, so his eyes flicker down to your ass. He looks away immediately. You stand back up and make some notes.
“Alright, all set. Have a good one.”
“That’s it?”
“Pretty routine inspection. You all take good care of your offices. Nothing to worry about. We replaced all the lightbulbs that needed it, made them all LED.”
“Thanks.” He smiles.
You walk out and confirm with Stacey where you’ll be meeting her for lunch. Harry notices this. After you’re gone, Harry goes out to Stacey’s desk.
“Stacey, you’re friends with that woman?”
“Yeah! We go way back, Mr. Styles. She’s my best friend, actually. We’re having lunch in a bit, would you like to join us?”
“No.” He chuckles. “No, that’s alright. Um…so she’s an electrician?”
“Mhm, she’s really smart. She was top of her apprenticeship program a few years ago. She’s part of some union now that he dad was in. She likes it.”
“Ah…” He looks away for a moment. “You and I know each other pretty well at this point, right?”
“I’d say so. I mean, my boyfriend and I have been to your house for parties.” You giggle. “Why?”
“Is she single?”
‘Y/N? Yeah! Totally single.” She beams. “Not that she can’t get a date, she can. She’s just been busy lately.” She bites her bottom lip. “Do you…want me to give you her number?”
“Only if she wants to. See what she thought of me on your lunch, would you?”
“I’m on it.”
//
You and Stacey meet up at a Panera Bread not too far from the office building. You’d be doing inspections there all week, on every floor.
“Alright, I’m just going to come right out and say it. Harry wants your number!” She squeals.
You nearly choke on your salad.
“Who?!”
“Harry! Mr. Styles, my boss. The CEO of-“
“Okay, okay. What the fuck, I talked to him for like two seconds. He also called me darling, I didn’t like that.”
“He calls everyone darling, or love. He’s British, remember.”
“What does that have to…? Never mind.” You shake your head.
“He must think you’re cute. He hasn’t dated in a while, as far as I know. He’s super sweet, Y/N. Can I give him your number, please? He could really sweep you off your feet.”
“I’m not looking to be swept, I’m looking for a partner, someone to spend time with. Not someone who flashes cash around.”
“You’re making excuses.”
“Fine.” You shrug. “Give him my number.”
Stacey can’t wait to get back up to her office to give Harry your number. She knocks on his door and enters. He’s just finishing his lunch.
“Here.” She slaps a piece of paper on his desk. “That’s her number. I’ll warn you, she’s stubborn, so…play it cool.”
“Don’t I always?”
“I said cool, not suave. She hates that shit.”
“When should I call? I don’t wanna seem too eager…”
“She might think you’re playing around if you don’t call her tonight. Call her after work.”
//
You were hanging out on your couch, fresh out of the shower in a tank top and shorts, digging into a pint of ice cream. Your phone goes off, and you see it’s not anyone you know. You swipe to answer and stick your phone between your cheek and shoulder.
“Hello?”
“Hi, uh, is this Y/N?”
“This is she.”
“It’s Harry.”
“Who? Oh! Mr. Styles from the office building.”
“Yeah.” He chuckles. “That’s me.”
“Stacey gave you my number?”
“She did. I hope it’s alright that I asked her for it.”
“Hey, however your relationship works is none of my business.” You take a bite of your ice cream. “So, why’d you want my number anyways?”
“So I could ask you out.”
For the second time today you choke on your food.
“Excuse me, one second.”
He hears you coughing and he tries not to laugh. You get a glass of water, and sit back down.
“Sorry about that.”
“No worries.”
“Why do you want to ask me out?”
“I, well, to be blunt I’m attracted to you.”
“Why?” You scoff. “Got a thing for girls in loose jeans?”
“They weren’t that loose.”
“What?”
“Nothing, listen, I think you’re pretty and I just thought-“
“Pretty? Wow.” You scoff.
“You’re really going to make me work for this, aren’t you?” He sighs.
“Hard work doesn’t seem foreign to you. It’s how you got that nice office of yours isn’t it?”
“Y/N?”
“Yes?”
“Would you like to go out for dinner with me some time?”
“I’m free Saturday if you are.”
“I’m free.”
“Pick me up at seven, I’ll text you my address when the time comes.” You hang up before he has a second to say anything else.
You text Stacey to let her know you’d be going out with Harry on Saturday. You were actually sort of excited.
//
On Saturday, you go to your hairdresser for a blow out, and to have your nails done. It was a very nice treat. You get your make up on and pick out one of the dresses you never get to wear. It was black and simple, but you were exited to wear it. You get a call from Harry right at seven.
“Hello?”
“Just pulled up, I’m downstairs.”
“Be down in a second.” You grab your purse and head down.
Harry had a suit on and was standing outside a black car. His jaw nearly drops when he sees you. All he had to go on was that day in his office. You looked like a completely different person.
“You look…lovely.”
“Thanks.” You smile. “I don’t get to dress up very often.” You blush slightly.
He opens the back door of the car for you and you raise an eyebrow.
“I have a driver.”
“Oh…fancy.”
You slide into the car, and Harry comes around on the other side. He taps on the partition, and the car moves.
“I hope you like Asian food.”
“Love it.” You say. “Oh! Are we going to that hibachi place?”
“No, but it’ll sort of be like that.”
“Do you always use a driver?”
“For city stuff, yeah. When I’m out at the beach or upstate I drive myself. Sometimes I get my picture taken when I’m out, learned a long time ago it’s best to just have a driver.”
“Like…paparazzi?”
“Yeah…sometimes. Not that often anymore. There was this, uh, model that I dated a few years ago-“
“Tell me again, why were you so attracted to me?”
“You caught my attention. Not a lot of people do.”
Your cheeks grow slightly red. You feel the car come to a full stop. The driver gets out and opens the door for you. Harry slides out after you. You watch as he tells the driver how long you’ll roughly be. As you walk into the restaurant, the hostess greets Harry almost immediately. You follow her past the main dining area, and are brought into a private dining room. There was a table for two set up already. You give him a confused look.
“I like my privacy.” He pulls your chair out for your and you sit down.
“Is there any particular reason we’re sitting next to each other.”
“The chef is going to make our food for us in a few minutes. Told you it was sort of like hibachi.” He grabs the bottle of wine on the table and opens it. “Would you like some? It’s plum wine, it’s delicious.”
“Um…sure.” He pours you some and you take a small sip. “Hm, different.”
“So, how does one become an electrician?”
“How does one become a CEO?” You smirk. “Lots of hard work, school, and luck.”
Before Harry can speak again the chef walks in, and a few other follow him in with a cart. There was a flat top where he’d be able to make whatever you wanted. One of the waiters brings over a tray of sushi to start with. You grab your chopsticks and take a piece.
“Oh, that’s good. I love sashimi.” You say.
“Good evening, folks.” The chef smiles. “Tonight I’ll be preparing a delicious steak, kale salad, and for dessert fried banana ice cream.”
“That all work for you? I sorta had to tell them ahead of time.”
“Sounds amazing.”
You watch as the chef prepares the steak and the kale. It smelled delicious already, and it was cool to watch as it was done. You and Harry continue to enjoy the sushi in the meantime.
“Are you going to answer my question?”
“About what?”
“Becoming an electrician.”
“Oh…well, my dad was one, and he was in a union. I have a B.S. in Mathematics, but I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with it, so I asked my dad for some help getting into the union, and the rest was history. I get to use my degree every day. Not a lot of people can say that.” You smile and take a sip of the wine. “Do you always do this?”
“Do what?”
“Schmooze on a first date.”
“I’m not schmoozing.” He gasps.
“I’m just saying…this is, like, really fancy. You could have taken me to a burger joint, I’m not picky. I just don’t want you thinking you to need to flash your cash around. I get it, you’re reach and do well for yourself, you know? I wanna know what’s underneath all that.”
Two plates are put in front of you.
“Thank you.” Harry says to the chef and everyone else leaves the room. “I wasn’t trying to flash my cash.” He cuts his steak and takes a bite. “I just wanted to show you a good time.”
“By booking a private room at a really nice restaurant?” You smirk and take a bite of your steak. “Although, this food is delicious.” You use your napkin to pat the corners of your mouth gently. “How’d you get into the business that you’re in?”
“Well, I always wanted to be in sales, do a little bit of traveling, that kind of stuff. When I was in uni, the idea of property management sort of intrigued me, so I looked a little more into that. I started off in the mail room while I was getting my MBA, and then just sort of worked my way up. I bet my company has provided a lot of work to your union, other than just maintenance.”
“It definitely does, I recognized the name. You guys have put up buildings all over the place. You’re kind of like Richard Gere’s character in Pretty Woman.”
“I suppose I am! I love that movie.” He clears his throat. “So, you didn’t want to become an engineer or anything?”
“Nope, I like working with my hands.” You shrug and take a sip of your wine.
“Is it hard being in a male dominated profession?”
“Isn’t it pretty male dominated up in your office?” You raise an eyebrow at him. “Most of the women up there were either assistants or other low ranking positions.”
“Are you saying your friend works a low ranking position as my executive assistant?”
“Stacey likes what she does, she feels fulfilled and needed, at least that’s what she tells me. I’m just saying, anywhere I would have gone, it would probably look the same. Besides, I’m not the only woman on the job, I’m just one of few, and I’m one of the younger ones. The guys are all nice enough.”
A few moments later a waiter comes in to clear the plates and someone else brings out the fried ice cream.
“I’ve never had this before.” You smile. “I’m excited to try it.”
“Fried ice cream is delicious, especially after eating a steak with so many spices in it.”
You both dig in. You lick your lips after taking a bite.
“Mm, that is so good.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
Harry squared up the bill, and out the two of you went. You thanked him over and over for paying. He wanted to ask if you felt like grabbing another drink anywhere, but he wasn’t so sure if you’d be into it. Maybe that could be saved for a second date. His driver brings you home and Harry gets out to walk you up the steps of your building.
“I had a great time.” He blushes. “I’m glad we could do this.” All you do is smile and nod. “Um, well, so I have your number, I’ll give you another call sometime?”
“Okay.” You get your keys out of your purse. “Thanks again for dinner.”
You key into your building and he watches you disappear inside. He was stunned. Not even a goodnight kiss, hell, even a hug would have sufficed. Usually when Harry took a woman out on a date at the very least he got a kiss on the cheek, if not that most of the time he would get invited up. Did he do something wrong? Were you not as attracted to him as he was to you?
//
“Tell me everything! I wanna know what to expect tomorrow morning and if I need to add a caramel swirl to his coffee.” Stacey giggles over the phone with you the next morning.
“It was…okay.”
“Just okay?! Didn’t he take you to that nice Japanese place?”
“Yeah, the food was excellent, but the atmosphere was weird.”
“What do you mean?”
“He had us seated in a private room and we basically had this personal chef. It was awkward when things got a little quiet. There was a little music in the background, but I would have felt more at ease in the main dining area.”
“He likes his privacy.”
“So he said. Apparently sometimes paparazzi follow him?”
“Yeah, about a year ago he was dating this Italian model. He started getting photographed. They followed him around a bit after they broke up, but we haven’t seen too many in a while.”
“I don’t know why he’d want to go from a model to me…”
“Oh, stop it. You’re gorgeous! So…are you saying you won’t see him again?”
“I don’t see why I would. I didn’t feel any sparks flying between us. He seems sort of hollow, Stace.”
“No! He’s so sweet! He can just be sort of…I don’t know…awkward. He’s amazing when he’s making a deal, but outside of work I know he can be a little social awkward.”
“I don’t think I wanna be with someone as rich as he is.”
“He was just trying to impress you, I’m sure. You didn’t have any fun?”
“I had a little…but not enough to go on a second date.”
Stacey swallowed hard. Harry was a very sweet man, and extremely respectful…but he wanted something he worked for it. There was no way he was going to let this, or you, go.
//
“Morning, Stacey.” He says to her with a smile. He grabs his coffee from her desk.
“Morning, Mr. Styles.”
“Have a good weekend?” He asks as she follows her in. He looks at the mail she’s already put on his desk.
“Yeah, Dan and I visited his parents out at the lake. It was nice.”
“Good for you guys.” He looks at her and smiles. “Been together a few years now, right? When’s he popping the question?”
“Oh, Harry.” She swats a hand at him as he chuckles. “Soon. Anyways, you’ve got a meeting at nine, and then this afternoon you’re to go to that new property we just bought. The construction workers will be there, it’ll be good for you to meet the crew.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know the drill. I’m dying to see the place again. Haven’t been since we saw it last.” He sits down at his desk. “Hate wearing those hard hats though, they always mess up my hair.” He smirks.
“I don’t think anything could mess up your hair.” She laughs and turns to leave to go back to his desk.
“Wait, uh, did you happen to speak with Y/N at all?”
“Oh! Um, was this past Saturday the big date?”
“You know it was, quit playing.”
“We spoke, yeah.”
“Did she mention me at all? Trying to gauge when I should call her next.”
“Oh, so you wanna see her again?”
“I do.” He smiles. “So, she say anything?”
“Yeah…um, she said she had a nice time.”
“Was that it?”
“Pretty much, but to be fair, we talked more about my weekend. Barely let her get a word in, you know how I can be sometimes.”
Stacey walks awkwardly back to her desk. She prayed that if he did reach out to you, you’d at least let him down easy.
//
Harry leaves around one in the afternoon to head to the property. He and the COO go together in a car. When they get there they both shake the foreman’s hand and walk around the property.
“The electrician’s showed up this morning. They’ve certainly got their work cut out for them.” The foreman says. “Great workers though, union contract just how you like.”
Harry nods and continues walking. He notices the electricians on their afternoon coffee break.
“Check out the suits.” Frank says to you. You smirk and look over your shoulder. You immediately look back at Frank. “What?”
“I know that guy…the one in the blue suit.”
“No shit, how?”
“He, uh, took me to dinner on Saturday.”
“What?!”
“My friend is his executive assistant, she gave him my number after we met last week doing those inspections.”
“No offense, but I thought you were gay.” He rubs the back of his neck.
“Frank.” You pinch the bridge of your nose.
“So…some big wig took you out? How was it?”
“I don’t wanna talk about it, and I certainly don’t want to-“
“Y/N?”
You turn around slowly to look at him.
“Hi Harry.”
“Y/N, you should address him as Mr. Styles.” Your foreman says.
“That’s quite alright, we know each other.” He smiles at you.
“We sure do, excuse me.” You grab your hard hat, stick it on, and head inside with Frank.
“How do you know her?” The foreman asks Harry.
“She’s good friends with my assistant.”
