#nick and i met at a coffee shop to go over some figures for who is going to get what amount of money

[atlafan]

not good today

[star-trekkin-across-theuniverse]

Request thing: Steve Roger + "you're so cute" "what did you just say?" "I said you look like a boot"

(Omif there are others feel free to ignore mines cause I am just being greedy now)

There aren't others. Pretty sure there's only 4 of you out there reading me anymore :D

word count: 1951

@bolontiku @rampant-salamander @castiels-sunflowers @feelmyroarrrr __________

Steve Rogers irritated the shit out of you. From the moment Nick Fury thought you should babysit him, he’d just been annoying in all his ‘Gee Golly Ma’am’ goodness and earnest honesty and, well, and he just annoyed you. Sure, he was handsome, and his physique left not a single area needing improvement. And yes, his dry sense of humour and quick way with words made most people just fall into the Captain America fan club without questioning the price of admission. But you couldn’t. You’d been stung before. There was no way someone who looked like the whole package wasn’t hiding something.

You were parked at your desk, cursing a major snarl in traffic that had caused you to skip picking up a coffee. There was a cute barista at the coffee shop by your apartment and you’d been working your way up to asking his name, but missing a single day had made your courage evaporate. You dug through your drawer, but had apparently run out of pods for the office keurig. Digging into your purse, you pulled out a few bills and made your way to the coffee shop on the main floor. 

Smothering a yawn, you made your order and tried to pay. The young woman behind the counter shook her head and tilted it to where the drinks were coming up. “He paid for you, ma’am.” You followed her gaze over and cringed. Of course, it was goddamn Steve. 

“Thanks,” you grumbled as you approached him. He smiled.

“My pleasure, Agent,” he nodded. After a brief pause, he continued, “You’re a tough nut to crack, you know. I’m never quite sure what you think of all this.” He gestured around vaguely.

“I’m really into coffee. So this is okay,” you replied, deliberately being difficult. He frowned, and then sighed.

“I kind of meant what you think about this.” Again, the gesture was vague, but he included himself, and pointed obviously above you both, where the offices were. 

“Does it matter? It pays well, I have great health insurance and a not-shitty 401K. It’s not exactly what I went to university for, but every day is different, and I’ve met some pretty interesting people,” you shrugged.

“Interesting way to look at it.” There was a soft, humble chuckle that escaped him and just made you even more irritated. You closed your eyes to avoid rolling them. Your name was called, and you opened your eyes, took your coffee and smiled blandly at him.

“Thanks for the joe, Steve,” you nodded again, and made your way back to your office.

__________

“I don’t want to go,” you protested to your handler. He sighed and glared at you.

“Look, your specialized knowledge of the era and the subject means that -”

“No, I get it. Really, I do. But what you’re asking me to do is straight-up psychological manipulation, which is not what I’m here for. I’m here because I have extensive specialized knowledge about the era and -”

“Your PhD is on the impact of the loss of Sgt. Barnes on the Howling Commandos and Steve. You have immense knowledge about Barnes, and about his friendship with Steve. If anyone is going to be able to work with Captain Rogers on the deprogramming of Barnes, it’s you. Whether or not you want to go, you are going.” Nick Fury had entered the room and interrupted you.

“But -” you started. Fury silenced you with a glare. You sighed and pursed your lips.

“You’re the only agent I’ve ever had complain about being assigned to work with Rogers,” he started. “Care to explain?”

“It has nothing to do with him, sir,” you lied. Fury raised his eyebrow, clearly not believing you.

“Figure it out. You two are wheels-up in an hour.”

__________

You leaned back in the quinjet hold and closed your eyes, trying to imagine Steve Rogers was not sitting across from you, staring daggers at you. 

“I have to ask, Agent. What did I do that was so offensive? Was it the coffee? I know a lot of dames, er, women, don’t like it when men do that anymore,” he broke the silence.

“Not at all, I very much appreciated the coffee,” you replied, keeping your tone light. You were very well aware that your issue was with you, and not actually with him. You’d been mulling it over since he’d bought the damn coffee. All you could come up with was that you were behaving like a child with a crush. You couldn’t accept that you liked him, so you chose to dislike him instead.

“Did I say or do something at some other time?”

“Not at all,” you shook your head.

“Captain Rogers, we’re about to land,” the pilot interrupted. “Based on scans you have approximately three minutes once off the jet to find cover. There’s frequent patrols of the area by Hydra agents, and no real way to keep this bird off the radar.”

“We’ll finish this chat later,” Steve promised.

Once off the jet, you followed him into the forest to find cover. Just as the pilot had warned, it was not long after you deplaned that a patrol came by, and Steve tackled you into the underbrush. You pushed at him feebly, opening your mouth to protest, and he slapped his hand across your mouth, nodding to the west, where the crunch of leaves betrayed the patrol’s presence. Your eyes widened and you quit moving. When you were clear of danger, he rolled off you.

“Some warning would have been nice,” you whispered as you picked pine needles and moss out of your hair.

“Yeah, that sounds like a great plan,” he hissed back. “Hey goons, we’re over here!”

“I’m sure your super-soldiery brain could have figured out a way to give me a heads up before you tackled me,” you snapped back. 

“Ingrate,” he muttered, loudly enough that you could hear him.

“Jackass,” you retorted. His eyebrow raised.

“Watch your language,” he warned.

“Because it might offend the hydra goon squad?” You asked.

“You know, dames didn’t used to talk like that.” His tone was tight. You rolled your eyes.

“I’d like to remind you, I’m an agent first, an expert in history second and a dame third, you fucking cro-magnon,” you spat. “Also, this isn’t my first rodeo, Cap. I’ve been on surveillance missions before. I also saw the patrol.”

Steve glared at you and shook his head. “Instead of arguing about the finer points of your genetic composition, do you think you can drop your hate for the rest of the mission? If Bucky’s here, I’d like to find him. And Fury assured me, you’re the agent for the job if we do.”

“Is that an order, Cap?” You asked. He looked away, and drew in a deep, steadying breath.

“Yes, agent, I believe it is,” he snapped.

__________

You’d been unsuccessful. You’d managed to infiltrate the base, but the cells were all empty. The base had just recently been cleared out, and there was enough equipment left behind that you felt confident it was where Sgt. Barnes had been held, at some point. On your way to the extraction point, you saw muzzle-flash and moved faster than you thought possible to knock Steve out of the way. A blinding pain struck you in the midsection and Steve turned around to watch you fall to the ground, a silent scream on your lips. The look of combined annoyance and fear on his face was the last thing you remembered seeing before blackness took you.

When you came to, it was so bright you blinked and lifted your hand to cover your eyes, pressing them shut again. There was an overpowering smell of antiseptic and an IV tethered to your right hand. A monitor beeped systematically and you realized it was a heart monitor when it matched pace with the thumping in your head. You were parched, and when you tried to push yourself to sit, a gentle hand landed on your chest, pressing you back into the mattress.

“Stay put. There’s a remote here, I’ll lift your head,” a gentle male voice rumbled. Your head slowly lifted and you tried opening your eyes again, just a little. Through your lashes, you saw Steve pouring you a glass of water. He held it out to you. “Just sips.”

It was cool against your lips, and you sucked in a couple of little chips of ice to suck on. 

“Thanks,” you breathed. “What happened?”

“We didn’t find Bucky,” he started. “We were headed to the quinjet and you decided to play hero and jumped in front of a bullet.”

“You’re welcome,” you coughed. He raised the bed a little higher. Your eyes finally adapted to the bright light of the infirmary and you looked at him. He was still in his uniform, was wearing a fair amount of your blood and looked angry.

“What kind of idiotic idea was that, anyhow?” He demanded. Your ears rang at the heightened volume of his voice. You flinched in pain.

“I saw the muzzle flash and just moved,” you replied. 

“A bullet wound to the shoulder would barely slow me down,” he snapped. “Instead you took one to the lung and required a few hours of surgery.”

“Sorry that I was such a huge inconvenience to you,” you managed. “Maybe you should make it clear to Fury that you don’t want to partner with me again.”

“Maybe if you didn’t have such a huge goddamn chip on your shoulder, we would have worked better together,” he retorted. You gestured to yourself, in your blue hospital gown, and IV tubing.

“I’m pretty sure the wound is right here,” you gestured to the dressing on your side, “if you’re like to really get a few good kicks in while I’m down.”

He stood up and flipped his chair over before walking to the far wall and slamming his fist against it. “What the hell did I do? Why do you hate me?” You flinched away from his angry tone.

“I don’t, I don’t hate you, Cap, I just -”

“Bullshit,” he interrupted.

“Now who has a foul mouth?” You snapped. “I don’t hate you, Cap. I don’t. I just don’t know how to act around you and it makes me guarded and defensive, I guess.” You took another small sip of water.

“Because I’m somehow your enemy?” He asked. You could feel your cheeks heating in embarrassment and glanced up at the IV bag. It was pain medication. Go for it, you thought, at least you had plausible deniability due to the intoxicating effects of the medication.

“It’s just that you’re so cute, and you’re kind, and you’re so genuine, and you smell good and -”

“What did you just say?” He interrupted, pulling the chair back to the beside and sitting in it. He took your hand between his and looked at you intently. You’d said too much and felt the panic of admitting all of that hit you as he stared at you.

“Uh, I said you look like a boot and I’m pretty sure you’re out of your mind, and you smell like swine and -”

“That’s not what you said,” he laughed and squeezed your hand.

“I’m pretty sure I did,” you averted your gaze from his. He cupped your cheek in one of his hands and turned you back to face him. “I like you too.”

“Oh.”

“Get some rest. I’m going to get a shower so I stop smelling like swine, and I’ll be back.”

“Okay,” you nodded. He tucked your hand under the cover, smoothed your hair away and dropped a kiss on your forehead.

[tinyarmedtrex]

I know it's Saturday but let's pretend it's Friday for the sake of this ask.

🩵 turquoise heart for whatever pairing you choose!

Magic! I went with Narlie.

Charlie Spring knew he was going to die. And not in the 'everyone dies one day'. No, he knew he was going to die on his 25th birthday. It was one of the irrefutable facts that he'd build his life around. The sun rises in the east. Chocolate is the superior flavor. Charlie would never see his 26th birthday.

He'd been cursed when he was a baby. His mum had crossed the wrong fairy and the sprite had taken it out on her newest child. Apparently, the fairy had considered 25 to be a long life span for a human and so didn't think she was doing anything particularly cruel. Knowing that didn't make Charlie feel better. His mum had spent years trying to find the fairy, or bribe someone else to lift the curse but they all refused. Her pleas fell on deaf ears. 

The knowledge had always been there, burning in the back of his mind. On some days it made him act out, he'd scream that he wasn't going to school, there wasn't a point. On other days it made him want to save the world, to leave some footprint before he was gone. 

On most days though, he tried to ignore it, tried to live a normal life without thinking about how many days he had left.

After finishing school, he took a year off and travelled the world to visit psychics, seeking their help. The sham ones took his money and promised him that love was right around the corner, money too! The real ones took one look at him before giving him a refund and a helpless shrug. 

So, yea, magic was real, and it was bullshit. 

WHen he came back, he wandered aimlessly for a bit, not knowing what to do. He knew uni was pointless, why waste years to get a degree he'd never use? So instead, he got a job at a coffee shop. He made friends and took lovers. He never fell in love though. He wouldn't do that to someone else, knowing that his expiration date was fast approaching.

He was 24 when that changed. when he met Nick Nelson. The man was glowed like sunshine. One day Nick wandered into the coffee shop with his dog, Nellie. Charlie fell for the dog first and the man second. Both of them made him feel lighter than he had in years, like there was some hope. Sometimes he resented that feeling. Who was this stranger to make him feel something like this?

