#my boss completely ignored that bit and gave me less than 24 hours to decide sooo this is kinda on her lol

[woodsy-hoe]

said yes too hastily to a new position at my job and now have to go back like a dog with its tail between its legs to say no, this will be the end of me lol tgif 🤪

[kumawrites]

hi!! idk how requests work but coffeeshop au with oikawa as the flirty barista and you're just trying to find a place to study okay bye 😶😶

iced vanilla bean latte

☆ oikawa tooru x reader ☆

☆ - 1.7k words

☆ - a/n: i based this 100% in a local coffee shop in my area that i frequent except i h8 coffee

☆ - taglist: @miceonmars

//

“Y/N, Obama was the last president of the United States, not the third.” Kiyoko looked at you with a pitiful gaze in response to your answer.

“Oh.” You blinked once. Twice. A third time for good measure. So your American Politics class was needless to say, not going very well. Honestly, you didn’t even know why you were taking an American politics class when you lived in Japan. Actually, you knew why. Because of your horrible habit of procrastinating literally anything that can be procrastinated, you foolishly waited until the very last day that you could to register for classes. And unsurprisingly, most of them had been completely filled, leaving American Politics to be the only history class that you were able to take. Which would have been just fine, had you not procrastinated studying and even taking notes.

You stared blankly down at your notebook that was barely a quarter full. Instead of taking notes and actually paying attention in class, you either skipped or distracted yourself playing games on your phone. Your professor never notified you since you sat right in the middle of the lecture hall, not drawing much attention at all. Maybe, that wasn’t a good thing, however. You had no connection to your professor at all, and asking for help this late in the game just didn’t feel right, which is extremely irrational but you really didn’t care.

Your problem would really just have been solved if you did care. Too bad you didn’t. However, you’re stuck in a bit of a pickle now, not knowing even the basics of the class, with midterms coming up and a frighteningly fast rate. You were bound to fail, and your parents would not be very happy about that. So, you decided that it was finally time to actually study. Except studying really meant learning all of the material that you had covered for half of the semester in about a week.

Luckily for you, you had great friends who were super smart and actually studious to help! Kiyoko had already taken the class, being a grade ahead of you, and had graciously blessed you with her notebook full of her beautiful notes. It was truly astounding how notes could be so pretty. Yachi, on the other hand, gave your studying tips and ways to actually study well. Without those two, you would have failed the midterm for sure, and most likely the course all together.

You were currently studying with Kiyoko in the library, well trying to at least. Apparently, you knew less than you actually thought.

“Wait, what’s a Conservative? Is that a branch of Congress?” You weren’t doing too hot.

“It’s a political party. They’re a more extreme version of a the Republican Party.” You nodded your head, slowly understanding. Why were politics so complicated?

“Oh, okay. I think I get it. So, Liberals are Democrats but more extreme?”

“That’s right.” Kiyoko nodded her head as you scratched down some of her notes into your own notebook. Kiyoko’s phone pinged and she grabbed it from the table, turning it on. She read the message, sighed, replied, and began packing up her things. “Sorry, Y/N, but my boss just messaged me. I have to go in tonight, Hana got sick.” You nodded and gave Kiyoko a slight smile and a wave as she left. Now it was just you, left to your own devices. You were half tempted to close your books and play Fire Emblem, but that seemed like a poor long term choice.

You kept at it for a surprisingly long amount of time, around an hour, until a rowdy group came in. Even though it was a library, it wasn’t the most quiet of places on campus, and many groups liked to come in to work on group projects. You had no problem with them, until they set down their bags and their bodies at the table right next to yours, still chatting loudly. Unfortunately for you, you didn’t bring your earbuds with you. Since you assumed you would just be studying with Kiyoko the whole time, you didn’t bother to pack them. The one moment in your life when you needed them the most. A tragedy.

You sighed and packed up your things, considering giving up studying for the day, until you realized you were running out of time and were still extremely confused. And tired. You yawned as your left the library, wondering where to go from there. Going back to your dorm would only lead to you playing video games and ignoring everything else, so that was off the list. Every other place you could think of would be far too noisy to actually study. You were in quite the pickle.

You were really close to giving up for the hundredth time until you passed by a coffee shop that you had never seen on campus before. Was that always there? No, it couldn’t have been. It was in the middle of a route you used all of the time to get across campus. But how did you never notice that this was there? The shop had large windows that you could peek through to see a very classy interior. Everything seemed to be made of a walnut coloured wood, excluding the black chairs and stools. There weren’t too many people in the shop, just a small crowd. It looked peaceful. You stood there for a bit before deciding to walk inside. Maybe this is where you could study in peace.

As soon as you opened the door, you were greeted with the smell of fresh roasted coffee beans. You stopped a vacant table and placed your belonging on it and took a seat. The chairs were surprisingly comfortable, even though they seemed to be made of metal. The vibe in the entire shop was very calm. You could get used to this.

You took your notes out and began to study, creating flashcards and making your notes a bit cleaner and more cohesive. This was the kind of productivity that you needed to have on a daily basis. Too bad that this energy was for sure going to leave your body once you finish your midterm. Another yawn left your body, and you turned your head towards the counter. You could buy a coffee. That wasn’t going to break your bank account. Yeah.

You stood up and headed towards the counter, staring at the menu. Everything on the menu sounded fine, but you didn’t know exactly what you wanted.

“Hey! What can I do for you today?” A cheery voice broke you form your thoughts and you brought your eyes back down to look at who was speaking to you. The barista that greeted you had a charming smile on his face, one that you knew just drew people in. He was pretty, for sure, but you didn’t have time to think about pretty boys, too focused on trying to pass your class.

“Hi there. I’ve never been here, so I’m not too sure what to get. What would you recommend?” You have him a polite smile in return, and shifted your gaze back to the menu. There were so many options that you were a bit overwhelmed with choices

“Hmm..” The barista tapped his chin and scrunched his face a bit. “What about the vanilla bean latte? It’s really good iced!” He suggested and you nodded your head.

