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thecloudsaremyhome · 3 months ago

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☆Yandere platonic cult x reader part 1☆

Summary: you and your friends have been forced to go on a trip to Sweden so they could finish their research paper for extra credit, honestly you were just tagging along for the fun of it not having the chance to go out as much as you’d like to, little did you know your stay at the community would be long overdue.

Tw: religious themes, sacrifice, yandere themes, infantization, death, violence, manipulation. the cult is very yandere for you, mental health issues, panic attack,readers friends are rude.

Taglist: @lilyalone, @stove-top96, @shadowytravelerlover, @dirtydiavolo, @bellethesleepypotato, @kawaii-cakes, @ratterpatter, @violets-in-spring, @yandere-enthusiast @caged-birdies-blog @ridlike

Word count: 8k

“Come on (name)! Hurry up! We ain’t got all day!” You sigh in annoyance as you look towards your friends and yell back, “I’m coming jeez! Jeez, give me a second okay!”

Your friends look at you with an annoyed expression but shrug it off. You carefully pull your luggage out from the trunk of the rental car you all rode in.

Honestly, it was already exhausting enough having to fly in a plane for 6-7 hours straight and the worst part is, is that you didn’t get one ounce of sleep thanks to your friend's snoring.

So not only are you physically exhausted but you're mentally as well. Just great.

You sigh in relief as your finally able to get your last piece of luggage out of the van.

you close the trunk door and decide to observe the scenery around you. It’s magnificent, you think to yourself.

From the tall yellow-like grass to the crops growing nearby filled with vegetables and fruits.

Then there are colorful flowers of all types surrounding the other side of the field, each being carefully taken care of to the fullest extent.

It mesmerized you To be honest, you've never seen anything this beautiful before, the only extent is the park in the middle of your city and even that can never compare to what you are looking at right now. No wonder people say Sweden is one of the most beautiful places to be because it hasn't been tainted by technology.

The sun reflects down onto you and you can feel the heat radiating off of your skin, but luckily there is a strong breeze to soothe that heat, it's perfect weather today you think to yourself as you continue to admire the fields surrounding around you and your friends, it seems like its endless.

“(name)! Get your ass over here! We ain't got time to dilly dally.” your friend says in an annoyed tone.

You snap out of your trance-like gaze and look towards your three friends, you sigh in annoyance as you pick up your backpack and suitcase and walk over back towards them.

“finally took you long enough.” your friend Mia says in annoyance scanning your form in a scrutinizing gaze, she was always the more moody one out of your group of friends, always having a stick up her ass.

She had dark brown curly hair and hazel irises with freckles littering her tan-like face, she was mostly slender having some curves here and there. “sorry I just got distracted by the scenery.”

you mumble annoyed at her attitude, Mia rolls her eyes, and states

“whatever let's get a move on before it hits sundown I want to get this shit over with anyways.”

Your two other friends Jacob and Cady nod reluctantly cady has long ginger hair with freckles and brown eyes while Jacob has dark brown hair with blue eyes and a more slim build.

and thus began your walk down the fields toward the desolate forest ahead.

“Mia, do you even know where we are going? Did the professor even provide us a map at all?”

you ask nervously having this gut feeling that nothing good is going to come ahead but maybe it's just a feeling.

You haven't really traveled outside of the U.S before so maybe it's just the anxiety of being in new places?

“yes actually i do know where we are going, don't be such a scardy pants and yes the professor sent me the map since I am the team leader.”

she taunts you sigh rolling your eyes at her cocky behavior.

You four continue down the long rocky path which results in you taking a look at the surrounding forest.

The forest honestly had humongous trees well bigger than the trees you've seen before when growing up, which caused the tree's height to block out most of the sunlight.

The rocky terrain your walking on looks worn down like it's been used for years which it probably has. What amazes you the most is how many flowers and wildlife are in the forest your walking through.

Youve honestly never seen so many animals in your life just from being here for liek 30 minutes it truly impresses you.

You occasionally glance at some of the logs or cut-down tree stumps next to the path finding interest in whatever inhabitants are abiding in it.

But you shake your head trying not to get to side tracked while you're here.

You're not here to explore the forest or play with the wildlife your here to work, so that's what you're going to do.

After a least an hour of walking and complaining from Cady you four finally arrive at what looks to be like a wooden gate with two strange-looking people standing in front of it with spears and animal like mask?

Okay well that's very creepy, “what the fuck”

you heard your friend jason mutter in absolute disbelief. It seems he was just a shocked as you but it seems like mia is paying no mind to it as she flaunts towards the gait confidently looking over the two guards and their appearance, you do the same but from a safe distance.

They both seem like males that's for sure from their muscular build to the lack of clothing they are wearing, it seems they are wearing on robes with metal plates on their shoulders acting as a shield.

What you also take notice of is both of them have a wolf mask.

What is even more strange, one of the guards has long wavy blonde hair while the other has short dirty blonde hair. Maybe there siblings?

You shake your head trying to rid your thoughts before you start to overthinking, you refocus back on the scene of Mia trying to flirt with the blonde-haired guard.

Which makes your two other friends sigh in annoyance at her behavior.

You three walk over to where mia is standing infront of the two guards, cady then clears he throat in annoyance

“you done mia so we can get a move on?” mia sighs at cady comments and nods her head

“yes in fact i am done i was just conversing with these two gentleman~ here but they've been ignoring me like a brick wall! And the worst part is, is that they won't even let me in!” mia states dramatically, whining like a puny child.

This causes Cady and Jacob to raise their eyebrow in confusion at her statement of not allowing her inside.

“they won’t? Why the hell not did you tell them that we came here for the research paper? Surely the professor notified the community of our arrival right?” Jacob states in pure bewilderment.

“I don't fucking know I tried to tell them! But nothing seems to go through to them! Like i said their brick walls!”

Mia states loudly which causes you to flinch from her tone of voice which of course your friends don't notice as they start to argue acting as if they arent just talking about the guards in front of them.

You sigh ignoring your friend's argument as you decide to step forward toward the two guards

“Hello there! Me and my friends here are here for a research project on your community, i don't know if you are aware of it or not? But could you please let us in?”

You state nervously, finally the guards look towards you and examine you like your a piece of prey, which unnerves you, to say the least.

But what surprises you the most is when the blonde-haired one speaks.

“So you are the one’s the great one has spoken about”

the blonde man states looking at you with a blank and unnerving expression behind the mask not that you could see or notice it though.

“I-i um yes?” you say confused about who the great one is.

The guards notice this and nod reaching to unlock the wooden gate this of course catches the attention of your arguing friends.

They turn to look at the two guards and you with a surprised look but quickly school it to a neutral one not wanting to piss the guards off.

When the gate finally opens to another pathway straight ahead your friends take this opportunity to push past you and the guards and enter the community.

Of course, this startles you to some degree but you quickly are able to reign your cool.

You then quickly thank the guards before rushing after your three friends.

This action very much surprises the guards having been used to rude and disrespectful behavior from “outsiders” so you doing behaving the opposite of disrespectfully is surprising to both guards but it also is nice that there are at least still some good people out there in the corrupted world outside of their sanctuary, its refreshing to say the least.

You sigh tiredly as you finally catch up with your three friends as they continue to walk down the more clean path.

You all finally make it towards what looks like a town square with a fountain in the middle and multiple other houses around it.

The houses look like they are made out of wood with a brick-like roof on the top of most of the houses. Strange you thought to yourself as you continued to examine the center of the community.

But you finally snapped out of your thoughts when Jacob nudges you in the shoulder to grab your attention. Which causes you to turn to look at him curiously.

That's when you notice the multiple stares directed at you and your friends.

You then look towards the source of those stares and find yourself faced with multiple people surrounding you and your friends, all of them having animal-like masks on.

But what catches your attention the most is the tall lady at the center of the people surrounding you.

She seems to be at least 6 feet tall with her long chocolate-like brown hair flowing down her back with her being nothing but dressed in a pure white dress with golden patterns to it that reaches her feet.

That's when you notice she's barefoot as well.

Strange you think to yourself but you snap out of your thoughts again when the lady clears her throat.

“hello their visitors you must be the foreigners our leader has spoken of, we are enlightened to be in your presence i hope you have a wonderful stay here. I will have one of our members show you towards your sleeping quarters.”

and with that before you and your friends coil question her at all she takes her lead with some of the community members following suit behind her.

“That was strange” Cady muttered anxiously “Yeah no shit” Mia states looking at the community members in a scrutinizing gaze.

You sigh ignoring your friends' spiteful comments, you then hear someone clear their throat which stops your friend's rant.

“if you all are done, I will be showing you to your sleeping quarters.”

you then gaze at the person speaking in a monotone like voice and are met with a tall slim man dressed in a similar fashion to the other community members just with a cow like mask to his face.

Your friends clearly embarrassed clear their throats and mutter a quick apology before returning their gazes to the man.

The man nods approvingly paying them no mind as he starts to walk down the town square, towards where you four will presumably be staying.

You and your friends follow after him at a steady pace.

Of course, you are more distracted than your other three friends, with the agriculture the community has to offer.

This annoys your friends of course but they do not say anything about it.

You four continue to walk down the cement path trailing behind the man. You all start to walk more towards the outskirts area of the community.

after a few more minutes of walking you four come face to face with a cabin-like structure that’s smaller than the houses the community has to offer.

It has a rustic type look with cobwebs poking out on the outside of the porch.

The porch in itself looks like it could've seen better days with some chipped wood poking out with dents on it.

It clearly looks like it has not had inhabitants for years now.

The condition of the cabin causes your friends especially Mia to grimace in disgust.

“Is this seriously what we have to stay in!” Mia states loudly, glaring at the man.

This causes the man to turn back towards her looking at her as if she's a spec of dirt underneath his shoe.

“Would you like to say that again?” he says coldly which causes Mia to flinch as she stutters out “I-I u-um N-never m-mind.”

the man then scoffs but pays her no mind as he walks towards the cabin.

You sigh as you reluctantly follow after him with your three shell-shocked friends. You both stand behind him as he unlocks the door with a wooden-like key, he opens it and motions you all to step inside.

Mia then sighs and steps inside first followed by cady and josh then yourself once you enter you take a good look at the interior presented in front of you.

Its old thats for sure from the rustic interior and the dusty floor all the way to the cobwebs littering the place with broken furniture and a animal like rug placed infront of the living room randomly.

Alomsot like someone didint even want to bother to atleast hide it or place it correctly.

Mia sneers at the predicament clearly unsatisfied with the conditions presented to her. “What the fuck is this shit show?”

she esclaims loudly which causes you to flinch at her loud outburst which doesnt go unnoticed by the man.

He glares at her disapproingly “i suggest you lower your voice and watch your language young lady that is no way to speak to your elders.”

he says calmly but with a hint of annoyance to his tone.

Mia looks baffled by the way he is treating her like some sort of child which of course angers her causing her face to heat up in embarrassment.

Cady and jacob start giggling at her sudden embarrassment finding it amusing that their friend is getting put in her place. You sigh at mia’s obvious childish behavior.

“I apologize for mia’s childish behavior she shouldnt have acted out like that.’”

you say with a tired tone looking at the man waiting for at least a irritated or unbothered response instead your surprised when his gaze softens towards you “oh its alright honey you friends are vert rumbunchs but nothing that we can’t handle”

he says softly with an almost fatherly look in his eyes from what you can tell.

This causes you to flinch not used to nicknames you stutter out an embarsset response which of course he notices and chuckles in amusement.

“your a shy thing arent ya? It’s very cute.” he says in a playful tone which causes you to blush in embarrassment.

Your friends awkwardly stand by as the conversation between you and the man unfolds, Mia then butts in and clears her throat before looking at the man “I think we're fine here its starting to get dark and we still have to unpack.”

she states in an annoyed tone clearly not wanting to be around the man any longer than she had to.

This of course disappoints you having enjoyed the man's company but you push the feelings aside.

The man turns around again to face mia and stares at her indifferently “Very well then have a good night and please if you all need anything, just ask you are our guests after all,”

he says in a dark tone which causes shivers to run up your spine but you shake it.

finally the man exists through the front door leaving you and your friends in a tense silence.

“Well, that was creepy.” Cady says with a nervous tone to her voice.

Jacob nods his head in agreement “Yeah no fucking kidding this whole place is giving off bad vibes and the way they talk to us is patronizing.”

Jacob said in an annoyed tone clearly irritated by the whole ordeal.

“let's calm down okay? How about we start unpacking our stuff and get a good look at this place?”

i say with a skittish tone trying to calm down the clearly pliable tension.

“Fine whatever” cady states as she puts her duffle bag and suitcase on the ground and moves towards the kitchen.

Jacob does the same following behind Cady which leaves you and Mia alone.

“Mia you okay?” I say in a worried tone not used to Mia being so quiet throughout the whole ordeal. “ yeah I'm fine.”

she says in an annoyed tone which causes you to flinch.

It doesn't go unnoticed by Mia as she smirks in response, she then turns around towards the old couches and places her backpack, duffle bag, and suitcase on the dusty couch.

You sigh setting down your luggage near hers as you decide to explore, not wanting to make the tension worse.

You decided on going down the hallway nearest to the kitchen, deciding its the best option to explore first. You could find some bedrooms, This cabin is pretty big after all.

You sigh as you slowly start to trudge down the dark hallway you finally approach what looks to be an old door clearly worn down from the lack of usage.

You reach your hand out to grab the door nob but before you can you hear a loud bang coming from the kitchen which causes you to jump in surprise. You rush back towards the kitchen panting.

“What was that noise what happened.” you say in worry, only for Cady and Jacob to laugh.

“jeez such a scardy pants, aren't you? Dont worry, Jacob just accidentally dropped the pan we were gonna use to cook.”

Cady says in a teasing tone while she playfully smacks Jacob on the shoulder. Jacob sighs, annoyed and glares at her which earns another laugh from Cady.

You sigh in relief “s-sorry just something about this place keeps me on edge,” you say as you try to laugh it off to lighten the atmosphere.

Which of course doesn’t work as Cary shakes her head In Amusement before turning back around to start cooking.

You sigh in annoyance as you leave the kitchen, deciding to at least find a bedroom you can lie in, completely forgetting about the door you were previously going to open.

You walk down the opposite hallway and finally find one of the bedrooms, which is pretty extravagant to say the least compared to the rest of the house.

You look at it in shock, from the pure red blood bed sheets with golden tips to the golden headboard with silver butterfly piercings indented into it.

Then, there's the pure white carpet placed in the center of the room. Finally, there is a wooden closet at the end of the room.

You gasp in shock at how pretty it is before taking notice of the basket of fruit placed directly on the bed. You tilt your head in confusion before finally entering the room.

You approach the basket placed on the bed and finally take notice on a note placed next to it, written in another language.

Whatever you think to yourself as you decide, you should show the rest of your friends the basket.

“Hey guys I found this basket in one of the bedrooms!”

You say as you finally enter the kitchen, which causes Cady and Jacob to turn their heads towards me in curiosity. “Oh, you did What's in it? Let me see,”

Jacob says as he snatches the basket from your hands and searches through it.

Cady sighs in annoyance at his eager behavior.

“Damn it theirs nothing interesting in here just a bunch of fruit and crap.” jacob sighs in annoyance and throws the basket back towards me which causes me to stumble and catch it.

Cady glares at jacob “ stop being an ass jacob” jacob rolls his eyes and mumbkes a whatever before getting back to cooking with cady.

You sigh as you exit the kitchen and enter the living room. You place down the basket next to Mia.

you notice her annoyed expression. “Whats wrong Mia?” mia look towards you and shakes her head in defeat “i cant get any damn service out here!”

you chuckle at her whining behavior in return she pouts towards you but finally takes notice of the basket next to you both “whats that?” she says as she points towards the basket.

“It's just something I found in one of the bedrooms I came across while exploring i dont think it has anything interesting in it all it has is fresh fruit.”

Mia sighs and nods before standing up to grab her backpack and open her laptop and grab her papers.

“since dinner's cooking do you wanna help me fill out these papers, the professor said we had to document everything so might as well start.”

you nod your head in agreement mumbling a sure before being handed a few papers to help fill out.

Finally, for what seems like an hour, cady comes back towards you both to inform you guys dinner is ready which causes you and Mia to sigh in relief.

You both make your way towards the kitchen, which has four plates of pasta placed out on the counter for you all to grab you and mia mutter a thanks as you make you way back towards the couch to coutinue your work, which leaves Cady and Jacob to eat together.

After three more hours of work you and mia finally completed the worksheets needed for today sighing in relief you then state

“I’m going to go and get ready for bed ill see you tommrow mia, dont try and overwork yourself okay? You need to get rest as well since we have a busy day tomorrow.”

mia sighs in annoyance at your worry and nods “yeah yeah dont worry about me just get to bed sleepy head”

you sigh at her nickname and nod your head in amusement as you rab your luggage from the couch and make your way to one of the bedrooms in the cabin.

You pass Jacobs and Cady's room, them having already fallen asleep beforehand.

You finally approach the bedroom you explored beforehand, having decided you'll just sleep in there for the night.

But before you can enter, you hear a strange noise coming from inside,which causes you to halt in your footsteps.

Suddenly, you feel like you're being watched, which causes a shiver to go down your spine. You shake off the feeling before finally entering the bedroom again.

You place down your luggage next to the wooden closet. You sigh as you crouch down next to your suitcase and open it to grab a fresh pair of pajamas and your medication for the night.

You finally finish changing as you hop into bed, laying down on the plush pillows You reluctantly try to fall asleep.

You still feel like you're being watched, but this time, you can't brush the feeling off, which heightens your anxiety.

But after an hour of staying awake, you finally fall asleep only to be woken up again by the noise of the door to the bedroom being opened, which causes you to freeze, you then hear quiet footsteps approach your bed which causes you to hold your breath silently.

You then feel a cold hand on your forehead caressing you like a parent would to your child as the figure starts to hum a soft lullaby which reluctantly causes you to drift back asleep.

But before you fall asleep you hear one last word from the person “dont worry baby youll be home soon.” but before you can process the words you fall asleep.

You yawn as you open your eyes to the sun drifting into the room through the slightly cracked window placed next to your bed.

You rub your eyes in exhaustment as you sit up to look around in the room. What catches your attention though is the piece stuffed animal placed next to your bedside table.

You widden your eyes at the plush lamb finding it absolutely cute your carefully pick it up and inspect it before placing it down on your bed deciding to keep it.

You stand up from the bed ad yawn walking towards your suitcase to grab your clothes.

You finally finish changing and step out of your bedroom as you walk towards the kitchen were jacob and cady are up conversing while mia is doing her makeup in the living room.

“Hey sleepyhead did you sleep well?”

cady says in amusement which causes you to nod hesotantly still thinking abou the events that happened last night.

“well we got a busy day today so you better be prepared to walk alot!”

jacob says as he bites out of a piece of bacon presented on the counters which you nod in agreement.

Mia finally exits the living room “are you guys ready to go? I already have the gear ready so we can document.” you, cady and jacob nod in agreement.

You then go towards the living room to grab some of the gear with the help of Jacob and cady.

You all then exit the cabin and walk down the same long pathway towards the town square of the community.

You sigh in relief as you all finally enter the twon square which causes the commonity members to stare at you all as you enter.

“what’s first on the list of stuff we have to do?” you ask in curiosity “well first we have to gather information on the resources they grow and make here so maybe we hould interview some of the farmers first?”

mia says qustionly, you nod your head in agreement. Jacob and Cady also nod their head, agreeing with Mia.

“alright then, off to the fields we go!” mia says as she approaches a female wearing a lamb mask. “excuse me Ms. if you dont mind could you point us in the direction of the feilds were the farmers work?” mia asks confidently which causes the female to nod and point ahead downanother path.

Mia mutters a thank you and walks off. You three follow behind her as you examine your surroundings.

But you can't help but feel like you're being watched again, which causes you to look around frantically, paranoia creeping up on you.

Finally, after a long walk, you four make it to the grass fields were some community members farm fruit and vegetables. This amazes you, to say the least, on how much effort these people put in to keep the community afloat.

“Okay, (name) you can stay here while we go and interview some of the farmers. Don't wander off, okay?”

You nod in agreement as your friends walk ahead and leave you on your own. But something catches your attention.

A community member struggling with a basket of fruit. You rush over to help her with the basket as you help her put it down.

Then you take notice of how old she looks and a worry look crosses your face.

“oh well thank you dearie for the help my old back hasnt been like it used to be when i was younger.” the woman says in a motherly tone smiling warmly at you behind the tiger mask over her face.

“Its no problem, ma’am im just glad i could help. Is your back okay?” you say in a worried tone. Which causes her to chuckle in amusement. “Oh, im perfectly fine dearie ive been through worse but i do appreciate your help this is the first time outsiders have been as nice as you.” you stare at her in confusion at her statement which causes her tone to turn solemnly.

“we haven’t had the best experience with outsiders as a whole. There have been few that have been here before hand that werent the nicest but of course, we took care of them!”

you look at her sympathetically, but her last sentence catches you off guard. What could she have meant by that? But before you could ask her, she was already walking away.

You sigh in annoyance but shrug it off, deciding to sit down in the grass fields and wait patiently for your friends to return. Hopefully, they’ll be back soon, you think to yourself as you gaze up at the sun.

fiddling with the dandelion in your hand as you slowly start to doze off. But before you could fully fall aslee,p you feel a small tug on your shirt.

And you're surprised to be faced with a child no older than 6 sitting next to you and fiddling with your shirt. You hadn't even heard him approach you. But you smile softly at him, which causes the little boy to flinch.

From what you can tell, he has strawberry-blonde hair and blue eyes with the same white dress that you see all the other members wear he also wears a bird like mask on his face.

“hi, little one do you need something?” you say in an affectionate tone.

You always did have a soft spot for kids. He looks up at you in wonder before muttering, “I... I like your s-shirt,” he says timidly, which causes you to soften your gaze at his timid nature.

You carefully pick him up and set him in your lap.

He continues to fiddle with your shirt as he cuddles against you, which causes you to chuckle as you comb your fingers through his silky soft hair.

He cuddles closer to you before finally falling asleep. The scene just looks to serene and feels so peaceful.

You don't remember the last time you felt like this. Felt at peace.

But of course that peace has to be interrupted at some point as your about to close your eyes, you hear the talking if your friends as they approach you.

I guess they finished you think to yourself.

The noise causes the little boy to wake up in confusion but when he sees your friends approaching his grip on your shirt tightens as he galres at them This suprises you of course.

Your friends stop in their tracks as they quietly wisper to each other but to break the tense silence,e you wave them over.

They hesitantly approach causing the little boy to glare even more,e but he still grips onto your shirt.

“hey guys, are you done doing interviews with the farmers?” you say hesitantly trying to ease the tension forming. “yeah, we finished.” Jacob says sharply, and you can sense hes on edge, which causes you to furrow your brows in concern.

“Did something happen? You all seem..tense.” you say in concern as you inspect them. “Well-” but before Jacob could finish what he was saying Mia interrupted him sending a glare to jacob “nothing happened, so you dont need to worry now lets continue our interview so we can get it done before the so-called banquet we were invited to tonight.”

Mia says in a snipped tone clearly not wanting to waste any more time. You flinch at her harsh tone and nod reluctantly in agreement.

Your flinch doesn't go unnoticed by the little boy though as he glares even harder at your friends.

Of course, this goes unnoticed by you, but your friends do clearly notice and their shoulders tense at the harsh glare the boy is receiving to them.

You grab the little boy and place him off of your lap and stand up and dust the grass off your clothes. This causes the boy to pout behind the mask, having wanted to stay next to you a little more longer. But he doesn't voice this because he doesn't want to upset you, you ruffle his hair as you turn to face your friends as you happily converse with them.

But unnoticed to you the boy is having an inner turmoil of his own. Why do they have to capture your attention.

You shouldnt even be looking in their direction your friends are just a waste of space, not worthy of your presence because your his, his sister and he would be damned to let these insects ruin that.

Mama always have said outsiders are nasty people and now hes starting to believe it. But he hopes you can stay here forever with him and the community. Hes sure youd be very very happy.

Plus it's not like you’d miss your own boring life anyways right? You could have everything you need here. A loving community that is ready to do whatever it takes to keep you. And he hopes that that's what his community decides to do. Because he wants you to stay no matter what it takes.

You're extremely tired after four long hours of interviews and interactions with the other community members, you're finally glad the banquet came around the corner faster than expected because you were starting to grow extremely hungry.

Of course you weren’t the only one you noticed how antsy Jacob has been getting, clearly he’s hungry as well.

But the strange is that the little boy from earlier has been following you like a lost puppy which is cute of course but it still bothers you that his parents havent come looking for him at all and when you asked him he just said

“mama and papa are just busy! But thdey know im safe!” which of course has you smiling in relief but you still held that sense of worry.

As the hours stretched on your finally learnt his name, it was Abner. It was a cute name to say the least. But back to the present at hand, you four finally finished all interview needed for the first day and were getting ready for the banquet at 9:00. Which of course, Mia told us we had to dress “presentable” whatever the hell that means.

Of course, you didnt pack anything presentable to her standards so you opted for a black dress shirt and some formal pants with sneakers.

You sigh in contempt as you finally finish brushing out your hair and styling it.

You then exit your room. Then head towards the living room to wait for the rest of your friends to finish getting ready. You then spot jacob already dressed and ready to go as he scrolls on his phone.

Your smile softens when yo see him you then take a seat next to him on the old couch. He notices your presence and smirks “ look at you all fancy looking you look hot.” he jokes as you nudge him in the shoulder, playfully muttering a shut up.

After 30 more minutes of waiting Mia and Cady finally enter the room in ruffles dresses and high heels you sigh and roll your eyes at their so called “presentable outfit” “that’s what you all are gonna wear its not a ball you know?” you say jokily which earns you a galre from Mia and a scoff.

You chuckle again, putting your hands up in mock surrender but before mia could respond cady cuts in.

“stop teasing okay? We have to get a move on so we wont be late we are meeting with the leaders of this so called community. So we have to make a good impresion so we can get as much information as possible so we can pass this extra credit.”

Cady states sternly which causes you all to nod your heads reluctantly in agreement. Not wanting to argue any further you and jacob stand up and make your way to the front door ready to go, cady and mia follow behind you two.

You four exit the cabin and make you way down the path leading towards the community center. You look up towards the moon shining down on all of you.

You’ve always been fascinated by the moon and how it reflects. In your opinion, you say its absolutely beautiful everything about this place is beautiful

Finally, after minutes of walking, you all arrive at the community center and walk towards another pathway leading towards the great hall, an imposing structure that is made out of wood.

After 5 minutes of walking, you all finally arrived at the entrance of the great hall You can see the light peeking out from the large imposing door.

You four walk up the wooden stairs, and Jacob opens the wooden door allowing you three to enter in first.

Mia goes in first then cady, then you as you finally enter the great hall you are in awe at the scenery and design of the place.

From the flower decorations hung up on the walls to the candles and fruits then their is white tablecloth placed on the tables with a bunch of fresh food.

From chicken and beef to vegetables and fruit. All sorts of varieties littered the table which makes your mouth water and your stomach grumble in hunger.

You then take notice of the statue of a naked man standing at the end of the room with a large star like window placed behind him.

It's amazing how people who only depended on natural resources could make all of this happen.

Then you noticed the hundreds, maybe thousands of stairs boring into your back. You look around, finally noticing the community members are not only staring at your friends but specifically at you. Which creeps you out, to say the least.

But what shocks you even more is the 6 imposing figures placed infront of the imposing statue placed infront of the star window. To say they are intimidating is an underestimating it, they loom absolutely terrifying.

