#man i havent written for a prompt like this in ages

[morgmot]

You had learned in your time that the spirits of mortals were ones to watch when you woke. Through the millenia you'd seen all sorts and all types, malevolence and benevolence in equal measure.

They liked their cycles, these humans did, and you always enjoyed being awake when the wheel began to turn.

You flicked your tongue out, tasting the air and the resolve from the mortal before you.

"Tell me, little human," you kept your voice light and stay very still as the man knelt on the precipice between your lair and everything he's known, "do fight only for what you've lost? Is it enough?"

He looks up at you in those moment, his eyes filled with commitment to change and acceptance of death in the face of failure. You knew those eyes well, having seen them cycles past and knowing they can be found in cycles yet to come. You see his jaw tense, hear the conviction when he bites out, "it will be. It has to be."

You blink slowly, mostly for the show of it. Give him a chance to falter, a chance to reconsider. There was a power in having nothing to lose, to be certain, but if there truly is something to lose, anything left and it's a bit of a split on the results.

He stays firm, rounded pupils boring holes into slitted.

Nothing to lose indeed.

You raise your head, settling back from being poised to attack to a more civil state. If it's a ruse they picked the perfect actor, but you smell no backup beyond the cavern entrance, no further iron or steel or leather assaults your senses.

It's you and him, and it will be enough.

"Tell me, little mortal," you let a little more weight into your tone, enough gravity for him to feel the magnitude of the task he has set before the both of you, "who else is there?"

"The king's armies? I," he falters at this, "I know not their plans, only mobilization has-"

You can't help the laugh that rolls through your chest, the human paling at the sound, "I care not for your kings forces or numbers," it's a fact as simple as your existence: you are a dragon. Your will to overcome will be enough or it won't, but you can't yet be bothered. The king has inconvenienced you, certainly, but not to the point you would make your own moves against him. Eventually he'd tire of sending knights against you or the cost of training new knights would stop him, whichever happened first.

You continue to stare at the human until he meets your eyes once more, "I know my strength plenty. Yours, however," you ignored how he was compensating for some form of leg injury as you leaned in, "who else is there?"

His brow furrowed, "I am but one man, I... by myself I cannot face an army."

"No," you agreed, though the fire in his eyes didn't flicker or dim- if you'd told him to he would've. Curious indeed, but not what you asked, "you are just one man, but a man who scavenged armor and sword to climb a mountain with a bum leg to parlay with a dragon nonetheless. You had the resources, certainly, but who among you had the motives to try but for whatever reasons couldn't?"

You could see the glimmer in his eyes as he realized where you were going, "the king has enlisted across villages far and wide across the kingdom, he's taken from what should be winter stores for war rations, any who oppose-"

You huff, the sudden noise cutting him off, "good, you know the abstract. Make it specific. Find the people you speak of. This king certainly has not been maintaining relationships by the sound of it. Find them, take this," you flick a piece of your hoard to him, a simple necklace with an enchanted charm, "talk with them. Learn their stories, learn their plight, and bring them back to me."

He looked at the charm before he clasped the delicate chain around his neck, "how will I know when to return?"

You settle yourself back amidst your hoard, wings shoved back where you had them just comfortable enough before the human disrupted you, "you will. Trust yourself in this, you will," you pause in your settling, eyeing the human and purposely scattering a pouchworth of coins down the pile toward him, "for your trip. It might be a long one, make it last."

------

You doze easily enough after that, only awoken by two different knights challenging you for your hoard before your human returned.

You don't track well the changes mortals go through in their lives, too much of their forms are too similar and fleshy but you can tell the demeanor of your human is changed.

He has friends, now, for one. You can taste the same resolve in them that you could in your human.

All the better.

You crack an eye open as he strides to the entrance to the cave, a hitch in his step not hindering him from walking between the piles of your treasures with eyes that only kept to your form.

You raise yourself up in its own greeting, scattered coins and trinkets sliding as you free your wings from where you'd made yourself comfortable. You huff fondly, "you came back."

A nod, "I did."

You make a show of looking over him to where his party stands at the precipice, the threshold between your lair and everything they've known, "and you brought friends."

Another nod, "I did."

You lower your head to his level, "and will they stand by you? Through thick and thin?"

Nod, "they have before and will again."

You look past him, eye boring into each in turn- a woman, an elder, a man missing an arm, a youngling who shouldn't know who they want to be yet- outcasts all, perhaps, but they didn't look away, "and will they approach?"

The woman approaches first, "I will," fiery eyed and chin held high. You can taste the ash around her, she was burned when hers were taken from her, and she would wield the fire toward those who wronged her.

"I will," the child next, they smelled not of abandonment but of being the survivor- a nest routed and the only one to escape the hounds. Justice from the shadows for the lost and the stolen.

The one armed man merely grunted. He was not to be left behind, strong of body and mind none would argue- but refusal to forge what was commanded? Met with the demand and punishment so he could never return to his trade and lose everything he had from it. He smelled of cold iron and hot coals, the two parted for the moment until he could reunite with those taken to march and his tools returned or reforged.