The problem with Nick was that he never asked Charlie out. If he had Charlie could have said no and moved on. But instead, Nick flirted with him, he teased Charlie and took his taunts with a smile. That made it all so much harder. 

One day when they were sitting together on the couch, Nick said, "I heard your birthday is coming up." Nellie was dozing happily between them. Dogs weren't allowed on the furniture but Charlie was going to be dead in a week so what did he care?

He nodded. His friends had been trying to plan something for him, but he kept refusing. He didn't want some elaborate party that he'd never attend. 

"I'll probably just stay home and read."

Nick nodded as if that was a logical answer. "Can I ask you something else?" 

Charlie nodded.

"That dark cloud on your back, what is it?"

Charlie was so stunned he spilled his tea. He whipped his head to Nick. "You- you can see it?" 

"Mhm."

"Why didn't you say?"

"Didn't know if you'd want me to."

It was a very Nick answer. Charlie explained his curse. He'd gotten good at it over the years. It barely took him a minute now.

"Well," Nick glanced at the cloud again then nodded to himself. "Do you want me to get rid of it?"

Charlie gaped at him. "You- what? You can do that?" 

"Nellie here is a curse eater." He patted the dog. "Gives her a bit of indigestion but she can handle it."

A million things ran through his head but the first was, "Why the hell didn't you mention it before?"

Nick shrugged. "Some people like their curses. Wasn't sure if you did. Besides, I have. I've talked about Nellie being with me since I was young. I thought you figured it out and were just politely ignoring it."

"I assumed you just named all your pets nellie." He said, his brain rewriting every conversation he'd had with Nick.

"Well that'd be a daft thing to do." Nick took Charlie's chin in his hand, turning it to see the shadow. "Yea, we can handle it. But it'll cost you."

Charlie inhaled. "I don't have much money but it's yours." He'd never seen the point in saving it. 

Nick gave him a lopsided smile. "I don't want your money Charlie," He said softly. "I want a kiss, if that's alright." 

A laugh burbled out of him as he nodded, already leaning in to claim Nick's lips. 

So, it turned out that magic was real. And while he still believed most of it was bullshit maybe there was a bit that was worthwhile.

[tessbev]

Okay!

It’s been awhile!!! I’ll just jump straight into it. I got sick while on the boat and even though it was only a 24 hour thing it stuck with me longer than expecting. It seemed to just be a bout of gastrointestinal something but I was having issues up until this past week and was feeling pretty off for over a full week. I’m feeling back to normal now. Luckily I had my bad day on an overcast day on the boat. I had the air conditioned room to myself and a nice big bed to pass away in. The next day we were leaving Hanoi and flying to da nang. We rented an airbnb in between da nang and hoi an for 4 nights. Hoi an is basically the tailored clothing capital of the world. Having clothing made is kinda the thing to get done when you’re visiting because it’s so quick and such a cool process, I’ll run you through my/our experience with it.

It was about 1130am, it was a scorching day and there are tailor shops everywhere (just like the 7/11s in Thailand). Choosing a place was the first battle. I had heard of a couple places on the internet so I had some names in the back of my mind. One of them being “Yaly couture” sure enough we find it and go inside and are greeted instantly by a lady asking us what we’re looking for. Now I’ve been preparing for this for months so I had photos of things I’ve been wanting that were either super expensive or pictures of clothes I’d seen someone wear but couldn’t find. I showed the lady a picture and asked if she could make it and she said yes and took me right to the fabric wall to pick fabric. I was a little taken aback at how confident she was she could make the dress (I’ll post a picture) but I went with it. At this point Jenna and gabi decided to check out another tailor spot we had heard of because they hadn’t seen any patterns they were too keen on and it was the first place we went into so they wanted to shop around a bit. The shop seemed impressive enough to me and the lady (her name was Melinda, we became close) asked what else I was looking for. Sure enough I show her everything and she takes me through all the different materials and patterns I can choose. Once the hard part of deciding fabric was done she sat me down and I sent her all the photo references for each piece. She drew out the pieces and we talked about the fit, the length, the waist band thickness, zipper no zipper, pockets etc etc she covered everything. Then she measured every thing she needed, wrote it all down and told me to come back at 430 to try it all on. The same day. Under 5 hours to have it made I was gobsmacked. Feeling euphoric and like I had drank 16 cups of coffee I strolled to meet up with the girls who had found another shop to get things made. And wow what a difference in shops. It was utter chaos. First off it was huge. Massive. Like a warehouse and there were people yelling over each other in Vietnamese there were thousands of materials and the girls were in a fluster bartering and figuring out patterns. The place I had gone didn’t have one of the patterns I had wanted for a skirt so I thought I’d get one thing made here and all I can say is it was so chaotic. Especially coming from yaly couture where it was so composed and tranquil. Anyway I joined in the chaos and got my measurements taken and picked out a pattern after the woman was barking at me to hurry up lol. After we left that place the girls were super on edge and stressed out and didn’t feel like they got what they were after so I brought them right back to my girl Melinda. She greeted me with a nice smile asking if I wanted more and I told her I brought my two friends because my experience had been so lovely so far. Sure enough they too were given a much more enjoyable experience and were also on the shopping high I was riding. Then Nick and Paige met up with us because they had spent the morning securing us scooters. Neither of them were too fussed about getting clothes made but they felt our buzzing energy and I told them how cool the experience was for us and they had to do it. So I brought them back to Melinda who was overjoyed with the extra business. Nick really wanted a suit made and it was so fun picking out the fabric and the lining and watching him actually enjoy shopping. By the end of it he was kicking himself that he didn’t get more because everything turned out incredible but we’ll get to that I’m getting ahead of myself.

We went and got lunch while our clothes were made and did a bit more street shopping. Vietnam is so affordable and everyone is willing to barter so you can get things for such a steal. I miss Vietnam already.

430 rolls around and we go back for our first fitting. Everything needed a slight adjustment but the fact the clothing was done was mind blowing. Same thing for the chaotic place too, but I’m gonna focus more on Yaly lol. We came back a bit later in the evening for a second fitting and any final tweeks before we could pick it up tomorrow. Everyone was ecstatic and in awe of how beautiful the clothing was and how quick!!

Quick sidebar about the pricing. Here it was fair, it wasnt “cheap” or standard Vietnam prices but it was way less than you’d get from home or buying in store and it was tailored to all our bodies so 100% worth it. From yaly I got a formal long dress, a short skirt, a short skirt and tank top set and a long skirt and matching top. Before I tell you the price I want to preface that the dress I showed a photo of was 450 USD from the store. And everything all together was 320 USD. From the other store the skirt I got (she actually convinced me to get a matching tank top cause I’m weak) was 75 Canadian. I may have also gotten a couple leather bags and a duffle bag to die for because I needed extra space for all the clothes!! And when you see the bags you’re gonna be shocked I got for 150 Canadian. Did I blow my entire Vietnam budget in one day? Yes. Would I do it again? Yes. We have been so under budget throughout Thailand and Vietnam so really i just evened it all out.

We all came back the next day for our final fitting, had some lunch and then got to pick up everything a few hours later. Melinda gave me a couple hugs and because she has all my measurements she told me I can message her from home with clothing orders and she can mail it to me now that she has my measurements. Like what?! That is the coolest thing ever I can get tailored made clothing from Vietnam and I don’t even need to be in Vietnam. Mind blowing. If ever I were to win the lottery and say I’m getting married one day I’m bringing my whole family and whole bridal party to Melinda and we’re all getting gowns and suits made and spending a week in Hoi An. If you’re reading this that includes you.

Okay here are the reference pictures for the styles

And here are the results (I haven’t tried the blue one on again since my final fitting because it was SO hot and sweaty trying to get it on and I haven’t wanted to go through that again. Also they packed them up so nicely individually into little bags so I didn’t wanna unwrap it but this is a screenshot from a video)

(The red and blue flowery one is the one from the chaotic hectic place)

This is my baby duffle

And this is my favourite of them all

[jamesbuchananbarnesslut]

Knifly Dinner

Paring: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Words: 2,967

Summary: During dinner Bucky figures out a new kink neither one of you expected to like. 

Warnings: smut, smutty, smut, kink discovery, knife kink, knife in the V, as well as P in the V, dirty talk, praise kink

Tiny Tag List: @whisperlullaby​ @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog​

Notes: This is all for @whisperlullaby​ and her 700 follower challenge I love you so much, am so proud of you, and miss talking to you all the time. Either way I’m sending you all my love and an amazing knife kink discovery story. This also happens to be the longest story I’ve written yet, but that’s also no shocker as it involves one of our favorite kinks. Much love and appreciation to all of those who read, please enjoy, love, reblog, and comment! 

Master List

——————————————————————————

You and Bucky had been together for a decent amount of time, you first met each other when the unsnapping happened. You were just trying to find another place to call home and Bucky was working with his therapist and crossing off names in his little black book. During one of his trips to cross off a name, you and he had mistakenly grabbed each other's luggage from the airport, as you both had the same bags. Although you opened your bag to find a wide assortment of men's clothes and a couple hidden weapons. Bucky opened his to find some pretty pink panties and a variety of women's clothing that surely wasn't what he packed. Thankfully there was a little tag stuck inside the bag that directed Bucky how to contact you. It wasn't the best predicament but when you and Bucky first saw each other at the coffee shop to exchange bags it was love at first sight and the rest was history.

After settling down from the events of the government putting the shield in someone else's hands and Sam being named Captain America. Bucky had bought a place for you and him in Louisiana to be closer to Sam and Sarah. Which led to a lot of time spent with the Wilson family, specifically fishing trips and family dinners. It also meant that Bucky did a lot of the cooking, not only was he better at it, but he just loved taking care of you. And you loved watching him cook the way he moved around the kitchen, how he worked with his hands and when he fed you. Which is why you were spending another night sitting at the island in your kitchen, drinking wine, and watching Bucky dice up an assortment of flavorful ingredients for his latest concoction.  

Considering this is how you and Bucky spent most of your nights it was nothing new that you were mesmerized by Bucky's hands and how he worked and moved with a knife. He was always twirling it between his fingers or delicately, slicing, cutting, or dicing up some type of food for you. It was nothing new that watching Bucky in his element turned you on. Even now just watching him you couldn't help the little pool of wetness that started to form in your panties. Or that you were already partway through your second glass of wine before he was even done cooking. It was like he was purposely putting on a show for you, cutting the food up right on the island in front of you. While he asked about your day and you about his, but you couldn't help but get wrapped up in the thoughts of what you were hoping would take place after dinner. You and Bucky had sex regularly, but every time he cooked for you, essentially taking care of you, you couldn't help but want to return the favor and take care of him.  

"Earth to Y/N, are you in there?" Bucky asks while dumping all his diced ingredients into an already sizzling pan.  

"Huh? I, uh, yeah, what's going on?" You look up sheepishly from your wine glass meeting his eye contact.  

He smirks at you, almost knowingly. "You've been real caught up in your head lately doll, what's going on with you?"  

While taking another sip of your drink you ponder whether you should be forward or play it off and ruin the surprise of a strip tease and blowjob after dinner for Bucky. Although he probably already suspects you have something planned, you always do something for him after he cooks. You decide to play it off with work being stressful, because it has been, but the slow season is about to hit so things will be easier shortly. "Just waiting for the slow season to roll in at work so I can finally catch a break," you respond.  

"Yeah, I get that honey. You've been working real hard lately and even started bringing work home, something you usually don't do. Which I'm hoping to see less of soon; but dinner should be done shortly get washed up and I'll top of your wine." He smiles at you and begins pulling the rest of his cooking out of the oven and begins plating everything while you run to the bathroom.