But one of the members you recognize as the pretty lady from yesterday which makes you widen your eyes in shock. She catches your gaze a smiles softly standing up to approach you.

You stagger back in shock to shocked to speak “hello its nice to see you again foreigner i would like to request that you join us for supper our leader would like to formally meet you as well as our officials.”

You look at her in shock but realize that you don't have any room for argument, noticing the serious tone her voice holds.

So, with a heavy heart, you nod in agreement, which causes her to light up and smile warmly. She grabs your arm and pulls you forward which causes you to stagger back.

But you reluctantly follow her to the table she pulls the chair out for you and allows you to sit down next to a very tall man. She then takes her seat next to you

“our leader will be here very soon so please dont mind his tartiness. Oh! I never got to introduce myself! My name is Ezra! Whats your name little one.” you pause deciding whether or not it would be a good idea to tell her but you decide to.

“My name is (name).” you say timidly, which causes the female to coo at your shy nature. Which causes you to blush in embarrassment with earns a chuckle from the other 5 officals. Which makes you blush even more in embarrassment.

But before you could respond a the great hall door slams opens as the gaurds from yesterday are stationed next it, bowing to what seems like a very large man maybe 7 feet tall? With long dark white hair that looks almost unnatural, he is wearing something totally different a robe with golden pattern designs with black dress shoes with golden designs as well.

He wears a bear mask, and from what you can tell, he is very muscular and has baby-blue eyes.

This unnerves you, to say the least. He's very intimidating, with a golden robe hanging off the side of his shoulder, and his steps seem precise and planned.

This also unnerves your friends as they glance nervously at you. But you notice the man is staring right at you. His eyes bore into your very soul with an intensity that is so extreme that it makes you uncomfortable. What is his problem?

You think to yourself, nervously picking at your skin as the man approaches with steady footsteps, as all the community members stand up to bow before his presence like he's some sort of god.

This unnerves you even more as his eyes continue to bore into you, analyzing every twitch and breath you make.

Finally he arrives at your table, standing right infront of you, ezra then stands up and bows the official sitting on the right of you does the same thing so does the other four officials.

But he doesn't respond to their formal behavior as he continues to stare at you motionlessly as you anziously pick at your skin.

He then reaches out and imoblizes your wrist from continuing to pick at your skin this leaves you in shock as you freeze in anxiety.

You can clearly see the size difference between the two of you. His hand can fit fully around your wrist like he could easily snap it at any time which scares you to say the least.

His intimidating frame adds even more to the tense atmosphere “ dont do that anymore child; you'll hurt your delicate skin, and we dont want that do we?” he says in a very soft tone which surprises you to say the least, not expecting his voice to sound so soft and velvety.

Which comforts you to some extent that hes not trying to intentionally scare you.

But he keeps a form hand on your wrist letting you know that he won't be letting go of it any time soon.

“I-i just do it out of habit i cant really control it sometimes when im really anxious.” you mutter timidly, not daring to face his gaze as he stares intently into you.

His gaze softens slightly, and he rubs circles into your wrist to soothe your growing anxiety.

Which doesn't exactly work as you can still feel him staring into you, including all the community members and your friends.

You’ve never liked being the center of attention so you're surprised you haven't gone into a full blown anxiety attack right now.

Maybe it's the way he's trying to ground you that prevents that from happening. You don't know, and you don't care you just want to get this over with so you can get back into that comfy bed and sleep.

But before you can dwell on the thoughts plaguing your mind you feel the mans hand let go of your wrist. He turns around to look at everyone else with a calculating look before that look softens to a more serene expression. “ let the feast begin!” he shouts.

He then walks over towards the seat standing right next to the statue. The chair looks more like a throne than anything with its golden pattern designs and the red velvet texture to it, you would think a king would sit on it.

You sigh as you snap out of your thoughts when a plate of food is placed infront of you with apple juice? The food looks absoulty delicious on your part.

From the perifcally roasted beaf with mash potatoes and vegetables on the side to the white rice with chicken in it. Damn you mutter under your breath as your mouth starts to salvate.

But then you take a look around and notice all the adults oncluding your freinds got some type of alcoholic beverage but you just got apple juice.

Thats weird you think to yourself but shrug it off not wanting to dwell on something not worth your time.

You start to dig into your food quickly which causes ezra to chuckle in amusement a she Coos at you.

“Don't eat so fast honey, we don't want you to choke do we?” this causes you to blush I. Emmbaresment putting your hea down in shame which causes her to chuckle even more. But when you took a sip of th apple juice it tasted very sour.

Which is weird but you shrug it off not bothering to worry about it but before you could take another bite, the chattering decreased in the great hall as the leader stans up to approach the center of the room, this of course catches your attention instantly.

“Brothers, and sisters daughters and mothers, fathers and sons tonight our banquet has been honored by the cesilatial god himself to bestow us and our community a blessing and so to thank him we will preform our ceremonial sacrificial ritual for our god and our guests as a thanks.”

he says in a soothing tone and you can tell his voice has a deep effect on these people her from their adoring looks to their devotion you can feel radiating off of them. It awes and unnerves you at the same time.

But what do they mean by a sacrafical ritual?

You think to yourself as you anxiety starts to grow. You look towards you friends who are sitting at a table near you and you also notice their anxious expressions.

But before you could dwell more on your thoughst the great hall door opens as two of the guards carry in a struggling woman.

Which makes you widen your eyes in shock and horror. The guards put down the woman oto the cement like structure of the statue and tie her in place.

Then you notice another community member come in with a large tray of candles a book and a dagger.

This unnerves you even more as you start to shakinly pick at your skin from the growing anxiety creeping up onto you.

What the fuck…what the fuck are they going to do to that poor woman. You think to yourself as you stare in horror at her as she screams and struggles and pleads.

This causes you to close your eyes and put your hands over your ears. You take shaking breaths as you feel an oncoming panic attack. But of course your friends don’t notice or are to shocked to care.

You return you sight to the scenes I front of you as the woman pleads but it falls on death ear as the leader grabs the dagger from the tray

“låt dem vara ljusa och låt vår gud ge dig gåvan av evigt stycke unge” he says to the woman before impaling the dagger in her lower stomach then into her right breast and finally into her forehead the blood from the stand leaks out of her lifeless limp body onto the floor.

You feel like your going to throw up as the community members stand up to clap in celebration like what he did was completely normal.

And you can’t hold it back anymore you dip down and realealse all what was in your stomach to begin with. You gag at the smell and pant feeling tears rolling down your eyes. Then you notice everyone is looking at you now again.

You need to get out of here now you think to yourself as you eyes look up towards your friends who are as equally shocked and disturbed at what took place.

But before you could say or do anything you feel the tightening hold of Ezra rubbing your back soothingly this disturbed you even more at how calm she could be when just witnessing a murder!

You can’t seem to wrap your head around it and your heart is pounding so fast you think you’d have a heart attack any second and maybe that would be for the better because you don’t know what’s going to happen next and you don’t want to find out.

You just need to get out of here now no matter what it takes you refuse to die.

Authors note: y’all I work so hard on this sooo please comment and like a lot I would like this to reach at least 1,000 likes that would be the world to me and I definitely am going to make part 2 which is way more darker and that’s were the more intense Yandere behavior comes in!

#yandere platonic #yandere #yandere cult leader #yandere cult #sweden #infantilism #infintalization #yandere x reader #parental yandere #yandere family #familia yandere #familial yandere #yandere x you #yandere x darling #soft yandere

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manicmanuscription · 1 month ago

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Watch Your Step

SJM x Reader Week 2025: Day One @sjmxreaderweek

Prompt: Beginnings / Endings

Pairings: Eris / Reader

Summary: Eris knew his father was going to die today. Afterall it took immense planning. What he didn't expect to meet his mate and he certainly didn't expect to be a blundering idiot as the first introduction.

Tags: mentions of gore, blood, murder, coup, Eris is NOT doing well, slightly evil Eris but he's traumatized so....

Word Count: 875

SJM x Reader Week 2025 | Acotar Masterlist

Eris walked the busy city streets of Herbst with his hands in his pockets, barely noticing the people who passed him by. He had just murdered his father, planned a coup and executed it to absolute perfection.

None of the villagers even knew their tormentor was dead, although some would be able to guess. The very air itself had shifted when the ancient power found a new host. The blood still staining his hands.

He didn’t know why he had come here, he should be making arrangements for his father’s funeral. Preparing for the announcement of his ‘heart attack’ that would spread through the Autumn Court in just a few hours. Perhaps he wanted a distraction, a reminder of what he had to lose. All he knew was he couldn’t be in that godforsaken house anymore.

The newfound power was thrumming under his skin with a raging vengeance. He felt hot all over as if lava itself had been melded to his very soul. It itched to lash out at any person who brushed against his shoulder as he walked. It begged to be free from the confines of the cage he was struggling to keep intact.

Everything inside of him was burning and it was overwhelming. His ears rang and he could taste his own blood in the back of his throat.

It wanted freedom, it wanted to taste the air and dance throughout the forests. It wanted to consume just as much as it wanted to leave and Eris wondered if he would survive it. Black dots dancing in his vision at the restraint it took.

He briefly thought if this is what drove his father insane and shoved the terrifying notion to the darkest parts of his mind. He would not lose everything he worked for because he could not keep it together as if he was a youngling. He mastered the flame long ago and he would again if that’s what it took.

Eris let out an exhale through clenched teeth, smoke leaving his lips and curling with the very air before hiding in the pollution of the nearby houses all stacked together. He-

Someone ran into him, his distracted state of mind had him stumbling into a cobbled wall. Rage burst along his skin and that newfound beast surged forward with a promise of destruction. Blue sparks of flame dancing in clenched fists.

He snarled and when he turned to face his attacker the first thing he saw were your hands, hovering over his body as if you reached out to help him but stopped yourself, he trailed the rest of your body until finally landing on those unique eyes and the world shifted on it’s axis for the second time that day. The mating bond snapped in his chest and he swore he heard the ground rumble in response. The universe itself changing the atoms around them to pause time just for that brief moment.

“I am- Holy shit I am so sorry. Are you alright?” You rushed out, studying him carefully, hands still splayed out in the space in front of him. A cautious look in your gaze and Eris was sure he looked like a rabid beast, his clothes rumpled and a vicious stare, smoke curling from under his skin as he burned hotter than he thought possible.

It was then he realized the hellfire scorching his soul had calmed, instead of urging for freedom it peeked over his shoulder in curiosity. A feeling of calm settling all the way to his bones for the first time in days no-centuries. Hell, maybe for the first time at all.

Someone called your name from the crowd and he savored the feel of it rolling around his mind. His heart. You cursed under your breath and reached into your cloak, pulling out a few shiny rocks each of them varying in colors. “Sorry this is all I have on me.” You gently dropped them into his hand and he shuddered underneath the brief touch.

You looked at him expectantly and he realized he hadn’t spoken a single word. When he opened his mouth to try all he could taste was ash. Fuck he needed to say something. Someone called your name again, in a clipped tone and you glanced behind you. “Sorry, again for running into you!”

And just like that you were gone, whisking yourself away in the haze of people and taking the only peace he had with you.

That fire reared its ugly head again only this time it had a different purpose a new primal instinct only adding fuel to his newfound power.

He shook it off and did his best to bury it. Heading back into the streets. Confusion settling over him more than anything else. He would find you.

No not for courtship. Eris was too determined for love. It wasn’t meant for sadistic monster’s like him. His breathing evened as he settled into his goal-oriented mind. A strategy alreading forming.

No no, he would find you for the sweet relief you had brought him for he had never felt his fire quiet. Never felt that anxious power be lulled to sleep even before this old power.

At least that’s what he told himself anyways, as he locked that small spark of hope far far away.

#eris x reader #acotar fanfic #x reader fanfic #acotar #eris acotar #angst #fluff #eris fanfic #eris vanserra #sjmxreaderweek2025 #sjmxreaderweek

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kaijutegu · 5 months ago

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IL is having a contest to replace our not-very-good state flag and there are some amazingly good unserious submissions. I'm gonna show you my three favorites first and then put up a read more because this is a long post but you should click the read more anyways because laser Lincoln is too good to pass up.

If you want to see all of them, the PDF is here- but be warned, it's 1,878 pages long. However, there are some REALLY cute and well-thought-out kid designs towards the end- I think my favorite one from the kid-submitted ones is the one where there's our state mushroom releasing spores. Or maybe the one where the description says "We have the cubs and they suck."

Anyways, flags!

"The green background color represents our State's beautiful prairies. The goblin represents the uplifting spirit of our citizens, always hungry to achieve our dreams and goals. The "State Seal Dish" represents our state's government and the guidance and support it provides. The state of Illinois that is being consumed represents the nourishment that this State provides to its people. The text simply displays what is true."

"My flag represents the great turtles of our state. Illinois is home to seventeen different turtle species! This flag shows what Illinois is all about."

(There's nothing unserious about this, this SHOULD be our flag.)

"the laser beam projects a powerful image of Illinois. I believe my design is so powerful it does not need to be discussed."

"The blue-heeler cartoon dog represents the below-average rate of dogs in Illinois and the need for more. It also represents Australia's looming takeover of young America's minds. The blue background represents Illinois's blue sky. The word "Illinois" written in Hello Headline font represents Illinois and the clouds. The scroll has the words "State Sovereignty, National Bluey" written on it, which serves as a tribute to the old flag."

"The white and blue color is inspired by the Centennial flag, while the brown represents the Dave Matthews Band incident which is fondly remembered to Illinoisians. The bird is a Norhern Cardinal, the Illinois state bird. It destroying Chicago skyline represents how the city is often overrepresented and other cities didn’t get the representation deserved. The CGpog emojis pays tribute to Gavin Atack, which is the most legendary Chicagoan and symbolize how Illinois is a very POG state."

"This flag depicts Abraham Lincoln riding a woolly mammoth. Abe, who is the subject of our state motto "Land of Lincoln", represents honesty and virtue. The mammoth is an example of one of the most impressive creatures that roamed our state in its prehistory. The white background is an homage to the previous state flag, where the white separated it from the typical "seal on blue bed sheet".

This one is just AI slop- but it did make me laugh because I found the pretentious artist description to be hilariously at odds with the fact that this is AI slop: "StreetVanGogh: The Paintbrush that Binds Chicago and Illinois"In the heart of Illinois, where the wind whispers secrets through the prairies and the river runs like ink across a page, lies a city born from fire—Chicago. StreetVanGogh, an artist molded by this urban forge, wields a paintbrush not just as a tool, but as a compass that draws the lines connecting his city to the state he calls home.Chicago is the pulse of Illinois, a metropolis with a skyline that scratches at the stars," Hey, StreetVanGogh? Illinois famously does not have mountains. And Chicago famously does not have two Sears Towers. Try harder next time.

"It's a glistening NUTS though"

"The flag has a rainbow background, celebrating the vibrant LGBTQ culture in Illinois as well as the racial and ethnic diversity that makes this state great. The Chinese text is there to represent our fantastic Chinese community, the largest in the midwest. It reads, "Peace and joy, independent nation" which is what this state should aspire to be. In the center, is an outline of the great state itself with our most famous person, Abraham Lincoln, blushing to honored to be on this flag." I would love to know what those characters actually say.

"16th US President and Illinoisan Abraham Lincoln is a symbol of our great state and his work in quashing The Confederacy in the American Civil War cannot be understated. The background color is meant to evoke that of a Union Army uniform of the period, with the red representing the blood he shed defending our democracy to the bitter end. Lincoln would be proud to fly this beautiful banner commemorating his achievements."

"The colors represent the proud Chicago style hot dog. Beige for the bun and celery salt, carmine for the tomato and vienna beef, chartreuse for pickles and sport peppers, citrine for the mustard, white for the onions, and kelly green for the relish. The 21 black dots represent poppy seeds, as well as Illinois' inclusion as the 21st state. The citrine stripe of the mustard also represents corn and Malört."

There were a couple of hot dog flags, but this one gets a special dishonourable mention for mentioning Malört.

#illinois #long post

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burreauxsss · 22 days ago

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only on camera

background: joe burrow, america's quarterback attends the met gala with the one and only y/n y/ln, his girlfriend but fiance on the low.

notes: i dont need to explain myself here. enjoy!

word count: 753

warning: none? just horrible paparazzi.

The city hummed with electric anticipation. It was Met Gala night, fashion’s most sacred evening, and as the elite lined the ruby carpeted stairs of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, whispers chased every movement like shadows.

But all of that ceased when the black SUV rolled to a slow, theatrical stop at the curb.

The door swung open.

And out stepped Joe Burrow, the golden boy, everyones celebrity crush. Dressed in a sleek baby blue tuxedo with a satin collar. But what came next was what stole the night.

Y/N Y/L/N emerged behind him.

Silence, then audible gasps.

She wore white. The gown clung to her like moonlight on skin, its fabric a whisper of silk and illusion mesh. Cut dangerously low in the back and artfully high at the slit, it danced between couture and scandal, purity and seduction. Tiny crystal details caught the light like stardust. Yet it was the hand she placed delicately on Joe’s arm that sent cameras into a frenzy.

A ring.

Not just any ring.

A solitaire diamond, halo set on a platinum band, unmistakably an engagement ring.

Joe leaned in, murmuring, “You sure you’re ready for this?”

Y/N’s eyes sparkled like she knew something no one else did. “I’ve been ready."

They ascended the stairs, and the crowd parted like the sea. Reporters scrambled. Stylists froze mid sentence. Twitter was already ablaze.

“Who is she?”

“Is that Joe Burrow’s girlfriend?”

“Thats a ring, did he propose?!”

And there it was. The secret the world had no idea it had been starved for, the NFL golden boy was engaged, and not to some influencer or Hollywood gold digger. Y/N, a very popular college gymnast who retired due to her concussions her senior year. She had been in Joe’s orbit for years, always at the edge of the frame. Until tonight.

Inside, the two floated beneath the great glass dome, the city sparkling beyond them.

“You know this is going to be everywhere by morning,” he said, hand resting lightly on the small of her back.

She turned, tilting her head. “Good. Maybe now they’ll finally stop asking about your ‘mysterious girl in the background.’”

He chuckled, then reached for her hand, his thumb brushing the ring. “Still feels crazy. That you said yes.”

“I knew I would the second you fumbled the proposal speech,” she teased.

“I did not fumble.”

“You forgot your own name, Joe.”

A few months ago 📍Athens, OH

It had been late autumn in Ohio. They were at his family’s place just outside Athens, wrapped in wood, history, and too many Bengals throw blankets to even count.

He’d been jittery all day, which was already suspicious. Joe never fidgeted that much.

They’d gone on a walk by the water after dinner, wrapped in scarves and nostalgia. The sun had just kissed the horizon goodnight, setting the lake ablaze in orange and lavender.

Y/N had been talking about something... work, a opening to be the gymnastics head at Ohio State when he stopped walking.

“I—uh, wait,” he said, voice suddenly tight.

She turned to face him. “What?”

He blinked. “Hang on.”

Her brows lifted. “Are you okay?”

Joe took a deep breath and then… knelt. Right there on the pine needle scattered path.

Y/N’s eyes widened.

“Okay,” he said, pulling a tiny box from his coat pocket with shaking hands. “Okay. So. I… wow.”

She bit her lip, heart already thundering.

“I’ve had this speech in my head for weeks,” Joe said, eyes locked on hers. “But it all sounds dumb now. Because the only thing I know for sure is that I love you. Like, I’m gonna love you through every season love you. Like, I want you on the sidelines and at the breakfast table and in the middle of everything love you.”

Tears pricked her eyes.

“And okay, here it goes.” He cleared his throat, opened the ring box. “Y/N Y/L/N… will you marry—”

He paused.

She blinked. “Joe?”

He looked slightly panicked. “I forgot the next part.”

She laughed. “You were literally about to ask me to marry you.”

“I know, I know,” he said, laughing nervously. “It’s just....I wanted to say ‘It’s me, Joe Burrow’...you know, make it official sounding and I just totally blanked.”

Y/N burst into full laughter. “You forgot your own name?”

“I did!” He looked both mortified and amused. “I was gonna say, ‘It’s me, Joe Burrow, and I want to spend forever with you.’ But then I just blanked. Like full on quarterback under pressure mind melt.”

Still giggling, she knelt down in front of him, hands cradling his cheeks. “Well… Joe Burrow, whoever you are, the answer’s yes.”

He stared at her. “Wait. Really?”

“Really really.”

The kiss that followed was a little messy, slightly damp from tears, and absolutely perfect.

Present day 📍New York, NY

And now, months later, under the vaulted ceiling of the Met, the memory danced like a secret flame behind Y/N’s smile. She reached for Joe’s hand, their fingers interlocking easily, like they'd always belonged that way.

“You remembered your name eventually,” she teased under her breath.

He grinned, squeezing her hand. “Barely.”

They laughed together, and even in the grand chaos of fashion royalty, nothing glittered quite as bright as they did. A couple not born from publicists or media campaigns, but from quiet loyalty and fire beneath the surface.

And as the cameras kept flashing, as the world spun faster in its obsession, Y/N raised her left hand to adjust her hair, casually, effortlessly.

The diamond caught the light.

And the world caught on.

yn posted a story

caption: yeah he did that @/joeyb_9

note: literally proofread this 20 times half asleep.. anyways

#joe burrow #joe burrow x black reader #joe burrow x reader #joe burrow imagine #joe burrow smau #burreauxss #joe burrow blurb #joe burrow insta au #joe burrow one shot #joe burrow text imagine #joe burrow fic

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pixelwritez · 27 days ago

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Fields of trouble

City girl x Country farm boy leon

Desc: Spoiled city girl gets sent to her grandparents farm for the summer because her parents think she’s gotten too spoiled. While there she meets leon, the hot farm worker. Basically he gets fed up of her attitude and punishes her, then they low-key fall in love.

WC: 5k

Mentions of: Spanking, light bondage, edging, NSWF, leon is just mean, brat taming, overstimulation, degradation if you squint, oral (fem receiving) ,(princess, honey, brat, baby, doll).

If there was one thing you knew, it was that you did not belong on a farm.

The moment you stepped off the bus into the dry, sunbaked driveway of your grandparents' property, you could already feel your phone signal dropping. Your Louis Vuitton duffle bag thudded into the dirt, instantly scuffed. A chicken ran across the path, squawking at nothing in particular.

Your parents had sent you here as punishment.

One too many late nights, too many bad grades, and too many social media scandals. "You need grounding," your mom had said. "Real life. A place with no filters and no WiFi." Your grandparents greeted you warmly, but all you could think about was the sticky heat and the endless silence. Then came the next blow.

"We've got a helper around here - works full-time on the farm," your grandpa said. "You'll be seeing plenty of him."

As if on cue, you saw a boy walk by. Dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, broad shoulders, but your eyes were immediately drawn to his muscles. And damn was he hot. He barely spared you a glance when he walked past with a bucket of feed and muttered, "Try not to get in the way, city girl."

But before you could utter a word, he was already gone, leaving only the smell of hay and the sting of being underestimated.

The first few days were torture. Leon was everywhere - tossing bales of hay like it was nothing, fixing fences, riding the tractor - and each time he saw you, it was another jab.

"You're gonna break a nail, princess."

"You sure that's how you hold a shovel?"

“You're wearing perfume around the goats? Seriously?”

You hated him. And worse, you hated that he was kind of...ridiculous. Like, ridiculously attractive. Underneath the attitude and sweat, there was something sharp in his eyes. Smart. Sad, maybe.

Something you couldn't figure out.

Over the next few days, you started to learn more about him. He was mean. He gave you the worst chores: cleaning stalls, shoveling up dirt, and throwing bales of hay that were way too heavy for you. And he just would not back down, the more you pushed him and gave him attitude, the worse things got. You swore he took pleasure in watching you suffer. Milking a cow? Disaster. Feeding the chickens? They chased you. Cleaning stalls? Nearly passed out.

“You gonna cry every time you break a nail?” He asked you, tossing you a pair of work gloves as you two picked tomatoes.

Frustrated with him and this whole situation, you threw the gloves back at him. “You know what? Maybe I will!”

“Good. Maybe that’ll water the crops.” Is all he said, then returning to throw fresh tomatoes into a basket.

You groaned loudly, stomping your foot on the ground and just storming away. You didn't get peace for very long because before you knew it, there was a strong hand wrapped around your arm, dragging you back. You didn't even have to look to know who it was.

“You’ve got two choices,” He started, practically pushing you back to the small field of vegetables. “Finish picking the veggies, or go hungry.”

You scoffed and crossed your arms, waiting for him to smile or say anything else. He didn't. “You're serious.”

“Dead.”

One particular morning, the croak of the rooster woke you up, despite not wanting to get up, you knew you had to. Getting ready went by in a blur, and before you knew it, you were out in the blazing sun, watching Leon pick weeds and listen to him bark orders.

"You're here to work," he stated bluntly, his voice gravelly and authoritative. "Not to play at being some city girl trying to keep her hands clean. So get up and help."

"Fine then, I'll keep the animals entertained." You huffed, walking yourself over to the cute baby lambs. Cooing at them and petting their soft fur. The animals here made being forced to stay on this farm slightly bearable.

Leon watched you walk away, his expression remaining stern as ever. But he couldn't deny a slight hint of annoyance as you moved towards the sheep. "Alright, cut that out. You can play with the lambs later. Come back here and help me with these weeds."

"Yeah, why don't you make me." You mumbled under your breath, running your fingers through their fur. You were not meant for this work! And picking weeds, like that, would get your hands all dirty, and you would probably break some nails!

Leon heard your remark, and it clearly didn't sit well with him. He set down the shovel and slowly stalked towards you, his footsteps measured and deliberate. "You really want to test me?" he said, his voice lower now. "Because I assure you, I have no problem in making you do something you don't want to. I don't abide by brattism."

Scrunching your face up, you threw your arms to your sides. He was undeniably attractive but also a little scary. I bet he didn't even know you had almost half a million social media followers. Still, you didn't even want to be here. Yes, having a super hot guy around was nice, but he was super annoying and mean. “I'm not touching that.”

Leon's patience was starting to wear thin. He had been dealing with your attitude all day, and he wasn’t going to let more of it slide. His eyes locked on yours, intense and unyielding. “I’ll say this once more,” he said, his voice like gravel. “Cut the attitude, quit messing with the lambs, and come help me with the weeds. Now.”

Crossing your arms, you had finally had it. “No! You can not tell me what to do, and I'm done listening to you!” You shouted at him because who was he to tell you what to do? Did he even know who you were? Oh, you would show him.

But before you could get another word in or come up with any kind of plan, he had his hand wrapped around your arm, dragging you forward. Leon's patience had run out. “You don’t get to refuse,” he said, his tone low and dangerously quiet. “I'm the one giving these orders, and if you don't follow them, I’ll make sure you do.” Without waiting for a response, his hand shot out and smacked your ass.

You squeaked and gasped after feeling his hand on your ass. Your cheeks burned a dark red, and you quickly turned back around. You have never been spanked before, and were a little flustered. “Y-you did not just do that! That’s assault, I'm calling my lawyer!”

Leon let out a short scoff, the corners of his lips quirking upwards into a smirk. “Oh really?” he said, his voice holding a hint of amusement. “You think your city lawyer can do anything out here in the countryside? You’re on my turf now, honey.”

He stepped even closer, towering over you. His hands now rested on his hips, and his expression held a hint of challenge. “And out here, things work a little differently. We don’t call it assault. We call it discipline.”

“T-that’s not..” You fumbled over your words, your arms hanging loosely by your sides. “You can’t do that.”

Leon chuckled, clearly enjoying this turn of events. “Can’t I?” he said, his mocking expression growing. “Watch me.”

