#makes her feel so warm and good and homey and cozy and all things nice

[swordmaid]

durge yves is so very jaded about everything because nothing compares to the euphoria bhaal grants from killing that she latches onto anything that piques her interest. to the point that performing surgeries and experiments on her own self gets so boring that she stopped for a time. she also has very little regard over her own body, not caring what happens to it because it's merely a vessel for bhaal and he can make and remake it as he wishes. i think the moment orin betrays yves that's one of the few times she feels excitement and joy, and when she was experimented on by kressa then shoved in that pod she was ecstatic about it. it's different. it's a change. she enjoyed it so very much that the moment she awoke in the nautiloid she can't help but smile. she doesn't know why, hardly can remember anything about herself, but for some reason she feels a certain excitement; an anticipation of a hunt.

[deunmiu-dessie]

(unedited)³ retired simon has nowhere to go, so you offer. { his pov } [ one, two, three]

she’s like a breath of fresh air. bright and cold. a gust so frigid that it sends goosebumps to shroud his skin. like the first fall of snow. was it december now? how long has it been since he’d left? how long has he wandered? adrift like a buoy at sea. but strangely stuck, straying in place. like some sort of ghost. trapped and terrified.

he thinks she’s naive. strange, even. like a child left outside without supervision. prone to being up to no good. she’s insistent in her little fiat car. her hands are covered in a pair of creme wool gloves. and when he looks close enough he notices that they’re fraying at the seam. worn. loved.

she says her name. it’s pretty, her name. it fits. she’s expectant, waiting for him to speak. give her something, anything he’s sure. she seems like a good girl. too good, too much for him, not enough for her. he hardly even knew her. but she wants to know you. she’s being nice. nothing more. simon. that’s what he tells her and it rolls off her tongue faultlessly. “well, we’re not strangers anymore, simon.” is what she says. he finds her amusing.

it’s her eyes. that’s what makes him slide into the passenger seat. they're wide. warm. nervous— despite her being the one to offer him a ride. it’s endearing, if not a bit entertaining. and the cold has already frozen his body. he can hardly feel his feet. but he deserves this. this life that he’s been subjected to.

she’s an anxious thing. her gloved hands drum lightly against the steering wheel. she’s shit at making small talk. and from the reflection of the car window, he can see the way she works her bottom lip into her mouth. he’s tempted to thumb it from within the wet heat. he doesn't.

“could be a killer.” she smiles. her eyes brighten. it’s small but he finds himself forgetting to breathe. in and out. in and out. she smells temptingly like honey and spices, all tangy and sweet. fuck. he holds his breath. “are you?” he doesn't respond. after all the killing. the blood that stains his hands. his skin. won't come off no matter how hard he scrubs. he’s a murderer. yes, i am. she’s too trusting. he wouldn't hurt her. never.

small. is how he would describe the apartment. small but homey. filled with greenery, color, and a tiny christmas tree. it’s tucked away. surrounded by lights at its base. it smells like chocolate, milk to be specific. but her as well. honeyed spices and dried fruits, tangy and sweet. the radio that he hears plays quietly. silent night in instrumental. his heart tightens in his chest.

he’s not sure how he ended up here. surrounded by her four walls. she suggests sweetly. eyes wide and sad at his destination. he declines. she isn't the type to take no for an answer. her brows are knitted. hands tightening. he’s enamored. he shouldn't stay. he should tuck and roll out the car while he has the chance. run. like he’s used to doing. too late the two pull in. she’s pleased with herself. he grins faintly beneath his mask. cute.

the couch is a bed. it pulls out into one anyway. she busies herself. shuffling to get sheets and a comforter. it’s a faded baby blue, printed with delicate flowers. and she looks proud. smiling at the cozy couch. her lips are coated in a sheen. from the lip balm she’d put on a second ago. and he adverts his eyes when she looks toward him. couldn't meet those wide eyes. sweet and nervous. he stares instead at the makeshift bed. she speaks. grins awkwardly.

“thank you.” he means it. it’s stiff. his voice hoarse from the cold but, he means it— no matter how gruff it comes out. her hands. no longer swathed by wool gloves, slide down denim-clad thighs. lips press. and her head nods. she says his name again, but scurries before he can reply, and maybe it’s for the best. he can barely speak.

click.

he shouldn't. but he finds himself amused. good girl. he was still a stranger after all. a strange man she has willingly invited into her home. he wondered briefly if she was right in the head. right to slow for him. to smile at him. she couldn't be. unsure. he can’t get comfortable. just lays there and listens to her faint voice. walls thin. voice muffled. but words clear. “die tonight.”— “…love you.” he ponders.

he doesn't remember a ring. friend? mom? boyfriend? his heart aches. he doesn't know her. he has no right to feel anything. she was nice, too good. he was the opposite, with nowhere to go. nothing to offer. why was he here? he should leave. but sleep weighs heavy on his eyes. bing crosby lulls him to sleep. he’d be gone before she woke.

i've always thought simon to have very choppy thoughts. and always being very in his head. very observant. so yeah. listened to christmas music making this! hehehe

[authorred]

Frostbitten | Li Shen/Zayne x reader | Love and Deepspace

➺ Preface: Taking a trip with Zayne up to the snowy mountains was something you were looking forward to. Spending time with him and taking a break from your busy schedules are what you both need. But halfway through your trip, the aether core in your heart acts up, and your weakened heart begins to give.

➺ I was inspired by the one scene in Zayne's branched route trailer where he runs up to MC and carries her when she collapses TEEHEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE IT'S SO HOT SEEING MEN WORRY LIKE THAT HOOOYYY MMMMYYYYY GAAAWWWOOUUURRRDDDDDD

Warning(s): As angsty as I can make it. You almost die, good luck

As you step off of the train and onto the slightly snowy platform, you stretch your limbs and take in a deep breath. “Ah, finally,” you sigh in relief. “It’s no fun being cramped in a booth seat for three hours with nothing to do.”

Zayne comes up behind you wordlessly, carrying the few bags you brought with you on the trip. “Impatient as always,” he says. “Like a child.”

“I should’ve brought my laptop but I decided not to in the moment,” you sigh again. “I should’ve brought it for the actual travel time. Now I feel restless.”

“There’s plenty of things to do while we’re here,” Zayne assures. “It’s a small village, but I’m confident that you’ll find something that piques your interest. It’s rather easy to do.”

You roll your eyes and grab a bag from Zayne’s arm to help him. “Yeah, yeah, okay. I get it. I have the attention span of a goldfish.”

“Not quite a goldfish. Perhaps a small dog or a bird.”

You playfully shove him and his body follows through, stumbling a step or two away. You know he could’ve resisted a bit more, easily, but where’s the fun in that? “Shut up and let’s go already. We got a cabin waiting for us.” With that, you begin to stalk off in the direction of the station exit. Zayne doesn’t say anything and trails behind you like a shadow.

~

The cabin is much nicer than you originally thought. A cozy lounge, a small kitchen and dining area, and a loft upstairs with only one bed ;). There’s a nice fireplace in front of the small sofa with firewood already sat inside of it. It smells slightly of the outside trees, wood, and some hints of smoke.

“Oh, this is nice,” you say, placing your bags on the floor in the foyer. “Cozy and warm. I wonder if the kitchen is filled.”

“Just like you to be thinking of food.”

“It’s getting close to lunch—can you blame me?” You throw him a look over your shoulder before bouncing into the small, but homey kitchen. After inspecting all the cabinets and the small refrigerator you can see some left over nonperishables, bottles of water, pots and pans, and other miscellaneous items. “Mm, seems we’ll have to go into town if we want to actually eat food,” you say. “I’m glad it’s not that far from here.”

Zayne joins you in the kitchen and glances around. “It certainly is quaint,” he says. “Not bad.”

~

After an hour you and Zayne manage to make a small lunch just enough to tide you over. Afterwards you were planning to walk to the town store to buy more groceries for a proper dinner.

Halfway through your small lunch, you pause your eating. You take a moment, shifting and adjusting your body, rolling your shoulders out. You feel an uncomfortable feeling in your chest—as if the muscles are contracting. It’s a small point of discomfort but one you can’t ignore.

Zayne eyes you curiously, giving you a moment to assess whatever it is that’s wrong. After a few seconds of slight discomfort on your face he asks, “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” you reply. “Just a weird feeling is all. Maybe I haven’t stretched enough. It feels like a cramp.”

“Where?”

“My chest.” You subconsciously rub where there’s pain, your fingers gently massaging into the skin above your heart. Immediately, Zayne’s face drops in concern.

“Do you have pain in your jaw or left arm? Do you feel tired? Nauseous?”

“What?” You blink at him. “No. It feels like a cramp. I probably didn’t stretch enough after my shift yesterday.”

Zayne doesn’t relax, though he takes your word for it. “I see,” he replies quietly. “Stretching after strenuous exercise is important in keeping muscles from straining or tearing. And to reduce soreness. Please make sure to do it whenever you can.”

You nod, the pain fading, but never disappearing. “I know. I will. After this I’ll do a few stretches and see if it helps.”

~

Despite your earlier complaint of having chest pain, you still insisted on taking a walk to the town store. Zayne was hesitant, preferring to do it himself or to make sure you’re okay. But your insistence won out, and now you two are traipsing down a beautiful snowy trail to the town.

“It’s so beautiful here,” you say. “Cold, but beautiful. Snowy mountains and terrain are always so picturesque.”

Zayne hums in agreement and looks around at the surrounding area before turning his head to look at you, who’s admiring the distant mountains. His gaze is uncharacteristically soft. “Some things truly are beautiful no matter what.”

You let out a chuckle and nod, still unaware of his eyes on you. “Yeah, it is.”

Halfway through your walk, you start to slow. You pause, taking a moment to breathe. It’s hard to breathe. Like you can’t catch your breath. Every time you attempt to take a deep inhale it’s like your body is stopping you. Dread wells up inside of you but youl try to calm yourself down. The pain in your chest that never fully stopped blooms again, and your face scrunches up in slight discomfort. You take a step back, attemping to collect yourself from the sudden slap of lightheadedness that just hit you.

Zayne stops a few feet away from you and turns, his face scrunching up in concern. “What’s wrong?”

“Zayne, I don’t feel good. . .” You start to stumble, and Zayne immediately strides over to you. You reach your hand out to which he grasps tightly. He cradles your cheek in his other hand and looks down at you. His eyes flit over your face, taking in your expression and current physical condition. Your complexion is completely off, and you’re on the verge of losing consciousness. Your vision is blurry and you can make out his face through the lightheaded haze. Your chest hurts a lot.

Without a word, Zayne picks you up bridal style and begins to march back to the cabin. His brows are furrowed in determination and worry, lips pressed in a thin line. He’s not dumb. He knows what it is—it’s your heart. Most likely cardiac arrest from all the issues you have regarding it. He needs to get you medical attention—immediately. If he doesn’t, then—

Zayne shakes his head, clearing it of any unnecessary thought. His focus is making sure you’re okay. His steps are driven forward with the single thought of keeping you alive; heavy and steady. The nearest hospital to the cabin is close to 40 minutes away. He prays to whatever god there is to keep you from death in that time.

“Zayne,” you rasp out, your vision beginning to grow bright and contrasting. “My heart hurts.”

“I know,” Zayne replies softly, walking up the wooden porch of the cabin. “Hang on. Everything will be okay.”

You don’t realize you fall unconscious until the sense of impending doom vanishes.

~

Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. The aether core in your heart destabilized and that caused your heart to give. Fluctuations of your evol forced your body to become unstable, and therefore unpredictable. Zayne managed to contact help but by the time it arrived your body was under so much stress from your heart growing weak, that it became borderline dangerous to perform any intervention on you.

Zayne is but a cardiologist. As brilliant as he is, this is not something within his realm. He knows about Protocore Syndrome and how it can affect the body and the cardiovascular system, but never before has it evolved in turning you into an unstable core yourself.

They had no choice but to intubate and isolate you. Specialists who had an idea of what’s going on said you very well could be a ticking time bomb (you can imagine how that went over with Zayne). Your body pulses and glows, following the veins in your flesh and circling around your heart like koi fish. It would be beautiful, if not for the fact you could possibly explode in a flux of evol so strong you could level the area.

Zayne watches from the observation mezzanine, his brows tightly knit together. He can feel his ice begin to spread across his neck and shoulders, the feeling a burning cold that forces him to look away from you. Taking a few deep breaths, he forces the ice to recede. It hurts. It always does. But he can’t help it. He can’t stop.

His eyes slowly slide back over to you. He knew he should’ve pushed you to take care of yourself more—or done it himself. Why didn’t he do it? Why do you never listen? He knew your heart wasn’t strong to begin with and yet you became a Hunter, go on dangerous missions, ignore instructions. . . something has to be wrong. There has to be a disconnect.

Is it him? Is he too cold? Too detached? If you die—

If you die. . . what then?

Zayne stands there for a moment before turning his head and walking from the observation window. He has a meeting to attend to; one that will decide on how to proceed with this issue. On how to care for you.

His Hunter will not die. Not under his care. Not while he’s alive.

[grandmother-goblin]

When Soap Isn't Enough

Ao3 - Masterlist

Summary: No matter how many times Astarion scrubbed himself down, he just couldn't feel clean. So he accepts Cas's offer to help him out.

Relationships: Astarion x Female!Tav

Rating: Teen and Up

Word Count: 2.4k

Tags: Hair washing, references to past trauma, non-sexual nudity.

Astarion tilted his head back onto the lip of the bathtub and closed his eyes, enjoying the heat of the clean water and the soothing aroma of lavender scented bath oil. It was technically his second bath of the evening. The first one had been dedicated to ridding himself of so much filth he was surprised he was allowed through the doors of the Elfsong. The second was just for his own sanity.

As if traversing the sewers beneath Baldur’s Gate wasn’t bad enough, some lunatic had summoned an army of grease mephits and one thing led to another and… well, Gale blew them up. But not before one of them managed to slime Astarion head to toe. Blinded and covered in grease, the little bastard then shoved him into a puddle of sludge. But everyone was so concentrated on surviving the encounter, Astarion did not have time to feel embarrassed about his condition.

The only thing Cas could offer him on the long walk back to the Elfsong was a cloak and a few rags to wipe himself up. It wasn’t nearly enough, but it was better than nothing and he appreciated the gesture.

He was also grateful that Cas had gotten them a separate room from the others. It meant that fewer people got to see him in such a state, and he enjoyed the privacy it afforded him and Cas for several reasons.

The space wasn’t very big. Beside the washroom, all their room had was a bed big enough for two and a dresser to keep their belongings. But it was cozy. Rich wood tones and warm lantern light gave the place a very homey feel. He kind of liked it.

Astarion splashed a bit of water on his face. No matter how many times he scrubbed himself down, he still felt the grease. It wasn’t there. He could see it wasn’t there. But, somehow, he still felt like he couldn’t get clean.

“Astarion?” Cas called from the outside the washroom, her voice just loud enough to hear through the thick wooden door. “Do you mind if I pop in for a second? I just want to grab my hairbrush. I promise I won’t look.”

He rolled his eyes. “Darling, you’ve already seen everything,” he said and picked up the bar of soap again. “The door’s unlocked.”

Cas slipped into the room and shut the door behind her. Though he really didn’t mind if she looked, she kept her eyes off of him. Instead, she made a beeline for the vanity and quickly found her hairbrush. “Are you starting to feel better?”

“Mostly,” he said and began to scrub his arm with soap again. “But I still feel like there’s grease everywhere. On my skin, under my fingernails, in my hair. I’m sitting in water and I’m still probably flammable.”

There was a soft snort of laughter. “Want to try washing with some vinegar?”

The suggestion made Astarion’s lip curl with disgust. “I’m trying to smell better, my love, not worse,” he said and started washing his other arm. “Though if you have any more of that lavender scented shampoo, I wouldn’t say no to that.”

“Of course,” Cas replied brightly and retrieved the bar of shampoo from her toiletry bag. “Do you have any interest in letting me wash your hair for you?”

Astarion’s brow drew together as his hand paused mid-scrub. “Wash my hair?” he repeated back dumbly. “Why?”

She shrugged. “It feels good and I want to,” she said as if it was the simplest thing in the world. “No pressure. Just thought I would put the offer out there.”

“I— Why are you like this?” he asked, making her laugh again. “You know how I feel about you being too nice to me.”

It was a conversation they had countless times in a dozen different ways. The answer was always the same, but he still struggled to wrap his head around it. It was because she cared about him. She cared about him in a way that no one else ever had. With patience and respect, but willing to stand her ground with him when she needed to. Even if she flooded him with sweet gestures, they all came from the heart.

For Cas, one of the main ways she showed affection was through physical touch. Due to his complicated feelings towards sex and other such activities, they decided to have a more caste relationship for a while. Given how frequently they found themselves tangled in blankets during the early stages of their relationship, Astarion thought Cas would have some difficulty with the change.

But she didn’t.

It had been almost a month, and Cas never once tried to pressure him into anything more. Though there were a few instances where their kisses turned a little too heated, she never had a problem with pulling back. Never got upset with him for denying her the physical pleasure she so clearly craved.

Of course, Astarion didn’t hold it against her. She still had certain needs, and he was glad that she didn’t try to deny that for his sake. But he was also glad that she respected his wishes and didn’t try to guilt him over his decision.

Cas held out the bar of shampoo to him and said, “Up to you.”

“Fine,” he replied, sounding about as enthusiastic as a teenager who had been told to wash dishes. “Just try not to get soap in my eyes.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to get soap in your eyes,” she said as if he were being completely ridiculous. Then she pulled the stool in front of the vanity over to the tub and took a seat behind him. “Sit forward a bit so I don’t get water outside the tub.”

A little reluctantly, he did as he was told, letting his arm rest atop his bent knees as casually as he could. Yet, despite his outward demeanor, his stomach knotted and his throat tightened. He couldn’t quite place why.

Cas had seen him naked plenty of times between changing his clothes in front of her or when they went to bed together. So it wasn’t his nudity. 

Maybe it was just the position.

Naked, vulnerable, with his back presented to someone seated behind him. His teeth clenched as his fingers dug into his leg, hidden beneath the soapy water. He exhaled, but tried to make the sound seem bored or impatient instead of a calming exercise. It wasn’t Cazador, and there wasn’t a knife. It was Cas, and a fucking bar of soap.

He needed to pull himself together.

“Close your eyes for a second,” Cas said as she dipped a cup into the water.

As soon as he closed his eyes water cascaded over his hair and down his neck. It was warm and soothing. Then she poured another cup of water on him, slowly, until every bit of his hair was dripping wet. 

Ever so carefully, Cas ran her fingers through his hair and pulled it back away from his face. A little smile came to his lips. “How would you feel if I started slicking my hair back?”

“I have no opposition as long as you don’t use so much product that your hair looks crunchy.”

He furrowed his brow. “Crunchy?”

“Like Raphael’s.”

“His hair looks more greasy than anything.”

Cas hummed, sounding skeptical, and lathered up the bar of shampoo. “Take a closer look next time he slithers out of Hell. I bet if you touched it it would sound like a crumpled newspaper.”

“I’m not risking getting grease on myself again to find out what that devil’s hair sounds like,” he said, sounding indignant even as he wanted to smile.

It was funny how that worked. One second he was slipping back into one of his worst memories, and then the next Cas was making him want to laugh. It was so easy. It felt almost natural. That whenever he began to slip into darkness, she was always right there ready to direct him towards the light. Sometimes without trying at all.

Cas tilted his head back gently and began to work her soapy fingers through his hair. She started near his hairline, rubbing her fingertips in tiny circles as she worked her way over his scalp. It felt nice. Really nice.

Soon, Astarion found himself closing his eyes. The smell of lavender, the warm water of the bath, and a soothing massage relaxed the bundle of anxiety in his belly. Most of it, at least. Even though he knew in his heart that Cas wouldn’t take advantage of him, he couldn’t completely suppress that twinge of fear.

Part of him still expected Cas to push him. To trail her fingers down his chest, or to dip her hand beneath the water and tread even lower. Cas had never done something like that, and he didn’t think she ever would, but the worry lingered. That, somehow, this kind and sweet woman he knew was just a facade. That Cas was just like everyone else who wanted him just for his body.

Cas placed her hand just above his brow and said, “Keep your eyes closed.” Shielding his face the best she could, she washed away the shampoo. Between each rinse, she massaged his scalp and combed her fingers delicately through his hair. 

“I think I got all the grease out,” she said and dunked her hands in the water to remove the lingering suds on her skin. “I have a light oil for your hair if you’d like. It smells nice and it’ll make your hair soft and easy to comb.”

It sounded wonderful. Especially the thought of her fingers gliding through his hair again as he melted into her touch. But his stomach knotted, and he shook his head. “I think I’m alright, my love,” he said and placed a kiss on the back of her hand. “Thank you.”

If Cas was at all disappointed by his refusal, it didn’t show on her face. She just gave his hand a little squeeze. Then she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his damp forehead and said, “Any time.” 

With that, she dried her hands off on a towel hanging over the edge of the tub and put the stool back under the vanity. Then she picked up her hairbrush and started towards the door. “I’ll see you in a bit,” she said and gave him a smile before she left the room.

Astarion sighed once he heard the door click shut behind her. For reasons he couldn’t quite explain, he already regretted turning down her offer. If her shampooing his hair was anything to judge by, it would have been just as nice and relaxing. Maybe they could even talk about something else as ridiculous as what sound Raphael’s hair would make. Who knew? He certainly didn’t because he had let his fear get the better of him.

Yet Cas was patient and she didn’t seem to take it personally. There was just only so much touching he could handle before his train of thought ventured down a dark path. No matter how he tried to redirect it towards the light, he wasn’t always in control, and his mind went there anyway. As frustrating as it was, and though he knew he was safe (or as safe as he could be) with Cas, two centuries of conditioning didn’t go away overnight.

Still, he was getting better. Little by little. And Cas was there with him for every step of the way.

After he scrubbed his body down with soap one more time, he drained the tub and toweled off, finally feeling like all the grease was gone. His hair especially felt good. His hair was still a little damp when he changed into his pajamas. 

Cas had gotten the pajamas for him as a gift, and thought neither of them slept, they were soft and nice to lounge in while he did his trance. Just simple, loose, burgundy pants and a stretchy, long-sleeved, gray shirt. Nothing fancy, but he didn’t really need fancy so long as he was comfortable. 

When he exited the washroom, he found Cas lounging on the bed clad in her own pajamas, a pencil in hand as she jotted down something in her journal. She glanced up at him and gave him a soft smile. Like she was simply happy to see him. It still felt so strange, no matter how many times she gave him that look. “Feeling better?” she asked, closing her journal to give him her full attention.

The mattress dipped as Astarion sat beside her. He used the movement to tuck her against his side, his arm wrapped around her lithe frame and her head tucked under his chin. “Much better, darling,” he said and rolled onto his back and pulled her fully on top of him. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever had someone wash my hair like that before”

She pushed up with her hands on either side of his head, relieving him of some of her weight. “How did you feel about it?”

He shrugged. “I wouldn’t be opposed to doing it again,” he said as he let his hands wander from her ribcage, to her hips, down to lightly grip her upper thighs. “Perhaps, next time, you might join me in the tub.”

Cas smiled at him. “I don’t think we’d both fit.”

“Not with that attitude,” he said, earning himself a laugh because she was right. Even if the idea sounded nice, there was no way they could both fit comfortably. “I bet this place has a room with a bigger tub. They have to, right? For half-orcs or goliaths or other massive folk. Those would surely fit two little elves.”

She hummed. “If you want to ask the owner to switch rooms, be my guest,” she said, effectively putting the ball in his court. Leaving the decision up to him, with no real pressure one way or another. 

“I bet they’d have bigger beds too.” He took her chin between his thumb and forefinger and pulled her down for a kiss. Something chaste and sweet, and he could feel her smiling into it.

Gods. He might very well be in love with her.

“I’ll ask about it tomorrow,” he said. Despite his earlier nerves, it was something he still wanted to do. Especially with Cas. It might be good for him, he thought. Just a small way to be intimate with her that didn’t involve sex.

It would take more than just soap to wash away all of his complicated feelings towards intimacy. Perhaps, he would never be rid of it entirely. But it was a start.

That was something.

[harryspet]

Hey hun! 😊😊 For the holiday dark fics can I request a dark Neighbor AU for Steve with the prompt 41) “You were never supposed to find out...”

a/n: hope you enjoy!! thank you for requesting :) @opheliadawnwalker3

You sat across from Steve in a comfortable loveseat that sat in his living room, the fireplace warming the two of you. You only meant to stop by, to give him the plate of brownies, but he’d insisted that you come inside. You had to admit that his home was quite cozy, decked in lots of Christmas decorations, and the grin on his face was even warmer than the room. 

It was a wonder that he was the only one that lived in the house,  him being the only single bachelor in the entire neighborhood. Every time you came home for the holidays, your mother tried to set you up with him and you imagined the brownies were her strategy this year. 

“I didn’t think we’d get any snow this year,” You heard him say and you sipped at the hot cocoa he’d provided you. You could see through the window behind him that the snow was starting to fall lightly. 

“Me neither,” You agreed, “It’s gonna be a perfect Christmas Eve, I can already tell.”

Though he smiled, you noticed a longing in his eyes, like he was suddenly transported somewhere else, “I’m sure your mother has a lot of festivities planned.”

“Right,” you nodded, “She’s a bit crazy but she puts me in the spirit so it's fine … you’re not having any family over?”

Again, though there was a grin on his face, his eyes told a different story, “No, I don’t have much family,” He looked down at his own mug of hot cocoa, “But it’s still my favorite holiday as you can tell.” 

You laughed politely, “Yeah, I think the snow globes give it away,” You hinted at the fireplace which was beautifully decorated. You wondered if he’d invited you inside just because he wasn’t going to have anyone to talk to this year, “You should come over for dinner … tomorrow, I mean.”

His eyes widened and for a moment he seemed happy until he brushed it off, “Oh, no. Thank you though-”

“I’m serious,” You continued, “I know my Mom makes things a little awkward with us but I’ll tell her to tone it down. You shouldn’t be alone on the holidays.” You could imagine your mom jumping up and down in happiness right now. You weren’t interested in Steve, you lived an entire other life for most of the year, but you couldn’t leave without offering. 

“That would … that would be really nice,” He said, “Speaking of your Mom, I picked out some things to give to her. I was hoping to get a second opinion, they’re just in my office-”

“Yeah, sure,” You agreed, “Do you mind if I use your bathroom first?”

“Uhm,” He stood up just as you did, almost startling you, “Yes, let me take that from you-” You smiled awkwardly as you handed him the mug, “You can use the one upstairs. It’s the second door to the left.”

“I’ll be right back.”

You could’ve sworn you felt his eyes on you as you walked up the stairs. You brushed off the feeling and focused on handling your business. The upstairs was just as homey as the downstairs. He was like an alien to the rest of the male species, everything seemed so together that now you understood why your mother liked him so much. 

Things were going normally but you noticed a bottle of shampoo sitting in the shower. Coconut oil and cocoa butter. That was your favorite scent and you couldn’t remember the last time you used a different brand. You paused to think about it only for a moment. 

After washing your hands, you were using a hand towel when you smelt something familiar. Feeling crazy, you brought the hand towel to your nose to smell it. You could’ve sworn it smells exactly like your favorite winter perfume. At least, your old favorite, because they stopped selling that gingerbread and brown sugar mix a few years ago. 

Your eyebrows were still furrowed in confusion when you left the bathroom. After two weird coincidences, your curiosity was piqued and maybe that's why you approached the bedroom with the cracked door. It was just a peak but you found much more than you bargained for.

Scatter around the room were a bunch of your things, or replicas of your things. Your old blankie, some of your jewelry and knick knacks from your childhood bedroom. You even picked up your graduation photo which sat in a photo frame atop of a dresser. You held your breath, knowing you couldn’t spend any more time investigating, and you’d stepped back slowly but you’d already crossed a line. 

Like you’d tampered with a precious object in his dollhouse, he knew where you were. You moved quickly out of the room only to run into the wall that Steve called a chest, “Steve-” You smiled, hoping you could play pretend, “I’m sorry, everything is decorated so nicely that I had to look-”

“You were never supposed to find out,” His voice was solemn and a bit disappointed. Your heart was in your stomach and, looking in his eyes, he knew that you knew his secret. 

“Find out what?” You were still smiling though it was taking all the strength you had, “Can we go back downstairs?”

He moved forward, urging you back into the room and you knew then you had to decide what you were going to do. You could fight it, or you try and run, but you found yourself freezing, “Steve, you’re scaring me …” That was an understatement, “I thought we were going to look at gifts …”

“I never touched you,” He said and you nodded.

“I-I know.”

“I was good. I never crossed the line,” You started to realize that you weren’t talking about the same thing, “I watched from afar, that’s it, and I could’ve- I could’ve crossed the line many times but I didn’t.”

You kept nodding, “And you still don’t have to,” Your voice was small and, for a moment, you thought he might listen but he grabbed the door and shut it, “I’ll pretend I never saw anything! Like you said, you were good and you’re a good guy, I know that.”

“Did you ever … feel the same way?” 

Lie. 

“Yes, o-of course. I just never thought it would work with me living in another city,” He didn’t believe you. That much you could tell by the way his hands were tapping at his sides. 

“Your Mom always thought we would be together,” He said, “She probably would be overjoyed if we started seeing each other.”