By the time you get back to the kitchen Bucky has everything plated and is waiting to eat with you. The rest of the dinner is smooth sailing, you power through another glass of wine, while Bucky tells you about how Sam spent thirty minutes reeling in a fish just to knock it off the line at the last-minute. In return you tell him about one of the new hires that spilled fresh coffee all over your bosses' desk and important confidential documents. By the time dinner is done and you're cleaning up the dishes, you can sense Bucky is up to something but you're not sure what. That is until you're rinsing off dishes in the sink and Bucky comes up behind you brandishing a knife at your neck. Completely catching you off guard.

"Bucky," said between gulps of air "what are you up too?"  

Pulling you in closer, he responds huskily in your ear, "now doll, I've seen how you watch my hands when I'm working. But recently I've especially noticed how you watch my hands in the kitchen when I'm using a knife."  

You can't help the little gasps that escape you with Bucky's words, he wasn't wrong, Bucky's hands were always memorizing to you. Whether he was laboring over a beautiful dinner for you, or his thick fingers were working in and out of you, it was always hot. But his hands holding a knife, and Bucky's skills with a knife, had always left you wet and wanting. Anytime he showed off those skills it always led to some form of steamy hot sex. You should have connected the pieces sooner, but it seems like Bucky beat you to the punch. Now do you own up to it and let it see how this plays out or act like he read the situation wrong?  

By the time the words come to you, you feel Bucky's confidence in the situation falter. He loosens the pressure of the knife against your neck and even begins to mutter apologies. Your words cut him off though and you fall into one of your typical submissive roles in the bedroom. "What are you sorry for Sarge? Don't you prefer when I'm more vocal with what I want in the bedroom? You must be upset I didn't speak up sooner." You state while wrigglingly further back into his arms, purposefully rubbing your ass against his crotch.  

Bucky readjusts his grip wrapping his vibranium arm tightly around you but keeping the knife loosely at your neck. "I do prefer when your vocal with me doll, so tell me what color you're on right now?"

"Green," you blurt out quickly. The dishes that were begin rinsed off in the sink completely forgotten, you just want to see where Bucky will take this.  

The knife is immediately back at your neck, pushed in enough that if you move it could nick you. "That's a good girl," he replies in a raspy voice causing the pool of wetness in your underwear to return. "Now I need you to stay still doll." He slowly drags the knife from your neck down to your shoulder blade, which sends chills throughout your body and makes goosebumps arise. From there Bucky slips the knife underneath the strap of your dress and bra, before you know it you hear the ripping of fabric, and the straps are completely cut through.

"You're doing so good for me doll," Bucky states while continues to drag the knife along your skin, starting at the shoulder of the straps he just cut. You can't help the little whimpers that leave your mouth, the combination of the knife and Bucky's words all going straight to your pussy. Bucky keeps teasing though and slowly drags the knife across your back to the other straps and cutting right through those ones as well.  

"Here comes the fun part," he chuckles. Bucky releases his hold on you just to spin you around so you're finally facing him. You meet his gaze, and his pupils are completely blown out and black, he's enjoying this as much as you are. Neither of you could have predicted adding this kink to your lists and yet here it is after a typical mundane dinner. Bucky breaks the gaze you're holding when he crouches and brings the knife to the bottom of your dress. He's meticulous in his work and cuts off every single button that's keeping you concealed. The entire process making you lightheaded and your underwear slicker with need.

Slowly working his way from the bottom of your dress up until the lingerie you're wearing for him is revealed and he can slip your dress off your arms. Which he does so immediately so he can get a better look at what you've been hiding underneath your dress. It’s a matching bra and panty set, the straps of the bra completely cut through and ruined. The set is a soft sage green covered with floral embroidered emblements, the colors complementing your skin.  

"Oh doll, did you already have something planned for me after dinner?"

You clear your throat and work out a yes while Bucky begins to run the knife along your body now that the majority if not all of your skin is exposed for him. He starts by tracing your collar bones and then dropping to follow the curves of your body. Slowly across the exposed top of your breasts, down your stomach, the cold metal leaving goosebumps in its wake. Then the knife is moved along your hips until the Bucky's worked it underneath the band of your underwear.

"You'll have to make it up to me another night, I've got new plans for us," and with that he cuts through your underwear too. It drops to the ground in pieces leaving you cold and exposed, allowing Bucky to see the glistening slick between your legs.  

"You like this though don't you doll?" Which he follows by dragging the knife back up your sternum and sliding it underneath the front of your bra so he can cut through that too.  

"Yeah, Sarge, I like this a lot," you work out in little huffs while Bucky peels the cut bra from your body.

"That's good because I'm only getting started." Bucky pushes the knife back up into your neck while dropping his lips in to kiss you. Its dirty, sloppy, and consuming. Bucky only pulls away so you both can catch a breath of air but keeps the knife close to your neck. Once you've caught your breath Bucky drops the knife and instead grabs you so he can lay you on the island where you just ate dinner. He sets you up so your feet are flat on the counter with your knees bent, giving him a perfect view of your glistening cunt.  

"Goddamn baby, I don't think I've seen you this soaked in a long time," Bucky punctuates by the grabbing the knife and sliding it along your legs now. Beginning at your ankle and working his way up towards your knee and into the apex of your thighs. Even on the cold marble countertop you can't help the full body flush that covers you. More moans and whimpers escaping from your mouth as Bucky continues to slowly drag the knife along your pussy and then along your other leg. Back down towards your knee and then to your ankle.  

"I need you to touch me Sarge," you speak out shakily.  

"But I am touching you doll," he continues to follow his path back along your leg, at the ankle, up your knee and into the apex of your thighs.

"I need more," you whine out.

"Where do you want me to touch you, be specific doll?" Bucky smirks at you.

"My pussy," you let out in huffs.  

"Do you want my hands, mouth, or the knife," he lets out calmly, as if that last option was always on the menu.  

You didn't expect the last option to leave Bucky's mouth but now that it has you can't help the deeper flush that covers your body. You can't help but think of anything else, the entire notion making you burn even hotter. You manage to stammer out, "I, uhm, Buck, I mean Sarge, please, will you use your knife to touch me."

Bucky's lets out a groan, is smirking again and then moving the knife in his hands, he puts the blade into his vibranium one and begins rubbing the handle of the blade along your pussy. "Look at you pretty little thing, always take my fingers and cock so well and now you're going to take my knife too. Going to make me cum in my pants with just teasing you honey," he rumbles out.  

After teasing you until your juices cover the handle of the blade, he moves to push it into your velvet folds. It glides in easily causing a gasp to escape your lips while Bucky pushes it in just enough that it's rubbing right against your g-spot. "Oh, that's it doll, you're gripping my knife so nicely. Want you to cover it in your juices so anytime I use it, it smells like you, and I'm reminded of this." Which he punctuates by slowly beginning to move the handle of the blade in and out of you, right against your g-spot. Your moans and whimpers now echoing through the room, while he builds a steady pace.  

"That's it doll, be a good girl and cum all over my knife and then this pretty little pussy can have my cock." Bucky states while dropping his flesh hand down to your clit and rubbing it in rough circles that match the pace that he's moving the knife's handle in and out of you. A heat slowly building throughout your body and spreading into your limbs, while your moans get louder. "Yeah, that's it, make a mess all over my knife," Bucky's words tipping you right over the edge.  

Recovering from your orgasm, you watch Bucky slowly pulls the knife from you licking some of your slick off the handle and then setting it on the opposite counter. He then begins to strip his own clothes and watches you, watching him.  

"Like what you see?" He asks while finally stepping out of his boxers and giving his cock a couple pumps.

"You know I do Sarge," you reply in a deep sultry tone.  

"Common lets take this somewhere more comfortable," he pulls you off the counter and carries you into the living room sitting down on the couch with you in his lap. What you aren't expecting is for him to pull out another knife from the couch and brandish this one at your neck as well. You knew he had weapons hidden all over the house, ever the paranoid that he is. But now that he was using them on you, it was a whole new level of hot.

"I want you to ride me doll, but while you do, I'm going to keep this knife at your neck the whole time. Meaning you better be real careful doll and take it nice and slow, that okay?"

"Yes Sarge," you let out breathily while shifting your position fully straddling him, grabbing his cock and lining it up with your entrance.  

"Such a good girl," he looks at you with amazement but keeps the knife perfectly at your neck, his other hand, held at the nape of your neck preventing any further movement, so Bucky doesn't actually cut you.  

You begin to ride him at a slow steady pace, the knife in his hands following all of your movements perfectly. Even riding Bucky at this slower pace, you can't help but feel your next orgasm already forming. A slow and steady burn starting in your core and working its way out into your limbs. You had no idea Bucky holding you at knife point would be this hot but now you can't help but think how he'll keep finding ways to incorporate it into your sex life.  

"That's it doll. Such a good girl for me, taking my cock so nicely. I know your close again already, you want to cum for me?"

"Fuck. Yes. Sarge," you work out in between gasps while working yourself up and down on Bucky's cock. The cold blade still pushed up into your neck, leaving red marks and scratches in its wake.  

"Want you to make a mess all over my cock too doll, look at you taking me so well" Bucky grunts out while your pussy tightens up around his length. The warmth in your body burning hotter as Bucky's about to talk you into your next orgasm.  

"That's it, common doll, be a good girl and cum all over Sarge's cock." Matching the pace, you've already set, Bucky begins thrusting up into you without moving the knife. His words and matched pace immediately sending you over the edge, while your moans echo throughout the room. Your sweet cunt milking Bucky's cock sending him over the edge with you. Bucky drops the knife just so he can pump his cum properly into you, pulling you tightly into him.  

Once you both catch your breath Bucky is the first to speak again, "if I knew me pulling a knife on you would make you that wet, I would have done it sooner."

[navalcriminalimagines]

Pairings: Rafael Barba x Reader, Sonny Carisi x Reader

Warnings: none?

Words: 4,511

Prompt: Rafael spent years keeping his feelings for you hiding.

Missed shot

When Rafael Barba started to work with Manhattan’s SVU, you’d been a detective there for almost two years. You joined the squad shortly before Stabler left. You saw Nick Amaro and Amanda Rollins joining in too. At first, Cragen partnered you with Amanda, and Olivia with Nick, but considering it wasn’t working between Liv and Nick, changes were made, and Nick became your partner.

You two quickly became close, like a brother-sister relationship. He told you about his issues with Maria, you were the first (and only one) to know when him and Amanda became a thing. So, obviously, you told him your secret.

“This is Tomas,” you told Nick, as you were showing him a picture of an 8-year-old boy. “My son,” you added. “Don’t bother counting, I did give birth to him when I was 17.”

“He’s cute. Looks a lot like you,” Nick smiled at you. “Nobody in the squad know?” he asked.

“Cragen does. But he’s our Captain and it’s in my file. But the rest, nope,”

“Why not?”

You told him more about your debut in the police. At first, you did hide the fact that you were a mom. But you quickly realized that your coworkers and others were judging you. People took you as immature, non-serious, and some guy actually pictured you as an easy girl. You hated every second of your debut. So, when you joined the bomb squad, you decided to make your son a secret. It’s much better this way.

Olivia learned about your son when she took Cragen’s place. A part of her was surprised, but another wasn’t. She saw you with kids, you do have that mother instinct. And of course, she promised that nobody would know about Tom.

Working with the SVU squad wasn’t an evidence for Rafael Barba. Nick gave him hard time for no apparent reasons, Amanda wasn’t a fan of him. Fin didn’t care much. But luckily, Olivia welcomed him nicely and then there was you. You were sweet to him, kind. You asked him if you whether call him “Rafael” or “Barba” – “Your choice,” he answered. You ask him how he’s doing every time you see him. You usually bring him a coffee when you stopped by his office.