The elder's spirit did not falter, "I will." The grip on the cane was strong and sure where strides may not be. The scent of generations surrounded, of siblings and children and nieces and nephews and grandchildren all scattered to the winds for a war they did not believe in. The smell of home was one of longing, but what is a home without those you love and care for?

Each response and step further in committed to the cause, a match, a flicker, an ember. You looked to the human who came first, "and do you bring me their stories?"

"Theirs and more," he promised, reverently unclasping the light chain he still wore and holding the charm in his hand, "so many more."

Your eyes gleam in the light of the sunrise as you look at your returned treasure, "and? Do you have enough?"

He looked down to the charm, squeezing it in his grasp, "enough is enough."

------

They took them from me for the crime of opposing another meaningless war. I served before and once I was a lame Shepard that couldn't serve again they took them from me.

You could feel the humans holding on to your back like their lives depend on it as you soar through the skies toward the capital.

We told them our harvest wasn't enough to supply the rations yet, given time we could pay the tithe and have our stores for winter. Instead they took twice what they claimed we owed and burned the warehouse in an 'accident'. We lost many to the blaze and I lost everything.

You clasp the pendant in your grasp, each of the stories told to it swirling in your thoughts as you coast towards your goal.

Nobody cared for the war orphans so we cared for each other. We knew a little bit of everything and we covered what we could but apparently we were old enough to be put to work in a war band. We scattered but I was the only one who made it out. They have to still be alive, I'll get 'em out.

Every story in the pendant, a cacophony of voices and sorrows and rage, each a little flicker of tinder.

Tools can be remade but we were the family we chose and I won't leave them to be frontline fodder, not when they wouldn't leave me.

Ten flickers, twenty, a hundred, a thousand.

We were farmers, I learned from the generations before me and taught the generations that came after. We are people of the earth, not pointless bloodshed for the sake of ego.

Each story unique but the chorus of the same tone from thousands of lips with thousands of hearts praying for the same result.

We're dying, we're trapped, we can't stop this, we need help, we need out.

That could kindle the hottest dragonflame.

you are an ancient dragon, the king has sent many soldiers to slay you all have failed. Then one day a man with leather armor wielding an iron sword. You get into your fighting stance, he then speaks up and says “the king killed my family and everything I love, will you help me?”

[daedalusdavinci]

i dont really know who or how many people check my blog for updates on where im at with my writing and stuff but in honor of starting to come out of the fog im just going to like. level, really quick. writing is a personal affair intricately tied to what were coping with at the time so as i give updates for what i have planned im also going to talk about shit im going through so heres your warning now

you might have seen it in the a/n for brothers return for the whole ten seconds it was there before i backspaced it out of existence but a family member of mine died in october and writing- living, really- has been almost impossible since. its only just now starting to get easier.

we finally spread the ashes a couple weeks ago or so now and it feels. lighter, now. easier to breathe. i have his art hanging in my bedroom and im going to see my cousins again in a week and my foot is broken so i have all new things to focus on, and its. yknow. we move forward.

ive written a couple of things between now and october but looking at them they feel... short, and hollow, and i can tell i wasnt feeling what i was writing even though i convinced myself at the time that it was good enough. theres a very good chance ill try and rewrite brothers return and the second robin (i HATE those titles btw), because i feel like theyre fics that need to happen but its also. SO hard to write about resurrection when youre grieving?? lol??? like. someone in my life died and im never getting him back and now i have to put myself in dicks shoes where he DOES get jason back and its just. thats not easy, man. its suddenly become an almost impossible topic. but im hoping, now, that maybe i can finally reconnect with it and rewrite it in a way im actually satisfied with

snow day i will straight up be dubbing noncanon from now on. i doomed myself the second i wrote son of dent and made it so harvey and bruce have to not be dating the entire fucking time jasons a kid and ive managed to keep to that pretty well so far adn find wiggle room here and there but snow day was really. sldkjfnslkdnfsdf its a plot hole. its a huge plot hole. i wrote it because i wanted to write something that felt good not something that made sense and i SUCCEEDED but man does it not make sense. so im just gonna be striking it from the canon and keeping it up regardless.

moving into future fics, though. i dunno, man. i finally plotted out that detective au ive wanted to write for ages but its gonna be long and im scared to start it.

i did read all of damians preboot comics (or at least, the ones on the list i was given) (id read some before and ive read some n52 ones already so this was just filling in the last of the gaps (mostly his origin story)) and filled in the last of the preboot timeline (post jasons resurrection, idc about anything before that) so i feel prepared to write the next installment of the jdau, whatever that is, but i havent decided exactly what that is. itll probably be al ghul centric, tho. thats all i know tho! thats all i know

but i guess. keep your expectations low. im figuring things out. might reopen prompt requests soon tho, and im trying my absolute best

[thehermitsaltar]

Brush of the Lips

Requested by Anon: “Gallant takes Y/N out for a night on the town. Could you work prompt 4 from 50 kisses in there? "An accidental brush of lips following by a pause and going back for another, on purpose." Do you think you could make it a smut fic too?”