“Okay, sure. I’ll have that as a 24 ounce, then.” You ordered such a large drink since you assumed that you would be here for a while, having so much material left to study.

“Oh, it’s Y/N.” You replied and he hummed, typing it into the tablet on the counter. Your total came up and you handed him your card, making sure to leave a tip.

“That’s a cute name, just like you!” You stared at him. It was like someone had just stopped a record right in the middle of a song. What? Did you hear that right?

“Sorry, um, what?”

“I just think you’re super cute. We’ll have that vanilla bean right out for ya, Y/N.” He winked and walked over to his coworker who was making your drink. You vaguely remember his coworker scolding him, telling him to ‘stop flirting with the customers shithead’, but you really weren’t listening. Were you just, flirted with? Is that how this works? You for sure were not expecting that to happen.

You returned to your seat and opened up your notes, trying to forget the flirting(?) and focus on your studies. That’s what you came here to do, not flirt with a cute barista that you would for sure go on a date with. But, he was probably just a flirty person, you figured. If his coworker scolded him like that, it was probably a common occurrence, meaning you shouldn’t take it to heart or anything. He was just super cute.

Only a few minutes after you began to actually focus in on your work, you noticed that a large plastic cup full of iced coffee and a plate with a muffin was placed down at your table. Looking up, you saw the cute barista with a beaming smile on his face.

“Here you go, Y/N. Hope you like it.”

“Oh, I didn’t order a muffin.” You tilted your head up at the man who chuckled in response.

“I know. It’s on the house.” And with that, he gave you a tiny wave and disappeared into the back room, leaving you shook. Was this protocol? No, definitely not. Was this protocol for him flirting with every female customer? His boss wouldn’t let him give out that much free food. Was he really, for sure, actually, flirting with you? Was this real? Are you real? Okay, not time for an existential crisis.

You picked up the muffin on the plate, and noticed a small note that was placed under it.. It read, ‘text me!!!! :) xxx-xxx-xxxx - oikawa’. At this point, you were pretty damn sure he was flirting with you. Holy shit. He was flirting with you. Oikawa, you assumed his name was, still hadn’t come out of the storage room, so you couldn’t gauge his reactions or anything. You stared at your phone that you picked up like it was an explosive, ready to detonate. Were you actually going to text him? Was this actually a good idea? You know what, fuck American politics, you had something far more pressing to deal with at the moment.

y/n: hey is this oikawa? this is y/n

oikawa: hey cutie!! ;)

[beyondconfessor]

Principal Decisions [13/24]

Rating: Explicit

Pairing: Lilith/Zelda Spellman

Summary: “Not even a thank you?” Lilith asked before tutting. “Didn’t your mother teach you manners?”

N.B.: Also posted on AO3. This is pure fantasy, please suspend your disbelief.

Zelda glared at the nurse. It was in the small hours of the morning, and the young girl, barely out of training, was shivering under her stare, voice shaking as she advised, once again, “a doctor needs to sign you off before we can discharge you.”

“Ridiculous, go and get one then.”

“He’ll be around later,” she said.

Zelda huffed, and the girl, apparently seeing that as an opportune moment, decided to exit the room. Apparently considering her ops for the shift completed.

Honestly, after a bad night’s sleep, the last thing she wanted was to be dealing with the fact that she would need to cancel today’s class––and if things continued in such a way, she might have to cancel tomorrows as well, because apparently, she was entirely reliant on some fucking doctor who hadn’t bothered to check on her since yesterday, to provide permission for her to leave.

There’d also been the whispers of a repeat MRI and CT scan, which was the very last thing she needed. It’d been a very small bleed with a minimal fracture and was likely to be absolutely fine. There was no reason to make such a fuss. After all, she was a grown, fucking woman. She should leave. Get up and leave.

It wasn’t like Lilith had any real power over her. She could just put her shoes on (given that she was dressed in a new set of clothes provided by Hilda) call a cab and take her back home where she’d find her emergency credit card and pay it that way.

And yet she didn’t. She sat on the chair next to the hospital bed, dressed, hair combed, make-up done and waited.

There was a knock on the doorframe then, and then Lilith was entering the room, her handbag in tow.

Zelda stood up, smoothing down her skirt and reached out to take the bag.

“Not even a thank you?” Lilith asked before tutting. “Didn’t your mother teach you manners?”

“Thank you,” Zelda said tightly and reached for the bag, only for it to be pulled out of reach. Well, she was hardly going to chase for it.

Crossing her arms, Zelda glared at her, waiting for Lilith’s grin to falter. It didn’t, and instead, Zelda was left to step back and look away, hating how the very sight of Lilith was making her heart beat fast in her chest.

“What do you want, Lilith?”

“Oh, a great many things,” she said, before stepping forward. “How about a proper thank you for finding your bag and bringing it to you.”

“If you had brought it with you in the first place, we wouldn’t be here.”

“I’m going to ignore your bad attitude because you’ve suffered a concussion, but I would be more thankful if I were you. I didn’t have to bring it, I could have waited for you to come out of the hospital and claim it yourself.”

Zelda scoffed. “You are insufferable.”

“And you adore it. Now…” she paused and her bright blue eyes looked at Zelda with wide-eyed innocent, patiently waiting for her.

“Thank you, Lilith. I most appreciate the effort you went to,” she advised flatly, seething at the woman.

“Not at all, happy to do it for my favourite client,” she said, handing the bag over to her.

Zelda snatched it with a roll of her eyes, trying to ignore the growing flutter in her chest as she opened it up. Her phone was there, thankfully. There were a few missed calls but nothing to worry about.

Lilith hovered and Zelda’s eyes flicked up to hers. The woman’s face was no longer mischievous, only curious as she seemed to study the cut on Zelda’s forehead.

Earlier, she’d looked at in the mirror and had been horrified to note how terrible the bruising was. Her face looked positively gaunt, and even the make-up Hilda had brought wasn’t enough to cover how unwell she felt, but it was certainly a mark-up from how she’d been.