You’re nice, gorgeous, young, smart, badass… it didn’t take long for Rafael to get interested in you. More than just as coworker. But this couldn’t be happening, so he started to stay away from you as much as possible. At first, it was easy since Rafael only sees you as a detective. He doesn’t know anything about you outside of the office, only that you have Swedish origins from your father. He doesn’t want to know more. He doesn’t need to.

But despite himself, he overheard conversations between you and Nick every now and then. When the name “Tom” came back multiple times, Rafael assumed you had a boyfriend. Good. This should make things easier.

For two years working together, you and Rafael had a normal work relationship. He kept his crush under-wrap, seeing people every now and then, when the thought of you was too much. Sometimes it was one-night stands, sometimes a bit more. But he never kept seeing the same person for more than two months. That’s when people want to make things more permanent. Rafael doesn’t want that.

Keeping you at arm’s length was perfect for him. He couldn’t let you in. He wasn’t open for a serious relationship, and he felt like you could turn his world upside down if he let you in.

He almost did when Nick got shot. You were very worried for your partner, Rafael almost hugged you when you started to cry in front of him. But Liv called at the same point, so he didn’t. And then Nick left SVU, and New York. His departure hurt you a lot, for a moment, Rafael thought you two had some kind of an intimate relationship. But he remembered a conversation you two had.

“Hey Barba, we’re going out for drinks. Wanna join?” you casually asked.

“What’s the occasion?”

“Okay, first, do you need an occasion to go out for drinks? And second, it’s just that Nick needs to get his mind off the breakup,”

“So, it’s definitely over between him and his wife?”

“Yeah, she’s moving to DC with Zara. He’s not doing great,”

“But he can always count on his other partner,” Rafael said, without thinking.

You chuckled, “What does that mean?”

“You two are—close,” Hopefully, it didn’t sound like jealousy. Which it actually was.

“Amanda is the one he slept with, not me. I’d rather sleep with you,” you left right after.

This was months ago, but Rafael still couldn’t believe you said that. He tried not to overthink about it, but he couldn’t. Was this just a joke? Were you just trying to prove a point? Or did you see him as more than just a coworker? He considered trying to explore this, but before he found the courage to do something about it, Sonny Carisi joined the squad and became your partner.

You missed Nick a lot, but you welcomed Sonny with open arms, unlike the others at first. He will forever be thankful about that. It didn’t take long for Rafael to see that you had a bond with Sonny, just like the bond you had with Nick. Maybe more. Liv told him a few times that being partners when you’re a cop is very special. He understands that, but it doesn’t he likes it when it comes to you.

Few months after Sonny join in, Rafael heard the name Tom again. You must have to Sonny about your boyfriend. Since he didn’t hear that name for months, he assumed that you two had broken up. But apparently not. Meaning that there’s nothing romantic with Carisi, but you still have a boyfriend. So, Rafael tried to forget what you told him and kept trying to convince himself that what he’s feeling for you isn’t love.

More months went by. It was obvious for Rafael that Carisi had a thing for you. He didn’t like it, but there’s nothing he can do. But he kept turning down all of your offers when the squad met up for drinks. He didn’t need that. He didn’t want to know the you outside work.

One day, he showed up to the precinct. No one was nowhere to be find. He spotted a gift wrapped on your desk. Curious, he took a closer look. There was a card. He looked around, still no one. So, he tried to take a look at the card.

“That’s very noisy of you, counselor,” he heard for behind. You. He jumped from the surprise, let go of the card.

“A box on a detective’s desk. Had to be sure it wasn’t a bomb,” he said, trying to keep a straight face. You laughed at his excuse.

“Would love to see your reaction if you saw a bomb,” you said, with a smile on your face. Apparently, you aren’t mad, so that’s good.

“I’d rather not,” he shyly smiled at you. “What would your reaction be?”

“Considering that I’ve been there before, I would keep my calm and do my best to defuse it,” you said before walking to the coffee area. Rafael analyzed your words for a moment before joining you.

“Come again?”

“Spent two years with the bomb squad before joining SVU,” you casually said, handing him the cup of coffee you just poured.

In four years, this was the first personal information you gave him. He almost couldn’t believe it.

“I—I didn’t know,”

“Well, yeah. We never talked about anything else than our cases,”

“True,” he took a sip. “And why would that be? In your opinion,”

“Because you don’t like me,”

You had poured another cup for yourself and walked up straight to your desk after those words. You sat, grabbed the gift to put it aside and started to look at something on your computer. Rafael was stunned for a moment but joined you again. He closed your laptop, and leaned against your desk, right next to you. He had never been this physically close to you before.

“Why in the world would you think that?” He asked.

“We’ve been working together for four years, Barba. Not once, did you show some kind of interest in me. You’re best friends with Liv, you tolerate Amanda, you’re courteous with Fin. Hell, you gave hard time to Sonny for the first year but now you agreed for him to shadow you. But me? I feel like you wish I wasn’t here,”

Rafael stayed silent for a moment, analyzing your words. Indeed, he tried to keep his distance with you, but he never thought it made you feel that way. He felt very bad about himself.

“But hey, no problem, okay? We’ve been able to make it work that way for years, there’s no reasons we can’t keep going,”

“You’re very wrong—about everything, Y/N.”

“Then what is it?” You locked your sweet blue eyes into his. For a moment, he was afraid you may see all the love he has for you in his eyes. What reasonable excuse could he tell you? His mind raced. But thankfully, the rest of the squad came back at that moment.

“Barba, Y/N. Are you interrupting?” Rollins smiled.

“Nope,” Rafael stood up right and followed Liv into her office. You watched him leave. No answer. Again.

The gift was actually from Sonny, but it wasn’t for you. It’s for Tomas, who’s now 13 years old. The father left when you told him you were pregnant (he was a bit older) and never saw him again. You raised Tom by yourself, with the full support of your parents, luckily. Your son showed up his interest in makeup and esthetic about a year ago. You completely support him in his passion, brought him whatever he needed/wanted.

Sonny went shopping with his 16 years old niece Mia during the weekend and she wanted to go to the Sephora. He asked her what he could offer to Tomas.

“Uncle Sonny. Are you trying to seduce the mother by being so nice to the son?” Mia asked with a smirk on her face.

“Okay, first, I wouldn’t need to do that. And second, it’s just that—it’s not easy to be different. I just want him to know that he can count on me,”

“Like you wished you could count on someone when you realized you were bisexual?”

Sonny looked at his niece with wide eyes. He still isn’t out to his family. How could she know? “Last year, I figured that this Sam you talked about wasn’t a she but a he. And--I’m bi, too, Uncle Sonny.”

That’s a lot to process in two minutes, while he is standing in the middle of a makeup store.

“There’s nothing wrong with that…right?” Mia added.

“Oh, of course not, sweetheart!” He immediately answered. “When did you know?”

“I was sure when I fell in love with a girl, a few months ago,” she confessed.

Sonny hugged his niece and kissed her hair. “What’s her name? I’d love to meet her,”

“Joy. And that would be nice. I’m so happy I finally told you,”

“I’ll never judge you. And I’ll always be there for you,”

In the squad, you were the only one Sonny came out to. Which makes the two of you even closer.

After the gift “incident”, you and Rafael didn’t talk again for weeks. To be fair, he was trying to avoid you. He almost confessed his feelings for you and that can’t be happening. After this, Rafael decided to call back a woman he used to see. She’s beautiful, smart, nice and wants the same things he does. Exactly what he needs.

He never wanted to talk about his personal life at work, but one day, you showed up in his office. Rafael was on the phone, his back to the door. He didn’t hear you come in, so he kept making plans with Judith. You listened, and felt your chest tightened.

Before he hung up, Rafael heard the door of his office closing. He turned around; nobody was there but he saw you walking out through the blinds. You had heard and walked away.

When Rafael told you, you were wrong about your assumptions, you thought that maybe he was feeling the same way you did. Turns out, you were wrong.

It was Tom’s 14th birthday. You helped him planned an afternoon party. He told you he invited about 10 friends.

But no one showed up. Your son didn’t feel ashamed about his passion - thanks to you and Sonny, mostly - but apparently, his “friends” didn’t like it.

“Baby, why didn’t you tell me they were bullying you? On Monday I’ll go see your principal,”

“Exactly for this. If you do this, it’s gonna be worse. Maybe I should stop,”

“Stop what? Doing something you like? Not under my watch, T. Those kids are just the reflections of their close-minded parents,”

“Yeah, but at least people show up to their birthday parties,”

It broke your heart to see your son like this. You needed to fix this. You need to see your son happy. All day, every day. You went to the bathroom and called Sonny.

“Sonny, I need you,” you said when he answered. “Short things first, those stupid kids didn’t show up to T’s party. There’s no one here. Can you come? With Mia? And Joy? I’m gonna call Liv, see if she can come with Noah,”

“I’m with Mike right now so he’ll be with me. Call Fin too, we’ll stop by Amanda’s to pick her and Jesse,”

“Okay, that’s great, thanks Sonny,”

“Of course. Tom will remember his 14th birthday I promise. Why don’t you call Barba too?”

“Why in the world would I do that?”

“It would be rude not to. Don’t you think?”

“I guess. I’ll see. Can you be there in about an hour?”

You call Liv and she agreed, same for Fin. But Sonny was right, you had to call Rafael.

“Barba,” he answered.

“Hey, it’s Y/N. Sorry to bother you on Saturday afternoon. Um—if you aren’t busy, what do you think about stopping by my son’s birthday? It’s kinda unfair, but stupid kids didn’t show up. I call everyone, they’re all coming. But hey, don’t feel obligated. You don’t have to if you don’t—“

“Okay,” he answered before you could finish your monologue.

“Okay?” You repeated.

“Yeah. When should I be there? And how old is he?”

“I said an hour to everyone. And if you’re asking his age to buy him a gift, don’t bother. Right now, all he needs is people to be there to celebrate,”

“Y/N, don’t make me argue please. How old is your son?”

“14.”

“Okay, thanks. See you in an hour then. Text me the address, please,”

“See you, Rafael,”

Rafael tried to stay calm and natural in front of Judith, but there were some many things in his head right now. Since he went to the bedroom to answer your call, he lied to the woman he was with, pretending a work emergency to leave.

You have a kid. A teenage kid, actually. A quick count made him realized you gave birth when you were 17. Many things made sense now. He needs confirmation but it seems clear that, this Tom he heard about, is actually your son, and not your boyfriend like he assumed.

How could he not know about this? You’ve been working together for almost five years now. He really kept his distance with you. But somehow, he still fell hard for you.

“Hey Liv, I got a call from Y/N. I’d like to buy a little something for her son, do you have any idea?”

“Well, do you know anything about makeup?”

“I beg your pardon?”

Liv laughed. “Where are you? I can pick you up and we stop by a store to buy him something,”

“Okay, I trust you on that.”

An hour later, everybody was there. You welcomed them as they arrived. “If he doesn’t like it, that’s on Liv,” Rafael joked as he handed you the gift he had for your son.

“Nope. That’s on that sells woman that was clearly hitting on you,” Liv interjected.

“She wasn’t— okay, she was. But not my type,”

“Yeah, and Judith probably wouldn’t like it,”

“I don’t know about that. And she doesn’t need to know anyway,” he smiled.

Tom’s mood improved when he saw Mia and Joy. You and Sonny introduced them months ago and Tomas is crazy about them.

“What happened to your face?” Mia asked and Tom frowned. “No makeup, seriously T?” She added, before taking him by the hand.

“Wait—“ you stopped them before they reached the bedroom. “Tomas, meet Mike and Rafael, first. They are the only ones you haven’t met yet,”

It made sense that Tom hadn’t met Mike yet, since he joined SVU a couple of months ago. But yeah, it stings to Rafael. Five years. And he didn’t know.