From this prompt list. X

Gallant x Male!Reader

Word Count: 2478

A/N: this was sent in and the person accidentally didnt do it on anon and wishes to remain secret so ima answer it like this:). also this turned into a whole ass fic (excuse the smut, i havent written smut in ages.)

The hot California air clung to Y/N like a skin tight suit. Which was mildly miserable considering he was already wearing a normal suit. One that his best friend had made him wear, because on first glance of his choice of clothes Gallant said- “I will not go out to a club with a drab, depressing accountant.” 

So with much fight, Y/N was now currently in one of Gallants more tame outfits. A simple maroon suit with black sequins accenting the lapel, all topped off with a floral shirt underneath. 

He had to admit that he looked pretty dashing in the suit. He was reaffirmed this by Gallant’s simple ‘wow’ upon seeing him. He even thought he saw a small blush creep up Gallant’s neck at the admission but he just blamed it on the summer heat.

Now here they were at one of the most popular clubs in LA. It was amazing how many people were waiting outside to get in. Not that they had to wait, because with one flick of his hand to the bodyguard, Gallant and Y/N were inside and bombarded by music and the smell of sweat.

Before Y/N could even fully process all the people and his surroundings- Gallant grabbed his hand and was pulling him toward the crowded bar. Upon arrival, they were mere inches from each other, before the blonde turned to the handsome bartender and ordered two Appletinis. 

“Gal, I don’t drink fruity drinks.” Y/N had to shout over the music so he could hear him. This made Gallant turn to him with a smirk.

“But darling, fruits are more fun.” 

Both men let out a laugh and soon received their green drinks. Before Y/N could even take a sip from the liquor, Gallant had once again, grabbed him and pulled him away. This time to talk with a group of strangers. They held themselves like celebrities but he didn’t really recognize them so he pegged them as just Gallant’s clients. 

Gallant bounced around the club, talked to many different groups of strangers as the pair progressively got more drunk- thanks to the nice waitress’ continuously bringing them different concoctions of alcohol. But through the whole endeavor Gallant never stopped touching Y/N. Be it an arm around the shoulder, hand on the small of his back or even straight up holding the others hand. Y/N wasn’t able to decipher if they were acts of affection or simply not wanting his friend to get lost. Either way, he savored every touch from the other man and hoped it wouldn’t end.

Finally Gallant pulled Y/N to a near by booth and took a seat with a huff. Unfortunately, there was only room enough for one. So like the drunken gentleman Y/N was, he stood next to the blonde and gently swayed while sipping his drink. 

“Wh-Why aren’t you sitting?” Gallant mumbled out through slurred words.

“Because there's other people here Gal.” Y/N giggled and pointed to the other guests at the booth. None of them seeming to notice the two friends. “I’m okay with standing.” 

Before Y/N’s intoxicated brain could understand what was happening, he was sitting on Gallant’s lap with the others arms wrapped tightly around his waist. It took him a second to realize the man had pulled him into his lap and he hadn’t fallen down.

“Gal, what are you-” 

Before Y/N could finish his sentence, he heard Gallant’s soft voice in his ear. 

“‘M sleepy.” 

“Let’s go home then.” Y/N tried to turn his head to look at him but was met with sweaty blonde hair. The sickly sweet scent of expensive shampoo and Gallant’s natural smell filled his nose. He couldn’t get enough of it.

He couldn’t savor the moment as much as he would have liked before he was on his feet again as fast as he’d been pulled down. 

“I fucking love this song!” 

Was all a drunken Gallant shouted before he was once again pulling Y/N somewhere. This time to the dance floor where all the other people in the club were amassed. 

His head spun from the lights and people dancing around him. It wasn’t unpleasant but he needed to hold onto something to keep from falling flat on his butt. The closest thing was Gallant. He grabbed him by the shoulders and was reciprocated with hands on his hips. 

“I thought you wanted to go home.” Y/N shouted, unaware of how close they really were. Their chests were inches apart like they had been at the bar. 

He couldn’t really focus on their proximity as he stared at the beautiful brown eyes that stared back. He was mesmerized, like he had been by Gallant countless times tonight. His focus shifted to Gallants pink lips as he opened them to say something. His words died in his throat when a random dancer bumped into the blonde, knocking him right into his friend.

Their bodies clashed but thank god Y/N kept them up right. He didn’t know how he didn’t drop, not just from the crash but from Gallant coming close enough to kiss him. Well actually they did briefly brush lips before Gallant steadied himself but didn’t move away. 

The kiss was replaying in Y/N’s head a thousand times already, even though it happened only moments ago. It was awkward and clumsy, barely even a kiss, but he felt his insides turn warm at the contact. He must have looked pretty stunned too by the way Gallant was smirking at him. 