Lie.

“Yeah,” You agreed, “She’d think it was a Christmas miracle. We could … we could tell her together, you know.”

Steve sighed, “I know that can’t happen. You think I’m crazy, I can see it in your eyes,” With great force, he grabbed you by your upper arm, pulling you into him. It seemed that he was breaking all his old rules and you were afraid he felt like he had nothing to lose, “I’ve loved you for a long time, do you know that?”

“Y-You have?” His grip relaxed and he seemed to savor your touch. He pulled you closer, his hand wrapping behind your back side, leaning down to press a kiss to your forehead. A shiver moved down your spine as you realized he was smelling your hair.

Lie.

“I don’t think you’re crazy, Steve.”

“You will,” He spoke bluntly, and you knew there was no talking him down. You tried to push away from him though he held you tightly, “But that’s okay! Time heals all things.”

“Let go of me, please,” You begged, tears staining your cheeks, but you felt your feet lift off the ground as he carried you over to the bed, “Please!”

He climbed on top of you, holding down your kicking limbs. His blonde hair fell messily over his forehead, his breathing was heavy but not from the physical exertion. He was breathless because he was looking at you, touching you, and soon he’d have you in more ways than one. 

“I don’t want to hurt you, doll, but it’ll be better if you relax because I’m gonna take my time with you.”

When he kissed you, he made sure you felt all of his love.

[xxdragonwriterxx]

🔥The Perfect Shot🔥

A/N: This one was a little experimental but I’m actually kinda proud of it 😅. I had a dream about this and just had to write it down so here you go! This one has been in my drafts for a while and I finally had time to edit it, not me doing this instead of my homework, so I figured I’d post it so I have some new content out while I work on the two requests I have. Speaking of which, those will be out soon so keep an eye out for those! I love working on them and they are both really awesome requests so I’m really excited to get them out to you. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this quick piece! Love you guys! 🥰🥺

🐉Song Recommendation: “Stick Up” By: grandson 🐉

Word Count: ~4.2k

~~~

Levi scowled immediately upon entering the bar. It didn’t have anything to do with the bar itself, the establishment was actually surprisingly clean. A little too messy to meet his usual standards, but clean enough for him to get comfortable. No, his scowl was aimed right for his old friend Erwin, the owner of the place.

“Levi, what’s with the sour look?” Erwin asked, his gaze sympathetic. Bastard, he knew what the look was for.

“Haven’t I told you not to pity me whenever I come in here?” Levi snapped, not in the mood for the giant blonde’s antics tonight. “My job is hard enough as it is without you constantly looking at me like I’m some kind of injured animal.”

“It’s not pity, Levi, it’s a thing called concern. I know you’ve probably never heard of it, but it’s something that friends show each other when they are worried about the well being of the other person.”

“I’m fine,” Levi grumbled. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

Erwin knew that wasn’t entirely true, could see it in the shorter man’s eyes, but he let it be, knowing Levi would just get more irritated the longer the conversation continued. “The usual?”

“Yeah.”

“Oi, Miche! Levi’s here, get him his usual, please!”

Levi heard Miche’s responding yell from the back room where the dirty blonde was probably hanging out with Hanji, the brunette scientist, a close friend of Erwin’s who got special permission to stay in the back room with them whenever the foot traffic was slow. Shaking his head, Levi fought the small smile that tried to appear on his face as he thought about the people he had surprisingly come to know as his friends. He still had no idea why they ever wanted to talk to him, but he had come to appreciate it nonetheless, even when Hanji blabbed his ear off about scientific studies, although he’d never admit it aloud.

Soon enough, a glass filled with dark copper liquid was slid in front of him, and he lifted his gaze to see Miche smirking at him, “Hard day?”

“You could say that,” Levi murmured, lifting the glass to his lips and taking a healthy gulp.

“Work hours are only getting longer, huh?”

“Yeah, and the people I work with are idiots. It was almost like my latest clients were on a mission to make my job as difficult as possible. It would’ve been a complete disaster if I hadn’t been able to focus everything at the last minute; would’ve cost both of us a lot of money if I hadn’t gotten the shots they wanted.”

“Sorry to hear that, Levi,” Miche said, a slight frown on his handsome features. “I hope this helps you loosen up a bit.”

Levi nodded as Miche ambled away with a light pat on the mahogany, a sigh quietly slipping from his lips as he picked up the glass and swirled it before taking another sip. The golden lights above him were dimmed, making the space feel surprisingly homey, the glow from the lamps contrasting nicely with the dark wallpaper and bathing the wood of the bar with a warm honeyed finish. Levi closed his eyes and sighed through his nose, allowing the cozy atmosphere to soothe him.

He was grateful for the emptiness of the bar, the quiet hum of the television playing the latest news one of the only sounds filling the air. He wasn’t surprised, it was nearly two in the morning, but it made him grateful nonetheless. He did feel bad about coming in so late, knowing that even though the bar was still open, his friends would want to be heading home soon, but he had been working late, cleaning his equipment and resetting his work space for the next day and hadn’t been able to come in any earlier. He had thought about waiting, but the stress of the day pushed him to put himself before others for once and have a damn drink.

Levi was still lost in his thought when the sound of a bell tinkling snapped him out of it, his silver hues darting over to the door and narrowing. He quirked an eyebrow in surprise when he saw a woman standing in the entryway, a black hooded cloak wrapped around her shoulders to protect her against the biting autumn chill.

“Hey, (Y/N)!” Miche’s booming voice called out, only adding to Levi’s confusion, “How’re you doing today? Work go well?”

The woman Miche had called (Y/N) lowered the hood of her cloak, letting out a relaxed sigh as the warmth of the bar chased the cold from her skin. She smiled when she saw the tall, dirty blonde man, her (e/c) eyes sparkling.

“I’m doing well, Miche, thank you! Work ran really late today, some difficult clients seemed to be on a mission to make me want to kill them, so I just had to get a drink when I finally finished up. I hope I’m not bothering anyone this late?”

Miche waved off her concerns with a broad smile, “Of course not! Seat yourself and I’ll be right with you, the usual, right?”

(Y/N) nodded and shrugged off her cloak, draping it over the back of her seat as she slid into a spot two places away from Levi, naturally giving the raven-haired stranger space. Levi watched her as she took her seat, his head tilted slightly to the side curiously. He had never seen her before, despite the fact that she was obviously a regular. He wasn’t a constant drinker, but he had come to this bar enough to be curious about her, trying to figure out which days she usually liked to come in. Maybe she usually came in during the day. It would make sense, Levi almost always came in around midnight due to the effort and professionalism he put into his craft taking up most of his time, but he was still surprised he had never heard of her, not when she was clearly a good friend of Miche’s.

“Ah, I thought I recognized that voice, welcome back (Y/N),” Erwin said as he rounded the corner, a bright smile on his handsome face as he presented her with her drink of choice. (Y/N) smiled back at him and gently grasped the glass in her palms, a quiet murmur of gratitude slipping from her lips before she sipped.

Erwin knew her too? That did make sense, if Miche knew her than Erwin, the owner of the bar, would definitely know her too, but this seemed like more than your average bartender and customer relationship. They were acting like close friends, as if they’d known each other for years. He could see it in the way the blonde behemoth beamed at the sight of the mystery woman, the way he talked so easily to her. He knew Erwin was usually charming, easygoing, but this felt different.

“I heard you had a tough day at work,” Erwin said, leaning against the bar with both elbows perched on the wood.

“Yeah,” (Y/N) said with a sigh, taking another sip of her drink. “It was these new customers. Most of my clients know of my skill and trust me to do the job right but these people just wouldn’t stop being so controlling. Every five seconds they would be telling me to move and take another shot, move and take another shot, practicing over and over again with decoy subjects as if this were my first time doing this. It took me way longer to get everything done, and cleaning up took forever at the end because of all of the extra stuff they wanted to include. It was infuriating, like, I know how to do my job, so please, shut the fuck up.”

Erwin chuckled, “I would’ve paid good money to see the look on their faces.”

“You know I didn’t actually say that to them. I wanted to, really wanted to, but they are business and business is money, so I just had to deal with it. It just comes with the job, I  guess.”

Erwin nodded and leaned back, pulling a washcloth from his pocket to wipe down the the wood, cleaning the smudges from where he had been leaning. “Yeah, I get it. People come in here all the time just to be difficult. Some pick fights, some try not to pay, some are just petty because they want to be, some come in at ungodly hours of the morning, it’s just part of the job, like you said.”

(Y/N) winced, “Sorry, I know it’s late. I can leave if you guys are packing up.”

Erwin shook his head with a warm smile. “Don’t be, I was just teasing you. I had Nanaba working the morning shift, so I haven’t been here for that long. Take your time to unwind, you deserve it.”

She smiled at him again, thanking him as she lifted the glass to her lips. Erwin slapped a large hand on her shoulder and squeezed once before leaving to go into the back room, no doubt to check on Miche and make sure he wasn’t being harassed by Hanji and her over energetic explanations of her experiments.

(Y/N) leaned back and hummed happily at the feeling of the warm alcohol burning pleasantly in her stomach. She could feel the eyes of the raven haired man on her as she took another sip, but she ignored him. If he wanted to talk to her, then he could say something, but she wasn’t going to engage him unless he did, content to just finish her drink and go home. 

She supposed if she didn’t want to talk to people she could’ve just had a drink at home, curled up on the couch with a movie, blankets, and maybe some ice cream, but there was just something about Erwin’s bar that was so comforting. 

It was a quiet little place, even during the day, a hidden treasure that was hard to find if you didn’t know where to look. It was only known through word of mouth, which made it wonderfully calm most of the time, as most people went to the more popular bars in the area. (Y/N) had learned about it through Hanji, her friend from college, who told her about it after (Y/N) had had a particularly horrible day at work and needed a pick me up. Now, she came all the time, even if she didn’t order anything, just to talk to her now good friends and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere.

She had actually been surprised to find someone else sitting at the bar when she had walked in. Erwin’s bar wasn’t a complete secret, she knew that despite the lack of advertising, quite a few people knew about the joint, but she almost never saw anybody at this time of night. Not when the bar was technically closed and her friends were finishing up. 

It made her wonder if her friends knew this man, if he was a friend of their’s. If he was, she had never heard of him. Maybe he was just one of those private types. But then again, would a private type be so obviously staring at a random woman in a bar at two in the morning? She didn’t know, but for some reason, although the stare unnerved her a bit, she wasn’t really bothered by it. She occasionally liked to people watch, albeit more subtly, so despite the intensity of the stare making her want to squirm, she let him be, downing more of her liquor until it burned her throat and warmed her chest from the inside out.

The man’s phone suddenly buzzed, the normally quiet noise sounding a lot louder in the wake of the near complete silence in the bar. He glanced down at it, turning the screen at an angle of which she couldn’t see, and scowled. She watched as he silently seethed, unlocking his phone and quickly replying to whoever had texted him, his fingers flying across the little keyboard. 

(Y/N) had to admit, he was quite handsome, her eyes roving over him while he wasn’t paying attention, subjecting him to the same treatment he had been giving her. He was shorter than the average man but (Y/N) hardly noticed, his pale skin and black hair, both darkened by the dim lighting of the bar, paired with his gunmetal eyes proving to be an appealing combination.

Levi growled to himself lowly, pretending not to notice the woman staring at him as he typed on his phone, writing a response to a cheeky text from Hanji.

“You’re going to creep her out if you just keep staring at her like some kind of predator. Go talk to her!”

“Fuck off, Shitty Glasses.”

“I’m serious, Levi! She’s a good friend of mine, it’ll be good for you two to get to know each other. Besides, I think you’re drooling. Go talk to her before I make you, she won’t bite!”

“I said, fuck off.”

Refraining from rolling his eyes, Levi placed his phone face down on the table and ran a hand through his hair, trying to think of a reason to approach her. It wasn’t because he was drooling over her like Hanji claimed, he was just bored and had time to kill. She just happened to be different enough to capture his temporary interest. At least, that’s what he told himself. He didn’t let himself admit how surprisingly pretty she was, nor did he acknowledge the fact that his eyes kept straying to her face, fixated on her attractive features.

But, as much as he hated to admit it, Hanji was right. Staring at her like this without saying a word, in the middle of the night, at a bar, alone, was creepy as fuck. He was genuinely surprised she hadn’t confronted him already, telling him to fuck off. 

Talking to people just wasn’t his forte, he felt uncharacteristically nervous, but he had to say something, otherwise she’d see him as nothing more than some creepy asshole. He had no idea why he cared so much about her opinion, but he ignored that thought as he scrambled for a topic to bring up.

“Hard day?”

Her soft voice snapped Levi out of his thoughts, his eyes flicking up to meet hers, which he hadn’t realized were trained on him, “What?”

“Oh, you just seem like you’ve had a hard day, so I thought I’d ask you about it.”

“What made me look like I had a bad day?” Levi asked.

“Well, for one, you’re here at two in the morning. You could just be an insomniac who prefers a drink late at night like me, but you also looked constipated a minute ago, so I made an educated guess.”

Levi fought the smirk that tried to appear on his face. He often made shit jokes when around his friends, it made a small part of him happy knowing she did too. “It was shitty.”

(Y/N) giggled, “Mine was too.”

“Yeah, I heard you talking about it with Erwin and Miche. Annoying clients, right?”

(Y/N) nodded, “Mm, just some folks who think they know everything. But it wasn’t anything a little drink from Erwin’s place can’t fix. How about you?”

“Same kind of thing,” Levi said, sipping from his glass. “Just some shitty people trying to control every aspect of my job.”

(Y/N) hummed her acknowledgement and took a healthy swig from her drink. “Exactly. All day, they’ve been making me change things that didn’t need changing, swap out equipment that didn’t need to be swapped, etc. It’s so infuriating sometimes when things would get done so much faster if I was left alone. I had a vision right from the start that would’ve given me the perfect shot if they hadn’t interfered, but because of them, my work wasn’t nearly as professional as it usually is.”

Levi raised an eyebrow at that, surprised. It wasn’t often he found someone who worked in the same career field as him, at least not in this area. It made him wonder just how spontaneous this was, if Hanji had somehow convinced (Y/N) to come out on a night when the brunette knew he would be there.

“Really? Why don’t you tell me about this perfect shot?”

(Y/N) glanced at him, one eyebrow raised, “What’s it to you?”

“I’m curious, we might have different perspectives on how to get this so called ‘perfect shot’. If you share with me your methods, I might share some of mine too.”

(Y/N)’s mouth parted in shock a little. Her profession wasn’t that uncommon, but in this area? She was the most notable by a landslide, so it made her curious. Maybe he was from out of town? She didn’t recognize him, but maybe she had heard of him before and just didn’t know it was him?

“Alright, fine,” (Y/N) said, getting up and moving closer to him, seating herself beside him. “Usually, to get what I want, I have to start by surveying the space. I really like to note all of the possible places I could position myself for maximum clarity and optimal focus.”

Levi nodded, his mind going back to his own methods, identifying that as one of the things he did when preparing for work as well. “I like to do that too. If you don’t pay attention to your surroundings, it can limit your opportunities and present unexpected obstacles.”

“Exactly. Then, once I’ve found a spot where I want to be, I try to either imagine the thing I’m shooting and where I want them to be, or try to plan for exactly where they are going to move to as I work. That way, I can estimate where the focal point will be, and when they are finally in position, it’s a lot easier to locate.”

“Where do you shoot from? Far or close?” Levi asked, his attention completely focused on the woman in front of him.

“Well, that depends on what my client wants and where the person is. The location, time, client, and weather can change at any time, and all of it directly impacts the quality of the shot. So I flip back and forth between them depending on what’s happening. How about you?”

“I usually tend to favor distance rather than close proximity, gives me more to work with. It makes it harder to focus and even the slightest movement can ruin the job, but close proximity can make it harder to see the whole picture, at least, in my opinion,” Levi said.

(Y/N) nodded, “That makes sense.”

“What next?”

“Well then, once I have a focal point picked out and a position set, I get my equipment ready. Sometimes I have a bunch of extensions and extra supplies to help me out if it’s a particularly important client, but most of the time I try to keep it simple. Less distractions that way.”

Levi nodded, his eyes glinting as he listened to her speak, neither of them aware of the eyes that were watching them from the back room window, trying to stifle their squeals and chuckles.

“After everything is prepped and ready to go, I then have to prepare myself. You’d think that after doing this job for so long that I wouldn’t be affected by nerves and emotions while working anymore, but unfortunately, I am. So before I even touch my equipment, I usually have take deep breaths and completely wipe my mind of all anxiety. It has to be perfect for each client, no matter who they are, so I have to get a grip on myself before I start. Even the tiniest hitched breath can affect the shot.”

Levi was pleasantly surprised with that one. It wasn’t like anyone he worked with denied the fact that emotion and nervousness could impact the shot, but they often didn’t consider it too much as a factor, preferring to power through the anxiety and get it over with. Levi had always been annoyed with this strategy and the mediocre results it produced, so hearing (Y/N) talk about something most others chose to ignore, made him want to get to know her more.

“I agree,” Levi said. “Ever since I started, that has always stuck with me.”

(Y/N) smiled, “Finally, once everything is in position and I’ve gotten a handle on my adrenaline, I position myself with my equipment and take the shot. Thankfully, after that, I have a crew that comes in for cleaning up the area when I’m finished so I can go back and take care of my equipment. Unless, that is, I miss. If I miss the target, then I’m responsible for tracking them down while avoiding shots aimed at me. I wouldn’t want anyone on my team to get hurt, and if I miss the shot, that’s my own fault, so I have to clean up my own mess.”

Levi was nodding along until her words really sank in, making him freeze. Target? Tracking them down? Avoiding shots? Getting hurt? Levi’s face paled and (Y/N)’s smile immediately faded, replaced by a look of concern.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Levi swallowed thickly and nodded, the gears turning rapidly in his head as he tried to think of what to say. “Yes, sorry, I just remembered that I have an important client coming in tomorrow that I forgot about since today has been such a mess. You just reminded me of it, that’s all.”

“Are you sure? You look… sick... all of a sudden.”

“I’m fine. I’m just stressed about this photo shoot tomorrow. It’s really important for my business. If I lose them, then I’ll  have a bit of a problem on my hands.”

Levi watched the color drain from (Y/N)’s face as if her skin was being bleached right before his eyes. Her mouth opened, a small squeak coming out but no words, her eyes wide with shock and panic.

“O-Oh my gods…” (Y/N) whispered. “You-You…!”

“Yeah, I thought you were a...” Levi whispered back.

“Oh gods, I am so sorry, um, I-I didn’t mean to- um, okay,” (Y/N) stuttered and tripped over her words, her head turning frantically as she fought for something to say. She felt like she should leave, but she was worried about how that would look, especially after dropping such a bombshell on him. Sighing, she admitted defeat and pushed the rest of her drink away, moving to grab her cloak. “Gods, I am so sorry, I’ll just go, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or-”

“Wait,” Levi said.

(Y/N) wanted to escape the situation, wanted to leave this nightmare and bury her face in some pillows at home as she wallowed in her embarrassment, but the conviction in his voice made her stop and slowly sink back down into her seat.

“It doesn't bother me,” Levi said slowly. “You didn’t know, and it’s your job. I can’t fault you for that.”

“Really?” (Y/N) said, not convinced.

“Trust me,” Levi said. “I’m friends with Shitty Glasses, who literally experiments on anything and everything, I’ve heard worse stories than that one.”

When (Y/N) still didn’t look convinced, Levi sighed and reached into his coat pocket. “Here, I’d like to talk to you again sometime. Come around one day and I might just show you how I take the perfect shot.”

(Y/N) hesitated but eventually reached forward and took ahold of the little white card he held out to her, her eyes sparkling when she saw his name, number, and studio address on the piece of paper. Looking up, she could see the honesty reflected in his gaze and finally allowed a small smile to come back onto her face.

“That sounds good, Levi. I’ll see you around.”

“See you,” Levi said as he watched (Y/N) stand, stretch, and walk out, cloak in hand.

As soon as the door shut and the (h/c) haired woman made her way around the corner, his friends burst into the room, all of them wearing smug smiles that only made Levi scowl.

“So, looks like you’ve got some plans, huh? I’ve never seen you hand out your card to anyone that wasn’t a major client,” Hanji said, wiggling her eyebrows and beaming when he turned his glare on her.

“Shut up, Shitty Glasses. Why didn’t you tell me she was a sniper?”

“Well, because usually that’s a pretty big turn off for people. (Y/N) is my best friend and she needs some love too so I figured, why not? I knew you’d figure it out eventually, but I didn’t want to set a precedent for her that would make you unwilling to approach her. And look what happened! Now, you have a date!”

“It’s not a date, Four Eyes.”

“Uh huh, whatever you say, Shorty.”

Levi ignored his friends as the two men started laughing along with Hanji, cracking jokes about him and the situation he had somehow found himself in. Looking out the windows, towards the corner of the street where he had seen (Y/N) disappear, he couldn’t help the small smile that curled the corners of his lips.

A photographer and a sniper, huh? Maybe they weren’t so different after all. Maybe, whatever this was that was blooming between them, will be worth a shot.

~~~

A/N: I totally forgot to say earlier that this story is based off of the prompt posted by @writing-prompt-s! Sorry for not sourcing it beforehand, completely slipped my mind. Thank you to those who reminded me!

[avengersassemble-fics]

Stark’s Girl

part 013/015 “i’m not going anywhere”

previous part // next part

masterlist

word count 3.1k

The Avengers Compound has not changed one bit, albeit the lack of people roaming the halls was hard to ignore. Your first couple months with Nat had gone relatively smoothly and you didn’t have a single blackout episode yet, but you had been taking precautions. You didn’t tune into the news, opting instead for streamed episodes of that Office show tony demanded you finish. Natasha had introduced you to podcasts, but you were careful to avoid any of the ones about “Moving on After the Blip,” or “Remembering before the Blip,” because you were sure you’d lose it. Sometimes you chose to just listen to soft classical music, which was your choice for today. It was the weekend, things had been quiet on the communication end for Natasha, so she dismissed you for a couple days (not that she wouldn’t be able to call for you if she needed, but the idea of having free time was nice.)

Every week you set aside some time to come to the deserted half of the Residence hall.. The rooms that once were lived in by other Avengers were abandoned, and this was one of the most glaring reminders of what was lost four years ago. You had a pattern that you always stuck to, and you always started with Sam’s room, clearing off any dust that may have accumulated and repositioned the knick knacks that adorned the shelves that lined the walls. There were pictures of him with his flight partner wearing the wings that Sam had made his own. 

Vision’s room was a little more bare. And by a little more you mean it was basically two chairs and a painting. Nonetheless you made sure the painting always hung straight and no dust dared to stay on the famous Mulberry Tree. Sometimes you’d stop and wonder why Vision had chosen this painting out of everything, and almost always you opted for the answer that Vision admired Van Gogh’s acknowledgement of no matter his place in the world, all he could do was carry on and paint. Maybe that resonated with Vision, especially given his connection with Wanda.

Wanda’s room was more homey, you had always admired what she had done with the place. There had been a number of times she’d let you come in with a bowl of popcorn and you both would watch old timey sitcoms together. You took great care in making sure her room was exactly how she left it, and made sure to replace the vanilla sage wall scent just in case.

The last room that you often avoided was Steve’s. Nat said that he stopped by often for laundry purposes and to check in, but you had yet to see him since you moved back in. Was it an invasion of privacy or was it a nice gesture since you’d done everyone else’s? With a deep breath and steady hand, you pushed open Steve’s door and turned the light on and took in the sight.

It was almost exactly how you remembered it. The bed remained untouched all this time, still made perfectly just how Steve had done every morning. No one must’ve come in here in awhile, or maybe Steve did the last time he had come to see Nat, because there was a faint hint of his cologne in the air. You did notice that the small touches Steve did have in here were long gone, the only hint that anything had adorned the shelving in the room was the faint outlines that were slowly but surely being covered by dust. You hesitantly ran a dust rag over the shelving, going row by row before beeping interrupted your cleaning regime.

“Stupid earphones,” you grumbled and took them out your ear and shoved them into your pockets. You made a note to self to charge them when you went back to your room (and not run them through the washer like you did with tony’s pair that one time). You reached down for the windex to spray the mirror that hung on the wall when you gasped at the sight of someone standing behind you.

“What the hell, Steve,” you exclaimed. 

Steve stood in the doorway holding a basket with what looked like a heap of clothing in it. The small smile that graced his face let you know that he was amused, and not afraid to show it. “So we’re breaking and entering now?”

The callback to your first meeting post-Siberia fallout didn’t fall flat. You stood a little straighter and motioned towards the door. “I um.. I did the other’s and thought I should do yours too.”

“That’s a nice gesture,” Steve confirmed. He took small strides into the room, never giving off more than a casual vibe, and set his basket down on the bed. Steve proceeded to start folding the clothes he pulled out and you weren’t sure if you should leave or not, but the feeling was quickly squashed. “Don’t let me stop you from your routine.”

The term he used made you raise a brow, but you also didn’t question him on how he knew of your routine. Instead, you turned back to the mirror and sprayed it down, and wiped away the liquid with paper towels. The only sound in the room was the light squeaks made from your wipes, and the soft sound of his clothes falling into folded piles. When you finished you turned around and set the windex in the carrier you had with more cleaning supplies which caused him to look up from what he was doing. “Right I should.. Get out your way.”

You grabbed the carrier with no objection from Steve and made your way to the door. As much as it pained you to admit it, sometimes you missed his company. Steve had always been the one person you felt at home with, besides Tony and his family of course. But with Steve it was like.. Like how Pepper and Morgan were to Tony.. His family. Steve had begun to feel like yours, and maybe that’s why it was hard to not have that anymore. But his voice tore you from your thoughts, and froze you in your tracks. “Have you had dinner yet?”

“What?” You asked, unsure if he was even speaking to you. You turned around to him and he indeed was looking your way, folding a shirt in the process.

“Have you had dinner?” He asked again.

“Uh,” you checked your wrist and the watch you were wearing blinked back up at you that it was 6:45. “Actually no I haven’t.”

“Nat was planning on a late night to catch Rhodey on an update on a mission,” Steve started, placing the shirt he was folding down behind him and meeting your gaze again. “I was thinking Thai?”

You didn’t answer right away, averting your gaze to the floor in thought, which made Steve smile. “Oh come on.. I know it’s your favorite.”

You couldn’t help but laugh and raise a brow at him. “We’ve resorted to bribery?”

“If that’s what it takes,” Steve admitted. You found yourself biting your lip and finally gave him a nod.

“Alright, I’m game, but only if I get some of those little cheese rolls,” you countered. Steve nodded with a grin on his face.

“Deal. I have another load finishing but let’s meet in the kitchen in.. Thirty?” He asked.

You nodded in agreement and took a step back out the room, “Thiry.”

It was a nerve wrecking thirty minutes. Did you dress up? Why would you even dress up? Steve was just being.. Nice. That was all! And you weren’t so easily swayed with the offer of food, though the grumbling in your stomach said otherwise. When you had caught a glimpse of yourself you hurriedly changed out of the disheveled shirt you had been wearing and threw on some sweater you had found in your closet. It was warm and cozy, but also more put together. Did you want to look put together? God, why were you even stressing out like this? Steve and you were done, finished, over.. But you couldn’t help but think back to his smile. The damn smile was enough to make your head feel light. You tapped your phone against your thigh when a message came thru from Nat, and you scoffed at it.

Nat: Give me a heads up if things get steamy, I don’t want to hear make up sex tonight.

You weren’t going to reply, even when she double texted using that winky face emoji with its tongue out. You opened your bedside drawer and tossed your phone in there and decided you weren't going to stress about this anymore. You were going to go down to the kitchen and enjoy your favorite food from your favorite place (did Steve remember that too?) and.. See what happens. Go with the flow is what Tony always told you right? You didn’t want to stop and think if that applied to dealing with Steve again, and instead threw open your door and made your way to the kitchen.

The sweet and savory aroma that filled your nose as you came into sight was welcomed, and the sight of the familiar logo of the restaurant made you even more giddy. Steve did remember. He was pulling out take out boxes and the given chopsticks and dressings when he glanced up to see you approaching, and cracked a smile while he continued to lay everything out. “I think I remembered everything.. Shrimp pad thai, level three spice.. Let’s see..”

He drifted off as you watched him pull out another smaller box and give a little nod to himself. “Soft spring rolls with the peanut sauce,” he paused and pulled the small container of liquid out of the bag. “And as promised, an order of cheese rolls.”

He set everything aside and you chuckled, “Wow you really remembered everything down to the sauce.”

“What can I say, I’m a man of my word,” he motioned to the rest of the common space. “Maybe we can watch something while we eat?”

“Sounds good to me,” you agreed, and carefully with stacked takeout boxes, Steve and you made your way over to the common area, sitting on the same couch but with a comfortable space between you two. The night divulged into the two of you eating dinner, and Steve had picked one of the shows Wanda had introduced him to, called I Love Lucy. You weren't sure how long you both had stayed in the same spots, but the food was long gone, and it was pitch black outside. But you were.. Comfortable. You were enjoying his presence, though you both did still keep your distance. It was significantly colder now since there wasn’t much movement in the room, and you sat back with your legs under you and arms crossed over your body, your sweater no longer much help.