The foreman brings Harry and the COO inside to show them the bit of progress that’s been made on the interior thus far. Harry sees you up on a ladder helping a wire get fed through a hole.
“Got it!” You yell up, and secure it.
Harry and the COO stick around for quite some time making sure everything was to their liking. He’s there until the end of the work day and sees you walking with your toolbox to your car. You wave goodbye to Frank as you get everything in your trunk. It was a nice size SUV. He watches as you unclip your tool belt and slightly rub at your hip bones. He decides to come over to you.
“Hi again.” He smiles and you nearly jump.
“Jesus, you’re just everywhere.”
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you, darling.” You scrunch your face at the word. “Sorry.”
“You apologize a lot.” You shake your head and throw your hard hat into your trunk. You take your hair out of its bun, and shake your hair out. “Can I help you with something?” You close your trunk and lean against your car, crossing your arms.
“I just, um, well, I was wondering when I could see you again.”
“You’re seeing me now.”
He chuckles and shakes his head.
“I mean, when can I take you on another date?”
“Harry…” You look down, then back up to him. “I…”
“I should have texted you afterwards, right?” He sucks his teeth. “I didn’t wanna seem too eager.”
“You really had that good a time with me that you wanna take me out again?”
“Well, yeah. Didn’t you?”
You had two choices. You could either crush the man in front of you and walk away, or you could cut the guy a break and give it another go. Would it be so bad to let him take you out again? Maybe this time you could call the shots.
“I did.” You swallow. “I’d like to go out again.”
“Great!” He beams at you. “I was thinking we could-“
“I’d like to plan it.”
“Oh…well, alright. What did you have in mind?”
“You’ll find out Friday night. You’re free then?”
“I can definitely make myself available.”
“Perfect.” You turn on your heel and get into your car. Once again you leave him standing there, stunned.
//
“You’re giving it another shot?!” Stacey practically screams through the phone.
“Mhm.”
“What made you decide?”
“Well, he was just standing right in front of me. I felt sort of bad. I figured maybe I was being too harsh before. It can’t hurt to go out again.”
“Where are you going to take him?”
“I haven’t decided yet. I was thinking of going to that bar I’ve been to with Frank. I’ve taken you a couple of times.”
“Oh! That place with the darts and the live music?”
“Yeah! I think he needs a night to be a little less fancy, don’t you?”
“Definitely! He won’t know what hit him.”
//
Harry was on cloud nine all week. He couldn’t wait to see you again. He even had flowers sent to your job site. You were thoroughly embarrassed. The guys all gave you shit for it. He was a little surprised when you didn’t even text him to thank him for them, but he just brushed it off and kept his cool. When you did finally text him Thursday evening, he nearly squealed.
You: what’s your address? I’ll be picking you up around eight tomorrow
Harry: late start to the evening, where we headed?
You: that’s for me to know ;)
His stomach filled with butterflies all because you sent a winky face. He was having a few doubts that maybe you didn’t like him that much, but you were being playful with him now. This was good.
//
Your hair was down and wavy, you had a white tank top on with a dangly necklace, and some jeans. You drive to Harry’s building. It was much nicer than yours, naturally. You text him and let him know you’re on the street. He comes walking out moments later in a black silk shirt and a pair of yellow patterned dress pants. You squinted through the window and noticed they were sort of tight around his thighs. He waves at you and you wave back.
“This is fun already.” He says as he buckles up. He looks down at you. “I’m overdressed.”
“Not at all. You’re dressed like you, that’s good. This is how I like to dress.”
“You look cute.” He says.
“Thanks.” You start to drive off towards the bar.
“So, now will you tell me where we’re going?”
“To a bar, hope you’re thirsty.” You smirk at him.
As you continue to drive Harry takes note of the music on the radio and even the way you drive the car. You were only using one hand, on the bottom of the wheel. You were so easy going.
“This is a nice car.”
“Thanks, bought it last year. I used have a dinged up old truck.”
“Do you miss having a truck?”
“Not really.” You shrug. “I wanted something more like this. When you have a truck everyone always wants your help with stuff. It’s bad enough that I’m the handy friend.” You chuckle. “I’m always being asked to help repair stuff or whatever. I don’t mind, but sometimes it’s a lot.”
You get over to the bar and find a place to park.
“Can’t remember the last time I was on this side of town.” He comments as you walk inside.
There were a lot people around, and the bar itself was packed. There was some sports game playing, but it wouldn’t be on long once the live band would start. There were people playing darts and munching on popcorn.
“Go snag a booth, I’ll get us some beers.”
“Oh, uh…”
“What’s a matter?”
“I don’t really like beer.” He takes his wallet out. “I can grab the drinks, tell me what you want.”
“I want you to go grab us a booth. I’ll get you something other than beer.”
You turn and go up to the bar. You greet the bartender who knows you pretty well. You decide that if Harry didn’t want beer, then you wouldn’t get one either.
“Two long islands.” You grin.
You get your drinks and find Harry at a booth. He stuck out like a sore thumb, he wasn’t hard to find. You place the glasses on the table.
“I’ll grab us some popcorn. We’ll grab some real food later.”
You go up to the popcorn machine and grab a bowl to fill up. You say hello to some people you recognize and head back to the booth.
“What made you decide on a long island ice tea?” He raises an eyebrow at you.
“Thought it would be fun to just get drunk.” You smile. “What sort of mixed drinks do you usually get?”
“I don’t. I usually just get a scotch or something.”
“Ew.” You grimace and then take a sip of your drink. “This is much more fun.”
“You could have gotten a beer still.”
You toss a piece of popcorn into your mouth and take another sip. Harry takes a sip as well and coughs when he’s done.
“Bit heavy handed.”
“I can get you something else…”
“No, it’s fine.” He smiles. “Do you come here a lot?”
“Sometimes. Some buddies from work brought me here, and I liked it. They have free darts, and live music. The band should be starting soon.”
You were two drinks in, and you both were giggling messes. The band was loud, but fun. You had gotten into a little game of getting popcorn into the other’s mouth. Maybe Harry could let his hair down a little and act like a normal person.
By the time you each were on your third drink, you definitely knew you were drunk, and so did Harry. He was having a great time.
“I’m hungry, are you hungry?!” You had yell over the music.
“Starved!”
“Come on!”
You grab his wrist as you walk out of the place. It’s a bit chilly outside, and without thinking, Harry wraps his arm around your shoulders as you walk. You wrap yours around his waist, and he feels butterflies again. You lead him to a McDonald’s and walk in.
“Two medium big mac meals, please.” You slur as you walk up to the counter.
“I’m paying.” Harry insists.
“Nope, I got it.” You slap your credit card down. “Go fill up our drinks, I’ll wait for the food.”
Harry shuffles over to the drink station and fills the paper cups up with coke. You come over to the table he found and you both dive into the greasy food.
“Mm, I can’t remember the last time I had McDonald’s.” He grunts as he eats the food.
“Right?! It’s like, the perfect drunk food.” You suck down the coke. “I would have gotten us some flurries but the machine’s broken.”
“I have ice cream back at my place…got stuff to make sundaes actually.”
“Are you kidding?!”
“Nope, always keep that stuff around. Never know when you’re gonna need some hot fudge.”
“Well, I know where we’re going next.”
“What about your car? We’re both way too fucked up to drive.”
“It’s called uber.”
“Nonsense, I’ll call my-“
“He’ll be here in two minutes, finish up your fries.” You say, looking at your phone.
“You’re very impulsive.” He chuckles and throws some fries into his mouth.
“Live a little.” You yank him out of the booth and go outside.
You both crawl into the uber, and giggle during the ride. Harry hadn’t had this much fun in a long time. When you get to Harry’s building, he says hello to the doorman, and you just smile and wave. He keeps his hand on the small of your back as he leads you into the elevator. It was a beautiful lobby. You watch, through your foggy eyes, as Harry presses the button for the top floor where all of the pent house suites were. He leads you down a hall and keys into his place. You jaw nearly hits the floor.
“I didn’t know they made apartments this big. It’s like…a house in here!” You walk around. “Is this a staircase?!”
“Yeah, it’s two stories. There’s four bedrooms total. My main guest room is down here, and then upstairs are the rest. Got an office down that way, nice big balcony.”
“What’s a single guy need all this space for?”
“Got family and friends that come to visit. I end up hosting functions quite a bit too. Catered events, and all that.” He grabs your hand to lead you into his massive kitchen. “Can I get you some water?”
“Nope, got any alcohol?”
“You want more to drink?!”
“We’re going to have ice cream right? How about some kalua?”
“You know, I do have some. I could put it into some shot glasses.”
“Works for me.” You smile.
Harry get everything out for the sundaes. His kitchen looked like it belonged in a restaurant, but it made sense since he did say he had catered events. If he had cooks come they’d need state of the art equipment. He runs the scoop under some warm water, rolls up one of his sleeves and scoops the ice cream into two bowls. Your eyes widen as you see the veins in his hand and forearm peek out. He adds the warmed up fudge, sprinkles some nuts, and then adds some whip cream.
“Why do you have all this stuff?” You ask as you make up the shots.
“We had an ice cream social here a week or so ago. I like having themed parties.” He bites into his ice cream and moans. “I hate throwing out leftovers.”
“This fudge is really rich.” You lick your lips after taking a bite.
“Shoulda made milk shakes with this.” He takes his shot of kalua and so do you.
“Next time.” You spoon my ice cream into your mouth.
“Next time, eh?”
“Sure.” You smile. “I’m having a good time.”
“Better than last time?”
“Harry.” You put your bowl down and put a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll admit, I was pretty skeptical, but when you let your hair down, you’re a lot of fun.”
“So…you didn’t have any fun last time?”
“It’s not that I didn’t.” You say, shoveling more ice cream into your mouth. “But I feel like I got to know you better tonight.” You hop up on his counter and sit there comfortably as you finish your ice cream. A little bit of hot fudge lingers on the corner of your mouth.
“You have a little, uh…” He taps the corner of his mouth to show you. He moves to stand between your legs and you look up at him.
“Did I get it?”
“Not exactly.” He cups your cheeks and leans in. You can feel his breath on you. He runs his thumb over the spot. “Got it.” He sucks his thumb into his mouth and smirks at you.
Just as he’s about to turn to grab the bowls you grab at the collar of his shirt, and pull him to you, crashing your lips to his. He sinks into it, only for a second before backing away. He presses his forehead to yours.
“What’s wrong?” You breathe.
“I don’t want this to happen like this.”
“Like what?”
He steps away and looks at you.
“We’re both pretty out of sorts, Y/N.”
“It was just a kiss…”
“But it could lead to more, and I don’t feel comfortable with that.”
“Are you really going to tell me you’ve never hooked up drunk?”
“I have.”
“So…I’m sorry, I’m just really confused.” You hop down so you can stand on your feet.
“Y/N.” He cups your cheeks so you’ll look at him. “I want to be completely sober so I can fully enjoy you.”
“You’re…such a weirdo, Harry. Who says shit like that?” You step away from him.
“You know, most people find me charming.”
“Well, then I guess I’m not most people.” You roll your eyes at yourself. “Ugh, I didn’t mean for that to sound like I’m not like other girls, that would be a weird thing to say. I feel like you say things you think I’d wanna hear.”
“No, I really feel that way. I don’t want…look, if we decided to do it, I’d wanna remember it, that’s all I was trying to say.”
“So just say it like that!” You start laughing. “That I can understand.”
“I don’t know what to say around you. It’s like everything I do is wrong.”
“Not true.” You grab the whip cream can and spray some into your mouth. “You make a mean sundae.”
“Don’t hog it.” He opens his mouth and you spray some whip cream into his mouth. You both giggle.
“So…you don’t even want to keep kissing?”
“I do, but I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
“What do you wanna do instead? My car’s all the way back at the bar, I’m way too fucked to drive…”
“You could stay here if you want. I could give you some pj’s and-“
“No, I’d rather sleep in my own bed.”
“I could call my driver.”
“This late?!”
“He’s on call.” Harry takes out his phone and sends a text. “It’s his job.”
“You’ll come for the ride?”
“Of course!” He smiles. “I have a question for you…”
“Alright.”
“Did you get the flowers I sent you earlier this week?���
“I did.” You move some hair from your face. “I’m sure you meant well, but you shouldn’t do that while I’m working again.”
“Why?” He frowns.
“It was embarrassing. Some of the guys gave me shit for it. Just…if you do it again, I mean, I like getting flowers, just have them sent to my apartment. I don’t need gifts at work. I didn’t even know where to put them.”
“So, we’re definitely seeing each other again?”
“I’d like to.” You smile.
“Great.” He smiles back. “Sorry…I didn’t mean to embarrass you. Do you want me to have someone fired? Cause I can do that.”
“No.” You laugh. “But thanks.”
Harry leads you down to the car and you both get in the back seat. You sit really close to him. You were incredibly riled up and horny. It was the alcohol, but you were sort of disappointed that you wouldn’t be getting laid, and it sort of turned you on that Harry was being such a gentleman. You look up at him.
“Harry?”
“Yeah?” He looks down at you.
You move his arm to put it around you, and you look up at him with big eyes. He sighs and leans in to kiss you. His lips were so soft, and he still tasted like the hot fudge. Your hands slide up to his hair and tug on his curls. You just wanted his tongue in your mouth, but he was being so timid. His other hand goes down to your thigh, and he squeezes it, his thumb digging in to your inner thigh. You whimper slightly and then he lets go of you. The car comes to a stop, and your door is opened by the driver. Harry gets out to walk you up to your door.
“I’m going to be out of town for the next ten days.” He says, tucking some hair behind your ear. “But when I get back, I’d love to see you again.”
“Me too.”
“Good.” He gives you one last kiss before getting back into the car. He makes sure you’re inside the building before he lets the driver go. He presses the button for the partition to go down. “Charlie, I had my doubts, I really did, but she likes me, mate.”
“That’s great, sir. I’m glad she agreed to see you again.”
“Me too. She’s so…different! She’s sort of blunt too. I like that. I feel like women always just like me for my money, but she could care less! This could really be something, I can feel it.”
//
You told Stacey all about your date with Harry, and how good of a kisser he was. You weren’t sure how’d you last the next ten days without his lips on yours again, but you’d find ways to manage. Work was a great distraction. However, your friends continued to shit on you. One of them snuck a magazine that had Harry on the cover into your toolbox.
“Very funny.” You roll your eyes as they laugh. “What’s so funny that he likes me?”
“It’s not funny, think they’re just jealous.” Frank smirks and looks at the magazine. “It’s just odd that you’re into him.”
“He’s not exactly the type of guy I’d usually be interested in, but he means well. He’s sweet…in his own weird way. He’s quirky. I took him to that bar we’ve been to on Friday, we had a great time.”