“Did the doctors say if you can leave?” Lilith asked.

“No,” she sighed. “And the nurses are saying I might have to get another CT or MRI scan completed, which I don’t see the point in.”

“You were unconscious for the entire hospital ride. And were barely coming in and out when you arrived. I would say there’s significant reason to warrant another test.” She frowned, stepping forward then and Zelda bit back the urge to shrink away.

“I’m fine. I’ll speak to the doctor and get…” she felt woozy all of a sudden and then Lilith’s hands were on her shoulders, pushing her back onto the chair to sit down, concern awash as she looked over Zelda. “I’m fine,” she assured.

“Have you asked for the day off from work?”

“Today only,” she said. “Faustus insisted.”

“Blackwood?” Lilith enquired. “Is he your boss?”

Zelda felt nausea roll in her stomach as she looked at Lilith, and wasn’t sure if it was because Lilith knew Faustus or because she had a concussion. “Please don’t tell me he was a client of yours.”

“He was not, but he was…” Lilith sighed, “We used to run in the same circles a few years back. It’s a long story, but no, he and I were adversaries, nothing more.”

Zelda smiled, feeling the relief rush through her. It was an interesting piece of information nonetheless, but if she were to advise of knowing Lilith, it would likely say more about herself than anything else. It’d be difficult to feign only a professional relationship for Sabrina’s wellbeing if she knew such tantalising secrets about Faustus.

“I’m going to get a nurse.”

“I’m fine,” Zelda said, pushing Lilith’s hand away as she looked away. “It’s just a minor blood pressure problem. Nothing a glass of water won’t fix.”

Lilith gave a disapproving look but reached over to where the jug of water sat and poured her a glass despite her disbelief. Zelda took it, took one sip and then held it in her hands, feeling the embarrassment wash over. She wasn’t a child that needed to be taken care of. She was a grown woman who had a hundred things she needed to do before tomorrow and was already behind on the every growing list of things.

“I’m not going to spurt medical advice, because you clearly won’t listen.”

Zelda huffed. “I know myself.”

“Quite. Well, what I will say is that sometimes taking a break will allow you the ability to get ahead in the work you’re falling behind on. You’ll only break yourself if you keep pushing.”

“I’m not a child,” she said lifting her eyes to glare at the woman. She didn’t care how dark Lilith stared back, she was pushing well over the lines of their relationship. “And you’re not my mother.”

“Stop acting like a child then.”

Zelda stared at the woman, feeling an anger burn but Lilith stepped forward and suddenly Zelda felt very small under the woman’s eyes, and she didn’t like it one bit. Never had anyone’s presence so much as made her tremble since she was a little girl.

She met the stare and glared back. “You’re not my partner,” she advised sharply. “You’re someone’s services I request at the best of times, and my niece’s principal, otherwise. Do not overstep that.”

Lilith’s expression fractured then, and she stepped back. All at once, Zelda realised the mistake she made in her words, and yet she couldn’t find the ability to take it back.

“As you prefer,” Lilith said with a nod of her head. “Well, since you’re all fine here, I suppose I’ll head off to comply with my…principal duties.” And then Lilith had turned on her heel and left, and Zelda was left sitting in the room, feeling the words churn in her stomach.

She hadn’t meant to snap, but Lilith had been pushing further than she should. Honestly, she was not mentally unwell. She was exhausted, yes, overworked, of course, but she was hardly depressed and in need of some shoulder to cry on––despite what the dominatrix may think.

No. What she needed was something else. Perhaps this would be a good break from Lilith. A time to self0reflect and draw away before her feelings became any more tangled.

As it was, the doctor requested another MRI, and then, when that had come back showing that the bleed had stopped, she was permitted to go home, only if someone were to pick her up.

At least now she had her phone and was able to have Hilda arrange to pick her up as discharge papers were supplied to her, with a request to obtain another MRI and CT scan within a week and follow-up with her GP. As well as some standard lines about avoiding cigarettes and alcohol for a while.

“Though perhaps this is an opportunity for you to quit smoking,” the nurse advised. “If you were a non-smoker then you would have been less prone to bleeding from the hit.”

Zelda scoffed, snatching the papers from the nurse and leaving with Hilda. Her sister took to acting like a mother hen, helping her into the car and out of it and despite her snapping that she was hardly an invalid, her sister continued to help her all the way to the parlour where she sat her on the couch with a blanket and went off to make her tea, having apparently already made her soup.

If there was one thing she couldn’t resist, it was her sister’s cooking. It gave her time to contemplate Lilith and her relationship quietly and realised that she’d indulged too long in the service. No matter what…relief she may find from it, it was clear that their emotions were becoming too blurred.

It was time to cease seeing her. She didn’t need to see the woman again, and hardly needed to advise as such. She would avoid booking in anything further.

It seemed simple enough as she managed a headache, increased with light sensitivity. Even still when she returned to her position in the school the following day and managed whispered conversations in the halls as she slowly walked from her office to her lecture hall and then back.

The headaches were awful, and daylight, her computer’s screen and the stress of her work agitated it, but she preferred it to the insistent ache that previously drew under her skin.

At least while she was recovering, it seemed that her sex drive had all but disappeared entirely, leaving her at peace during the night.  

And it seemed as she focused on her work, weeks passed and Shirley returned, resuming her class without so much as a thank you. All she received was a brief email requesting the most recent assignments to be sent back to her––Zelda had already marked them, but complied, relieved to wash her hands from the stress of that particular workload.

But even as she returned to how things were, she was as reliant on Prudence as she’d been beforehand. It seemed that her newfound headaches were some post-concussive effect, even though there was nothing medically wrong with her brain, Zelda’s doctor suggested that perhaps it was a good opportunity to take a break.

Christmas was coming up, the session was ending, she could extend her leave instead of taking on the winter subjects.