“You look like a cop,” he said Mike, “but you don’t,” he then said to Rafael.

“Cause I’m not. I’m an ADA, Assistant Dis—“

“I know what it is,” he cut him. “Thank you for coming,”

“Can we do his makeup now?” Mia called out and the three of them — adding Jesse who wanted to go too — disappeared in the bedroom for a moment.

“Thanks, guys, for showing up this quick. It’s a mess,” you sadly said. “T told me that he’s being bullied at school because he loves makeup, lets his hair grow. Apparently, they are calling him a sissy,” your jaw clenched. Rafael saw the mama bear in you. “He doesn’t want me to interfere. But maybe I should anyway,”

“You’re here for him. We all are, that’s what he needs,” Sonny said, wrapping his arm around your shoulders to bring you comfort. Rafael tried to avoid the jealousy in his belly.

Opening gifts arrived fast. Everyone brought him something, mostly makeup stuff. Sonny actually got him an appointment in a famous hair salon in Manhattan. Now that his hair is long enough, Tom mentioned wanting to get a real haircut. Mike listened to Sonny’s advices for his gift.

“This is from Nick,” Liv said as she gave Tom a gift. “He wants you to call later,”

“Mom!! That’s two tickets for California!” Tomas exclaimed before reading the note. “And he’s offering me surfing lessons! When are we going? Before—“

“Soon, my love.” You said before he could finish his sentence.

Then came Rafael’s gift. “You can return it if you don’t like,” he said. But Tom’s face lit up when he saw what it was.

“Mom!!!” He showed you the gift, with a huge grin on his face.

“Wow! You finally got it,” you returned his smile and moved a little to stand by Rafael’s side.

“Thank you so much, Rafael!” Tom stood up and hugged the ADA. Some affection Rafael didn’t expect.

“He’s been bugging me for this palette for weeks. I told him to wait because it’s damn expensive,” you whispered to Rafael.

“It’s okay. I’m glad he likes it,” he just answered.

Tomas was thrilled with all of his gifts. It feels good that with those people, he doesn’t have to hide himself, who he is and what he loves. Later, you noticed that Rafael setback from the others. You stood next to him.

“You’re not mad about the gift, are you?” He asked, before you could say anything.

“A little, to be honest,”

“I can pay for that,”

“I know. I see your clothes every day. But that’s not the point,”

“Then what is the point?”

“For the first five years of his life, I couldn’t buy him things. All the toys he had were gifts from my parents— when I made better money, I spoiled him. For years. And now, he’s a very smart teenage boy but he doesn’t necessarily have the value of money. Which I’m trying to teach him. And you showed up with this hella expensive palette, Nick got him plane tickets and surfing lessons. Even the appointment Sonny got him is expensive. That’s not helping,”

“Great,” he smiled, and you shot him a glare, “you’re not actually mad at me, but more at yourself,”

“Don’t do this. You’re not a parent, Rafael,”

“Indeed,” he took a deep breath, “And how come did I do not know you were one?”

“This will just bring us back to our convo from February, don’t you think? And we both know how it ended,”

“We were interrupted,”

“And you’ve been avoiding me ever since,”

So, you noticed that. You always noticed things. He hates that about you. He intensely looked at you, not knowing what to say exactly.

“But don’t worry, Barba, you won’t have to use force for that anymore,” you gently patted his shoulder and joined the others. “My love, do you mind if I steal your thunder for a moment?” You asked your son.

“Nope. Are you going to tell them?”

You looked at Liv for approval and signed Rafael to come closer, which he did. Everybody waited for you to talk. “I—I’m leaving SVU,” you said. There were gasps, widen eyes and Sonny choked on his beer. “Don’t die yet, Sonny. I haven’t finished,” you paused. “It’s no secret that my father was born in Sweden and move here after he fell in love with my mum,”

That, Rafael did know. You talked about your Swedish origins. “After my mum died, my father moved back there. And he’s been bugging us to come with him and considering I’ve always promised this one,” you said, playing with Austin’s hair, “that we would try to live there for a while, I’m actually taking a sabbatical. And next month, we’re flying to Sweden. But we’ll stop by California first, apparently,”

Only Liv knew. So, it came as a shock to everyone else.

The mood changed after that. They were all happy but also sad to see you and Tom leave. Mostly Sonny. It was very rare to witness a silent Sonny Carisi, but this was it. One by one, people started to leave the party. Mia and Joy took your son to the bowling alley. Rafael wanted to be the last so he could have a talk with you, but apparently, Sonny had the same thing in mind.

Rafael was helping you cleaning up the apartment when you noticed Sonny, on your small balcony. “How long has he been there?” You asked Rafael, who just raised his shoulders, clearly annoyed. You joined Sonny, not knowing that Rafael could hear everything you two were talking about.

“You okay there, Sonshine?” Sonny chuckled.

“A bit stunned, I guess.” He said, not looking at you.

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I—I was afraid to tell you,”

“Why?”

“Because of what happened a few months ago. Because I’m scared to leave you. Because—I was afraid to change my mind after I told you,”

He finally looked at you. “I’ll never hold you back, Y/N. You know that? You talk so much about Sweden, so does Tom. I’m not completely surprised,”

“Under different circumstances—“ you said, letting the silence says the rest. Sonny turned to his side, so he was facing you.

“I was okay with being your second choice, Y/N, as long as you chose me. But you’re also leaving to be away from him, aren’t you?”

You nodded. “I don’t want to promise you anything, Sonny. But maybe—after that year away—“

He knew what you meant. Sonny put his hand on your cheek, softly caressing your skin with his thumb. Before he could lean in to kiss you, you both heard the balcony window opening. Rafael was standing there. “Who’s your first choice, Y/N?” He just asked. Sonny loudly sighed and turned his back to the lawyer.

“Not important, Rafael.”

“Por favor— answer me.”

“You, idiot,” Sonny muttered, still looking over Manhattan.

“Can—can you come inside for a moment, please?” Rafael asked.

“Don’t worry, I’m leaving,” Sonny said, and turned around to kiss your forehead, “Don’t make anything stupid. Call me,” he kissed your forehead again and walked past Rafael to leave.

“Great timing, Barba,” you sighed.

“I—I don’t understand,” he struggled to say.

“You may be a smart-ass lawyer but when it comes to relationships, you’re very dumb,”

“How long have you—?”

“Been in love with you? About three years. Somehow, the more you pushed me away, the more it made me fall,”

“I pushed you away only because I was scared. Scared of the things I feel for you,”

“You can’t—you can’t confess your love to me as I’m leaving the States, Rafael. That’s not fair,”

“If I don’t do it now, when am I supposed to do it? Over the phone while you’re in Sweden? Or when you come back and choose Carisi?” He paused. “Did you guys sleep together or something?”

“Definitely none of your business,” you said. “And you had five years. Five fucking years, during which all you did was making me feel like a burden for you,”

“I—I never meant to do that. I’m sorry,”

“It’s too late, Rafael. I’m leaving anyway,”

“I’ll wait for you if you ask me to,”

“I’m not. Just like I won’t ask that to Sonny,”

“Then—what? What do we do?”

“Nothing. I’m leaving with my boy in a few weeks, maybe I’ll come back next year, or maybe I won’t. And everybody goes on with their life,”

“Are you saying that I missed my shot with you?”

“Probably,”

This will be hard to swallow. Rafael probably never will, to be honest. But one thing is sure, he couldn’t miss his last chance to kiss you. He closed the gap between your bodies, and slowly put his hands on each side of your face. Since you weren’t pushing him away, he took it as a permission and leaned in to kiss you. He softly put his lips on yours. Right here, right now, on your balcony, nothing else mattered but you and him.

Things escalated quickly. The kiss got more intense, and you used force to make him step back into your apartment. Still kissing each other, Rafael slid his hands on your butt and your legs, gently squeezing to signal you to jump in his arms, which you did. He pulled away briefly, just to ask you which one was your bedroom.

He laid you down on the bed, clothes quickly fly across the room. This probably wouldn’t change a thing, but Rafael made love to you as if his life depends on it.

Indeed, it didn’t change a thing. Two weeks later, you and Tomas flew to California, spent two weeks there with Nick, before flying to Sweden.

Part two, anyone?

[nationalharryleague]

Work of Art

Pairing: Harry Styles x Reader

Genre: AU, Artist!Harry, fluff, angst if you squint

Word count: 4K

A/N: Hi everyone! This is my entry for @hsogolden​ ’s AU writing challenge! Check out their blog they are incredibly talented!!! ALSO, a MASSIVE thank you and shoutout to the lovely Miss Lu, @harrysgucciloafers​!!! I could have never done it without her!! Thank you so much for reading and remember, feedback is so so so appreciated!!! You can also send requests to my ask anytime!! I hope you enjoy :) More of my writing can be found in my masterlist :) 

***

Sleep was fleeting and you remained staring at your popcorn ceiling in your shitty apartment for longer than you would have liked. It was later than you would have liked when your phone buzzed and lit up the ceiling of your bedroom. Knowing sleep was still far off, you rolled over and examined the text from an unknown number, the bright screen blinding you in the process.

Hi, I was thinking of you today. I thought I would show you this piece that I made of you. Hope you’re doing well. Hx, attached was a slightly blurry photo of a beautiful painting of a woman.

The woman in the painting was made up of beautiful bright colors, her skin a mix of green, blue, and purple tones. Her eyes were a bright and captivating cerulean, standing out behind wide framed glasses, and she wore an intriguing and knowing smirk on her lips. Her hair fell down in blunt bangs over her forehead and framed her heart shaped face. She was young, looking to be only a little bit older than you.

The painting was captivating. It was crafted with such bright tones, using color blocking that blended the abstract with some elements of realism. It felt like someone poured all of their emotion and adoration or hurt (you couldn’t decide which) into it. You couldn’t decide if the artist loved or hated this figure staring back at you. One thing you knew was that whoever texted you was incredibly talented and had obviously dedicated so much time to this piece. You felt awful that it hadn’t reached its intended destination.

Um… Wrong number, you typed out, feeling a pang of sympathy for whoever ‘H’ was.

Oh… okay. Sorry to bother you., your phone screen lit up again.

Your art is beautiful, you quickly sent back, attempting to offer some sort of consolation to the mystery artist. Sorry I’m not who you wanted to talk to.

Don’t worry about it. Just looking for someone from a lifetime ago.

That last part kept you up for most of the night. You couldn’t stop thinking about what that could mean. Old friend? Estranged relative? Another artist? You let your mind dream up Oscar-worthy scenarios until you finally fell asleep.

***

“Please come to Scott’s art show with me,” Grace whined from across the table at your favorite coffee shop. Grace was your best friend from college and hadn’t figured out to get rid of you yet.

“You know how I feel about your shitty boyfriend and his shitty art,” you fired back. Scott was a pretentious “artist” who made “ironic” misogynistic sculptures and frequently “forgot” to pay Grace back for his share of rent. You hated his guts.

“I promise I’m going to break up with him soon. I just need to get to the end of the month so I get my money’s worth for rent,” she assured you. “By the way, I’m going to need some help moving out at the end of the month,” she mentioned nonchalantly. You let out a chuckle at her and playfully rolled your eyes.

“I will go to the show with you on one condition.”

“Anything.”

“You’ll hold my hand.”

A few hours later you walked into the modern and cold art show space, holding onto Grace’s hand for dear life, feeling unwelcome in this environment. Grace blended in easily, her bright blue hair and arms of tattoos suiting her well.  The edgiest thing you had ever done was getting your nose pierced… until your grandma threw a fit and your mom made you take it out. You were not an artist and you did not feel welcome in the art community, or at least the type of artists that hang out with Scott. You worked in an office, you dressed plainly and simply, and you didn’t think there was anything special about yourself. You were strikingly ordinary, a sharp contrast from most other people in the gallery. You felt like an outsider because you were one.