Steve took notice a while ago and had periodically checked his watch. The time neared closer to 11, and knowing you sooner or later you would fall out. The lights may have been dimmed but he could see the way your hands pulled your sweater cuffs to cover your fingers. But you didn’t make a move, which he didn’t know why. Well.. He kind of knew why because he had felt the same way. He was just as nervous as you were, but he didn’t want to see you suffer in silence. “It’s gotten a bit chilly, I’m gonna grab a blanket real quick.”

You had let out a small mhm, and Steve stood and walked over to the cabinets that surrounded the tv you both were watching, and grabbed one to use. He proceeded to sit back where he had been all night, and spread the blanket over his lap. As he fiddled with the fabric he glanced your way and saw you eyeing the soft cover, and he lifted the part closest to you. “There’s plenty to share if you want?”

You weren’t so hesitant this time. Steve only held the blanket open for you for a few seconds before you grabbed a hold of it and slid yourself closer to him so the blanket covered you fully. You glanced his way as you made yourself comfortable right by his side, and cleared your throat. “Thank you.”

You knew what he was doing, you weren’t completely blind to it, but you also were grateful that he wasn’t making it a big deal. Because it wasn’t right? It was just two adults watching tv, who had dinner together, and sharing a blanket. Totally, completely innocent. You were forced to refocus on the screen when Steve shifted next to you, and his arm draped on the couch behind you.

Innocent enough.. Right?

Steve was relaxing, he was getting comfortable. A few minutes passed before you decided to unwind a bit too. You relaxed deeper into the couch and pulled the blanket up a little higher, and let out a content sigh. In all honesty you couldn’t remember the last time you felt at peace like this. And it was thanks to Steve, which was a little infuriating to admit (because he knew what he was doing, you were sure of that). 

Steve was unsure what was running through your mind, but he knew it must’ve been working a hundred miles a minute. He tried his best to focus on the episodes that passed by, not even aware of how much time had passed when he felt you fall into his side. He glanced down and there you were, laying into his side with closed eyes, and it made him check his watch. Sure enough it was past midnight, which was right on time for you. He could hear the heavy exhales, and he moved very carefully.

The arm he had draped on the back of the couch (in all honesty, in preparation for this moment) he lowered down to hook around you, and used his hand to pull the blanket up higher. Steve kept his arm wrapped around you and relaxed back into the couch, then with his free hand he grabbed the remote and shut the tv off, the bright light fading from the room. The only cast of light came from further down the hall, and allowed him to fully gaze down at you.

Steve had forgotten how peaceful you looked while sleeping, even despite what he knew was running through your mind. So Steve did what he thought was best, he closed his eyes and eventually drifted off to sleep too.

Nat was not prepared to walk into the kitchen early in the morning and catch Rogers and you cuddling on the common room couch. But boy was she living for it. During her morning routine she had a shit eating grin on her face, and prepared her coffee as silently as she could. The coffee pot warmed up with a soft hum, she had made sure to load it with coffee grounds quietly, and when it was ready to be poured she opened up the cabinet, grabbed a mug, and closed it as loud as she could.

Bang.

The sudden noise was enough to startle you, causing your eyes to peel open and be met with the glaring sunlight that poured into..

Oh no. The common room. You were still in the common room.

Your eyes darted to where the sound had come from and there was Nat smiling into her coffee mug, and you slowly shifted your gaze up to Steve who was just waking up. You were now very aware that he was holding you which therefore meant you were cuddling with him. You had never gotten up so fast in your life, pulling the blanket up with you. Steve glanced Natasha’s way and then back at you, who was rolling the blanket up rapidly. “Oh-”

“I’m so sorry,” you offered, and even offered him the blanket back. Steve, with a raised brow, took the balled up blanket with one hand and you proceeded to shake his other. “Thank you for the dinner, Steve.”

And then you were gone in a flash. Steve sighed and set the balled up blanket down and rubbed his face with his hand when a chuckle from the kitchen. Natasha took a couple steps closer to him, and rested her shoulder against a wall. “You’re certainly playing with fire.”

“I wasn’t trying to,” Steve replied as he stood from the couch. Natasha shrugged and tapped her fingers against the mug in her hands. “We fell asleep.”

“All I’m saying is you told me you were going to just ask to have dinner and call it a night.. But here we are,” she couldn’t help but laugh at the end of that statement and Steve rolled his eyes. “Sorry, it’s just.. Well it’s kind of cute how much you’re trying to deny you didn’t plan this.”

Steve shook his head, and without another word to Natasha he headed to your room. It was a familiar route, right down the hall from his old room, and the door was closed when he finally got there. He lightly tapped his knuckles against the door and rested his shoulder against the frame. He could hear the creak from your bed and your feet hit the floor, and in a few seconds you pulled open the door and blinked up at him.

“Hi,” Steve offered.

“Hi,” you replied back. You didn’t move and neither did he and Steve sighed.

“I’m sorry if that was.. Too much. Just wanted some company last night and lost track of time-”

“I’m sorry for falling asleep on you,” you cut him off. Steve couldn’t help the lopsided smile that spread over his face.

“It’s not a problem at all,” he reassured you. For a second a smile formed over your lips, but then it faded, and your expression fell.

“Steve… What are we doing here?” You asked him point blank. Steve inhaled deeply before lightly shrugging his shoulders.

“I guess I’m just.. Trying to do the right thing,” Steve offered. You smiled sadly at him and he motioned his hand at you. “I missed you and just.. I wanted to do something nice.”

“It was nice, Steve,” you whispered to him before taking a deep breath. “But I’m.. Not ready-”

“I’m not going anywhere,” he whispered to you. You met his gaze and he shook his head lightly at you, not breaking that eye contact. “As long as it takes.. I’ll wait.”

Steve meant what he said, and sure enough he started to come by more. He offered his companionship and in slow strides you accepted his invitations.. But one question looms.

Was Steve going to keep his word?

- - - - - - - - - -

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[secretlittlerandezvous]

Été - Pierre-Luc Dubois

Summary: Pierre takes his love to France where they have the time of their lives. 

Words: 1802

“In this space right here that we have made for each other, you can say anything, and I will not abandon you. Unwrap the worst things you have done. Watch me hold them up to the light and not even flinch.” - tristamateer on Tumblr  

Pierre-Luc Dubois was without a doubt the most romantic and sweetest guy she ever met in her whole life. It was overwhelming at times. The amount of attention he gave her, romantic surprises from dinners to weekend getaways to simply but most importantly being her best friend. He appeared in her life just when she was losing hope there could exist a man who could love her the way she wanted and needed. She knew she could count on him and trust him with everything and no matter how many issues life threw in their way they almost made it out stronger and more in love. What more could she ask for? 

That’s exactly what Pierre wanted to know once the hockey season ended for him and summer was around the corner. He knew how much she had to sacrifice and deal with many things that she didn’t like for the sake of his playing career and he wanted to show her how much he appreciated her patience and support. He asked her countless time if there was anything she wanted to do in summer, anything he could buy her, or make come true but she never said a single thing except for “having you is enough”. It was of course a nice thing to know and to hear but it wasn’t helpful at all. Then thankfully an answer came, quite randomly when they were cooking dinner together and she opened a bottle of her favorite French wine and mumbled the words “oh to be in a winery in France!” And that’s exactly where he was going to take her. 

He planned the whole trip for almost two weeks to make sure everything would go smoothly and that everything would be perfect. He rented a villa on a hilltop surround by land and in a small private winery. The villa was near to historic cities of southwest France, and completely private which was something he craved - privacy. To be alone with his love, away from his teammates and the team’s staff, away from media and fans. Just him and her for once. 

“Are you kidding?” Y/n asked when she opened the little envelope with the details of their vacation in France. “I can’t go to France for 3 weeks Pierre! I have to work.” 

“No, no you don’t,” Pierre laughed and rolled his eyes at her. She could never enjoy a surprise without thinking of a reason why she couldn’t enjoy it. 

“What do you mean? Of course, I do!” 

“You don’t. I talked to your boss already and she doesn’t have a problem with it,” he explained with a soft smile. 

“You’re the best!” She said loudly and jump on him with excitement. “I love you.” 

Southwest France 

When the couple arrived to their rented villa a selection of wines made in the winery they would call home for the next three weeks greeted them in the kitchen and naturally, they opened a bottle or two immediately as a way to start the vacation. 

“Wine tastes better in France,” Y/n announced after she poured herself another glass. “Don’t you think?” 

“I think it would taste even better if we had some food,” Pierre laughed. “Seriously, I’m starving. Let’s go out.” 

“Give me a minute,” Y/n ran to their bedroom, put on a beige silk dress that went below her knees, styled it with a pair of black flats and sunglasses and she was ready to go. 

Pierre waited for her outside in their rented car, a black cabriolet Chevrolet Corvette, the perfect car to discover the city in and for road trips he planned for them. 

A few minutes later they were sitting in possibly the most romantic restaurant they have ever been to. A man was playing the piano somewhere in the garden creating a perfect atmosphere for their first date in France, oil paintings on the walls, flowers decorating all the tables, and the view on a courtyard full of flowers. Could it be more magical? People around them chatted with each other, the beautiful French language almost seemed to be in the rhythm of the piano. And yet as fancy as it was it still felt cozy and homey. Y/n was in complete shock and it took a lot of self-control to stay calm and not to start obsesses over everything and to keep her phone in her bag since she and Pierre agreed not to use their phones and enjoy the privacy but she regretted the promise a little because she really wanted to a take a picture of that place. Pierre liked the setting as well but what made him happier was Y/n’s smile and excitement. Her smile was wider than usual, and her eyes lit up every time she spotted something, she found adorable. 

The sun was slowly setting down while they enjoyed their dinner, the best food they ever had in their whole lives. They’ve been to so many restaurants in so many cities, yet no food tasted as good as the food in France. Needless to mention that the beautiful atmosphere simply made everything better. Pierre although he was a romantic guy, he never truly understood the world’s obsession with Paris and France in general but now that he was there, he finally understood what the world was talking about. Y/n always dreamt of going to France and having a movie-like summer with the love of her life. And as she looked at Pierre sitting in front of her, looking right back at her with so much love she knew with absolute certainty that he was the love of her life, the person she waited for for so long. The only person she could imagine spending the rest of her life with and growing old with him didn’t scare her at all. She knew it was going to be okay. 

The following morning, they both woke up in an exceptionally good mood. Maybe it was the sunshine and warmth, maybe it was the fresh air, the privacy, and maybe the fact that everything was perfect, and nothing could ruin their mood. After a delicious breakfast, they moved to their garden to chill by the pool. 

Pierre was on the sunbed watching Y/n swim in the pool happily. He kept smiling at her although she hardly ever looked at him. She looked happier than ever before and Pierre was proud of himself for planning this and doing this for her because it served its purpose; it made her smile, happy and relaxed. 

When she got out of the water she stood still in the grass, surrounded by the never-ending grapevine, the sun made her skin appear golden and she was glowing, looking like an actual goddess. “What?” She giggled when she noticed Pierre staring at her. 

“Nothing,” he answered. “Just adoring my girl.” 

Y/n then lay down on the sunbed next to Pierre, enjoyed the warmth, and listened to Pierre reading her favorite book for her. The birds sang in the trees, the sun was pleasingly warm and they sipped wine and enjoyed each other’s company. 

All shades of orange and pink created a beautiful sky that made everything look warmer and cozier, the last rays of sunshine sneaked into the villa most specifically to the kitchen where was Y/n currently making dinner while Pierre tries his best to help but not move around too much because his clumsiness in the kitchen was no joke. A warm breeze brushed against their skin and the scent of freshly chopped herbs filled the whole area. Soft jazz was playing in the living room and both Y/n and Pierre moved in the rhythm of the quiet music without realizing it. It was simply a beautiful and romantic evening in France.

“I have no idea what we’re cooking,” Pierre said as he added the chopped herbs and garlic he cut with such care after to the meat that was now covered in red wine and beef stock. “But it already smells delicious.” 

“It’s boeuf bourguignon,” she answered with a French accent making herself and Pierre giggle. “And now we wait for an hour.” She said when she put the meat into the oven.

“This is nice,” Pierre whispered into Y/n’s ear when he wrapped his hands around her body, kissed her cheek softly and they slowly moved together with the music and watched the sunset from their terrace. “It’s nice having you all to myself for a while.” 

“I should be the one who’s saying this,” Y/n said quietly. “I’m the one sharing you with all the fans, and teammates. Even the press people see you more often than I do.” She chuckled. 

“I know,” he answered sadly, realizing once again how hard it must be for her to watch him spend time with everyone but her. “I’ll make it up to you.” 

Y/n turned around with a smile to face him, wrapped her hands around his neck and hid her face in his chest. She knew how much Pierre hated being away from her but she understood everything perfectly and although it was never easy she accepted it. 

Pierre leaned down a little which gave her a signal to lift her head up and his lips gently and slowly pressed to hers. She ran her fingers through his hair while his hands were securely around her waist as if he was worried someone would take her away from him at any moment. “I think I’m gonna make it up to you right now.” He announced and carried her to their bedroom.

And so that’s how the rest of the vacation went; they enjoyed the silence and fresh air, went for walks around the town, cooked food together, and made love whenever they wanted. Most importantly their relationship was even better than it was before, and they realized how much they loved each other. 

“Thank you for this vacation, my love,” Y/n said one evening as they walked around the vineyard. “I can’t describe how grateful I am for this. For you.” 

Pierre stood still for a while unable to find the words to say. He would do anything for her just as she would for him and they both knew it. They had no doubts about their feelings for each other and everything that he could say was already said. And so he just took her into his arms and hugged her tighter than ever before, kissed her and they stayed like that until the sun was replaced by the moon. 

[jarofstyles]

Dirty Business IV- Macchiato

A/N: This is all we have from these two for now :( but please do let us know if you’d like more!! Thank you so much for reading!

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masterlist

pairing: Harry Styles x Reader

warnings: hints of angst, references to trauma 

word count: 14k

Paris was spectacular. 

It was truly a trip Y/N would never forget. She had Harry had a week worth of incredible sex, delicious dinners, and of course, romance. They’d gotten to know each other quite well, on a deeper level too. Business wise, things went incredibly smooth and Harry had saved the company way more with his deals. Y/N’s father couldn’t stop singing his praises. Y/N has already felt herself healing, showing more of herself around him and to her surprise he was reacting well. Harry really was a good guy, really was committed to her and that was something she was still trying to get through her head. 

When they landed back in New York they didn’t want to separate just yet, so she had the car drop her off at hers so she could put some of her things away before she hopped back in the car to go back to Harry’s. She was very excited to be back, of course, the mugginess wasn’t exactly welcomed. 

“I’m so excited to meet Oliver!” Y/N really had been waiting to meet him the entire trip. “Your friend, Niall, is he there? Or does he just come to feed him?” She asked, feeling like she needed to prepare if she was going to meet his friends. Y/N wanted to make a good impression.

“Yeah, he came to feed Oliver but he went home. You can meet my friends soon, if you want. We go to the bars sometimes on fridays and you can come with me.” Now that they were a thing— a real thing— he was going to have to integrate her into more of his things. More of his lifestyle. He was curious as to what she would like about it and what she wouldn’t. It was fairly obvious she had grown up in the rich world and hadn’t been in the middle class let alone broke territory. That’s what Harry was used to. No matter how big or rich he got, he wouldn’t forget that. Or fast food or primark jeans and tee shirts. “C’mon then.” He was a bit worried about her seeing his place but... she wasn’t judgey, he didn’t think. The girl was a diva but didn’t seem to value people less because of their monetary value.

Y/N thanked the driver again as they got out of the car, helping Harry with his bags before making her way towards the apartment. A brownstone. How cute. Of course, he probably wasn’t renting the whole thing, maybe just a floor. When they walked up the steps she smiled, happy he was on the second floor. Higher ceilings meant more space. Had a balcony too. Once they stepped inside she was greeted by the smell of something woodsy... hints of cinnamon and vanilla. It was very Harry. Of course. He turned the lights on and Y/N smiled to see that it was a lot like she had expected. Brick interior, lots of books and vintage looking things. 

“Baby, this is so cute.” She cooed, immediately feeling like she’d be coming over a lot. It had a homey feel that she wasn’t used to. His place looked very lived in which was nice. Y/N was constantly living in homes where not a single thing was meant to be out of place, looked like a damn museum. Her house was a little messy, but still. It wasn’t cozy like his.

“There’s my boy!” Harry smiled when he heard the patter of little kitten feet and a few mews coming from the hall. The orange kitten appeared and went straight for his dad, climbing up the leg of his jeans before Harry grabbed him. “There you are. I’ve missed you.” He kissed all over his little face as frantic putts left the tiny thing. He was so happy! This was a joyous occasion. “Want to say hi to Y/N? Yeah?” He asked, gently placing the kitten into her hands. The kitten was purring and let out a little chirp in interest as it sniffed her skin, little tongue peeking out to lick it. He felt his heart melt as he watched her kick off her shoes and hold the little kitten he loved so much, cooing softly at him.

Y/N was all soft and melty at the sight of Harry and his kitten, he certainly had missed him and Y/N understood. She would miss Harry too. Hearing the kitten let out such excited mewls made her heart happy, clearly excited to be back with his owner. Of course, Y/N was more than happy to give them their time. 

“Oh hello!” Y/N cooed, gently taking off her shoes so she could properly give the kitten attention. “Aren’t you the cutest little thing?” She pet over his tiny little head, scratching at his ears and smiling when he closed his eyes and purred for her. “Sorry I kept your daddy away from you, promise, it won’t happen again for a while.” She told the kitten and held him close to her chest, pressing a kiss to his little nose. She looked up at Harry with an excited gleam in her eyes, walking over so that he could show her around and give her the tour. He had quite a lot of space, more than she expected at least. Yes, everything was sort of cramped up into an open plan with few walls but it worked. She liked it a lot.

“We've got the kitchen, just off of here.” He pointed. It was an older one, definitely dated but it fit the feeling of the space. He had added a microwave but everything else came with the apartment. “The living space. The couch is kinda ugly but.. fucking comfortable. It was my first splurge here.” He pointed to the worn leather sectional with ottoman, made to look vintage but so comfortable. “Then we have my bedroom over here.” He had her following him as he turned on lights and Oliver purred in her arms. There was one cat tree in the living area and one in his room near the large windows. His bed was lower set but covered in a soft faux down comforter and lots of pillows because he liked comfort. There was a shelf with books and then his closet. “I have a tiny office but it’s a mess. It’s my desk and shelves.” He opened the door for her to see. It was messy with papers on the desk but he was over exaggerating with it. It was fine.

“A mess? Please baby, that’s normal.” She knew her father definitely had a much messier desk in her childhood home, wasn’t so sure about now but yeah. Y/N took a seat on the bed, smiling at how soft and comfortable it was. The only problem is that he probably slept in it with Caroline. “It’s really nice, baby. I like it a lot.” She said with a smile, placing Oliver in her lap in which he circled around a few times before curling up in her lap closer to her tummy. He most likely liked how warm she was. Y/N was melting though, looking up at Harry with glossy eyes because the kitten was so damn cute. “How could you even leave him? Oh my goodness... I would have had such a hard time.” Y/N pouted, noticing he was starting to unpack his stuff. It made sense though, he probably just wanted to get everything out of the way and change into something comfy.

Harry stopped unpacking when he turned round to look at her. She was sitting on his bed, with his kitten on her lap. It looked like she belonged. Like the girl was meant to be there with him. He wanted this forever. His smile was soft as he walked to her, leaning down to kiss her gently before going back to unpacking. He didn’t say why he kissed her and he could feel her confusion but acceptance of it as he took out a large sweater for her. It was a bit chilly in the apartment because the air con was actually good. He needed to turn it down. 

Y/N didn’t expect him to come over and kiss her like that, but it definitely did feel nice. Felt like she was very welcome here, like this was her safe space and that here she could do whatever she wanted. That she could be relaxed and herself and no one would judge. Harry would always make her feel overwhelmingly appreciated. She loved that about him. 

“Here. Put this on for now, the air conditioning is strong right now. Gonna go turn it down.” He left her in his room as he went to the hall to turn the thermostat down. He could hear her apologizing to Oliver as she must be changing.

“Sorry, angel. I know.. one second. Promise it’ll be even more cozy.” Y/N spoke, changing out of her outfit. It was always so nice just to dress down. The sweater was big on her but it was perfect that way. She reached in her bag and found a scrunchie, pulling her hair up into a messy bun and sitting back down comfortably on the bed with Oliver in her bare lap now. She was leaning with her back against the wall, a pillow behind her as she gently let the kitty who was enjoying her thighs. He pushed his paws against them, stretching his fingers out. He was precious. Is this how normal people lived? We’re these the pleasures of everyday life?

Harry came back in with a smile, seeing her leaning back on the bed. He took the television remote and threw it next to her as he began to unbutton the shirt he had been wearing. 

“Choose something’ to watch, baby.” He murmured, opening the closet to grab a soft tee shirt and sweats. He needed some comfort and Y/N and a good pair of sweats could easily be it. “Gonna grab us some waters and then I’ll be back.” He got up in the middle of the night for water so he always kept bottles in the fridge. Getting them, he walked back towards the room. It was only when he sat again did he realize— he was fucking starving. 

“Shit. I could really go for some dominos. You in?”

Y/N took over the remote, going on to Netflix and finding something that she felt like they both would be into. A nice feel good movie or something. She needed help choosing though so she decided she’d let him pick from her options once he sat back down. Her brows furrowed when he mentioned dominos. 

“What?” She asked, turning her head to look at him. He looked shocked at her answer. “What is that?— don’t give me that look baby...” Y/N whined hating that she had no idea what he was talking about. She was always embarrassed whenever something like this was brought up because if she didn’t grow up the way she did she’d know what that was. The rest of the world knew. 

“Hold on— we are getting dominos. S’pizza, baby. Can’t believe you’ve never had it!” He muttered in surprise, checking his phone and opening the app. Of course he had the money to get better stuff but it was comforting. “And we’re gonna get... 2 pizzas, Parmesan breadsticks and the cinnamon breadsticks.” He said decidedly. Yes. Absolutely. It sounded so good. “Christ, feels like the munchies. Haven’t smoked in a bit but even still.” He laughed, rolling on his side to hug her after he ordered. 

“Oh— okay, yeah.” She chuckled and felt a blush creep on her cheeks. “My mom never let me eat fast food as a kid and I never had cause I wouldn’t know what to get.” She explained shyly, “Do you wanna watch a Disney movie, a Rom com, or just comedy?” She asked curiously, feeling like she was in the mood for all three. Y/N knew sometimes when she was comfortable she could act like a child, Harry very much knew that after spending a whole week with her, but now being in a home environment it was different.

“Mm. Hate to break it to you, baby bun. But you’ll be having lots of fast food and will know what you like. S’a guilty pleasures, especially after smoking or drinking. Don’t tell your dad about the smoking though.” He requested though knew she wouldn’t. Y/N had missed out on a lot because of her parents. She hadn’t told him that explicitly but it wasn’t hard to miss that she was probably not having the most welcome upbringing. He could see in her eyes that she resented her mother especially whenever it came up. “Hm. I think... Disney, maybe? Proper cuddle material while we wait.” He wasn’t too picky and he was more so in the mood to bury his face in her tits and relax. Then eat. Yeah, he could go for some food. The airplane had snacks but no full meals because Y/N said it wasn’t worth it unless they brought it on at the airport. Besides, he was a lot more relaxed at home and that much was obvious.

“I won’t tell him if you won’t.” Y/N chuckled, knowing she had her own set of drug problems. As every fashion person did, she smoked cigarettes on occasion and did her fair share of cocaine as well. It wasn’t her proudest point, but everyone had to let loose somehow. It was just unfortunate she hadn’t found Harry sooner, maybe she would have a reason to not be so dependent on substance. That was all on her though. 

“Wanna cuddle, but Oliver looks so cozy.” She pouted, seeing the kitten all balled up and cozy in her lap. Y/N sighed and picked him up, pulling Harry to koala on to her the way she usually did with him and placed Oliver at her shoulder so he could nuzzle himself there. This was nice. Perfectly cuddled up and surrounded with warmth, between Harry and Oliver, Y/N felt properly complete. Nothing could touch her or hurt her here. None of her parents expectations, none of the social pressures, just warmth and comfort and love. Y/N placed a kiss on top of Harry’s head, hands combing through his hair the way he liked. It seemed to relax him well.

“Have I ever told you that I love your tummy?” Harry asked, his hand had gone under the sweater and ran his hand over it. “Really. S’cute. Wanna leave love bites all over it. Haven’t cum on it yet but I’d like to at some point. S’just great.”

Feeling Harry’s hand on her tummy made Y/N feel rather vulnerable. It wasn’t something that she heard often, or ever for that matter. She often hated that she had meat on her bones because she could never really be a model or anything like that. Other times it made her happy because she knew lots of men went wild for her curves. But to compliment her tummy? That was a first. 

“No...” She murmured shyly, feeling her cheeks get all red and her eyes tearing up a little because it just hit home. It hit really hard. Y/N pressed a long kiss to his head, whispering a thank you against his hair. It was something that she never thought she’d hear, having it heard it from her mother nearly everyday of her life growing up.

“Yeah, baby. Love it a lot.” He leaned his head up to kiss her before he slid down and lifted the sweater up to kiss on it. Tender kisses all over the incredibly soft skin, he hummed happily as she played with his hair. Normally when he was between her thighs he was at her cunt but right now he was having fun just kissing from under her breasts to her waistband of her panties. “S’so pretty. All mine.” He sucked gently on the middle of it, watching her face. Oliver has abandoned ship to go lay in his basket, and she has the ability to readjust herself now. “Soft and smooth and all mine.” He repeated. He liked knowing she was his but he also had a feeling she liked being claimed. His kisses moved from her tummy to her thighs, kissing up her legs until he got to her ankles. “The prettiest legs... sexiest feet too.” He wasn’t ashamed to admit that he really did like her feet. Kissing the bottom of her heel, the sole, then the arch.

Y/N was enjoying him properly kissing at her. She liked feeling all loved up on, especially by Harry. He was very good at making her feel appreciated and beautiful, it’s like he worshiped her but that’s the way that she liked it. To have control over him in some way even if he had control in every other way. It was the feet comment that surprised her. She always had small feet, made her rather clumsy, but they were always pedicured and smooth. Most women that wore heels all the time didn’t have the most attractive feet, but Y/N certainly took care of hers. She hadn’t realized how sensitive they were either until he started kissing on them. She squealed a little, feeling ticklish at the arch, his stubble pricking at the soft skin. It was the little things like this that made her realize he really was into her. Harry clearly appreciated a woman’s body, wanted to give her his all. She’d happily take it too.

“Mm. I like them quite a bit.” He smirked, kissing each of her toes. She was squirmy but he didn’t stop until each one had been kissed. It was fun to worship her and show her exactly what she was. Perfect. “I really enjoy touching you all over. Your thighs, your stomach, tits... all of you is so beautiful. Y/N. I feel like no one has properly told you just how stunning you are.” He frowned, looking over her body. “But that’s what I’m here for. Wanna hear a kink of mine?” He hadn’t admitted this to her before but she looked incredibly intrigued. “Mm, there are two. First are your feet. Never had a thing for feet before but yours are gorgeous. Gonna get you a toe ring or something. Love seeing them in heels. Sexy as fuck.” He kissed the side of her foot before letting it down, moving back to lay between her thighs with his hands back on her stomach. “Second one is a bit more taboo. Obviously.. can’t happen now. But I love the idea of gettin’ you pregnant. Watching your tummy grow. Being full of me. Cumming in you so it catches and you’re all mine, fully.” He nipped Above her belly button. “If you ever need me to cum, that’s the type of talk that’ll get me going quick. My Achilles heel, if you will.” He realized he needed to be open with her and tell her more so she would in turn open to him. “Didn’t know I had these kinks until you. Must be Y/N exclusive.”

“Never had a guy who likes feet before...” Y/N was a bit surprised at his admission, but she figured that it was his way of opening up and letting her in. If they were going to be having sex often it would be important to know what he liked. Y/N smiled at him, “can pick what color I get my nails done then, yeah?” She decided she’d be texting him every time or asking him the day before just so she knew what he wanted. “Wanna get me pregnant one day?” She asked curiously, deciding it would be an interesting topic to discuss. Y/N would of course happily have his child, especially if he would be the owner of the company. It was strange because she knew they just started dating, but he basically signed himself into having her hand in marriage. If he wanted the job he couldn’t leave her in a way. “I’ve got a thing for hands... and I really like your hands.” Y/N said and bit her lip softly, “and you know I do like when people are watching or can hear.” Their little escapade with Caroline on the phone proved that. “But a little more taboo though, I do really like being tied up... I struggle a little but it’s part of the act. Like being slapped and spanked too but...”

“Yeah? Wow... that’s hot.” He admitted bluntly. “Like to be slapped? Gotta work up to that. Your face is so precious..” he caresses it from his spot at her stomach. He would if she wanted it through. “Tied up.. that's especially hot. A struggle. Could be fun for role play.” He wondered just how kinky his girl could get with him. He would have to explore more of her. They had 2 days until he had to return to work and he was curious if she wanted to spend it with him. “Now spanking... we have tried and I love it. But I like that you like my hands. They’re on you whenever I have the chance.” Now that it was clear his job wasn’t on the line for daring her, he wasn’t as nervous. Granted he didn’t want to flaunt it too much but, Y/N was worth the ridicule he would face. “But yeah. Wanna get you pregnant for sure. Pretend until then. It’s just sexy to me.”