At the very least it would give her an opportunity to spend with her family. Zelda complied, placing in her leave to Faustus who complied with a grimace, knowing that he had no say in it otherwise, and Zelda found herself in December watching as Ambrose and Sabrina decorated the Christmas tree.

Hilda and Sabrina had picked it from the Putnam’s, and Harvey had dropped it off, providing a much-needed brightness to the room, especially with the fire.

Although Zelda continued to take it easy––at the instance of Hilda who continued to mother her despite Zelda’s attempts to ward her off––it was nice to sit on the couch, hot cocoa in hand and watch at Sabrina tossed tinsel at Ambrose.

It reminded her of when both of them had been young, and they would decorate the tree together. It’d been far too many years since she’d born witness to the crafting of the Christmas tree, usually working late in the office, so to sit here and watch it brought both nostalgia and the awareness that she’d missed out on a lot.

“Cuz!” Ambrose said, carefully holding an ornament from years long forgotten. “I remember when you made this.”

Sabrina paused, looking at the ceramic ornament. Zelda recalled it too, Sabrina had been barely three years old and had squished the pattern into what she’d assured Zelda was an angel but turned into more of a blob with arms than anything else.

Sabrina frowned at it, turning it around in her hands. “We don’t need to keep this any more,” she said.

“We certainly do,” Zelda said, standing up and taking it from her hands before Sabrina could whisk it away. “This was the first decoration you made. We’re keeping it.”

“Do you have any of Ambrose’s?”

Zelda hummed, looking through the Christmas box, “I don’t think so. Hilda used to do all sorts of crafts with him, but a lot of that was left in England when they came over,” she said, glancing up at her nephew, “and I suspect that the things that were brought had been disappeared away.”

Ambrose flushed, giving a short laugh before shrugging. “Things change,” he said.

Zelda’s eyes narrowed, but she smiled, not pushing it. “So they say,” she said. Taking the decoration gently in grip, she set it up high on the tree, looping it so it was unlikely to fall. “Now, what are we choosing for the top of the tree this year?”

“Last year was the star,” Ambrose said. “And that ended up falling off half a dozen times.”

“We could go with the angel,” Sabrina said, digging it out from the box. The angel was still in its glory, carefully looked after, blowing on a trumpet. It was an old heirloom, but one Zelda wouldn’t mind if it were to disappear. She took it from Sabrina’s hand and turned it around, feeling memories of her childhood fade as she placed it up on the top of the tree.

So be it, new memories. She stood back, admiring the tree. Neither Ambrose nor Sabrina were particularly gifted in decorating anyway, but Zelda was not so needy to require the tree to look like it came out of some hallmark movie.

“Well, with that in order, shall we pack up the boxes and help your Aunt Hilda finish baking for your teachers?”

Sabrina’s school term still had another two weeks remaining until they broke for Christmas, of which there was to be a final football event that she’d agreed to attend. Zelda wasn't sure if it was an important match or not, and had trouble enough trying to keep up with how sports were ranked in any regards, but Sabrina was attending and she would follow.

She hadn’t heard about Theo in some time, however, and as much as she wished to assume that it was due to him settling in the football position, Zelda suspected that he ended up quitting in the end.

It was frustrating, and it burned Zelda more than she wished it did, but in the end, the boys would only torment him further and it would be unfair to put Theo through that.

The day was enjoyable, however. Zelda’s headaches had begun to ease without the stress of work, and she and Sabrina had thankfully ceased arguing for once. Seeing how Sabrina had taken to earning her own income, using the money to go out on dates with Harvey and her friends, Zelda relinquished her ban and agreed to continue paying her her pocket money.

She had expected that it might leave Sabrina to depart from the bookstore, but instead, her niece took to it, seeming to enjoy the work, and given that Hilda had nothing bad to say, Zelda found herself…oddly relieved.

Perhaps she’d made the right decision, and in turn, perhaps she wasn’t a failing guardian to Sabrina.

In the kitchen, they baked gingerbread cookies. Then Ambrose and Sabrina iced them all as Hilda began the preparations for dinner, leaving Zelda to sip at her whiskey and feel a sense of contentment with her family.

She’d missed them. Truly missed them. The past week especially had made her all the more aware of what she’d missed.

“Oh,” Sabrina said, “Um, Aunt Zee? Roz’s family invited me to go skiing with them for the holidays.”

“How soon?” Zelda asked.

“Christmas Eve until January Third?”

Zelda bit back an ache. “So you won’t be here for Christmas or New Years?”

“Well, no, but that’s fine. You’ll have Ambrose and Aunt Hilda.”

Ambrose gave a small noise. “Actually, Luke and I…are planning to celebrate New Years with a couple of friends.”

“Doctor Cee’s hosting a New Years party, you could come and share that with me, Zelds.”

“I’ll pass,” she said, feeling the ache grow in her chest. The last thing she wanted was an overcrowded party with teenagers trying to sneak alcohol. She had enough of that at the University. No, she would stay home, watching the fireworks on the television if need-be and then go to bed. It was hardly a big deal.

“I can cancel,” Sabrina advised softly.

“Do not even think of doing such a thing. Skiing sounds wonderful for you. As I understand it’s a yearly trip for the Walkers.”

Sabrina nodded, a small smile on her lips and Zelda couldn’t help but remember when she’d been so little and had seen the snow for the first time. Zelda remembered making snowmen with Hilda and showing Sabrina how to punt snowballs at Ambrose.

And now her niece was off adventuring with her friends. It’s what she wanted for her.

“I’ll be fine,” she assured.

__________

[hidden-behind-the-fourth-wall]

The PA

Pairing: Tony Stark x named!Reader

Summary: You’ve been at Tony’s side for years now and you never complained until he comes back fromt he mission. Injured. Again. This is where it all changes.

Warnings: Tony Stark (you know what I mean), swearing, maybe a smut, fluff, angst, a lot of angst

A/N: Ok, I never, ever written a story with Stark. It has been sitting in my laptop for almost a year now, so I decided to go ahead and publish it. I really hope you like it.