With a swift motion, he grabbed your arm once more and yanked it up behind your back. This unexpected action pulled your body right against him, pressing you into his solid frame. He leaned down, his mouth hovering close to your ear. “I think you need to learn a little lesson about respect,” he murmured. “And I’m more than happy to teach it to you.”

You inhaled sharply and furrowed your brows. Beyond embarrassed at this point, your parents never disciplined you. More or less spanked you. “You..don’t know who I am..”

Leon chuckled again, clearly enjoying your struggle. “Oh, I know exactly who you are, princess,” he replied, the word 'princess' rolling off his tongue with clear sarcasm. “You’re some city girl who thinks she knows better. Well, let me tell you, you have a lot to learn about life out here in the country.”

He released your arm, but quickly slid his hand down to your ass, giving it another firm smack. “And I think you’ve had about enough sass for one day. Time for a change of attitude.” He murmured, pushing you down until your chest was pressed against some stacked hay bales. Ass in the air, he gripped the waistband of your pants. “Let’s see how long that attitude lasts after this.”

You let out a small scream, panic started settling in when you realized your position right now. “No! Wait, you can’t do that you-!” You started to say, squirming because how dare he!? Were you a little turned on from this…yes, but that's not the point!

“I can, and I will,” Leon responded, his voice firm as yanked your pants down with no regard for your say in the matter. He pushed his hand against your lower back, keeping your squirming minimal. His palm connected with your ass with a sharp smack, the sting immediately registering.

“This is your first real lesson. Learn and adjust your attitude, or this is going to continue happening. Am I clear?” Without pausing, he landed two more hard slaps in quick succession, each one making contact with the same spot on your left cheek. “You’re here to work and learn, not sass. Got it?”

You whimpered and squirmed, not liking the stinging sensation with every hit delivered. Slowly nodding, too embarrassed to do anything else.

He just smirked when he saw you acting all submissive and embarrassed, leaning closer, he delivered another few smacks to each cheek. “Not so mouthy now, are you? Maybe that's where you've been going wrong, you just needed someone to tell you who's in charge. Someone to put you in your place when you think you're in charge.”

His voice was deep and firm, with a hint of mockery in it if you listened closely. With each hit made, you wince and squirm, each mocking word he said made your face turn redder, and all you could do was just take it. He was just so masculine, so naturally dominant and authoritative. You have never had anyone take charge of you like this before, mainly because that's just not how things worked back in the city.

He rubbed his hand over your reddening skin before delivering another smack. “Oh, you like this, huh? You like how I handle you, the way I dont put up with your bullshit, bet you never had a city boy do this.”

You did like it. Of course, you would never admit it, but the way he just manhandled you around made your heart flutter. A small part of you liked how he wasn't scared of you, how he didn't put up with your attitude, or how rough he was. Everyone usually just put up with your bratty attitude and sassy remarks, but he didn't. You liked that.

Yeah, he knew you liked this, he could tell from the moment he met you that you liked him. The way your cheeks flushed, and you refused to make eye contact with him. He noticed the subtle way your thighs would rub together when watching him throw bales of hay. If he looked closely, he could see the way your nipples hardened underneath your little tank top when he ordered you to do something. You were such a virgin. So much sass and attitude just to cover up the fact you're an inexperienced brat. He couldn't wait to get rid of that attitude and make you completely submissive to him.

He smacked your ass a few more times before rubbing the tender skin again and speaking to you sternly. “I know you're used to getting what you want in the city, but that's not how things work here. So you can start by apologizing.”

“Sorry..” You mumbled, it was a weak apology with no real meaning behind it. The only things you could feel was the stinging pain from your ass and the humiliation bubbling up.

Cute. He liked how your voice wavered, and a small smirk played on his lips. But that answer wasn't satisfactory, so he delivered another hard swat to your tender skin. “Try again. Apologize again, and this time, mean it.” He snarled, his voice low.

“M’sorry!” You repeated in a much whinier tone, tears threatening to form in your eyes because he just kept going. It hurt badly, his hands were so big and rough, showing no mercy to your soft skin.

He didn't say anything for a few moments but seemed to accept your answer, pulling you up by the back of your shirt and holding you by your waist. His grip tightened, and he abruptly jerked you forward, earning a small gasp from you, which was quickly silenced when his lips crashed against yours. Your heart pounded in your chest as your eyes squeezed together. To be honest, you weren't the best kisser. But it wasn't your fault…believe it or not, you had little to no romantic relationship experience.

You were a shitty kisser. Clearly, no one had taught you how to kiss, and he was more than willing to fix that. He pulled away from you and gripped the back of your head, staring down at you for a moment before pulling away. "Go grab another shovel from the shed." He snapped, his voice returning to his usual cold tone. "Then get to work, you've got weeds that need clearing."

"Huh.." Was all you could get out, your head spinning and brain still a little fuzzy from everything that just happened.

"Move it, city brat. Those weeds aint gonna clear themselves." He paused, his boots crunching over the gravel as he made his way to the door. "And fix those shorts before I have to fix 'em for you."

You couldn't get a word in before the barn door slammed shut, standing in complete silence for a few seconds before slowly tugging your shorts back up. Was he really just going to leave you here? After everything that just happened and made you work? Apparently, he was because he didn't say anything but kept walking away.

After a few moments, you emerged from the shed, dragging a shovel behind you slowly. It was much hotter out here than it was inside the barn, and it just made you more upset and confused about this whole situation. And boy, was the pain starting to settle in. But - god, the view of Leon throwing fresh bales of hay across the field made it all worth it. The way his sleeves strained against his muscles as he threw hay like it was nothing. He briefly glanced over at you, his shirt damp with sweat, stretched across his broad shoulders. He paused for a moment to watch your less-than-graceful way of using the shovel, but said nothing and continued to throw hay bales.

It was hot, and you'd been at it forever, so you decided to take a little break. Finding a nice shaded area underneath a tree to lounge at and play on your phone. Not that there was much to do on it since there was like no reception, but it was better than just sitting and doing nothing. It was a little uncomfortable to sit though, so you kept shifting, trying to find a position that minimized the pain you felt.

Unfortunately, it didn't take long before he happened to notice you. And Leon Kennedy hated a quitter.

Stomping towards you, jaw clenched as his eyes narrowed. “Up.” He said, kicking your ankle with his boot. “You think you get to relax? That lazy attitude of yours is exactly why you're here.”

“I'm taking a break.” Is all you said, moving slightly from the kick he delivered and bringing your knees to your chest.

Brat. He leaned down, crouching onto your level and snatching your phone from your hands. “Your break is over, up now.”

When you felt your phone being ripped from your hands, you immediately shot up, glaring at him and standing up. He stood right up with you, tucking your phone in his back pocket and staring down at you expectantly. He was tired of your attitude, the disrespect, and sass, and was going to put an end to this.

You pretty much did as you were told for the rest of the day. Not wanting to risk getting spanked again. There was a small hint of satisfaction watching you finally comply. He didn't say anything, but was just making sure you were following directions. You weren't that bad when you were quiet. The next few days, he would find any reason to touch you. A brush against you, a gentle hand on your shoulder, a nudge, or even a small touch to your waist. You were an attractive girl, he wouldn't deny that. You just had a terrible attitude problem. He could fix that.

One particular night, all the chores around the farm were finished, and he leisurely walked over to you. Taking a seat beside you, he wrapped an arm around your shoulders and pulled you into him. “What’re you doing up so late?”

When you felt his warm arm wrapped around you, you leaned into him. Sighing softly and looking up at the sun beginning to set. “Watching the sun..” You mumbled, looking up at him. He was being uncharacteristically…nice? Usually, he would just push you away or demand you to do more work, but it was kind of nice. Cuddling with him, being wrapped up in his strong, warm arms.

“You did a lot better today.” He said quietly, his gaze fixed on the horizon. “Still got a mouth on you though.”

“Everyone has a mouth.” You responded in a slightly cheeky tone, tilting your head up to take a few glances at him.

He whipped his head down at you, raising an eyebrow at your sassy tone. A scoff escaped his lips as he leaned slightly closer to you. “That's exactly the attitude I'm talking about, you can't go ten minutes without acting up, can you?”

“I'm not acting up, I'm just sitting here.” You said in a huff, though you weren't actually annoyed at him.

“Yeah sure, just sitting there with that attitude of yours.” He muttered, rolling his eyes and staring at you. “Let me tell you something, attitude gets you in trouble. You'd better keep that smart tongue to yourself if you know what's good for you. Got it?”

“Yeah, whatever..” You mumbled that last part, hoping he wouldn't hear it. Of course, he did, though, because he suddenly grabbed your wrist tightly, pulling you against him.

“What did I just say?” He said, his voice low and sharp, his eyes locking on yours. He pulled you up to your feet, then pulled you into him again. He was tired of your bratty attitude. “I don't like that tone.”

There was nothing you could do to stop him from manhandling you to your feet, but feeling his warm, muscular chest against your back was a nice feeling. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to stop you from stomping your foot on his, which you immediately regretted when you felt him tighten his grip and heard his grunt in pain.

“So you wanna play like that, huh? Alright, I can get rough, too.” He basically growled in your ear, dragging you to the barn with no regard for your protests or half-hearted apologies. It didn't even hurt that bad, but it all came down to the principle of things; he didn't want you thinking it was okay to just stomp on or hit people whenever you didn't get your way. When he finally got to the barn, he wasted no time shoving you against the wall and pinning your arms to your chest with one hand.

All you could feel was his hand roaming your body, his heavy breathing as he squeezed your wrists together. “We're gonna put an end to that little attitude right now.” He muttered, his free hand groping your breast through your shirt. Pinching your nipple hard enough to make you whimper.

“Stop it..” You muttered weakly, but you didn't actually want him to stop. The way he was touching you and looking at you just made the heat inside of you grow. It was turning you on, big time.

His lips just curled into a slow, sensual smile, nuzzling his face against her neck and pressing light kisses to her skin as his hand continued to move down her body. “Stop? Stop what, this?” He asked, a sarcastic tone creeping up in his voice. Pulling away briefly just to slowly undo his belt, taking the leather and wrapping it around your wrists. He grabbed your bound wrists and hooked them to a saddle mount that was above your head.

Now that your arms were successfully restrained, he placed more open-mouth kisses on your neck. He held your waist in one hand, the other was slowly sliding down your shorts. Not bothering to take them off all the way, he yanked your shorts down to your ankles. Took a moment to admire the view of your soaked through panties and your embarrassed like state before tugging your panties down too.

He ran his finger through your folds and chuckled. “All this for me?” He asked lowly, bringing his finger up to rub your clit in small soft circles.

You let out a small whimper and a tiny little moan when he started rubbing you, shifting in place, and closing your eyes because it felt so good, but it was so embarrassing. You were so caught up in your feelings about this, you hadn't even realized he had sunk to his knees until you felt his tongue against your thighs.

He held your waist, tilting his head up and pushing his tongue against your folds. He suddenly moved his tongue up to your clit and flicked it, moving his tounge back and forth. This caused a very loud, very unexpected moan to rip through your body. Arching your back up and tugging on your arms, desperately trying to free them, but it was no use. He smirked against you, wrapping his lips around your clit and sucked hard, moving one hand to your thigh and gripping it tightly.

Your body jerked forward when he started sucking, letting out a few high pitched whines and moans. It was honestly a little embarrassing how close you already were, opening your eyes slightly to see his blonde hair, which you wished you could grab. Continuing to pant and shift your hips against his face, you started to moan about how close you were, which was a mistake.

As soon as he heard you were going to cum, he pulled away. Looking up at your confused and frustrated expression, and stood back up. “You didn't really think you were going to get what you wanted after the way you've been acting, did you?” He asked mockingly and actually started to laugh at you.

You fell back against the wall, your face burning red in a mix of how humiliating this is and how good it felt. “Please..” You mumbled, looking up at him with a pleadeful expression hoping he would take pity on you and just let you cum. But this was just the beginning.

Honestly, you had lost count of how many times he brought you to the edge, then just stopped. But you were defiently feeling sorry now, feeling his fingers play with your sensitive clit just made you moan louder, you felt so weak, and it didnt help he was mocking you the whole time.

“You're so sensitive, do you get like this for all the city boys back home?”

“You wont cum till I say so, and right now your not even close.”

“You're not used to not getting what you want, are you? Well, that's too bad.”

Your mind was all foggy, and your whole body felt hot and tingly. You were so close again, but you knew what was going to happen, so it was hard to stay hopeful. “I'm not begging.” You managed to speak between whimpers and choked out moans. But you had standards, even though he had reduced you to a whiny mess, you refused to beg.

“Oh, you will.” He retorted, pressing his thumb harder against your clit and moving it in faster tight circles. His touch became more direct, his finger moving more intensely. He was trying to break you. His smile only widened at the sound of your moans, making him even more determined. He was starting to put the puzzle pieces together, though, the way you were acting and responding to him.

“Are you a virgin?”

When you heard him ask that, you froze. Yeah, you were, but how did he know? Naturally, you didn't say anything, but squeezed your thighs together because you were close. A small part of you was hoping he couldn't tell, and maybe you could sneak an orgasm past him. But all your hope was crushed when you felt his fingers leave you again. Stomping your foot on the floor, you let out a frustrated groan and slowly lifted your head to meet his gaze. Damn did he look hot right now. You really didn't want to beg him…but what other choice did you have?

So you let out the smallest, “Please..” and you should have known that would never be acceptable because he delivered a sharp smack to your ass drawing a whimper from your lips. You weren't entirely sure how to react; no one's ever done this to you before. No one cared to correct your behaviour or teach you manners, so this was all new.

“Please, Leon.” You continued to mumble, your legs trembling slightly and your arms starting to ache from being held above your head for so long. It was your fault, though; you could have ended this a long time ago if you would just swallow your pride and beg. It was harder than it sounded.

He grabbed your jaw and forced you to look at him, his tone demanding and harsh as he asked. “Please, what?’

“You know what!” You exclaimed, squirming again and only being able to look at him for a few seconds before having to look away.

He chuckled at your whine, his grip firm and inescapable. “Oh, I know what. But I want to hear you say it. I want you to beg. You’re not getting anything unless you beg for it.”

His hand moved between your thighs again and began stroking you softly, teasingly. “Come on, baby. Just say the words. You’ll feel much better after.”

You let out another whine when he started to play with your sensitive bundle of nerves again. Arching your back up from the wall for the millionth time, determined to get what you want this time. “I wanna..just…”

He chuckled at the sound of your struggling little gasps, the way you squirmed against him. “You want what?” he teased. “Use your words, honey.”

“Wanna cum.” You finally admitted, your voice was low and quiet because you didn’t want to be admitting this. But there was no other way, he wasn’t going to give in to puppy dog eyes or pouty lips.

He let out a low, gruff noise at your admission, giving your clit a pinch. “There it is,” he murmured, his tone rougher, more dangerous. “You’re a good girl when you do what you’re told.”

He leaned down, his mouth close to your ear, his breath hot on your skin. “And now you’re going to say it again, and keep saying it until I’m satisfied.”

“What!?” You exclaimed, yelping at the sudden pinch, unable to tell if it felt good or not. “But that’s not fair, you didn’t-“ You tried to say, but cut yourself off with a small moan.

“Fairs got nothing to do with it, you asked for this. You asked to be punished.” His finger moved a little faster, then pulled away again. Causing you to let out another frustrated groan and squirm helplessly. Leaving you unsatisfied and wanting. You started to rub your thighs a little, since you couldn't use your hands.

“Ah ah.” He warned, grabbing your thighs and ripping them apart. “Stop that.” He brought his fingers back down and started to rub at your poor clit again. He was driving you insane.

Swallowing your pride, you closed your eyes as another small cry of pleasure left your lips. “Please! Please just let me cum!” You finally cried, beyond frustrated and humiliated at this point, but you couldn't take being denied anymore.

He let out a deep, satisfied groan when you spoke and started to move his fingers faster. “There you go, that's what I want to hear, good girl.”

“Please please please please…” You continued to mumble under your breath, feeling the tension in your body, and you knew you were close. You just didn't want him to stop again. Arching your back off the wall, not even caring about your ego anymore, and letting out a few small, whiny moans.

He could practically see all the signs of your impending orgasm. Flushed cheeks, your little breathy pants, small moans, and he wanted to hold you there for a moment. “You're so close, keep going.”

Your orgasm hit you like a ton of bricks, a wave of relief and pleasure washed over your body at once, and you could feel all the tension leave your body. Letting out small whimpers as your thighs trembled. He kept rubbing you through your orgasm, and he didn’t plan on stopping at one.

Your breath was coming out in short gasps, watching him lick his fingers clean you expected him to free you. He didn't; instead, he moved his head back between your thighs and started to lap at your folds. Not giving you a scond to recover as his tongue moved across your overstimulated pussy, cleaning up all your cum.

Your eyes rolled back, and your mouth hung open in pleasure. You were so sensitive, and he was still going! But you didn't have much energy left to beg him to stop, so all you could do was lean against the wall for support as your legs trembled.

He closed his eyes and wrapped his lips around your clit again and started to gently suck while his tongue flicked back and forth. Moving his ring and index finger down and pushing them inside your cunt. This drew a mewl from your lips and left you to rock your hips against his face.

“Leon…” You spoke, voice weak as another few moans left your lips.

He continued to pump his fingers in and out of you as he briefly pulled away to talk. “I'm not done with you yet, not even close. Your going to cum for me again, over and over until your whole body is shaking. And then,” He spoke, curling his fingers to hit that spot inside you that makes your whole body tingle. “You're gonna beg me to stop, I'm gonna break you, doll.”

Fuck he did break you. By the time he was done you were in tears, you couldnt even count the number of times he forced your body to cum, pushing you to your limits until you literally could not take anymore. You don't really remember much of what happened after that, just remember waking up inside. Opening your eyes slowly, you turned your head to the side and saw a pair of strong arms wrapped around you.

Oh, he must have carried you inside. You must have passed out then, you couldn't help but cringe and die a little inside when you remembered everything that just happened. Well, you certainly wouldn't be giving him anymore attitude, that's for sure. But for now, you were just enjoying the calm, cuddled up in his arms. Maybe farm life wasn't so bad after all.

(SO SORRY FOR THR ABRUPT ENDIND BUT I DIDNT REALLY KNOW HOW TO END IT. I’ve also been debating making a part two where they actually like do it but idk guys is that to much. 😭)

#leon kennedy #leon kennedy resident evil #leon kennedy x reader #fanfic #leon kennedy smut #this is finally done #leon kennedy cowboy

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endless-ineffabilities · 3 months ago

Text

take a shot. 🥃

bucky barnes x reader (x steve rogers)

You, Buck, Steve. The three best friends that anyone could have. But when one ran late to a hangout, the other decided to take his fuckin' shot.

masterlist

You did not think super soldiers could get drunk.

In theory, they should not.

Even a gallon of tequila would burn fast and quick with their inhuman metabolism, the effects of the alcohol rendered moot.

And so, as you sat cross-legged on the beloved carpet in your barely furnished living room, you found yourself wondering if Bucky was only putting it on, or if he was well and properly shitfaced.

Hell, how many shots had he downed? Twenty? Thirty? Were you even still on the fourth bottle?

If he was drunk, then you might as well have been near-comatose. But you held yourself up pretty well. Much to your surprise. Granted, you've only had a mere 4 shots to Buck's potential 44 but... hell. Credit has to be given where it's due.

"So, yeah, yeah..." you slurred. "That's how that went. Story of my fucking life, eh, Buck?"

"What did you say again? Wha... Good luck on—"

"The date! I told Steve, 'Good luck on your date.' You know, because I'm such a good friend. The best."

"And then he...?"

"Then... then he smiled, you know, that soft and unassuming Steve smile?" Your voice became wistful and full of wanting, and Bucky could only hum in response. He had seen that smile hundreds of times, and never in a million years did he ever think his heart would sink at the thought of it.

But it did. Because he was jealous. Why couldn't you speak of his smile in the same way?

Probably because his was much rarer, something that springs unexpectedly. Bucky was not known for being a ray of sunshine, not at all. But he smiled around you, and not the polite lip-quirk kind — full smiles, all stretched, blue eyes crinkling.

Maybe you just didn't notice. Or, who was he kidding? Maybe you did, and just didn't like him enough to admire him the way you do Steve.

Bucky had to remind himself to tune in as you rambled on, your melodic voice breaking through his pathetic introspection.

"Then he said that he actually got dressed up all nice for me... I couldn't believe it, Buck, me! We went on our first official date that night, and the rest is history."

You beamed at him, awaiting something, anything. He should be happy for his two best friends. He should playfully clap you on the shoulder, prompting that adorable nose scrunch that you do.

Instead he said, "You know something, darling? Sometimes I wish it was me you wanted."

Bucky blanched. He must have died, bombs going off and eviscerating the state of New York, because there can't have been any chance of those words flying out his mouth in this lifetime.

His pounding heart proved him wrong. Along with the warmth surging in his system as you gazed at him wide-eyed, your lips softly parted in surprise.

"Darling, I —"

"Bucky, I — "

Super soldiers can get drunk, in some sense of the word, only if they allow it. The amount that would have a normal human punching well above a 0.40% BAC, might just be enough to make someone like Bucky slightly tipsy.

If he let it. And so he did.

He moved quickly, before he could even contemplate the stupidity of his actions.

Then Bucky felt you, your somewhat chapped lips soft against his. Motionless at first, until he pushed his tongue past your teeth, and melded it with your own.

He knew what was coming, who was coming.

Steve had been held up, racing across the city. Bucky could already hear his sure stomps climbing up the old stairwell of your apartment building.

Yet Bucky didn't stop. How could he?

"Wait, Bucky, we can't — "

"Uh-uh," he chided you, smirking. "Just kiss me. Please. It's all I ask."

His blood rushed down, down, awakening a part of Bucky that may just be too much for polite society. That graceless, careless casanova who would gladly rip the skirt off of his best friend's girlfriend. That very dame who he also happened to be in love with.

When Bucky kissed you again, his ears picked up Steve's steady heartbeat down the hallway. The keys to his motorbike jingling in his pocket. The sweet smell emanating from a bouquet of peonies he brought you.

All those heightened senses, and not a single one saved Bucky from falling for you.

Or from what came next.

"What. The. Shit."

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #steve rogers #steve rogers x reader #mcu #captain america #sebastian stan #chris evans

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leviackermanstoes · 7 months ago

Note

Girl, your stories are so GOOD! I love reading your fics. I just saw you may be taking fics for Jayce or Viktor. Is there any way I could request a Jayce x Viktor x Reader fic where the reader is very naturing, cuddly, and gentle with both of them, but maybe she hides all her stress and struggles cause she deems theirs more important? Like, she always knows when they want coffee, how they each take it, covers them up when the lab is cold or they pass out at the desk, rubs their shoulders when she sees them shrug too much, just very attentive. Yet, she’s not a scientist and thinks that being stressed over literature projects and teaching is ridiculous cause it’s not as difficult or as important (in her mind) as hextech. So she just ignores her needs until these two notice.

I’m so sorry if that is too much! I hope you enjoy the third act when it comes out. Thank you so much for reading this! 🩶

OH ABSOLUTELY I CAN DO THIS. 😭😭 THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING AND LIKING MY STORIES IT MEANS SO MUCH.

--fem reader. Fluff. Small sad. Angst if you squint. Cute throuple time.

The laboratory is cold, and the rain that batters piltover decorates the window like glass tears. Your eyes droop tiredly as you watched viktor twist the cogs in the next hextech project and listen to the sound of slow puffs of steam every few minutes that came from brass pipes on the walls.

Jayce is unmoving as he sits at his own desk, sorting through two stacks of papers. You hate it, hate watching them so vulnerable and so tired. Both are so hard-working and loyal to their studies.

"Allow me to help you both," you spoke as you stood up.

Reaching for two soft blue blankets stored in the corner, you walked firstly to jayce and draped the blanket across his shoulders and gave his cheek a soft kiss.

"I can't have my boys going cold now, can I?"

You spoke as you walked to viktor to drape a blanket across his much more lean shoulders, kissing his cheek, too. Viktor looked up at you and smiled tiredly.

"Thank you, my love." it never failed to make your heart flutter hearing viktor call you that, especially when his accent made it so smooth and endearing.

"Are you staying with us tonight?" Jayce spun in his chair, leaning an arm on his knee.

"I um" you cleared your throat.

The truth was, you had things to do. Your own assignments and activities to tend to. But viktor and jayce's eyes were gleaming deep brown in the dim laboratory light and so often you found yourself missing them when they would make you go to bed without them because they were afraid you would pass out after spending so long with them doing work.

"I have no where to be"

Paperwork

Documents

Assignments

Blueprints

Papers

Papers papers pap-

"No," you shook your head. "I have nowhere to be"

You smiled as you walked over to stand by the window, viktor and jayce came to stand on either side of you. The rain still pounded the glass, crystal city and enforcers were hounded the soaking streets each night, like a herd of elephants stampeding with metal boots.

"You need not worry about what's happening down there." Jayce put his hand on your shoulder.

Viktor turned his head to you. "It is not our worry, my love" he spoke ever so softly.

You pressed your lips together into a thin line, as you thought over so much.

"You both must be hungry," you stated.

You stepped away from them both before you walked over to the door. You would make them cups of hot tea and nice warm soup. bread and butter.

"Stop right there, doll" Jayce spoke loudly.

You froze and turned around to see jayce holding up your textbook. You gasped and realised they had indeed caught you.

"When were you going to tell us you had assignments to do?" Jayce asked.

Viktor turned around to face you, his head tilted. You looked at the ground defeated before them, and began to cry.

"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you both. I was so entranced with helping you with your dreams that I forgot about my own, " you frowned and sighed.

The two of them walked over to you and hugged you tightly. If they had known you were in such troubles, they would have chained you to the table and glued a pencil in your hand.

"I love you both so much, and I'm so sorry that kept it from you." .You looked at them with gentle and sorrowful eyes.

"You need not be sorry. But It's time to start taking care of yourself, my love. " viktor held you close to him

You nodded, making them both smile admiringly.

"We love you, pretty girl"

You gave them both soft kisses to their lips and smiled. "You know I'm still going to take care of you both"

They were your boys. And even if you were working every day and night on your own papers, you would find ways to still make sure they had their breakfast lunch and dinner and were always hydrated and healthy. You loved them both dearly and they too loved you too.

"If I find out you aren't focusing on yourself, I'll take back my promise to buy cupcakes" Viktor spoke.

Not only did you gasp. But beside you, the man of progress did too.

#jayvik #arcane #arcane season 2 #arcane season 1 #jayvik fic #jayce talis #viktor arcane #jayvik x reader #jayce x viktor

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starredblood · 3 months ago

Text

FADE INTO YOU

kang sae-byeok x fem!reader

synopsis: you live in a small secluded town in jeju where nothing ever happens until a girl with a face made of stone moved in. however, her disillusion about life makes your strange relationship with her complicated—further conflicting each others lives.

wc. 6.2k

warnings: situationship to ???, angst, little bit of fluff and comfort, use of alcohol and cigarettes, brief mentions of sexual intimacy, reader is very melancholic

(masterlist)

Living in a place that people dream of visiting is gloomier than you imagined it would be. Beautiful green scenery, pale blue skies, and waves crashing—it was paradise. The people, they were quieter and much more at peace with life than in the bustling cities back in the mainland. Unlike the corporate driven lifestyle you were surrounded with back in Seoul, it felt like time permanently stopped here in Jeju. You didn’t have to rush anything, especially living in a small tucked away town right beside the seashore.

The problem back in Seoul was that you were dissatisfied with your direction in life. But that ache in your chest still seeped into your new life here in Jeju. So, you think it’s not a location problem—it’s a you problem. There’s something wrong with you.