She was all warm and fuzzy at the thought of him agreeing with her, thinking it was hot. Her sweet sweet boy. Y/N turned her head and kissed the palm of his hand.

“Roleplay huh?” She raised her brow, “feel like that could be fun.” Y/N was excited at that thought because they could fulfill any fantasy they had. “Could pretend you’re trying to get me pregnant if you want, don’t mind that.” Y/N was on the pill and if it didn’t work and she actually ended up pregnant it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. What she was more excited about, was exploring this concept of roleplay a bit more. “What ideas did you have roleplay wise?” She asked curiously, “kinda already had a few fantasies come to life.... bosses daughter, having a mistress...” Y/N teased with a small smirk. “Could have all sorts of fun, hmm?”

“All sorts of fun. I like the idea of you stealing me away. Like you did in a sense... dunno. It’s so hot to me. Maybe be a little maid, know that my wife isn’t giving me what I want so you show me what I need. Or a teacher one. You being a terror of a student who needs a bit of punishment. The opportunities are endless.” They could do so much. “What are you thinking, baby? What gets you all wet?” He was curious to know what she would really get off on when it came to scenarios.

Y/N listened and hummed at the thought of all these scenarios. She was getting all excited, excited to try things out and see where they went. “I like those... a lot.” She hummed, her mind specifically liking the one where she’s tied up. 

“Just really like the idea of you taking complete control.. anything like that gets me going.” It might be her escapist complex, but anything where she didn’t have to be herself was already a win for her. “Wonder just how taboo you are with it though...” Y/N wouldn’t judge because she was rather kinky, but she didn’t want to say something that would freak him out. “You know all those classic porn set ups... the step sibling ones, can pretend we hate each other, pretend we’re cheating... love the idea of like.. animalistic sex. Maybe a police officer? All kinds.. think you’d just be hot doing anything to be honest.”

“Trust me.. I’m in for anything.” His eyes darkened at the scenarios. Nothing would scare him away from her. Nothing at all. He couldn’t be swayed. Not when potentially best found his soul mate in this woman. “Fuck.. all of those. Step sibling, cheating.... you want me to lose it hm? Want me to get all primal with you.” He could see a pattern in her. She liked doing what she wasn’t supposed to, and doing it as taboo as she could. He loved that. “Don’t have to worry about how taboo you are with me, baby. Nothing can scare me away. I want it dirty and kinky and wrong.” He licked his lips. “Made love to you the first night and it was amazing but... sex with us could be so much fun. I’d love to do all of those.” He wanted that badly. To have adventurous sex. “Like doing it where people can hear or know we’re fucking too. May have to take you to one of those fancy stores and have you in their dressing rooms.”

That last suggestion hit differently, that being something quite realistic for Y/N. Of course she knew that since she was a loyal customer they’d never tell her she couldn’t come back, but it would definitely be a place where she would at least have to be a little quiet. 

“Come up here.” Y/N mumbled, wanting him back up with her so that she could properly kiss on him. “Already got me going and we’ve got a pizza to eat...” She whined, cupping at the side of his neck and leaning up to kiss him hungrily. Y/N doubted they’d be able to hold back for long anyway, they’d spent 6 hours on a plane and an hour ride back without doing anything. That was a new record. “Gonna let me live out all my fantasies, hmm? Especially when you’re the CEO... gonna fuck me on your desk.” Y/N mumbled against his lips, “Gonna call you daddy for real too... can’t wait.” She really was so eager to please him especially in knowing that he was just as adventurous as she was. She couldn’t imagine why on earth he denied her for so long if his ex was as vanilla as he described.

“Course. Gonna try out every fantasy we have, I think. S’never gonna get boring with us.” He knew that pretty well. Y/N was exciting and full of new prospects. She was a dream. It was then that he heard the doorbell ring. “Fucks sake. Gotta open the door with this stiffy now.” He sighed, gently peeling himself from her. 

“That’ll be one lucky pizza person.” Y/N chuckled, smirking to herself because she knew she had a sexy ass boyfriend who looked incredibly fuckable right now. Of course, they’d have to eat pizza... and probably brush their teeth after so they didn’t taste like garlic, not that either of them cared but still. 

“Be right back, baby.” He grabbed his wallet with the tip included, opening the door to a younger teenage girl who flushed at the sight of him. His mouth was red from kissing and Harry a mess, and his cock was visibly hard in his sweats. A tiny smirk raised on his face as he took the food and gave her a 50, telling her to keep the change. Which was quite a bit, to be fair. He made his way back into the room, placing the food on the bed. At her shocked look it was apparent she never really ate in bed like this but it was a first timer for everything. “Can’t wait for you to try this. S’better when you’re drunk but I think every food is.” 

“Really?” She eyed him and saw he was getting cups for their soda. This was new for her. It did smell really good. “Okay.. teach me, what should I eat first?” Y/N asked, wondering if there was a way to eat it. Thankfully, he had ordered a basic cheese pizza and then the other had toppings on it. She’d try both. Taking a bite was like heaven. It tasted so fucking good she moaned louder than expected. “Oh my god— how is this food?” She asked with a mouth full. Y/N was practically ready to inhale it. Never did she think it would taste like this.

He grinned proudly to himself. Yes. Finally, he had introduced her to the delicacies in his world. She may have Caviar, but Harry had dominos and McDonald’s at 3 am. A proper little feast.

“Can’t believe you’ve never had it before. Welcome to my world.” He chuckled, obviously teasing her. “S’the world of calories and carbs. I have to work out for sure sometimes but it’s worth it, I think.” He shrugged. Yeah, it was. Y/N wouldn’t need to work out. Secretly he wouldn’t mind if she got a bit thicker. He just loved that. “Mm.” He took a drink of his water as he watched her do a little happy dance at the taste. She was so beautiful. He was lucky. Genuinely so lucky. “You’re cute.” He grinned at her. She stopped and looked at him with full cheeks of pizza and blushed a little bit. He loved it. She was so real at his house. Not that she wasn’t real other times but this felt so much more authentic to what he saw in her.

“It’s so good!” She told him, eyes wide as she continued to eat. Y/N couldn’t tell you the last time she had any carb that wasn’t gourmet. Maybe never. Y/N has pizza but only the really flat veggie packed stuff. Not this bready cheesy goodness. “You’re an angel.” It might seem small to most people, but not to her. Her mother never allowed her to eat stuff that all the other kids were able to eat, even when she went to birthday parties she’d have her eat something else. It was always embarrassing, she felt almost guilty eating a lot of it but she couldn’t stop herself. Y/N blushed, looking at him as if she’d been caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to but eventually cracked a smile and giggled a bit. “‘s good I can’t help it..” She mumbled and took another bite, holding the pizza with both of her hands.

He was falling in love with her and he knew it. He could tell by the way his heart beat harder Just looking at her. She sat there and giggled over pizza and was in his sweat and damn, did he want to rail her right now. 

“We can get it whenever you want, baby. Gotta start indulging a little bit.” He wasn’t going to let her hate any bit of her or hold herself back for stupid reasons. She was going to enjoy life with him, damn it. “You’re so lovely.” He gently rubbed her thigh before returning to his own pizza. Still, he watched her. He felt himself falling. And he wasn’t scared of it. Not at all. He was welcoming it. He had a feeling she needed someone to love on her and Harry had a lot of love to give. Especially to her. He wanted to make her feel beautiful and appreciated because he knew it meant a lot to her.

----

Y/N didn’t mean to. 

She didn’t mean to be so clingy but she couldn’t help it. Spending time with Harry felt like walking on air, she had not a single worry when she was with him and it seemed like she could do no wrong. So forgive her for clinging on to such positivity and light, that’s all she ever craved and wanted. 

It started with her coming into his office for just about any reason she could think of, she would stick around until he father or someone else called her to do something. She didn’t even say much when she was in his office, just came to sit down and hang out with him and listen to him handle business. Then, it moved on to her asking if she could come over... little by little she started coming over his house nearly every single day, taking care of Oliver or even helping him with his chores. Yes, that’s right, she even did chores for him. Willingly. She moved on to buying him more gifts. More vintage stuff, new clothes and decor. Little things that she knew he would like, things she knew would make him smile. Be it a movie poster or a vinyl. Anything she could find, she got for him. She loved him, felt like she needed to thank him for everything.

Harry was a bit shocked to say the least. He had assumed that maybe she would be a bit of the type that would want gifts, but Y/N was the opposite. Instead she was the one bringing him things like watches or buying him fucking gucci boots, records or movies and first editions of books be liked. He didn’t really know what to do. He loved that she was thinking of him but didn’t want her to spend money like that. The suggestion not only fell on deaf ears and he woke up to a knock on his door and Y/N with a gourmet breakfast sandwich in hand the following day. It wasn’t like he didn’t like the fact she was around. She was lovely. Y/N made him feel like a king. But he also worried if he was doing enough. If she wanted more. How he could do that. 

It was a huge change from being alone most nights, to Y/N calling at 10 pm with a pout in her voice that she was cold and lonely. He usually ended up with her in his arms half an hour later. The thing that worried him the most was work. His reputation was still important to him and while Y/N was trying— she was also trying to sneak. Nearly every day this week he had seen her and had her come in to bring him a coffee and pout her lips for a kiss, only getting one after the door was closed.

Today, just like every other day, Y/N brought coffee and breakfast for herself, her father and Harry. Her father was of course on board with her buttering Harry up, happy that his favorite employee was dating his daughter. Of course, Harry didn’t realize Y/N had told him that. 

“Hi baby!” She cooed, walking right over to him with her heels clicking against the floor. “Brought you your favorite... and a little treat because it’s the weekend.” Y/N hummed, looking at him with a bright smile. Harry thought that them being together would threaten his reputation, but to be honest, it was making it even better. Her father was even more inclined to give him the promotion, more inclined to give him a bonus, more responsibility, and more paid time off. All because he was making his little girl happy.

“Hi, my angel.” He said lowly, motioning his head to close the door first. He didn’t love hiding their relationship but he also knew that Y/N was quite loud. And the people on this floor were very nosy. As soon as it was closed, he motioned her over so she could sit with him, but instead she found her seat in his lap. Hm. Well, that wasn’t a complaint, really. She felt good. The way she sat on his thighs and brushed her long nails through his hair... well? He couldn’t complain. “You’re being awfully sweet.” He said suspiciously. “What are you avoiding asking?” He knew the way she was when she wanted something. While she was normally sweet? Y/N got this little look. This little giggle to her words and batting of the lashes to soften whatever blow there would be it he wasn’t happy.

Y/N tried not to take it to heart, him choosing to hide their relationship while at work. She tried to remind herself that this was something he wanted and she needed to respect that, Y/N was working on putting some of his needs first. It was something she read on a relationship blog once. After closing the door and letting herself into his lap, she got comfortable, setting the food on the clear space of his desk and humming a little bit as he leaned into her touch. 

“I’m not...” Y/N mumbled, pressing a kiss to his temple. “Was just... thinking maybe we could go out for lunch today? And then... maybe you and Oliver could come over to mine for dinner?” She knew it wasn’t really much to ask in her mind, but she just wanted to do something for him because he was constantly doing stuff for her. In his eyes, he wasn’t doing much at all, but to her? He was opening up a whole new world she never got to experience. “Cause we’re always hanging out at yours, and I really like it at yours... I just wanted to show you my place and like... hang out and stuff, but we don’t have to!”

“Oh? That’s all?” He was expecting something else. The nerves she had looking a bit, he had expected something much more extreme. Going to her house wouldn’t be an issue. “Lunch, yeah. That’s fine. Just tell me where to go. We can go to yours tonight, pumpkin. I didn’t want to ask to go cause I was letting you keep privacy is that was something you wanted. But I’m happy to come over. Oliver will love to as well.” He knew the kitten loved Y/N possibly more than him. It was crazy. He was incredibly confused at how Y/N had so quickly managed to sneak herself into every bit of his life but she did. He didn’t mind at all, either. That’s the crazy part. “I'd like to see your stuff. I’m curious to see all the things you’ve got.” She said she collected stuff so he was happy to finally be let into that part of her. Plus, he would have a much larger bed. She had said she had a California king. His was a queen so, it would be a welcome change.

She still had that little voice in her heart saying she asked for too much. Her previous boyfriends didn’t like how clingy she was and she tried to wind it back as much as she could. With Harry she just couldn’t seem to hold back though, she constantly wanted his attention and praise as if one day he’d turn on her. She was slowly learning how to properly trust. 

“Really?” Y/N smiled widely at his agreement and leaned forward to press a kiss to his lips. She kept it quick because she knew he would scold her, but she giggled and went to kiss his cheek. “Yay!” She genuinely couldn’t wait to have him over. Y/N has lots of space for Oliver to roam around, she had already bought him a little box and some food. Even bought him some toys to play with in preparation. She was thinking of getting herself a kitten too because she liked Oliver so much. “I’m excited... we’re going to have so much fun! I can’t wait!” Y/N was practically bouncing in her seat. “Eat your breakfast, baby.” She cooed to him, nodding at the breakfast that was laid out on the desk. Y/N, in the meantime, pulled out her phone to make a reservation for lunch at Harry’s favorite fancy place.

He watched as she made a reservation. Her mood was significantly higher today, as yesterday he hadn’t been able to have a sleepover with her because he’d gotten back very late and had to go in early. She felt a bit more clingy today in energy but... honestly? He wasn’t angry about it. It was a good type of clingy. A good type of feeling to him. It was a warm and fuzzy type of thing that had him smiling when he realized she always liked to have a hand on him. It made him feel a bit less bad for telling off a dickhead in the break room who had commented on her tits. He hadn’t told her about that though. He had been professional but displeased and told him if he heard something else like that about a guess that he would go to HR. Or her father directly, more like. It was hard not to punch him in the snotty face. “I did miss you last night.” He murmured. “A lot less warm, even though you’re a blanket hog.”

Y/N set her phone down on his desk and moved to push some pieces of hair away from his face as he ate, she was hoping he wasn’t too busy. Not that her dad would mind if he didn’t get something done on time because of her. She had the upper hand that way, father’s guilt and all.

“Hey!” She pouted, “am not!” Y/N scrunched her nose and let out a little sigh. “Just wanna be closer to you, don’t know how the blanket gets there.” She really did wish she could stay clung to him as they slept. He was so warm and comfortable, but tonight they’d be sleeping on her massive bed so there would be plenty of room for them. She had a big big plan for dinner, she was actually going to cook it herself. She had been practicing and it turns out she wasn’t bad at it at all. 

“What’s your favorite food?” Y/N asked curiously, knowing she had asked him before but she wanted to make sure so she could get the stuff to make it tonight.

“Hm. I like loads of things. Love chicken parm, I like tacos. Egg rolls. I dunno, I don’t know if I have one set favorite. I have categories.” He hummed around his food. “Love ginger lemon scones and strawberries on waffles for breakfast. Also that Nutella shit on French toast.” He felt more comfortable around her to speak freely. “And I have my favorites at fast food places. A loaded question.” Harry really did like his food and loved to eat. It was a lot. He knew that much. 

Y/N took notes, thinking about what she could manage to make for them tonight. Chicken parm seemed simple enough, she could definitely cook them up some of that. Some pasta on the side. It would be perfect. The waffles idea sounded great for breakfast and she could manage that too. She had everything. Y/N felt like she was doing something right for once, trying to be a normal girlfriend for him.

“But—“ he wasn’t interrupted by the door slamming open, Y/N’s hand holding his hair as they startled slightly to see a frazzled woman walk in. 

Oh, for fucks sake. Caroline. The woman looked irritated seeing Y/N sat up on his lap, legs bare as her skirt didn’t cover much when she sat. 

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

Y/N looked over and spotted Caroline, her face immediately falling. There goes her good mood. Y/N wasn’t nice when she didn’t get her way. 

“Who the fuck let you in here?” Y/N snapped, getting up immediately and stepping towards her. Someone was getting fired today, that’s for sure. It had been a few weeks since she and Harry got together, almost a month, and this woman was still at it? Harry stood up and stepped behind Y/N, his arm resting on her waist. He didn’t want a fight to truly break out, as hot as it may be in his mind. Y/N was too important to him to get hurt. He didn’t like it at all. 

“I just walked in! I said I was here to see Harry.” She glared at him. “But I see he’s still busy trying to sleep his way to the top with some used heiress cunt.” 

She just walked in? Oh. Someone was definitely getting fired. 

It was shocking because Harry hadn’t ever seen this type of shit from Caroline. It didn’t really make much sense because Y/N had been with him for a while now. 

“You little—“ Y/N was cut off by Harry voice.

“Caroline... absolutely not appropriate. Y/N is wonderful and I won’t stand you speaking to her or about her like that.” He said darkly, pulling her back into his body.

Y/N felt all warm in her stomach. As sweet as it was, Y/N was still angry and fully intended on handling this all by herself. She placed a hand over Harry’s and thumbed over the skin. 

“You wish someone wanted to use your cunt.” Y/N spat, “get the fuck out of here. It’s pathetic, you couldn’t keep him if you tried....” Y/N’s tone was lethal. “Coming ‘round invited to talk to my boyfriend? About what? What can you offer him that I can’t?” She wasn’t going to let her win this, wouldn’t let her leave unless she was walking out with her tail between her legs.

“He’s going to get bored with you! Get the promotion and use your body until your implants and shit pop! And then he’ll be crawling back to me.” Where Caroline got this type of information or how she thought that didn’t make such sense whatsoever. 

Harry was a bit worried about if Y/N would read into it but she was a scrappy little thing, Harry holding her waist and letting her approach slowly. He didn’t want a physical fight. Y/N nearly raised her hand to slap her but Harry held her back, her jaw clenching. 

“Sweetie, you know full well my shit is real! Give it up!” She was seething, trying to avoid calling her names because she didn’t want to make herself seem like she wasn’t classy. “Think he would want you after me? You’re delusional.” She scoffed before continuing. “Harry was going to get the promotion before he even went to Paris! Hell, probably earlier! He’s fucking incredible at what he does and is more the capable of running this company regardless if he’s balls deep inside my cunt!”

Harry placed a kiss at the back of her head which did calm her down some. It reminded her that he was here for her and that nothing this woman could say would change how he felt. Y/N was still defensive, knowing she wanted him back and knowing Harry did have a history with her. She’d be devastated if he did leave her to get back with Caroline.

“I’m not leaving her, or using her for a promotion. I don’t know what’s going through your head right now but it obviously isn’t what is needed.” He muttered, kissing the back of Y/N’s head again. Hoping to keep her calm. “She’s what I want. We broke up. You’ve heard more than enough.” He raised a brow, bringing up that phone call again where she had heard her fucking Harry. “And what a wonderful cunt it is.” He snickered against her hair, but he knew Caroline could hear it when she growled out angrily. 

“This isn’t fucking over! You’ll come back. You will.” Caroline turned from Harry to Y/N, giving her a glare. “Trust me. He’s boring as it is, but he’s mine. Understand that? Leave it be. Go marry a fucking governor or some shit and leave him to me. I’m not giving up.” She seethed before stomping out of the office.

“What the fuck?” Harry asked, leaning against his desk as he tried to catch up on what the fuck just happened. Y/N was angry. He felt that, so he held her hand and pulled her closer to him, bringing her into a hug. “S’okay. Relax. I don’t know what the duck that was about... but we’ll make sure she doesn’t get back up here.”

“I’m going to kill her.” 

Y/N was angry for multiple reasons. One being she stepped into this office without being allowed to, second, she disrespected her, third, she disrespected Harry, and on top of all that, she said he was hers. Absolutely the fuck not. Y/N wrapped her arms around Harry and rested her head on his chest, hands pressed flat against his back. 

“The fucking nerve... I’ll end her.” She might not physically kill her, but she would definitely ruin her life. If she kept acting up Y/N could make her disappear. “How dare she say that about you?” She asked, lifting her head so she was looking up at him. “How dare she...” Y/N mumbled and cupped his cheeks. “You are not boring at all. And I meant what I said... you’re more than capable of ruining the company now if need be.”

“I know. I know that she’s angry and saying stupid things. Don’t play into her. As sexy as it is to see you angry... it isn’t worth any pain.” He explained. He understood that Caroline had riled her up, but she didn’t mean anything to him. “She means nothing to me. Nothing. Not the dirt on my shoe. How could she when I have the sexiest and most brilliant woman?” He smoothed his hands down her sides, stopping at her hips. “Already all sorts of better. Especially where it all counts.” In bed and in the heart. “Seeing you come to my defense is incredibly sexy, don't get me wrong, baby. I just think it isn’t worth the time getting angry. You’re mine, yeah? M’yours? Nothing else matters besides us.” He wanted to be chill and relax.

Y/N knew she shouldn’t play into it, realistically she knew that, but there was a bunch of insecurity that Y/N felt about the situation. She knew Caroline wasn’t right, but it wasn’t like Y/N wasn’t already trying to be as ‘normal’ as she could whenever she could be. She was scared of pushing Harry too far with all her expensive tastes, knowing that once they got back from Paris they sort of just hung out at his and ate take out and honestly... it was amazing. Y/N was happy doing that if it meant she got Harry. It was the first time in her life where material things didn’t matter as shallow as that sounds. 

Did he ever think about what it would be like if he wasn’t dating her? How could he be so quick to say Caroline meant nothing when he dated her for a while and was so reluctant to give into her? Maybe it was just her insecurities talking. 

“Yeah... you’re right... ‘s not worth it.” She mumbled softly, having zoned out a little bit. Y/N would be okay, they’d be okay. It just wasn’t something Y/N wanted to think about this morning. “I’m going to go sort the security out... put her on a list or something, I’ll let you get back to work.” She spoke gently, giving him a small smile before she left the office.

Y/N had let a bit of her anger out at the security guy downstairs for not following orders. She didn’t fire him, knowing he was a nice man who had a family, but she certainly scolded the fuck out of him and the lady at reception that both knew she wasn’t allowed up here. Y/N hated that she couldn’t exactly say Harry was her boyfriend yet either. Another kick to the stomach when she was already feeling down. 

There was a little tiny voice that crept in then. Was Caroline right? Was there a reason that she came back or felt like she needed to come back? Harry has been so adamant about not telling anyone about them being together but was also weary about getting together in the first place. Y/N knew it was stupid, she shouldn’t think that way, she trusted Harry. She swore she was in love with him. But she was still insecure, felt like maybe he was ashamed of her or something. 

She tried to pick herself up before lunch, not wanting him to think there was anything wrong because it wasn’t at all his fault that she was feeling anxious. She was taught to stay quiet about these things, her previous boyfriends hated when she got this way and refused to listen. She didn’t want him to yell or get upset at her for thinking something so stupid. 

When she noticed he was a few minutes late she got a bit nervous and for a second she let that voice slip through and thought maybe he forgot. It startled her a little when he sat down, noticing the soft smile on his face. A wave of relief hit her at that and she returned the smile after a beat, saying a small ‘hi’ and ‘it’s okay’ 

“Sorry I’m a minute late. A bit of traffic downtown with an accident.” He murmured, settling down. “Are you gonna tell me what’s wrong, babe?” He asked, sewing right through her little smile. “Cause I know you’re upset or thinking about something and I don’t like thinkin’ about you like that. Was worried since you left the office.”

Y/N’s body froze a little when he asked her about what was wrong, knowing full well she wasn’t slick and Harry would see right through it. He always did. She remembered even when they were in Paris he could tell whenever even something small was off about her. 

“I’m okay, I’m just thinking too much...” Y/N didn’t want to have a breakdown in public.

“Yeah?” He reached out and took her hand in his own, squeezing it gently. “If y’want to talk about it we can. Or you can wait and tell me tonight. But you can talk to me.” He didn’t want to push her too hard or too fast because he knew opening up wasn’t an easy feat. But he also wanted her to know that he was there. He wasn’t upset or angry and could see she was upset. “What’s good here?” He loved on because he was going to let her tell him when she was ready. However he wouldn’t let it go. He could give her time but he wanted to know what bothered her. He knew that in relationships, if you didn’t talk shit out it would blow up in your face. Y/N looked saddened when he had taken his hand back so he placed it back on the table so she could hold it. Her smile returned slightly and he felt the warm small hand back in his own as he looked at the menu.

“Can we talk about it later?” She hated how small her voice sounded. Y/N was a sensitive little thing, especially if someone was able to press the right buttons. It was one of her weaknesses, but thankfully she didn’t have many. “They have really good sandwiches... I also really like their poke bowls.” Y/N spoke and decided she would get one of those. It was essentially like eating sushi in a bowl format. She was happy he returned his hand to the table for her to hold, especially because she was feeling a little fragile. She would get better as lunch went on but she just needed to get her mind off of everything. “I told daddy I wasn’t going back to work after lunch, but I’m going to go home and relax a bit... you take your time though, yeah? I gotta go grocery shopping and stuff.” Y/N didn’t want to ruin the surprise.

“Oh, that’s alright. I’ve got some things to finish and I want to get things done. After that I’ll get my things and head over.” He was still concerned about what Y/N was upset over however he knew he only had so much power and he wanted her to trust him and come to him when she was ready. 

Harry ended up with a sandwich and they had a light conversation over lunch about kittens and her place, it was rather nice. Calm. Relaxed. He was happy to be able to do that. All he wanted to do was give her a reason to smile today. He knew that he was often a bit stoic and kept to himself about it but he was hopeful that tonight would be less tense. He kissed her mouth and nose goodbye before leaving, promising her he would be at hers by 7. He wanted to shower first even though it was probably they’d get dirty again, and he needed to get Oliver’s little carrier. He would be excited to see his Y/N.

Y/N had asked her driver to take her to the nearest Whole Foods so she could get the stuff for dinner. She had a list on her phone of stuff she needed to get for the recipe and bought everything she needed. Just in case it turned out crap, she bought a frozen pizza and some ice cream for dessert so that they still had something to eat. Sure it was all still floating around in her head but she was feeling much better now. She knew she just had to talk to Harry about it when he came over and that would clear things up both for him and for her. She would be safe to cry in her own home and he wouldn’t judge her. He never did. 

----

To Y/N’s surprise, the meal turned out pretty good. It smelled amazing and looked delicious, she just needed to keep everything on the heat so that it was warm when Harry got here. She had changed into some comfortable clothes, hoping he would do the same and went to go fill Oliver’s bowl with some food and water.

Harry had changed out of his work clothes and carefully packaged up his bag. It was the weekend so he didn’t have to worry about a suit, but he didn’t know of her plans so he put in a good outfit as well as his normal clothes. Oliver knew something was going on and mewed the whole time, happily getting into his carrier. Harry stopped and got flowers for her on the way, bringing them up to her penthouse. His name was apparently on the list of who to let up and he was buzzed in, given the floor number and sent on his way. This building was fancy as fuck. And big. He was a bit surprised, though he shouldn’t be, turning about and seeing only two doors. Y/N and someone else’s.

Y/N was nervous. She wasn’t sure why, but she was. You’d think inviting your boyfriend to your house wasn’t something you’d be worried about, but Y/N just wanted everything to go well. She didn’t exactly have the best day and hopefully this dinner and a nice chat with him afterwards would make her feel better. Maybe this could alleviate some of her worry. When he arrived at the door Y/N smiled to herself walking over to open it up and instantly feeling a bit of relief. Just knowing he was going to be here for a little while already made her feel better. They were safe and protected. It felt good. 

“Oh— these are for me?” Y/N was surprised, looking at him with the softest and most gentle gaze. He really went out of his way to get her flowers. It meant more than he would know. It wasn’t like he got a florist to make her a bouquet, he personally picked one to bring to her. “Thank you, baby.” Y/N cooed and went in to give him a hug and a kiss, beckoning him inside. “I um... I made dinner.” She said with a blush. Those were words he had never heard before.

“You did?” He was happy. Y/N making him dinner meant way more than anything else would. The fact she had put time and effort into it made his heart all happy and soft. Truly, it was something that had his stomach warm and happy. “That’s so amazing, sweetheart.” He said happily, placing the carrier Oliver was in down so he could open it up. Immediately the kitten mewed and went for Y/N, pawing at her leg until she picked him up. He knew they were both gone for her. 

Y/N nodded her head proudly, letting out a little giggle when he paid her the compliment. It meant so much to her too, to see him appreciate the work and effort she put in. She didn’t do this for anyone. Only him. He was the most important thing in her life and Oliver of course. She giggled when pawed at her leg and picked him up with her free hand that wasn’t holding the flowers. 

“Hi buddy! How are you? My sweet angel?” She asked and kissed his head, “you excited to be at my house? I got lots of stuff for you to check out! Lots of places to explore.” Y/N cooed and led the pair into the kitchen. She set Oliver down for the moment on the floor so she could put the flowers in a vase with water before looking back over at Harry. 

“Your place.. wow.” It was huge. Very big and kind of.. empty. But beautiful. It was modern style and it was nice. Definitely a lot less vintage and honey than he would prefer however, he was happy right now. Just being with her at home. “Smells really good, baby. I’m so hungry.”

“Do you like it?” She asked shyly, wondering how he felt about her place. “I—I know it’s really empty and stuff but, I don’t really know how to make it feel more occupied when I’m the only one here...” Y/N explained, hating how it wasn’t nearly lived in enough. Maybe if he came over more it wouldn’t feel as weird. “It’s chicken parm and penne pasta. It’s almost done! The chicken is done just have to finish tossing the pasta in the sauce and then we can sit down and eat.” Y/N was excited. It tasted good, she made sure she tried it before so that she knew she wasn’t serving shit to her boyfriend.