Can I say a huge THANK YOU to the amazing @tmnt-bucklover​  for being my betta for this story!

Oh, and Pepper does not exist in this universe. I mean like there was no Pepper in the picture :) And TAGS are OPEN for any of my stories :) Just send me an ask <3

Word count: 3400

You didn’t even know that you knew so many curse words. This man was old enough to know if he leaves everything until the last minute, you would be the one who would have to take care of everything. Seriously, the next time you see him, he is not just gonna go back to his lab ignoring you. Not again!

”Miss Green”, you raised your head hearing a well known mechanical voice. “Mr. Stark is being brought in by Mr. Rogers and Mr. Barton”, you stood up quickly hearing his voice. The doors opened and two men entered with your boss over their arms. You can almost feel your stomach falling to the floor. You quickly walked to them, widening your eyes.

“We had some…problems,” Clint said, looking at you, almost apologetically. You opened your mouth to say something but closed it, feeling a painful dryness. “Where to?” He asked when they were just standing there, waiting for your reaction. You clench your jaw to stop the tears from coming.

He looked awful. There was blood everywhere you could lay your eye on. His clothes had seen better times and so had his hair. The bruises and cuts on his handsome face and closed eyes made him look more distant than he has ever been before.

“Here”, you whispered, showing them the way to his bedroom. If he was awake, he would probably kill and fire you for that. He was a private person, the only time you had ever come to his bedroom was to wake him up that one time he slept over for his meeting. You remember his pissed expression about how he was definitely not alone in his bed that morning.

But this time was different. Even if he does fire you, you couldn’t care less. It was about his life this time.

“Put…put him here, please”, you said with a shaky voice. They did as they were told and took a step back. They knew about your mutant powers, so they knew that bringing him here was a better idea than taking him to Banner. “Thank you…I…I will take care of him”. You ignored their presence and went into his bathroom to get some clean water for his bruises. You frowned seeing the men still in the room. “I can manage this on my own now”, you murmured, putting the plastic bowl full of water next to his bed.

“Don’t push yourself”, you felt Steve’s hand on your shoulder and said a quiet goodbye when they left. Your eyes fell on Tony’s now calm face. You gulped and caressed his cheek with the back of a finger. He looked so calm and peaceful. Too calm… You already missed his sarcastic comments, inappropriate flirting, and smile which made you fall in love with him.

Of course, he didn’t know. You never showed him any signs. Why should you? He was a billionaire, an Avenger, and the smartest man you knew. Not to even mention how handsome he was. And what about you? You weren’t even half as smart as he was. Not to mention the looks. You were far from being even half as hot as the girls he brought here. You had nothing that would make him even remotely interested.

You smiled sadly, cleaning him carefully. Starting from his forehead, you moved down to his cheeks and then towards his neck. You took his clothes off slowly, feeling your face flush like you were a teenage girl. You saw him many times in T-shirts and knew well enough about his well-toned body, but seeing it up close, and with no clothes at all, was something different.

You were pathetic. At 24, all your life had been focused on studies and work to make sure that you would grow to be an independent woman. No dating, no boys, no love. A 24-year-old virgin that fell in love with an older guy who wouldn’t even bat an eye in your direction.

You gulped and looked at your hands. You had always been an outcast because of these powers. He was the first one who accepted you and gave you a place to stay, to work, and to feel welcomed. You put your hands on his bare chest and closed both of your eyes, sending the energy through the body- to him, slowly healing his wounds.

You felt your own energy leaving quickly. You didn’t use these powers too often, so the amount of energy it took to heal even the slightest of wounds was taking the best of you. Your breathing fastened and your vision started to blur.

“Miss Green, I would recommend you stop the healing process for Mr. Stark”, you heard J.A.R.V.I.S’ voice from behind.

“Just a minute, I’m almost done. Need to close the most dangerous wounds”, you hissed, seeing a drop of blood dripping onto the floor from your nose. You bit your bottom lip and took your hands off, finishing the first aid healing.

“Miss Green, are you alright?” the mechanical voice asked, and you couldn’t help but chuckle. This inhuman program was the only actual ‘person’ who cared about you. You wondered what Tony would say if he saw you like this. Would he even care that there was no energy left in you? Smiling, you leaned over and held his hand, falling asleep.

***

You opened your eyes, feeling a small movement. Shuffling a bit and closing your eyes again, you felt a slight grip on your hand. You straightened up immediately, heart skipping a beat.

There he was, his beautiful brown eyes open and gazing at you with a small smirk on his lips. You stood up and looked at him, examining his body with your hands. The energy flew from your hands without even controlling it. The small bruises that were left untouched last night were now slowly getting better.

“Lex…” You heard him say, but you kept on going, ignoring his weak voice and kept on healing, avoiding the pain in your head and lungs. Your breathing quickened again and felt your eyes tearing. “Alexandra”, he said, wrapping his fingers around your wrist. “You have to stop, I’m…”

“Shut up!” You hissed, making him gulp in surprise. You’ve never hissed at him, nor even used a raised voice. “Just shut up and let me heal you…” You said, letting the tears fall down your cheeks onto his bedding. His grip on your wrist eased. He just laid there and looked at you.

“Miss Green, the rate of your heart is dangerously raising. If you keep on…”

“J.A.R.V.I.S., shut up!” you whispered in the most demonic way he has ever heard from you. He looked at the computer, feeling sorry for his 'friend’. This was the first time he actually didn’t know what he did wrong to make a woman become angry with him. “You both shut up!” he took a deep breath, feeling a wave of energy going into his ribs, reversing the breaking. Your power was always amazing. The healing power that used your own energy- a double-edged sword. “You just leave me with all that damn paperwork!” He raised his brow, more and more surprised with your tone and words. He felt strangely light and the pain has slowly been disappearing. “You go on those damn missions and come back looking like death itself!”