And you need something to get you going. Like now.

It might’ve been late afternoon by the time you heard several hard knocks coming from your bedroom. You let out irritated groans by the nonstop banging, still not intending to be awake at this hour in the day. To prevent the noise blaring through your eardrums you grab your unused pillow and press it to your face so your head could be sandwiched in between pillows.

But you heard a stern, equally as irritated muffle on the other end. “Hey? Are you awake?” you hear your older sister whine.

Her knocking was relentless and you knew she wasn’t going to stop until you reveal yourself from hibernating in your dark and depressed bedroom. “Coming.” you croak out.

You rub your eyes and lazily place your feet on the ground. It took all of your strength to get off your bed and walk over to your door. Stumbling in the process, you finally reach for the doorknob.

Your sister stood there with her arms crossed and forming a look of disgust at your current state. “Count Orlok, you live in a place with the most beautiful views maybe try opening your curtains.”

She comes inside your room and yanks open the dark curtains. Your eyes squint trying to adjust your irises to the blaring summer sunlight. The light gray sand behind your room made your room shine brighter thanks to the reflection of the sun bouncing off of the sand.

“What do you want? I don’t work today.” you ask her, watching peevishly as she picks up your dirty laundry off the ground—a habit of hers.

“Mom and dad are coming later tonight.” she explains and starts rummaging through your closet.

“You could’ve just sent me this over text instead of barging in here.” you retort, watching as she picked out clothes for you to wear. This is what your sister does, she loves control. And you just let her because you don’t want to move back to your parents.

“I came here because if I sent a text I knew you’d ignore it. You have to get ready now.” she says strictly. She sighs in disappointment when you let out another tired whine and flop on top of your bed. “Seriously are you depressed or something?”

“What? No—would you quit asking that?” you stammer and reach to hug your pillow, nuzzling into it and flutter your eyes closed. “I’m just…bored.”

“Bored?” she scoffs mockingly. “You’re the one that didn’t want to keep living with mom and dad. If you want to go back to by all means go. But if you’re staying then get ready.”

She tosses the clothes she wants you to wear straight to your face. When she storms out your room you began to incant quiet curses at her.

You used to have a great relationship with your family because you did everything they wanted you to do to the tea. It got ruined the moment you decided to navigate your own decisions about how you want to live life. Although you know dropping out of college and living with your sister isn’t the most ideal pathway, it was better than what you dealt with back home. But your parents don’t get it. They didn’t see the constant cries for help, instead they saw the dropping grades.

It didn’t help that your sister replaced you as their new golden child. She is a small business owner in Jeju and owns a house with her fiancée. And you’re staying in the room that is technically meant for their future baby—in the works.

“So, how’s your sister behaving?” your dad asks your sister about you. The only thing you could do was silently roll your eyes and keep eating.

Tonight the dining table was packed—even your sister’s fiancée was here who is known to be a workaholic. And of course, your parents couldn’t help themselves by trying to embarrass you the moment dinner was served.

“All she does is stay in her room.” she replies shaking her head while cutting her steak. “Whenever we want to have a meal all together she just prefers eating in her room.”

“Now, sweetie,” you mom sighs giving you a disapproving look. “why don’t you want to eat with them? It’s the least you could do after taking up one of their rooms.”

“And it’s their future baby’s room.” your dad adds with a mocking laugh.

“It’s fine, sir,” your sister’s fiancée claims calmly. “we aren’t in a rush to kick anyone out.”

You don’t wish to acknowledge them and continue to play with your food. There was a time where they used to praise you for your intelligence and grit. But ever since you gave up, you’ve become numb to their backhanded comments and criticism.

Yet deep down you know they’re right. When your sister finally has her baby you can’t live with them anymore so you need to start thinking about your future now or it’ll be too late. But it’s already late.

“You’re too kind, boy.” your mom says to the fiancée, dabbing the corners of her mouth with a napkin. “Maybe what she needs is a good man like you. Do you have any single, good men in your family that will be interested in my lazy daughter?”

“Mom.” you say to her warningly, throwing her a stern expression. You hear the fiancée chortle.

“What?” she asks innocently. “If you aren’t going to college then your future as an independent woman is over. You’ll need to find a man with a well established job if you want to live a good life. We’re all just looking out for you, honey.”

Exhaling a long dramatic sigh, you push your seat back and get up. You couldn’t stand it anymore—their never ending berating. When you walk away you hear all of them call out your name and telling you to come back down to eat. But you aren’t hungry, you’re tired. Tired of filling the space.

When you go up to your room you change out of the clothing your sister picked out for you and opt in for a lightweight sweater and sweats. You sneak back down the stairs and exit the house without being heard from your family, who you can hear still talking at the dining table.

The walk from the house to seashore was brief. It was nothing but you, your thoughts and the sound of waves crashing tonight because you don’t intend to go back until late in the night. And your family won’t get worried, they know that this is your way of throwing a tantrum.

Once you sat down on the soft part of the sand, you press your knees up to your chest then rest your chin on top of your kneecaps and stare at the salty water. This was your new favorite pastime. You used to have such a short attention span until coming here to Jeju. Everything about Jeju was slow and peaceful which is just what your tired body needs after putting yourself through twenty years of academic stress.

Unaware of how long you’ve been sitting in the sand and staring at the ocean, a silhouette emerges from the shadows. There is only one other person who would deliberately keep to themselves and use the beach as a form of refuge.

In routinely fashion, Sae-byeok approaches your lonely figure and sits down next to you without uttering a single word. Her long limbs stretch out in the sand and she also maintains her eyes on the ocean.

Your relationship with Kang Sae-byeok (if you couldn’t even call it that) was blurry. In the few months you’ve known her, it was easy to be around her. You never felt pressured to talk or to fake niceties with her. However, Sae-byeok’s guardedness and intimidation was ultimately the reason the two of you never got close. It’s hard to even consider the stoic girl a friend. And you think she’s fine with that.

Ever since she’s moved in this small town in Jeju, you felt a tad bit less lonely sharing the comfort of knowing there’s another girl your age living close by. But you still have so many questions to ask her. What do you do for a living to afford to live in one of the nicest house alone? Where are your parents? Are they wealthy? You don’t have a single clue about her and she wants to keep it that way.

And all Sae-byeok knows about you is that you don’t have a single clue about anything anymore—you just exist to fill the space. Or at least, that’s the way you explained your life to her.

The salty aroma, the sound of the waves sloshing and the cool breeze was enough to lull you to sleep. While slowly shutting your eyes, you almost forgot Sae-byeok’s silent presence was still there. Sleep was overtaking your body.

“What’re you doing here?” you hear her low hoarse ask you. You’re in a place where she speaks in full sentences now.

“Hiding.” you reply softly and open your eyes to look at her beautiful face. It was entrancing how the moonlight reflected onto her best features.

Her eyes start moving to stare down at her feet and she nods. “From?” she adds quietly.

“My parents. They’re here to visit my sister and her fiancée for the weekend.” you sigh.

When she glances up to face you, there is no longer the hesitation to avoid peering into your eyes like she did months ago. You know your strange bond with Sae-byeok is a little bizarre but you find her guarded presence a little comforting too.

“They aren’t here to see you?” she questions, her tone flat as usual but you paid attention to the way her eyebrows quirked for a second.

You hum in thought before shrugging. “I don’t know. They haven’t been happy with me recently.”

Maybe that little flicker in her eyes was pity because it made your heart clench. She must think about you like they do.

After you go back to observe the darkly illuminated ocean, you felt a warm hand softly grab the back of your head. You didn’t have time to react before feeling a soft pair of lips gently press yours.

This wasn’t going to be one of those typical nights of silence, that you’re sure of. Tonight is a rare moment in time where Sae-byeok is yearning for the affection of another and you’re always the one chosen to fill that void in her heart. But like everything Sae-byeok does, it’s a fleeting moment of affection that vanishes when morning comes.

And tonight, you weren’t having her push and pull antics after that disaster dinner with your family. You don’t initially react to the kiss and stiffly remain in the same position. The feeling lingered for a brief second before Sae-byeok pulled away. Her usual sharp gaze went completely soft as she slowly drew back after staring at your face centimeters close.

“Did I…?” she trails off unsurely.

You hesitate. “I feel like I don’t know you—“

“I told you that it’s better for us if you don’t know anything.” she sighs, sounding insecure and starts drawing shapes in the sand. “It’s easier this way.”

“…For you maybe.” you murmur quiet enough for her not to hear. You don’t need any more uncertainties in your life.

This was something new you both did—share stolen kisses. And if you’re both feeling extra lonely, then it would lead to something much deeper and vulnerable but that only occurred twice. Although it feels nice to be with her in the moment, you didn’t want her just for a brief period.

Without saying anything else, you feel her body shifting and the sound of shoes crunching on sand. You didn’t glance back at her when she started walking away. This was something she did when you tried getting close to her—she runs away.

⊹ ✿・・───・・✦・・───・・✿

The salty air stung your face as you rode your bike to the boutique. At first, the smell was burning your nostrils but like everything in life, the feeling subsides. By the time you make it to the shop, your skin is hot by the sun glaring underneath you and your legs sore from pedaling fast. You were a few minutes late.

Once you’re in front of the boutique, you stop pedaling and hop off your bike. You didn’t see your sister this morning but you’re crossing your fingers she’s running errands instead of working. She already gave you a warning a few days ago about your tardiness and you don’t want to face her wrath again.

When you roll your bike to the back of the store you heard two familiar voices that shouldn’t coincide in the same vicinity. You hold your breath when you turn the corner and duck your head low.

You don’t know why Sae-byeok was here. She was leaning against the wall next to your coworker Ji-yeong, sharing a cigarette and giggling amongst each other like drunken friends. But when they spotted you coming around the corner, they mellowed out. You pretend not to see them, turn up the music in your headphones and quickly rest your bike against the wall.

A strange feeling in your stomach brews seeing them together like that. You were never seen with Sae-byeok in broad daylight—all of your interactions were hidden underneath the moonlight. It was a conflict feeling but then again, you don’t know a thing about her. So, you should stop setting yourself up to get hurt for no good reason.

Throughout your shift, you try to interact with international tourists as best as you can while suggesting an item of clothing. It was hard to force a customer service smile when you could see the two girls from the corner of your eyes, chatting by the counter.

You force your mind to think you’re upset that Ji-yeong is making you do all the customer service work while she does nothing. But deep down, you might be jealous. You thought you had something special with Sae-byeok…she doesn’t even smile that widely with you.

After finishing helping the customers as best as you can with the language barrier, you hide in the corner of the store arranging a rack that didn’t need to be fixed. But you couldn’t go anywhere else in this small shop without looking at Ji-yeong and Sae-byeok, so this was the only spot where you couldn’t see them.

“What’re you doing here?” a voice asks demandingly. You jump and snap your eyes to look at your sister, whose arms were crossed. “Well?”

“Cleaning.” you reply with a straight face. Of course she isn’t buying it. “What do you want me to do? It’s practically empty here right now besides those two tourist still in the store.”

She rolls her eyes and fixates her eyes on something ahead. “Hey, isn’t that your friend? The weird quiet one with, Ji?”

“Shut up.” you hiss.

She blinks like she was studying your anxious demeanor until she heard the sound of the door ring. “Look, go help them—they look rich.”

After another thirty minutes, Sae-byeok finally left the shop without uttering a word to you. To be fair, you were just helping customers but she didn’t look at you either. You try to swallow back the pain of rejection.

“I’m going on break.” you mutter to Ji-yeong who was ringing a customer at the counter. She curtly nods, barely any acknowledgment to your being as well.

Outside the boutique your sister bought an expensive bench painted white to match the rest of the shops exterior. You like to sit outside it for your break and observe the passerby’s. This town is much busier than your small, boring one. It’s filled with tourists, bikers, photographers and clumsy kids.

Five minutes into your break you feel someone sit beside you.

“You’re ignoring me now?” Sae-byeok mutters, shoving her hands into the pocket of her hoodie.

You barely look at her before shaking your head. “What did you want me to do? Jump in joy?”

She snorts and starts observing the crowd walking up and down the sidewalk too. “Ji-yeong invited me to this party—you should come.”

You fight back the urge to ask her about Ji-yeong and their history together. “I’m alright.”

She doesn’t say anything for a moment to think. “Just come.” she says much quieter. You give her a skeptical look. She sighs at it. “It’s just in case I’m lonely there. I already said I’d go.”

“So, I’m just going to be there to fill the space?” you question, your voice shaking slightly by hurt. “No thanks.” you whisper.

“I didn’t mean it like that—I’m sorry.” she deadpans so you don’t believe she is.

You shake your head one last time and throw on your headphones. Since you only have a few minutes left to your break and you don’t want her to ruin it, you turn your body away to face her. It felt childish but you didn’t want her to see the pained expression on your face.

⊹ ✿・・───・・✦・・───・・✿

You press your back to the wall, drinking out of your plastic red cup awkwardly as you watch a crowd of people dance up against each other—the lights flickering with color like a kaleidoscope in the ceiling.

It never dawned on you that you would ever be at a party on the mansion located in the hills of Jeju. For most residents here, their life goal is to be invited to a mansion party in this island. To get their small taste of the Great Gatsby. Although this wasn’t nowhere near as luxurious, it was still a big place with high ceilings, marble columns, and illegal drugs. Everything a rich person party needs and it made you feel out of place. They definitely party different—but most of the people here look like people your age so how different can they be?

You arrived to this party all alone. Sae-byeok wasn’t responding to your texts so for the first thirty minutes, you just took sips from your alcoholic beverage and walked around the mansion like it was a museum. It basically was a museum seeing as there were large intricate paintings and portraits carefully hung on the walls.

When you made it to the second floor, you started to get lost and after minutes of trying to find your way down the stairs you end up in an open space that looked like a smaller living room. A group of people occupied this space and turned to look at you when you froze by the entrance.

“Hey! Come over—don’t be shy!” a drunken voice slurs when you turned your back to walk away.

You quietly wince—without much of a choice you drag yourself over to them. A few kept their glazed eyes on you, others were too busy brewing an alcohol beverage that looked strong enough to make someone pass out. The person who called you over pats to the last empty seat next to them. It was a girl, short hair and multiple facial piercings.

“Now we have a full house!” she cheers once you sat down but no one acknowledged it, or least ignored her.

You peer at anything but the group of people chatting amongst each other. It was awkward being the only person not engaging in small talk so you keep taking swigs out of your drink. Now, you have to figure out how to slip out of this room without anyone noticing.

“Smoke?” the girl next to you asks, offering an already lit up cigarette to you.

You hesitantly stare at it. Since your dad was a heavy smoker, you were always intrigued by it. Screw it, you think, what else do I have to lose? You already lost everything.

When you nod, she holds the cigarette for you as you inhale the toxic smoke. Of course, you began choking up on the smoke and start coughing it out, your mouth and nostrils blowing out the grey smoke like a train engine. The girl laughs and starts patting your back.

“First time?” she asks, laughing and you only respond with a beet red face. “You didn’t inhale right. Breathe it in a little bit more deeper so it actually goes to your lungs.” she says and observes you as you try again. This time you didn’t choke up. “There you go.”

You never got her name but she offered you the strange alcohol concoction some dudes that looked blacked out drunk made. And with your mind already buzzing, you just took the cup and began drinking it. By the time you finished it, you were too afraid to move out of this couch with your head already spinning. It didn’t help that the people gathered around were blasting their own music and hopping on the seats like a bouncy castle—it only made you even more dizzy. But you couldn’t help but drunkenly giggle along side the girl next to you when one of the guys fell backwards on the couch.

She offers you another puff from her cigarette and you take it. When you place it between your teeth you see someone snatch it from your mouth. You peer up and see a hazy vision of the girl who led you to this party in the first place.

“There you fucking are. I was calling you.” she snarls, but her voice seeps of worry. You didn’t catch it however, your mind was too buzzed to properly catch her subtle cues. “Are you drunk?”

“I’m so tired…” you slur, resting your head in her lap. “All the time.”

Sae-byeok sighs and rakes her fingers through your hair, watching as you start lulling to sleep on her lap. But you couldn’t fall asleep just yet. The thought of dragging you out of this party and to your house already is making her body tired.

Sae-byeok knows better than you just drop you off home, knowing how hot headed your sister can be. She’s seen the way she barks order at you in her boutique. But it made her nervous bringing you to her house to spend the night. Ever since she bought the house with the prize money, she never allowed anyone in—she always thought the first people who would step in would be Cheol and her mom. But that’s what she gets for bringing more people into her life.

She crinkles her nose in disgust as she holds up your hair while your face was stuck in the toilet bowl, throwing up all the alcohol in your system. Once you’re done hacking like your life depended on it, you groan in pain and press your body on the tile wall of Sae-byeok’s bathroom—still unable to grasp that you’re actually in her house. But your mind is still loopy you couldn’t think about it too hard unless you wanted to throw up again.

You could feel the weight of her stare on your sad sprawled figure as you recollect yourself. “I’m not that drunk. Just dizzy.” you grumble at her, hugging your sore stomach.

“Whatever you say.” she scoffs, rolling her eyes. “Stay here—I’ll bring you a change of clothes.”

After several minutes go by, she reappears with her worn out sweats and a band tee shirt. Her posture slumps when she sees you burying your crying face on your propped up knees. “Hey, why are you crying?” she asks in a softer tone, kneeling down to be at your level.

But you didn’t reply and maybe it wasn’t appropriate for her to ask you in your drunken state. So, she lifts you off the bathroom floor and guides you to her bedroom. When you lay on her bed, eyes already half lidded trying to fight back sleep, she chews on the inside of her cheek to think. You still have to change but you’re in a worn out state to physically be able to do it. It wouldn’t be weird for her to undress you and put on your clothes for you right? She’s seen you without any clothes twice before.

You don’t react when she starts pulling up your shirt, exposing your upper body to the cool air nipping your skin. And after she’s done putting on her sweats on you, you’re already asleep. She stares at your face, your mouth parted open slightly and cheeks tinted red from the alcohol. But she couldn’t help but worry about the tear marks across your face that didn’t dry up yet.

Once Sae-byeok finished doing her short nighttime routine she rolls next to you on her bed. She naturally spoons you, wrapping one of her arms around your waist and nestles her head into the crook of your neck. After inhaling the fresh scent of perfume and cigarettes on you she could feel her own sober self lull to slumber.

⊹ ✿・・───・・✦・・───・・✿

Head throbbing and limbs weak. That’s the first thing you felt when your eyes began to naturally flutter open. It took sometime to assess the place you woke up in and how you even got here in the first place. Your heart sunk when you remembered the hazy details. The sheer embarrassment of it all made you slam your face in the pillow and let out a groggily groan.

You are pathetic and an idiot. Sae-byeok saw the weakest form of you and you might never live it down. But surely you couldn’t have been that embarrassing? It’s not like you blacked out.

But now, you were afraid to leave the room feeling like you already trespassed enough. But Sae-byeok had to be somewhere in the house, she wouldn’t have left you here all by yourself you hope.

When you toss aside the sheets you gasp seeing the unfamiliar set of oversized clothes on your body. You’re conflicted whether to feel special or embarrassed with the fact she let you wear her clothes.

Sae-byeok’s room is…sad. She has no decorations that mark this room as hers except for her belongings mindlessly left on top of her night stand—her keys, wallet, and cigarette pack. It gets even stranger when you carefully step outside—the floor and walls were empty canvases.

You heard plates and silverware’s cluttering as you walked across the hallway. Naturally, you stiffen up and hug your body feeling exposed when you realized Ji-yeong was cooking something up in the kitchen and Sae-byeok leaning across the island counter, sipping from her mug. But only Ji-yeong turned to acknowledge you.

“Hey.” she greets casually. “I’m making breakfast, you want some? It’s not the best but probably will help if you eat something. Sae told me you got absolutely shitfaced last night—same here.” she snorts.

Your cheeks blaze up. When you glance over at Sae-byeok, your heart gets heavy seeing her act as if you were invisible to her. Did you piss her off last night thanks to your drunken stupor?

Feeling exposed and conflicted, you let out a low, “No, thank you.”

“Are you sure?” Ji-yeong asks. “I don’t mind making another plate.”

You softly shake your throbbing head. “I’m just…going home.”

She doesn’t argue with you, only purses her lips and nods. You look at Sae-byeok again, still nothing. So you awkwardly shuffle back to her room to gather your things. You hope all your belongings are here anyways.

When you find your clothes folded by the edge of Sae-byeok’s drawer you press them to your chest and smell the stench of alcohol and cigarettes on them. You peer down and contemplate changing or walking away with the clothes you have on. That’s when the door creaks open behind you.

“Why aren’t you going to eat?” is the first thing she says to you. She leans her body against the door, keeping you trapped here as she hardens her gaze on you.

“I just want to go home.” you mutter in defeat, feeling small underneath her stare. “I’ll eat there.”

“Fine.” she exhales. “And…why were you crying last night?”

You swallow thickly. “I didn’t know I was…”

“You do.” she says coolly. “You weren’t that drunk by the time we got home. We both know that.”

You know that last night, you cried about everything in your life. The fact that you completely disappointed your parents for good, your sister sees you as a nuisance in her home, and you can never have Sae-byeok the way you want her. And you let it spiral a little out of control last night. But she isn’t with you and she isn’t your friend, so she doesn’t need to know.

“My head is too foggy right now. Just let me go please.” you croak out. She still doesn’t move out of the way. “Do you want me to give you your clothes back?”

Her posture slouches in defeat. “No. But can we just…just meet me later tonight at our spot, okay? We should probably talk.”

You don’t say anything. Actually, you didn’t much all day leading up to the night you met up with Sae-byeok. Because the moment you got home, all you did was stay locked up in your room with a throbbing headache and anticipating the night. You kept replaying the last thing she said to you in your head over and over trying to figure out what possibly would she want to talk about with you.

When midnight rolled around you threw on your black jacket and tossed the hoodie over your head, carrying Sae-byeok’s clothes with you as you snuck out the house.

Once you made it to your designated spot at the seashore, she was already there. She also had a hoodie thrown over her head but you knew it was her furiously typing on her phone. You took a deep breath before heading to sit next to her. As you sat down, you saw her face contort with frustration thanks to her phone softly illuminating over her face. She turns it off when she sees you silently waiting for her.

“Thanks.” she grumbles when you pass over her clothes and rests them on her lap.

“So,” you began airily. “why did you want to meet?”

She presses her lips together and pulls her knees to her chest in a guarded position that made you more nervous. “I just wanted to tell you that it was great having you around…before you I was pretty lonely—in general…And you’re sort of the first person I’ve ever been intimate with. But I realize how unhappy we both are and I don’t think I’m what you’re looking for.”

For the first time, she finds herself struggling to look over her shoulder to see your face. You shut your eyes to stop your eyes from filling with tears and prepare yourself to listen to the rest of her explanation. Even if it left an achy feeling in your heart.

“I’m—broken, okay?” Sae-byeok trembles. “I can’t make you happy. Not when I can’t make myself happy.”

You start sniffling. It was so obvious, wasn’t it? You always thought that things would never work out with someone as closed off and cold as Sae-byeok but hearing her say it out loud stung more than the past thoughts. But she was right, neither of you were in the right state of mind. It still pissed you off though.

“Fuck you.” you whisper at her, your tone rough but heartbroken. All those stolen kisses and rare nights spent tangled underneath the sheets were turning into bittersweet memories in real time.

Just as you cursed at her, the waves came hurling down twice as big than they normally do. You gasp when the cold salty water soaked your pants. The two of you start scrambling backwards and the contact of the water. Sae-byeok stares at you wide eyed as you mumbled multiple curses while frowning down at your drenched pants.

After the fleeting cursing, you whip your hear up at the sky and see the full moon shining brightly underneath you.

“I—I’m going I can’t—“

“No. Please.” Sae-byeok silently begs, firmly wrapping her hand around your wrist to prevent you from moving. This was the first time you heard her speak in such a vulnerable tone. She walks around you to fully face you, breath hitching but looking deeply into your eyes. “If I ever get my shit together…do you think we could give this a chance maybe?”

You shake your head. “Sae-byeok, I can’t predict the future.”

“Okay but just—“

“What about me?!” you retort back louder than you expect to sound. She immediately closes her mouth, eyes rounding. “Have you ever thought about how I feel? About my life? Do you even care at all? Sae-byeok…I’m so lonely and confused! Did you know I dropped out of law school?” you ask pressing your finger to her chest causing her to stumble backwards without saying a word. “No, you didn’t! And you never cared to ask about why my parents never thought to see me because—I disappointed them! So…So that’s why I moved in with my sister because I couldn’t stand the ridicules anymore but she is losing patience with me by the day so I bet it’s only a matter of time before she kicks me out. But…you made me feel seen. I thought what we had was sacred and special—and I held onto the hope that maybe one day you’d realize that too. But you don’t really want me—you like the idea or probably because you’re even more lonely than I am that you’re desperate for affection.”

By the time you finished talking, she already dropped your hand. You didn’t dare to face her when your eyes were swimming with tears and your body shaken up from the cold and heartbreak. And when you finally turned around to walk away, deep down you wished that she would stop you and fight for you. But if she doesn’t have any fight left in her, then that was a sign enough for you to leave.

⊹ ✿・・───・・✦・・───・・✿

Sae-byeok began watching you from afar. The morning bike rides you took to your sister’s boutique, when you sat outside your porch and staring down at the ground in deep thought, and the nights you laid on the beach. She left you completely alone.

As the days gone by she wondered if she’d ever get the pieces of herself back together. But the nightmares never really leave, no matter how much money the world can offer—the horrors she endured and witnessed never got better like she hoped.

After the bus ride back from Cheol’s foster home, she checks the calendar on her phone. In just two months, if things go smoothly, she’ll finally reunite with her mother and she can finally get back her small family together.

When those two months turned into one month, Sae-byeok started to notice you weren’t around anymore. She knows how much you like secluding yourself in your room, but Ji-yeong hasn’t heard from you and she hasn’t seen you on your routinely biking ride in the mornings. One night, she waited by the seashore hoping you’d appear but obviously you never showed up. She felt stupid for even trying to hope.

She broke your heart—you had every right to disappear from her life. But you aren’t physically around.

So, the night before she had to go pick up her mother from the airport she decided to take matters into her own hand.

Her sweaty hands knock on the door to your sister’s house. After a few minutes someone finally answers and it was your sister. The first thing she noticed was her slightly round protruding belly.

“Oh, it’s you.” she hums sounding disappointed and leans against the door frame. “Is there something you need?”

Sae-byeok inhales deeply first. “Is she here?”

Your sister stares at her blankly before an uneasy expression started to form. “She didn’t tell you?” she asks and Sae-byeok remains frozen in place with her heart hammering out of her chest. “She went back to live with our parents to study law again. Left like…two months ago?”

“Oh.” she says lowly, trying not to make her face look readable. “Thanks.”

Your sister raises a brow, feeling skeptical of her odd appearance. But she just watches as she slumps in posture whilst slowly dragging her feet out of her property before closing the door behind her.

Sae-byeok chokes back tears and recalls the events of the last time you two spoken. It hits her—you never promised her anything. Of course you left without a trace.

Now she can only ever wonder, if she told you that night she wanted to be with you, would you have stayed?