“Wow... that’s amazing, baby. Made it just for me?” He was ecstatic. She had asked him early to make his favorite? He felt himself melt and brought her into his arms, kissing over her forehead a few times before he moved her out of the way to help get some glasses. “I like it. It’s very roomy and has a ton of potential. I would be a bit lonely with so much space, but I think for multiple people it would be a dream.” If he had a place like this, he would add lots of warm things. Plants and his record player, a comfy rug and couch, art. Stuff to make it at home. “What would you like to drink?” He asked, opening her fridge. She had some juice, sparkling water, wine coolers. It made him laugh a little at the last one. And he saw a pack of beers, she no doubt got for him.

“Just for you... you’re my favorite...” She blushed as she watched him get some glasses. She went to go put the pasta in the sauce and looked over at him, “um... wine? There should be a few bottles in there. You choose..” Y/N was definitely not short of options. Her fridge was massive though, definitely fit for a family but it was just her for now. So she used it for drinks. 

Y/N hoped that maybe one day, the two of them could live here together. Have their own family with kids and kittens and just everything that she ever dreamed of. “I do get a bit lonely, ‘s why I’m always at yours... but you’re welcome to come stay here whenever you want! Both of you, you’re always welcome.” 

It tickled Harry more than it should have when she confirmed he was her favorite. It felt good to know that he was. She was his favorite too. 

“Lonely? You can always come to mine. Or we can come to yours. I always figured you wanted to keep this place private, so I never really bothered you about it.” He explained, but now that he knew? He would be likely to come over often? If that’s what she would like. He chose some white wine which would go well with the chicken, placing the glasses down at the sleek looking dining table. It was then that he leaned against the kitchen island and raised a brow at her. Her little apron was adorable and he wanted to squish her so badly. Also see her in nothing but that. “I gotta say... m’sad.” He sighed. “I didn’t get a proper kiss from you.”

Y/N had finished plating everything, covering the left overs with lids before walking them over to the table. She looked up at him when he said that he was sad, tilting her head to the side with a frown. 

“Oh! I’m sorry baby, I just got really excited and I didn’t want the food to burn!” She pouted and ran over to him to wrap her arms around him again so they could have a proper kiss. She leaned forward and attached their lips, giving him a sweet and solid kiss. Y/N couldn’t quite explain it, but she was putting all her love into this kiss and it wasn’t meant to be intense. It was just meant to show him how much she cared. How much she well... loved him.

Harry was a little shocked by the kiss. There was... something behind it. It felt warm. His hands holding her waist tightened and he hummed happily into it, head leaned down to take her mouth the way she wanted it to be taken. He pulled back with a smile, cupping her cheeks before pecking her mouth a few more times. “There’s my girl. That’s what m’talkin’ about.” He loved those kisses. Was truly starting to fall for her too. “I missed you.” He said again. Last night had felt weird alone. It had only been about 4 total nights he had been alone and they were starting to feel more and more odd. He liked being around her and didn’t want that to stop or end any time soon. Ever.

Y/N smiled back at him and moved to nuzzle her face into his neck for a hug. Sometimes you just needed a hug and his little ‘I missed you’ only made her squeeze him a bit tighter. 

“Missed you too.” She mumbled against his skin and pulled away again to look at him. “Let’s eat, yeah? Don’t want it to get cold.” She herself was surprised at how good the meal was. Maybe she was trying extra hard because she knew Harry was going to eat it, but regardless it turned out great. It redeemed her hope in being the girlfriend Harry deserved. She didn’t just want to be some prissy rich girl, though she could never stop being the prissy rich girl. 

Oliver has found his things which made her happy, he seemed to really like the little cat tree she got for him, as well as the Gucci cat toy. What? Oliver deserves some nice things too.

“You did not get him a fucking gucci cat toy?” Harry scoffed, a laugh erupting from him as he watched the kitty carry it over and plop down next to the table with it. Y/N merely shrugged. “Christ. You’re somethin’ else. You know that?” His smile was enough to prove he wasn’t angry but amused. Y/N was a giver and he knew that but a cat toy? Like that? Probably at the least $100? It was amusing. 

“What?” Y/N shrugged, looking over at Oliver and smiling at how he seemed to like it. “He’s got expensive taste. He’s lucky he’s got a mommy like me, hmm?” She spoke down to Oliver and realized she had taken claim in the cat. She looked up at him with a questioning look, as if to ask if it was okay. Y/N also knew he would bring up what happened earlier after dinner. She wasn’t really ready to talk about it, but she had to let him know what was going on in her mind. Only he could give her the real clarity that she needed anyway

Harry didn’t mind. She basically was his mommy anyways. She cared for him and bought him things, gave her all the loving she could and was sweet to him. What else could a cat want. Plus... he kind of liked that idea. It was a little scary— don’t get him wrong. But, he didn’t want her to go away. Ever. 

The whole dinner was amazing. However, he was still worried about the girl and what had upset her beforehand. He was hoping Caroline hadn't gotten under her skin but he had a feeling that perhaps it was, and that made him annoyed. Not at her— but the fact that she had been so stupid to come to his office after he blocked her number and obviously had moved on? The food had been really good, especially because he knew she didn’t cook much at all. He had done it for him and it meant a lot to him. 

“Thank you. It means a lot that you’d cook for me.” Harry smiled, bringing his plate towards the sink so he could rinse it off.

“You’re very welcome... I’d do just about anything for you, you know?” Y/N spoke sweetly, coming up behind him and kissing his back before allowing him to rinse off her plate as well. Y/N took this time to put all the leftovers into Tupperware, deciding that they could eat it again for lunch tomorrow and then maybe get some take away for dinner. 

When Y/N finished she helped him dry off the clean dishes and put them away, pressing a kiss to his cheek as a thank you before she took his hand and led him upstairs to her bed room. Oliver would follow them if he wanted, she also had stuff for him upstairs. The view from her bedroom was incredible, much like his office, the entirety of the wall was glass and it looked beautifully over the city. The night sky was clear and everything just seemed to be perfect in this moment. Y/N walked over to her closet and set his bag down in there, already having made a little section for him to have if he wanted. She came out dressed in just one of his tee shirts and climbed into bed, letting him take his time with the view.

Harry has caught her crawling into bed, his eyes following her body. God, he adored this woman. So much. She was incredible and sweet and he was feeling all sorts of wound up but he knew he needed to get what was in her mind, out. He stripped down to his briefs, like he always did and crawled into bed next to her. She immediately found purchase curled up against him when he decided to bring it up while he played with her hair. 

“Can you tell me what’s bothering you?” It was a simple request. Really, it was just because he cared, but he needed to establish good communication with her because he was hoping that they could take this long term. He had no plans of leaving and wanted to work on them, fully. Get to know her the best he could and date her until the time was right. Most people would be scared but Harry likes to feel things out. So far, it all felt very good. Once he had given in.

Y/N was tracing over his tattoos when he asked her about earlier. Honestly, she didn’t know how to fully explain to him what was going on, but she owed him an explanation of sorts. He was only asking because he cared and he wanted to know. He wasn’t going to make fun of her or anything. She just had to get past that in her mind. 

“I... I know that what she said wasn’t true, I know that.” Y/N prefaced, “it did strike a chord with me though, because... it was already something I was sort of battling already in my mind... like, the idea that maybe I’m not ‘normal’ enough for you.” Y/N knew how it sounded, but to her it was a genuine concern.  “Afraid that— that since those slimy businessmen that I dated before thought I was too much to handle that you definitely would think I’m too much to handle.” Y/N tried to keep herself as calm as possible but it wasn’t really working. “A—and it’s my biggest fear that  someday you’ll be fed up with me like they were and that you won’t want to deal with me anymore.” Y/N hid her face farther into him, her arm around his waist gripping him tighter as if he was going to get up and leave. “Just... Scary cause I don’t know... what if she was right? What if you do get tired of me? I—I wouldn’t know what to do.” Tears started to escape her eyes. “It’s— it’s why I try so hard to, to try and be more normal and stuff, don’t want to just be your prissy rich girl girlfriend... want you to be proud to call me your girlfriend, don’t want you to be ashamed or want to keep me a secret..”

“Oh... baby, no.” Harry felt a crack in his heart. He hated that she felt that way. While he found understanding that she could feel that way... he knew that she would be thinking all sorts of stuff. “First of all... you’re very different to girls I have dated. But I think that it’s wonderful.” He began to explain, trying to brush tears away. “Baby... fuck, please don’t cry. S’okay. M’not going anywhere.” He tried to soothe for a moment before continuing. “I don’t think that anyone else would be as perfect to date as tou. Not only are you understanding of my work and the environment, but I know you wouldn’t be using me for money.” He joked, letting her nuzzle her face into the palm of his hand. “You are a light. Yeah? A pretty light that keeps me lookin’ up. How could I ever get tired of you? The fact of the matter is, she was projecting. She knew I was tired of her. And the reason for that being— she didn’t communicate with me, she wouldn’t do the things I’d like or take the time to truly know who I was or what I like. And then you....” he raised a brow. “You spoil me rotten even though I don’t ask. I barely have to ask for anything but kisses because you just naturally know.” He explained smoothly. 

“You get anxious and needy a little bit, that isn’t at all a problem with me. In fact, I like that you like being close to me. I’m not at all ashamed of you. At all.” He needed to stress that point. “I keep us out of the office because I don’t need people harassing me or you about it and the promotion. What I was thinking, was  once I’m there? I don’t care. But... if it really really hurts you? I don’t mind... if it’s something that pains you. I can let people know.”

Y/N listened closely, taking in deep shaky breaths. Her bottom lip was still trembly, mostly because the second she got going she couldn’t really stop, but she was trying for him. Y/N swallowed thickly and pressed a soft kiss to the palm of his hand before nuzzling against it. She let out a sad little giggle at his comment, sniffling and nodding along because she didn’t quite trust her voice just yet. Y/N knew he wouldn’t be angry or upset with her, but the reassurance was definitely something she needed a lot of. She had a lot of trauma and she needed that support. The fact that he was even willing to change something that was important to him just for her made her heart swell up, clearing her throat before she spoke. 

“Don’t wanna hide...” Y/N frowned as she looked up at him, “know people aren’t going to like it... but they won’t like it either way.”

“Alright. If that helps you, baby. I didn’t know it hurt you so badly.” He murmured, stroking her hair. He was curious to see how people would react but he cared more about Y/N than he did about anyone else. She was wiggling her way deep into his heart and under his skin. “You’re right. I’ve been holding off for a long while. I think it’s because I’ve been worried how people will perceive the promotion and think I’m climbing the ladder hut... you told me that the promotion was already mine to begin with.” He had trust in her and didn’t think she was making it up. “I’ll let you show me off then.” Harry figured, fuck it all. “But I wanted to let you know that, I don’t plan on ever leaving or getting bored. Okay? Trust me. It’s alright. I wouldn’t be with you if I didn’t want to.” Y/N didn’t know just how much Harry genuinely liked her. “I wanted to for a long time. Even before I gave in, obviously. But I’m happy that now, we can keep it going.” He wanted her to continue loving on him. Maybe now he wouldn’t have to close the office door if she came in. 

“Next time please tell me if you feel that way. Don’t sit on it and make yourself feel awful all day.” He muttered. “I don’t like that.” It was nice to have him just calmly talk to her about things and understand where she was coming from. These days, she never thought she would find someone that ticked all of her boxes the way he did. He didn’t care that she was a lot of work, he wanted to work on things with her. He was willing to try for her. 

“You... he hired you already knowing you’d be the one to take over, he just... he wanted to make sure I liked you.” Y/N explained with a sniffle, “cause I’m gonna have to be involved.” She didn’t want to drop it on him that her father wanted them to get married but he was a smart man, he would figure that out on his own. She was happy that he wanted her to show him off, glad that she wouldn’t have to close the door or wait for kisses or hugs. Wouldn’t have to explain why she was defending him so hard whenever someone chatted shit about him. “I’m sorry, I’m just used to doing stuff this way. No one ever wanted to listen, I just had to get over it on my own... I appreciate you more than you even know..”

“I’m sorry that you had to deal with dickheads who wouldn’t listen to you. That’s what’s truly fucked up. I don’t understand why they’d have a woman like you and still manage to be a dick.” He huffed, rolling his eyes. Y/N deserves better. He was better. So they both won. “There’s gonna be none of that shit with me, babe. Alright? If you’re upset, you tell me. Angry? Tell me. We can progress if we don’t talk about what bothers us and what doesn’t.” He murmured, rubbing her cheek before he kissed the wet spots where her tears were. He wanted to take them all away. “We’ve got this. I think the both of us are going to be fine. It’ll be a bit of an adjustment for you, but I think one of my most important things is to be truthful.” He didn’t like the idea of anything but. Lying wasn’t something he would tolerate.

Y/N closed her eyes as he leaned forward to kiss her cheeks, humming a little in his hold. She cared about him so damn much and he treated her so well. Y/N wasn’t sure what she did to be so lucky but she was going to try her hardest to keep him for as long as she could. Forever. They would make it, they would keep the communication open and be truthful. They would talk it out and work on things. Y/N was positive that she wouldn’t be able to find anyone better than him, not that she wanted to find anyone else. She swore she... 

“I love you..” She mumbled softly, opening her eyes again to look up at him. Y/N was nervous, but she meant it. She meant to tell him that and wouldn’t take it back. Even if he didn’t feel the same right now, she definitely was falling for him at a hard and fast pace.

Harry froze for a moment, tilting his head as he looked at her. It was a surprise, for sure. But he trained his face, thumbing over her cheek one as he took her in. 

“Yeah?” He smiled, obviously not a bit upset at the confession. He had to think over his feelings a bit later. Because he was nervous if he admitted it so soon, and he didn’t mean it. He felt like he was getting there. Falling for sure. But not at the point he could say it. He leaned forward and kissed her, soft and sweet as appreciation. “M’fallin.” He could return the words back but she wasn’t alone in the feelings. He felt a lot for her and wanted to make sure she knew that it was getting there and there was nothing to be embarrassed of.

“Yeah.” She smiled back, biting her lip for a moment before he leaned in and kissed her. It was a nice feeling, warm and comforting. Y/N knew what she was feeling, but wasn’t exactly ready to say it back. That was fine, she just needed to get it off her chest because she really did love him. She’d never cared for someone like she cared for him and Oliver. She felt like they were her own little family, little paradise where anything could happen. Hearing him say he was falling just made everything feel better. Whenever he was ready, he could tell her felt the same. For now, they’d just continue on with their night. 

“I feel better now...” Y/N mumbled as she pulled away from the kiss gently, “thank you, angel...” She hummed and returned her lips to his, finding a comfortable position for the two of them to just lay there and love up on each other.

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

[part 5]

A/N: please let us know if you’d like to see more from them! - n + d

masterlist

[yungidreamer]

Generosity

Summary:  The Christmas holidays come and San joins her and her family for the holiday celebrations. He is made to feel like one of the family while Yunho and Mingi have their own celebrations at home. After the big day, Mingi is invited over to Yunho's so he can get away from his family and the boys plan a naughty show for their girl.

word count: 9.5k

Content warnings: Warm family stuff, mourning the things you wish you had, car sex, anal sex, a little bit of consensual exhibitionism and voyeurism, and a little bit of angst about not always having the love and the family that everyone deserves to have.

“Honey, it’s time to get up!” Her mother’s voice drifted through the door to her sleepy ears. It had taken her so long to fall asleep last night. Really, there wasn’t a good reason for it. She had even gone to bed early. It was Christmas Eve and she was actually looking forward to Christmas. San was staying over, finally agreeing when her father insisted that he come when his dad, again, went out of town over the holiday period.

It had been fun to have him around, not only because he was fun to hang around with in general, but because he was actually really good with her brother. Jacob was in that weird teenage period of his life where everyone in the family was just too uncool and none of them could possibly understand the things he liked and the things they liked, well, he would never give them a chance. But somehow, San could be cool. Jacob liked San. He liked having him there and seemed to think that they were on the same team. Really, it was fucking adorable.

In the couple of days before he came over she and her mother had gone shopping for a few things to put under the tree for him. Her mother had picked out a few items of clothing of the same sort that she had gotten for her own kids, as well as some things for school like a nice pen and a day planner. She had gotten him a tub of that bubbly face mask and a couple of sheet masks for him to use when he was back at school by himself. She also bought him a gift card for a music service and an IOU for a bus ticket to visit them sometime next semester. Her father had gotten him a new leather wallet, saying it was the sort of thing all adult men should really have.

She spent the evening before he arrived making sure that it was all wrapped and properly tagged. The thing from her father she put his name on, the clothes came from Santa as they always did, school supplies from mom, and the facemask, IOU, and gift card were from her. The presents were tucked in alongside all the others to be put out under the tree after everyone went to bed on Christmas Eve.

San arrived on the day before Christmas Eve and was immediately understood where she had gotten her instinct for cozy places. It was very apparent they were a Christmas sort of people. Their house had been warm and welcoming over Thanksgiving, with a nice atmosphere and plenty of food to be had, but the house itself had just looked like, well, a nice house. Between now and then it felt a little like elves had stopped by to make every corner just a little more festive. Christmas knick knacks were put on every shelf and sill and a massive Christmas tree had been put in front of the big picture window at the front of the house, making it visible to anyone who passed by.

It was really the small details that hit him though. If you didn’t look too closely, it looked like one of those pleasant cottagey sorts of homes that were picture perfect in their homey mismatched decor, but when he looked a little closer, it was far more authentic than that description would credit. On the hearth were an assortment of figures, small and made from porcelain, each different from each other. One was a little bassinet on a sled with the words Baby’s First Christmas. When he picked it up he could see her birth year on the back and a small chip on the base on one side. There was another Baby’s First Christmas from a few years later, obviously for Jacob’s first Christmas. A third was Our First Christmas. They were all mementos of important years, important moments in their lives.

The large fake tree they had was covered with a hodgepodge of ornaments that were everything from enamel baubles, to stained glass pieces, to popular characters, to animated scenes that encapsulated holiday moments or stories. As he looked through them he could see that they were all dated and named and had been collected over the course of the last couple of decades. 

It was interesting, he could see the personalities of each of the members come out in their choices. Her mother liked things that were beautiful and artistic. Her ornaments included a sparkling star of stained glass, a large three dimensional heart made of enamel which was decorated with a wreath of holly around its middle, and something that looked like a hollow sugar egg filled with a sparkling winter scene.

Her father seemed to like somewhat simple and straightforward ornaments. His included a globe shaped ball of wood, covered with an inlaid design of the star and the three wise men. Another was a small wreath decorated with small balls of various colors that reflected the lights of the tree when it was set in its branches. Perhaps San’s favorite  of his was the bubble-like iridescent glass ball that had three smaller glass balls set inside of it. It was just eye catching, how it caught the light, when you finally noticed it.

Jacob’s ornaments were mostly reflective of his likes, full of super heroes, book characters, and animals. They were expressive and lively, much like the kid himself. Really, his were probably the easiest to pick out as almost all of them were only incidentally Christmasy: Superman carrying a wreath, a puppy ripping open some presents, Harry Potter on a broom with his wand out. He was clearly following the family tradition, but not because of a special like of the holiday which seemed apparent in the choices made by everyone else.

She seemed to love things that were animated, seasonal, and nostalgically captured moments. There were a number of ornaments with little moving parts like a mouse on the pendulum inside of a little clock or a kitten that rocked as it played with an ornament near a hearth. She also loved little lit scenes like a gingerbread like house that had windows that lit up with bright orangey light from the inside. So many of them were little places and little moments you wanted to step inside and live in their coziness.

He loved it and it was all just so...them. Christmas had always been fun and warm at home but a little more formal, planned, and stilted. They had their traditions and way of doing things, but, he supposed, thinking back at it now, his parents had been in a world of their own and he had happily been along for the ride. It was probably what had made the loss of his mother so hard for his father. They had their world, their way of doing things, their household. It hurt a little to confront but he couldn’t change it. He could, however, do better himself when he found someone and had kids of his own. He wanted to make a place where everyone felt loved and welcome, like her family had done for him.

On Christmas Eve, the whole family, San included, had gathered in the living room to watch their favorite Christmas movie. Their dad put in the DVD of A Muppet Christmas Carol, while her mom got out the large tub of flavored popcorns they always got from the school fundraiser. She recommended the caramel kettle corn to San and he had been right, it was pretty good, as was the cheesy version which her brother was very fond of. They watched the movie, singing along with the songs, and it was apparent that all of them had watched it many, many times and would happily do so in years to come. When the movie was over, they had all gone to bed to let Santa come and so that everyone could get up bright and early to start Christmas.

San had curled up in his bed in the study and fallen asleep quickly in the warm comfort of the house. Jacob was happy to go to his room, but spent a few hours reading before he actually went to sleep. Her parents were quick and efficient in their preparations, laying out all the presents and setting out the stuff that would just make the morning go faster when it came. She, on the other hand, tried to go to sleep, but instead tossed and turned, feeling lonely without the arms of the boys there to hold her as she was going to sleep. She did finally fall asleep after a few hours, but still slept fitfully as she still reached for them even in her sleep.

When morning came and her mother roused her from her bed, she climbed out and headed to the living room to join the rest of her family. She ran into San in the hallway along the way and they walked down the hallway arm in arm to the dining room table. Everyone picked up their portion of sticky buns and a cup of cider or coffee and headed into the living room to eat around the tree. While her mom had warmed up the baked goods in the oven, her father had laid a fire in the fireplace, turned on the tree, and put on some quiet Christmas music to make the mood.

It was the best Christmas morning San could have hoped for. He sat himself beside her, laughing and chatting with her as they ate the little morning snack for breakfast. She looked tired and her hair was still a little bit of a mess, having come out without having done her hair to join the family for the homey holiday morning. He gave her a hug with one arm around her shoulders and mussed her hair affectionately.

“Hey, I’m already looking messed up enough, I don’t need any help with it,” she joked, lightly smacking his hands away.

“You look cute,” San assured her. “I should take a picture for the boys. I bet they would love it.”

“No need,” she laughed. “They get to see this all the time. Tired me, looking like a mess.”

“I doubt they have gotten tired of it or something,” San assured her. “One sec, I’ll be right back.” San got up and made his way back to his room, getting his phone before coming back out. He wanted to get pictures and he wanted to share this Christmas experience with his friends and her lovers. He took a couple of photos of the breakfast buns that were left in the pan in case anyone wanted another before he headed into the living room again. Before she noticed, San snapped a couple of pictures of her on the floor near the tree as she ate and sipped her coffee. She looked cute and small, sitting cross legged on the floor near the tree not far from her parents. Her brother was stretched out on the couch behind their parents.

“Okay everyone,” Her mom sat forward, setting aside her cup of coffee. “Let’s open presents.” She reached under the tree and started sifting through the packages there and pulling something out for everyone, San included, much to his surprise.

“You didn’t think we’d forget about you, did you?” She said, elbowing him playfully as he drew up beside her.

“You didn’t have to, you know,” He said softly, bumping his head into hers gently.

“Merry Christmas, bub,” she told him, pulling him into a real hug. “Just remember, you’re the oldest kid here now.”

“Of course,” San gave a sudden and heartfelt laugh. “I hope you’re ready to have an overprotective brother.”

“Uh-oh, I take it back,” she chuckled as she pulled back.

“Nope, too late,” San shook his head as mischief sparkled in his eyes, that’s what it was, definitely not tears, that was for sure.

“Okay Jacob, you can open first,” her mother said, starting the process that allowed everyone to take turns as they opened presents and thanked the giver for what they had received. The turns went for as many rounds as there were presents left for people to open. The numbers of presents were pretty even all around, with her and Jacob being the last two who had a couple of extra things they went through quickly.

San looked at the little pile of presents in front of him and felt a rush of gratitude and a poignant spike of admiration for the people who had invited him into their closest moments. Nothing there was particularly expensive, except maybe the wallet, but he really couldn’t tell, however, it was the sort of basic necessities or fun things family got for each other to make sure you had what you needed and could have fun now and again too. He hadn’t really had time to get them anything before he came over and it also hadn’t crossed his mind. It probably should have, he told himself with an internal sigh. If he comes again another year, he promised himself, he will definitely get some next time.

With presents opened, it was time for everyone to throw themselves into the project of Christmas dinner. There was a lot to be done, but between mom and dad’s co-delegation of the work to everyone, all the jobs were started that would get dinner on the table by around three in the afternoon. Everyone had a job or two they needed to do and had a place to start. Not everything needed to be done at the same time, but most things could be done ahead, even if they couldn’t be cooked until later.

With everyone working and cheery holiday instrumentals playing on speakers through the house, it was actually fun to take part in and San felt like he could at least be useful. He stood with her at the counter, peeling potatoes then chopping them up to be boiled in a couple of hours.

“How did your mom know what size I wear,” San poked at her as they worked.

“I did your laundry, remember,” she teased. “I know all of your sizes now.”

“Sneaky,” he admitted. “I’ll remember this and treat any interest you have in me and my stuff with the deepest suspicion.” He gave her an over dramatic suspicious look that sent her into a fit of snickers that drew looks from everyone else in the kitchen.

“What’s so funny,” her father asked, coming up behind them and checking on their progress.

“He’s going to be suspicious of me and my detective skills from now on since I remembered his clothing sizes from doing his laundry,” she told him with a note of pride.

“That’s my girl,” he said kissing the top of his daughter’s head. “Too smart of all of our good.”

“I’m guessing she got that from somewhere,” San gave him a suspicious look as her father took the large pot of potatoes.

“Don’t look at me for that,” her father advised. “Her mother is terrifying in how she remembers the strangest things.”

“Only because no one else in this house remembers where they leave anything,” her mother joined the conversation and gave all the other members of her family an expressive glare.

“Hey, I’ve gotten way better at all of that stuff,” she protested her mother’s characterization.

“I’m sure looking after those two boys has contributed to that,” her mother put a hand on her hip.

“I...say nothing,” she settled on as an answer, not  wanting to give her the satisfaction of admitting she might be right. San bit his lip at the scene and wondered if Yunho and Mingi might have objected to the characterization.

“Can I come over tomorrow?” Mingi asked Yunho when he called him late on Christmas night, after everyone in his house had gone to bed.

“I...I think so,” Yunho sat up a little straighter in bed at Mingi’s tight voice. “Is everything okay?”

“I just hate everything here,” he stood near the window in his room wishing that he was back at their home, even if he had to be there alone. “My dad can’t not pick at things and he keeps asking me why I only got B’s in two classes on my midterms. Never mind the three A’s I got.”

“Don’t let it get to you,” Yunho told him, knowing that it was easier said than done. “I’m proud of you, love. You’re so smart and you work hard. It’s one of the many things I love about you.”

“I love you, too,” Mingi said in a small voice. “I miss you. And I miss her. I miss home.”

“I wish you could just have spent Christmas here with me,” Yunho sighed. “Mom asked about you. She was wondering how both of you are doing. I told her you did so well and that you studied so hard. She was proud of you.”

“I’ll remember to thank her when I see her,” Mingi gave a half laugh. “You’re so lucky to have your mom.”

“I know,” Yunho admitted, casting a glance in the direction of her room where he knew she was sleeping. “My mom has always been good at making sure I knew she loved me even if she isn’t always good at loving herself enough.”

“What did you get for Christmas, anyway?” Mingi asked him, thinking of a happier direction for their conversation.

“Mostly clothes,” Yunho shrugged. “But I also got a new laptop for classes. She was worried that the old one wasn’t working so well and had gotten too slow.”

“Oh I got a new laptop, too,” Mingi responded. “But they also got me a new console, a new phone, and some gift cards for games as well as all the clothes and stuff.”

“Wow, you made bank,” Yunho gave a low whistle.

“Yeah,” Mingi admitted. “I usually get a lot of stuff, but I don’t know… it’s never anything that I really ask for.”

“I wanted to thank you again for the suit,” Yunho told him warmly. “Mom really loves it. I wore it for Christmas dinner even though it was just me and Mom. You would have loved to see her face. I can’t wait to give you what I got you for Christmas.”

“I wish we had had more time with just us,” Mingi admitted. “I wish we had gotten to do our own Christmas before we headed home.”

“Yeah, but it was also really nice having our friends around, even if the reason they ended up over was kind of weird,” Yunho pointed out.

“Yeah,” Ming agreed with a smile. “It was really fun to have all of them over. Did San send you all the pictures he took of their Christmas, too?”

“He did and it looks like he had so much fun,” Yunho giggled. “I’m honestly a little jealous. He got to have so much fun with our girl. I wish it could have been us. At least San shared it with us.”

“Yeah and I am glad he isn’t alone,” Mingi shrugged, having felt closer to being alone than he really wanted to admit.

“I’ll tell mom you are coming over in the morning when I get up,” Yunho told him. “Come by in the afternoon when you can.”

“Okay,” Mingi sighed. “Just call me if she isn’t okay with me coming over or something.”

“She’ll be so glad to see you,” Yunho assured him. “I can’t wait to see you.”

“I...I love you,” Mingi cast an eye to his bedroom door, suddenly self conscious. “See you tomorrow.”

“Love you and sleep well,” Yunho told him gently.

“Night.”

“Night.”