“Miss Green…”

“I thought you may have actually died, you stupid idiot!”

“That’s enough Lex”, he said in a low, husky voice that normally worked on other girls to let them know that the joking was done. “You’re bleeding”, he raised his hand to your nose, wiping off the blood, which made you flinch.

“No! You almost died on me, I can’t let you! I won’t let you die, Tony!” Three years. It took three years of him almost pleading for you to call him by his first name and you have finally done it during an outburst of anger. “That’s why…” The energy then stopped flowing and you felt your head throbbing hard, and everything went black. Before falling on the floor, you felt the strong arms of your boss catching you midway. It hurt you. Your whole body, bones, muscles- everything was aching. But your back, it felt so nice. His hand was caressing it slowly, almost lovingly, as if someone like him would be able to feel this.

“Lex,'' he whispered into your ear, making you shiver feeling his warm breath against your neck. “I never knew you could be so scary,'' he chuckled, kissing the top of your head. Without thinking, you tightened the grip you had on the bedding and tucked your head into his chest, starting to breath slower. “J.A.R.V.I.S”, he didn’t need to add anything.

“Her heart is calming down, same as her pulse, sir.” He answered quickly, reading out your result.

“I’m sorry!” You finally whispered and pulled away from the man. Completely avoiding his gaze, you got up and left him alone in complete shock.

**

It was extremely dark around the room, it must have been night already. He looked at the clock and sighed. 3 A.M.

It’s been three days since he saw you. You didn’t come to visit, just left food on the counter every time he went into the kitchen. He didn’t know how you did it, but somehow you always knew when he would come to eat.

He didn’t force you to talk or see him, hoping you would just rest, but knowing from his AI 'friend’ you were taking care of the company when he couldn’t.

He got up and slowly started walking to the kitchen. He forgot to take water with him and he hated himself for that. He despised walking through the tower at night. It was always so quiet, making him realize how lonely it actually was. But not today. The light in the kitchen was on and there was only one person that could be sitting there at this hour.

He smiled, smelling a sweet scent coming from the room. It smelt like chocolate and cinnamon. Like a damn Christmas morning. He walked quietly and leaned on the wall looking at the woman sitting at the table. Leaning over some paperwork with grapes to your right and a cup of probably hot chocolate on the left. That’s what you always drunk when you were tired and still had some things to do. Three years you’ve worked for him and he has never tried it. So many times did you offer to make him a cup but he always preferred whiskey. But not this time. He was still taking meds and mixing them with alcohol was not a brilliant idea.

“Can I have a cup of that?” You squinted and turned around. A deep breath left your mouth when you noticed him walking closer. He sat opposite of you and smiled in a welcoming manner.

“Of…of course” you whispered, standing up quickly and walking to the big island in the middle of the kitchen, preparing the same drink you made 20 minutes ago. This time you prepared two portions.

He watched your movements from behind. You had an oversized boyfriend type shirt with shorts underneath it ( or at least that’s what he thought). From what he found out about you, you were definitely too shy to just walk around his house in nothing but a shirt.

He gazed over your body. He wasn’t a blind man. You weren’t Miss America but you were definitely a beautiful young woman. A slim body, long legs, a well-shaped butt- probably mastered after some exercises. Your breasts were around a C cup (at least that’s what he thought). Long blonde hair was now draped against your back. He just realized how long your hair really was. You normally kept it in a high ponytail, which made it seem shorter than it really was. Your naturally pretty and cute, as he would describe, face was accompanied with a small, feisty nose. You almost never wore any makeup, didn’t need to. You were a young woman at 24 that was pretty enough without any cosmetics.

You weren’t like any other girl he has laid his eye on. You weren’t trying to get his attention. At least not in a sexual way. You liked to joke around (keeping it professional), not getting offended with any of his sexist or sometimes cheap comments. You always had time to stay and help him or just listen to his complaints about the Avengers. Not to mention the great help you were giving him in the workplace as well.

He looked at the huge stack of paper that was kept on the table, realizing that while he was laying in bed healing, you were working your ass off doing his part of the job as well. You must have been tired, but of course, would never say anything. How many times have you done the extra work, only for him to take the extra hour of sleep? Of course, he noticed all of this. He may be an arrogant dick, but he did appreciate it when someone did those extra things for him, without him asking for it.

But there was always something that made him wonder. You were a beautiful, kind-hearted, intelligent woman, but here you were spending 24/7 in his tower, working for his annoying piece of ass, not saying anything. Anything, until that night. You didn’t even say anything after one of his drunken mumblings. One of the hundreds that made you feel shitty, and which you just decided to ignore for his own good.

The pain in your eyes and those tears broke his heart, which for all those years, he thought he has lost. The tone of your voice and the raised tone was something he would never expect from you.

The power you held was truly amazing. If only you would train more with it, you could become even more powerful. But this power, the power of healing brought you pain. And the pain was caused by him this time.

His gaze lowered onto the traditional silver bracelet that you got from him for a birthday (of which he found out a month later by a pure accident, and didn’t remember for the next two years.) It was a practical piece of jewelry that monitored your body reactions. Your heartbeat, the pulse, anxiety level. He wanted to make sure that you wouldn’t get into any dangerous situations because you worked for him. The bracelet had a small GPS that would also navigate your position, if necessary.  

He smiled sadly to himself. You have never taken that off. No matter how many mean things he has said (a lot, unintentionally). No matter how many times he was sure to recognize the sound of sobbing coming from your bedroom, the next day you always welcomed him with this beautiful smile and a traditional 'Welcome, Mr. Stark.’ You were a diamond that he promised himself to protect from the world, from the Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D. From himself.

You were too good, too innocent to be treated the way you were.

“When was the last time you got a whole night of sleep?”, he asked when you finally joined him with two cups of warm hot chocolate.

“I think you’re the last one who gets to talk about that, Mr. Stark”, you chuckled, taking one of the papers, handing it to him. “Here’s the list of people it would be 'smart’ to invite to the Christmas party…if you, of course, are still thinking of doing it,'' he grazed through the list and smirked. There were people he would probably never have thought of, but seeing their names on the list made sense for his future developments.