🏷️: @tyresedidujsfart @yourstalkergirlfriend @yenyu1s @we1rdth0ughts @asappywriter @lilylamps @am4lv0da @everly-summers-solace @peelover25 @saebyeokbliss @noaanotfound @jumpedthenfell-13 @tlouloser @lyzem @thisuserisxnangel @knfthxv @laurenkenss @ninistranaut @stellssxo @bitchybananaflower @gummyoonji @marfe816 @knvschau @monroesturnns

#kang sae byeok #squid game #kang sae byeok x reader #squid game fanfic #fanfic #kang sae byeok squid game #kang sae byeok x fem!reader #wlw #wlw fanfic #kang saebyeok #kang saebyeok x reader #sae byeok x reader #sae byeok #saebyeok #squid game x reader

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le-fruit-de-la-passion · 5 months ago

Note

I keep seeing people worship Christian Linke for some shit he’s said and ignore the fact this man is antisemetic and heavily insensitive towards non white and straight characters HE IS NOT YOUR ALLY

I genuinely think people just don't know how much of a shitty person he is. Seriously, that dude was quite possibly the worst person to put in charge of a project like Arcane. Here are just some of things he's said that you should know of:

• Linke said the death of every character in Arcane was a direct result of their own actions : "Every single big beat in the end with our characters, whether it’s a death or not, is a consequence of their choices."

So, I'd like you to explain to me how Vander's death was his fault, because I don't quite remember him agreeing to becoming Warwick. Also, maybe having the three characters portrayed as suicidal in the show (Jinx, Viktor, and Jayce) all die, and go on to say it was just the consequences of their own actions... isn't a good message?

• Linke has declared Viktor as asexual on his own, with the sole purpose of discouraging JayVik shippers : "There is a love. I don't think it's romantic [...]. To me, Viktor was always asexual".

Now, the issue here isn't having an asexual character, its having chosen VIKTOR, one of the most important characters for disabled rep in animation and popular media, to be asexual. I've went on and on about how infantalizing that is to disabled/chronically ill fans, because we NEVER get to be perceived as sexual beings. Having a body that's visibly different from the norm, or limits on certain abilities, turns off people, makes them uncomfortable. That's why you just never see a sexually active or a sex positive disabled character on screen. That's why, in all his "sexy" skins in LoL, Viktor is given a six pack, has no visible marks of illness on his body (scars, fatigue lines), and has no medical brace or crutch.

Viktor was always intended to have a sexual swagger in season 1 ("this isnt my bedroom") and that was EXTREMELY important to a lot of us in the community. I've seen a very similar response from the asexual community as well, who feel like Linke is using their identity and experience as a shield from fan interractions he dislikes, and without actual care for what it means to the characters. Don't fall for rep that isn't actually meant to represent you.

• Linke has directly and openly compared the Zaun and Piltover conflict to the left and right in the United States, and put both sides on equal moral footing : "If you’re asking me whether we were inspired by two sides of one nation who are incapable of even talking to each other anymore at a certain point, yes."

So, I don't think I need to explain how bad this is. Remember that Piltover is the city of wealth and enforcers, and that they've gazed the district of Zaun, dumped chemicals around their water suplies, directed brutal and deadly repressions of civil uprising and protest, offered no financial support to the struggling communities of addicts, disabled people, and orphans, refused Zaun any implication or decisional seat in the city political life, AND THAT'S JUST ON TOP OF MY HEAD. Now, think about what that means with the USA politics comparison, and the idea that they should "just listen to each other". Yeah.

Now, if you know me a bit, you know I live in Canada, so maybe you think this doesn't affect me personally, or that it doesn't affect you because you live outside the US. To that, I want to tell you about a neighbour of mine, who lives on the street parallel to my house, and this truck he owns. The truck has a whole lot of fun stickers and flags on it: the quotes "TRUMP ARREST TRUDEAU" and "CANADIANS FOR TRUMP", the israeli flag, the confederate flag, christian crosses, the blue lives matter flag, and an anti BLM sticker. Now, I'm sure theres more cool things, I've just never gotten close enough to look at the smaller stickers and ornaments because, as a very openly bi arabic woman, I'm scared to death of that man. But maybe I should just hear him out, right?

Tldr, do not think that the state of american politics doesn’t affect the rest of the world.

• Linke has called the people of Zaun and specifically Silco "Svengali", which is an antisemitic name that implies Jewish people are crooks / dirty / thiefs / sexual degenerates. There's a great post on Tumblr that goes more into detail about this (https://www.tumblr.com/endearing-dalliance/769693230696677376/another-blow-against-arcane-anti-semitism?source=share). I'd just like to insist on how bad calling someone "svengali" is. His character was used in many pieces of propaganda in Nazi Germany to picture the "Evil Jew", and to dehumanize Jewish communities by portraying them as ressembling Satan (forked beard, can do unholy hypnosis, targets women...). Linke could have chosen ANY other term to talk about Zaunites, the oppressed community getting gazed by a police state, but he chose that one. That was not an unconscious decision.

I'm a firm believer that it is possible to separate art from artist/studio/company, and to appreciate something while still being aware the person behind it is not a great individual. However, if you're defending all the decisions made in season 2, these are things you HAVE to be aware of.

#arcane #arcane critical #arcane season 2 #christian linke #arcane analysis #viktor arcane #silco #jinx #jayce talis #vander #zaun #my asks #mine #fruitforthoughts 💭#yippee #my rants

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divinefailurre · 27 days ago

Text

and did the twin flame bruise paint you blue?

'just between us, did the love affair maim you too?'

theodore nott x reader

this is my first tumblr fic, hi everyone! i hope you like it! this is loosely based off of the notebook movie, but not everything is the same. i imagined reader to be like noah and theo to be like allie...but you'll see. the ending is lowkey rushed, and it's not fully proofread (i'm so sorry).

warnings: none? maybe angst and some cussing?

word count: 8.6k

snow cascaded down from the heavens all around you, the frozen air it brought with it chilling your whole body. you tightened your hold on the coat you wore, crossing your arms to shield your hands from the air. living in the states had changed you, making you more susceptible to the cold…you hated it.

as you strode down the london pavement, your eyes darted around the city that seemed to have changed so much in such a short time. buildings were taller, people were busier, and the constant construction was enough to drive you mad.

where had all the time gone?

you sighed, trying so desperately to shove down the feelings of guilt and regret that always surfaced when you thought about the past. things were so different now.

finally making it to the bus stop, you stood under the shaded bus shelter, trying not to make eye contact with passing pedestrians. the christmas lights scattered all throughout the city caught your eye though, their blinking colors doing little to warm your soul.

one place caught your eye.

if you’d have remembered this specific place was right where you’d be walking past, you’d have chosen to cross town instead. but here you are, standing across the street from a little pub that was decorated for christmas, the decorated tree catching your eye through the window.

“you’re telling me you’ve never been to a muggle pub?” you’d questioned, pulling your boyfriend through the door of a small london pub. he chuckled behind you, his grip tightening around your hand as you both weaved through the crowd, trying to find an open table.

“not once,” theodore nott replied, his voice standing out in the loud room, despite him speaking quietly. “why, is there something special about a place that doesn’t serve firewhiskey?”

“absolutely!” you chirped, sitting down at a small booth. it was in the very back of the bar, with only one low-hanging lamp to provide you with any light. theodore slid into the booth next to you, pulling his hand out of your grip so he could throw his arm around your shoulder.

you’d had boyfriends before, but never like theo. he was kind, attentive, and quiet in the best way possible. he was witty, constantly cracking you up with his jokes or sarcastic comments. and boy, was he handsome. you let your eyes wander over his face as you sat in the booth with him, your gaze flitting from his eyes, to his lips, to his cheeks that you loved to kiss.

“così carina,” theo purred, bumping you with his nose. you giggled, leaning forward so he could kiss your cheek. “così bella, così dolce…” every compliment he punctuated with a kiss to your cheek, your jaw, your neck.

normally you’d be self-conscious, not wanting to exhibit too much pda, but you knew this pub. you knew the people who owned it, the people who frequented it, and you knew none of them were looking or even cared. more than that, something inside of you didn’t care anymore.

the two of you had ordered some beer, and continued to sit for hours, just talking and laughing. theo especially loved people-watching. whenever you two were out, he loved to make a game out of guessing people’s lives, almost making them characters in a little book in his head.

“see that guy?” theo had asked, whispering in your ear as he pointed across the pub. “the one with the mohawk? he’s for sure in a rock band, but he’s skipping practice because the lead singer’s pissing him off. look! he’s going on and on about something that seems infuriating, so i’m right!”

you laughed every time he made up these stories, but you listened intently every time. there was something about the way theo talked that pulled you in, making everything else seem hazy. theo’s eyes never strayed from yours, save for once when he leaned in to press a kiss to your lips. your eyes fluttered shut, returning to kiss with equal fervor, resting your hands on the sides of his neck.

the honk of the bus was what pulled you out of the memory. you shook your head, breaking your gaze from the pub, where the lights seemed to flicker theo’s name in morse code. you sighed, feeling the cold return to your body once more. your lips burnt, as if theo’s lips had set them aflame, and just the memory of him was able to reignite them.

the bus driver smiled at you as you stepped in the vehicle, pulling yourself up the stairs and down the aisle. the bus was almost completely full, but you were able to find a lone seat at the very end of the row. slinking low in your seat, you let your head fall against the window, watching as the bus drove past the pub and down the busy road.

the bus dropped you off a few blocks from your parents’ street, and you continued your trek across the city. the snow had finally let up, but the grey skies still held back the sun. you were sure your nose was about to fall off from the winter chill, though. your steps were light, almost cautious as you turned onto your parents’ road.

you finally reached your parents’ front door. the terraced house was old, its red brick slowly weathering down into a greenish color, the window shutters that were once white are now a dark grey. it’d been five years since you’d been back, and the house you once called home now looked like it was inhabited by strangers. taking a deep breath, you knocked on the door.

your mother was the first to greet you. she grinned, pulling you in the house by your backpack straps, causing a chuckle to escape your lips. she wrapped you in her arms, swinging you around while your father watched from the hallway.

“how come you never visit, dove?” your mother jokingly scolded, swatting your arm as she led you to the kitchen, where your brother and father were waiting to greet you.

“she doesn’t wanna run into theo,” your brother said, trying and failing to tease you. your eyebrows shot up, your cheeks heating up at your brother’s accusation, which was one hundred percent true.

“not true,” you lied, narrowing your eyes. “besides, he’s probably never in town.”

“i just saw him a few weeks ago,” your father said quietly, wincing as soon as the sentence left his mouth, as if he knew he shouldn’t have said anything.

“oh,” was all you could say back.

silence followed, your mom wringing her hands and shooting your father a nasty look in the meantime. you glanced down at the kitchen table, finding a large plate full of christmas cookies on the counter. the cookies were all cut into christmas shapes; trees, mittens, snowflakes, even snowmen. your mom had really tried her best to make christmas happy for you again.

“can you pass me the frosting?” you asked theo, who was standing across the kitchen island, hogging all the cookie frosting. his brows were furrowed as he held a cookie up close to his face, trying to use the blue frosting to make a snowflake on top.

“gimme a minute,” theo murmured, all his focus on trying to pipe a straight line onto the cookie. you smiled, tilting your head as you watched him. ever since theo’s mother passed away when he was twelve, theo nor his father celebrated christmas. it just seemed unnecessary, since the one person that truly loved christmas was gone.

you were so happy when your mother asked theo to stay over to frost cookies. at first, your boyfriend was hesitant. he had been about to pull on his coat and step outside, but your mother begged him to stay. theo glanced at you, then your mother, then back at you. finally, he agreed, and it seemed like he was really enjoying himself.

“i love you,” you said quietly. theo paused his frosting, his cheeks turning pink as he finally looked up from his work, his eyes wide as they watched you. a moment passed, silence filling the room. you were instantly embarrassed, glancing down at the table to avoid his gaze.

theo dropped everything he was holding and slowly moved around the counter, slipping one arm around your waist and using the other hand to tilt your chin up towards him.

“you love me?” he asked, as if he hadn’t heard you the first time. you nodded, intoxicated by the feeling of him so close. his nose bumped yours as he leaned in, capturing your lips with his. normally he kissed you roughly, or strongly, or full of desire, but this kiss was soft. his mouth explored yours in the gentlest of touches, making you melt your body into him. theo pulled away, his blue-grey eyes darting around your face.

“i love you, too,” theo murmured, pressing a kiss to your cheek. “ti amo così tanto.”

“dinner is at six,” your mother announced, breaking you out of your second hazy memory of the day. hopefully you could get through dinner without another one. nodding, you carried yourself across the kitchen and down the hall towards the stairs.

you trudged up the stairs, trying hard to avoid looking at the pictures hanging on the wall. almost all of them contained pictures of you when you were younger, and you were sure your mother still had that one picture of you and theo in front of the christmas tree still up. if you saw that picture you’d spontaneously combust.

finally, you crossed the threshold of your childhood bedroom. it was as if you’d walked straight into a memory. the walls were still a soft beige, though the posters plastered all over covered up most of the paint. your desk was still cluttered with books and paints and anything else that had no specific place. your bookshelves were overfilled with your favorite books from adolescence, containing titles like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Lord of the Rings.

despite being a witch, you were born to a muggle family, and therefore kept your muggle lifestyle. when you were a teenager, every summer you came back home it was like you weren’t a witch at all. you weren’t allowed to use magic, of course, and your parents weren’t magical, so life just went back to normal for a few short months every year.

as you shrugged off your coat, you glanced in the mirror across the room. your hair was frizzy and wet from the snow, your eyes were tired, and your complexion was the opposite of bright and clear. rolling your eyes, you pulled your scarf off your neck and flopped on your bed.

your mother let you miss dinner.

when you woke up the next morning, which was christmas eve, you immediately felt horrible. your first time back to visit in five years, and you couldn’t even stay awake long enough to eat with your family.

your parents smiled as you entered the kitchen, your mother silently handing you a hot mug of coffee. you smiled in thanks, slipping into the chair next to your father, who leaned over to press a kiss to your head.

“what’re you doing today?” your mother asked, flipping the page of her magazine. “we’re not eating until seven, and your brother wants to watch that one movie we watch every year.”

“it’s called Scrooged!” your brother bellowed from the other room. you chuckled as you took a sip of your coffee.

“we watch it every year,” your father muttered.

“i’m surprised you still allow it,” you replied, trying to hide your smile. “if i was here every year, i’m sure i’d cause a fit.”

“well, we wish you were here every year,” your mother said solemnly. “then maybe someone would stand up to that brother of yours!”

you appreciated your mother’s way of diverting the topic. to be honest, you were disappointed in yourself for staying away so long, but if this trip back home proved anything, it was that you weren’t ready to be back.

“i think i’m gonna head to town soon,” you said, ignoring the solemn air that filled the kitchen. “i’ve got a few last minute things to get, and cassie is expecting me to meet her for coffee.”

“oh, that’ll be fun!” your mother exclaimed. “please tell her i say hello. oh, how i miss that girl!”

cassie had been your best friend since childhood. she was a muggle, but that didn’t stop you two from being friends after you left for hogwarts. every week, you sent letters back and forth, catching each other up on your separate lives. it took her awhile to get used to an owl showing up at her window, but once she got to know atticus, your beautiful great horned owl, she loved seeing him.

after finishing a lovely breakfast with soft conversation, you got ready for your excursion back into the heart of london. you loved the city, you truly did, you just hated the memories it held. the past it brought back to the surface was almost too much to bear.

you got ready quickly, not being one to care much about appearances anymore. your hair fell in a singular braid down your back, tucked under a small hat to keep your ears warm. this particular hat had been knitted by your grandmother when you were young, so it was a bit snug, but you loved it all the same.

“i’ll be home by six!” you exclaimed, waving goodbye to your family. your mother wished you safe travels, your brother teasingly flipped you off, and your father scolded him as you shut the door. your family always had a way of lifting your spirits without even trying.

as you shopped in town, you popped your earbuds in, trying desperately to tune out the hustle and bustle of the christmas eve shoppers around you. you surprisingly found everything you needed and left quickly, wanting to get to the coffee shop before cassie so you could surprise her with her gift.

you accidentally walked past the pub.

once again, you were in your own world, trying to juggle all the bags in your arms, when you accidentally bumped into a woman leaving the pub, causing you to become aware of your surroundings. you’d apologized, and she’d done the same, but once you realized where you were (for the second time in two days), your blood ran cold.

you kept walking, quicker this time around, when you came across a for sale sign. it was just up the street from the pub, maybe two doors down, and it must have been an old flower shop because you could somewhat make out the faded letters on the door. you stood there a moment, peering in the windows, when a revelation almost knocked you out of your boots.

new year’s eve, five years ago, you and theo spent a quiet night together, opting out of any parties your friends were throwing. you were curled up on the couch in his flat (well, his father’s flat that he stayed in when he had business in london), watching an old movie that theo had never seen before. theo wasn’t an avid movie-watcher, but he loved whenever you’d pick out a movie…just so you two could spend a night in together.

“what’s this called again?” theo asked, running his hands through your hair.

“it’s a wonderful life,” you hummed, leaning into his touch. “s’posed to be a christmas movie, but i like watching it around new year’s, too.”

“it’s good,” theo replied. you felt him sink lower into the couch, pulling you closer to him. “makes me think about the future.”

“oh yeah?”

you sat up, turning to face your boyfriend, whose face held a pensive expression as he watched the movie. he turned towards you when he noticed you watching him, a smirk playing on his lips.

“what?” he questioned. “something on my face?”

“no,” you replied, rolling your eyes. “you just don’t talk about the future a lot. it surprised me, i guess. so, what does mr. theodore nott see for himself in the future?”

theo smiled, his tired eyes hooked onto your lips, and he leaned forward to press a kiss onto them. while he distracted you, he pulled your body onto his lap so you’d straddle him. you inhaled quickly at the surprise.

“i see you,” theo said. “i see you and me. i marry you, we maybe have a little baby–”

“maybe we own a little bookshop! and we live upstairs with a little cat!” you added.

“very good, love, and we visit your parents for every holiday and we host dinner parties every week. maybe we–oh, what’s wrong?”

theo’s little monologue had simply brought you to tears. the two of you had been dating for awhile, but he’d never opened up to you this much. theo always had the bad habit of keeping things close to his heart, never letting someone in enough to know about the things that he thinks are important.

“nothing’s wrong,” you said, letting him use his thumbs to wipe your tears away. “i just love hearing you talk. i love your idea of the future, of our future. i love it all, and i love you.”

“i love you, too,” theo murmured, leaning forward to press a kiss under your eye, effectively kissing your tears away.

tears stung your face as you reentered reality. you caught your own reflection staring back at yourself through the window, noticing how red your eyes and cheeks were. from the cold, or from crying, you wouldn’t know.

wiping your face, you took out a notepad from your purse and wrote down the number for the leasing office. it seemed as if everything you’d ever done was meant to lead you to this moment, this spot in london, this time. you were meant to see this empty building, to face the one memory you’d tried so hard to erase. you had gotten drunk one night a few years ago and almost obliviated it from your memory, but your friend was thankfully there to confiscate your wand.

you knew you had to buy this place. you knew you had to make a life for yourself. all you’d done for the past five years was run from who you were truly supposed to be, who you wanted yourself to be, and coming across this empty plot was proof of that.

even if theo wasn’t in your life anymore, you were still going to complete your dream, even if part of it was supposed to include him. after all, the bookshop was originally your idea, so why should you let the idea of him hold you back?

as soon as you got home that night, you told your parents about your grand idea. both of them, while a bit hesitant, were ecstatic to hear that their child was finally moving back to london. they helped you figure out all the logistics on how to move back, how to contact the leasing office for the storefront, and all the other little things you had to get sorted out.

christmas came and went, and thankfully so. the holiday season left you with a sour taste in your mouth for the past five years (for obvious reasons), and you were eager to get started on your new project. you’d flown back to the states to collect your things and move out of the studio apartment you’d been (un)comfortably living in for the past few years. everything was going according to plan for once in your life.

after arriving back in london, you’d received a phone call that the storefront, along with the small apartment above it, were yours. as soon as you hung up the phone, you and your family jumped around the kitchen in sheer joy. even your younger brother, who wasn’t one for showing emotions, had to wipe away a tear at the fact that his sibling was back home for good.

the month after, you were finally given the keys to the shop. your mother went with you to scout it out first, and you were both surprised when you saw it didn’t need much work. the floors were a nice hardwood, dark cherry in color, and the walls were painted a plain white. you could definitely tell it used to be a flower shop, as the earthy scent was still strong in the air.

for the next six months, you worked on getting this shop in order. it was hard work, but it was fulfilling. after working meaningless jobs for the entirety of your adult life, it was nice to put your energy into something that would eventually pay off.

your family often came by, offering their assistance in painting, making phone calls, ordering inventory. your brother in particular was especially helpful. almost every day after his university classes were finished, he came by the shop. it seemed that the work helped pull him out of whatever slump he was in, too.

once the renovations were finished, you started receiving your inventory. books by the dozens started showing up at your door, waiting to be unboxed and displayed on the tables you’d found at the antique shop. one morning, one book in particular stopped you in your tracks.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” theo announced, thrusting the book into your hands. you had spent the afternoon hanging out around town, searching bookstores all day for what theo claimed to be the best shakespeare play of all time. you weren’t one for reading shakespeare, but apparently theo was, and he had very strong opinions on the topic.

now, the two of you were back at his flat, enjoying an espresso in the kitchen as theo performed a book haul for you (as if you weren’t there when he bought them).

“why is this one your favorite?” you asked, taking the book out of his hands. you ran your hand over the front cover, which was blue and embellished with gold designs of two fairies in a tree.

“my mother read it to me as a child, and i used to think it was so clever. it’s like a medieval rom-com,” theo explained. “some of the lines are really profound, though. here, let me see.”

theo took the book out of your hands, flipping the pages to find what he was looking for. you watched his face brighten as he pointed to a certain line, most likely the one he was looking for.

“‘ay me! for aught that i could ever read, could ever hear by tale or history, the course of true love never did run smooth’,” theo read, his eyes flitting across the page. you smiled, nodding as he finished, looking up at you in admiration.

“i like it,” you said. “it’s true, too. the course of true love isn’t smooth at all.”

“no, it’s not,” theo replied. “but since it led me to you, i don’t care how bumpy it was.”

“come here, romeo,” you teased, tugging on theo’s shirt collar. he chuckled, leaning into your touch. you pressed your lips to his, and suddenly the whole world disappeared.

“it was actually lysander that said that, romeo isn’t in–”

“shut up.”

you decided to set up the book in the window display. somehow, when your brother was finding inventory, he’d found the same edition that theo had bought years ago, the same two fairies taunting you on the cover. despite that, it was still a beautiful play (one of your now-favorites), and it deserved to be displayed.

“is something wrong with the books?” your brother asked from behind you. “you’ve been standing there for like five minutes.”

“no, no, they’re perfect,” you replied, setting the final copy on the table. “i was just reminiscing.”

“oh. okay. well, there’s some more boxes that just came that need your signature.”

you sighed, nodding that you’d heard him, and left the books in the display. opening day was going to be the next week, and you had a lot to do. you had no time to spend daydreaming, thinking about what once was.

finally, opening day had come. your whole body was jittering, so much so that you hadn’t allowed yourself a cup of coffee that morning. you’d put on your favorite dress outfit, long flowy pants and a matching button-up vest. you had blow dried your hair that morning, feeling the immense need to look presentable for the most important day of your new career.

opening day was a complete success. foot traffic was at an all-time high, as almost everyone that passed the new shop had stopped in the window, deciding to just take a peek. your brother worked the cash register, and was constantly busy with customers.

that afternoon, a woman from a london newspaper came in, claiming she’d caught wind of the new bookshop down the road, and just had to put it in the paper. it wouldn’t be front page, she assured you, but it’d be pretty close.

when the newspaper had finally printed, you had a party to celebrate. a picture of you standing in front of your beautiful new bookshop was now in print, under the headline NEW LOCAL BOOKSHOP HAS A BOOMING OPENING DAY. your friend cassie had cut it out and framed it, giving it as a gift to hang on the wall behind the cash register.

things were finally looking up for you. business remained steady, you were finally settled in your new apartment, and your thoughts of theo were becoming less and less frequent. you were finally growing into your own person, even though you wished you were growing with a certain someone.

one morning, however, fate decided to play a nasty trick on you.

you were at the bookshop, handling the cash register while your brother unpacked new inventory in the back. there were a few customers browsing the shop, picking up books that might meet their fancy. you paid them no mind, maybe offering a suggestion or two if they asked. you knew how most people thought of shopping for books as a solitary experience. you didn’t look up from your papers until someone sat down a book on the counter in front of you.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

you looked up to be met with theodore nott two feet away from you. your eyes widened, your pulse quickening instantly. you genuinely couldn’t believe your eyes. you blinked rapidly, thinking your eyes were just blurry. no, this couldn’t be. theo shouldn’t be here. he should be across the country, or maybe across europe, in italy with his father. he shouldn’t be here.

“hello,” theo said quietly. you stood there, your body frozen. what were you supposed to do? do you say hi back? do you yell at him to get out? your breath escaped your lungs at the sound of his voice. every emotion and memory from that last night together came rushing back, hitting you square in the chest like a tidal wave.

you were spending the night at theo’s father’s flat. you and theo had been dating almost seven months, and everything was pure bliss. even though it was somewhat a new relationship, you’d never felt more at home with someone, and you were certain he felt the same way.

the both of you were sitting on the couch, about to turn on a movie, when theo’s father apparated into the middle of the living room. you shrieked, jumping from the couch, while theo seized his wand, ready to fight the intruder.

“put your wand down, theodore! it’s just me!” theo’s father exclaimed, his hands in the air in surrender. theo sighed, setting his wand down, but his shoulders didn’t loosen.

“why are you here?” theo asked hesitantly. theo’s father chuckled, stepping closer.

“you mean at my own place,” theo’s father snapped. his gaze finally fell onto you, a hint of disdain turning his nose upright at the sight of you. “come talk in the other room.”

theo looked at you, a silent question. you smiled softly, jerking your head towards his father, a silent answer. theo nodded, following his father to the other room. what you heard next would continue to haunt you for the next five years.

“i’m here because this cannot go on any longer. you are not to see that mudblood anymore.”

“don’t you fucking call her that,” theo snapped at his father. the sound of a hand slamming against wood came next, making you flinch.

“i’ll call her whatever i want, i am your father! you will listen to me!”

“i don’t have to do anything–”

“theodore, you are eighteen years old! you are not a child anymore. i used to excuse your little, should i say…engagements, when you were at hogwarts. you were a teenager, but now you have to think of your future.”

“i am thinking of my future, father, she’s my future!”

“she’s nothing! she is nothing. you are not to see her anymore.”

the arguing continued, but you couldn’t bear to hear any more of it. you stumbled out of the flat, your eyes blurry with tears. you’d never heard someone speak that way about you, despite dealing with some bullying at hogwarts for being muggleborn. it was nothing compared to this.

“baby, baby, wait!” theo had exclaimed, running after you. he’d caught up to you in the hallway, grabbing your arms to turn you towards him.

“i’m just gonna go,” you said, trying to shake him off of you, but he wouldn’t budge.

“no, please don’t. don’t listen to him, he’s wrong, he’s so wrong. i love you.”

“i love you, too, theo, but maybe he’s right. you deserve someone better, someone who can give you more.”

“you can give me everything i need.”

“i can’t give you everything your family needs.”

at that, theo was silent. despite the amount of love he had for you, it wouldn’t make his family, namely his father, accept you. you’d never be able to have the future you wanted together.

“we’re done,” you said quietly.

“you don’t mean that,” theo said, his grip on your arm loosening as he stared at you in shock.

“i do,” you said. “it was never going to work.”

“oh, and why’s that?” theo snapped. “because apparently now you’re too scared to be with me?”

“i can’t let you throw your life away for me! i can’t be what you need.”

“yes you can.”

“leave it be, theodore!”

“you know it’s not theodore. it’s never been theodore.”