“Look at you, trying something for a second time. When do you see him next?”
“I don’t know. He’s out of town for a couple of weeks.”
“Doing what?”
“How the fuck should I know? I didn’t ask.”
“Why not?”
“It’s none of my business. It’s not like he’s my boyfriend.”
“Yeah, but he is the guy you’re seeing.”
“I’ve been on two dates with him, nothing’s set in stone.” Your morning coffee break ends you sigh. “Great, time to go into this stupid basement.” You put your hardhat on and a mask and head in with Frank.
//
On Thursday evening, you were just hanging out, watching TV after a long day of work. Your phone goes off and you see it’s a call from Harry.
“Hello?”
“Hi, beautiful!”
You’re sitting there with your hair up in a messy bun, pimple patches on your blemishes, and a raggedy t-shirt with stains all over it. You roll your eyes.
“What’s up?”
“Well, I finally got a free moment, and I wanted to call you. Are you busy? Should be about eight o’clock, right?”
“Yeah it is…where are you?”
“I’m in London.”
You think for a moment and you gasp.
“Harry, it’s like two in the morning over there!”
“Like I said, I finally got a free moment. I’m just getting into my flat, getting cozy.”
“What did you go to London for?”
“Business of course…and to see some family. Killing two birds with one stone.”
“Do you travel a lot?”
“Sometimes. There were some buildings I wanted to look at out here.”
“How come you didn’t bring Stacey?”
“She doesn’t always need to travel with me. We’ve connected, don’t worry. I’m not one of those helpless idiots who can’t survive without their assistant. Besides, need her there to hold down the fort.” You hear some shuffling and then the creaking of a bed, and a big sigh from him.
“So…what kept you out so late?”
“Business.”
“What Business could you possibly need to conduct at two in the morning?”
“Things operate differently over here. People like to go out late. I actually left early because I was tired.”
“That’s wild.”
“Very.” He chuckles. “What are you up to?”
“I was just watching some TV before I hit the sack.”
“Anything good on?”
“Not really.” You laugh and turn the TV off. “Kinda like hearing your voice.” You slap your forehead because you literally don’t know what possessed you to say that.
“Like hearing yours too. Sorry I haven’t been able to text much.”
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not, really. I wouldn’t want you to think I wasn’t interested or something.”
“I didn’t.”
“Good, because I’m still really interested.”
“When do you come back?”
“Monday evening, then it’s back to the office Tuesday.”
“You never stop, do you…”
“It’s hard not to, but I like what I do.”
“I would hope so.”
“How’s your week been?”
“You should get some sleep.”
“Can’t, too awake now. Tell me how your week was, how’s the building coming along?”
“I’ve been in a dimly lit crawl space in the basement feeding wires all week. Tomorrow’s the last day of doing that. Then next week my group of people will move up to the regular basement, and then after that we’ll move on to the lobby. Other people are working on the outside as well, and then once all that’s done we’ll be able to move on to the individual offices inside.”
“Wow, that’s a lot.”
“Mhm, but it’s honest work. I can take a step back at the end of the day and see what I’ve done. I like that.”
“You’re a visual person, then.”
“I am.”
“So am I.”
“Nice to know we have one thing in common.”
“We have other things in common.” He sounds offended.
“Like what?” You giggle and sit with your knees hugged to your chest. His voice over the phone was oddly soothing to you.
“Well…I’d say we both enjoy a good joke. We both like food, although, I have to say, my stomach was pretty angry with me after I had that bic mac.”
You burst out laughing.
“So was mine. It’s always good going in.”
“Mhm, and we like each other.”
“Oh, we do?” You ask sarcastically. “Teasing. I like you.”
“You didn’t at first though.”
“You didn’t make a great impression by calling me darling in your office.”
“If I knew how derogatory it was going to come off, I never would have said it. It’s just…part of my vocabulary.”
“It’s okay, I know you didn’t mean anything by it.”
“When I get back, I’d love to see you again. Maybe we could have lunch or something.”
“On my jobsite? I don’t think so.”
“We could go out for dinner, then? I mean, I’ll be coming by the site next week to check out the progress.”
“Please, don’t even acknowledge me if you see me. I want things to be professional.”
“Reputation to uphold?”
“Sort of. I have a couple good friends, but not all of the guys are so accepting of women on the job. I don’t want any of them thinking I’m getting special treatment or anything because I know you. Someone put a magazine that had you on the cover in my tool box as a prank.”
“I’m sorry…I don’t really know what the big deal is though.”
“It’s like I’m in elementary school and everyone found out about my cruck. Boys never really grow up, so I’ve come to find out.”
“Can’t say I can argue with that. We’re an immature lot.” He chuckles and then yawns.
“You should really go to sleep.”
“But I like talking to you.”
“You can call me this weekend.”
“Oh, that sounds nice.”
“Goodnight, Harry.”
“Goodnight…sweet dreams, Y/N.”
You sigh as you hang up. Your stomach felt weird. Did you have butterflies? You never had butterflies. Harry was definitely growing on you.
//
Wednesday morning, Harry came to the jobsite to check things out. He stayed in the trailer with the foreman with quite some time before going inside the building. He didn’t see you, and he was sort of sad about it. He hears a whistling noise and sees a bunch of people filing out and taking their hard hats off.
“Morning coffee break.” The foreman explains. Harry nods and squints at everyone. His eyes widen when he spots you.
He watches as you grab your thermos and pour your coffee into the little cap that works as a cup. He desperately wants to go over and say hi, but he also wanted to respect what you asked of him.
“Hey, Y/N, isn’t that your boyfriend?” One of the guys says and makes kissy noises. “Go say hi, give him a big wet one for us. Show him some appreciation for giving the union so much work.”
“Very funny.” You roll your eyes. “He’s not my boyfriend. We’ve been out two times.”
“That guy’s dated models, what’s so great about you?”
“Bob.” Frank says, warningly. “Don’t be a prick.”
Harry watches as the group laughs, and Frank puts a hand on your shoulder.
“Everything alright over there?” He asks the foreman.
“Yeah, they’re just giving her a tough time. They seem to think you’re her boyfriend.”
“And what if I was? Is that supposed to be funny?”
“No, sir, of course not…it’s just…up until a couple weeks ago everyone thought she was gay, or at least, just not into dudes.”
“Why? Because she didn’t try to fuck one of the other guys? She’s a beautiful woman, and-“ Harry stops himself. He can feel his blood boiling. He wasn’t your boyfriend, and he knew that, but he still wanted to defend you.
“What’s it like fucking a dude with so much money? Surprised you haven’t quit yet to become his live in lady.”
“Bob, I’m about two seconds away from ripping your balls off.”
“Not a very nice thing to say.”
“You’re being a dick, Bob.” Frank says. “Why do you wanna know what it’s like to fuck Mr. Styles for? You like him too?” He smirks.
“Frank.” You pinch the bridge of your nose. “What’s happening here, you’re going to turn this around to make some gay joke to defend me? Not cool. You all need to grow the fuck up.” You finish your coffee, put your hardhat back on and storm off.
Harry watches the scene and goes over to the group of men since you now left.
“Everything alright over here?” He asks them. The foreman was shaking behind him.
“Just fine, sir.” Bob says.
“Are we sure? Because that worker seemed a bit upset. I hope you’re all working as a team, I hate to see people not being team players. It makes getting a job done well very difficult.”
“The guys have been ragging on her because of you.” Frank says. “Apparently they think it’s funny that you’ve been out a couple of times.” He turns to all of them. “I think you all forget that she works with us and has fun just like the rest of us, but she’s still a woman. She’s allowed to go out on dates with people not like us. Just because she doesn’t want any of you doesn’t mean she doesn’t deserve to find someone.”
Frank huffs and storms off himself. Harry was impressed by him.
“I don’t have much to add to that other than that her personal life is just that, personal. Please remember that, and keep things professional. Then, none of his will have a problem.” He says sternly and walks away. The foremen glares at all of them and follows Harry.
He just wanted to make sure you were okay. He saw you inside, back to work, as if nothing had happened. Frank was holding the latter you were on. He still wanted to respect what you had asked, so he turns and walks back out of the building.
//
Stacey had her phone out when Harry got back to the office. She was texting furiously with someone. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she had a frown on her face.
“Everything alright, love?” Harry asks, concerned.
“With me, yeah.” She looks up at him and smiles. “I’m proud of you.”
“For what?”
“For not stepping in to defend her. She’s good at taking care of herself.”
“So that’s who you’re texting?”
“Mhm. I’m gonna meet her after work for some drinks. When do you see her next?”
“Friday.”
“Good, that’ll be nice.”
“So I shouldn’t show up while you’re having drinks?”
“No! She needs girl time. You mean well, but keep doing what you’re doing. Don’t suffocate her.”
“It was so hard to not run over to her earlier. We chatted a bit over the phone while I was gone. It was so nice.” He sighs and leans against her desk.
“You’re a romantic, Harry, and I love that about you. But…Y/N…well, she prefers to save that for the movies.”
Harry’s eyes widen and he gasps.
“I just figured out what I’m gonna take her to do Friday!” He hugs Stacey quick. “Thanks, Stace!” He rushes into his office and closes the door.
//
By the time Friday rolled around, you were exhausted. You really didn’t want to do anything crazy, and Harry assured you that you’d just be hanging out at his place which put you at ease. His car comes for you around seven. You come out in a pair of jeans, a nice shirt, and your hair down. He gets out and practically runs over to you. He takes you in his arms and kisses you.
“Missed you.” He says against your lips before kissing you again.
“I guess I missed you too.” You smile. “Thanks for being so cool at the site the other day.”
“No worries, I just hope those guys have cooled it.”
“They have.”
“Good.” He smiles and leads you into the car.
“One of these days I’m going to see what you look like behind the wheel.”
“That just means you’ll have to come out to my beach house.”
“That doesn’t sound too terrible. It’s getting warmer out by the day.”
“I hope you’re hungry, I’ve got something good prepared.”
“Did you cook?”
“God, no. I’d burn the house down if I made something other than a frozen pizza.” He chuckles. “No, I had someone come and make everything I wanted.” You make a face at him. “Oh, stop it. You’ll be thankful once you see it, trust me.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
Once you’re at Harry’s place, he leads you inside. You take note on how he always says hi to all of the workers. You liked that he was so kind to them. When he gets you inside your jaw drops. There was a popcorn machine full of popcorn, hot dogs on a rotisserie, and all of the fixings on a table next to it, a nacho station, and homemade candies and chocolates.
“So, this is, like, the concessions area, and then down the hall is my home theater. Thought I’d bring the movies to us. Do you like it?”
“This is so…extravagant.” You walk up to where all of the sweets are.
“I had my chef make up those chocolate covered cookie dough bites, I thought you might like them.”
“I love those…thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He kisses you cheek. “Well, let’s make up what we want and then we can go find our seats.” He chuckles at his own joke and it makes you giggle.
You each make up a tray of snacks, and head down the hall. You gasp when you see a movie poster on the wall outside of the door.
“Pretty Woman?”
“I remember you mentioning it on our first date. Would you like to watch it?”
“Sure!”
You walk inside the room. He wasn’t kidding, it really was a home theater. Three rows of luxurious recliner seats, a large screen and a projector in the back.
“Where would you like to sit?”
“Middle row?”
“Works for me.” He smiles and follows you up. He sets his food down on the chair next to him and takes his phone out. “There’s an app linked to the projector so I can just it play from here and even dim the lights.”
“Pretty cool.”
“Very cool. Makes things so much easier.”
The lights dim, and previews start playing.
“Previews from when the film first came out, makes it more immersive.”
“Nice touch.” You saw, biting into your hot dog. “Oh, wow. This is delicious.”
“All freshly made with a natural casing. Still not the best for you, but at least it’s made with good ingredients.”
You sip on your soda and toss some popcorn into your mouth as well. Once you both finish up some of the cookie dough bites, you set your trays aside, recline the chairs, and get comfortable. Harry lifts the armrest between you and puts his arm around you.
“This alright?”
“Mhm.” You cozy up to him and sigh as you watch the film.
Even though you thought he was flashing his cash again, you knew he wasn’t doing it for bad reasons. He wanted to give you a nice evening, and this was how he knew to do it. You appreciated him putting all this effort in just for you. It made you rethink your first date completely. He was just trying to show you a good time, and you felt bad for being sort of rude. You’re happy you gave him another chance.
You sling your arm over his lower stomach, and put one of your ankles over his. His cologne smelled so good, you just wanted to have him closer to you. Harry was swooning. He hadn’t felt this happy in so long. His hand strokes your arm and shoulder mindlessly as the movie goes on. You both laugh and giggle at the funnier parts. When it gets to the part of the film where Vivian goes down to where Edward is playing the piano, and she sits on top of it and they start having sex.
You bite your bottom lip and look up at Harry whose eyes are glues to the screen, but you could feel his heart beating rapidly. He notices you looking up at him and he looks down at you with a slight smile. You reach one of your hands up to the back of his neck to pull him down to you. His lips brush over yours, and then you both sink into it. You tug him by the collar of his shirt so he’s hovering over you on the large seats. You wrap your legs around his waist to have him as close as possible. You swipe your tongue along his bottom lip and he opens up for you. You both groan into the open mouthed kiss, happy to feel the other’s tongue.
He kisses down your jaw and makes his way to your neck. Your hips buck up towards his when he starts to suck on your skin. You crane your neck to give him more access, and you practically push his head further into you. You whimper and bite your bottom lip as your hips move up towards his again. He sits up and pulls you on top of him so you can straddle him. Your lips find his again as you roll your hips down on his growing bulge. You tug at his hair as you suck on his bottom lip. His hands were press on your back to keep you close.
“Y/N?” He breathes.
“Mm?” You mumble as you kiss on his neck.
“Do you wanna take a break so we can finish the movie?”
“What, why?” You pout with your now swollen lips.
“Well, it’s just, that scene where Jason Alexander tries to…um…you know, is coming up and I’d feel weird making out while that happens.”
“Oh.” You chuckle and move off of him. “Makes sense.” He puts his arm back around you as you both catch your breaths.
Eventually the movie ends and the lights come back on. You have to blink a few times to get used to it. You and Harry grab your trays and go out the kitchen to clean everything up.
“Did you enjoy that?” He asks as he loads up the dishwasher.
“Yeah! I mean, I love that movie, and it was cool to watch it privately like that.”
“That room used to be another bedroom, I had it renovated shortly after I moved in. I’m glad I did. It got difficult to go out once the paparazzi started following my every move. Plus, it’s fun for parties. My family loves it when they come to visit.” He dries his hands on a towel and tosses it on a counter.