The day after Christmas Mingi found himself on Yunho’s doorstep, standing nervously holding the little gift he had gotten for Yunho’s mom. He had actually gotten it when he bought Yunho’s gift himself, running across a holiday kiosk shop with all sorts of little things. He had spotted the small snow globe with the polar bear chorus inside and somehow he had thought of her. Inside was a trio of them, holding sheet music in books, with little red and white scarves wrapped around their necks. It had made him smile and seemed sweet like the little woman who had somehow given birth to the giant that Yunho had grown into.

She answered the door, pulling Mingi inside with a warm hug and happy greetings. Her home was small and a little worn but always warm. She helped him hang up his coat and stow his boots on the mat near the door.

“Oh you look so handsome,” she cooed, keeping him slightly hunched from his hug so she could get a good look at his face.

“Thank you, Ms. Jeong,” Mingi beamed at her.

“Oh honey, you can just call me mom,” she corrected. “I’m so happy to see you. Come and tell me about how you have been doing. How was school? Are you seeing anyone?”

“Mom, I already told you all of that,” Yunho sighed and shook his head at his mother.

“Well maybe you don’t know everything,” she waved her finger at her son. “Maybe I also just want to hear it from him, too.” Mingi happily took a seat with her on the old, worn corduroy couch and answered her questions about how he was and what it was that he had been doing since she had seen him last. She was happy to see him looking healthy, though she wasn’t sure he was eating enough.

“I’m sure that both of you have gotten at least an inch taller and two inches skinner since Thanksgiving,” she shook her head as she looked Mingi up and down. 

“I actually think I’m gaining weight,” Mingi said, his hands going to his stomach he was sure was getting a little pooch to it.

“No,” she dismissed. “You are still such an adorable skinny boy like my Yunho.”

“Mom, we are fine and we are eating plenty,” Yunho hugged her from behind. “In fact, you can see us eat plenty now if we pull out some leftovers.”

“Oh yes,” she nodded, getting up and heading to the kitchen. Christmas in the Jeong household was less extravagant than at the Song household, but the heart and soul that went into her food always was apparent. She took the time to score and baste the ham and always made a gravy with the drippings that came off. Her yams were always sweet and the marshmallows on top were always perfectly toasted. Mingi was pretty sure that her stuffing was his favorite dish. It was always perfectly spiced and fluffy with just the right amount of walnut crunch mixed in.

They piled leftovers on their plates and stuck them in the microwave to reheat everything before they sat around the small round table in the dining room. She kept the warm conversation going as they ate, listening to the boys talk about school, their interests, the food, and anything else. She loved the smile that her son always got when he joked with Mingi. It was when he seemed happiest. Well with him or her or, better yet, the both of them. Her son had always been a little quiet, a little shy and that had made it a little hard for him to make friends over the years. He had found some and lost some and had never been alone, but the way she had seen him flourish with their friendship had made her so happy and proud. He had gotten so confident and so comfortable in his own skin in a way she had only hoped he would be someday. She hoped that it would just last, even if they all went different ways. After all, it was so easy to think that life as it was now, at their age, would always stay the same.

When they were done, the boys volunteered to wash the dishes and let her relax a little, but she took the chance to pull out the little present she had been saving for Mingi. He usually came by over the breaks and, even if he hadn’t, she could have always sent Yunho back with the little thing. That was probably what she would have to do with her gift for her. She didn’t take it personally that their girl didn’t make it every holiday. Her family was much more serious about spending the time together and her family was also much more...pleasant (she said diplomatically even in her head) to be around. She knew what the two boys meant to her and she was always lovely when she did find the time to come by.

When she came back out, the boys were just finishing with the dishes, drying the last two plates before putting them back in the cabinets. She waited for them to be done before she beckoned them both back into the living room. Sitting down in the seat nearest the glow of the lights on the tree, she patted the seat next to her, inviting the boy to sit beside her.

“Oh, one second,” he said when he saw the little gift in her lap. He took big loping steps back to where his coat hung and fished into one of the pockets to pull out his small gift for her. The proud and happy smile on his face as he came back carrying that little package meant more than anything that could be inside it. She loved to see Mingi when he was filled with joy and confidence, especially when she thought of the awkward anxious boy she had first met. He thought he had hid it so well with the way he squared his shoulders, jutted out his chin, and would make boasts. But the boy here, on her couch was brimming with confidence by comparison and she couldn’t have been more proud.

“Here, I got this for you, too,” he handed her the box before accepting her gift.

“You didn’t have to get me anything,” she scolded, patting his knee with affection.

“I know, but I thought of you when I saw it,” he shrugged, giving her a shy look as his eyes traveled down to the gift from her in his lap.

“Open it,” she encouraged. Mingi nodded and ripped into the paper eagerly. Inside was a little graphic novel he recognised as the latest volume of one of his favorite series. He hadn’t been keeping up with it since he had gone off to school with as much as he had been focusing on classes.

“I thought you might have gotten it for yourself so there is a gift receipt inside and you can get something else if you have it or if you are tired of this series,” she explained anxiously. “I just remember you used to read these and this one only came out a couple of months ago.”

“I don’t have it yet, and thank you,” he leaned over and pulled her into a hug. “I love it but I hadn’t even realized this was out yet.”

“I’m so glad you like it,” she glowed at him, patting the arms that embraced her. “Merry Christmas, my dear.”

“You should open yours,” Mingi said excitedly, pulling back again.

“Oh, of course,” she looked at the box in her lap. It was heavier than she would have guessed for the size and was actually curious what he had gotten her. She opened the paper carefully, picking at the tape so that she could save the pretty paper that he had put on her gift. Under the paper she found a plain cardboard box which she turned over until she found a side that looked like the top, thanks to the little divot on one side where the top tucked in. Finally she peered inside to find a fist sized glass globe. She slid it out of the box and smiled as she finally got a good look at it.

“Oh Mingi, I love it,” she said softly.

“Look, it also plays music,” Mingi took it from her hands and turned the little key set in the base. He wound it until it couldn’t any more and then turned it right before letting it go. Faint strains of I’ll Be Home for Christmas as little flecks of glitter swirled in the liquid around the little polar bears inside.

“A perfect song,” She grinned up at him. “And you thought of me when you saw it. I am so touched, sweetie.”

“You like it?” He asked, his whole face lighting up with his smile.

“It’s wonderful,” she assured him, giving the globe another swish to stir up the glitter again. “Thank you so much. I’ll treasure it.”

“I’m...I’m so happy you like it,” Mingi said as he watched her wind it one more time, before putting it in a safe place on the entertainment center.

“I’ll see it there,” she decided. “I’ll keep it safe with the other Christmas decorations when I put them away. But I already can’t wait to get it out again next year.”

Be in bed by 11, we have a surprise for you 💞

The message came through to her phone not long before dinner. A little piece of her hated them for sending the message then. Now she had to wait for hours to find out what they had planned for her. Curiosity niggled at her the whole evening, leaving her distracted over dinner and not following the conversation unless someone said her name.

“Everything okay?” San asked quietly, after having to nudge her to bring her attention back to the conversation happening around her.

“Yeah, just distracted,” she gave him an apologetic smile, making him laugh and shake his head. San could guess, especially by the way she kept checking her phone, just who was on her mind. He had sympathy for her but he still couldn’t help finding it funny. He honestly couldn’t help but wonder what her parents would think if they knew the arrangement. They’d probably get over eventually but it would be a battle. Their sense of how things ought to be would be a hurdle to their acceptance.

By 10:30 she was checking her watch and giving exaggerated yawns as she set the stage to go to bed more than an hour before she would have usually, given that it was very much still a holiday and she could still sleep late and while away the day doing whatever relaxing thing she wanted. So far she had read three books she had been meaning to read and watched half a drama with San, who was a master at snappy commentary about the story and characters. They would definitely be able to finish it before they went back and she was having lots of fun with it. San had actually made being at home without the boys way easier than it would have been otherwise.

“I’m gonna head to bed,” she stretched as she stood up and made her announcement to the room casually. “I’ll probably read a little before I actually sleep, but I’m going to go ahead and lie down.”

“Okay honey,” her mother said, looking up from her cross stitching she had in her hands. “See you in the morning.”

“Sleep well,” her father said lightly.

“I think I’ll head to bed, too,” San said, standing up from his seat near her.

“Have a good night,” her mother said to San. He nodded to both of them before following her back towards their rooms.

“Tell the boys I say hi,” San said playfully just before he ducked into the guest room. She flashed him a warning glare mixed with humor as she watched him before she slipped into her own room. Locking her door, just to be safe, she changed into her pajamas and got into bed with her phone and headphones.

I’m in bed, she messaged, biting her lip in anticipation as she sent it. Expecting to wait for a little while, she closed the app and turned on some music to listen to while she tried to stay busy. The video call that interrupted her after only about thirty seconds surprised her, though perhaps it shouldn’t have, after all, she wasn’t the only one who had been looking forward to this for hours.

“Hi babe,” Mingi said, his face taking up half the screen next to Yunho’s, both peering at her from a dark space she couldn’t place.

“Hey loves,” she said quietly, making sure her voice wouldn’t carry outside of her room. “What are you two doing together?”

“I visited Yunho today,” Mingi confessed, casting a grateful look to the other boy. “He invited me over so that I could get out of the house.”

“That was sweet,” She gave them both warm smiles. “But you aren’t still there. Where are you two?”

“In the car,” Yunho chuckled, turning the camera around so she could see they were parked somewhere secluded, surrounded mostly by snow.

“What are you doing out there?” She questioned with a giggle. “Why are you out there in the cold?”

“We wanted to do something...give you a little show,” Mingi replied mischievously, coming close to the camera as he spoke.

“A show?” She repeated, feeling a blush rising on her cheeks at the thought.

“Have you been missing us?” Yunho looked into the camera flirtatiously. 

“Of course,” she sighed, feeling a little tingle rising in her stomach.

“We’ve missed you,” Yunho continued, slipping an arm around Mingi’s shoulders. “Should we give her a little taste of the love we want to show her?”

“Yeah,” Mingi agreed, melting a little into Yunho’s embrace. “I want her to watch.”

“You want her to see me take you?” Yunho asked, changing position to move Mingi to sit between his legs, coaxing him to lean against his chest. Mingi nodded in response, making himself a little smaller as he leaned back.

“Give our lovely Mingi a kiss,” she prompted, her heart speeding up as she did.

Mingi turned his head and looked up to Yunho behind him. The two shared a look for a second before they came together, lips meeting in a soft brush of skin on skin. Yunho reached up a hand to caress Mingi’s cheek, helping him angle his face. Yunho controlled the speed of their kiss, keeping it agonizingly slow and light as their lips moved. His thumb brushed over the corner of Mingi’s mouth, coaxing him to open his mouth slightly. Mingi huffed slightly and opened to allow the kiss to deepen. 

As she watched the two of them she could feel a thrill of excitement move through her, tensing her stomach muscles and moisture starting to build between her legs. They looked so beautiful together. The sharp lines of their jaws and the way their fine features seemed to match and compliment each other. Her eyes focused on the perfect shape of Yunho’s Cupid’s bow lips as they moved in profile. They looked too perfect, too ideally shaped as they touched Mingi’s.

Mingi’s lips were largely hidden between Yunho’s lips and hand but her eyes moved along the line of his jaw and down the line of his long throat. His Adam’s apple bobbed with his nervous swallows as he kissed the boy behind him. There was a sort of softness that came over his angular features as they touched.

“Did you like that, too?” Yunho asked after he pulled back from the kiss, still continuing to hold Mingi against him.

“Yes,” she said softly, sinking further into the bed, eyes locked on the screen.

“What do you want to see?” Mingi asked, looking up at the camera through his lashes.

“Can you undress each other?” She decided after a brief pause. “I want to see you both.”

“Should I start with unwrapping our beautiful boy, here?” Yunho teased, running his fingers over Mingi’s still clothed chest.

“Yes please,” she agreed eagerly. “He’s so beautiful.”

“He is, isn’t he?” Yunho looked at the other boy, admiring the blush that spread over his cheeks and the tips of his ears at the compliments. Yunho’s hands reached around to the front of Mingi’s body. They found the fastenings on the front of his hoodie, working them open, making sure she could see his fingers as they did.

They watched her eyes glued to the screen of her phone. She was rapt in her attention. Yunho could feel the heat in her eyes as she watched them and he loved that feeling. He liked the control of focusing her attention with his movements. The expressions that flowed across her face as she followed his gestures gave him a burst of confidence.

Mingi could feel the touch of her gaze through the screen of the phone they had attached to the back of the front seat. When they had come up with the idea while they had a moment alone at Yunho’s place, Mingi had liked the idea of letting her see them, teasing her, while they did something since they hadn’t been able to invite her. Often he was on the other side. He so often got too impatient to tease either of them. It wasn’t really his fault, by the time he got them alone, he often felt like he had been waiting for them all day. By that point he just wanted them. He wanted to touch them, he wanted to taste them, to have them in his arms.

Yunho slipped the hoodie off Mingi’s shoulders taking his time and making a show of it. Underneath Mingi wore a black shirt with a wide neckline that showed off his collarbones and upper chest. After he threw the hoodie to the side, Yunho’s fingers went to the skin exposed there. His fingertips danced over the line of his collarbone and slid his shirt down off one shoulder. It was an irresistibly beautiful stretch of skin to them both. Yunho leaned forward and pressed a kiss there. He licked, kissed and nibbled a line from the tip of his shoulder and up his neck.

“Our Mingi is so handsome,” she sighed, looking at them through the screen as she turned onto her side.

“He’s beautiful,” Yunho observed. He nuzzled the skin below Mingi’s ear and left the ghost of a kiss.

“I want to see more of him,” she whispered to them. “Please.”

“Should I help him take off his shirt?” Yunho offered, his hands traveling down the front of Mingi’s chest and stomach.

“If it's not too cold,” she said after a moment’s thought.

“The car is nice and warm,” Yunho smiled. Of course she thought of that, of course that would cross her mind. His hands went to the hem of Mingi’s shirt and lifted it off over his head, baring the expanse of his white chest. Mingi shivered at the warmth in her gaze as her eyes took in the sight.

“You look so pretty, baby,” she cooed to him on the other side of the screen. “I wish I could show you how pretty you are to me.”

“Isn’t he so pretty to look at?” Yunho put his hands on Mingi’s ribs and let them trail down to his waist.

“What about you?” she pushed playfully, letting out a suppressed chuckle. “I want to see you, too.”

“You want to see me?” Yunho teased, ducking slightly further behind Mingi’s body. “Even when you have this to look at?” Yunho ran his hands down Mingi’s arms, making him shiver at the sensation.

“He’ll look even better in your arms,” she pointed out with a grin.

“Ahhh, I see,” Yunho nodded and pressed his lips together to try and stop the grin from spreading across his face. Mingi half turned in his seat to look back at the other boy. His eyes were bright and playful chocolate pools set in his glowing face. His blond hair had grown so that the fringe reached past his eyebrows now, allowing him to give them flirtatious glances through the curtain of his hair. Mingi brushed the hair out of his eyes and leaned over to kiss his temple on one side. He put one hand on Yunho’s shoulder, covered by the white knit cardigan he was wearing. His hand caressed down his arm as he moved his kisses down along his cheek until he was kissing the dip of the corner of his lips.

“Can I help you take it off?” Mingi offered, pressing his forehead against the side of his face. Yunho nodded. Mingi’s fingers went to the large wooden buttons and started to undo them. Yunho lifted his hands to hold Mingi’s as they slipped the buttons through the buttonholes. With all the buttons undone, Mingi parted the sides like he was drawing back curtains. Yunho shrugged off the cardigan and tossed it into the seat beside them. Mingi leaned down and licked one of Yunho’s exposed nipples, tasting it like it was a dollop of fallen dessert. Yunho sucked in a breath at the sensation.

“How does he taste, Mingi, my love?” She asked in a harsh whisper.

“As delicious as always,” Mingi gave her a wide grin. “Should...should I mark him so he remembers this?”

“Yes, over his heart,” she agreed, enjoying the idea. Mingi sunk down, finding a somewhat awkward position that brought his mouth more comfortably down to Yunho’s nipple level. He brushed his pillowy lips over the one nearest to him, giving it a soft suck and lick as it hardened under his touch. Moving closer to the center of his chest, just to the left, he pressed his lips against him, feeling the beat of his heart under them. Yunho brought his hand up to run his fingers through Mingi’s hair, caressing his scalp as he looked down at him.

Mingi closed his eyes and let his lips part, latching onto the skin under them. He breathed in the smell of Yunho’s skin, salty and musky. He sucked it enough to draw it into his mouth, allowing him nip lightly with his teeth. Yunho let out a light moan and his fingers tightened in Mingi’s hair, pulling it lightly.

She saw the look of pleasure bubble up on Yunho’s face, like a spring escaping through the fissure in a rock. It slipped out and spread across his body like a trickle. Mingi’s head moved as he sucked and worried Yunho’s skin until he was satisfied, letting it go with a pop and giving it a parting kiss.

“Let me see,” she asked, hiding the lower half of her face behind her hand. She could feel that a hot flush had developed on her face as she had watched them. Mingi sat up and leaned out of the way to let her see what he had done. He ran his fingers over it lightly, admiring the reddish mark he knew would mellow into purple soon enough.

“Now you’ll remember this,” Mingi said with satisfaction.

“As if I would forget any moment I have with you, with both of you,” Yunho scolded before he pulled Mingi into a hungry kiss. He let himself dive into the sensation and the taste of him, let the intoxication of passion fill him. She watched them silently, not wanting to break the haze of desire that was surrounding them. She loved seeing when they let go, when they lost the rest of the world in their love. She held her breath and watched as their mouths played and clashed. They were beautiful when they were with each other.

“Can I?” Yunho broke the kiss and brought his hands down to the waistband of Mingi’s jeans. Mingi nodded and leaned back a little to allow him to fumble at the button and zipper on his pants. Yunho unfastened them and slipped his fingers inside the waistband on his hips. He touched his skin there, enjoying the simple intrusion of touching the skin beneath. Mingi rocked forward, silently asking him to pull them down further, to take the next step.

“Impatient,” Yunho teased, unable to hide his smile as he spoke to Mingi.

“I’ve missed you,” Mingi whined. “When I...just by myself, it isn’t the same.”

“I know,” Yunho was sympathetic and couldn’t have agreed more. Taking pity on him, Yunho helped him to pull off his pants and underwear after they both cast a quick look around to make sure their spot had not been intruded upon by anyone. The snow cover of the city made it easier to spot anyone that might have made their way there against the bright backdrop of the snow. Assured they were still alone, they both stripped the last of their clothes off.

“Love, I know you can’t be here, can’t be with us but,” Yunho leaned close to the phone that connected them with her. “Will you touch yourself for us?” She nodded and set the phone down to strip herself naked as well. When she was finished she lay down on top of the covers and let the camera pan down her naked body.

“You look pretty,” Mingi complemented, looking intently at the screen. “Are you wet already?” She nodded, switching the phone to one hand and letting the other slip between her legs and gather a little on her fingertips. She brought them back up, letting them see the evidence of her wetness before she brought them to her lips and sucked them clean.

“Good,” Yunho palmed himself, slightly below the view of the camera, but the movement was clear. Mingi let his hand tease along the inside of his own leg, working closer to his erection but not yet touching it. Yunho dug into the little bag he had brought with him from home and pulled out the little tube of lube he had snuck out with him. He turned in his seat to lean against the car door and stretched his legs out over the back seat. Mingi straddled his thighs and looked down at Yunho’s deep brown eyes which looked up at him with such love.

Mingi leaned over putting his hands on the door beside Yunho’s shoulders, bringing his lips to the other boys. Their erections pressed together and Yunho wrapped them both with one of his large hands. He played with them both as they fell into a deep kiss. Mingi rutted into his hand as he used his own to hold Yunho’s face, angling it just right to fit with his.

“Here, come a little forward,” Yunho coaxed Mingi’s hips until he was straddling higher, near his waist. His hands caressed along his lower back and the curve of his butt. “Is it okay if I start getting you ready for me?”

“Please,” Mingi nodded, arching his back a little to make it easier for him to reach. Yunho put a little lube on his fingers. He slipped his fingers between his cheeks to the small, puckered hole and began making slow circles. Mingi slowly relaxed under his touch, letting out a breathy sigh at the feel of his fingers.

“Does it feel good?” Yunho asked in the quiet of the car.

“Yeah,” Mingi let out a huffing whine. “Faster, I want you in me.”

“Patience, love,” Yunho soothed. “I want it to feel good.”

“It does, it always does,” Mingi insisted.

“Kiss me,” Yunho suggested. “Show our girl how much you want it.” Mingi leaned forward and brought his lips to Yunho’s, licking and nibbling at them eagerly. He moved in time with the sweep of Yunho’s fingers, mirroring them in his eagerness. Yunho slowly worked in one finger and then two, slowly opening him. Mingi protested against his lips when he removed his fingers.

“Shhhh, you’re finally getting your wish,” Yunho chuckled at his pout. He reached for the lube again and spread it on himself, wiping a little of the excess on Mingi before cleaning his hands on the little towel he had thought ahead to bring as well. He positioned himself at Mingi’s entrance and let the other boy sink down his length as fast as he felt comfortable.

When Mingi had taken him completely, they both turned their attention to the screen to look at their girl. Her room was dim but they could still see her face looking at them in the dim light. She noticed their eyes on her and she flashed them a smile and blew them a kiss.

“You’ve been quiet, love, are you okay?” Yunho asked.

“I just heard someone in the hall so I have to be careful,” she whispered. “I think everyone is finally going to bed.”

Mingi let out a moan and felt himself flutter around Yunho inside him. He wanted to move but he wanted to be sure she was with them, that she was there and enjoying this as much they were. He rocked slightly and managed to ask. “Are you still with us?”

“I’m here,” she assured him. “I want to see you. Please.”

“Can you ride me?” Yunho asked, running his palms up Mingi’s strong thighs. Mingi nodded, moving slowly at first, the friction giving him slow waves of pleasure as he did. Yunho let him set a steady pace before bringing one of his hands to Mingi’s hard length where it jutted between them. He matched the movements of his hand to Mingi’s rhythm. Mingi let himself go and started moving faster, hunching forward to avoid hitting his head as he moved.

“So good,” Yunho praised, caressing Mingi’s waist as he stroked him. “You feel so good around me.”

“Fuck,” Mingi panted as he looked down at the other boy. “I’m not gonna last like this.”

“I want you to come on me,” Yunho encouraged, his breathing tense. “Make a mess for me.”

“Keep going,” Mingi entreated, closing his eyes and letting himself focus on the pleasure Yunho’s body was giving him. He let all of the stress of being home, the stress of missing them, the stress of having to stand alone against a relentless barrage of criticism and dismissal melt away. He let the love Yunho gave with his body fill him. He heard Yunho’s breaths growing harsher and more ragged as her faint, suppressed moans traveled through the phone to him. He opened his eyes to see the face that matched those sounds, his eyes going to the small screen hanging off the back of the front seat. Her face was soft and pink as she watched, her lips parted as she panted quietly.

“Are you close, too?” He asked her.

“Yeah,” She whispered back. “But I want to see you cum...and I want to see Yunho fill you. I want to hear you both.”

“Come for her, love,” Yunho urged, his fingers digging into Mingi’s hips as he felt his own pleasure building. “Just let go.” He sped up the movement of his hand and watched Mingi’s face take on a slack look he so often slipped into just before he reached his orgasm. Mingi’s rhythm faltered slightly as sensations bubbled up inside him. Everything felt good. His skin tingled and he could feel the coolness of the air clinging to him as a fine sheen of sweat started to to cover him.

“I’m gonna cum,” he panted, grounding himself down on Yunho and let him continue to work his hand on him in the last few seconds before his orgasm washed over him. Yunho’s hand continued to stroke him as thick ropes of cum spurted out across Yunho’s chest. Mingi panted and his cock twitched, letting the pleasure subsume him like a wave.

“You look so pretty like that,” Yunho praised him as he finally let go of his spent length, his hands moving to hold his hips now. “Lean forward just a little, love.” Mingi nodded, leaning on his hands where he rested them on either side of Yunho’s head. A weakness suffused his limbs, but he held himself as Yunho thrust up into him, chasing his own pleasure now. Mingi’s eyes returned to the screen at the sound of her panting as it joined Yunho’s in the quiet of the car. Her gaze was hooded and her eyes hazy as she watched them.

“Is our girl close, too?” Yunho asked, not taking his eyes from where his body moved in and out of Mingi.

“Yes,” Mingi replied breathlessly. “She’s so pretty like that.”

“Our girl is beautiful when she cums,” Yunho panted. “And it’s for us; only for us.” He heard as she gave a faint strangled noise then lapsed into just heavy breathing. Yunho tore his gaze away from Mingi and looked at her. Only her face was on the screen, focusing on the blissful expression she wore, eyes closed and her jaw clenched.

Yunho pulled Mingi down on him harshly as his own orgasm hit him suddenly. He had been so focused on them, on making sure this lasted enough to be good for both of them, that he had pushed his pleasure to the side. When it finally burst over it, it was like the breaking of a dam as a single crack finally caused it to fail. Blinding white filled his vision and a tingling rippled out over his skin with an almost painful intensity.

Mingi watched as Yunho came beneath him. He looked almost surprised as it overtook him and he squeezed his eyes shut. If he hadn’t known any better, Mingi might have thought he was in pain as the other boy released himself in his body. Yunho’s hands gripped his hips almost painfully and Mingi was sure he would have bruises from it. He didn’t mind, in fact he would be glad to see them over the coming days when he had no choice but to be alone with his parents. When he saw them or felt them, they would remind him of this, of the people who loved him for himself; of their shared generosity of everything that made them who they were.

When they had all taken a moment to recover, they said their good nights and hung up, leaving Mingi and Yunho in the car to clean up. They were careful to leave no traces on the car or themselves and Yunho hid the tube and towel under the seat before redressing. Mingi pulled his own clothes on, focusing on that to avoid thinking about how soon he would be alone again.

“We’ll hang out again before the holiday is over,” Yunho promised, caressing Mingi’s cheek when he saw the sad look he couldn’t keep from his face.

“Of course,” Mingi looked at him and forced himself to smile.

“No, I mean it,” Yunho took Mingi by the chin and made him look him in the eyes. “I won’t leave you alone there very long. And even when I’m not there, when we aren’t there, we’re here,” he put his other hand over Mingi’s heart. “And we aren’t that far. If you need me, just call. I’ll always pick up and if I need to come get you, I will always come.”

“I love you,” Mingi held the wrist of the hand on his chest. “Knowing that you love me too, makes it survivable.”

“New Year’s isn’t really important to my mom, not like Christmas is anyways,” Yunho began. “Maybe we can spend it with San and our girl at her parents.”

“Lucky San getting to spend the whole holiday there,” Mingi sighed.

“Yeah,” Yunho gave him a laugh and a smile. “I can’t really envy him too much, but then again, I still have my mom at least and I am sure he would happily trade being there for having his family again.”

“Yeah,” Mingi agreed, San might be lucky to have been accepted into the arms of her loving family, but no generosity of spirit on the part of her family could erase the sadness of the rejection of his father after the loss of his mother. Yunho pulled Mingi into a hug, warm and reassuring, just holding him.

“Ready to go home?” Yunho asked him after a moment.

“I’m ready,” Mingi nodded and pulled back. They both got out and moved to the front seat, letting silence settle on them as they pulled out of their secluded refuge to return to the real world. It won’t have to be for very long, Yunho promised himself, hoping that Mingi could feel the promise he couldn’t bring himself to voice.

Masterlist

[nitewrighter]

Short fic of Genji stressing out about what to get Angela for Christmas?

“Blenders are romantic, right?” Genji looked up from a store window to Tracer.

“Uh…” Tracer glanced off and sipped her latte.

“It’s healthy—“ Genji tried to explain, “She’s a doctor—it fits. Right?”

Tracer just gave him a confused, pitying look.

“…not romantic,” he sighed, letting his shoulders slump and his head drop.

“Nnno. Not romantic,” said Tracer.

It was one of those seaside winter days that is somehow both bright and cloudy. A jumble of Christmas market-like stalls for tourists fleeing colder northern weather crowded the sidewalks, and a few shopkeepers were poking at their window displays, putting up bows and baubles to draw the eye. Tracer had arms full of bags and boxes, and Genji had only two bags hanging on one elbow. They were both in civvies, Tracer in a baggy cardigan with elbow patches and skinny jeans, and Genji in a neon windbreaker and charcoal joggers. The glow of Genji’s green visor seemed to be visibly dimmed with his own exhaustion.

“I don’t want to overthink it,” Genji said firmly as he and Tracer walked down the street.

“Uh huh,” said Tracer, sipping her overly sweet latte next to him.

“But it’s our first winter moved in together,” said Genji.

“Right.”

“And I want to get Angela something she’ll actually use...”

“Of course.”

“But something that she’ll like,” said Genji.

“Obviously,” said Tracer.

“Something pretty.”

“Jewelry?”

“No, we make too much fun of those holiday jewelry commercials,” muttered Genji, “And I don’t want to get her something office or work related--I mean, that’s not romantic.”

“Mm,” Tracer sipped her latte.

“But she still should use it.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“But I don’t want to overthink it,” said Genji.

Tracer didn’t really have the heart to tell him that that was exactly what he was doing.

“Genji,” Tracer started gently, “Did she tell you she had anything in mind?”

“She said she couldn’t think of anything and then she said, ‘Oh but I’ll be happy with whatever you give me, Genji,’” Genji huffed.