“goodbye, theodore.”

“you don’t get to give up on me!”

“i’m not giving up on you, i’m letting you go.” tears fell down your face, but you couldn't bring yourself to wipe them away. it was like you'd be wiping away your emotions, and you were never one to hide how you felt.

“no, you know what? fuck you, y/n. you are giving up, but you’re right. we are done.” theo also had tears falling freely down his face, and he too wouldn't wipe them away.

with that, you ripped your arms out of theo’s grip and walked down the stairs, away from him and out of his life.

instantly the next day you regretted rushing into things, and you went back to his father’s flat, only to find no one there, and no sign of a return.

over the next year, you sent a letter every single day, apologizing and begging for forgiveness and everything in between. you had sent them all to theo’s home address in italy, but you never received a response. it was unlike theo to not respond to something like that, but you thought you might have gotten the wrong address.

whatever the reason, you never heard from theo again.

“hello?” theo said again, this time almost in the form of a question. he was still standing there, and you were struck with the fact that he hadn’t aged a day. he still had the same tired, blue-grey eyes, sandy brown hair, full pink lips, and even the slight furrow in his brow was the same.

you were still speechless, and you were sure that he probably thought you were a freak by now.

“hi,” you breathed out. theo chuckled, glancing down towards the counter.

“i’d like to buy this book, miss,” theo said. “i lost my old copy.”

“oh…ok.”

your brain was on complete autopilot as you picked up the book, twisting it around in your hand to type the price into the cash register. you glanced up at theo, silently hoping he wasn’t looking at you, only to make direct eye contact with you. he smiled softly, pulling out his wallet.

“i love the bookshop, it’s exactly how i pictured it,” theo said quietly, glancing around the room. he offered you cash, and you accepted, which felt weird for some reason. you had never expected theodore nott to be purchasing a book from what was supposed to be your bookstore with him.

“thank you,” you replied. “took about six months in reno, not using magic obviously. i wanted to do it the old-fashioned way, the real way.”

“ah, i see. well, it’s beautiful. you must be so proud.”

“i am.”

you slipped the book into a small bag, shoving it towards theo in a hurried manner. the man’s presence was honestly shaking you to your very core, and you were sure you were going to throw up after he left.

“would you like to get coffee?”

“i’m working, i don’t think that’d be such a good idea,” you replied quickly, much too quickly.

“i can come by later, what time do you close?”

“i’m not sure we should–”

“we close at seven,” a voice said from behind you. you whipped around to see your brother standing in the doorway to the backroom, a frown on his lips as he glanced between you and theo. your brother knew everything that happened, and didn’t care for theo, so what’s going on?

“ok,” theo said, glancing from your brother back to you. he looked you up and down, finally resting on your face, and smiled. “i’ll be back at seven, though that’s a little late for coffee. how about a beer? at our pub?”

“i’ll probably pass–”

“she’d love to,” your brother interrupted, glaring at you. theo smiled, nodding at you as he stepped away from the counter, new book in hand.

“i’ll see you then,” theo murmured, waving to you and your brother. you watched in silence as he turned and left the bookshop, effectively making you even more nauseous than him entering. there was something about watching him leave that made everything you’d ever felt for him rise to the surface.

the realization hit you: you still missed him.

oh, merlin, you missed him so badly. his cologne still seemed to linger in the air, and you did your best not to lean forward to try and inhale every last bit. he still had the same haircut, the same eyes, the same smile. he still leaned forward slightly when he answered you, his wallet was still the same (just a little worn), and his voice still had a hint of that italian accent that made your blood turn to lava. everything about him was still just as enticing as before, if not more so, since he’d grown up a bit.

“why did you do that?” you snapped at your brother, only to be met with an eye roll.

“i don’t love the guy, but i never saw you as happy as you were with him,” your brother responded, as if the answer was plain in front of you. you raised an eyebrow as he turned right around and went back to work.

the rest of your day went by as slow as possible. your feet dragged, and your mind kept travelling elsewhere. you had to apologize to so many customers because they’d ask a question and it would just go in one ear and out the other.

when the clock hit seven, and the last customer was finally out of the shop, you sighed in relief. it had been one of the longest days of your life, waiting for the day to be over. you heard the door open, and the small bell wrapped around the handle jingled.

“sorry, love, we’re closed,” you absentmindedly said over your shoulder, pulling your purses off the hook behind the front desk.

“it’s just me,” theo’s voice said from the doorway. you stood up straight, still not to hearing his voice.

“oh, hi,” you replied, slipping your purse strap over your shoulder.

“are you ready, or do you have some stuff to do?”

“i can take care of it,” your brother said, effectively ushering you out of your own store. “go, catch up, enjoy yourselves.”

“i guess i’m good to go,” you replied, rolling your eyes at your brother’s demanding attitude. he simply smiled, walking you towards theo, who was also smirking. it seemed like everyone was in a great mood except for you.

the walk to the pub was short, but quiet. theo had asked you a couple shallow questions, just about the shop and your family, checking up on everyone he couldn’t see anymore. you answered him quickly, asking questions about his life in return. it turned out theo was in town for the week, but normally travelled a lot. theo frowned at that part.

you entered your old pub, letting theo hold the door open for you. you subconsciously led him to your old spot, the booth tucked in the back, but this time he sat across from you instead of next to you. the feeling left you cold and lonely. he rapped his knuckles on the counter while you looked everywhere but him.

“woah, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” a man’s voice called from across the room. you looked over to see your favorite bartender, kenny, practically running towards your table. you couldn’t help the smile that overtook your face as you hopped out of the booth to give him an embrace.

“kenny! it’s so good to see you!” you exclaimed, letting the older man kiss your cheek. theo had gotten up as well, shaking kenny’s hand after you let go.

“my two favorites, come to visit me at last!” kenny said, clapping theo on the back. “what’s it been, five years or something?”

“sounds about right,” you replied, quieter than before. kenny’s eyes flitted between you and theo, his brows furrowed in confusion, or judgement, or maybe something else entirely. theo shifted on his feet, his gaze falling to the floor.

“well!” kenny clapped his hands and rubbed them together, as if he was trying to dispel the tension. “the usual?” he pointed at you, then at theo, waiting for you both to nod in agreement. when you do, kenny grins and heads back towards the bar.

as you slid back into your seat, you watched theo do the same, his eyes never leaving yours once. you instantly felt self-conscious, after having been so long since you’d felt his heavy gaze. you crossed your arms in front of your chest and leaned back in the booth, trying to make yourself as small as possible so he has less to judge.

“you look well,” you said, trying to break the awkward silence that permeated the space between you two. theo nodded, the side of his mouth slightly upturned at your compliment.

“you, too,” theo replied. he motioned towards your hair. “i like your hair. it’s a new color.”

he was right. you’d gotten your hair done the week before you opened the shop, wanting something new to match your new life. how did he notice? how did he remember what it looked like before?

“thank you. so, what brings you to london?”

“work,” theo said simply. “i had a couple things to take care of before heading back home.”

“where’s home for you? i presume italy, since that’s where your father is.”

theo stiffened at your mention of his father, his gaze falling down at the table. inside, you recoiled. you’d never meant to make him uncomfortable, but all these years you’d guessed he’d follow in his father’s footsteps and take over the family business.

“i haven’t seen him, so i wouldn’t know where he’s staying,” theo said after a beat. your eyes widened, unable to hide your surprise at this new information.

“oh, i’m sorry,” you said, doing your best to control the situation. you were never one for having difficult conversations, and you honestly regretted bringing up his father in the first place. after all, mr. nott was the reason you two had broken up in the first place. “i didn’t mean to pry.”

“it’s alright. i’m actually working for the ministry, with the foreign affairs and sports department. i travel a lot, but it’s decent work.”

kenny came by and finally dropped off your beers, and you took a small sip as you listened to theo talk about his job. apparently, he travelled all over the world, which once again didn’t seem to please him.

“so what have you been doing for the past couple years?” theo asked after his spiel about working for the ministry. you shrugged, taking another swig of your beer. you pushed around the water ring it had made on the table with your finger, absentmindedly creating swirled patterns as you though of how to respond.

“i lived in the states for most of it. i worked at a muggle company. i was pretty hostile towards using magic for awhile, and wanted to get away from it all. one of my friends from primary had moved a few years ago to california and asked if i wanted a job with her in graphic design.” you rattled off a couple tidbits about life in america, how it was living in an apartment smaller than a closet, and tried to ignore how theo’s eyes seemed to bore into your face, his attention unyielding.

“why’d you quit using magic?” theo asked after you finished. you sighed, letting your head fall back to stare at the ceiling. of course, out of everything you’d talked about, he’d want to bring this up.

“i didn’t want to,” you replied curtly, giving him a deadpanned look that said drop it. theo tilted his head, narrowing his eyes to mimic your expression.

“and why not?”

“i would rather not talk about this with you.”

“oh.”

really, how could you possibly explain to theo that the reason you put a pause on your magic usage was because his father's words long ago had made you felt so inadequate, so unworthy, that you could barely pick up your wand? you didn't think he'd understand, and you feared for his pity.

silence fell across the table again, with theo occasionally picking up his bottle for a drink. you tried to avoid staring, but the truth of the matter was that theo was still extremely attractive, and it reflected in every movement. you admired his jaw as he tilted his head back, the bob of his adam’s apple as he swallowed, the muscles in his bicep that showed through his button-up.

you could only wonder what you looked like in theo’s eyes. you hadn’t changed much about yourself in the past five years, save for your hair color that theo’d noticed. he probably still looked at you and saw that eighteen year old girl he’d fallen out of love with.

“i missed you,” you said gently. as soon as you said it, you felt your cheeks heat up, and you looked down towards your drink. you fiddled with the rings on your hand, twirling each one with your thumb. “sorry, i shouldn’t have said that.”

“i missed you, too,” theo said. your heart just about stopped when you looked up to face him. he wore a soft smile, a genuine smile, and his eyes held something adjacent to longing. you matched his smile, for once not letting your eyes wander under the strength of his eye contact. you relished in the feeling of having his eyes on you again, it had been so long that you’d been starved of his attention.

you and theo talked for the rest of the night. everything was a bit of a blur after your third beer, the both of you laughing at things that shouldn’t have been funny. it felt like you’d stepped back in time, stepped back to when he loved you and you loved him…though it felt like you never stopped.

theo walked you to the bus stop. the summer breeze brushed your skin, making your hair get caught in your eyelashes as you stood waiting under the bus shelter. theo stood next to you, occasionally glancing down at you when he thought you weren’t looking. the air between you felt electric, palpable, tense.

“can i see you again tomorrow?” theo asked, his eyes facing the road ahead. his shoulders were tense, as if he was bracing for your rejection. you shrugged, putting your hands in your pockets.

“yeah, sure,” you responded, glancing up to smile at the man. theo looked down at you, an earnest smile playing on his lips. his shoulders visibly sagged as he breathed a sigh of relief.

on the train ride home, you couldn’t get rid of the smile on your face.

the next day, sunday, theo picked you up at the entrance to your bookshop. it was a sunny day in london, and theo was wearing a t-shirt and loose fitting jeans. his hair was damp, as if he’d just gotten out of the shower, and he smelled faintly of soap and cologne.

the two of you fell into comfortable conversation as you explored the city, frequenting all the shops and boutiques you used to go to. it was so out of the ordinary, but so normal at the same time. to be walking down these roads with theo after so long was equivalent to the feeling you get when you return home after spending your whole life lost in a haze.

theo paid for your coffee when you two went to the cafe, ordering himself an espresso and you a latte, and the two of you headed towards the park across the street. you’d bought a couple books, and theo’d done the same, and he’d also bought a new sweater that you assured him didn’t look too big.

you sat on a small bench across from a lovely oak tree, theo plopping down next to you, setting his few bags on the ground next to yours. he stretched his legs out, laying his arm on the back of the bench behind you. you felt the warmth from his arm seep into where it pressed into your back, somehow setting your whole body aflame. it was the first time you’d felt his touch since you were eighteen, and you remembered quickly how enraptured you’d become of the boy.

you took a sip of your latte (which theo thought was downright disgusting) and let yourself soak up the peace in this moment. the tree branches swayed in the wind, causing a few leaves to fall around the park, settling into the green grass below. wildflowers were scattered across the ground, popping up through the dirt in no apparent pattern or plan. this park in particular was your favorite place to be in the summer. the sun seemed to shine here the most (when it wasn’t gloomy, of course).

“why didn’t you write me?” you asked suddenly, as if you couldn’t control yourself. you sat up, turning to face theo, whose brows were furrowed in a confused expression. “i sent atticus to deliver you letters, every single day for a year. why didn’t you write?”

“what…” theo trailed off, sitting up to lean in closer. “what are you talking about, what letters?”

“i wrote you, theo, and you never responded. the day after we broke up, i felt so horrible and wanted to talk things through, fix things if i could. i went to your father’s flat but you were gone, so i wrote letters. i tried to reach you, but you never responded, so i thought you hated me.” you felt tears prick the corners of your eyes, so you blinked rapidly, trying so hard to remain strong in front of this man that you loved so much, even still.

“i…i never got your letters. you wanted to fix things?” his voice was soft, in awe of your confession. he tilted his head, and you could’ve sworn tears were in his eyes too.

“of course i did!” you exclaimed, trying to laugh away the lump in your throat.

a moment passed of just you and theo staring at each other, a foot away from each other’s faces, when you felt theo put his hand against the back of your head, fingers tangling in your hair. you jerked in surprise, but only for a moment, as he pulled your head closer so his lips could meet your own.

kissing theodore nott used to be your favorite pastime, and you were quickly remembering why. his lips moved against your own in perfect synchronicity that it felt like he was an extension of your own being. his nose bumped against yours as he cupped your cheek with his free hand. the hand that was behind your head slipped lower to grip the back of your neck. you sighed into the kiss, and theo licked your bottom lip, begging for entrance. you parted your lips, and he entered, kissing you with a renewed fervor. your hands tangled in his hair, cupped his cheeks, felt his jaw, they were constantly moving around his face. you loved the feeling of him under your fingers, wanting to commit it all to memory.

you finally pulled away, needing to breathe, and rested your forehead against theo’s. his chest heaved, breath tickling your mouth, and you closed your eyes. this was the feeling you’d been missing the past few years.

“i wasted so much time,” theo murmured. “if i would’ve known, i would’ve–”

“don’t waste time thinking of the past,” you replied, short of breath.

“ti amo, ti amo ancora.”

and with that, theo made his way back into your life, almost like he’d never left in the first place. you two quickly made up for lost time, spending every free hour together. theo quit his job at the ministry, since apparently he was itching for a reason to leave, and started helping out at the bookshop.

years later, the two of you made things official with a wedding, a grand one at that, filled with family and friends and people in the community that you'd met through your busy bookshop. you did host dinner parties in your small flat every week, and you did adopt a small cat from the local rescue.

pretty soon, your life looked exactly how you both had dreamed it, all those years ago. despite the pain it took you to get there, you looked around at the life you now led, the husband who loved and took care of you, the small child you two brought into the world, the little cat that was curled up in their lap, and you realized you'd do it all over again if it meant you'd get this result.

#theodore nott #theo nott #theo nott x reader #fanfiction #harry potter fanfiction #fluff #angst #the notebook #x reader #post hogwarts

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barnesandwilsons · 13 days ago

Text

Operation: Go Hammy

a/n: since i got sm love on the first part (i hope you guys enjoyed) genuinely hated how it started but i think it gets better as it progresses.. NOT PROOFREAD AT ALL (i'll do it later i guess)

this is a CONTINUATION from part 1 👇

part 1: Maybe, Just Maybe

pairing: bucky x reader

wc: around 5k

warnings: cutie bob, bucky being sweet, reader being awkward for a TEENSY bit, ava being mentioned, walker wanting pizza rolls, alpine

summary: after spending a while with the thunderbolts new avengers, you begin to realize your feelings for someone.

The kitchen is dimly lit, and through the windows, the dreary New York sky bleeds in — all gray clouds and soft drizzle, like the city itself can feel how you feel.

Bucky’s looking at the pantry, his back turned, searching for anything that looks easy to make. As you walk fully into the kitchen, you can see the infamous peanut butter sandwich. Bucky feels your presence as he turns to you, “How bout I make you some pasta?”

You tear your eyes away from the sandwich, looking up at his blue eyes. They’re kind. He’s being patient with you – no one ever has.

You nod. “Pasta sounds great.” A small smile pulls from him as he grabs a box of little pasta shells, moving back to the stove as he starts to boil the water. A few minutes later, he gets impatient and pours the pasta in the boiling water.

“I’m not really the best cook,” He stated, looking over his shoulder. “But, pasta," He says, shaking the box of little shells, "is something very easy and essential in life."

You lean against the counter watching him work, and smirk faintly at his words. “Yeah back in Romania, I swear I ate pasta around 50 times in a month.”

He pauses at your words. His head tilts slightly, not fully looking at you but enough to demonstrate his shock.

“Romania?” He repeats, now fully turning to you.

You nod, suddenly feeling in the spotlight for some reason. “Yeah. It’s where I went after…everything. It was quiet and had cheap food. Practically heaven.”

He hums in understandment.

“I was in Romania for a while too,” He says, almost like he’s reminiscing about a time of peace in his life, “After Hydra.”

You glance down at your hands, “Small world.”

“Yeah.”

The pasta bubbles behind him, immediately breaking his focus on you. He turns back to stir it, breaking the moment softly. Then you hear a new voice, “I smell food!”

Bob pops up to the kitchen. Oh sweet Bob. You’ve probably seen him around like twice ever since you got here. Apparently he tried to destroy the world, but you don’t believe it.

Bucky immediately sighs, “Go away, Bob.”

Bob just smiles. “I finally come out of my room and this is what greets me. Rude.”

You let out a small laugh before you can stop yourself.

Bob points at you triumphantly, like he just won a rare award. “Ah-ha! I made her laugh. I am so staying.”

“Bob,” Bucky warns slightly, he uses his metal arm to grab some hot water and flings it at Bob. Bob yelps, and side steps so he can avoid it.

“Okay, so, I think that's my cue to leave,” Bob jokes, already backing out of the kitchen, “Truly nice officially meeting you, Mystery Girl.”

“Bob!” Bucky warns, now focused on stirring the pasta because it’s almost done.

“Bye, Bob.” You smile and wave as he leaves.

“Sorry about him.” Bucky apologizes, feeling the need to.

“He’s great, dont worry about it.”

Bucky glances back at you, “Yeah don't tell him that.”

You grin, honestly now you understand why Yelena likes it here. She works with hot idiots. Bucky drains out the pasta, and starts to look for the pasta sauce. You set eyes on it as you walk by, grabbing the jar and opening it with a soft pop before handing it to him without a word.

He pauses just a second too long as he takes it from you, like he isn’t used to people giving him things without asking. “Thanks,” he says, his eyes briefly locking with yours.

“Don’t mention it.”

Silence falls against the both of you. He quickly adds the sauce and mixes it in the pasta. And before the silence gets the chance to linger, Yelena bursts in, sniffing the air.

“Do I smell Mac & Cheese?”

“No, Lena,” You clarify as you turn quickly, you forgot this girl's obsession with the kids meal, “Pasta.”

“Pasta?” She repeats, almost offended, “Now c'mon, that's just depressed mac & cheese without the cheese.”

Bucky almost groans. He’s clearly trying to get to know you, while the rest of the team is almost hell-bent on making that impossible. “It’s pasta. With Marinara Sauce.”

“Well add cheese,” Yelena adds and turns back to you, giving you a once-over, “Where the hell did you get those clothes?”

You would get flustered, but now is definitely not the time for that. “Bucky loaned them to me. Since all my shit is in the washer.”

Yelena gives you a weird look. Yeah right.

Finally, Bucky is done with stirring the damn pasta. Trying to keep some common decency, he turns to her. “Would you want a plate?”

Almost forgetting he was there, Yelena turns away from you and walks to the pasta and almost frowns. “Yeah, gimme one sec.” She then opens the top cabinet, grabs Sriracha sauce and squirts it on the pasta.

“Sooo much better,” she smirks, clearly feeling proud of herself and looks at Bucky, “Go on and try it, you’ll thank me later.” She quickly plates the food, waving you over and gives you the plate.

You smile at the plate, give Bucky a quick glance and say a quick thanks.

You all eat at the island counter, plates in front of you, a small conversation between a few bites. Well, Yelena is basically the only one speaking, talking with pride as she ranks the different types of fights she’s been in. You laugh more than you expect to, easily forgetting the mission beforehand.

But eventually, her phone starts to buzz. One look at it and she softly groans.

“Ugh, this girl,” Yelena complains, stuffing the last of her pasta in her mouth, picking up her phone and sending a quick text back. “Alright guys, I’m out to help Kate Bishop.”

Bucky and You share a confused look. Who?

Not caring to clarify, she grabs her plate, puts it in the sink, and pats both of your heads as a goodbye.

You stare at the plate in the sink, and the other two on the counter. You start gathering them and heading to the sink to wash them.

Bucky stares at you and gets up following you to the sink, “I got it.”

“You cooked,” You stated, with a wave of your hand, “Least I can do.”

He scoffs as he gently wraps his hand around your wrist– a way to get you to stop, not even a firm grip, a soft, gentle one just like his soul.

“I said I got it,” He says softly, “Just sit down somewhere.”

Don't gotta tell me twice.

You sit on the counter next to the sink. “So what’s your story?

He starts to wash the dishes, not even being fazed by the question. “Surprised you don’t know.”

“Oh I do, Just wanna hear it from a firsthand account.” You shrug. If you’re gonna be living here, you might as well get to know your coworkers.

“To start, I’m around 100 years old,” He pauses for your reaction.

You tilt your head, “Honestly, you peg me for a much older guy.”

“Yeah, well, I started to use sunscreen.” He deadpans, washing off the soap from Yelena’s plate.

“Must be some type of sunscreen.”

“Mhm.”

He starts again, “I got drafted, I fell off a train and lost an arm.” He stops and slightly raises his metal arm to the best of his ability since he was holding a dish. “Hydra found me and well, I’m guessing you know the rest.”

You nod, “That’s tragic. Sorry for bringing it up.”

“Nah, You get used to it.”

You feel bad. After everything this man has been through, he’s still kicking? It almost makes you feel embarrassed that you feel this way about yourself.

Reminder; try to be more positive.

You hop down from the counter, brushing off his hoodie. “Thanks for dinner, Bucky.”

He nods. “Anytime.”

You start to walk off, but you pause once you near the exit, “Any chance I can still wear your clothes for the time-being?”

“Yeah, just keep ‘em if you want. They look better on you anyway.” He says, while he’s still focused on the dishes.

You’re just lucky your knees don’t give out right then and there.

It’s been 2 weeks since Bucky made you dinner.

A lot has happened in those 14 days.

Bucky lent you another set of clothes, until eventually, you realized Yelena has to take you shopping, or you’ll end up stealing the rest of this poor man’s closet. He also lent you his old, worn-in copy of The Hobbit after you mentioned wanting to pick up new hobbies.

It has a few annotations with his thoughts scribbled in the margins, a couple of question marks and a few rare sightings of his dry comments – but you don’t mind. You think it’s cute actually.

You also have seen Bob more ever since that one day – He’s pretty cool. A bit awkward. But cool.

He always offers to help when it comes to laundry, dishes or even basic cooking. You can tell he’s still struggling to figure out where he fits in. Maybe once you find yourself, you can help him.

Alexei was pretty loud, but you can tell it was from a place of love – or admiration. Or whatever else he has going on in that big head of his. When he’s not bragging about his days about being Russia’s very own ‘Captain ‘Merica’, he’s either helping Bob doing random shit, or finding new ways to annoy Yelena.

And Ava? You’ve talked to her a few times now. She’s cool too — but her powers? Yeah, straight-up terrifying. You’re glad she’s on your side.

So yeah, a lot has happened in the past 2 weeks.

Since you decided to take a tour of the Tower, you decided that the gym is your favorite place. So now, here you were listening to music as you work out. As you finish up, you decide to check your phone and see a couple of mixed texts from the “New Avengerz” GC.

Lena: 911

Ava: ?

Walker: what?

Lena: cat in the kitchen???

You frown, looking at your phone confused.

Who let a cat in the Tower?

And when can you meet it?

You’re about to tuck your phone back into your pocket, as you’re getting ready to return back to your room and hit the shower.

Yelena texts again, “nvm false alarm, it’s bucees cat.”

You freeze. Bucky? A cat person?

You don’t mean to judge a person by their cover, but you never expected James Buchanan Barnes to like cats.

A few hours later, your wish came true.

As you entered the kitchen, after Bob was done washing the dishes, you spotted a cute white fluffy cat.

Oh My God.

“She’s beautiful,” You mutter, only to yourself. No wonder Bucky has her, a beautiful cat for a beautiful soul.

What you didn’t know was that Bucky was looking for the cat.

Again.

For the 3rd time today. He needs to read a book on how to get a cat to behave properly. Thankfully, he made it to the kitchen entryway, as he saw you approach the cat.

You kneel slowly, trying not to scare it. Her beady eyes stare you down, tail flicking lazily behind her, like she’s sizing you up. Judging. Calculating. You pray that she doesn’t bite you.

“Hi, cutey.”

Bucky was just watching you, unafraid to ruin the moment, but he did anyway as he cleared his throat, “She’s harmless. Just has a flair for the dramatics.”

You glance up at him, lips almost pulling to a smile. “Wonder where she gets it from,” You extend a hand to her, as she sniffs it slightly. She nudges her head on your hand.

Yeah, you might just have to take this ball of joy away from Bucky.

You shift, sitting cross-legged as she climbs into your lap. Gently, you stroke her soft fur, completely in love. Bucky steps closer, settling beside you on the floor.

Who would've thought? Bucky Barnes, ex-assassin, with his heart almost melting at the sight of you with his cat?

Steve Rogers is practically rolling in his grave right now.

“She’s not like this with most people.” Bucky mentions, out of the blue, “Her name’s Alpine, by the way.”

You scrunch your nose at that adorable name. “She's perfect. I love her.”

“She's got good taste.” Bucky jokes, even softer now. Maybe, Bucky might have to thank his therapist for telling him to get a pet.

Alpine purrs. Your heart absolutely flips. Maybe you’re thinking about getting all the cats in the world. With how big this tower is, that seems like a great idea anyways.

You stay like that for a while, all three of you guys, unbothered.

Until your phone starts ringing.

You glance at Bucky sheepishly and gently hand Alpine back to him. “Bye, Alpine. Lovely meeting you,” you murmur, getting up to take the call as you walk away.

2 months have passed since you first got to the Avengers tower.

You slowly feel yourself being a part of this team. It took a while, but once you realized that this group was basically a bunch of damaged individuals, it got easier.

Ironically though, the one person you did hit it off with at first–Bucky, has become a little... awkward. Not in a bad way. Bucky didn’t do anything wrong, it’s just that you started to realize that he was really hot. Like distractingly hot.

But you’ll deal with that later.

For now, you and Ava had finally made it back from your tiring, 2 week mission, and all your mind is set up on is sleeping on your own bed. Nothing else even matters. Not even bothering to charge your phone, you make it into your room, shower, and then jump on that bed.

You were asleep in minutes.

The next morning; you woke up to your alarm, almost groaning at the fact you had to get up soon. Today was the day.

Not like the day—as in your wedding, but still, it was the day AKA your turn to go grocery shopping for the team. The Thunderbolts have recently started a chore wheel, like who's gonna take out the trash this week? Or who’s gonna attempt to do laundry next week? Interesting shit.

It might sound dramatic, but you hated doing mundane tasks. Like grocery shopping? Why can’t someone else do it?