He expected his friend to laugh or make fun of him but the last thing he expected was Gallant leaning in close and pressing their lips together again. 

It felt like a spark of electricity was exchanged between them in those few moments. Y/N couldn’t believe what was happening, he was to stunned to move until he felt the lips on his begin moving. He was quick to melt into the kiss, moving fluidly with Gallant like they had done this before, which technically wasn’t untrue. 

Before he could think, his body was moving for him. He moved his hand’s from  Gallants broad shoulders to his short platinum hair, threading it through his fingers and grasping it tight. 

Unfortunately, to Y/N’s dismay, the kiss came to an end as Gallant pulled back and leaned into his ear. 

“I think I wanna to go home now.” His hot breath fanned over Y/N’s neck and sent a shiver up his spine, one Gallant definitely took note of.

Y/N nodded and for the first time tonight, he was the one to grab Gallant’s hand and dragging him somewhere. He dragged him outside, which was a breath of fresh air compared to the crowded club. He couldn’t focus on that right now as he pulled the other man to a nearby taxi. 

“Where to?” The man behind the wheel asked.

Before Y/N could even mutter a word, Gallant was saying his address.

“Your house? Isn’t your grandma there?”

“She’s in Paris or Italy, I’m not sure, but she's not there to bother us.” Gallant finished his sentence by sliding a hand up Y/N’s thigh and inched closer to his crotch before stopping and pulling away completely. The other man let out a shameless whimper at the loss of contact.

The car ride couldn’t have been more then 10 minutes but it felt like an eternity with Gallants teasing touches. The only good thing about the drive was Y/N realizing he was sobering up exponentially, and it seemed Gallant was too.

They finally arrived to their destination and made their way to the mansion door quickly. Gallant fished the keys out his pocket and when he went to put them to the door, he felt his companion pushing against his back. He let out a shuddered breath as he felt Y/N’s hard cock between their clothes. It made his own cock ache for friction. Once he was able to focus again he pushed the key into the lock and swung the door open, quickly pulling Y/N inside and shutting it.

Gallant grabbed the other man and pushed him against the closest wall, before pushed his thigh right against Y/N’s cock and rubbed it at a rough pace.

“Such a needy boy, huh?” Gallants voice was gravely and low as he eyed the man below him.

“I could say the same thing about you.” Y/N huffed out a laugh before it was replaced with a loud moan as Gallant replaced his thigh with his skilled hand.

“Only bottoms are needy, darling-” He only paused to get closer to the writhing man, before speaking again. “-And it looks like that's you tonight.”

Y/N let out a heavy groan at the blondes words, each one more erotic then the last. He let his head fall back against the wall but was ripped away when Gallant grabbed his suit lapel and smashed their lips together. This kiss was more urgent and flustered then the last. Their need to feel each other growing.

Pretty soon, the maroon sports jacket was ripped off Y/N’s body and thrown to another part of the room. Then came Gallants lavender button up. Once his pale chest was revealed it was all over for Y/N. He pulled way from the kiss to focus his attention on the blondes skin. He was fixated on every bone and muscle in view. His neck was feverishly attacked by Gallant sucking and biting where ever he could reach, sure to leave marks.

His trance was broken by Gallant biting a certain spot on his neck. A moan ripped through him as his nails clawed down Gallants shoulders. He hadn’t meant to do it but god, he needed to do it more. As his rough nails made a trail down the others back, the man in question rutted his hips forward into nothing. 

“Do you like being marked Mr. Gallant?” Y/N teased between heavy breaths.

The man in turn, stopped his biting attack and lifted his head to look Y/N in the eyes. An absolutely feral look on his face and stuttered pants leaving his lips. It made Y/Ns teasing smirk drop and a flushed expression took over. 

“Only by you.” 

That was all the confirmation he needed before he ran his hands up Gallants chest gingerly, before roughly clawing them down to his belt. 

His chest quickly bloomed red splotches from arousal and nail marks. The sight alone almost made Y/N cum in his dress pants. From the sounds he was making, it looked like Gallant was about to cum without even being touched too.

Once his moans and delicious groans stopped, Gallant was quick to pull the other man to the big couch in the center of the living room. Pushing Y/N over the back so he was bent over in front of him. His clothed ass in view for only Gallant.

“I need you.” Was all he said before he started working on his own belt, dropping his pants quickly. 

Y/N in turn worked his own belt and pants off, along with his underwear. Now his bare ass was exposed to the cold air of the house. 

The man behind him let out a low moan and brought a hand over Y/N’s ass, gently cupping the smooth skin. Y/N shuddered at the skin on skin contact. It felt like his first time all over again, gentle and needy. 

He was pulled from his thoughts by Gallant roughly grabbing his shoulders and pulling him back against his chest. A soft hand crept up his side and up to his face as Gallant placed his digits on Y/N’s lips.