“Well that’s good!” Tracer said brightly.

“No it’s not,” said Genji, pressing his fingertips to his temples, “She knows she can get me some dumb Tokusatsu thing and I’d love it, but I have no idea what to get her!”

“Oh come on, Genji, you two spent years staying up into the wee hours of the morning talking! You can’t be at that much of a loss!”

“Well we’d mostly talk about work and other--” Genji seemed to catch himself, “Um...”

“...talk shit about the rest of the team?” Tracer guessed with an arched eyebrow.

“No--!” Genji answered on reflex before rubbing the back of his neck, “Well... sometimes.”

Tracer snorted before glancing off. “All right then. Just think-- what does she like to do in her spare time?”

“She reads a lot,” Genji said thoughtfully, “But it’s like... she reads too much for me to know what kind of book to get her, if that makes sense? What if she already read it? Or what if she read a bad review of it? Or what if she read something about the author so she doesn’t want to read it? I don’t read enough to know what book to get her.”

Tracer sighed. “You really are devoted to making this harder for yourself than you have to.”

“I am not!” said Genji. 

“Y’know what I think?”

“What?”

“If this is your first holiday moved in together, you should get something cozy! Homey, don’t you think?”

“Cozy and homey...” Genji repeated the word then seemed to think for a few seconds, “...A blender?”

Tracer slapped her forehead. “Why are you so hung up on the blender!?”

“I feel like we need a blender!” Genji said helplessly. 

“Well get a blender but don’t make the blender the Christmas gift! For heaven’s sake, think!”

“Okay! Okay! I’m thinking! I’m thinking!” said Genji. He was quiet for a long time. “We both spent so long traveling, and after all my time with Zenyatta and the monks...” he trailed off then suddenly perked up, “I have to go,” he said, stopping his pace.

“What?” said Tracer but Genji was already running off back in the direction of the watchpoint.

“I know what I should get her! Thank you, Tracer!” his voice carried on the air in his wake and Tracer huffed and shook her head, before perking up as Genji suddenly came sprinting back and skidding to a halt in front of her again.

“…I just realized I need a pilot, “ he said breathlessly.

“You need a pilot?” said Tracer, tilting her head.

“You think Emily might want something from Nepal?”

The slightest smile tugged at Tracer’s mouth.

——

“...so you’re borrowing the Orca---for what?” Jack Morrison was leaning against the holo-map in Winston’s lab with his arms folded.

“A patrol,” said Tracer and Genji at the same time. 

“It has been a while since we checked in with our contacts with the Shambali” Winston mused. 

“Too long!” said Genji with an odd amount of earnestness in his voice.

“Entirely too long,” said Tracer, “Someone really ought to check on them.”

“Someone they know,” said Genji, with an airy gesture, “Just to make sure everything’s all right.”

“No news isn’t always good news!” added Tracer.

“Uh...huh...” Jack’s voice trailed off. 

“We can get some intel--” said Genji.

“See where we can help out!” Tracer added brightly.

“Well.. diplomacy was an important aspect of the old Overwatch, and with so little activity from Talon these past few weeks, a fact-gathering mission could help us get our bearings...” Winston said thoughtfully.

“Mm-hmm!” grunted Tracer as both she and Genji nodded eagerly. 

“We can send Doctor Ziegler as the mission’s medic in case--” Jack started.

“No!” Genji and Tracer said on reflex both a little too loudly before Genji quickly cleared his throat. 

“Er--Obviously Zenyatta would send the best message of solidarity with the Shambali,” said Genji.

Jacks frown pulled at his scars but Winston rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“You make a good point...” said Winston, “All right then. You have my permission to take the Orca to Nepal.”

“A very wise ruling, Commander Winston!” said Tracer saluting.

“We won’t let you down!” said Genji, clenching his fist in determination before they both ran off.

Jack watched as the door closed behind them after they left. “...you realize they’re both full of shit and taking the Orca for a joyride, right?”

“Oh obviously,” said WInston, turning his attention back to the holo-map.

“Just checking,” said Jack.

----

It was drizzling on Christmas morning on the Watchpoint. Both Genji and Mercy were comfortably sitting on the floor, in their pajamas, Mercy’s hair up in a messy bun, leaning against the coffee table where their dinky little rosemary bonsai valiantly strained under the weight of a single ornament as Genji pulled the wrapping paper off of a box and lifted up the lid.

“Woah...” a short laugh fell out of Genji, “Really?”

“Is it the right one?” said Mercy, tucking her hair back.

“They haven’t made these in 20 years!” said Genji, pulling the asymmetrical game console out of its box, “How did you get a real FujitaCast One?”

“Well, I found a broken one in one of the pawn shops around here, and then I remembered you talking about playing the first Vivi’s Adventure on it, so I grabbed it, and I had to get D.Va’s help in identifying which components needed replacing and we just...spun them up in the 3D printer here!”

“Angela--” Genji wanted to squeeze the little plastic console close but was handling it very gingerly, “This is incredible. I--” he huffed, “I can’t remember the last time anyone put this much effort into a gift for me.” 

“...it really wasn’t all that much trouble--really, just D.Va helping out and looking up some components online--” Mercy was blushing, “I just... thought it might be nice to have something aside from just the holoscreen to warm this place up. I warn you, though, I’m absolutely terrible at video games.”

“Psh. I doubt that. You’ve got surgeon hands.”

“Oh you’ll see,” said Mercy with a smirk, adjusting her glasses.

“Thank you, Angela,” said Genji, gently setting the console on the coffee table. He reached over and grabbed a flatter box and held it out to her, “I, um... got you this.”

Mercy gave the box a tentative shake, already aware of the sliding sound of cloth on cardboard. 

“This wouldn’t have anything to do with you and Tracer’s mysterious three day trip into Nepal, would it?” she said, giving a sly smile to Genji.

“That was a very legitimate mission, I’ll have you know,” said Genji, folding his arms, “I milked a yak and everything.”

Mercy snorted. “Where would the world be without Overwatch and its yak-milking Cyborgs?”

“Chaos,” said Genji with mock gravitas, “Tragedy.”

“Oh definitely,” said Mercy, opening the present. Genji couldn’t help but smile at the way she only pulled at the folds and ends of the paper, trying to take the wrapping off as intactly as possible before sliding the box out. Her brow crinkled with some concentration as she lifted the lid off of the box before her eyes widened. She pulled a bright golden yellow cloth from the box, let it hang over one hand and traced her fingers over it with the other. “Soft...” she said quietly, before looking up at Genji, “Shambali?”

“Yes,” said Genji.

“...it’s beautiful,” said Mercy, drawing more of it from the box and letting it drape over her forearms as she looked at it more fully. Voluminous sleeves fell over her arm as she spread the cloth out, “Oh--It’s a robe!” she said, her face lighting up.

“I do keep saying you should relax more,” said Genji, with a slight smirk, folding his arms. 

Mercy snorted and rolled her eyes before pressing the cloth to the side of her face, “It’s so soft,” she said, her voice half-muffled into the cloth, before her eyes opened. She blinked a few times and pulled the cloth away slightly, peering closer, “This pattern...” she started, squinting a little.

“It’s Omnicode,” said Genji, scooching closer, “Well--the textile, the words are woven into the pattern. So every cloth woven is unique and has its own message. It’s sort of like the lines of code from that pre-Crisis movie--you know, the one where they all dress in black and wear sunglasses and do Kung-fu and freeze in mid-air and--” He caught himself and gave a dismissive hand wave, “What I’m saying is,” pointed down a line that was slightly more orange than its surrounding threads. His finger trailed down the line of tiny squarish symbols that would fall over the heart if she were wearing the robe, “That’s your name, see? Angela Ziegler. And this character right here below it doesn’t quite translate to human language, but it means ‘Part of me,’” he pointed to other lines of Omnicode on the robe, “And--and a lot of this script here--and--here--and here, is from the letters we were sending each other.” He chuckled a little, “It’s really amazing to watch a Shambali Omnic weaver work--they’re trying to turn it into a sort of tourist thing up at the monastery, like, even if you aren’t interested in the Shambali’s message, you can still appreciate the craft, but being that far up in the Himalayas makes it hard to---” He had to cut himself off as Mercy braced one hand on his shoulder and cupped the other at his jawline to land a clumsy kiss on the corner of his mouth. He turned his head only slightly to course-correct and return the kiss more fully, his hand sliding up the back of her neck to weave into her hair. He could feel her breath puff with a slight laugh against his scars as she broke away, her arms still draped around him. 

“Um--” A short laugh escaped her, “Thank you--It’s--It’s beautiful, Genji,” she said, readjusting her glasses, “It’s really beautiful. And the letters--it’s... I love it.” 

“Look, I just called in a few favors and milked a couple yaks,” said Genji, with faux-humility, “I’m not the one who 3-D printed components for a 20-year-old game console.”

Mercy snickered and leaned on him amongst the wrinkled wrapping paper, “I’m just glad I didn’t panic and just grab that blender,” she said with a happy sigh. 

Genji perked up slightly.

“What?” said Mercy, looking up at him.

Genji just snickered and leaned his head on hers, “Nothing,” he said, smiling, “I love you.”

Mercy snorted. “I love you too,” she said, pressing the soft fabric of the robe against herself as she leaned right back on him.

[charincharge]

Cruel Summer, Part 15

cruel summer masterlist

AN: CW, some angst. SEE YA. 

Aelin wakes later than usual the next morning, feeling suitably sore in all the right places, and can’t help but smile. She rolls over and sniffs her pillow, which is still scented with faint traces of Rowan’s pine bodywash. And is then hit by the overwhelming scent of sex. Yikes.

She strips down and makes her way into the bathroom, turning on the shower. As the water heats up, Aelin takes a long hard look at herself in the mirror. Her hair is a mess – a flaxen haystack – and her turquoise eyes are bright. Her eyes wander down her naked body, and she lets her hands trace over the faded bruises still marking her hips. New bruises have appeared in new spots, these ones a delicious red-purple spotting across the pale skin of her breasts. Aelin grins. She looks thoroughly ravaged.

Aelin takes a long time in the shower, standing under the hot spray of the water, letting it pelt against her sore muscles and wash away any evidence of the night before.

By the time she makes it downstairs, it’s nearly noon. After pouring herself a large cup of coffee, she wanders out to the back patio, where her family is gathered. Aedion splashes in the pool with Gavin and Evie, while her parents stretch out on their favorite lounge chairs.

“Well, well,” Aedion calls out to his sister. “Look who finally deigned to join the living today.”

Aelin apologizes for sleeping in and sits at the outdoor table with Lysandra, who is enjoying her own cup of coffee.

“Late night?” Lysandra asks, her green eyes wide with curiosity.

“Yeah,” Aelin says, thinking briefly about the way Rowan’s mouth felt devouring her.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Lysandra asks, but Aelin is distracted by an incoming text from Rowan.

Am I coming to you tonight, or are you coming to me?

Aelin smiles down at her phone and replies quickly.

Not sure, but either way, we’ll both be coming tonight.

Rowan texts back the wide-eyes emoji, making Aelin laugh to herself. Lysandra leans closer to Aelin and lowers her voice. “How’s Rowan?”

Aelin snaps her head up. “Huh?”

Lysandra points to Aelin’s phone. “Oh come on, you can’t sext at the table and not expect me to say something.”

Blood pools in Aelin’s cheeks as she whispers back forcefully, “I am not sexting.”

Lysandra stares at Aelin, and Aelin stares right back, unwilling to break. Her pulse thrums, nerves spilling over. But Lysandra’s eyes bore into her, unwaveringly confident. Lysandra knows.

“How’d you know?” Aelin rushes out in a whispered hush.

Lysandra smirks and takes a long sip of her coffee. “I caught him coming out of your window last night.” Lysandra pauses at Aelin’s worried face. “Don’t worry. I’m the only one who knows.”

“You can’t tell Aedion,” Aelin begs.

Lysandra smiles warmly. “Don’t worry, Ae. I can keep a secret.” Aelin looses a breath she doesn’t realize she’s been holding. “He’s so cute, Aelin,” Lysandra says, and Aelin can’t help but smile in return.

“He is, isn’t he?”

Lysandra taps her long, manicured nails on the table and cocks her head to the side, examining Aelin, unnerving her.

“What’s that look for?” Aelin asks.

“Since I’m keeping such a hefty secret from my husband, I’d love if you’d do me a favor in return…”

Aelin’s eyes widen at her sister-in-law. “Are you extorting me?”

Lysandra snickers evilly. “Yes. For childcare.”

“Fine,” Aelin says, willing to do anything to have Lysandra keep this information to herself. “When?”

“Tonight?” Lysandra asks. “Aedion wants to take me out to dinner. I’m sure we’ll be done early. You can still see your boy toy after. Or during. I don’t care, honestly. As long as you don’t fuck on our couch.”

“With the kids in the house?” Aelin sputters, shocked. “I would never.”

Lysandra laughs loudly. “Oh, please. You did last night.”

Aelin can’t say anything in response to that because Lysandra is right. She totally did that. But still. She would never in her brother’s house.

Lysandra calls out to Aedion loudly, telling him to book their dinner. She tells her children that Auntie Ae is going to hang out with them tonight, and the kids cheer from the pool, warming Aelin’s heart. She does love spending time with her niece and nephew.

She immediately texts Rowan to tell him the updated plan. That she’s going to be babysitting at Aedion’s, but he’s welcome to join once he gets off work, then they can decide if they want to go back to Aelin’s or to Rowan’s from there.

Rowan sends back to thumbs up emojis. Aelin laughs. He must be in a good mood to be so active on text and to be using emojis so liberally. He’s usually the type of person who responds with a “K,” leaving Aelin completely unsatisfied and wondering where he stands. She likes that he seems to be opening up to her.

Stomach grumbling, Aelin goes back into the house to scour the fridge for whatever Emrys has left for them today. She finds leftover skirt steak and veggie rice. It’s not exactly breakfast, but Aelin is too hungry to care. As she waits for her plate to heat in the microwave, Aelin hears a knock at the door.

Aelin’s surprised to see Sam waiting on her front stoop, although she’s not sure why. This is the third time he’s done this. It’s practically routine for Sam to show up at her house unannounced these days.

“Hey, Sam…”

He flashes her a too-white smile and asks what she’s up to for the day. Aelin’s about to say that she’s having a family day when her mom appears from behind her. She spots Sam and welcomes him in, embracing him in a tight hug.

“I hope it’s okay that I stopped by, Evalin,” he says, so casually calling her mom by her first name. But Evalin doesn’t seem to care. She hurries him into the kitchen to offer him something to drink or eat. He politely declines, saying he just ate brunch and wanted to see what their household was up to.

Aelin grabs her plate of food and heads out to the back patio, where Sam introduces himself to Lysandra and Aedion and the kids.

Rhoe shakes his hand, telling him how nice it is to see him again, but Aelin notices her dad lies back down quickly and returns to his book, leaving Sam hanging slightly.

“So, I confess,” Sam begins. “I actually came here with ulterior motives.”

“Oh?” Evalin asks, leading him.

Sam turns to Aelin. “I was hoping I could take you out tonight, Aelin.”  

Evalin starts to say, “How wonderful!” when Aelin responds that she can’t.

“Sorry,” Aelin says, feeling anything but. “I already promised Lys and Aedion that I’d babysit for them tonight.”

Evalin looks like she’s about to offer herself up for babysitting when Rhoe smiles at his daughter. “That was very nice of you, Fireheart. I’m sure the kids are excited.” He looks at the two kids, still paddling in circles around Aedion in the pool. “What do you say, Evie, Gavin, you excited to spend tonight with your favorite Aunt?”

The kids cheer again, and Gavin starts babbling about how they have to watch Toy Story. Aelin smiles, thinking of the small Buzz Lightyear toy he carries around with him everywhere. Aelin shrugs at Sam, as if to say, you see?

But Sam isn’t deterred. “Well, I know you’ll all be at my party tomorrow night, but perhaps the following night?”

Everyone looks at Aelin, who is totally and utterly stuck. She has no real plans the night after next, unless wanting to see Rowan is a plan. Sam knows exactly what he’s doing, asking her in front of her mother, who is practically salivating at the idea of them getting together. She can’t say no without publicly rejecting him in front of a large group of people and making things incredibly awkward.

“Sure…” she replies reluctantly, and Sam and her mother wear matching beaming smiles in response. Aelin has no clue how she’s going to clear this one with Rowan. She figures she’ll talk to him about it tonight, though. Hopefully she can convince him it’s not a big deal.

After securing his date, Sam stays and chats with Evalin about the plans for his big yacht party. For much too long. Aelin feels like he’s overstaying his welcome, but Evalin engages in conversation with him the entire time. It helps that Evalin is a known event planner, and she is quick to offer any assistance he might need. Sam thanks her graciously, but says he has it handled, and he can’t wait to see them all tomorrow.

As Sam leaves, Evalin can’t help but gush at her daughter. “He is so sweet, isn’t he?”

Aelin gives a weak smile to her mom and spends the rest of the afternoon in the music room, playing through her piano book, trying to relax herself. It doesn’t work.

At five, Lysandra and Aedion pile their family into their car and drag Aelin with them the short drive to their own house. It’s not as grandiose as the Ashryver Estate, more of a small beach cottage in a less expensive part of town. But it’s warm and homey and cozy, and Aelin loves it.

As Gavin and Evie are sent upstairs for their showers, Aelin puts in an order for pizza. She texts Rowan what he likes on a pizza, and tells him she’ll save him some. He replies that he likes spinach, mushrooms and olives. Aelin sends him back a vomit emoji and tells him he only gets a quarter with those gross toppings. Aelin orders the rest with cheese and pepperoni.

Lysandra and Aedion come back down, looking ready for their date, and Aelin can’t help but smile at her sibling. He looks so excited to take his wife out on the town. She doesn’t blame her. Lysandra looks gorgeous in a slinky green dress that makes her eyes pop.

“Have fun you two,” she says.

Lysandra smiles. “You, too.” She pauses and looks meaningfully at the couch. “But not too much fun.”

Aelin rolls her eyes and laughs. “Yeah, yeah. I know.”

She waves the parents out of the house and waits for Gavin and Evie to join her on the couch. She cues up Toy Story and texts Rowan the address for Aedion’s house.

Aelin smiles at the sound of pitter pattering coming down the stairs as Gavin and Evie jump onto the couch. They wear matching striped pajamas and smell like Johnson & Johnson kiddie shampoo. The doorbell rings right on time, and Aelin goes to grab the pizza.

She brings plates and a giant stack of napkins into the family room and hands out slices of pizza to the two kids, who look at her with wide eyes.

“We’re not allowed to eat on the couch!” Gavin whispers.

“It’s a special treat,” Aelin says. “Don’t tell your mom or dad.”

Gavin nods conspiratorially and takes a too large bite of his pizza. Evie giggles as she takes a daintier bite than her brother, but soon the giggles fade to make way for the movie, which they watch with rapt attention.

Gavin passes out about an hour into the movie, but Evie makes it all the way to the end, albeit with very sleepy eyes. Playing in the pool in the sun all day is more than enough to have the two of them turn in early.

Aelin carries Gavin up to his room and tucks him in without him even stirring in her arms. By the time she reaches Evie’s room, she’s tucked herself in. Aelin gives her a quick kiss and turns the lights off and heads back down to watch some TV.

She slides the back patio door and texts Rowan that she’s left it open for him, so he doesn’t have to ring the bell or knock and wake anyone up.

Aelin cleans up the leftover pizza, putting Rowan’s two slices into a ziplock baggie, and throws the dirty dishes into the dishwasher.

By the time she’s finished, she’s startled to hear the door open. Lysandra and Aedion fumble their keys, clearly tipsy, and trying to squash their giggling. Aelin glances at the clock – already 8:30. Rowan should be there any second.

Lysandra looks around her immaculate kitchen and hugs Aelin and kisses her soundly on the cheek. “You are the best.” She quirks an eyebrow. “Where’s Rowan?”

“Rowan?” Aedion asks. “Why would he be here?”

Lysandra waves her hand at her husband. “I told Aelin she could invite a friend over to keep her company.”

Aelin smiles, thankful for even a drunk Lysandra keeping her secret. “He actually should be getting here momentarily. He’s coming straight from work,” Aelin explains.

Aedion hums, clearly uninterested, and changes topics to Aelin’s least favorite. “So, are you excited to go on your date with Sam?” he asks.

“No, of course not,” Aelin bemoans her unfortunate situation. “Like I said yesterday. We’re just friends.”

“Why?” Aedion asks. “He’s clearly into you.”

“Oh my god,” Lysandra bursts. “Because she’s obviously in love with Rowan!”

“Lysandra!” Aelin whisper yells at her sister-in-law, who slaps her hand over her loose lips. “You promised.”

“I’m sorry, Aelin,” Lysandra apologizes. “But sometimes your brother is so dumb.”

Aelin groans in frustration. She knows this is about to be a whole thing.

“Whoa, whoa whoa.” Aedion holds up his hand, needing clarification. “What?”

Aelin huffs. “So much for keeping secrets.” She pauses and glares at Lysandra, who, to her credit, looks incredibly apologetic. “First of all, I’m not in love with anyone.” She sighs and tugs at her hair. “We’re just… hanging out.”

Aedion’s eyes bug out of his head. “You’re fucking the staff?”

“Gods,” Aelin hisses. “I am not talking about this with you.”

She goes to gather Rowan’s plastic baggie of pizza from the kitchen, hoping they’ll be able to book it out of there as soon as he arrives.

“What is this?” Aedion asks, following her every step. “Some sort of porno fetish? Rich girl gets her rocks off with the gardener kind of thing?”

Aelin is nothing short of horrified at Aedion’s comment. She can’t believe he thinks that, much less verbalize it. Her face turns red as she splutters, “You did not just say that.”

“I mean, if the shoe fits…”

“Rowan is not our gardener, he works at the park!” Aelin says, and Aedion shrugs.

“Tomato, tom-ah-to.”

Lysandra slaps Aedion’s arm. “Don’t be a jerk.” Lysandra looks back at Aelin, who is standing defensively, arms crossed over her chest, glaring at her brother. “I think Rowan is great.” She pokes her husband again. “And whoever Aelin wants to be with is no one’s business but hers. And having a trust fund doesn’t make you a worthy human, or did you forget that I had to bartend my way through college?”

Aedion rubs Lysandra’s arm and coos, “Babe...”

But Lysandra has had enough. “Don’t babe me,” she snaps. “You were going to get laid tonight, but now I think I’m going to head out to the hot tub by myself, you snob.”

“Babe,” Aedion apologizes. “Don’t be like that. I’m sorry.”

“I’m not the one who needs an apology,” Lysandra says, her glare stern.

“I’m sorry,” Aedion grumbles at Aelin. “I didn’t mean that. I was just…surprised. Mom and Dad—”

Aelin gasps, panicked. “You can’t tell them, Aed. They would not be okay with it. And it’s just for the summer. It’ll be over in a few weeks, and you’ll never hear the name Rowan again. There’s no need to tell them, right?”

Aedion sighs. “Fine.”

Aelin exhales. “Thank you.” She looks at the pizza in her hand and back at the clock, which now reads 8:45 PM. Still no Rowan. “I’m going to wait out front for Rowan.” She says resolutely. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Aelin makes her way out to the front steps and texts Rowan that she’ll wait for him out front, so not to worry about the back door anymore. She sits up straighter when she sees a flash of headlights but deflates when they keep driving straight and don’t turn into the driveway.

Aelin sits on the front stoop to wait. She shifts uncomfortably, trying to push down the horrible things Aedion said and focus on the night ahead. She’s still excited to see Rowan, despite what her family clearly thinks of him. Aelin stares into the darkness, willing more headlights to come, but they never do. She finally glances at the time. A full hour has passed, and she still hasn’t heard from Rowan.

Hey, where are you? She texts him. There’s no reply.

And after another fifteen minutes of waiting, Aelin’s stomach sinks. Rowan isn’t coming. And she has no ride home.

Aelin makes her way around to the back of the house, where the kitchen door is still open. She sneaks inside and Lysandra yelps when she sees her walk into the family room.

“Aelin, gods, you scared me,” she gasps. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Aelin bites her lip. “Uh, are you sober enough to give me a ride home?” Her voice cracks, and she hates how pathetic she sounds.

“Sure…” Lysandra says. She knows Lysandra wants to ask her wha happened, but Aelin shakes her head. She doesn’t want to talk about it. She clearly got blown off.

Lysandra grabs the car keys and Aelin slides into the passenger seat. She drives her back home in complete silence. Aelin doesn’t even begin to know what she would say. When they arrive at the Estate, Lysandra grabs Aelin’s arm.

“Do you want me to drive through town? Maybe his car broke down or…”

“No, Lys, it’s fine.” Aelin sighs.

“It’s not.” She pauses. “And I’m sorry my drunk ass spilled your secret. I thought…” She sighs. “I forgot Aedion can be a total snob.”

Aelin waves her off, just wanting to escape the car. It’s been a long, weird day, and she just wants it to be over. Lysandra wishes her goodbye and tells her it’ll be okay, but Aelin feels less certain than ever.

Aelin takes her time showering for the second time that day. This time, the hot water burns her skin and does nothing to help relax her.

She gets into bed and stares at her phone. As if she willed it to happen, it finally lights up with a text from Rowan.

Sorry. Got pulled out by the guys for drinks and my phone died. Home now. But I’ll see you tomorrow?

Aelin replies with a Rowan signature text, simply saying, “K.”

She gets under the covers and rolls over. Her pillow still smells of pine. Tears pool in the corners of her eyes and unwillingly spill over her cheek and onto the cushion beneath her head. She closes her eyes, hoping the ache in her chest will disappear quickly. When she wakes the next morning, her pillow is still damp and no longer smells like pine. Aelin cries again.

~*~*~*~*~

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[crispycrimebrulee]

🎄25 Days of HXH: Day 2: Leorio x Chestnuts🎄

The scent of myrrh and peppermint filled the house as you lit some candles, the gentle glow of the small flame giving a homey feeling to the dimly lit room. Walking over to the Christmas tree, you fixed some ornaments and tinsel that’d fallen off. Outside, the world looked precious and innocent, like a child on Christmas Eve, soft and full of joy waiting for gifts and Christmas day. Silken snow in small hills outside, a golden glow resting on them from overhead lamps in the streets. The lampposts were adorned with wreaths and lights, and nearby fences decorated with string lights as well. The entire neighborhood looked elegant; houses were decorated with lights outlining their houses and windows, faint golden and white glows lining a perfect frame into living rooms with Christmas trees, picturesque depictions of a classic Christmas, the entire street resembling a postcard of a small Christmas town in the Alps, perhaps. The neighborhood was quiet, registering a feeling that, despite having no true word, wrapped you with a feeling of nostalgia and calm, your heart creating a soothing rhythm within your chest, rendering your thoughts to reminisce of Christmas’ long since passed, and making your heart flutter thinking about Christmas’ yet to come. The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole

Taglist: @to-move-on-means-to-grow @lifescreams27 @twistedsmth @some-weeb-chick @dukinaxael @errorpeachy @demon-hugger @my-child-gaara @absolute-flaming-trash @yep-seeyalaterbranflakes

It was relatively late, 8pm, and the sky was dark and void, except for a few clouds, adding gray streaks to the sky above. Leorio was working a late night, yet you had a tendency to stay up for him, despite his objections to you staying up so late waiting for him. Sure, he’d voiced his genuine thoughts, finding it cute that you waited for him, but truly he was concerned about how much you were sleeping, and that it was very much okay if you went to bed when he was out late. You always declined, finding it to be no trouble waiting for him. He always brought something back for you, being a cookie, a small cake, a treat, a book or even a story when he couldn’t find anything physical. You always accepted whatever he brought for you, melting at the thought of him thinking of you throughout the day, to which when you confronted him about it, he blushed bright red and muttered something about how, of course he thinks of you, he loves you quite a lot. 

Strolling to the living room window, you leaned on the window sill, watching the occasional car pass by, the lights fading in and out. You almost missed Leorio’s car pulling into the driveway and you jumped up and ran to the front door, opening it without care for the cold, causing the candles in the back to dance from the small gust of wind. You waved to him, beaming ear to ear as he shuffled through some snow, making his way over to you. 

Seeing you with the door wide open, Leorio’s face was washed with concern.

“Jeez y/n close the door! You’re gonna get sick!” walking a little faster towards you in hopes that the door will be shut.

You could only giggle as you pulled him inside and shut the door, hugging him before he had a chance to set down his briefcase. He hugged you in return, letting his cheek rest against your head. You felt his heart flutter as you buried your face in his shoulder and sigh with content. 

“Miss me?” Leorio poked your side, hearing the taunting in his tone, making you look up at him, unafraid to hide it. You nodded, and he blushed, looking away from you, but not before placing a soft kiss on the top of your head. 

Pulling away from the hug, he set his briefcase down and walked over to the fireplace, looking at the pile of dry wood and shifted them around a bit with the fire poker. You watched him, occasionally glancing at him. He rarely uses the fireplace, always mentioning how it’s risky and if he falls asleep, it could be a hazard. 

“Hey y/n could you light the fire?” Leorio called out, walking towards the kitchen, pulling a small bag from his jacket pocket.