“Do they still follow you around?”
“Not as much anymore, thank god. At least, not to see who I’m dating. Sometimes after I do an interview for a magazine they follow me to see if I’m going out to get drunk or something.” He scoffs and shakes his head.
“You end up on a lot of thirty under thirty type magazines.”
“Yeah…I’ve done those, made it onto Forbes too, that was pretty cool. Then in a couple of years when I do turn thirty, it’ll be forty under forty. It never ends.” He shakes his head.
“How’d you end up dating some Italian model?”
He steps closer to you and tucks some hair behind your ear.
“Is that something you really wanna talk about?” He asks, just above a whisper as he starts to kiss on your neck again.
“No.” You gasp as his hands squeeze your hips. “Can we go to your bedroom?” You hear him sigh against you and he leans back against the counter.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Not ready for that yet?”
“You make zero sense!”
It’s true. Harry wasn’t making much sense. He was used to moving too fast with women, and it always went wrong. He really liked you, and he didn’t want it blowing up in his face.
“It’s not that I don’t want to.” He squeezes your hand. “I just think we should go out on a few more dates before we get to know each other like that…don’t you?”
“No, I’d like you to take me to your room and fuck me.” You cross your arms.
“Y/N.” He chuckles. “I promise, it’ll be worth the wait.”
You knew he was right. You felt his fully erect dick when you were grinding on him earlier.
“I just want us on the same page, make sure we both want the same things before diving into all that.”
“God, of course you’re, like, a good person.” You roll your eyes. “Fine, let’s go out a few more times.”
“Great.” He smiles. “I want you to know, too, I’m not seeing anyone else.”
“Neither am I.”
“And you won’t start, right?”
“Why would I?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugs.
“Harry, I barely have the time to juggle one guy, I don’t think I’d have the energy to entertain more than one.” You laugh.
“Alright.” He blushes slightly. You step closer to him and wrap your arms around his neck.
“I’m surprised there isn’t a line of women knocking at your door.”
“Oh, there is, I just ignore it.” He smirks and you roll your eyes. “Kidding.”
“Mhm.”
You both smile and stand there kissing for a little while. Harry makes sure you get home, giving you a ride in his car. Just like last time, you spent most of the ride making out in the back seat. You really didn’t want to leave, but it was late and you needed to sleep. You say goodnight to each other, and he makes sure you’re inside before letting Charlie drive away.
//
“Mr. Styles, don’t forget you’ve got that gala this weekend.” Stacey says to him Monday morning.
“Shit, I’ve completely forgot about that.” He sighs. “Do I have to go?”
“Unfortunately, yes. I saw the guest list and…Carina’s going to be there.”
“Of course she is!” He groans and slumps into his chair. “Fuck, and I don’t have a date.”
“You could ask Y/N.”
“Do you think that’s something she’d wanna go to? She’d need a ball gown and-“
“She’s an electrician, but she’s still a woman. She has a lot of pretty clothes. I actually borrow a lot from her when I have events to go to.”
“She’s having me over for dinner tonight…I suppose I could ask her then.”
“Wait, she’s having you over?!”
“Yeah…” He raises an eyebrow of confusion at her.
“Wow.” She smirks. “She must really like you. She never invites guys over.” She winks at him and leaves his office.
After work, Harry has Charlie drive him over to your place. He rings your buzzer and you let him up. Your door was open a crack for him already, so he goes tight in, loosening his tie.
“Hi, Harry!” You smile.
Your hair was up in a messy bun, and you still had all your work clothes on, but your flannel was unbuttoned, revealing your white tank top and plenty of cleavage. You go over to him and give him a kiss on the cheek.
“Not as big as your place, but it has what I need.”
“It’s lovely. One bedroom?”
“Mhm, and two bathrooms.” You say proudly. “I hope you like food from the crockpot. I set up some chili this morning before I left.”
“Chili sounds amazing, I love spicy food.” He takes his suit jacket off and throws on your couch.
“Great.” You smile and grab some sour cream and cheese from your fridge. You grab a couple of bowls and some spoons and you both serve yourselves. You both sit down at the small table you have in your kitchen.
“This is delicious, thank you.” He smiles.
“Oh, I’m so glad you like it.”
“I’m happy we could get together tonight.”
“Me too.” You smile.
You had fully warmed up to Harry at this point. You’d been seeing each other for a few weeks, and you had let many walls down. You liked him, you really liked him. You two also hadn’t done more than make out, and it was absolutely killing you.
“Do you have plans Saturday evening?”
“I don’t believe so, why? Another movie night?” You ask sort of excitedly and he chuckles.
“No, I wish. I have this charity gala to go to that I actually forgot all about until Stacey reminded me this morning. I’d love for you to join me.”
“Oh…a little fancier than I thought, but, sure.” You shrug. “I could do that. I’ll have to call my hairdresser to see if she can squeeze me in, I’m assuming I’ll probably want my hair done?”
“Only if you feel comfortable…”
“Will I need a gown?”
“Yeah.”
“Alright, I have a couple to choose from in my closet. Do you know what suit you’re wearing?”
“Uh, yeah, here.” He takes his phone out to show you. It was pink with a design on the front. It was beautiful.
“Hm, I think I have a green dress that would look good with this. Pink and green look so nice together.” You use your napkin to wipe your mouth and stand up. “Come on.” You nod towards the hallway.
“Come on what?”
“I wanna show you the gown I have.”
“Oh, alright.”
He follows you into your room, but he stands in the doorway as you go into your closet. It was much smaller than his, but he liked the way you decorated. You utilized a lot of space. You can always tell when a tradesperson lives somewhere because everything always looked really nice. Here were built in shelves and storage units.
“You make those?”
“Mhm, and I made this closet twice as big.” You find the gown you’re thinking of and hold it up in front of your body to show him. “What do you think? Will it do the trick?”
“It’s beautiful, Y/N. Why do you have it?”
“When I was younger I used to participate in pageants. The scholarships were super helpful for college. Anyways, past winners get invited back pretty often and you’re supposed to dress really nice when you go, so I have a couple of formal gowns for when I get those calls.”
“I never would have taken you for a pageant girl.”
“I’m not really…but I needed the money, and I figured out how to play the game. I came in first twice in two different competitions. However, the girls I participated with weren’t very nice, so I wasn’t exactly sad when I got too old for it.” You hang the dress back up. “Don’t worry, I’ll be able to look the part with all your fancy friends.” You smirk and walk out of your room. You sit on your couch and he sits next to you.
“A lot of them aren’t really friends. Acquaintances really. Um, Stacey showed me the guest list today and my ex is apparently going to be there.”
“The model?”
“Yeah.”
“Wonderful.” You scoff. “So are we finally going to have the conversation?”
“What do you mean?”
“She was your last relationship right? Tell me what happened.”
“Not much to tell. We met at a dinner party for a mutual friend. We met in London, actually, but we both had places here in the city, so we kept seeing each other. I didn’t realize how well known she was, so that’s when the paparazzi started. We were together almost a year before it just got to be too much. She wanted me to basically give it all up for her so I could travel with her, but I thought it was selfish of her to ask me to do that, so we broke up.”
“Did you love her?”
“I did.” He says bluntly. “But it wasn’t the type of love I wanted. I don’t have any feelings for her whatsoever, I want you to know that.” He places his hand on your knee. “I just know she’s going to come over to me and look you up and down, and she’s going to be really snotty. She’s…well, she’s a bitch, to put it simply.”
“And you dated her for a year because?”
“Vanity. On paper, we were the perfect match, but I realized it felt like I wasn’t living my own life anymore. I’m much happier now.” He gives your knee a squeeze.
“Alright, well, I’m sure we’ll have a good time. Is it a sit down dinner?”
“It is.”
“Open bar?”
“Yup.”
“Dancing?”
“A little.”
“Sounds like a good time to me.” You smile.
“You’re amazing, thank you.” He leans to kiss you and that was that.
//
The day of the gala, your hairdresser was able to squeeze you in for an updo. You showed her the dress you’d be wearing, so she gave you an elegant bun. You had your nails done as well. You were glad you did because you had a nasty bruise on your thumb. That’ll be the last time you use a regular hammer and not just a nail gun.
When you get home you take out an old pearl necklace that was your great-grandmother’s that would go perfectly with the green dress. It was strapless and fit to your form, with a nice slit starting at one of your thighs. You found a pair of heels that went perfectly with it, and a white shall. You apply your makeup, and take a step back to take yourself in. You looked perfect. You take a selfie to send to Stacey.
Stacey: omfg!!! You’re gonna give Carina a run for her money, have fun!
You smile at the text and find your clutch that goes with the dress. Harry picks you up around seven. You gasp when you see a limo, and not just the regular car he usually picks you up in.
“All this for the two of us?” You ask as he gets out of the car. His suit looked so good. His jaw drops when he sees you.
“You look stunning, Y/N.” He gives you a gentle kiss on the cheek, and help you into the limo. “The limo’s just to keep up appearances. We’re essentially walking down a red carpet into the building. Know how to pose?”
“Oh, I can give face when I need to.” You smirk. “It was fun getting all dressed up since I don’t get to often.”
“I like your flannels too, I hope you know how sexy you look in your work clothes.”
Your cheeks heat up. Harry didn’t really talk like that to you often.
“I’ll have to wear my tool belt for you sometime…just my tool belt.” You whisper in his ear and then face forward. You send a shiver up his spine. He couldn’t wait for that.
When you pull up to the event, Harry gets out first. Cameras start flashing, and he extends his hand out to you. You stand up and nearly feel blinded, but you get through it. You walk with him, his hand on the small of your back. You’d stop occasionally to be photographed. There were reports asking Harry what your name was and other questions, but he didn’t answer a single one. Once you were inside you took a deep breath.
“You did amazing, thank you.”
“No problem. How come they wanted to know who I was?”
“So they can print some story about us. I don’t wanna give up your privacy, so my lips are staying sealed for now.”
You’re brought into a large ball room. There were silent auction items all around the perimeter that Harry would need to put some money down for.
“I hate these things. I’d be happy to just donate without having to get anything in return, you know?”
You walk around with him to look at the items.
“How come you’re not writing anything down?”
“I’m waiting for other people so I can put a larger amount down. They deduct the value of the item from the actual donation, so I wanna make sure enough money gets put down.”
“That’s…really philanthropic of you, Harry.”
“All the proceeds tonight go to inner city schools to get them new computers and other technology they’re in desperate need of.”
You weren’t sure if you’d ever meet Harry’s mother, but you hoped you would just so you could thank her for raising such a kind man. You both mingle with a few people, and eventually Harry puts his bids down for a few different items.
“If I win I’ll just donate this shit. I don’t need anything else.” He shrugs.
Waiters come around with h'orderves and drinks. You snatch a flute of champagne and a shrimp puff.
“Good, babe?” He smiles at you as you lick your lips.
“Very.” You giggle.
His smile fades when he sees Carina from across the room. She had a lovely blue gown on, and some man’s arm was snaked around her waist. She sees Harry and she sends him a small wave. He clutches your hip a little tighter. You look up at him.
“Are you alright?”
“Yeah, uh, wanna find our table?”
“Sure.”
You find your table and you both take your seat. You chat with the woman sitting next to you, and other people begin finding their seats. As the event gets started, waiters come around with food. Someone on a stage comes out and announces who has won what items. People clap. Harry won a couple of the items he bid on. He stands as people clap, and you clap as well. You kiss him on the cheek as he sits back down. Once dinner is through, some people start going out to the dance floor, and others stand around to mingle.
“Well if it isn’t the CEO himself.” Harry turns around the second he hears the accent. “Hi, Harry.”
“Hi, Carina.”
She takes him in for a gentle hug, and kisses him on both cheeks. You want to gag, but you know it’s just a cultural thing.
“And who might this be?” She looks you up and down.
“I’m Y/N.” You extend your hand and she shakes it. “Nice to meet you.”
“Same to you.” She smiles and looks at Harry. “I’m surprised to see you here with someone.”
“Could say the same to you.” He nods over to the man she came with. He was over talking with some other people.
“Oh, that’s Richard. He’s lovely. We met a few months back. He works remotely so he’s able to travel with me. It’s perfect.”
“Good for you.”
“What do you do?” She asks you.
“I’m a union electrician.” You say with a bright smile. “I got a degree in Mathematics and then I joined the trades world.”
“Oh my…I never would have guessed.” She smiles nervously. “Harry, may I borrow you for just a moment? Andrew is here too, and he misses you so much.”
“Um…sure.” He looks at you.
“Go ahead, I need to use the ladies room as it is.”
He watches you walk away and turns back to Carina.
“Andrew’s not here.” Harry says to her.
“I know, I just said that so we could chat. She’s not for you, and you know it.”
“What makes you think you have the right to say that to me?”
“Harry, you can’t be with some blue collar worker.”
“And why not?” He scoffs. “I’ll have you know she’s lovely and elegant, but she’s also not afraid to go to McDonald’s and stuff her face. In fact, she’s not afraid of food at all.”
“I’m on a very strict diet and you know it.” She huffs.
“Why don’t you worry about yourself and Richard?”
Harry turns on his heel and walks towards the restrooms. You were just coming out when you see him waiting.
“Are you alright?” You ask him.
“Yeah, feel like having a dance?”
“Definitely.”
You take his hand as he leads you back into the ballroom and onto the dance floor. The band was only playing slower songs, but that was just fine. Harry was really light on his feet. It made you smile as he led you around.
“You about ready to get out of here?” He whispers in your ear.
“Mhm.”
He smiles at you and leads you out. He says goodbye to a few people, and gets you outside. There were still reporters, but he gets you into the limo quickly.
“So…your ex…was she civil with you?”
“Yeah, nothing to worry about.” He throws his arm around you and kisses your hairline. “Okay to come back to mine?”
“Definitely.”
He gets you up into his place and gets you a glass of water.
“I had a lot of fun tonight.” You tell him.
“Me too, you definitely made it more fun. Those things can be so dreadful.”
“I just look at it as a free dinner.” You laugh.
“Oh, is that all it takes with you?” He smirks.
“Pretty much. I’ll go to a party like that with you anytime.”
“Good to know.” He wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you close to him. Yours go around his neck and you start kissing. You giggle when you let go of him and see your red lipstick all over his mouth.
“Sorry.” You try to rub it off with your thumb.
“No worries.” He chuckles. “Would you like to come upstairs?”
“I would.” You take your heels off, and follow him up.
He leads you into his large bedroom. You gaze at the beautiful furniture.