“Suck.” 

 Without another word Y/N opened his mouth and slipped the others fingers in. He sucked and lathered while committing the taste to memory. Before long Gallant pulled away and brought his newly wet fingers to Y/N’s ass. 

He made sure to go slow with the prep, not wanting to hurt his partner despite both their desire to be closer. Once Gallant finally felt he was ready, he pulled away completely.

“There should be a bottle of KY in the couch.” 

“What?” 

“I’m not going in dry-”

“Yeah I get that, but the couch?”

All Y/N was met with was a shrug from his partner. Letting out a small chuckle, he bent back over the couch and searched the cushions. Finally he pulled out a small bottle, that looked like it had never been used. He handed it back to Gallant and within an instant he felt him lined up at his hole.

Before he could react he felt Gallants cock slip in with ease. Thank god for prep because he was not small by any means. Once he was finally bottomed out, both men let out deep moans. 

The intensity of Gallant being inside Y/N was almost to much. Feeling every inch of his hard cock filling him to the brim. He tightened around the blonde without thinking and earned himself a hard thrust that took his breath away. Gallant took this as his sign to move and began thrusting at an unforgiving pace. 

Moans echoed through out the empty mansion, along with the sound of skin slapping on skin and the groans from the couch being fucked on. 

Before long Y/N felt his pleasure building. Building from Gallants ruthless cock, building from the strong arm across his chest holding him close, building from his own cock rubbing deliciously on the couch. 

“Gal I’m gonna-” 

Before Y/N could even finish his warning, Gallant was pulling him up from his bent over position. Bringing his back against his exposed chest and his mouth right next to Y/N’s ear. 

“Cum for me.”

Gallants command was all it took before Y/N shot his load onto the pristine couch in front of him. His high only accelerated by the feeling of Gallants hot cum shooting ropes inside him. Y/N’s legs would have given out if Gallant wasn’t still holding him up. 

Once the pair had calmed their ragged breaths Y/N began feeling soft kisses pepper his shoulder, causing a genuine smile to grace his face. He never wanted this moment to end. The feeling of Gallants hand gingerly rubbing his chest and his loving lips on his skin.

“Gal?”

The blonde only hummed out a response, too overwhelmed with bliss to be able to form a coherent response.

“I think I love you.”

Y/N’s words were quiet and he was afraid Gallant hadn’t heard him until he felt the other mans chest rumble with a chuckle.

“I think I love you too."

[spearxwind]

What's been your fave part (or multiple parts) of Sunless Sea? Any fave characters or monster or places?

Man I love the game sm in general, but my favorite part is 100% the writing. Theres so much of it, and every time i think im safe the game shows me a text box that just blows me away. I am still literally being haunted by the one interaction through which my captain became a cannibal like. That had no fucking business being that well written and I have massive respect for everyone in the writing department 

I havent delved too far into characters but i rly love maybe’s daughter shes really fun. For monsters I 100% am legally required to say the morrays are good (they are holding me hostage) and uh. also seeing the tree of ages for the first time made me scream out loud bc it was like -sailing directly down from aestival, which i love and is pleasant- “oh shit this place looks a little scary- WAUGH” 

but man. as for favorite places i rly couldnt say theres just SO MUCH. theres SO MANY PLACES and all of them have fantastic writer. aestival comes to mind first bc its so fun but so deeply ominous in such a pleasant way. its good. kingeaters castle is so unhinged like just seeing the text prompts there for the first time felt like i was suddenly in the wrong game.  Irem has a snake therefore it is good. the chelonate my beloved.... gaiders mourn and godfall are such a dope concept as well like. stalactite structures babeyyy. OH AND OFC THE GEODE AND THE DAWN MACHINE. I CANT NOT LOVE THEM

THE SUN. THE SUN. THE SUN. THE SUN.

[fluffi]

SNOW-COVERED KISS :: FELIX

pairing: felix x gn!reader

genre: 70% fluff, 30% angst, barista!felix, angst subplot

word count: 2k

author’s note: hi @constellynx! you knew already, but im your secret santa! you mightve deactivated by now (which im pissed at myself for not uploading sooner) but if you havent i hope you enjoy this! have a great new year :)

warnings: mentions of getting stood up

Maybe it was the fact that it was a Friday morning and you had no classes, or that you had walked past the cute little coffee shop on the corner of Avenue street twenty times this week, and you still hadn’t bothered to check it out. Nonetheless, you had the afternoon free today, and you were planning to spend it at Little Leaf Café.

“Welcome to Little Leaf! We hope you have a wonderful time here!” Chorused voices from employees at the café echoed as you opened the door to cold air and overlapping conversations.

It was a gorgeous café, you could tell why it was so popular. Plants of various colors were placed around the area -- hung from grids on the ceiling, on tables, growing on the sides of the walls. Not to mention the festive decorations — an assortment of green and red items meticulously placed around the café.

However, there was something...rather, someone, that was way more gorgeous than the entire café.