Walking around the gallery, you hung onto Grace while examining and appreciating the artwork. You took careful steps, as if to not take attention away from the paintings on the walls and spent time examining each piece as you moved through the room. As you moved from wall to wall, your eyes fell on a strikingly familiar painting. The same girl with the bright blue eyes and the bangs stared back at you, the devilish smirk still playing upon her lips like she knew you had met before.

Releasing Grace’s hand, you all but ran up to the painting in question, trying to take in all the details that didn’t translate over the slightly grainy photo on your phone. The painting took on a life of its own up close. The paint itself was layered thick and thin across the canvas creating a rough texture that made the girl come alive. You were half waiting for her to make eye contact with her captivating baby blues and start staring back at you. You felt like you could reach inside the canvas and hold the beautiful woman’s face in your hands.

“Do you like it?” a deep British voice asked after clearing their throat behind you.

“Oh, it’s so beautiful,” you murmured, still staring at the green and purple woman. It took you a moment to rip yourself away from her piercing eyes and look towards the voice, only to turn around and find an even more captivating set.

They were bright green and belonged to a tall, dark haired man that was breathtaking. He had chocolate brown curls that seemed to be sticking in every direction, like a purposefully perfect bedhead, and stubble that moved up his jaw and down his neck. He had plushy pink lips framing his bright smile and his two front teeth came down the tiniest bit too far. He was wearing a white tshirt that was painted to his fit body as it was a size too small for him, showing off his arms of tattoos, and a pair of orange corduroy flares. His ensemble was topped off with a pearl necklace. He arched a brow when your mouth hung open slightly, trying to take all of him in.

“The painting is gorgeous,” you eventually were able to spit out. “I feel like I know her.”

“I’m glad that I was able to create something so captivating,” he smiled at you. So he was the one that painted it, meaning he was the one who had texted it to you. After getting over the initial shock, you gave yourself an internal high five for having this guy’s number. “Harry,” he introduced himself, reaching out a perfectly manicured hand to shake yours. “Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Y/N,” you smiled back, debating if you should tell him that you had kind of met before. It felt creepy to tell him, like you were some sort of voyer on an intimate part of his life. “I love her. Can you tell me a little bit more about it?” you asked. You had to figure out if it was worth being creepy about.

“So did I,” he said with a light chuckle. “She’s someone that I used to know,” he elaborated looking over your shoulder, surely making eye contact with the woman. Maybe you were reading into it too closely, but you thought a flash of hurt passed across his features.

“Do you always paint mysterious people from your past?” you teased, wanting to break the slightly awkward silence and also willing to do anything to talk to him further.

“Actually, I’m mainly a landscape painter,” he smiled at the ground, hands shoved deep in his pockets. Looking back at Harry’s wall of paintings you realized that the girl was the only person on the wall, flanked by beautiful landscape paintings depicting all different areas of the world. You quickly picked your favorite, a monochromatic green scene of the Eiffel tower.

After you asked if he traveled a lot to paint, the conversation began to flow. You strolled around the mainly empty studio space, footsteps falling in sync, him teaching you about his paintings and you asking questions, desperate to learn anything you could from him and just wanting to hear that beautiful accent. You learned he grew up in Cheshire and moved to New York for school and never left, but he travelled to Europe often to see his family and to paint. He told you about how his ultimate goals in life were to have one of his pieces in the Museum of Modern Art and to find his soulmate. He was a hopeless yet hopeful romantic. He also had two cats, Evie and Stevie (the latter was obviously named after Stevie Nicks).

He was so beautiful. He had this magical twinkle in his eye that you just couldn’t get over. He looked like he was one of the sculptors’ in the room’s life work. He was just as much of a piece of art as anything on display in the studio.

When the crowd started to thin, Grace came and found you, still rolling her eyes from something stupid Scott had said, him trailing not far behind. “Hi my love,” she greeted you, kissing your cheek casually as always. “We were getting ready to head out but I can see you’ve made a friend.”

“Harry is the artist behind all these amazing paintings,” gesturing to the long wall displaying his artwork. “This is my best friend Grace,” you said, turning back to him. “And that’s her soon to be ex-boyfriend, Scott,” you laughed and pointed to him staring at a blank white canvas in the corner that was obviously not part of the exhibition.

“Wait,” he began, shaking his head and laughing, pointing accusingly between the two of you. “You two aren’t together?”

“What? No!”

“It’s just that you were holding hands for a while when you came in and then she called you ‘love,’ and then kissed your cheek,” he continued laughing, his cheeks a bright red. It was adorable. You felt your cheeks heat up just as bright red as his.

“Oh my god, no.” You broke out into a fit of giggles of your own.

“Well, in that case, would you like to grab a drink or something sometime?”

***

You decided to order a martini when you got to the bar the next night. You thought it would make you look fancy and you hoped it would impress your worldly date. You had put on your favorite red dress (the one that hugged you in all the right spots and hid the wrong ones), praying he would dress up like you did, and slid carefully onto the barstool. Bouncing your knee nervously, you sipped your drink slowly until you saw his well dressed figure enter the bar, making your heart skip a beat.

He was dressed in high-waisted wide-legged tan pants and a bright red cardigan printed with small white hearts that was held together in the front by a single button, leaving his chest and signature pearl necklace on display. His chest tattoos were now slightly visible, the faces of two swallows looking back at you, as well as what you thought might be some sort of antennae peeking up from his stomach. He also wore an award winning smile and shot you a wink when he spotted you from the entrance of the bar. Once again, he took your breath away.

“Hello darling,” he greeted you as he made his way over. You began to panic when he started leaning into you, relieved when his lips found their way to your cheek and quickly moved to the other. When he kissed your cheeks, it sent sparks through your body. Oh my god, he is so British, you squealed inside your head, unable to suppress your American excitement. “I like your color choice,” he smirked looking between your outfits of almost the exact same red. You could only hope your cheeks didn’t match as well.

“Great minds dress alike,” you remarked, earning a laugh from the gorgeous man in front of you. Turns out, your joke was enough to break the ice. Soon the conversation began to flow freely, without anxiety or trepidation, like you were a pair of souls reunited after lifetimes apart. You were two martinis in when you decided to break the news that the art gallery was not the first time you had spoken.

“I think I have to break something to you,” you giggled, everything seeming a little funny after a few drinks, “the art show was not the first time we met.” His eyebrows knit together in slight confusion so you decided to elaborate. “The night before the show you sent a picture of that painting to a wrong number, and that wrong number was me. I promise it was all a coincidence and I am not stalking you.” You held your breath while you waited a moment with bated breath for a reaction from him, but released the stress that had found its way into your shoulders when his smile returned to his lips.

“I knew you had more interest in Amelia than most people,” he chuckled. Amelia, you repeated to yourself, now having a name for the face of your mystery woman.

“When Grace dragged me to that studio and I saw her again, I just had to know more. But then I met you and got a little distracted,” you flirted, “accidentally” nudging his leg with the point of your stiletto.

“I’m glad I’m just a distraction to you,” he feigned offense, clutching his pearl necklace with the hand that wasn’t hanging onto his neat tequila.

“Meeting you tonight was actually just an elaborate ruse to learn more about your Amelia,” you sarcastically confessed, sending him back one of the winks he had been shooting you all night. Your wink wasn’t met with his typical laugh, but a slightly pained smile that didn’t reach his eyes. You worried you had hit a nerve.

“She’s not my Amelia anymore. Actually, I don’t think she ever was,” he spoke gently, taking a sip of his drink and breaking eye contact for what felt like the first time tonight. Oh no oh no oh no, you began to panic in your head. What did this woman do to him?  

“I once had an ex tell me they had cancer so I wouldn’t break up with them,” you offered, forcing a laugh and praying you could brighten up his mood again. Thankfully, it worked, bringing back the crinkles by his eyes that appeared whenever he smiled or laughed.

You breathed a sigh of relief when the rest of the night went smoothly. It was better than smooth actually, it felt easy and exciting. Harry made your heart sing and your stomach flutter. He was a perfect gentleman, walking you all the way home (even when he lived on the other side of the city) and even up to your apartment, insisting he needed to make sure you made it inside safe.

The pair of you were standing in front of your front door when he leaned in and pressed his blushed lips to yours. He tasted like the lime that sat on the rim of his drunk and smelled like shampoo and vanilla. Every hair on your body stood up on point and everywhere he touched you felt like your skin lit on fire; you never wanted this moment to end. He gently held your face and you could feel his lips turn into a smile as he pulled away, his beautiful green eyes meeting yours once again.

“I had a really good time tonight,” he breathed, unable to wipe the smile off his face.

“I think we should do this again,” you said, still catching the breath that he took away.

“I promise you’ll be hearing from me soon. I already have your number,” he chuckled, still beaming. You watched as he walked down the hallway away from you, winking and blowing you a kiss before turning the corner. As soon as you entered the apartment, you slid down your front door, dizzy from the haze he had created in your head. You couldn’t wait to see him again.

***

After that night, you couldn’t believe someone like him kept coming back to someone like you. You insisted you were too boring for someone who had such an incredible personality and background. Yet three months later, he was yours and you were his.

You spent almost all your nights together, crammed into one of your small New York City apartments, wrapped in each other’s arms and hypothetically solving the world’s problems. You had learned in this time that Harry was incredibly intelligent and well spoken, no matter how long it took him to get his words out due to his slow cadence. In your conversations, you had come to the agreement that most of the world’s problems could be solved with a little empathy and that green was definitely the best color.

Tonight you laid naked in his bed, your head resting just above your favorite butterfly, and played with his fingers as you listened to him speak about postmodernism and how it rocked the art world. You didn’t understand a thing he was going on about but you loved to hear him speak, his voice vibrating through his chest and how he pulled on his bottom lip when he was thinking. You scanned the studio apartment from his bed, trying to pay attention but losing that battle. The floor was littered with finished and unfinished paintings leaning up against the walls and you noticed one familiar face you had grown fond of was missing.

“Where did your painting of Amelia go?” you asked when he took a second to breathe during his diatribe.

“I sold it,” he said curtly.  You hadn’t talked much more about Amelia after that first night, the woman obviously being a sore spot, but you couldn’t help but wonder what happened.

“Oh, okay. I liked that painting a lot,” you spoke cautiously, trying not to hit whatever nerve you had previously.

“It was nice, but I think she should haunt someone else now,” he said with a sigh. Haunt?, you thought to yourself.

“H,” you began, rolling yourself off him to look him in the eye, “can I ask what happened with her?” You held your breath, afraid you might lose him to the heartbreak again.

“Don’t worry about her, she’s long gone.”

“Harry,” you lightly scolded him by using his full name which you rarely did, thinking back to when you agreed not to keep anything for each other. With a sigh, he began to speak.

“I was with her for a couple months last year and when I look back at it, it was really messy. We fought all the time and kept a lot from each other. But I had my rose colored glasses on and I would go as far as saying I was probably in love with her. I was even looking for engagement rings.” You felt a pang of jealousy within you at the idea of Harry loving anyone else. “That was until I found out that she already had a husband.”

Your heart broke for him after your initial shock, resting your hand on his warm cheek in an attempt to soothe him. He didn’t seem sad recounting the story or at the mention of her like he was before; he was now dealing with the remaining hurt of rejection.

“I painted her while I was still really mad,” he continued. “My original plan was to send it to her husband and tell him what had happened. But I decided that three lives didn’t need to be ruined instead of one. And then I was just kinda stuck with the painting. I thought selling it was a good way to get her out of my life and it’s more productive than lighting it on fire,” he finally said with a light chuckle.