“I’ve got a walk in closet too.” He says. “You’d probably appreciate the craftsmanship.”
He opens the door for you and you step inside.
“It’s beautiful. I love built ins. Whoever did this did a great job.”
“I only hire the best, but you knew that.” You grip at his suit jacket and push him up against the doorframe of the closet. You slot your lips over his and he welcomes it.
“I want you, Harry.” You say against his lips.
“I want you too.” He kisses on your neck and bites down on your shoulder.
He walks you over to his bed until your legs his the frame. He keeps you steads as his hands find the zipper on the back of dress. You push his suit jacket off his shoulders and let it fall to the ground. He unzips your dress, but holds it up.
“Are you okay with all this?” He asks.
“God, yes.”
Your dress falls to the ground and pools at your feet. Your fingers work to unbutton his shirt. His eyes widen as he looks at the underwear set you’re wearing. You were wearing a strapless black bra with a black lace thong to match. Of course you still needed to wear a bra, your breasts were too large to without. You get his shirt off and you take a step back to admire his tattoos.
“I didn’t know you had so many.” Your hands trace off the ones on his collar bones, his torso, and his hips. “Even your arms.”
‘Got a few on my legs too.” He loves the way your hands felt on his body.
“I thought you just had the cross and the anchor. These are so cool.”
“Thanks.”
Your hands move to his belt buckle and get it undone, his pants drop to the floor moments later. You lick your lips when you see his tight boxers.
“Fuck, Harry, I want you so badly.”
You push him down on the bed and straddle him. His hands go to your hips, rubbing circles into your skin with his thumbs. He reaches up to unhook your bra, and tosses it to the floor. You switch positions so you’re lying on your back. He caresses your breasts and kisses on each of them. He puts his face between them and just enjoys the way your skin feels on him. You start giggling and he looks up at you.
“Breast man, huh?”
“Sorry, was that weird? You just have such a beautiful body.”
“Not weird at all, they’re yours to play with.” You grin.
“Oh, I like the sound of that a lot.”
He takes one of your nipples into his mouth and sucks harshly. You gasp as your hips buck up towards him. He does the same thing to the other before kissing down your body. His hands tug your thong below your hips.
“Can I take this off?”
“Please.”
You lift your hips to help him. He looks down at you and then up to your eyes.
“Can I?”
“Can you what?”
“Make you feel good.”
“Sure, but I wanna hear you say what exactly is going to make me feel good.”
His eyes darken as he looks at you.
“Y/N, I’m going to lick into your cunt until you’re screaming that you can’t take it anymore.”
Your mouth falls open as he parts your legs. He kisses from your knee to your inner thigh. Sucking on where he pleases. He uses his forearm to hold your hips down when he finally gets his tongue on you. He licks a flat stripe from your center up to your clit. You clutch at the soft blankets on his bed as you watch him. He makes eye contact with you when he starts to suck on your clit.
“Oh my god.” You moan as your head falls back. You feel him smirk against you. You start to tug at his curls when he swirls his tongue around you and then flicks it quickly on the nub. “Christ.” You say through gritted teeth.
His tongue moves back to your center where he licks into you. He groans at the taste of you. His middle and index finger move to rub your clit in circles while he uses his tongue to essentially fuck you. Your body was starting to feel hot all over, and you could feel a familiar knot tightening in your lower stomach. He assumes you’re starting to get close because you were starting to tighten around his tongue. He licks back up to your clit, and plunges his fingers inside you.
“Oh, fuck!” You cry out as his fingers work your insides. Your eyes roll into the back of your head when you feel him knuckle deep. “Harry, it’s so good, don’t stop!”
He groans his response as he sucks on your clit again. He curls his fingers up against your front wall where he knew you needed it. He feels you pulsating around him. He could hear you panting and it was music to his ears.
“Shit, oh, fuck, oh my god!” You scream as your orgasm washes over you. He continues to pump his fingers slowly to help you ride it out.
He sits up on his knees and wipes the slick away from his chin with the back of his hand. He licks his lips and smirks at you. You catch your breath and look up at him. You sit up slightly and grab at the band of his boxers.
“Do you want me to-“
“Next time, I really just want to fuck you.”
You bite your lip and nod at him. He takes his boxers off and your eyes grow wide when you see his full length. You spread your legs back apart for him, and he lines himself up.
“Shit, uh…condom.” He backs away from you and rummages through his night table for one.
“I’m on the pill…”
“Found one!” He looks at you. “What did you say?”
“I’m on the pill…if you didn’t feel like using one.” Your cheeks were starting to grow red. “I’m clean. Wouldn’t have let you go down on me if I wasn’t.”
“I’m clean too. So…you don’t want me to use one?”
“Nah, I kind of want you to come inside me if I’m being honest.”
“Jesus.” He grunts and tosses the condom aside. He gets back between your legs and rubs his tip along your slick folds and clit. “You’re positive?”
“Yes.”
He leans down to kiss you as he slowly pushes inside. He swallows you gasp and moan once he bottoms out. You tighten around him involuntarily. He gives you a moment to relax and adjust to him. You hadn’t been stretched out like this since god knows when.
“Go on.” You whisper.
He smiles into your neck as he starts to rock in and out of you. Your arch up into him. Your hands search for a nearby pillow.
“Hold on.” You tell him and lift your hips up, sliding a pillow under you. “Okay.”
“You’re killing me.” He breathes.
He sucks your bottom lip into his mouth as his thrusts pick up the pace. You wrap your legs around him and move along with him. Your hands slide down to his ass so your nails can sink into the fleshy area. He bites down on your collar bone as you keep moving along with him. He was used to women just starfishing under him, this was so nice. He felt really connected to you.
“Oh, shit.” You press your forehead into his chest. “Harry.” You moan.
“Gonna come again?”
“Mhm.”
He snakes a hand between the two of you so he can rub your clit, and that pushes you over the edge. Your nails rake up from his ass to his back as you come, making him moan out at the overwhelming feeling of being marked up by you.
“Can I bend you over the bed?”
You moan out your response. He pulls out of you and gets you on your feet, bending you over. He grips your hips and slips back inside you. All you can hear is his skin slapping against yours. You prop yourself up on your elbows and arch your back. He was hitting so fucking deep, and his tip was brushing against your g-spot. One of his hands goes back to your clit while the other grips the back of your neck while he pounds into you.
“Taking it so well, Y/N.” He grunts.
“Feels so good, fuck!”
He watches as your back arches more and sweat slides down your spine.
“I’m, I’m close.” He says.
“Yeah? You wanna come?”
“Yes, fuck.” He moans out and fills you up while you come again with him.
He had you screaming just like he said he would. He hold you close to him for a moment, his chest flush with your back. He kisses your back before pulling out. You clamp your legs together before anything has a chance to make a mess.
“Let me get you a rag.”
“S’okay, I’ll just use the bathroom.” He helps you stand up and you turn to face him. You grab him by the back of his neck to kiss him. “That was really nice.” You giggle.
You waddle to his bathroom while he grabs a fresh pair of boxers. You clean yourself up and come back out.
“Can I give you something to wear?”
“Please.” You smile. You couldn’t stop smiling, really.
He hands you one of his bed shirts. It had his initials embroidered on the chest pocket. He watches as you button it up.
“Comfortable?”
“Very.” You crawl onto the bed with him. You throw a leg over his and rest your head on his chest. He looks down at you and cups your cheek, pulling you in for a kiss.
“You make me really happy, Y/N.”
“You make me happy too, Harry. I may even let you stay over at my place sometime.” You chuckle.
“I’d like that.” He kisses your forehead. “But only if I’m staying over there as your boyfriend.” He grins.
“I think I’d feel comfortable with that.” You kiss his soft, swollen lips.
“Really? You’re into all this, you’re not just saying that because we had some hot sex?”
“Harry.” You giggle. “The sex was really hot, and I may have had my reservations about you, but we’ve gotten to know each other well, I’d like to be your girlfriend. Let’s make it official.”
“I have to warn you, I’m gonna want to spoil you rotten. You may get annoyed with me.”
“You can’t buy my affection, just remember that.”
“I know, I just can’t help wanting to just give you everything you want.”
“You’re what I want. I don’t care about all this.” You gesture to his extravagant bedroom.
“I know you don’t, I think that’s why I like you so much. You could care less!” He laughs. “It’s amazing. You’re totally not shallow. It’s refreshing.” He settles down further into the bed and you kiss him a few times on the cheek.
“I get busy a lot. When there’s over time I take it. I may have to break dates once in a while.”
“Same here.”
“If you’re traveling, I won’t be able to just drop everything to go with you.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to. I like that you work hard and that you actually want to work. You have an honest job, and I really admire that.”
“Thanks.” You kiss on his chest. He liked that you were a kisser. Harry loved being loved on. “However, if you want to plan a trip to that beach house of yours…I certainly could put in for some vacation time.”
“You’d love it out there. It’s nice and private, we’d have our own beach. I have a boat too with a kitchen and bedroom below deck. It’s great.”
“This will definitely take some getting used to.” You laugh. “I’ll have to keep bringing you to dive bars so to knock you down a peg.” You joke.
“Whatever you need to do.” He smirks.
“I’m also going to teach you how to cook. We don’t need to have a catered meal every time we hang out here.”
“That seems fair. Could we start with that chili you made? It was so fucking good.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.”
You sigh happily and snuggle into his chest as he holds you. You both slept really well that night. You weren’t sure what exactly being a girlfriend to a CEO would entail, but as long as the both of you stayed on the same page about your values, you saw this relationship lasting for a very long time.
#harry styles#harry styles one shot#harry styles imagine#harry styles fic#harry styles fanfic#harry styles x reader#harry styles slow burn#harry styles x y/n#harry styles y/n#harry styles fluff#harry styles fluff fic#harry styles smut#harry styles smut fic#ceo!Harry#harry styles au#pls tag if you reblog#feedback is always appreciated!!
2K notes
·
View notes
Text
Baar Bal Runi: Chapter 6
Series Masterlist
Pairing: The Mandalorian x Force Sensitive!Reader
Words: 4K
Summary: (Body Swap AU) You and the Mandalorian have stopped on Garel, a huge urbanised centre, in order to refuel and restock again. Fears of lurking bounty hunters, your looming shower, and the things you have kept from Mando are making you skittish and jumpy.
Rating: T
A/N: I am so sorry this has taken me SO LONG to do!! Thank you to everyone for being very patient and lovely with me while the chapter whooped my ass. I am going to hell for teasing this shower scene again and not delivering I know. Also guys @adikaofmandalore has made an absolutely gorgeous moodboard for this series here!
Garel reminds you too much of Coruscant.
You stare out the small window, arms folded over the chest plate of the Beskar, watching the speeders curve in layers like winding snakes up into the sky, black shadows against a rich purple sky. Beneath you there’s the yelling of stalls and sounds of droids just off the alley in front of the hotel. The streets are crowded, the walls around you leak with waste from machinery. Distant rock formations loom with the towering of the buildings around you. Everything is tinged purple, or red and blue from the bright artificial lights lining the streets. Beneath you, two floors down on street level, a garbage shoot opens and empties cubes of compressed plastic into a dumpster. You pull the window closed.
Mando watches you from his bed, hit feet crossed at the ankles. Scarf finally removed, in only your tunic and trousers and boots. Hair unbraided, but tucked into his collar to keep the loose strands from getting into his way. The bed is a narrow creaking thing, but the mattress has springs and is stuffed, and feels like heaven after months on the Crest. Your bed is identical, pushed against the opposite wall of the small room. You move to it, decide suddenly against sitting, and pace back to the window.
“It’ll be fine.” Mando’s eyes track your progress across the room.
“There are so many people.”
“Exactly. No one will pick you out in a crowd. Or – or – pick me out.” He frowns. “We just need a refuel, and water. And they accept Imperial credits since – ”
I can’t work. You sigh and pause in your track across the room. You haven’t talked about it, not exactly. Haven’t talked about what will happen when the credits run out, but you can’t live forever without one of you picking up a job. You resist the urge to take the helmet off, know you still have to make your way back through the crowds to the ship, collect your packs for the nights you had rented rooms, had access to facilities to mend and wash your things. It had been months since you had anything other than just the inside of the Crest or a tiny trading dock on some backwash planet. You should be excited, but –
“What’s wrong?” Mando says.
“It’s… nothing.”
He can’t see your eyes, but unnervingly seems to sense where they have drifted, and his line of sight follows yours to the closed door of the ‘fresher. You hadn’t been able to rent the cheapest rooms, as you had originally intended, because it would have meant communal showers. Which was not an option. And you were glad, not just for the Creed, but also because you would not have to discover the Mandalorian’s body in a room full of strangers. And he would not have to do the same for you. Your face is so hot you can feel sweat starting to form at your hairline. You should not be worrying about washing, on a planet so bustling and full you have far more to keep your mind occupied. The threat of Bounty Hunters was very real on a planet like Garel, and it was not only you but the kid you should have been worried for. But.
“Are you okay with this?” He asks.
You pull at your glove. Catch the thick seams of the leather between your fingertips. “Yes. No. Not really but… I need to wash. We can’t just not wash.” You admit in a small voice. “Is… is it okay for you? The armour…”
He deflates in a puff of air, sinks into the bed. “I don’t know. But like you said. We can’t not wash.”
“Yeah.”
“Yeah.” He echoes. Stares down at his hand – your hand – laying flat over his stomach. “Is there… anything we can do? To make it easier.”
You shrug. Feel your leg begin to jump against the ground so you pace again. And Mando watches you carefully from the bed in the corner, letting his eyes drift to follow you about the room.
“Gotabor.” He waits till the helmet turns to look at him. “Whatever I can do, just tell me. I will do it.”
You sigh and finally let yourself sink into your own bed. “I don’t know. Just – just – ” You scratch the your neck under its covering and then the underside of your jaw. Its growing itchy with facial hair, beginning to catch on the fabric and rub at the helmet on the sides of your cheeks. “Nothing. I don’t know.”
“We don’t have to – ”
“No. We need to wash.”
You and the Mandalorian stare at each other, mirrors on your identical beds at opposite ends of the rooms. His face is pinched again, but he otherwise looks so relaxed you would never have guessed he was bothered at all, shoulders propped on the pillow, chest sunken back half against the wall. Completely at odds with his expression. He nods eventually.
There’s a soft, sleepy coo from the cot. It’s hovered in the corner, unsealed, but the child is asleep inside. Rolls over slightly and one of his large ears pokes out of his blankets. But he does not wake, tucks his ear back against his side and makes another quiet noise of contentment. You both stare at the kid, glad to have something to think about that isn’t your impending showers, or each other’s bodies. You needed to get your things before you can shower – can’t bear the thought of having to put the same dirty clothes back on afterwards. The delay is a relief, but also makes the twisting anxious knot in your stomach worse. You aren’t sure what’s worse; knowing you will have the Mandalorian’s body completely exposed to you or knowing yours will be exposed to him.