Humming a noise of acknowledgement you went on to find the lighter and fire starter, feeling slightly jilted about not having received a late night gift from Leorio. You had to shift some logs around so they fit nicely, and then you light the fire, slowly watching it come to life. The room had a soft orange glow, the scent of a good, cozy fire mixing with the scent of the candles, making you feel a bit drowsy. 

Leorio muttering about roasting things was what brought you out of your sleepy stance, piquing your interest, causing you to waddle over to him, peeking over his shoulder at the little bag on the counter. In his hand was a sizable bag of chestnuts and in the other hand, his phone, instructions on how to roast chestnuts in a fireplace written on the screen. Was...this the late night gift? 

Clearing your throat, Leorio turned to you, handing you a chestnut. You turned it this way and that, tapped it on the counter and shook it, hearing something inside.

“Uhh...how do I eat this…” muttering as you shake it again.

“Well we roast it first...that’s what google says.” Leorio answers, turning towards you, “I wanted to roast them with you...thought they’d make an interesting gift.”

You laughed a little, rolling the chestnut in your palm. He wanted to roast chestnuts with you, over the fireplace. As late night gifts go, this was the most interesting by far. Nothing short of classically Christmas-y either, seeing as multiple songs mention roasting chestnuts over an open fire. 

Grabbing tinfoil, you made a small bowl and poured the chestnuts in it, careful to close it with a small air pocket. Leorio looked at you, then at the tinfoil bowl, then back at you.

“How’d you know to do that?” poking at the bowl, rustling the chestnuts.

You shrugged, figuring there was no other way to roast them in the fireplace, seeing as it was relatively small, and using a frying pan or skillet would be dangerous. 

Walking over to the now impressive fire, you (somewhat haphazardly, seeing as you had no intention of sticking your hand in the flames) tossed the tinfoil ball in, and properly fixed it with the fire poker. 

Sitting down on the couch, you swung your legs up and nuzzled into the corner, patting the spot next to you for Leorio to join you. Of course, he obliged, slipping an arm around you as he watched the fire, the flames hazily reflecting in his eyes. You nestled yourself into the crook of his shoulder, making yourself comfortable on him. 

Eyes glued to the fireplace, the only thing that would break the silence was the fire crackling away, the occasional pop and spark of the flames bringing you out of your thoughts.

“Hmm...anything interesting happened today?” you asked, glancing at Leorio. 

Leorio sat there, thinking for a minute.

“A kid came in with an action figure stuck up his nose. And the same lady keeps coming in for flu shots. I’ve seen her 3 times the past 3 weeks…” Leorio pinched the bridge of his nose, exasperation written all over his face.

“Is that a problem?” looking up at him. Of course, multiple shots is indeed an issue, but you’d indulge him a little bit.

“Of course it’s an issue! You can’t keep taking shots like that! You only need the one once a year! Your body isn’t meant for the same shot in 3 weeks time, 3 times!” Leorio was waving his free hand about, clearly bothered by this lady’s actions.

“Maybe she’s coming to see you~” you sang, poking his ribs.

Leorio looked at you, flustered and incredulous.

“No way…” looking away from you, although you could see him considering this revelation silently.

“I mean, it’s hard to ignore such a cute doctor. I’d come to the doctors more often if it were you!” poking his ribs again, grinning.

“Ah hey cut it out, that’s...no…” Leorio was apple red at this rate, looking at everything but you.

Compliments always seemed to fluster him, and he never knew how to respond to them, and you took full advantage of being able to turn your boyfriend into a mushy mess with simple words and genuine compliments in his favor. 

“Maybe I have some competition now hmm?” poking him again, laughing all the while.

“Absolutely not!” he yelled, finally looking at you, “other people really...can’t compete with you…” trailing off again, the statement causing him to blush furiously and look away once more. 

Beaming, you pressed a kiss to his temple, making him huff lightly and quickly give you one in return. 

Completely distracted with Leorio’s antics and your own, you'd forgotten about the chestnuts roasting away, until you could smell them, sweet notes filling the air, but with a hint of...slightly burnt?

Practically flying out of your seat, you took a log mover and managed to take the chestnuts out of the fire, setting them down on a metal plate that held extra firewood. Running off to the kitchen to get a fork, you came back moments later, prying the tinfoil open to reveal slightly over roasted nuts, but still probably edible. Leorio came by you seconds later only to poke at the still hot chestnuts in the makeshift bowl. 

A few minutes later, they were cool enough to be peeled and eaten, but still warm enough for them to be enjoyable. Taking a few, you retreated to the couch in your original spot, and handed some to Leorio who inspected them before struggling to peel them, making him grumble in frustration. Peeling yours, you handed it to him and removed the one he was struggling with, and peeled that one too. Nibbling at it, it was soft, and incredibly sweet, but not in the sickening sense. It was sweeter than most nuts you’ve had, and softer as well. A little content hum left you as you enjoyed yours, and Leorio seemed quite happy as well. 

Spending the rest of the evening with Leorio, curled up on the couch indulging in a classic Christmas treat. Inside, warm and cozy with only soft conversation and comments, and the hiss of the fire to keep the silence at bay. Not that the silence was bad, per se. The silence was quaint, pulling together that serene feeling at the start of a perfect Christmas season. 

[tiny-smallest]

cruellest choir

Rating: T Characters: The Prince, Queen Vanessa Warnings: domestic violence since that’s what killed the Prince, as well as the lightest descriptions of sex and candid mention of the word but zero details about the act itself Description: It's a very old building. There are many pipes criss-crossing along the cellar ceiling, and they all make noise. The prince has known this house long enough to know what's in use based on which pipe is making noise.

It's how he knows what Vanessa is doing even from the cellar.

Also on AO3!

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Hi guess who has a new comfort character.

—

The manor was a lovingly tended-to building. Always clean, always bright. Whichever member of the royal family had this place built--and Luka, who once knew this by heart, struggled to remember the name around an ever-growing haze of agony, cold, and numbness--clearly knew what they were doing when they had the house designed.

A large, gorgeous house with expensive, tasteful furnishings to show off the status of the family, but small enough to feel homey and cozy. Luka had visited an aunt or two as a child with giant, sprawling places to get lost in, and while it was fun to explore, he could not imagine living in such a place. Big, maze-like homes were fun to explore, but to live in? Luka couldn't imagine having so much space just to show off your wealth. Why not invest that in better places? A home full of nice furniture was one thing, but to occupy so much land when you would use maybe a small percentage of it just felt wasteful.

His own family home was not as big as his aunt's, but still quite large. But for the fact that the big space allowed for places to hide from his parents' endless screaming matches, he'd have wished for something more homey.

Vanessa's manor was the first place he'd ever felt truly at home in- though he would attribute that more to Vanessa herself rather than just the house. Her mother certainly hadn't made it feel like a home, the way her cold, ruthless eyes watched him anytime he so much as breathed near her daughter, the way she would cower and shiver in on herself when the queen's attention was drawn to her, but Vanessa had brought light and love to the place; the girl glowed whenever he stepped inside to see her, and would usher him into the kitchen to taste-test whatever new adventure she was attempting at the stove; her cookies were just the most heavenly thing to ever hit his tongue, and he was happy to try whatever she was testing at the time of his visit, especially since odds were he could stay far longer than taste-testing would actually require, and fill her time waiting for dough to rise or cookies to bake with conversation instead of forcing her to endure the wait alone.

The one silver lining of the queen was her ailing health; as heartless and cruel as Luka felt to think that, it was true that due to her fragility, she spent most of her time in her room, in her wheelchair, away from everyone else. So long as she remained in that room in her bitterness, the two of them could pass the hours however they liked, and always in bliss.

He tried, once, to coax the queen to join them. Just once. It ended with a slap to his face and a low, cold threat towards her daughter. He never tried again after that.

A week later the queen was discovered dead at the bottom of the stairs, wheelchair overturned at her side. Unnerving, but Luka couldn't pretend he was exactly... sorry.

It made him wonder if he was a bad person.

Vanessa was far more important, though- for all the clashes they'd had, this was her mother. He knew the complicated feelings that came with burying a parent who acted the way that woman did. For many hours they sat together in the attic observatory, in the armchairs by the telescope, and he held her.

It had been many months since the present-day Luka had seen that room, but he could still recall it clearly, especially as it was on that day. Vanessa, all in black, silent as the grave her mother would be lowered into, lay in his arms as he held her. The sun shone brightly that day through the many windows. He remembered the dust motes floating in the sunlight. Remembered thinking how many joyful hours they'd spent in this room, her seated in this same armchair watching him watch the stars, and wondering if this place would be forever tainted by the memory of what was happening at that very moment.

Remembered the moment the advisor stepped in and told Vanessa she would become the new queen, and how terrified she was.

Of course, she needn't be crowned right away, and she quickly agreed to wait a year or more to recover. Luka didn't mind. The queen's death was not entirely unexpected- little by little, the ailing monarch's duties had been transferred to Vanessa, but it so overwhelmed her that Luka quietly stepped in to handle them instead. This would mostly be business as usual, except now with the queen gone, they had the breathing room to think about where to go from here.

The bedroom came to mind. Luka of the present day watched his breath fog in front of him and let his sluggish thoughts step from the memory of the observatory and that day into the bedroom he moved into on the day he came to live with his betrothed. It was a gorgeous room and he instantly felt more at home there than he ever had in the place he was raised in. There was the cozy bed he missed dearly right now, the bedspread with stars and moons on it, and the comfy armchair, and the several bookshelves. The lovely wardrobe. The shelf he stored his violin on, and the cabinet in which he stored his paints and other art supplies. The neat little fireplace, the mantle of which he decorated with the presents his love had given him. The clothesline he eventually rigged from which to hang his paintings as they dried. The desk he spent so much of his life at as he worked to maintain the kingdom. He wrote out his application to school at that desk. He was so excited to send it off and more excited still to get a letter of acceptance back.

He spent so many nights in that room, dreaming, writing, playing, painting. So many nights spent reading. Vanessa was below him and upon hearing how miserable she was at night he took two cans and a string and rigged a tin can telephone for them and sent the other end down to dangle at her window.

Oh, the nights they spent talking until dawn. Sometimes he fell asleep, and the can would nearly slip from his grasp to fall out the window. She berated him for that, but he understood why. God help them if her mother caught them doing this. The can didn't need to risk banging against something and waking anyone.

He was always messing up, though. Maybe that was why he wanted to go to law school so terribly. Besides just the fact that he desperately needed to understand law better to handle the kingdom, besides just the fact that the passion to protect the innocent burned through his being, besides just the passion for understanding how things were run, itself... it would be nice if he could actually become a lawyer, and prove he was up to any task regardless how grueling it was.

The room below, though...

He thought about the bedroom he moved into after the queen's death, his beloved's room. Vanessa was frightened at first even though she wanted it, but when Luka stepped in and threw himself on the bed and rolled himself into a blanket burrito she broke into soft little giggles and tentatively followed him. It wasn't long before her room became their room.

Technically it wasn't proper for him to move in there until they were married, but despite Vanessa's fears, nobody seemed inclined to pick a fight with the young couple and Luka was relieved. Their wedding was inevitable anyway, so it wasn't like either of them were leading the other on. You would have to be blind or denser than a brick to not see how in love they were. Luka loved calling Vanessa 'my future wife' whenever he had the opportunity, and oftentimes to random strangers, just to feel the rush of love and joy it brought him and, if she were nearby, hers as well.

Fiancé. He had a fiancé. It had left him feeling like floating away.

How far away that seemed now.

The bed was soft and warm and big, and they reveled in curling into each other, bodies folded against one another like they were puzzle pieces meant to fit. Sometimes he would wake up and she would be so beautiful against him he could scarcely breathe.

And he got to do that every single morning, and would for the rest of their lives. There was no queen anymore to insist they stay apart and not touch each other too long.

Maybe it was that woman's obvious disdain for them both and their relationship and her ironclad belief they were off having sex behind her back every single second, but the second she was gone and the fear of their physical safety was off the table the topic had shyly come up. He truly no longer remembered if it was his or her idea but it turned out that the master bedroom with a lock that actually worked (he suspected the lock on his bedroom was broken for not innocent reasons) was good for more than just the mundane sweetness of sharing a sleeping space. It turned out to also be a great place for privacy to ensure their spiteful foray into something a touch more spicy stayed between them.

Why not? The dead queen had done everything she could short of ordering his imprisonment or death to keep them apart, had at every turn sneered her belief that his thoughts were lecherous and disgusting. How could anyone want her daughter but for her body?

Well, excuse you, ma'am. He wanted her for everything she was and spent his life proving it to her.

Oh, did he ever spend his life proving it to her.

If her mother was going to be so sure she was a floozy and he was a creep, and now she was dead and unable to harm them, what was the wrong in enjoying each other in every way they could? They'd be married soon enough. Didn't they want each other?

And... yes. He did. He wanted her so badly. In every aspect, every way; he wanted to get drunk on her presence until he was dizzy with it. Every part of his body screamed for want of her but in that moment it gathered mostly between his legs, and she felt the same, so why not indulge?

At the time it was the most frightening thing he'd ever done. It wasn't perfect. Vanessa was disappointed it wasn't like the fairytales and was very candid about what he did wrong. He was disappointed and upset that she was, that he hadn't been good enough to give her this.

Funny, how a memory can latch onto a room like that. That night was the first night that room didn't feel like home, her presence or no. Many times they allowed themselves to act on the things they felt in that room ended with him feeling like that; even with all of his love for her, that was one thing he couldn't seem to do right.

A weak laugh cracked free of his throat, puffed upwards in warmth and breath that he couldn't afford to spare. It would seem there were many things he couldn't do right. Why did he fail so terribly at love? He felt it so strongly that doing it should be so easy, but if he was any good at it, none of this would have happened.

If he was any good at loving her, she wouldn't always be so afraid he'd leave. He would not be down here right now.

A pipe above him groaned. The bathroom, he thought idly. His thoughts wandered with the pipe, remembering that big beautiful bathroom. He had been surprised by the size of that bathtub, but it didn't exactly take much adjustment to grow used to it. Maybe he didn't like wasteful, but that didn't mean he would refuse to indulge in a few choice luxuries, and sometimes after hunching over a desk for twelve hours he needed a hot bath and wanted to stretch out in it.

Vanessa preferred showers. He liked them too, but not nearly as long as she did. She would happily spend a whole hour just under the water, never mind the time needed to do the other things, regardless of what she might be late for if she did that. He once teased her for it, a giggling little Trying to boil yourself alive, again, are we? I know they're not fun but the daily briefings aren't that bad.

He didn't make that mistake again.

After he moved into Vanessa's room she, and he remembered this was her idea, floated the idea of taking a bath together. It was magical; in fact he'd argue it was better than the sex. It certainly ended with him feeling happier; he didn't mess up with this one. She was nearly comatose with happy beneath his touch as he washed her hair, massaging her scalp in small circles, carefully making his way through her long, golden tresses.

When she was happy, so was he. Watching her melt so readily beneath his hand and smile with sleepy love up at him may as well have turned his heart into a butterfly for how much it fluttered in his chest.

The pipe of the present drew him from his dozing dream, the hazy memories and near-sleep popping like the soap suds of long ago. He hung there for a few minutes in cruel reality once more, wishing he could fall back into a haze but unable to ignore the constant itch at the back of his mind.

That's the bathroom. The actual realization hit with a dropping of his stomach; he suddenly felt far more awake than he wanted to, even with exhaustion pulling on every part of him. There was only one reason the pipe for the bathroom's water would keep making that sound.

She's taking a shower.

She is taking a shower while I-

Something tore from his throat. He thought he had run out of tears hours ago, or maybe longer, but the cold wet tracks on his face proved him wrong. His breath fogged in front of him with his weak sobs, his chest aching from the inside out. Upstairs, a very different kind of fog would be filling the room he had once shared with her.

The pipe continued to sing, a haunting chorus that felt like it was growing louder and louder, drowning out his pitiful weeping until it silenced all together as he was pulled quietly, mercifully, into the soft blackness of unconsciousness.

[2manyfandoms2count]

Friends who cook together...

I saw today's prompt for @auyeahaugust (College AU) and thought it would be the perfect opportunity to share the beginning of this fic I've been working on!

It's actually based on @e-milieeee's post, I couldn't resist the cooking trope 😬

Hope you enjoy!

Read on AO3 (gasp)

---

Lesson 1: Ratatouille

Adrien Agreste was the perfect man. Good-looking, hard-working, charming, he was the prime example of the son-in-law every parent wanted, and the people his age who didn't want to be him wanted to date him.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng wouldn't deny she might be classified in the latter category, although less so than when she was younger. She was good friends with the model now. Voluntarily so. You didn’t fight and defeat Paris’ number one villains for years, growing from a teenager into a young adult together, without getting close. Their respective crushes on each other had faded over time, but it didn’t mean they would’ve said no if all the circumstances aligned, although they wouldn’t have admitted it out loud.

The one thing Adrien Agreste wasn’t, though, was a good cook. Not that he didn’t have everything he could possibly need in his kitchen. The apartment he now lived in, although a huge step down from the Mansion that had once been his home (but what wouldn’t be), was still a lot bigger, and a lot more comfortable than what a normal student should have been able to afford.

It was a lot better equipped, too.

Marinette had told him the contractors were abusing his trust by installing things that were way more expensive than they ought to be, knowing he wouldn’t double check, but he’d waved her concerns away. With his father’s demise, he’d just wanted to move out as quickly as possible to avoid the crowds of paparazzi, and if signing a very large cheque could provide him with the knowledge the workers wouldn’t blab, then so be it. He couldn’t bring himself to sell the Mansion despite the knowledge it had been Hawkmoth’s lair the whole time -there were too many memories associated with his mother there- but he’d had some offers to rent it out for movie settings which would definitely cover the costs of keeping it, as well as his rent. He’d looked into his finances and put all the money he’d earned as a model in a bank account, and donated the rest to a fund to help Akuma victims. There was no way he was keeping his father’s dirty money when so many people had suffered at his hands.

Since then, Adrien had fallen into a nice little routine as he moved from Lycée to University. He made the most of his freedom by exploring every nook and cranny of Paris without anyone being able to say anything about it. No curfews, no limitations, but for his own tiredness and others’ private property, of course.

It left little time for him to learn basic cooking skills. He was often too tired to make anything when he came back from his nocturnal meanderings, so he went for the easy solution: food delivery. There were so many restaurants nearby he could’ve eaten something different every night for a month and still not have gone through all of the options. It was more diverse than anything he’d ever eaten, and it suited him just fine.

Little did he know that this habit would be disrupted by his best friend moving in next door.

Marinette had been looking for a new flat. Not that she didn’t enjoy living with her parents, but she found herself wanting a little more privacy now that she was at University. The reveal that she was Ladybug had brought a lot of attention to the Tom and Sabine bakery, which was good, but a lot of it was journalists prowling around in the hopes of getting an exclusive interview with her. She was tired of being pretty much mauled anytime she left the house, and although she could easily leave via the rooftops as Ladybug, she refused to let them dictate how and when she could get in and out. Which is why, when she’d seen the words “à louer” on a window of Adrien’s building as she visited him for their weekly game night, she didn’t think twice about calling the number. Adrien had been a step ahead of her, so the owners were expecting her call. A week later, she had officially moved into the flat across from his.

She hadn’t paid much attention to his habits at first. She was too busy settling in, and with all the planned evenings with Nino and Alya, plus the ones with the Miracuclass students who remained in Paris, she didn’t see how late he came back at night, and ordering in didn’t seem out of place. What better than a pizza for poker night? Or sushi for movie night? It was easy .

As winter settled in, though, and nights out dwindled to once every fortnight, she noticed the ballet of scooters and bikes that came almost at a fixed time every night. Generally when she was about to fall asleep, doing a grand job at waking her up. Groggily stalking up to the window one evening, she’d noticed Adrien meet the delivery person as he came back from wherever he’d been, paying his due and coming up. She’d dismissed it due to midterm season approaching, but exams had come and gone and things hadn’t changed. She kept an eye out, and after two additional weeks of seeing Adrien collect a brown paper bag, knowing fully well that he ate a sandwich every midday thanks to her father’s well-meaning gossip, she’d decided to take action. She couldn’t let her partner have such a questionable diet.

“What's it going to be tonight?” She asked, leaning arms crossed against her door frame one night as he appeared on the landing.

Adrien froze at the top of the stairs and looked at her like a deer caught in headlights.

“Er…“ He raked his mind for something, anything that would sound even remotely healthy, but nothing came. He sighed defeatedly. “None pizza with left beef.” He mumbled, his head lowered guiltily. He’d seen the meme the night before, and had wanted to try it out.

“What?”

He repeated a little louder.

“Okay that’s it, you’re coming over to my place for dinner.”

He knew from her tone of voice there’d be no arguing with her, so he sheepishly followed her inside her flat, still clutching his pizza box. He wasn’t too unhappy about the outcome, if he was honest. Marinette was a good cook. He’d have a nice meal tonight.

“What about the pizza?” He asked weakly.

“We can use it as… bread, or something.” The girl suggested, crinkling her nose at the thought. For someone who came from a long line of bakers and was part Italian, calling the contents of the box pizza or even bread seemed inherently wrong.

Adrien trailed a little behind her as she walked towards her kitchen, marveling at what she’d done with the place.

Marinette’s apartment mirrored his in terms of structure, but whereas his decoration was very minimalistic, hers was a lot more eclectic, without looking cluttered. Her furniture wasn’t a set, yet fit together very well and gave the space a cozy feel. The painted walls, as well as the coloured posters, curtains, rugs and cushions made it feel very homey. He wanted nothing more than sit on her sofa and snuggle under the knitted blanket with her to watch a movie.

Platonically, of course.

Adrien walked into the kitchen and was greeted by the pastel yellow of the walls and warm lighting. Her utensils provided nice splashes of colour that brightened up the room. He particularly appreciated the Ladybug-themed colander that was drying next to the sink.

“If you look in that bottom draw,” she indicated with her foot before reaching for a jar of dried rice in a cupboard, “you should find some saucepans, if you could take two out please, Chaton.”

He obliged, resisting the temptation to lift her up to help her. He knew she wouldn't appreciate it.

“Can I put you in charge of cooking the rice?” She asked, handing him the packet. Adrien accepted it but looked at her quizzically.

“Sure!” He replied excitedly. “Do you have the instructions anywhere?”

Marinette stopped in the middle of washing vegetables she’d taken out of the fridge and squinted her eyes as she gauged whether or not he was joking. He seemed genuinely at loss for what to do.

“Have you never prepared rice before?”

“No?”

“It’s like pasta.” His clueless face made her sigh defeatedly. “You’ve never made pasta either, haven’t you.”

“Does instant ramen count? Or pasta boxes?” He flinched slightly.

“How you’re still alive and actually fit is beyond me.” She rolled her eyes. “Right, I guess we really are starting with the basics then. Consider this lesson number one: pour some water in that saucepan.”

She moved away from the sink to allow him to access it, but stayed close enough to be able to turn the tap off for him. He clearly had no idea of how much water was needed.

“Right, now put the saucepan on the hob, and turn it on.” She saw a smirk spread on his face. “And don’t even think about making a joke, I know what it sounded like!”

“You’re no fun, Buguinette.” He pouted, pressing the button she indicated.

“Add a little salt, and then we’ll just let it come to a boil.”

Next, she handed him a chopping board and tomatoes. She hesitated before giving him a knife. “Can I trust you not to cut yourself?”

“Har har.” He grabbed the knife. “Joke’s on you, because salad is actually the only thing I know how to make. How do you want these?”

She resisted making a comment on how knowing how to make salad wasn't something he really could brag about. “Sliced. We’re making ratatouille.”

“Ooh, nice!”

He listened as she talked him through the recipe, impressed by the fact she didn’t need a cookbook to remember how to prepare it. She taught him how to prepare an aubergine, which he could recognise thanks to the emoji, but could not imagine how to bring to an edible form.

“We just want to sear them in some oil with the courgettes, then we’ll let them cook gently with the rest of the vegetables and the herbs.”

He’d been quite dainty on the amount of herbes de Provence he’d added, which had prompted her taking his hand and shaking the spice pot to cover the tomatoes with it.

He looked at her concentrated expression as she stirred the pan and couldn’t help but smile, his hand still hovering above the hob.

Marinette looked at him inquisitively. “What?”

“Nothing.” She raised her eyebrows. “I just forgot how cute you are when you’re bossy.”

Marinette stammered in response, her cheeks pinking. It didn't matter how at ease she felt with Adrien now, she still couldn't take a compliment from him. He grinned and took advantage of her distraction to steal the wooden spoon from her and taste the dish.

“Authorisation to add a little salt?” He asked, refilling the spoon with ratatouille for her.

She took it, trying not to focus on the fact his lips had been just where hers were. She let the flavours flood her palet thoughtfully.

"Authorisation granted."

She smiled fondly as Adrien excitedly added missing spices to the mix.

"See? I am a competent cook!" He added with a satisfied smile.

"Please, you're barely a sous-chef." Marinette snorted. She backtracked her slightly harsh words seeing her partner's pout. "Don't worry though, you'll get the hang of it! It's just a question of practising." She rubbed his back encouragingly. "Would making the plates pretty make you feel better?"

"I think so." He mock sniffled.

Marinette made a point of taking out her Chat Noir plates, which she'd been planning on keeping for special occasions. The way Adrien's face lit up upon seeing them made the fact they were her only dishes that couldn't be dishwashed seem irrelevant. Adrien made a mental note to try and find matching Ladybug ones, although he wasn't sure if he would be gifting them to her or keeping them for himself.

Marinette busied herself with tidying up the kitchen and laying the cutlery as he worked on the presentation. Had her phone been nearby, she would've taken a picture of him as he blepped in concentration.

"Does this look good enough for Madame la Chef ?" He asked as he presented the plates to her. He'd positioned the vegetables around the rice so as to make it look like a flower.

"It's perfect, Chaton." She kissed the top of his head as she passed behind him with a packet of smoked ham. She rolled the slices into little roses and planted them in the rice.

"A table?" She asked as she finally sat down opposite him.

Adrien dug in before she could say bon appétit .

---

When Adrien came home from his morning run a couple of days later, a fresh croissant in hand, he found a conscientiously wrapped package on his doormat. The black polka dots on the field of red were a dead giveaway as to who it was from. He grinned as he picked it up and opened the door.

Breakfast and washed hands later, he sat on his couch, facing the present. He was torn between tearing the wrapping, or being civilised about it. Before he could choose, Plagg flew nearby and obeyed his cat instincts, swiftly disappearing back into his Camembert cabinet with a grin to avoid his holder's reprimands.

"Je sais cuisiner." He read the title and laughed, holding the book in front of him. It was an old edition, a yellow hardback with a picture of the author on the cover.

A post-it note stuck out from the top of the book. He opened it to get to the bookmarked recipe.

For Adrien - saw this and thought of you! Since you're so keen on instructions, this might do the trick! Feel free to use it often ;-)

Love, Marinette

P.S.: I suggest we try this recipe next!

Adrien read through the page, and felt his stomach grumble. He was very pleased at the thought that something had reminded her of him and that she'd bought it for him. The "love" and the fact she was obviously looking forward to repeating their cooking experience were added bonuses.

He himself could hardly wait.

[cromwellharvests-a]

the move to Central City was a pretty big deal after Easy’s certification. while her family has always done well enough for themselves, their farming business run to a humble profit and general comfort for their family, they aren’t abundantly wealthy, by any means (having invested most excess money back into their town). she’d always been paid fairly by her family for her contributions growing up, but it still pretty much drained her savings to buy the nice little house in the capital that she did. she considered a lot of options before settling on her eventual choice, to boot; if she was going to invest all her hard earned wages ‘til this point into something, it’d better be worth it (and far too many of the properties she first looked at had no good space for a garden).

‘til that point, at age twenty, she had always lived in a house with at least four other people. sure, she had her own room for the vast majority of it, being he only girl-child to the Cromwell brood, and she loves her family very dearly so it’s not as if she was unhappy living at home... but it is thrilling, in it’s own way, when she moves into her own house. prone to loneliness? sure. but to experience that kind of privacy and the freedom to adorn her house as she saw fit was more than exciting enough to compensate for some of that, in the beginning.

her greystone came with some basic furnishings, things the previous owner didn’t want to deal with moving out of the home— the bedframes in both the master and guest bedroom, a large dresser, a single settee in the living room and the big dining room table and chairs to go with it— but otherwise, it was empty. bringing any furnishings from home was reasoned to be too much of a hassle; Easy brought her wardrobe of carefully tailored clothes, notes, notebooks, & other assorted research, and a couple boxes of personal affects with her, but nothing substantial aside. all this to say that, with the vast majority of her money on-hand having gone into the purchase of the place, it took a while to really start fleshing it out to feel like home. alchemists make good money, as we’ve established, so it wasn’t difficult persay, but it still took a few months of salary to make it look less like a typical bachelor(ette)-pad. 

nowadays, it feels very homey. decidedly non-minimalist, Easy’s house is full of carefully catered decorations, knick-knacks, books, and a lot of houseplants or flowers, never fully content in a room without some greenery. the colors are warm and inviting, rugs sprinkled about over hardwood floors to soften the feel underfoot, blankets draped over the backs of chairs, the arm of a sofa... it’s all very neatly done, in a way, but sways more toward cozy comfort than clean, refined lines. and though it’s not a common ‘sin’ she indulges, she's takes a fair amount of pride in her home. so long as she isn’t working herself into a fever for weeks at a time, it’s kept very clean and tidy.