“Hello! How can I help you today?”

You were met with an ethereal face after lining up for what felt like ages. As soon as the last heart-struck girl left, an angel entered your line of view.

The sunny boy stood across the counter with a googly smile on his face. You noticed the way his eyes crinkled upwards, and how the apples of his cheeks turned a shade of baby pink when he saw you. He had a silver mullet that looked perfectly trimmed and maintained...you were tempted to run your hands through it. However, his contrasting baritone voice caught you off guard.

In shock and nervousness of talking to new (handsome) people, you completely messed up.

“Hi...I, um, anything? I’ll get anything?” You stuttered and internally facepalmed.

You just embarrassed yourself in front of a very cute boy, but he didn’t seem to notice. Rather, he didn’t seem to mind.

“Sure, I can give you some recommendations. Right now our xmas-special Peppermint Mocha is popular, but if I’m going to be honest, it’s not one of my favorites. I would recommend the Gingerbread Spiced Coffee, but it's your call.” He leaned over the counter and whispered, looking around to make sure his boss didn’t hear him.

As he leaned over to talk to you, you were able to see him clearer. He had glowing skin and his eyes sparkled in excitement, but it made you feel calm. You felt serene and happy looking into his dazzling brown orbs. 

Just then, said eyes blinked and squinted at you. That brought you down to Earth.

“Right, right! I’ll get whatever you said! The Singerbread Giced Coffee?” You nodded your head in panic before you realized what you just said.

“Uh, it's called the Gingerbread Spiced Coffee, but sure. Anything else?” He looked back at you after inputting your order with a teasing gleam in his eye.

“Nothing else. I’m sorry, I’m such a mess today!” You bowed in embarrassment and looked at your fidgeting fingers.

He chuckled. “Nothing to worry about. What’s your name?”

“Y/N. What’s yours?” You answered, before realizing that he only needed it to write your name on the plastic cup.

“Oh! I’ve never had anyone ask me my name before. It’s Felix.” He flashed another dazzling smile at you before handing you a table number.

Felix put your order on the pick up table and left to man the counter. Through your peripheral vision, however, you could catch him nervously glancing at you. Ignoring the rising butterflies in your stomach, you walked over to your reserved seat and placed your tray down.

Felix put your order on the pick up table and left to man the counter. Through your peripheral vision, however, you could catch him nervously glancing at you. Ignoring the rising butterflies in your stomach, you walked over to your reserved seat and placed your tray down.

Felix put your order on the pick up table and left to man the counter. Through your peripheral vision, however, you could catch him nervously glancing at you. Ignoring the rising butterflies in your stomach, you walked over to your reserved seat and placed your tray down.

However, as you were about to take a sip of your specially recommended drink, you glanced down and saw your receipt, with a specially written note on it.

Hi, Y/N. If you see this. Read my continued message on the serviette under your drink ;)

-felix

Your heart shuddered as you began to overthink pretty much every possibility that could happen between you and Felix. Maybe he wrote you a note to tell you that you were annoying? Maybe kind of weird? A little cuckoo? A bunch of mind-boggling thoughts started circulating your brain as you slowly flipped your serviette over.

Hi Y/N.

I know this seems like a really unconventional method, but I honestly don’t have the courage to ask someone out on a date in person hehe. Oops! I just said it...uh, would you want to go out with me on a date? I think you’re really cute and I love your personality! Also, um, you’re really pretty.

I was thinking that we can maybe meet at the 31st Bus Stop at 4pm? I have a shift till 3.30 so I could go there and meet you. We can plan everything else out later :3

If you’re already taken, that's alright! You can ignore this message. But do what you will with the information I gave you.

-felix the little leaf barista dude

Your face was in a dark shade of beet red as you looked up timidly and immediately locked eyes with Felix. You tried not to smile as you looked away and giggled shyly.

On Felix’s side, he had been staring at you ever since you took your order. When the two of you met eyes, his entire body froze, and he stopped what he was doing, dropping his half-washed cup into the sink.

“Dude, what are you doing, I- “ Bang Chan, his senior colleague and friend, followed Felix’s line of sight to you and chuckled slyly.

“In my opinion, the color of their face probably means that they’ll go out with you. Get back to work Lix, or you might not be able to see her later.” He nudged Felix’s side, prompting him to continue working. Felix looked up at Bang Chan in confusion and continued his work, still glancing at you occasionally.

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry. How can I help yo-oh. Oh.” Felix looked up at you smiling, still blessed with a tinge of pink across your cheeks.

“I should’ve given more context. Yes, I’ll go out with you tonight!” You didn’t know where you received this newfound confidence, but you were going to use all of it.

“Oh, really? That’s great! I’ll meet you there then. Be careful, okay? Can’t have you getting hurt before we have our first date.”

Once again you had melted into a puddle of nervousness. Unable to voice out anything, you nodded your head multiple times and ran out the café. Your hands were cold from the chilly season, but your heart was warm from the cute barista.