Funny thing is, it was your turn to go grocery shopping a few weeks back, but you ultimately got out of it. You sighed, chanting to yourself to get up. Bite the bullet. One step at a time.

Perhaps even treat yourself to the shawarma spot before? Yeah. Definitely sounds better when you add that part.

You turned off your alarm, muttering, ‘five more minutes’.

You woke up 2 hours later.

How? Very, very good question.

Turns out, you didn’t actually turn off your alarm. You just yanked the Alexa plug straight out of the wall.

Problem solved. Good riddance. You check your phone– dead. Oh.

You forgot you didn’t put it on the charger.

You almost cry. You decide now it’s best to charge it.

You finally decide to drag yourself out of bed, the frame giving a tiny creak in protest. Barefoot, you shuffle towards the connected bathroom, wincing slightly as you turn the overhead light flickers on.

As soon as you do, you can see your reflection through the mirror. You practically groan at the sight. You close your eyes and rub them harshly, as if you can scrub the exhaustion away.

You take another shower.

Fast forward: you’re dressed, in desperate need of food, and internally bargaining for someone to go do your ‘task’ for you. You grab your phone, still on the charger, and text the GC, asking for them to send their lists. With that part handled, You leave your phone in your room as you make your way into the kitchen.

As you walk in the kitchen, in desperate search for coffee, you spot Bucky, right in front of the coffee machine, taking the last batch.

You just stare in utmost shock.

Granted, he felt a shift in the air and turned to you, almost glaring at the cup in his hands, “You good?”

You frown. The audacity.

“Just fine,” you mutter, a little too tightly, brushing past him as you search the cupboards for a mug. You grab the most aggressive one you can find: ‘Thanos was right.’

Fitting.

You decide to settle for tea. Bucky doesn’t say anything for the most part, he’s just silently drinking his coffee, as you drink your tea.

Then Yelena walks in.

“Good,” she says without anything else, pointing between the two of you. “Both of you. Perfect.”

Bucky raises his eyebrow, “Perfect for..what?”

“Grocery shopping!” She smiles sweetly, “Y/N is on the list today, but I decided to switch it up for today. So, team bonding. Off you go!”

Bucky blinks. Fuck this chore wheel. Can’t they just hire people to do these tasks?

“I didn’t sign up for this.” Bucky says, attempting to put his foot down.

“You live here.” Yelena deadpans, “Congrats! You have responsibilities!"

She grabs a drink from the fridge and is almost out the door before calling over her shoulder, “Don’t forget my Sriracha!”

–

AT THE STORE

You’re in the cereal aisle.

You don't even remember how you got here. One minute, you were reluctantly putting on real pants, and the next, you were pushing a cart with a grumpy Bucky Barnes walking beside you like he’s being forced into a hostage situation.

Because, technically, he is.

Since half of the team didn’t even send their lists, you were forced to choose the cereal for the next two weeks.

You stare at the shelves, trying to make an unbiased decision on whether the team is more of a Cinnamon Toast Crunch kind of crowd or if they give off Lucky Charms vibes. Bucky leans on the cart handle, impatient. “You’ve been staring at cereal for five minutes.”

“Well, my bad, if I can’t figure out if the team is–”

Before you can finish, he silently grabs a box of Corn Flakes, drops it into the cart, and starts walking away.

You blink. Corn flakes wasn't even an option.

As Bucky is leaving with the cart, you sigh, grab a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch anyway, and jog to catch up.

“Glad to help speed up the process,” He says nonchalantly, scanning the area as if the sugary cereals can kill him. “Where next?”

“Okay first of all.. you didn’t speed anything up. You just made a really bad decision,” You say, tossing your cereal box into the cart with a dramatic flair. “Second, we need to get the team’s protein powder.”

“Sounds disgusting.”

“Trust me..it is.” You shudder, “But, you definitely don’t need to worry, since you dont really need it.”

The next thirty minutes are spent roaming the store with Bucky, the two of you tossing essentials into the cart—some intentional, some impulse grabs. You argue over what counts as an “easier” snack and you almost forgot you were part of a superhero team.

Until it happens.

A girl—maybe college-aged, maybe younger, gasps loudly near the end of the frozen foods aisle.

“Oh my God. Are you guys the New Avengers?”

You freeze mid-reach for the frozen pizza. Bucky goes still, like someone just aimed a sniper rifle at his back. Slowly, you both turn.

The girl’s practically bouncing. “Wait—can I get a picture? Oh my God, my sister’s gonna flip. You guys are so much hotter in person!”

Bucky sighs through his nose like it physically pained him. You offer a small, tight smile.

“Yes of course!” You say, the media training they made you do kicking in. You motion to her to stand between you and Bucky.

To your surprise, Bucky even starts to smile—like, a real one. It’s almost charming. Look at that. He remembers how to interact with the public. Progress.

The fan takes the photo, and squeals again once she looks at it. “You guys are like my favorite team. Ever! Totally have to post this on my Insta! So– wait, do you guys, like.. live together?”

You blink. “I mean.. Technically.”

“In the same tower?” she presses, eyes flicking between you and Bucky, who starts to wish he stayed in the car.

“Yep.” He answers for you.

Her eyes narrow. “Are you two… like, together together?”

Bucky almost chokes. You, on the other hand, let out the world’s most awkward laugh.

“Uh, no! But we are definitely done here! Danger is calling,” You say quickly, grabbing the cart handles and making a sharp U-turn, “Say hello to your sister for me! Have an awesome day!”

Bucky practically chases after you.

The fan is left shocked but satisfied, as she clicks on Instagram and starts a Live. “Guys you’ll never guess who I just saw shopping together–”

—-

Back at the Tower, you're in the kitchen with Bucky, the both of you unpacking the groceries in silence—well, companionable silence, anyway. The fluorescent lights hum, cabinets open and close, and every now and then you bump into each other at the fridge.

Walker strolls in and decides to help you guys put the groceries away. After a while, you guys were done and Walker opens the freezer.

“Uh, where’s my pizza rolls?” He asks.

You pause, look at Bucky. He looks at you. Neither of you say anything.

Walker turns around slowly. “Guys.”

“Bucky forgot it.” you say, flatly.

Walker turns to Bucky. “You forgot my pizza rolls, Buck?”

Bucky doesn't even blink. “You didn’t send your list.”

“I said it out loud!”

You snort. “We’re human. We forget shit.”

Walker glares at Bucky. “I told you when we were at the gym!”

“I had headphones in.”

“We were in the sauna!” Walker sighs, tired of this shit “I risk my life for this team, and this is what I get.”

You quietly toss him a frozen burrito. “Here. Be grateful.”

Walker catches it and glares. “This better be beef.”

“It’s beef,” You nod, already walking out of the kitchen.

...You think it's beef. You’re like 60% sure you read it on the box. Okay, maybe like 40% sure.

You and Bucky both pause just outside the doorway, subtly listening.

2 minutes pass.

Walker grunts in satisfaction. “Okay. It’s beef.”

You exhale in relief and keep walking, Bucky falling into step beside you.

Once you’re both out of the kitchen, a brief silence settles in as you walk side by side. It’s not uncomfortable—just... different. Like something’s sitting in the air that neither of you have named yet.

You have a weird feeling in your chest. Being around Bucky Barnes brings out a weird side of you. You don’t wanna name. Not yet. Because if it is what you think it is—

Yeah.

You’re screwed.

You clear your throat, eyes looking ahead again. “Well... thanks for coming with me today. I know you didn’t really want to.”

Bucky’s quiet for a beat. Then, soft enough that you almost didn’t reach your ears, “Wouldn't have gone if it wasn't you.”

Your heart thuds.

“Oh,” You manage to squeak out.

Another beat of silence.

“Try not to forget anything, next time.” You say, like a coward.

Oh My God.

“I’ll do my best.” He replies, with a shrug that says he’s absolutely lying.

“I'm gonna find Yelena.” You give him the weakest excuse.

You walk off before you can say something even stupider, tossing a casual “See ya!” over your shoulder.

You don’t see the way Bucky watches you leave.

But maybe it’s better that way.

–

You find Yelena in her room, sitting cross-legged on her bed with a bag of chips balanced on her lap and some ridiculous crime documentary playing in the background.

She doesn’t look up when you knock—just gestures lazily. “It’s open.”

You step inside, shutting and locking the door behind you. “Hey!”

“How was grocery shopping?” She smiles, knowing exactly what she did.

You narrow your eyes at her. “It was alright.” You sit next to her, silently watching the show with her. As she turns to you, she tilts her head, “You know it’s obvious, right?”

You return her pointed look. “What is?”

“Your feelings for Barnes.” Yelena says, as if she didn't just drop a metaphorical bomb on you.

“Oh my God.” You groan, dramatically flopping onto her bed. “I don’t—I do not like that man.”

Yelena arches a brow, unimpressed.

“I mean, as a person, sure, yes, I respect him. But I don’t have feelings for him.”

“Mhmmm,” Yelena pretends to listen to you.

A sudden realization hits you like a bucket of cold water. “Wait… You planned the grocery store!”

“Look at that,” She says, smirking. “You used your smart brain.”

You stare, betrayed. “Yelena.”

“Team bonding,” she says with exaggerated air quotes. “I just pulled that out of my ass. You’re welcome.”

You stare at her. “I dont–”

She points at you, a mysterious look in her eyes. “You don't have to lie,” Yelena says, her tone extremely casual, “It’s normal. Girl likes Boy. Boy likes Girl. End of story.”

You shake your head, because it’s never that easy.

“No. Not end of story. There is no story,” You say, almost pleading, “I can’t like Bucky, he’s literally perfect!”

Yelena looks at you like you’re crazy. “Him?”

“He was literally in Congress. He’s friends with Captain America…” you mutter, like the words are proof of something. “And. I had options after I left the Red Room, and I still chose the wrong path. I didn’t know better, but I still chose wrong. That makes me a terrible person.”

Yelena pouts.

"Okay,” Yelena says softly, voice steady, “Well then you are fooling yourself. Because you’re not a terrible person and you still like Bucky.”

“Stop saying that— Lena, please.” You whisper, glancing around instinctively. You’re in her room, door closed, but still. You’ve never trusted thin walls.

She rolls her eyes. “Fine. I know my place. But Alexei—”

“Lena!” You hiss.

“What! Don't blame me, it's obvious.” She says, not even pretending to feel bad, “I can try to get him not to speak about it. At least not in front of Bucky.”

You feel the tension ease out your shoulders. “Thank you.”

–

The transition from fall to winter always makes Bucky feel…heavier.

To be fair, Bucky tries fighting this feeling. He’s spent almost his whole life feeling bad about himself, but lately, he's been getting better, courtesy of Dr.Raynor.

He loves his cat, Alpine, the little menace who isn’t afraid to stand her ground.

He loves the small bookstore that opened a few blocks away from the Tower, which rekindled Bucky’s reading phase, a quiet escape he missed dearly. Because ever since he joined this rag-tag team of heroes, he hasn’t fully had time to be by himself.

He’s even started to listen to some of the music you recommended, a nice attempt to drag him out of his olden days into the new century.

In general, Bucky has started to make peace with things.

It truly is the little things that matter.

Of course, he can’t help but notice the way you light up when he tells you he likes a new song, or how your face softens when he asks for more recommendations. Bucky knows it’s silly, but he likes these moments, even if he can’t bring himself to say it outright.

Ever since your departure from the Red Room, you threw yourself into countless hobbies, desperately trying to reclaim the pieces of your stolen childhood. Singing, writing, reading, painting, gaming—each one a quiet act of defiance, a way to remind yourself that you were more than what they made you. But the one thing that always pulled you back from the edge, the one thing that never wavered, was music.

Sometimes, late at night when Bucky couldn’t sleep, the nightmares being too much to bear, he'd listen to the songs you gave him. He’d picture you in your room, headphones on and swaying to the music gently. And it gave him hope, that maybe he could do it too, maybe he could find something that made the world more bearable to go on with.

On one of those nights, he found himself sitting alone in the dimly lit living room, Alpine curled up on the couch beside him. He didn’t even bother turning on the lamp. His thoughts were heavy, but the soft hum of music in his earbuds offered a silent comfort.

That’s when he heard your footsteps in the hallway, light but sure. You paused at the entrance, your hair tousled from sleep, wearing one of his old shirts that always made him smile.

“Couldn’t sleep?” you asked softly, stepping into the living room, surprised to see him.

“Yeah,” He mutters softly, as he raises the book he was reading in his hands.

At the sight of the book, you remembered how he loaned you The Hobbit, “Speaking of books, I’ve read your annotations.”

Bucky seemed to forget how to respond for a second, “You actually read those?”

“Well, it was kinda hard to ignore them,” You reply, settling next to him on the couch as Alpine took off and disappeared into the darkness. “I loved seeing how you view the characters. Makes the story ten times better.”

“Good to know,” He replied, smiling faintly at that, a tired but friendly smile which always made your stomach churn.

So many questions filled your mind, yet it wasn't the moment to voice them. Why was he awake? Was everything alright? What was his experience like in Congress?

For the most part, you kept those questions to yourself. But one of your thoughts had to slip out.

“What are you listening to?” You asked softly, your tone warm and curious, an attempt to change the subject.

He raised his brow, almost surprised by the question. Bucky gently pulled out one earbud, offering it to you as if sharing a secret. “One of the songs you recommended,” he said quietly, his fingers brushing yours for the briefest moment as he handed you the earbud.

Sliding it into your ear, you hear the soft beat of one of your favorite songs, you look at him. This was one of the first songs you recommended to him, because it helped bring you out from a dark place many moons ago.

You can't believe your ears, you turn to him with a small smile on your lips, “Can’t believe you still listen to this.”

“It’s a decent song,” He shrugs almost shyly, his eyes gentle, “Kinda helps…sometimes.”

You understand.

You don't say anything else, not out loud anyway. Instead, you just let the song fill between you, the familiar beat serving as a connection between you too. In that moment, there's no need for words or actions, the music says everything.

Bucky shifts closer to you, just slightly, as if the small distance between you guys was a barrier.

You feel the heat of his shoulder against yours, the comfort of his presence. He doesn’t look at you, You don't look at him, you’re just trying to slow down your heartbeat. Your gaze shifts to his metal arm; beautiful and metallic. Slowly and carefully, you reach out and lay your hand over his, your fingers tracing the cool ridges of the vibranium plates. He stiffens for a split second, then relaxes, his shoulders sagging just a little.

You know what this means. You know you’re trying to let yourself feel, something unfamiliar and scary, but also something you can’t keep ignoring anymore.

“I hope this… doesn’t make you uncomfortable. I just–”

Bucky shakes his head, cutting you off softly. “It’s fine,” he says, his voice calm and almost dismissive—like it’s no big deal to him, even though you both know it is. “Doesn’t bother me.”

You then, feeling bold and comforted by his casualness, reach for his hand. Your fingers wrap around his, the contrast of his cool metal arm against your flesh arm making you feel grounded. He doesn’t pull away—if anything, he shifts just a little, his thumb brushing against your knuckles in a silent reassurance.

You almost cry.

The warmth of the moment lingers, you make a mental note to yourself to write this down somewhere, afraid you might forget that this happened.

Eventually, you start to get tired and fall asleep leaning on his shoulder. Bucky was gentle, careful not to move too much and disturb your sleep, as he shifted slightly, sliding one arm under your knees and the other around your back to lift you up. You stirred a little, but didn’t wake, your head moving against his chest. He carried you to your room, the softest look on his face.

He opened the door and slowly put you on your bed, adjusting the covers to cover your entire body. He paused for a moment to look at you, your face so calm and peaceful even in your sleep. A small grin showed up on his face.

Then he remembered how this might look if you woke up right then, and he shifted back awkwardly. “Night,” he whispered softly, careful not to disturb you, and just a little embarrassed as he closed the door gently behind him.

After 3 hours of sleep, You woke up feeling a bit confused. You sit up slowly, trying to recall how you ended up here, in your bed, tucked like a little lamb in Mary’s farm. Then, You remember the soft music and Bucky hours before.

You remember the soft feeling you felt in your heart when you held his hand. A tiny smile tugging at your lips, as you brush your fingers over your soft comforter.

If only Dreykov can see you now.

---

guys dont hate me bc they will notttt be confessing anytime soon.

#bucky x reader #bucky x female reader #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes x reader #not proofread at all #thunderbolts fic

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ifishouldvanish · 8 months ago

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The idea of Olrox being from Cholula specifically makes me so insane. Like would he have identified more as Mexica? Or as Tlaxcaltec? Would he have been loyal to the Tlaxcaltec and allied with the Spanish only to get screwed over like his Mohican lover did in the colonies? Would he have done so thinking he could get the upper hand in the end just like Mizrak/Emmanuel thought the Order could with Erzsebet?

"He thinks the devils he manufactures will be enough to destroy her when the time comes. What do you think? Do you think he's right?" - S1E4

Even after the fall of Tenochtitlan, nobility from all over the region would have been sent to Cholula to get the blessing of Cholulan priests for their legitimacy. How might this have fueled his disdain for nobility?

Olrox: "I prefer my blood blue."

Drolta: "Maybe you do things differently in the new world, but over here we don't feed off the wealthy. The locals will start to grumble." - S1E5

As a Mexica citizen, this disdain could come from resentment toward sumptuary laws, the increasing lack of socioeconomic mobility during Moctezuma's rule, and frustration with how he handled the Spanish... But as a Cholulan sympathetic to Tlaxcala, there's so much more???

It could come from frustration with leadership that defected from the very people who helped them elude Mexica rule in the years before the Spanish conquest. Anger at a decision that economically obliterated the Tlaxcaltec, who became completely surrounded by Mexica member-states? Regret at how much it cost them to 'overthrow' the Mexica? Grief at how this kind of political/military opportunism helped lead the wider indigenous population to its demise?? Like the latter is so much more thematically ripe for a show tackling colonialism and imperialism imo???

"This one? He was just an opportunist, following the Messiah because she's powerful." - S1E4

I mean!!?? Think about how the implications of all of this... *gestures wildly* stuff would lead him to adopt such a cynical, morally ambiguous worldview? This sense that it's all doomed, that he's not strong enough to fight it? Resist and fall to your enemies, or work with them only to lose parts of your identity in the process? Think about how the brutality of the Cholula massacre recontextualizes eurocentric perceptions of the brutality of flower wars and ritual sacrifice??? How it would leave you with anger and pain and an unyielding need for justice?

"Little boy Belmont. I know that feeling. That pain, that hate, that burning, unendurable need for retribution." - S1E1

Think about how the Mexica Empire had adopted Huitzilopochtli (war, sacrifice) as their primary patron deity, and the Tlaxcaltec Mixcoatl/Camaxtli (the hunt, fire)... Yet Olrox's form seems to be based on Quetzalcoatl (wind, knowledge, rebirth, among other things)–the deity the great temple at Cholula was dedicated to.

A handful of mesoamerican deities are associated with serpents/have names ending in '-coatl', but Olrox's serpent form clearly has a feathered crest—the 'quetzal-' in Quetzalcoatl.

But Olrox's abilities also seem to include lightning/thunder, which are associated with Tlaloc, who the Cholulans seemed to have adopted as their central deity some time before the Spanish conquest.

Quetzalcoatl is only associated with storms sort of tangentially, through his aspect as the wind god, Ehecatl. The Florentine Codex refers to Quetzalcoatl-Ehecatl as sweeping the roads to make way for the rain and the thunder.

Think about how in Tlaxcaltec accounts, Cholula–being a sacred city–had no real military to speak of and depended on their gods to protect them???

Mizrak: "There's only one God. Just one. That's the only thing I'm sure of. And I've spent my whole life serving him, fighting for him. That hasn't changed, and it never will." Olrox: "One god... And you think he can protect you?" - S1E4

Like... What does it all mean???? 🫠🫠🫠

Agshsjdkdkfll *screams into a pillow* I am so excited for season 2 but whatever happens Cholulan Olrox is canon in my heart y'all

#olrox #castlevania #castlevania nocturne

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dyns33 · 1 year ago

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Only wastelands

I will try to do this Cooper Howard x reader in three parts, but I like the Ghoul so much, I might want to write more

People said Y/N’s neighborhood was lucky.

After a draw, they were selected to join a Vault shelter for free, if something dramatic happened one day, allowing them to survive.

Y/N had received the news with mixed feelings. She didn't want to die from a nuclear bomb, but she also didn't want to think about the possibility of a nuclear bomb falling on their heads.

There was no reason for this to happen anyway.

China and the United States had resumed peace negotiations. The war was going to end and everything would be wonderful. The vaults would then be of no use.

That day, she was washing dishes in her small kitchen. She lived alone, having left her parents who were in another state to settle near Lors Angeles.

Of course, she had first dreamed of Hollywood, and then she had been reasonable, finding a normal job, to live a normal life.

First there was the light. For a moment, she blinked, wondering if she had fainted. And looking out the window, she first saw the smoke in the distance.

Her neighbors were out, she could see them in the street which also looked towards the city center, and no doubt they were talking, but Y/N heard nothing, all her attention fixed on the smoke.

It was just smoke. She watched without being able to move as the cloud grew, before the shock wave reached her house, destroying the windows and shaking the walls.

Screams were then heard, in addition to the sirens. Falling to the ground in shock, Y/N almost didn't get up, but one of the neighbors, instead of thinking selfishly, ran to see if she was still there, helping her to get up and taking her with her to the vault.

Everything happened very quickly after that.

Y/N vaguely remembered those smiling doctors, who explained to them that everything would be fine, doing several exams before putting what they called a pipboy on them, giving them a ridiculous blue and yellow jumpsuit.

"You are now the inhabitants of Vault 8. What has just happened is a tragedy, and we are going to need you to ensure the future of humanity."

They were taken to a large room, with human-sized tubes. The doctors explained that they would be put to sleep, kept in the cold, safe, and awakened only on the day when it would be possible to go out and repopulate the Earth without it being dangerous.

No one could have known that they were not safe at all.

When Y/N opened her eyes, she had a hard time understanding what was happening. There was no light in the vault, except for the one in her crate which had just opened automatically.

Most of the boxes in front of her were open and empty. Then turning around, she discovered decomposing corpses in those that had remained closed.

Her cries of terror brought no one to come, because there was no one in the shelter, just as there were no resources, no water, no food, nothing. Because no one was supposed to survive here.

For two days, Y/N cried, not knowing what to do.

Then she decided she didn't want to die, not like that anyway, and she tried her luck outside. She didn't know how long she had slept, or what she would find, but she had to try.

Her pipboy quickly told her that the air was breathable, despite the presence of radiation in certain places. But that wasn't the most important thing for her, seeing the desert surrounding the vault.

The bombs had destroyed everything, leaving only ruins and sand. Not being stupid, Y/N moved forward cautiously, trying to stay as covered as possible, even if it was difficult with her outfit.

On her way, she encountered two-headed cows, giant cockroaches, and other horrible creatures. No humans though, and she didn't know if that was a good thing.

With war, she knew that men could be much worse than beasts. Maybe they were all dead, from the explosions or all killing each other, or maybe they were still in the other vaults.

But life always found a way, even for assholes, and Y/N was attacked by three men while she was sleeping. Real savages, who talked more about eating her than anything else, laughingly ignoring her pleas.

“Now, that’s no way to treat a woman.” someone then said, stopping them as they were about to cut open her stomach.

"We found the bitch before you, pal ! Go get your lunch somewhere else !"

"Oh, but I think I found my meal. Mistreating a lady."

“You fucking ghoul !”

Too busy trying to get away, Y/N hadn't really looked at the man who had just arrived and was shooting at her attackers. Then, still too busy recovering from her misery, she took a while to raise her head, ready to thank her savior.

He didn't really seem surprised by her terror, although he grimaced as he watched her crawl away from him. She had to put her hand over her mouth to stop screaming.

It was impossible to tell if he had been burned or peeled, but the cowboy no longer had a nose, and his skin was in a catastrophic state.

As she stared at him with wide eyes, he watched her too, his attention settling on her pipboy.

"Ah. A vaultie. I understand the screams better. Never seen a ghoul before, sweetie ? Barely coming out of your little hole ?"

"… Sorry."

"No problem, sugar. You haven't insulted me or thrown things at me yet, it's quite polite."

At first, the ghoul was not very friendly. Yes, he had saved her, but he didn't want her to follow him into the wastelands. He didn't need a burden, and even less if it was a little rich girl.

But Y/N insisted, explaining to him what had happened to her, and the man looked at her with what looked like pity, muttering that she had ended up in one of the "bad vaults".

"I don't understand. What year is it ? Why is it only me who survived ? You… Sorry, what happened to you ?"

"Hey, honey. It's been over 200 years since everything blew up, thanks to Vault Tech. I imagine you and your friends were meant to serve as a pantry or an organ bank but like all their equipment, there's had a problem, and you were very lucky not to die like the others, and since you were there when everything happened, you should be able to guess why I am like this."

The Ghoul was gentleman enough to let her cry without comment.

The world was dead, and all because of money and power. Those who had sworn to protect them had killed them all. Nothing remained but an infertile, polluted, radioactive land, where the few survivors fought between factions instead of trying to find a real solution.

"Please… Don't leave me here…"

"You know, people didn't really like guys like me. It's not a good idea, sweetheart."

“They don’t like cowboys ?”

The question made him laugh. Maybe that was why he let her follow him. Or maybe because he wasn't as bad as he wanted to make out. Surely he felt lonely too, and it was nice to have someone who had lived in the same era as him , and who didn't judge him on his appearance.

Y/N didn’t understand ghoulophibia at all. Yes, they were scary, but that was no reason to mistreat these poor people.

"Okay, we judged on lots of things before, skin color, clothes, religion, but… Now, it's as if we were pointing at a cancer patient and shouting 'Look, he's sick Insult him !”

“It’s more complicated than that, sugar.” sighed the Ghoul, taking out a sort of hynalator to swallow its contents.

He explained radioactivity and the risks for him of becoming feral when they arrived in their first city. A chance for her to stay safe with people, their paths separating quietly.

But after three fights and an attack by Deathclaws, she preferred to stay with him.

So he taught her how to survive, use weapons, hide, follow a trail, earn caps. When asked why caps and not something else, he made a noise, saying he had no fucking idea, but men still wanted something to make business instead of helping each others for free.

After several months, he gave her a name. Cooper. Cooper Howard. He groaned when she asked him if he had anything to do with the old actor who did the Vault Tech commercial.

“Thanks for the bad memories, sweetie. An autograph ?”

“No thanks, never was a fan.”

"Ouch. Not even now, with my new look ? Do you think the cameras would like me ?"

“Let’s say that you will need less makeup for certain types of films, and a bag for others.”

Cooper laughed again, smiling at her with his slightly yellow teeth. It was obvious that it had been a long time since he had laughed like that with anyone.

He told her about his daughter after a year together in the wastelands. Handing her a photo, Y/N could see him as he was before, holding the little girl in his arms. They looked happy.

As she was about to give it back to him, he told her to keep it. It was the most important thing to him, so Y/N could keep the picture safe, and she would know that he would always come for her.

She muttered that she didn't doubt it anyway, putting the photo in her bag.

It was even longer later, when she had proclaimed herself the accountant of their small group, that Y/N noticed an inconsistency between the caps earned and the number of vials Cooper had.

“You should have five more vials.”

“Sugar, leave it.”

"No, really, I counted three times. I know the price by heart, you had fifty caps on your way to town, you should have fifteen vials. Is there a problem ? Has the price changed ? You… You Are you feeling well ?”

"I'm fine, sweetie. Sleep."

“But Coop…”

“Y/N, sleep.”

In the end, the price hadn't changed, Cooper was fine, but since they met, he had been spending his caps on non-irradiated water and food. For Y/N.