“Of course. We’ve got a month to make this happen. You ok with that?” You nodded and searched for something. After a while, you took a big envelope and put it next to him.

“The invitations have been sent. The list you just saw is of all those who are coming.” He couldn’t help but laugh, not believing how he didn’t see that coming. “And you’ve got everything ready for the party in here”, you patted the envelope and took a sip of hot chocolate. He widened his eyes and opened the briefcase and looked at all the plans, bank statements, and information.

He would never have expected you to do so much. Normally, he would help you with some important aspects, not leaving you with everything but this year, he got injured and wasn’t able to start the preparation at the same time as always.

“You’ve done this all by yourself?” He asked, still looking completely shocked. How many nights have you stayed awake just to get this done? How many coffees and energy drinks did you have to drink to be able to do this?

“I didn’t want you to deal with that right after you recovered…” you said shyly, looking away. You always would bite your bottom lip when you felt nervous or insecure, which seemed to happen a lot when it came to being around him. “I’m sorry, did I overstep my duties?”

He was staring at you, not knowing what to say. All those awkward moments, all of those mean and rude comments he said when he was pissed or drunk, all of those uncomfortable mornings when one of his one-night stands left, after all those forgotten birthdays and Christmases with you giving him a gift and him forgetting about getting anything for you. All these years, you stayed with him and helped him, supported him.

“I’m sorry, Lex.” You widen your eyes not sure if you heard him right. “You’ve done way too much. You must be fucking tired and yet you’ve had to save my poor sorry ass by healing me…”

“I wanted to…”, You got up and slowly walked behind him. He closed his eyes when your small hands landed on his shoulders and started massaging him. “And don’t apologize, Mr. Stark…it sounds weird coming from your mouth,'' he chuckled and took one of your hands, planting a soft kiss on the top of it. He smirked, knowing that if he turned around, he would notice a red blush on your face.

You were probably the shyest girl he knew. His every little comment or flirt makes you act like a teenager who’d been complimented by the popular guy in school.  

“I love when you do that,'' he hummed quietly, leaning his head to the back planting it on your stomach.

“I don’t massage you that often, do I?”, you joked, putting some pressure on his shoulders.

“That’s something we should definitely work on”, both of them chuckled, “but it’s not what I mean”, he suddenly turned around and pulled you by the hip, leaning his head on your abdomen. You gasped, feeling his hands on both sides of your waist. It was a nice, unfamiliar feeling. “I love it when you’re here even though I don’t know for myself how much I need you”, you gulped and looked down on his head from above. “I don’t know how I would function without you,'' his voice was becoming quieter with every sentence. “You’re comforting me, even when I’m the biggest dick.” He looked up hearing your giggle. A small smile approached his lips when you put your soft hands on the top of his head.

“That’s why I’m here,'' you whispered, not wanting to destroy this nice, intimate moment. Tony Stark has never shown you this side of him. He was never so honest, so you didn’t want to scare him off. “I’ll be a shoulder for you to lean on whenever you need it…” you bite your lip and took a deep breath, then added, “Tony”. Your smile was so beautiful, and the blue of your eyes were shining like diamonds. He could almost feel your soft skin from the thin pajama T-shirt.

The only thing he wanted to do was put his hands under it and feel your young, soft skin under his fingers. How many times has he imagined inappropriate things about his coworker? Why for the love of Thor couldn’t you be an ugly, old lady?

He got up, enjoying the fact that you were smaller than him. It was a nice change of scenario to be able to look down on someone. After spending time with Thor and Rogers it gets annoying to have to look up all the time.

He leaned forward a bit and placed a soft kiss on your cheek, making you gulp and look away.

“Good night, Lex. Don’t stay up for too long.”

[drowninginstuff]

Dear Love

20/01/2014

My favorite songs now make my head feel fuzzy and my heart feel heavy. You could've left me something to enjoy.

7/01/2013

I can't focus on reading anything anymore. Remember how you used to complain about my nose always being buried in a book, well you can rest easy now. I haven't read anything in a while.

24/02/2013

Caramel lattes taste stale now. Maybe you were right, maybe I was always just over glorifying it.

10/03/2013

I'm starting to see the appeal in getting take out. Cooking isn't fun anymore, not when....

30/03/2013

Alcohol tastes disgusting, smoking feels like death. Why would anyone indulge in either of these! Why on earth couldn't you stop?

13/04/2013

I'm walking a lot these days, not to anywhere in particular. Just walking.

27/04/2013

Congratulate me. I got a promotion.

4/05/2013

My boss is forcing a two day leave on me. Apparently pulling all nighters almost 5 days in a 6 day week for three weeks isn't healthy. What does he know?

22/05/2013

Holidays suck. I don't ever want another one.

5/06/2013

I wish I could paint like you. Maybe then I'd get rid of these build up emotions and frustrations.

20/06/2013

I just heard that drinking destroys your vocal chords. Is that why you wouldn't sing to me any more.

7/07/2013

You never did teach me to salsa.

27/07/2013

Happy Birthday.

13/08/2013

Power naps are not really doing their job right. Maybe it's just my lack of rhythm.

8/09/2013

The leaves are your favorite colors. Guess it's fall.

22/09/2013

Was the park always this big? I've never noticed.

6/10/2013

Winter's coming.

20/10/2013

Black forest mocha is back on the menu. You hated it.

9/11/2013

It's freezing cold. I can't sleep. I miss....

24/11/2013

My last project before Christmas is done. I have a lot of free time.

15/12/2013

It's Christmas next week. I realized I don't have too many people to shop for.

29/12/2013

Merry Christmas P.S. Even fewer people shop for me.

5/01/2014

Happy New Year. I went to the office party this time around.

19/01/2014

The first few weeks of this new year was the same as before. Nothing unpredictable.