It was ten past four. You were sitting under the shade of 31st Bus Stop, fidgeting with the hem of your waistband and looking around, by yourself.

You weren’t losing hope, you were sure Felix was on his way right now. He would never stand you up, right? 

Right?

Regardless, you sat on the uncomfortable metal bench in freezing weather, and you were about to text him, when…

You realized you didn’t have his phone number. 

You weren’t going to go home, however. Determined Y/N was planning to wait for as long as it would take. You trusted Felix.

Forty minutes now. You had been playing some mobile games, looking out at the bustling street in front of you. During the winter season, the sun set earlier, so it was already dark and it definitely wasn’t safe for you to be alone. However, you were determined that Felix would arrive soon.

Five more minutes was what you told yourself as you stared out into the empty road, now barren of cars as the rush hour was over.

“Lee Yongbok, where do you think you’re going?”

Felix cursed under his breath and turned to Mr. Park with a small smile. “I’m done with my shift boss, I’ll get going now.”

“Felix, it's peak season right now. If you don’t remember what I told you guys during the brief meeting, I’ll say it again. From the 12th of December to the 25th of December, all of you have your shifts extended for two hours due to the influx of customers during the Christmas season. Is that so hard to understand?” Mr. Park crossed his arms and squinted at Felix.

“Mr. Park, I’ve understood that rule. I did my two-hour extension, now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be going now. I have somewhere to be.” Felix tried opening the door and walking out but was pulled back by a stronger arm grabbing his.

“Nuh-uh, young man. I’m sure that whatever event you have today isn’t going to be as important as the wellbeing of Little Leaf. Now if you’ll excuse me, do get your apron and hat back on and go back to manning the counter.” Mr. Park mocked.

Felix sighed and tried one last time at changing the mind of his horrible boss. “But Mr. Park, I swear, I did my two-hour extension, you can check the roster if you-”

“Get back to work, boy. Unless you want to start a new job in 2021.”

Felix sighed and threw his bag down, walking to the staff room to retie his apron.

Later, when Mr. Park checked the roster, he would find out that Felix did do his two-hour extension, and that he never lied.

An hour and a half, that was how long you waited. No one would ever wait for that long. No one would ever stay alone at late hours of the day, waiting for someone who probably wouldn’t even show up.

Tears stung your eyes as you sighed and stood up, huffing and smoothening your outfit out. You thought that Felix had probably stood you up. It was probably a dare, maybe he had been dared to write a generic love serviette to some desperate person who fell for his charming looks. Even then you couldn’t help but think of Felix, and tears streamed down your face as you trudged back home.

“Y/N! Y/N, wait up! Y/N, don’t leave, hear me out.” The voice you had been waiting for finally could be heard.

You stopped in your tracks and turned around to face a panting Felix. His hair was disheveled, apron still on, and his jacket was worn the wrong way round. What an entrance to a first date.

“Y/N, I’m sorry. Mr. Park honestly...he kept me for an hour more, before I convinced him to let me leave. I don’t know why, I’m so sorry. I honestly didn’t think you would be here, no one would stay that long. Please, give me another chance?” Felix took a few steps closer to you but maintained his distance. His eyes scanned yours for any response.

“I’m- I mean, it's not your fault...but you made me wait for so long. I just, I don’t know what to say. I thought you stood me up.” Your eyes watered once again.

Felix immediately waved his hands in denial and took one more step closer to you. “No, no, Y/N. I would never. I’m sorry if you thought I would ever stand you up. I should have made my way here over faster, if only I gave you my phone number. I’m so sorry-”

Your eyes suddenly widened, and you looked up. White, shimmering, pieces of ice fell upon the both of you. You stared at him in awe, mouth open wide.

It hadn’t snowed in Seoul for a long, long time. Maybe this moment was special. 

Felix smiled back at you. Amidst the white rain, he took a few steps closer to you until the both of you were so close that you could...kiss.

“Y/N. I apologize. I’m sorry for being a horrible first date. Will you forgive me?” His dark chocolate orbs glanced into yours, dragging you into a new universe.

“Yes. I’ll forgive you.” You whispered, looking at the ground.

His eyes scanned yours for any sort of consolation. He didn’t even need to ask anymore. “Y/N, can I kiss you?” He quietly asked, using his pointer finger to tilt your chin upwards.

As you nodded, he leaned in and placed his lips on yours, as the both of you stood amidst the snow. You wrapped your arms around his neck and he put his around your waist and the both of you deepened the kiss.

Two lone beings, coming together as one, in the midst of a snow-struck city.

2021 © fluffi

[beckzorz]

Running from then (one-shot)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes & Reader Words: 990 Warnings: Mentions of violence, trauma, an overload of sadness... you know the drill, this is me after all Prompt: “You still need your baby blanket?” Summary: Your latest hiding spot from HYDRA and the Red Room has been compromised. But Natalia is busy. She sends a ghost from your past in her place. A/N: I’ve never written anything remotely about the Red Room before, so hopefully this holds up! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy <3

Okay.