This discovery was a shock to her, who often watched him drink from puddles or eat human remains.

He didn't want her to do this. For her to become like him. When teaching her how to shoot, he added that it was just in case, because she wouldn't need to fight while he was there.

And now they were arguing about food, and he was ordering her to promise that she would continue to take what he gave her without question.

"You don't drink that dirty shit. You hear me, sugar ? Can you promise me ? You'll never drink that."

"… All right."

Their relationship was complicated. Cooper had probably told her everything, and yet he kept a distance. He didn't like her touching him, patting his shoulder or snuggling up to him to sleep.

Maybe he was afraid of making her sick. Maybe he thought she would rot on contact with him, and not just her skin.

Y/N really liked him anyway. They were both over 200 years old, even though she had been frozen during that time. They had spent a lot of time together. And even if she was still a little dizzy by his lack of nose, it wasn't the most important thing in a man.

It would have been two years when the raiders attacked. Far too many, so Cooper yelled at Y/N to run, to hide far away. He would come get her later.

Several days passed, and nothing. She was good at hiding, he had shown her, so it was possible that Cooper hadn't found her because she had become too good.

So she returned to the town where he came from, to at least find some informations. People did not easily forget the passage of The Ghoul.

But she didn't have to ask. She saw him in the bar, drinking and chatting with several guys.

Silent, discreet as a shadow, she came close enough to hear, thinking that he was in the middle of an business, and that she could surprise him when he finished with a beautiful reunion.

“You really don’t know where she is, Ghoul ?”

"Nah. Look guys, I know she was a real lil puppy that followed me everywhere, but I finally got rid of her, so I don't really care where she is. Not my problem. It was fun at first, but good riddance.”

She had seen the bomb fall, she had seen the bodies of her neighbors, but Y/N had never felt so bad as in that moment. She could feel her heart breaking in her chest, as Cooper and the others laughed together, mocking her.

Once, he had said that she should never trust anyone. It was an important rule to survive. But Y/N never believed that rule would include him.

With her bag and her weapon, she ran into the night, alone in the middle of the wasteland for the first time since she left her vault, and completely unaware of what she was going to do.

Only one thing was certain, she would never see Cooper Howard again.

#fallout #the ghoul #cooper howard #cooper howard imagine #cooper howard fanfiction #cooper howard x reader

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pandora-writes-one-piece · 6 months ago

Text

The Meet-Cute - Zoro's Story - 3

Source for pic

Trouble 3

Word Count: 4959

Tags For The Whole Story: Fem!Reader; Protective!Zoro; Soft!Zoro; Sexual Tension; Teasing; Flirting; Mature Audiences (I'll always tag the NSFW chapters); Modern Day AU; Reader is being stalked; Fear; Paranoia; Angst; Rom-Com Vibes; Mild Gore-like Descriptions; Blood; Dead Animals Mentioned; Reader in a terror-like state; Fluff; Romance; Banter; Manipulation; Miscommunication; Frustration; Reader is very clumsy;

Special Warning: English is not my first language, I apologise for any possible spelling or grammar mistakes.

Summary: After moving away from the hustle and bustle of Grand Line City to help your father around the property following a horse-riding accident - and in the hopes of healing your broken heart after your asshole ex-fiancé cheated - you settle into the country calmness of the Calm Belt. You and Zoro are slowly returning to your easy friendship filled with banter and flirting and you actually begin to glimpse a future with the green-haired cop. But then you start to receive weird gifts. They quickly escalate to manipulative texts. And now you're stuck in a spiral of terror and there's no way to get help because the Stalker, whoever he is, is threatening something other than just your life.

Notes: I should have chapter 4 already finished... but it's not completed yet... I haven't written almost anything this week! I know with the hollidays it will be hectic around here, but I have a few days where the office is going to be closed, so maybe I can write a bit more! Fingers crossed! Until then, please enjoy the calmness before the storm!

Masterlist

“Morning, Bug.” Shanks fills a mug of coffee for you and sets it down on the table near your plate of bacon and eggs, beside a bouquet of wildflowers.

“Morning, Dad. Thanks for the coffee, but aren't the flowers a bit too much? It's not my birthday…” You mumble between yawns.

“They're not from me…” Shanks smirks and nods at a note that's tucked in with the silk ribbon.

Brow rising, your fingers brush the petals of a deep crimson poppy before they catch the note between them. ‘Wild and beautiful, just like you.’

What? Who?

Despite the lovely gesture, you can't shake the slightest feeling of unease, it tugs at your stomach, leaving you queasy and suspicious.

“Who's it from?” Shanks tries to hide his curiosity but falls short when he reaches over your shoulder to glimpse the note.

“I have no idea.”

“Come on! Not even the slightest hint?” You shake your head while your mind conjures up images of a slightly not-safe-for-work dream you had with a certain green-haired cop, and you blush unintentionally.

Obviously. Shanks picks it up.

“You and Zoro seemed pretty cosy when I arrived yesterday…”

“It's not from him… I think.” You deflect the implications, not wanting to read too much into it yourself. “He’s not the type for grand gestures.”

Shanks hums in agreement while placing his coffee cup in the sink. “I see what you mean.” But then he places his hand on your shoulder, forcing you to look at his unbearable smirk. “Though do not underestimate a man in love.”

“Dad!” You feel your ears getting hot as you get up suddenly, looking for a vase to set the flowers on.

“I’m just saying.” He shrugs.

“He’s not… we… we’re just friends! I just got back.” You fuss with the flowers until they’re all spread beautifully on the vase and then set them at the centre of the table.

Shanks pouts and stares at you through the flowers, across from you. “Friends.” He air quotes with two fingers. “I’ve been there, Bug.”

“Agh! You’re impossible, Dad.”

But he might also be right. Because if last night was any indication, you and Zoro might be crossing the ‘just friends’ barrier soon.

And, honestly, there’s nothing wrong with that.

-*-

Shanks tells you to put a hold on your job hunt because he’ll be gone for about three weeks to a month for a horse show on an island in the South Blue and he’ll need you to take care of the animals and manage the farm chores.

So you spend the next week getting reacquainted with most of your father’s tasks in addition to the ones you had taken over ever since coming back.

The gifts keep coming.

Every morning there are chocolates, or flowers, or stuffed animals, little trinkets… The notes are rather simple, always evoking your beauty, but short and nondescript. You are no closer to knowing who they’re from now than you were on the first day you got them.

Shanks keeps hinting that it might be Zoro, but you doubt that very much. Besides the fact that he’s not one for romantic gestures, he would’ve said something about the gifts after six straight days.

And it’s not like you haven’t been chatting… not in person, since you’ve been busy at the farm and he’s been pulling double shifts to have the Saturday off again, but you text every day.

Short texts, to the point, much like Zoro is, but he always asks how you are and if you need anything.

And knowing he’s trying to take care of you leaves a very warm feeling in your chest. Especially because your clumsiness almost brought you to the clinic twice just this week. You have to thank whichever deity is watching over you because, even though you hurt yourself, it’s never serious enough to send you to the hospital.

“When are you leaving?” You ask Shanks while packing beverages, muffins and a cake you’ve baked for today’s chosen group activity.

“Let’s see, today’s Saturday, Beckman says his helper will arrive Monday morning to keep in charge of his farm, so sometime Monday afternoon, Bug. Why? Missing your Daddy already?”

You are.

“No! I just want to make sure you carry all of your medicine and that you have Dr. Law’s emergency contact with you, in case you need it–”

“I’m not going to drag Law all the way to the South Blue just because–”

“I called him and he said you should call anytime, so you’re going to call if you need him!”

“Fine!”

“Fine!” Shanks has got to be the most stubborn man you’ve ever met.

“Where are you going?” He hisses when you swat his hand away as he tries to steal a salty bacon muffin you’re storing in a container. Then you relent and let him have it.

“Just one, Dad! We’re going on a picnic in the park.” You say with a grin. “Nami organised it, of course. We’re going to spend the day hanging out, playing games, and socializing.”

Shanks nods, never breaking your gaze, while trying to surreptitiously steal another muffin. This time you slap his hand with the lid of the container, and he yelps. His pout is quickly replaced by a smirk. “Is Officer Zoro going?”

You’re sure your nonchalant look can’t disguise the crimson blush tainting your cheeks, but you try to pay it no mind. “Yes. And Luffy, and Usopp, Chopper, Sanji–”

“I was going to tell you to be careful, but I’m sure Officer Zoro is going to keep you safe from all harm.” Shanks taunts and you seethe, hands flying to your hips.

“What are you, Dad, ten?” He guffaws as he successfully manages to distract you and steals another muffin before sprinting away from you and the kitchen.

“Be safe, Bug! Have fun!”

Seriously. How is this man a father?

-*-

Nami swings by your house with Vivi to pick you up for the picnic. You notice Robin’s absence in the car, and both girls giggle.

“Sabo’s picking Robin up. They’ll meet us there.” Vivi answers, and your mouth hangs open.

“Are they a thing?”

“Not yet, but it shouldn’t be long.” Nami laughs as she fixes her hair in the rearview mirror while waiting for the light to turn green. “Much like you and Zoro, I think.”

You choke on your own saliva, and it takes you a good minute to regain proper breathing functions, all while Nami and Vivi erupt into cackles and giggles.

“We’re just friends!” You say after you’ve caught your breath.

“Sure, honey. We all believe that.” Vivi turns on the front seat to pat your knee in a condescending manner while you blush.

“There’s so much heat coming off you two whenever you’re close that I don’t know how you still haven’t spontaneously combusted.” Nami quips, and you purse your lips. She’s not wrong there. “I mean, you’ve always sort of clicked, but now… daaaaamn!”

You sigh and bite your lip, trying to contain a giggle from erupting. “Who else is going to meet us there?” You ask, changing the subject and Nami shakes her head, knowing all too well what you’re doing, but not pressing on the matter.

-*-

It’s a beautiful day for a picnic, and the park is the perfect setting for the beginning of a wonderful midday. There are rows and rows of trees, shade galore, small cobblestone pathways for long walks, and even a small creek providing a soft lull alongside the soft giggles of children.

You and the girls are setting up rows of blankets on the grass, by the shade of the tall trees, when the group begins to arrive. You lift your head, hand sheltering your eyes from the sun, and scan the crowd. Luffy, Barto, Usopp, Kaya, and Chopper are approaching the treeline. They probably rode together.

A slight breeze dishevels your hair as your eyes linger behind, but there’s no green mane of hair in sight yet. An absent sigh leaves your lips before you spy Nami’s knowing smirk aimed your way.

She doesn’t say anything, but you blush anyway. Her unspoken words linger around you like a thick fog. You are eager to see Zoro. She knows it, you know it, hell, anyone who saw you two interact lately knows it.

But you vow to retain some semblance of dignity and pretend to fuss over the blankets and small folding chairs. You’re so absorbed in your task that you don’t even see him approach.

“Hey there, Troublemaker, making trouble?”

The smile that graces your lips is instant and unstoppable. You turn slightly and bite your lower lip when your eyes meet his. Why does every shirt he wears seem so tight against his muscles?

“Hardly! I’m just setting up chairs!” But as you deliver the words, the chair you were opening snaps shut, almost catching your fingers, and you yelp.

“You’re a menace.” His tone is both amused and resigned, almost as if he knew something of the kind would happen, was expecting it, even.

“It attacked me!” You defend yourself weakly, a giggle bubbling up in your chest because he is right. You are a menace.

Zoro ends up helping you set the chairs, and you don’t even try to stop him. Both because you’re very likely to end up either hurting yourself or breaking a chair, and because he keeps brushing his shoulders and hands with yours, and the touch is welcomed.

Robin and Sabo arrive with flushed cheeks - you can almost see Nami registering that fact for later probing - and soon after, Franky and Brook, two older men you still haven’t met but Luffy quickly introduces you to, saying they’re also part of the gang.

You see Sanji already setting up food on the blankets, and he greets you warmly. “Hi, Sanji. You rode with Mosshead?”

“Oi?” Zoro snaps, and you ignore him.

“I did, Madame, and it was the most unpleasant ride of my life. Please remind me not to do it again.”

You giggle when Zoro’s brows knit together, his hands clenched into fists. “Tch, shitty cook, next time you ride with me, it will be in my patrol car and I’ll be dragging you straight to prison.”

Sanji starts to fume, his pursed lips crumpling the cigarette dangling from his lips, and you grimace. “Hey, hey, boys, it was just a joke!”

Nami sighs as they butt heads and continue arguing. “Never mind that.” She tells you. “Any chance they get to get up close and personal, they take it. They have a weird bromance thing going on.” She raises her hands defensively in the air. “I swear, for a moment there I thought they were going to be a thing, but Sanji loves women too much and Zoro is a man with a goal-oriented mind. Even if it’s someone he set his sights on a lifetime ago.”

Your brow raises at her as she smirks that all-knowing smirk. But she leaves it at that and stands in the middle of the boys, dragging Sanji by the scruff of his dress shirt, telling him the girls are hungry, which promptly sets him back to the task of setting up the food.

“Shitty cook…” You hear Zoro mumble as he sets his hands in his pockets and kicks a blade of grass. It’s cute how flustered he gets. Then his eye sets on you and he frowns with a low grumble. “Oi, I didn’t forget you called me Mosshead.”

You set a hand on your heart, feigning repentance. “Oh, do forgive me, Mr. Mosshead. I forgot your title.”

“Trouble…” He lowers his tone in mock warning, and you smile, taking a step back, hands in a defensive stance.

“Lord Moss, Knight–” Your antics are cut short by a piercing yelp when Zoro jumps and tries to catch you, but somehow, you swerve away from his grasp and start to run, an unbridled laugh filling your lungs. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I was just joking!”

“Repentance doesn’t dissolve the crime! Come here, Trouble!” He sprints, though you suspect he’s hardly even trying, and you cackle, running faster, the voices of the group fading into the distance.

“You’ll have to catch me first!” Maybe you should’ve measured your words, because as soon as he hears the challenging tone in your voice, he sprints faster, and you barely have time to breathe before his arm wraps around your waist and he swirls you in the air, making you scream and laugh before he pulls your back against his chest.

Heart pounding against your ribs, cheeks flushed from running and breath catching in your throat, you feel your legs shaking when Zoro’s warm breath tickles your neck. “Gotcha.” He whispers, and you notice he’s not even out of breath while you look like you ran a marathon.

The world dissolves into just this moment. The chirping of the birds and the rustling of the trees are nothing but background noise to the deafening pounding in your chest and the buzzing in your ears.

Turning your head slightly to the side, you catch Zoro’s eye fixed on you, a wild smirk on his lips. “What now, officer? Are you going to arrest me?”

Damn. That was supposed to come out playfully, not sultrily. Right?

“Depends.” Did his voice get huskier? “Are you going to resist arrest, Trouble?”

You feel your throat bobbing up and down at all the wild fantasies running through your mind. The way he uses that nickname manages to send shivers down your spine and heat straight into your core.

“Obviously.” You sound breathless, and it's a good thing you can blame that sorry state on the run, or you wouldn't know how to explain it.

“Figures.” He chuckles low, and you feel it rumbling in his chest. Then, with a swift movement, he turns you, bends his knees, and hoists you up, slinging you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

“Wha–”

“Let's go.” Your flush deepens as you feel his strong hand against the back of your thighs, holding you in place. “The humiliation will teach you not to call me Mosshead.”

“Come on, Zo, I said I was sorry!” You whine, and he stiffens, his pace slowing for a beat, and you feel his shoulders shake slightly. Then he resumes his pace.

“I like that.”

You stop pounding your fists against his back and raise your brow. “What? Me apologizing?”

He grunts and keeps walking, the blanket and your laughing friends nearly in sight. “That nickname. Way better than Mosshead.”

Oh! Zo! Another small blush creeps into your cheeks, but before you can reply, Nami whistles. “What you got there, Zoro?”

You hear your friends laughing and bury your face in your hands, feeling mortified. “Someone’s been naughty.” Zoro replies with a smirk and an edge of amusement in his tone.

“Seriously?” You grumble, pushing against his back to try and wiggle out of his embrace, though it’s all for naught because he has an iron grip on your legs.

“Well, either set her down so we can all eat or take her to naughty jail and punish her. Away from our sight, please.”

“Nami!” You yell, exasperated, but Zoro merely chuckles, swerving right as if changing directions.

“Naughty jail it is, then.”

“No, no!” You whimper. “I’m sorry!” Chopper stares at both of you, not sure if you’re being serious, so you try to take advantage of him and stretch your hand. “Help me, Chopper!”

He reaches his hand out before Nami swats it away. “Let them be, Chopper. They need some alone time.”

You seethe at Nami, a pout on your lips. “Traitor.”

Zoro lets out a low chuckle before settling you down at the edge of the blanket. “Learned your lesson, Troublemaker?”

You steady yourself, hands against his chest, and a permanent blush tattooed on your cheeks. “Damn you. I’m never calling you Mosshead again. You won.”

“I see you’re a fast learner.” His smirk is impossibly smug. “Zo’s fine, though.” Then he turns his back on you, opens the small cooler, and takes out a beer, cracking it open with one hand and chugging at it without another look back at you.

And, damn it, if that doesn’t mess with your heart.

-*-

“Who wants another drink?” You ask and count the raised hands before getting up, heading towards the cooler to satiate your friends’ thirst. Zoro moves his hand before you reach it, and smooths the blanket before you can trip on its raised edge.

You smile at him, but he’s not even looking at you. His eye is shut, one arm behind his neck as he leans against the tree, though you know very well he’s attentive to everything. You pass the drinks around, then return to get your own.

“Watch your head.” Zoro mumbles, and you raise your brow but don’t heed his advice and, therefore, hit a low branch of the tree, releasing a string of curses while rubbing your forehead. “When are you going to start listening to me, Trouble?”

“When you stop sounding like a smug jerk.” You mouth, annoyed at his attentiveness and at how he seems to perceive danger before you even realise it’s there. He chuckles and you retrieve your drink, returning to your seat.

After a while of relaxing in the shade, Luffy drags everyone to a frisbee game. The boys are all down to play, but the girls just sit by a bench near the open space the boys chose to throw the frisbee and tackle each other.

You sit on the back of the bench, a case of water bottles by your feet because you know the boys will be thirsty soon. Vivi sits on the grass in front of Nami’s legs, and Robin and Kaya are on the bench.

After a small chit-chat about meaningless stuff, you decide to bring up something that’s been bothering you. “So I’ve been getting a lot of gifts lately…”

Four heads whip your way, and you sigh, already expecting that reaction and the bombardment of questions that follow. So you raise your hands, and they stop to let you continue. Though you decide to focus on the game in front of you instead of the way they’re all staring at you.

You especially focus on a very athletic green-haired man who constantly gazes up to where you are before focusing back on the game.

“It’s flowers, chocolates, stuffed animals… It started last weekend, after the party at Luffy’s. They have notes, but nothing personal. No name, no nothing… I don’t know who they’re from, and I don’t even know if I should be flattered or freaked out by them.”

“How do they make you feel?” Robin asks, and you shrug, not quite knowing how to answer that question.

“The first ones made me feel good. I thought they were from– I thought I might know who they were from. But since he didn’t say anything about it, I doubt they're from him. So now they just feel weird…”

“Honey, we all know you’re talking about Zoro.” Nami says in a very condescending manner, and all the girls agree.

You sigh and bury your face in your hands. You’re so obvious it hurts.

“Fine, yes. I thought they might’ve come from him, at first. But he’s not one for romantic gestures.”

“I wouldn’t say that, exactly.” Nami quipped back, a smirk tugging her lips as her eyes fell back on the game. Sure enough, Zoro’s eyes are back on the bench - on you, to be more specific. “I think it’s quite romantic the way he’s always checking to see if you’re safe. Keeping you away from trouble and making sure you don’t hurt yourself.”

A small blush creeps its way into your cheeks. It is quite romantic. “That’s just Zoro being Zoro. He’s a cop. He protects and serves.” You roll your eyes.

“Oh, I’m sure he would like to serve you.” Nami giggles and all the girls try to stifle their own laughs. “But you’re wrong about that. Sure, he’s always attentive to any kind of threats, but it’s different with you.”

“What do you mean?” You can’t stop the way your heart pounds maddeningly against your sternum.

“She means that Zoro doesn’t usually go out of his way to keep people from tripping on stuff or from bumping their head. And with you, he’s always extra careful.” Robin finishes with a small smile.

“Like the way he’s playing now, but keeps looking at you to see if you’re still in one piece. It’s like he’s expecting you to spontaneously combust or something.” Kaya adds with a giggle.

“It’s very endearing.” Vivi finishes, and your blush deepens, so you bury your head back into your hands, stifling a loud groan.

“But you’re still right.” Nami continues as if you’re not breaking down in front of them. “I don’t think he’s the one leaving the gifts…” She laughs suddenly. “But there’s one way to tell for sure.”

You raise your head from your hand cocoon to tell her to keep her mouth shut, but Zoro is already halfway to the bench and you squeak. “Nami…”

“Hey, Zoro!” She starts with a wave of her hand. You see Zoro raise his eyebrow at her, his long strides bringing him closer to the bench.

Shit.

He’s sweaty all over. Fat droplets of perspiration drop from his temples to his perfect jawline and neck, and you gulp, feeling hot and bothered. So, it comes as no surprise that when he reaches his hand to grab a bottle between your legs, you lose your balance and fall back on the bench.

Yelping, you expect to hit the floor with a dry thud, air escaping your lungs and sharp pain blinding you. Instead, you feel a strong hand wrap around your forearm and tug hard, then your face being squished against a muscular, sweaty chest.

Zoro saved you from an ugly fall. Again.

“Seriously, Trouble? Why?” His voice is gravelly and rough, but with an edge of exasperation lacing it. “I’m starting to feel like I have to be with you 24/7 or you’re going to end up in the hospital.”

Your breath is still leaving your lips in ragged gasps because of the slight scare of facing an inevitable fall, and your face is still pressed against Zoro’s chest. You feel the girls’ gaze on both of you and Zoro seems completely unfazed by it, while saying you’re embarrassed would be the understatement of the year.

So you disentangle yourself from the predicament that is Zoro’s muscles and laugh it off, a hand scratching the back of your neck. “Ah, thank you. I got… distracted.”

“By what?” He asks while taking a sip of water.

“Well, Zoro,” Nami begins, and he shifts his focus to her, “we were discussing who could be her secret admirer, and then you showed up. Curious.”

“Secret admirer?” Zoro’s gaze falls back on you, his brow scrunched.

“Ah, no. It’s nothing like that. It’s just–”

“She’s been getting gifts. Flowers, chocolates, love declarations…” Why is Nami exaggerating? Is she trying to fish for information or make Zoro jealous? “You wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with it, would you?”

He drinks the water in three long gulps before answering, his scowl now permanently etched on his lips. “Do I look like the kind of guy who would do that?”

You look down and bite your lower lip. You knew it wasn’t him, but maybe, secretly, there was still a little part of you that hoped he could be showering you with that kind of attention.

“Well, I just thought–” Nami begins, but she’s swiftly interrupted by Zoro, whose eyes can’t seem to leave your figure.

“When I want someone, I make it clear I’m interested. You’ll know.” He finishes drinking the water just as your eyes meet his, and the fire burning there scalds and melts. Was he telling you he’s interested? Was he saying he’s about to make a move?

With a smirk, he turns his back, grunts a gruff ‘try not to fall again, Trouble’, and gets back to the game, leaving you more confused than ever.

“Did he–” Nami starts.

“Nobody says anything. We’re going to act like nothing happened.” You mumble before getting up and chugging down an entire bottle of water yourself to try and calm your nerves.

It doesn’t work.

-*-

The frisbee game makes everyone tired - and hungry - so, after all the bellies are filled again, the crew is relaxing in the blanket, enjoying the warmth of the late afternoon and the lulling sounds of the park.

Chopper, Usopp, Luffy, and Barto are enjoying a card game. Franky seems interested, but he’s only overseeing and throwing advice that only seems to make Usopp lose the game. Robin has a book in her hands and Sabo’s head on her lap, his eyes closed with a blissful smile on his lips.

You have serious doubts that she's paying attention to the book, especially since she seems to be stuck on the same page for over ten minutes, but you don’t say anything. Kaya is braiding Vivi’s hair and Nami is snapping photos of the crew, taking little candid shots with her cellphone. Brook is gracing everyone with a nice, mellow song on his violin - he's a wonderful musician - and Zoro seems to be sleeping peacefully, leaning against the tree.

Everything seems peaceful, quiet, and idyllic.

But you can’t seem to shake the feeling of unease in the pit of your stomach. It’s like someone is watching you, but you can’t quite pinpoint who or where. It’s a prickling on your neck, something you’re already growing so used to that you start to think you should have this checked out by a doctor.

With a heavy sigh, you stand up, stretching your arms to justify that action. “I’ll be back soon.” You say softly to Nami, who’s closer to you and she nods. Then, you look around before taking a step. The park is one big open space - with the exception of some trees here and there - except for the dense treeline behind you.

So that’s where you’re headed.

-*-

Zoro senses you getting up and opens his eye slowly, following you with his gaze and scowling when you don’t see the tree root sticking out and stumble a little before steadying your pace.

You’re such a damn klutz.

And damn it, if he doesn’t want to be there to catch you and protect you from everything.

His heart constricts slightly at the thought, and he sighs softly. He thought absence had made him forget how he felt about you. He even had some ‘relationships’ while you were away. Wait… can he really call something that never went past three months a real relationship? He never truly bonded with those women. Never truly cared.

No one ever made him feel the way you did.

The way you do.

But time and distance did nothing but make him pine harder for you. When Nami told him casually that you were returning, he almost didn’t believe her. You didn’t even come back for any of the holidays or to say ‘hi’, let alone come back for good after experiencing life in the big city.

But you returned.

And then he thought he wouldn’t quite forgive you for having literally abandoned them. No text, no email, no letter, nothing. He would be salty, at least. Grumpy and upset, at most.

But he forgave you instantly.

One look at your dishevelled form, chasing a goddamned tire with dirt all over your clothes and face, and he was a lovestruck teenager again.

Fucking heart, what a useless organ.

All those thoughts forgotten, he simply reached out. And you reached back, almost like no time had passed between you, and you could basically continue your story where you left off.

And he was willing to try.

Though he didn’t want to rush too fast - damn Nami should just stop intruding and let you two figure things out yourselves. He’d get there. He almost kissed you already, so the feeling is mutual.

He’s got time.

Sitting up, he watches as you peek behind trees, a cautious demeanour to your posture making him raise his brow. What the hell are you doing?

“Just go to her, dumbass.”

“Shut up, Witch. Mind your own business.”

Nami sticks her tongue out at him and snaps a picture of his grouchy face before turning her phone towards you and snapping another candid shot.

“You look like a lost puppy in love. It’s cute, you know? The way you keep looking out for her.” Zoro feels his ears heat up and leans back again, trying to close his eye and return to a state of relaxation, but he can’t very well do that when you’re doing God-knows-what near the trees, looking creepily at everywhere and everything. “Just make sure you make your move soon… or maybe that secret admirer will one-up you and poof!” She makes an exploding gesture with her hand, and Zoro scowls at her.

“You’re insufferable.” He quips before getting up and dusting his jeans.

“Word of the day? How smart of you, Zoro.” She giggles when Zoro passes by her and messes up her hair with his hand, earning an indignant gasp from the orange-haired girl. “I just went to the salon, you brute!”

Zoro smirks at her reaction and starts pacing towards you, Nami’s antics behind him. Well… all except one…

‘Make sure you make your move soon…’

Perhaps he should. He doesn’t want to lose you before even having the chance to have you.

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|Chapter 4|

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