Mando makes some noise, like he’s clearing his throat. You look over to him, the hand which had been spread over your stomach is curled into a fist. “It’s been almost a month,” he says. “Since – since this.”
“Yeah.”
“Is there… do we need to…” He sighs. “Do you need anything – from a medcenter or…”
“Oh. Oh.” You sit up a little straighter on the bed, glance down at the Mandalorian’s body beneath you before you can stop yourself. Rest your hands against your lower stomach. “No, no I’m – I’m on cycle suppressants, so. So, no.”
He nods slowly. “Okay.”
.
You agree to leave the child sealed in his crib, and with the door locked behind you. Better than dragging him through the crowded street again. The ship is docked at the nearest bay, not five minutes from the hotel. Your trip will be a quick one. It’s late, by local time, weaning into the early hours of the morning, but the market strip is still as busy as it had been when you’d landed some hours ago. It should take longer than it does to weave through the crowd, but the people melt away from before you when the glint of the Beskar catches their eyes. You walk ahead of the Mandalorian, feel him close in your wake to avoid the bustle of people. Feel the sudden overwhelming frustration and panic which does not belong to you.
You stop dead, feel him slam into your back. He swears in Mando’a and is rubbing his forehead where it had hit your pauldron. Instead of breaking off, you feel his frustration spike, and then melt very quickly into something sharp and calm. He looks around you, the Viroblade he had strapped onto his own belt, somehow appearing in his hand.
“What is it?”
You stare at him. The feeling shifts again, changes quickly, the sharpness fades and melts into concern. A tugging, warm feeling. You see it reflected on his face. See his eyebrows pull up into worry, his eyes searching the visor of the helmet.
“Gotabor?”
“It’s nothing.” Your voice is quiet. Half the syllables too low for the vodocor to pick up and are lost in the sounds of the street around you. You clear your throat. “Nothing. It’s nothing.”
You feel it. He does not believe you. The worry becomes warped, powerful. Fills up your chest and throat. And then it cuts out and you stumble slightly, the sensation of the Mandalorian’s emotions leaving like having the floor yanked from beneath your feet. He catches your arm, but you find your footing before you can fall. Steady your weight against his shoulder. He keeps his hand against the gauntlet, tightens his fingers until you see the knuckles turn white. Stares at you with the same piercing look which makes the hair at the back of your neck stand on end.
“Something’s wrong,” he says.
You shake your head.
“You’re – ”
“Not here.” You say. “Not here, Mando.”
He starts to tug on your arm, steps in towards you like he is going to push you himself. “We’re going back to the hotel.”
“We’re almost at the ship.” You feel fine now, strong and solid again. All except for the strangeness of a leftover aching which does not belong to you. Slightly winded. “Let’s just get the packs and go back.”
He is going to fight you on this, you think. He is going to drag you through the market back to the hotel room. He stares at you hard and you watch as the debate he is having with himself plays out behind his eyes. So open and honest. His whole face is, lets every thought flicker across it, hasn’t had it exposed to the world since he was a child. His hand tightens its hold on you and then he sighs and releases your arm. Steps away from you just enough that there is a breath of space between you. He jerks his chin in the direction you had been walking, sheaths the Viroblade again as he does.
The docking bays on Garel are locked with codes, distributed by automated machines which charge a nightly fee. You punch in the code and the door slides open with a quiet hiss. The bay has a fuel station, water tanks, powered down droids in the corner for maintenance. It’s a clean, durasteel and plastoid, slick and sterile and lit in white fluroscent lights which flicker on as you arrive. There’s a space on the wall which is slightly brighter, a familiar sight to you, the removal of Imperial insignia has left the faded spot exposed to the world. Above you the traffic of speeders continues on a steady pace, slicing against the purple clouds. The Crest looks even older amongst the sleek surfaces, rougher and dirtier than it usually does. Calms you against what you know you must do, the familiar sight of home.
The packs are huge, too heavy for just one of you to carry. Empty medkits to fill, clothes to wash and mend, your holopad to connect to a larger terminal, download articles, books, news, anything which will shed light on your predicament. You had prepared them before departing the ship, left them stacked inside the ramp just in case you could not find anywhere to stay.
The ramp lowers slowly and you stand by it, foot jumping against the ground again. Try to formulate the words in your head before you start. Try to run through everything you know he will ask you in return. Think very briefly about continuing to conceal it from him but you know you can’t. Know that you had already lied to him once. Mando is watching you openly, and you can’t feel him anymore, but you can see his concern still painted over his features and feel worse because of it. Know that concealing that you have felt his heart four times now is becoming a breach of the trust you have won with him. It doesn’t make you feel less sick.
“Mando,” you say as he lifts his heavy pack onto his shoulder. “Mando. I have to talk to you.”
He looks to you expectantly.
“It’s about – it’s – ” Your foot is still jumping, echoing around the hull in the Mandalorian’s heavy boots. You breath in as deeply as you can through the helmet. “You remember when we talked about how I could… how I could feel things?”
He frowns. You are growing more skittish, fight the urge to turn away from him.
“Well I – I said I couldn’t… that I’d never with you but, but…”
His face smooths over. “But what?” He doesn’t sound angry. He sounds perfectly calm and you know him well enough to prefer his temper to this. You shift backwards slightly, away from him.
“Just then… when I stopped.” You think about not admitting the rest, about letting him believe this had only just developed, but the guilt gnaws away at your stomach. You twist your gloved hands together. “And in the desert. I felt what you were feeling.”
“You said you couldn’t do that to me.”
Your heart feels like its pounding in all your limbs at once. You squeeze your hands together to stop you from fidgeting them. “I… I know.”
“When you told me you couldn’t do that to me, had you already… had you ever…”
You bite into your lip, drop your head to the chest plate. It’s all the answer he needs. “Only once,” the vodocor cracks through your quiet tone.
He is still so calm, so still. “You lied to me.”
“I didn’t want you to be upset.”
He snaps. You see it, the split second it happens. The calm breaks away and his face pulls into a snarl. He hoists the huge pack up his back and shoves past you and down the ramp, footsteps echoing through the empty dock. You stare at the space where he had been and then swing around and scrabble after him, leave your own pack laying against the floor of the Crest as you struggle down the ramp, feet unsteady.
“Mando, wait, please – ”
“You have everything that belongs to me!” He yells, swinging around to face you. “You have my body, you have my Beskar, you have my Creed! And now you tell me even m-my feelings? You have taken everything away from me!”
You flinch away from him again. The Mandalorian is shaking, vibrating almost, his jaw so tight you think he will break his teeth on it, his eyes burning red and shining. The wetness in them grows and he swipes a hand across his face, so harsh you can hear the sound of the back of It hit against his cheek. Catches a tear before it falls. You stomach lurches. He is breathing in short, angry gulps. Looks at you like you have betrayed him. And you have.
“I’m sorry.” You say. “I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you but… I’m not doing it on purpose. If I could make it stop I would. I promise, I don’t want – ”
“How many times?” His voice is ragged. Eyes search yours through the visor. “How much?”
“I…” You trail off. Drop your gaze from his, can’t take it. Can’t take the way he is looking at you. The guilt is worse, so much worse, makes you feel sick. “Four. Four times.”
He opens his mouth to say something, a mean, ugly expression on his face. But he closes it again, his eyes searching the helmet frantically. You want to call to him again, reach for him, say something, anything. But you do nothing, you stand there silent and still and he shudders. Closes himself off. And then he is turning, passing the powered down droids, and hitting the control panel at the door so hard you jump. Worry it will break. He is outside before it finishes opening and disappears into the throng beyond it. Leaves you standing alone, listening to the hiss of the door as it closes again, the sounds of the outside world entering and then becoming sealed away. The docking bay is unbearably silent.
You feel strangely mechanical when you turn and walk back up the ramp, lift the heavier of the packs onto your shoulders. The pack which should have been his but isn’t. His words echo around and around with the sounds of your footsteps as you tidy the hull of the Crest with the lights from the docking bay. And he is right, you realise. He is right because you have taken everything that is his, and you still hold everything about yourself in which you take pride. Your hands have fixed the ship and rewired the engine and adjusted the child’s crib to take controls from an external remote instead of the gauntlet strapped to your forearm. Your hands are still capable of all that they were before, even though they are not your hands, they are his. But he is left with nothing. No Creed. No Beskar. Everything which holds him together now makes a part of you. A Mandalorian without a helmet.
You close the ship in a daze, descend the ramp again and stand by the manual control as you watch it fold back into the belly of the ship, sealing it off from the outside world. Feel a buzzing start to settle into your fingertips as you stand still, and you almost reach for the controls to open the ramp again. Think your lumpy cot in the dark of the hull would be better than having to go back and face him again. You rest your hand over it before you drop it slowly back to your side. You wish you were different; wish you were not able to feel anything of the souls of the people around you. Close your eyes tightly and try to hold all the shaking pieces of yourself together against the trembling you feel growing from inside you.
The market feels more crowded even now. The press of the heat and noise all around you unbearable, but you do not move fast. Can’t make yourself hurry back to the room where you know you will have to face Mando again. You even stop, more than once, let yourself be moved by the crowd and blankly inspect goods hanging in stalls ramshackled to the sides of the towering buildings all around you. Let sellers talk to you eagerly, show you food and weapons and tinkering little bits of jewellery you have no intention of buying. Shake your head at every one of them when you can no longer bear standing still and drift on, a part of the crowd. Ignore the way people jump when they notice the armour, trip over themselves to move from your way. The blaster at your back presses under the weight of the pack. Makes you wider, even, than you already are. You happily let it slow you down.
You are so caught in your own head that you don’t hear the yelling or the scuffling until you are nearly in it. A wall of people, taking up half the pathway, raising cheers and yelling. You hit into someone’s back and step away again. They turn, ready to shove you away until they see the Beskar. The man throws both hands up and steps to the side, and the ebb of the crowd behind you pushes you forward into the circle.
You sigh and start to shuffle sideways along the back edge of the gathering, trying to slip between people harder with the added bulk of the pack behind you. And there are people all around you, human and alien, trying to get a closer look. Even with the intimidation of the Beskar you are pushed along, moved further forward. You realise the crowd isn’t just cheering, there are a chorus of language and swearing being thrown around, someone yelling about credits and another answering in Huttese. Bets. A fight, you realise, and try harder to move. Push back harder against the people at behind you. Someone shoves into your side, another shoulders in front of you, trying to get closer to the action. You shoulder them back with a grunt, feel the swing of your pack connect with another body. A cry raises up through the crowd as you see the massive head of a Barabel pass over the rest of the crowd, circling the centre of the group, the dulled lumps of horns on its skin like massive rivets against green leather. As it passes closest to you the people ahead of you shudder and part, moving back from the enraged alien’s path and allows you a glimpse into the makeshift ring.
And Mando, fist curled back around his viroblade, circling opposite the Barabel.
The crowd closes back in as you blink. Stunned. The Barabel charges forward and you hear another deafening scream raise up around you as the crowd roars in response. You move before you realise what you are doing, shove your shoulders at the people ahead to try and break the crowd.
“Move!” You yell and it’s thundering. Around you everyone jumps, scatters and you push to the front of the circle.
The Barabel has circled further away now, scaly fists curled into tight balls and held up. Tongue hissing between its teeth and snarling. Sunken yellow eyes trained in on Mando. Opposite the Barabel he looks tiny, hair pulled half out from where it is tucked into his collar and falling around his face, flushed and sweating, a red blotch where he has taken a grazing hit near his temple. His pack lying on the ground near your feet. You feel the pounding of blood behind your eyes. Search Mando for any other injuries. Realise his gun is still strapped into his holster at his hip. He wants to fight.
And before you can think they charge at each other. The Barabel swings but Mando ducks low and twists and evades it completely, moves back out of the huge alien’s range. The knife is throbbing in the air, shivering so that you can’t focus on it. And then the Barabel is reaching again, roaring and swinging but Mando stays away, keeps himself far enough out of reach that it can’t find purchase. Weaving along the edge of the circle, further and further from the Barabel, but closer to you. You watch, mind blank, as the Barabel charges again. Mando twists but he isn’t quite fast enough. You see the misjudge, see the size of his step and swing of his arm, and realise he is fighting in your body, trying to manipulate a completely different person into a victory. The Barabel gets a fistful of his tunic but the viroblade is already at its arm, looks like it glides along the scaled surface, but there is a singing burst of blood beneath the sharpness of the blade and the Barabel screams and releases him.
Mando stumbles back, right in front of you.
You lunge forward, grab a handful of his collar and yank him back before the Barabel reaches him again. Haul him with you half into the scattering crowd. There’s shouting everywhere, all around you, the clamouring of tens of people rearing for a fight. Screaming filling up the helmet. And Mando is twisting, yanking against your grip, surprisingly strong. His collar stays bunched in your hand, his hair whips against the chest plate of the Beskar.
There’s a cool blade pressed through the fabric at your throat before you can blink.
.
Gotabor: Engineer
.
Tags:@btillys @vercopaanir @absurdthirst @sistasarah-sallysaidso @adikaofmandalore @babyomen @purpleeeslurpppp @fleurdemiel145 @hdlynn @starwarsiscooliguess @thedarkwitchling @no-droids-allowed @dartheldur @toilet-keeper @sinnamon-bunn
#oooohhhh boy#tensions anyone? would anyone like a tensions?#bc i have many#i promise the next update for this is mostly written i will not make anyone wait a week for the next part#the mandalorian#the mandalorian x reader#the mandalorian x you#din djarin#din djarin x reader#din djarin x you#reader insert#force sensitive reader#the mandalorian imagine#fic#my fic#body swap#baar bal runi
315 notes
·
View notes
Text
There’s Something About Mary
A day in the life of our crusty Mr. Goore
Mary POV chapter bc I want to and I can.
⬅️ Previous
*public masturbation, kinda*
Mary wakes up horny.
He must have been having a pleasant dream, because his cock is hard and throbbing where it rests heavy against his thigh. He shoves a hand down into his undone jeans to give his cock a squeeze—just for a moment of relief—and, as the touch wakes him up fully, he realizes he can hear the distinct sounds of sex from one of the rooms. A thump thump thump and a squeak squeak squeak, all punctuated with blatant moans.