Bored eyes flicked across the room to the wall clock at the corner, silently urging it move faster. Counting down the seconds, she almost jumped for joy when the clock struck 12:30 signaling the beginning of lunch break. She walked out of her cubicle and quickly made her way out the door before anyone could stop and ask to accompany her. Her mad dash to the cafe was however interrupted by a call from the receptionist desk, "You have a birthday gift. Come see it."

Confused, she made her way to the receptionist desk. A few feet from her destination she stopped dead in her tracks, eyes wide, she took in the sight before her. A rather large wheat brown teddy bear sat on top the desk. It had large glassy black eyes and a blue bow around it's neck. Pinned to its paw was a letter. Tentatively she removed it from the bear's 'hold' and began to read,

Love,

i. I've been listening to most of your favorite songs. I don't remember when exactly I began to love them. You look absolutely adorable and breathtaking with your nose buried in a book. The expression of absolute immersion on your face is one of my favorites.

ii. Caramel lattes aren't so bad. The after taste of smoke in my breath used to ruin it for me, it's actually delicious. Take out isn't that great. You get bored of the same repetitive tastes after a while. I loved your cooking, you're a great cook.

iii. I know. I wish I had. You always did like to walk. You just never noticed it. Even when we drove, you'd always look out the window almost longingly.

iv. Congratulations. You earned it. Any sane person would've known it's not healthy. Then again with you common sense sometimes seems to take a back seat when you want to ignore issues.

v. You must be a part of a very small minority. But I do remember a time when you'd egarly wait for a holiday. Guess things really did change... I did try to teach you, but you're way too stiff. You need to not think when you paint. But asking a computer programmer to not think is a bit too cruel.

vi. Maybe. I'm sorry.........

vii. Thank you love. Don't worry, I'm working on fixing that rhythm.

viii. You mean you're favorite season's here. With the way you'd keeping on talking about everything and anything, it's not a wonder that you missed how big that park is.

ix. Game of Thrones reference, really! The only cavity inducingly sweet thing that I like is you when you're sleepy.

x. Weren't you the one would said you love the cold. In fact you wanted to date Jack Frost. Ever the perfectionist. You just have to get everything done earlier than necessary.

xi. Merry Christmas

xii. Happy New Year. Finally, your colleagues must've been shocked. It never is usually....

But wait, I can fix that.

The sound of footsteps woke her up from the momentary day dream she had fallen into. Her eyes traveled up and met the warm chocolate one's in front of her. Maybe it was the loneliness she's been feeling since he left, maybe it was her characteristic impulsiveness or maybe it was the obvious fact she'd missed him. Whatever the reason, as soon as her brain registered that it actually was him and not some phantom her mind conjured up, her body inconceivably moved to hug him.

The feeling of those strong arms around her and the warmth that seeped in from him unlocked a floodgate of repressed emotions and before she could stop herself, a tear escaped, "Why?", the question was softly asked that it was barely audible. But none the less, the sudden stiffening of the arms around her proved that he had heard her. "Not here. I promise I'll explain everything." and with that he led her out the building and into the street, which funnily enough, seemed brighter.

It's funny really, a year's worth of separation, and she still couldn't shake off the habits five year of being together had instilled in her. She smiled absently as she realized that her mind had already started to wander off, blindly trusting him and his sense of direction, sure that he would never let any harm befall her. 'Yet, it was him that gave you the deepest wound you've ever got.' her mind relayed.

They entered a quite cafe, one they used to frequent before, she noticed. He led them to a corner table and patiently ordered their lunch. Soon enough they were left in their own silence. As it got thicker with unspoken words she decided to make the first move, "Dean, Why did you leave me?" She could feel the temperature drop in room that followed her question. The waiter choose that precise moment to arrive with their lunches.

In the moments that followed, he seemed to battle with himself on the best way to word it. Finally, after two thirds of her sandwich was done, he answered. "I never did leave you." Before the protest could leave her mouth he rushed, "At least not the way you think. I told you we needed a break. That we need to pursue our passions and careers, better ourselves. I never intended for our relationship to end, I just wanted both of us to be able to think freely for a while, to discover ourselves and basically just over all improve ourselves before we moved any further. I realize I could've gone about it differently. I never meant to hurt you in any way, even though it seems to have done just that."

She took a moment to process everything he had just said and at long spoke, "So you mean to tell me this was whole a misunderstanding! That I spent every waking hour and dreamless night replaying and wondering what I've done and slowly dying inside, just because you're socially awkward and have trouble expressing yourself!?" She ended the tirade with a pointed look at him to which he replied with an innocent smile, "Basically." She snorted out a laugh at the answer and asked, "Do did you do it? Discover yourself or whatever..."

Suddenly the mirth in his face was replaced with a steely determination and also a bit of smug satisfaction, "I've quit." was his simple reply. She stared at him dumbstruck before chocking out a "What?". He looked her straight in the eye," For the past year, I've been working on over coming my addictions. I've been sober for the past year and I've completely given up smoking. Well almost." he added sheepishly rolling up his sleeves to show the nicotine patch on there.

"Why?" she asked him almost mesmerized by the news. "Because I realized that I want to live. Not just exist. I want to live a full life. Get married, have kids, watch them grow up and finally die after a fulfilled life. I don't want to die alone and lonely, in a ditch somewhere smash drunk and deluded. I want to first live happily and then die peacefully, and I want to do it all with you." The confession shocked her, she didn't understand why, she knew he loved her but this was different it was almost as if he was, "No, I'm not proposing." he added, "I will though, in a few years, when you're ready and I hope you'll say yes, then."

After the confession she stood up, took her bag, paid her half of the bill and walked towards the exit. He followed, confused, "Where are you going?". She turned back and smiled at him, "I'm going to fetch my birthday gift from the receptionist. Then I'll have to ask to take the rest of the day off. Cause you know, it's my birthday and I wanna spend it with my future husband." And with that she kept on walking, not realizing that she had once again stolen his heart.