A lot made sense all of a sudden. You now understood why Harry always got a little jealous when he saw other guys looking at you. He would loop an arm around your waist and press a kiss to your cheek while he stared them down. He thought you didn’t notice but you always did. You also understood why he was so open with you about how much he cared about you. It was a good thing you were equally as obsessed with him.

“I’m sorry, H. You didn’t deserve to go through all of that,” you said softly after a moment, unsure of what else you could offer.

“It’s okay. We grow from our past,” he shrugged. “And if I hadn’t painted her, I wouldn’t have found you,” he smiled sweetly, pulling you back into him and pressing his lips onto yours.

***

“Oh my goodness, what are you doing?” you giggled when Harry asked you to close your eyes.

“I have something to show you. Please close your eyes,” he asked again.

“What if I don’t want to close my eyes?” you teased, poking the dimple in his cheek caused by his cheeky grin. He rolled his eyes and began his plea again.

“Close your eyes, please. Do it.”

You gave in this time, closing your eyes and letting your heart flutter in anticipation. Harry knew you loved surprises and often took advantage of that fact. You felt him gently rest his cupped hands over your eyes, obviously not trusting you to not peak (he probably shouldn’t). He pressed himself to your back, urging you to make your way further into his apartment.

“Styles, if you let me walk into something, I swear to god,” you continued your giggling, overcome with excitement. Harry mumbled an ‘Oh, hush,’ in your ear before he stopped you both and lifted his hands away.

Your breath caught in your throat as you took it in. The painting was in Harry’s signature style, layered bright colors and varied textures across the canvas. Staring back was your own face, painted in a bright red monochrome with the exception of the color of your eyes that remained the same. You were posed with a bright smile that crinkled the skin by your eyes and you were wearing the red dress that you had worn that first night at the bar.

“Harry, oh my god. It’s so beautiful,” you managed to get out, still in shock.

“I know you don’t think you are, but are the most extraordinary person I’ve ever met. I wouldn’t want anyone else in the world to be my muse.” You felt as if you could explode or melt with the amount of love you had for this man. You held him up on such a pedestal, and now you knew he did the same for you. “From the moment I saw you, I thought you were a work of art. So, I thought I’d actually make you into one.”

Your cheeks burned from the smile you couldn’t shake if you wanted to and you felt yourself get a little teary eyed. You felt as if you had spent the majority of your life thinking you were nothing special and just another person walking down the street. Harry made you feel like you were the center of the universe. You wanted to love yourself like Harry loved you; like you loved him.

“I love you,” you blurted, small tears rolling down your face, wiped away by Harry’s talented hands.

“I love you too,” he murmured softly, pulling your body to his. “I’ll always have your face hung up high in my gallery.”

There she is!! I hope you enjoyed it!! You can let me know what you think here!! :) 

[blueskiesandstarrynights]

Willex TGWDLM scene

So this is for @oh-were-califormia who came up with a genius idea for a willex TGWDLM au, and I decided to try my hand at one scene. Yes, I will in fact bend over backwards to include the Hotdog nickname, and yeah maybe I did make Nick HCB, what of it? I have no idea why I did it, but  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Word count: 1082

Okay.

Okay, okay, okay, okay.

Okay, okay

Okay.

This isn’t happening.

This isn’t real.

Alex tries to repeat this to himself now that he is a safe few blocks from the CCRP building, now pacing in a nervous circle thinking about what just happened.

Or what didn’t happen. 

Because this isn’t happening, this isn’t real, how could this be real?

He’s dreaming, or hallucinating or something. There’s no way Mr. Davidson actually started singing about how he wanted to-

Nope, gonna cut himself off right there, definitely don’t want to be thinking about that.

Okay, okay, this is a dream.

He needs to wake up.

He needs some coffee.

Yeah, that’s it, just a cup of boring, black, strong coffee to wake him up.

With a plan in motion, Alex sets off to Beanies, and tries to think about the weird things that had happened that day.

Flash mob wasn’t a bad idea, like Luke had suggested earlier, but the lack of backing music was unnerving to him, and whatever happened with Mr. Davidson was definitely not a flash mob. 

When he rounded the corner to the street Beanies lay on, he picked up his pace to a sprint, burst through the door, slammed his hand on the counter and yelled, “HELLO? HELLO?? PLEASE GOD I JUST WANT A BLACK COFFEE!!” 

Alex is fully ready to admit that this is not his proudest moment. Between the running and the yelling, and the slamming the counter, he probably looked like a crazed idiot.