Fuck it, he thinks, and he begins to jack it to the sex orchestra going on, not 10ft from where he lies on the couch. Once a place they sometimes took turns on, the couch has become Mary’s de facto room—a subtle punishment for his supposed defection. So, he has no qualms about masturbating in his room, and if any of the other guys have an issue with it, Mary has no problem making his display more public, just for spite.
He pauses only to spit in his hand when his dry palm begins to chafe. It doesn’t even matter when the noises from the other room cease (and later Mary will have to tease them about their staying power), Mary just scrolls through his mental Rolodex until he brings up the memory of his dick in between Suey’s tits, how they jiggled despite being held together, how shiny they became once covered in his jizz, and how she looked up at him as she contorted one to bring it up to her mouth to lap some off.
“Shit, shit,” he exclaims as the memory of her pink tongue lapping up his cum causes him to release. Some shoots up his bare chest, but most of it lands and pools in his belly button. Eyes still closed, his free hand shoots out and fumbles for the box of tissues on the table, encountering instead a stack of thin takeout napkins.
As he does his best to clean himself up with the napkins—whose integrity is suspect—he can hear the low rumble of male voices and a high, feminine giggle from the sex room. Just to be a jackass, he gets himself up so that he can have first dibs on the bathroom.
Making sure to lock the door behind him, Mary turns on the hot faucet, willing the water to warm up sooner than later. He takes the opportunity, while he waits, to piss in the toilet; it’s already open—toilet seat up—even though it’s supposed to put it down when they have guests. They’re out of TP again, so a roll of paper towels rests on the lid of the tank.
Once the water is warm enough, Mary uses a couple pieces from the roll to clean off the jizz drying and to give himself a brief wipe down. His face is still half crusty with makeup, and he’s tempted to just add to it, but he’s learned from hard experience how that can fuck up your face, so—even though it’s a goddamned pain—Mary washes his face. He even uses the harsh Dial hand soap, even though the acrid smell will get up into his nose for hours.
He thinks of the nice-smelling scrub Suey has and her drugstore face cream he sometimes rubs into his skin.
In the soap- and toothpaste-speckled mirror, he starts to apply his “Day Face” (as Suey calls it) from the communal box of makeup (his better stuff is in his backpack): a light dusting of white powder; some eyeliner all the way around; a dull, red lipstick; and black shadow on his cheekbones.
He’s just starting on his hair when there comes a pounding on the door
“Fucks’ sake. C’mon, Goore.”
Mary turns his head upside down in the sink basin so he can haphazardly splash some water into his hair.
“Fuck off, douchebag.”
He starts to work his fingers into his locks, coaxing the glue already in it to activate.
“She’s gotta pee, man.”
He fluffs his forelock in the mirror as his other hand searches for the blood tube in the box.
“We have a kitchen sink.”
A small voice tells him not to take his annoyance with his friends out on the girl, and he sighs.
“Stop being a di—”
The voice cuts off as Mary swings the door open. Brendan's angry face smooths into one of minor irritation. The girl—Lisa?—stands, thighs crushed together, in an oversized kitten t-shirt. She looks at Mary, wide-eyed; her gaze darts to his bare, wet chest before snapping back up.
“Lis,” he says, winking as he saunters out.
Her face crumples a little.
“Lizzy,” she says, and Mary’s stomach swoops a bit when he realizes he’s probably slept with her before.
He makes himself smile as she moves past him to the bathroom.
“That’s what I said: Liz.” He shoots her a finger gun at her as Brendan scowls at them both. When the door closes and Brendan is still glaring, Mary lets out a “What?”
“You sticking around for breakfast, man?”
Mary rolls his eyes. “I’m here, ain’t I?” He starts to paw through the plastic shelving drawers next to the couch for a shirt.
Brendan shrugs. “Thought your pussy-whipped ass might need to get back to that uptown princess of yours.”
He glares at Brendan. “Stop being dick.”
“She’s fucking slumming it, dude. I’m warning you.”
It’s not a new argument, so Mary just ignores him, instead trying to apply a bit of blood to the tip of his forelock using the heart compact Suey gave him.
Titus emerges from the shared room, yawning, in his terrible leopard print robe that’s way too short.
“Morning, asswipe,” he says to Mary as he walks by. “What’re we bitching about?”
Brendan says “uptown girl” as Mary says “nothing.”
Titus sighs.
“Jesus, Brendan. You gotta get over that. That’s Mary’s mistake to make.”
“You know what? Fuck this shit.” Mary starts getting his backpack in order.
“That’s right! Blow off another band meeting!” says Brendan, and Mary spins on his heel to stomp back.
He jabs a finger into his chest. “I’m here all the goddamned time, more than I am at her place. I come to every meeting you tell me about.”
“I shouldn’t have to tell you about anything. You should just be here. You should be committed,” hisses Brendan.
“I’m going to make some toast,” says Titus as he swishes toward the kitchen.
Mary rifles through his plastic draws and slams a notebook and loose papers onto the table.
“There’s mine, dude. Lyrics. Composition. Where’s yours?”
Donnie and Jamie wander out of their room.
“Not this shit again. It’s too fucking early,” says Donnie.
Brendan vibrates. “What about funds, man? A social media presence? You think all that happens by magic?”
“So I’m supposed to write, and compose, and do the budget?” snarls Mary.
“Guys,” moans Jamie.
“And our Insta is shit, by the way.”
“Fuck. Can we not?” moans Donnie.
Mary again jabs a finger at Brendan. “Then tell him to can it. I’ve already been exiled to the couch. I don’t need him picking fights because he doesn’t like my girlfriend, who—by the way—has never fucking done anything wrong.”
“You haven’t been exil—” Jamie starts.
“We were supposed to fucking share those rooms,” Mary hisses as he gesticulates. “I pay the same amount of rent, and yet I come home one day to find all my stuff in a pile in the living room. I have to wait for you guys to stop playing video games because ‘this is shared space’ to fucking sleep.”
“We all agreed—”
“No. You guys agreed. I didn’t get shit to say about it. So you’ll forgive me if I’m not too fucking keen on being pleasant.”
They all stand there, glowering at each other until Donnie says, “I need to take a goddamned piss,” and finds the bathroom door locked. At his soft The fuck? the lock clicks, and Lizzy opens the door cautiously.
“I’m sorry. It just. Seemed like you guys were getting into it.”
Brendan sighs. “C’mon, babe. Let’s get your stuff.”
The fight isn’t a new one, and—with no resolution in sight—they all drop the subject so they can get on with the breakfast of eggs on toast Titus brings out and the subsequent band meeting. The Brick—a cheap, overworked laptop—is brought out so they can go over band business: the budget; the van maintenance and parking costs; the gig and practice schedule is outlined so that they can align their work shifts; new merch ideas are bandied about; and they talk about how to improve their digital sales.
Mary’s leg jiggles impatiently.
The meeting breaks nearly 5hrs later; Jamie goes back to sleep because he’s got the night shift at the Quik•Mart; Brendan heads out for his afternoon shift at Target; it’s Donnie’s day off, so he cues up Mario Kart; and Titus decides he’s going to go pound on the drums in the practice space they rent, since his dad pays his bills.
Mary has been saddled with stopping by the local record stores to see if any of their physical CDs have sold to prove he’s “committed,” even though he’s got the closing shift at Sixes & Sevens.
As he’s leaving the building, he encounters Brendan, who is leaning against the brick, smoking a cigarette. Mary’s fingers twitch.
“So you’re not coming back tonight, then.”
“We have band business?”
“No.”
“Then, no.”
Brendan lets out a puff of smoke.
“You think I’m being a dick, but that girl does not care about you. She’s a tourist. Us—the band. That’s what’s real, Mary.”
Mary knows he should keep walking, but even after counting to 10, he’s still pissed, so he spins on his heel.
“You don’t know anything about her or her goddamned life.”
“Neither do you.” He finishes the smoke, then tosses it to the pavement to grind under his combat boot. “We’ll be here when it all explodes in your face, Goore. But you’re going to have to rebuild a lot of bridges.”
And then he’s off down the sidewalk. Mary stands there, seething, waiting until Brendan disappears round the corner since he’s also headed in that direction.
He’s not really in the best of moods when he hits up the first store, but by the 4th, he’s back to his plucky repartee. The owner of his favorite shop intimates that a vinyl version of their LP might sell much better than their DIY CD, and Mary enthusiastically thanks the dude as if it’s the first time such a concept has been considered.
The whole route honestly doesn’t even really take that much time at all—maybe 2 hours—so he chances stopping by Suey’s. Worst case, he’ll take a nap; best case, she’ll be there to bitch at him.
Like everything else today, however, circumstances are just not on his side, and he opens the door to her tiny fucking apartment to find it empty. The mail is bad again, and he rifles through it, plucking out anything that’s obviously junk to toss and anything that looks like a bill to put on her counter. There’s only a bowl in the sink, so he leaves it.
He’s hoping that she comes home before he has to leave—maybe she’ll even give him a blow job—as he wraps himself up in the afghan that smells slightly of her.
She doesn’t.
His alarm wakes him up at 4:15pm for his shift at 6. Groggily, he stumbles to the fridge to see what there is to eat, and finds a pot crammed in haphazardly amongst the other food items. Mary’s not really sure what he’s looking at—Suey tends to just throw shit together when she can’t be bothered, but most of the time it’s edible.
It ends up being some sort of cheesy potato stew and actually isn’t that bad. He eats the whole thing out of the pot before scrubbing it and the lone bowl clean. He waits as long as he dares to watch her come clomping tiredly through her door, but he really does have to leave. He leaves a kiss on her mirror after he reapplies his lipstick. (He should probably redo his face but: eh.)
Work is work. It starts slow—with Mary taking down the chairs and wiping off everything with the disinfectant spray. Sometimes Mary finds this kind of Zen—a time to hum out chords and roll around lyrics in his head—but today he’s just tired. It gets a little better when Mickey and the other bartender show up to do citrus prep. It’s a weekday, so there’s only a moderate crowd, and Mickey leaves them to it so he can do business manager-type things in his office.
And then there are the girls. Most of the girls who come to Sixes & Sevens aren’t the type to be put off by Mary’s whole shtick—and there are obviously the ones who come here expressly to flirt with him—so he has no qualms turning on his charms. Mickey lets him do it because customers are customers, and if girls want to come and spend money on drinks while they purr at Mary, who is Mickey to stop them? Len or Mika don’t give a shit because tips are pooled.
Used to be Mary could have his pick of a warm body for the evening—some girl (or occasionally some guy if Mary deemed him beefy enough) who’d take him to her nice-smelling, clean apartment … who’d let him spend the night on her soft, downy pillows after he pounded her into next year, before kicking him out at dawn. But now he’s got a girlfriend—one who makes sure he eats and yells at him to wash his face—waiting for him in her stale apartment with her flat, polyester pillows, and Mary hopes he’s not fool enough to fuck that up.
Not that his dick has gotten the memo.
No matter how many times Mary tells that fucker that he’s not going to fuck any of these women, his dick still twitches in interest whenever plump lips are wrapped around straws or fingertips trail over his hand. Tonight is especially bad for some reason, and Mary has to stick close to the walls of the bar so that no one can see his semi. A girl in a furry, white shrug seems particularly on his dick, and he does his best to flirt just enough for a good tip, but not enough for a proposition.
When he gets his break, Mary takes it out back in the alley by the dumpster. The air is chill, but it feels good after the humidity of the bar. He was hoping maybe his dick would go down, but it’s like it’s trying to spite him. Leaning his head back on the wall, he can’t help but close his eyes and run his palm lightly over the outline. It’s a fool’s errand—it’s not like he can get off without it showing on his pants—but that doesn’t stop him from touching.
A voice clears, and Mary startles. He’s out here by the rancid garbage so he can be alone, so he wasn’t really expecting to find anyone else.
“I can help you with that,” says the girl with the white fur that may or may not be real. She’s standing across from him, and he can see that she’s in a dress so simple that it must be hella expensive. She’s holding an unlit cigarette.
Mary jerks his hand away from his crotch, shifting so that he can surreptitiously adjust his jeans.
“The fuck are you doing out back here?”
She shrugs. “Needed to get away from my bitches. I love them but: drama city. You got a light?”
He knows it’s a ruse, but he still fumbles out his Zippo because he’s a goddamned gentleman. She, shockingly, takes the opportunity to move in closer to his body as he holds out the flame … close enough to blow the smoke of the first drag in his face.
“So,” she says, eyes darting down to his semi. “You want me suck that?” She gesticulates with her chin, posture nonchalant but eyes hungry.
His dick gives an answering throb, but he shrugs. “Nah. I got a girl.”
She looks at him, assessing, before half crossing her arms and taking another drag. Smoke pours out her nose.
“She’s not here.”
Mary doesn’t respond immediately, not knowing how to get out of this. She hasn’t said anything untrue. He’s horny, Suey’s not here, and she wants to suck his cock.
He reaches his hand up and taps his breast where he thinks his heart is.
“She’s here,” he says, and he’s glad Suey’s not present because hoo boy would she give him shit for that winner.
The girl just tilts her head at him, this time blowing smoke out the side of her mouth after she inhales. It occurs to Mary that he wants her cigarette more than his dick wants to be sucked. If she thinks this is some kind of elaborate game of hard to get, she’s sorely mistaken.
“You got a picture?”
“A … what?”
She gesticulates impatiently. “A picture. Of this girlfriend.”
Mary thinks, then pats around for his wallet, even though he only ever puts it in his back pocket. When she sees the wallet come out, she laughs.
“An actual picture? That’s old school.”
He shrugs as he rifles. “I’m on my break.” He doesn’t tell her that his ancient flip phone doesn’t take pictures. Well, not good ones.
The photo of Suey he has is relatively new—slipped in behind the old, worn one of his mum—but its edges are starting to soften. In the image, Suey stands, hip popped, as she gives him the finger with a snotty look on her face. She’s in one of her weird 90′s outfits—a micro mini and tied up band tee—and the cute pudge of her belly hangs over her waist band a little. Her hair is pushed back from her face because she’s just lifted up her sunglasses—there’s still a little mark on her nose where they were resting.
She hates this picture, but her attitude makes him smile.
“You gonna ogle it all night, Mary?”
Mary’s attention snaps back to the alley. He ignores the intimacy. Carefully, with a stern look on his face that he hopes conveys how much the photo is not to be fucked with, he hands the picture over.
White Fur looks at the picture for a long time. Then she looks up at him. She gives the image one more glance before handing it back to him.
“Yeah, ok,” she says as she crosses her arms again.
Mary tucks the photo back into his wallet.
“The fuck does that mean?” he scowls. He’s just about had it with people insulting Suey today, and some random-ass girl in a back alley is the last person he’d let get away with it, even if she is a fan.