Deep breath in, deep breath out. In, out. Fold another shirt, roll a spare pair of pants, zip up the toiletries…

You’ve done all of this before. So why is it so much harder today?

An easy answer, for once. It’s harder today because it’s been too long. It’s harder today because you’ve gotten used to this place, these people, this life.

But HYDRA finds you every time, no matter what. Natalia’s spare time to help had run out ages ago, and after four months with no word, the security measures had frayed. You never were as good as her. Now, as then, you’re suffering for it.

You sit heavily on the bed and run your hands over the floral comforter. It’s a pretty room. You’ve added very little, but it’s still got the feel of home.

Or it did, until an hour ago, when the past showed up at the door.

“Hey.”

You glance up, alarmed as always by the first sight of the man blocking your doorway. It’s the soldat—no. No You correct yourself. It’s James. Bucky. Whatever he wants to call himself. Natalia calls his both, depending on the day, or maybe her mood.

But to you, he’ll always be the soldat. That’s what he was, back then.

You wonder what he sees when he looks at you.

“Almost ready?” he asks.

You nod and finish filling the suitcase. A week’s worth of clothes and toiletries—the rest you can leave to be burned with the house—along with your meds. A single thick folder of documents goes into the backpack with your laptop and a small purse. You zip the suitcase and the backpack and stand back, looking over what remains in the room. Stock landscape photos in cheap frames, a blue lamp, and a short stack of books on the nightstand. You add the top book to your backpack; the others you haven’t started, but this one’s halfway done. If nothing else, you’ll need something to read on the journey to somewhere.

The soldat brushes past you; you flinch aside. He sighs. He picks the suitcase and backpack off the bed.

“Time to go,” he says.

But there’s one more thing. You let him leave the room, then you fall to your knees by the bed and reach between the mattress and boxspring. You pull out a small, frayed blanket, light blue and worn to almost nothing in spots.

You hold it to your face and breathe in.

“What’s that?”

“N-nothing,” you stammer. You climb to your feet and clutch the blanket to your chest; it’s folded up almost small enough that he shouldn’t be able to see. But he does see. Of course he does.

His blue eyes soften. On someone else, it would have been sweet; on him, it looks unnatural. If only Natalia could have come instead!

“You still need your baby blanket?” he teases.

You stiffen. “It’s not mine, soldat.”

His brows draw low. You look away.

“My name is Bucky.”

You don’t answer. After a moment, the soldat—Bucky—turns on his heel and leads the way out of the ranch house. There’s a car waiting. He loads up the trunk and grabs a plastic can of oil and a cigarette. In the moment you look before he disappears back inside, the lit cigarette is dangling from his full lips, a burst of smoke obscuring his eyes.

In five minutes, you’re on the winding road, a line of smoke curling over the trees in the rearview mirror. The car’s reflective panels make it vanish once you make it to the first turn; anyone watching won’t know which way you’ve gone.

Bucky’s driving. The car is a little snug for him; you can tell even without looking his way by the sounds of him shifting ever back into his seat.

You spread the folded blue blanket across one of your thighs. Your fingers trace the faded pattern, the one spot in a corner yellowed from a stain. He says nothing, but you can feel the sold—Bucky’s eyes on you.

The heavy silence lingers until you break it with a sigh.

“This was not mine,” you murmur. “It was my brother’s. Natalia got it for me, after she got me out.”

Bucky adjusts his grip on the wheel. “What happened to him?”

“They killed him and my parents when they took me. Drove the car into the Volga and harvested my parents for parts. They sold my brother to a politician whose son had died, but my brother died too.”

“The blanket?”

“My grandparents had a summer house. Natalia found it there.” You stare at Bucky’s profile and wait for him to ask about your grandparents. But he doesn’t. He only drives. You look back at the blanket in your lap. You’ve never told this to anyone, but now that you’ve begun it’s impossible to stop. “She found their bodies too,” you add. “Apparently they didn’t believe the police report about how we died, and after Natalia got me out, HYDRA went for them so I couldn’t. Before that it didn’t matter, I suppose.”

Bucky puts his hand on the center console, palm up. You stare down at it, confused.

“What?”

He takes his hand away.

“Never mind.” He swallows. “How old were you? When they took you.”

You almost laugh. “Don’t you remember?”

Bucky closes his eyes; the road is mostly straight, but still you’re tense until he opens them again. They shine now, tired and teary. You’ve never seen him like this before. It’s strange. A hollow spot in your chest tightens—for you? For him? You don’t know.

“Yes,” he says, voice hoarse. “You were four.”

“Yes,” you repeat. “I was four.” You turn aside and watch the trees go by in a blur. After a minute, you realize your eyes are blurring too. You reach up and stare at your wet fingertips. You can’t remember the last time you cried.

Bucky puts his hand back on the center console. This time, you take it.