She takes her last drag before flicking the stub in the direction of a dumpster.
“Dunno. You seem like the type to have some scene girl with more legs than brains hanging off your arm.”
Mary thinks that’s a little uncharitable: he’s always been an equal-opportunity lay.
“She seems legit though,” the girl continues. “Makes sense.”
“Uh. Thanks?”
“Yeah, no problem.” She heads for the door, but stops to smirk at him. “Looks like I helped after all.”
As she swings back inside, Mary looks down to realize his hard-on is gone.
Mickey doesn’t cut him early, but he doesn’t make him stay past closing either. Even so, it’s still after 3am when he gets to Suey’s. The bills are gone from the counter, but there are no new dishes in the sink. He opens the fridge to find a pizza box crumpled into the top, balanced precariously on the other items. Mary takes it out and inhales the cold pizza right from the box; he knows they’re all for him because Suey fucking hates pepperoni. (Though it doesn’t escape his notice that she’s put one piece of pineapple in the center to mess with him.)
He leaves the box by the trash (he’ll flatten it tomorrow), and then makes his way to her bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth, lest he incur her wrath.
When he finally wiggles into her twin bed in his boxers, he’s bone tired. His dick still kinda wants some action, but Mary thinks he’d probably just fall asleep in the middle, and Suey really would bite his head off if he woke her up for no reason. He wishes she’d just sleep nude, but finding her in one of his well-worn shirts is the next best thing. He doesn’t mean to wake her up, but he can’t help himself from running his hands all over her—this girl who sees him and not his “image.”
“Mare?” she says in a quiet, sleepy voice.
He kisses her head.
“Go back to sleep, baby doll.”
She doesn’t speak again, but she squirms around until she’s sprawled across his chest. He’d prefer to have her caught up in a little spoon, but having her pressed into him—body sleep warm—is nothing to wave a stick at.
This is all he wanted, anyway.
Next ➡️
36 notes
·
View notes
Text
The Kennedy Question (SamBucky)
There's a... hypothesis. It's circulating around their tower and Sam just got to make sure. He needs a theory and for that, he needs data.
It's pretty straight forward actually. He just has to ask the right question to the right person.
He spots his subject - already on his fifth cup of coffee, sweat dampened hair tied up in a half-bun and he's unnaturally happy. Good. Doesn't matter why he's happy but the point is he is. Which means, this is the right time to strike.
Flexing his biceps for an extra load of umph, Sam tilts his chin up and walks towards their resident centenarians.
"Hiya, Sam," Steve greets, face split into a smile, clearly happy that his moody half is looking cheery today.
"Hiya," Sam waves, pulling up a chair next to his target.
Half an egg and a sip of orange juice later, Sam looks at Steve who's whistling a tune, doing dishes and decides this is the right time to strike.
He turns to his target. And he fires the shot.
"Did you kill John F. Kennedy?"
He'd carefully lowered his voice so Steve wouldn't hear it over the running water and it works. Of course it works. Sam has hung out with Steve and Co. for a very long time, he knows how to gossip behind super-soldiers back by now.
All of his preps pointed towards positive results. A warranted reply. Except of course, Sam forgot to consider the fact that Barnes likes to be an ass around him just for the sake of it.
Hence, the reply he receives is: "You focus on stuffing your face or you're gonna be next."
-
The thing is, it's not a clear yes or no. It's not enough to confirm or reject the hypothesis. The very mystery of it drives Sam insane.
-
"Did you -," he ducks, blocking a jab. Hops to the left, avoiding a kick. Bloody Barnes is out for his blood.
But Sam knows how to handle him.
He gets the guy in a headlock the very next second after Steve yelled "Bucky, chill out!"
"Did you kill him?"
Barnes tries to elbow but Sam knows his stuff, oooh, he knows his stuff bloody well. He'd trained the lot - teenagers running wild with hormone committing truancies and petty crimes, all the prison breakers - name them, Sam has got all under his wing.
He fucking knows his stuffs. So, it's no surprise to anyone but Barnes when he gets the man on his knees. Head-lock still standing and the momentary shock gives Sam the chance to ask again, "Did you?"
Barnes coughs, splutters and taps on his hand so Sam loosens his grip. "What you gonna do? Report it?" He snarls, spitting fire like he actually believed Sam would.
The sheer absurdity of that doubt makes Sam let go of him; drop him like a hot-pocket. "The fuck would I do that for?"
Barnes, red-faced and sweat slick skin, hair falling over his face, glowers at Sam.
Sam stares at him right back. Dunno what he's asking/searching, but Sam's not afraid. He meets that glare with his own steady stare.
"You honestly think I'd sell you out." He states. Doesn't ask. Because that isn't a question.
He doesn't know what to think that Barnes thought of him that way.
"Wouldn't have helped Steve save you, if that was the case, you know."
-
"Why d'ya wanna know?" Barnes asks.
He was the only one in the communal floor when Sam had walked in; channel surfing and Sam had nabbed the remote to his disgruntled protest before settling on Animal Planet. Humans are exhausting for a Tuesday evening.
Now, after half an hour of watching Giant Squid hunting with no Giant Squid sighting, Barnes ends the silence with a frankly, vague as fuck question.
Sam squints at him for a good minute before it clicks and he straightens up in his seat. "Curiosity?" He shrugs.
Barnes looks at him flatly.
Sam glances at the screen, still no Giant Squid (just making sure), then back at Barnes. "Really, I just want to know. Barton's been spreading rumours."
Barnes doesn't say it, but it's there. The universal 'stupid Barton' look that everyone in the tower has at least once, worn.
"Tell me about it," Sam chuckles, slumping in his side of the couch. Barnes is not gonna give an answer. At least not today. That much is certain so, Sam returns to the screen.
A while after, the commentators are getting hyped up, the background music is building in anticipation and they're about to do the big reveal when the channel switches to a bunch of blonde bimbos.
"Barnes!" Sam aims a kick because there is no other way -
Barnes is predictably, two seats away, smirking into his hoodie and clicks away at the buttons.
"I'm spiking your dinner with ghost pepper. You won't know until it hits you - Oooh, you're so gonna regret this. I fucking hate you!"
-
Sam does yoga. It's for his mental health. Dealing with Veterans and delinquents need constant maintenance of his mind palace and he gives that through yoga.
Sometimes, he does it alone but usually it's with Wanda and Vision. Tends to get incredibly awkward sometimes (who knew Androids have sexual frustrations) but hey, it gets the job done.
Occasionally, Dr Banner joins them. Rarely, he drags Tony along just to make the man suffer for promised science experiments or whatever it is geniuses do. Natasha has her sessions after them, something about "Not needing all these stupidity for my clarity", whatever, prissy ass she-assassin.
Steve, Steve's pal and Barton don't do it. They just don't. (Steve once mentioned something about biceps getting in his way or another and Sam stopped paying attention. Barton is just a lazy human.)
Thus why, Sam gawks when he sees Steve's pal, the other Steve or more specifically, Bucky Barnes in a dog pose next to Wanda.
First thought; what the fuck?
Second thought; nice ass.
Third thought; the fucking fuck is that fuck - what!?
Fourth thought; "That's my spot."
Two heads turn to Sam, one head's body waves while another grins.
"Hi, Sam," Wanda beams.
"Hullo, Sam," Vision stops waving only when Sam waves back.
But Sam's eyes are still fixed on that nice pair of ass no!
"That's my spot." He points at where Barnes is ignoring him; flowing through his Surya Namaskar like he was born doing it until he stands, facing Sam and he looks straight into Sam's eyes.
There's something dangerous glinting in them and Sam wastes too many seconds distracting his thoughts from how fucking gorgeous that flow was that he only realises, once Barnes is already in Savasana, just what that glint was about.
"Fuck you, Barnes," he spits, walking towards him, not a pause as he steps onto the mat, then right on top of Barnes's stupid hard chest and over to the other side of Wanda.
Vision graciously makes room for Sam and no. Sam is not letting Bucky fucking Barnes ruin his mind-palace maintenance today.
-
Sam doesn't hate the guy. He honestly doesn't. He just, doesn't know the guy that well.
So, when he sees Barnes fidgeting under the island counter, long sleeves drawn out to bury his fingers while Steve and Tony lash out at each other in the kitchen (no privacy respect, those two. No, never. Almost everyone knows about that by now but Barnes, maybe cause he's still new here.) Sam gently elbows at his side and jerks his head towards the exit.
"They're always like that," he tells the guy solemnly. Hot aroma of coffee wafting in the air and Sam breathes it in deeply.
"Always?"
"Uh, huh."
He takes a sip of his cappuccino, watching Barnes stare at his black coffee gloomily.
Ten seconds later, Barnes asks, "If Stark hates Steve, then why is he letting him live in his place?" Letting me live in his place? Is the unasked question.
Sam takes a long sip before he replies. "Stark doesn't hate Steve," he observes the way Barnes' forehead wrinkle into a frown before it quickly flattened out. Erasing evidence. From everywhere except his eyes.
Sam doesn't know how he knows that nor is he going to analyse said matter, so he distracts himself by elaborating his answer.
"Stark never hated Steve. As a matter of fact, I think Stark likes Steve a little too much for his convenience."
This time, the frown stays and deepens. Sam grabs a napkin and shreds a strip out of its edge.
"You mean, he fancies Stevie?" Barnes mumbles his question towards his untouched coffee. Face contorting fifty ways different and Sam curses himself for even saying a thing in the first place. He can preach to many but he's not having the gay rights talk with a homophobic. That's where he officially draws his line.
To his surprise however, Barnes starts laughing.
It starts as a snort then grows into a chuckle and later a full-blown beautiful laughter. Fuck, dammit, Sam has got to stop thinking like that of this man.
But the steam from his still hot cappuccino swirling under the dim light of the cafe with its dark red background and velvety purple overthrows and cushions and Barnes in the mainframe with all those in the backdrop -
He's beautiful. There is no denying it. Happiness looks gorgeous on everyone and it especially looks stunning on Bucky Barnes.
"Never thought I'd see a day someone go ape-shit over Stevie, but here I am," Barnes chuckles, crinkled eyes, glazed with mirth swirling and molten grey. He's fucking gorgeous and Sam's heart restarts with a new rhythm.
Indeed, "Here you are."
-
Sam sits, and he thinks.
All he ever wanted was an answer to a simple question. That’s it. He didn’t ask for the moon or dream of fucking Captain America like Tony Stark and yet here he is. Four months after his first time asking the question; from not knowing the guy at all to somehow tolerating him and surprise, surprise, now he’s in a sticky crush situation with the guy.
Hell, no wonder Tony is the way he is with Steve. This whole crushing on super-soldiers is frustrating as fuck and Sam hates it.
In fact, he doesn’t even deserve it.
All he wanted was an answer. To a single simple question. Sam refuses to pine after Bucky Barnes for the price of solving Kennedy’s murder. He’s better than that. He can solve the mystery without selling his heart.
Sam decides this is the final straw and he isn’t having it anymore. He’s going to end it all.
-
“Did you or did you not kill John F. Kennedy?”
“Good afternoon to you too, Sammie,” Bucky Barnes grins, black hoodie and black pants, sitting cross-legged on the couch as he tosses an unopened bag of chips for Sam to catch. “Mario kart or are you finally brave enough to play The Last of Us Part 2?”
“Don’t call me that,” Sam grumbles, marching his way to the empty spot next to Barnes and plopping down. “It’s not about bravery. The reviews aren’t so good -,”
“I read them all. General opinion is still positive. You better hurry up, I’m running out of ways to stop Barton from spoiling it.”
The thought that Barnes is waiting for Sam to start on something is disconcerting. In a warm, fuzzy, heart palpitating way. So, Sam pops the chips’ bag open and stuffs a handful into his mouth in an attempt to drown out the feels with an obnoxiously loud CRUNCH.
“Is that why you throttled him last night?”
“No,” Barnes drawls lazily, leaning into Sam’s space to fish out a chip and pops it into his mouth. “That’s because he ate the last brownie.”
“Bruce’s?”
Barnes nods, wiping his finger over his pants and continuing to fiddle with the remote.
“Fair enough,” Sam declares. Then an idea pops up. “I’ll play that game if you answer my question.”
Barnes seems to know which one. His shoulders tense, squaring up and he seems to curl inwards, shrinking into his hoodie and Sam hates himself for causing this. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” he blurts out. Anything to draw Barnes out of that state.
Shamefully, he wonders if this is what they meant by ‘simping’. God, he’s weak for this man and that’s ridiculously unfair.
Regardless, his words seem to work their miracle because Barnes relaxes, shoulders sagging and Sam feels his own tension bleed. The silence stretches uncomfortably for a while until all Sam could think is to not flex his fingers because that would crinkle the plastic bag and it would be loud and that would win the Guinness World Awkward Award.
Then, Barnes speaks. He’s still facing away, at the TV, and he scratches the back of his head through the hoodie as he asks quietly, “Can I ask you a question in return?”
Sam blinks. He minces his reflexive ‘You just asked’ and shrugs, “Sure.”
Exactly thirteen heartbeats after, Barnes asks, “Do you fancy men, Sammie?”
Sam’s throat goes dry. Something clenches in his chest, warning him about his own thoughts in the Cafe about not willing to explaining gay-rights to a homophobic. But he also remembers Barnes’ reaction to finding out Tony liking Steve like that. Especially Barnes’ laughter.
“Yeah,” Sam says, “I like both women and men.”
“A bisexual,” Barnes nods into his hoodie. As if he’s recalling something he read only yesterday. He probably is.
Sam pulls in a breath and sinks into his seat. He pulls out a chip and pops it into his mouth. “Anything else?”
He’s not ready when Barnes turns towards him. He’s mid-munch, chips still sharp shards that poke at his tongue when he meets grey eyes full of intent. But he swallows them anyway. Barnes’ unabashed and fearless, staring straight into Sam’s eyes as he pops the question that makes Sam’s palms and soles tickle.
“Do you wanna step out with me?”
Sam is 100% sure he croaks when he opens his mouth to say, “I’ll only say yes if you tell me whether you killed Kennedy or not.”
Barnes’ lips wobble and he ducks his head. Shoulders shaking when he looks up again with a beatific grin split across his face; gorgeous fucker. And he answers, “I don’t know, I don’t remember.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Sam mutters, already grabbing him by his nape and he pulls him in to kiss that gorgeous happiness on his face. “Don’t care.” Another kiss, “Who cares?” Another “Dude’s dead anyway.”
Barnes laughs, head tipping back, body leaning to fall and Sam goes down with him gladly.
92 notes
·
View notes