Unfortunately, the barista that comes out from behind the counter is singing.

~~~

Willie was not having a good day. For a number of reasons. The screaming customer who just walked in was in no way helping his mood. But, he really should get out there before Fuego starts yelling at him again. He grabs the coffee pot, turns on his customer service face, and starts singing. 

“Black coffee, I’m your coffee-”

“NOOOO! No, not you too Willie please, god, stop singing!”

The barista paused his singing and shot the screaming customer a confused look before recognizing who it was screaming and started smiling. It was Alex, the cute businessman who was a frequent customer, but had only gotten his name yesterday, having frequently only called him Hotdog in his head for weeks now.

A few weeks ago, at their slowest hour, when the only one’s there were himself and some blond kid who drank way too many hot chocolates, a cute businessman had walked in, went straight for the counter, and, through gritted teeth, ordered, “three hotdogs, and a veggie burger.”

Needless to say, he was a little shocked by the request, and had opened and closed his mouth in confusion a couple times before answering, “I’m sorry sir, this is a coffee shop, we don’t sell that here.”

Once again through gritted teeth, the businessman said, “Oh, sorry, I thought you sold things like that here.” and then left. 

Willie ended up spending the next few minutes standing there staring blankly at the wall trying to figure out what just happened. 

The next day, the same businessman was back. He apologized for what happened the day before, explaining he had lost a bet and his friends had told him to go in and say that, and how they were very serious about bets and deals. He apologized once more before a brief bit of awkward silence followed by an even more awkward exit, and from that day, Willie had been calling the strange blond businessman, Hotdog. 

Back in the present, Willie noticed Alex’s urgency and said, “Ok, ok alright I’ll stop singing. Oh, I didn’t forget, you’re the guy who doesn’t like musicals, Alex right?”

Alex gave a short nod before saying, “Willie, you’re talking to me. Like a normal person.”

Willie rolled his eyes, unsure what to do about the kind of crazed look and on edge vibe he got from Alex. “Yeah, and if my boss catches me I’ll get canned. New company policy, not only do we have to sing when people tip, but when they enter, when they order, all the time apparently!”

Alex, still on edge, spits out, “Willie, I think there’s something horribly wrong with the world today.”

Willie gave a short, sarcastic laugh before starting on Alex’s coffee and saying, “Yeah, tell me about it. Dante and Fuego called me in at like 5 am to learn this horrible new tip song, I’m exhausted. I’m just hoping to make it to the end of my shift at 1 and then just sleep for the rest of the day. Also, I don’t know if this is more weird or annoying, but when they weren’t practicing the song, they were talking in perfect sync. I’d probably be more unnerved if I wasn’t half asleep right now. Honestly, I would’ve left this job months ago if I didn’t need the money for community college.”

As Willie finished the coffee and went to hand it to Alex, the latter grabbed his hand and pulled him from behind the counter and across the coffeeshop, before gripping his shoulders and saying, “Ok, Willie, I feel like there’s something sinister, infecting Hatchetfield. And I know this is going to sound crazy. And not very scary. But it is scary if you think about the implications. Promise me you’ll think about the implications.” With each word he said, Alex got more and more desperate, and Willie got more and more worried.

“Ok, ok, I promise.”

“Ok, Willie, I think the world is becoming… a musical.”

Oh no. That did it. We’re officially in crazy territory, and Willie was ready to head back to the counter, which is something he never thought he’d say.

“Um-” he starts, trying to find an excuse to get back.

“Don’t say anything!” Alex interrupted. “Let it sink in.”

“Ok.”

“Now,” Alex grips Willie’s shoulders. “Are you frightened??”

Oh he’s certainly frightened now. Alex has gone straight into deranged territory, unfortunately. It figures really. The first cute guy he’s met since Guatemala is certifiably crazy. And he just got his name, too. 

“Yeah, I think I am starting to get a little frightened.”

 “You should be, you should be.”

At that moment, the tip bell rang, and Dante and Fuego stepped out and called in unison, “Willie! Tip!”

Ah. Save by the bell. Thank god. 

“Oh. Alex, I gotta do this dumb tip song, sorry!” 

So, he hurried off, not knowing just how right Alex is.

[princecharmingmendes]

His Hoodie | Raul Mendes

"Raul is still insecure when it comes to asking his girlfriend about some stuff, like cuddles and wearing his clothes, and he's pretty sure he's sneaky about it, until he isn't”

Hello my loves, this was supposed to be a blurb or something like it, but I can't seem to be able to write something short and I accidentally turned this into a one shot. This is just me being 100% sure Raul's baby and shy about relationships, with the push from one and only @sinceweremutual, who's just as obsessed with Raul as me. Hope you like it!

*Word Count: 4.5k+.

*Warnings: maybe a few curse words, and I guess that's it. Just overwhelmingly fluff. 

*Posted: July 13th, 2020.

                                                     -*-

Raul Mendes is a very busy guy. Even though Shawn’s the rockstar that’s constantly traveling around the world and stuff, he still manages to get involved in a serious relationship. Raul’s never been the type to be open about his feelings, so in his entire life he’s had one girlfriend that he took home to meet his parents. And with work things only got worse. Being a pediatric surgeon meant waking up in unholy hours to go to shifts or because he’s being called in on an emergency. So to say relationships were not his forte or priority was the most accurate thing ever. Sure, he had his flings here and there, always a very attentive person, but still was a bit afraid of having someone and not being present enough or having to put his job first. So when he told his parents he was going out with someone was a big thing.

First of all, Raul’s really private about his love life, even with his parents, just opens up with his brothers, specially Peter who’s a very great listener and great with advice. And the second reason everyone was a bit surprised is that since he always claimed he didn’t have time to be with someone, suddenly he was going out on dates a few times a week and even took her dog to the doctor when she was busy with work. And obviously, everyone was over the moon when he decided to bring her home for dinner, and it was pretty clear why he was so fond of her. And to say everyone adored Y/N was and understatement. They both had met in a art supply store a few months ago. And even though it was a bit cliche, every time someone asked both of them how you two met, a grin threatened to show on his face and his arm skipped a beat.

He was in a rush, just trying to find the color he needed to finish a painting, which was his favorite hobby to slow down from his intense work, and she was completely lost looking around like she had no idea where she was. Normally he wouldn’t even notice, but something about her in a pretty sunflower printed summer dress, jean jacket and white converse caught his attention. He felt almost itchy to offer you some help, but he didn’t work here and he didn’t want to come out as a creep, so he ignored his need to talk to her and went on through the walls of paint to find the perfect blue shade, until he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned around only to face her heavenly features and a blush raising in her cheeks.

“Hi, I’m sorry to bother you, but I can’t seem to find someone to help and I just wanted to know where can I find watercolor brushes, do you happen to know where they are?” The girl in the pretty dress offered him a sweet smile.

“Oh, it’s okay, you’re not a bother, what kind of watercolor brushes you’re looking for?”

“Oh God, there are types of those?!” she sounded pretty much defeated, letting out a sigh and he couldn’t hold back a chuckle.

“What do you have in mind to paint with those?”

“It’s not even for me! I can’t draw a basic heart shape for dear life, I’m here to buy the supplies for someone, but he forgot to mention the details about it and I don’t know anything about art rather than history and which work I find pretty or not”

“It’s all about practice, honey” the pet name slipped of his tongue before he could hold back but she didn’t seem alarmed or weirded out by it, just blushed a bit harder and shook her head.

“I can guarantee you I’m a lost cause”

“I doubt that, but about the supplies, did he give you a list or something?”

“Oh, yeah!” she replied reaching into the inner pocket of her jacket for a little piece of paper with a delicate handwriting on it “I wrote it down in here”

“I think I might be able to help if you want” Raul offered doing a once over the little list.

“Oh please, this would be perfect”

“Okay, so what did your pick up already?”

“Hm, a few types of paper and some pencils” she gave him her little basket “Here!”

“Oh, okay, so we have to find the brushes and the paint” he said and she nodded, following him around the store like a lost puppy “here are the paints he requested, we just have to find the shades”

And with that they started going through the little numbers on the little containers and talk about random stuff. Raul never had so much fun looking through shades of paint with anyone before. She was just funny and pleasant to talk with, not to mention effortlessly beautiful.

“Now the brushes?”

“Yeah, they’re over here, I’d recommend this ones here for the sort of thing you told he’s trying to do, maybe from this sizes” Raul said picking them up.

“Oh, fine”

“Anything else?”

“I guess this is it! Thank you so much, I’d probably have spent the whole day trying to figure this whole thing out alone”

“It’s my pleasure to help, no need to thank me, next time you know where the stuff are”

“Trust me, there won’t be next time, Nick can come here by himself, if it weren’t for you I’d be screwed”

“Well, at least your boyfriend won’t be needing to come back so soon with everything you’re taking”

“Nick’s not my boyfriend” she said chuckling “he’s just a lazy ass friend and I needed to come here to pick up some stuff for work”

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable”

“No, you didn’t do it at all, I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name”

“Raul”

“Oh, well, thank you, Raul, I’m Y/N”

“It’s a beautiful name” Raul said and she smiled at him, blushing lightly.

“Thank you, I’m sorry for bothering you, do you need any help?”

“It’s okay, and you don’t need to help me, only if you want to”

“I do! What do you need?” she offered as he picked up her basket from the floor and guided her to where he was previously.

“I was looking for a particular shade of blue but I can’t seem to find, and I tried mixing some shades to get to them but I can’t”

“Oh, do you have a picture of it?” she asked looking at the huge wall of oil paint.

He unlocked his phone and offered to her “This one”

“I think I saw it earlier, it caught my eye as soon as I walked in here” she said walking in the opposite direction and crouching down “here”

As Raul got a bit closer he noticed it was the perfect shade and he couldn’t hold back a smile “It’s exactly it! Thank you!”

“You’re welcome” she grabbed her stuff with a smile “it was nice meeting you, Raul”

“It was nice meeting you too, Y/N” he said and she waved at him, turning around to pay for her stuff as he stood there contemplating on asking her out, but before he could think about it better.

“Hey, Raul?” she called from where she stood at the cashier counter and he turned to face her “are you busy right now? There’s a new coffee shop down the block and I was wondering if you’d like to go with me”

Right now it didn’t matter the painting he was eager to go home to finish, all he wanted to do was sit down with her at a table and drink coffee until he couldn’t take it anymore.

So he just smiled at her and said “Sure”

And since then they’ve been inseparable.

So it’s no surprise when called her on a Friday to invite her to come over, they had plans to go out and catch a movie but he was too tired and she was thankful, her day at work was insane and all she needed was to relax a bit. And even though she hadn’t spent the night at his place many times before and she’d probably get all jittery about it, she was too tired to care. So when she arrived with a bottle of whine to the smell of homemade pasta mixed with Raul’s signature cologne, she was almost certain she was in heaven. He told her to just walk in and lock the door behind her, so she did, placing her stuff neatly near the door alongside with his and her boots.

She knew the place well enough to find him in the kitchen, listening to a random song as he hummed along facing the stove where he was preparing something. Staring was bad, but she couldn’t help it when he was looking all soft. It was the first time she’s ever seen him wearing a hoodie and she was so grateful it was starting to get a bit colder, specially during the night, so she would have such a blessed vision. Y/N placed the bottle on the counter, clearing her throat softly to let him know she was already there, which made him look over his shoulder with a soft smile playing on his gorgeous lips.

“Hey, pretty girl” he greeted turning off the stove and turning to face her, opening his arms for her, to which she gladly walked into.

She buried her face on the soft material of his hoodie as she mumbled a soft “hi” in response.

“Tired?” he asked and Y/N just nodded, so he placed a kiss to her hair and hummed “food’s almost ready, want to wait for it on the living room? You can pick the movie” and with that she nodded, reluctantly unwrapping herself from him and basically dragging herself to his fluffy rug.

Raul only chuckled in response.

“There’s a bottle of whine somewhere in the kitchen I just brought” she told him from where she was sitting on the floor by his coffee table.

“Thanks, babe” was his only response as he couldn’t hold back his smile.

Raul could get used to this whole kinda domestic atmosphere. Y/N coming home from work a bit later than him, tired and stressed, so he would cook her dinner and cuddle on his living room while watching a movie and drinking some whine or whatever. And maybe, they could switch places and when he’s feeling a bit overwhelmed and stressed, she could run him a bath and rub his back. But he couldn’t think about it now. It was too soon and he didn’t know if she would want that. This was the first time they would actually spend some time at home together that wasn’t between his  sheets (or hers), and breakfast in the morning. He’s not allowing himself to get all fucked up for someone and having his heart broken, he’s seen this movie before and he didn’t like it.

But all his insecurities died when he found her sitting on the floor by his coffee table, her legs close to her chest and she was staring at the screen, waiting patiently for him to start the movie, knowing he’s seen it a billion times and wouldn’t mind sitting down in the middle of it. He just felt like wrapping her in his arms and tucking her into his chest, but he didn’t, instead he set the plates and glasses down as he plopped down beside her. She then leaned forward and pressed play, and as the screen started to gain some life, she turned to him and pressed and soft kiss at the corner of his mouth.

“Thank you, this is just what I needed”

“Yeah, I needed this too” he said trying to fight his smile.

“Tough day?”

“A bit, but now it’s okay” he said and she just nodded, quickly changing the subject, and he was happy she just got him and that sometimes he didn’t need or want to talk about it, and respected it.

“This is amazing! Is it your mom’s recipe?”

“Nonna’s actually” he replied and she smiled at him.

“Well, it’s fantastic”

And from that, they just fell into easy conversation. They both could feel the stress literally lifting off their bones and melting away in each other’s presence. And it was always like this, simple and easy, they could read each other like a book and always fulfill their needs easily. So when they’re done with dinner, she picked up their stuff, under his protest and took to the kitchen, putting it on his dishwasher, claiming he did all the work cooking it was the least she could do. And when she was back, the sat back down on the floor since they were too comfortable before to move to the couch.

Raul’s always been a fan of cuddling, one of his “biggest” secret. He’d never initiate it, afraid the other person would reject it or him and Y/N never showed any signs she was a cuddle bug either, which is way they never really cuddled. So when she was slowly inching closer to him and leaning on his side, he was surprised, but in a good way. Raul let his arm casually drop on her shoulder and she leaned in further into his chest, until she was basically almost on top of him, with their limbs tangled under the coffee table and he wasn’t upset with it at all. He started drawing little patterns on her back and in return she placed a kiss on his chest, nuzzling her face there a bit.

So when he felt she was falling asleep towards the end of the movie, he decided to coax her to bed, and it wasn’t as easy as he thought. She whined a bit whenever he attempted to move, only calming down when he told her he was taking them to bed so they could lay down together. After that she seemed to be more aware and a bit embarrassed by her previous clingy state, so she just nodded and got up, getting her stuff by the door and following him to his bed. They both followed their nightly routine normally and laid down. He tempted reaching a hand to hold hers, and she turned on her side to face him as he did the same, lacing their pinkies together over the duvet.

“I’m sorry” she whispered, afraid to disturb their peaceful bubble.

“About what?”

“Leaning so much into you, never asked you if you minded, I guess I was just tired and didn’t really think about invading your personal space”

“Hey, hey, hey” he said gently squeezing their laced fingers “I didn’t mind at all, I actually liked it, I like being close, I just thought you didn’t so I never tried it”

“Oh really? I’m sorry, I actually really like cuddling, it’s just I was afraid it would upset you so I never did, it’s just that today you were looking extra soft and cute, I guess my exhausted brain didn’t care and just went for it”

“Well- I’m glad it did” Raul said placing a kiss on the back of her hand and she automatically shuffled closer to him, which made him place a hand on her waist, pulling her a bit closer to him.

“I think it was the hoodie”

“The hoodie did it for you?” Raul asked with a smirk and she giggled, her eyes looking a lot smaller from exhaustion.

“Oh, shut up” she said with a roll of the eyes as she reached to play of the curls at the back of his head, something she found out he liked very much “but yeah, it’s just- you’re always looking like a runaway model or an actor from a movie, so seeing you so cozy and soft just-“

“Did it for you?” he offered with a boyish glint on his honey orbes.

“Yes, Raul, it did it for me” she said holding back a giggle as she rolled her eyes “Happy?”

“Very much” he said rolling over her making her squeal “you’re cute”

“You’re cuter” she said with a lazy grin on her lips and he leaned down to press a soft kiss to it.

“You need to rest” he said after pulling away, but before he could lay back, she wrapped her arms around his neck keeping him in place.

“Can we-?”

“Cuddle?” he finished her sentence and she nodded sheepishly “of course we can, baby”

“Thank you” she mumbled as he laid back and pulled her to his chest.

“No need to thank me, you’re doing me a favor”

“Trust me, I’m not” she said with a yawn.

“Time to go to sleep, Y/N, doctor’s order”

“You’re way too bossy, Doc” she said nuzzling her face on his chest “but I’m to tired to argue back, so goodnight, Raul”

“Goodnight, pretty girl”

                                                    -*-

Since the first time she saw him in a hoodie and actually made her cuddle him for the first time as well, she noticed he were it a lot more often. Sure, it was getting colder, but he wasn’t being discreet about it. And since that day he couldn’t stop himself from picturing Y/N in his hoodie on a lazy Friday night, a face mask, some movie playing on the background as she painted both of their nails. But he just didn’t know how to bring it up and not make a fool of himself. She never made a move about asking to use his clothes or whatever. Sure, she always complimented him on his style and he knew a few particular pieces that got certain reactions from her, but she never told him she’d like to wear them.

So he was having a bit of a dilemma. Should he ask her to use his hoodie or just get over it?

He decided for the later, just pretend he didn’t want to come home to find her laying on his couch drowning on his clothes and blankets. But after a few days he gave up, he had what he thought to be a brilliant idea. Raul was going to put one of his hoodies on her wardrobe without her knowing, and if she found it and decided to wear, it was a sign she would be okay with it, and since she wasn’t going to know he was the one who placed it there, he wouldn’t be feeling like he was being pushy. And that’s what he did.

He went to her house on a Tuesday to watch their show and was discreet enough to just throw it on her top drawer and come back to the living room as if nothing happened while she was cooking them something. And since she didn’t say anything about it or tried to return it he felt a bit better, so that could mean two things -she didn’t find it or she didn’t mind. And they’re both kinda great and he was a bit relieved. That until he was heading home Saturday evening for their lazy night date or whatever Y/N called it. So when his phone rang and her name appeared on the screen he didn’t think much of it.

“Hi, pretty girl, are you there already? I’m sorry if I’m a bit late, there was this kid that really needed help”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you”

“No, I’m already done, I’m leaving now”

“Oh, okay, I still at home, just got here, I’m picking up some stuff, what do you want me to bring?”

“You don’t need to bring anything, baby, we can order something or I can go grab whatever you want”

“Okay, so I’m just going to pack my stuff and I’ll meet you there, is that alright?”

“That’s perfect” Raul said already smiling like the love sick puppy he’s becoming, climbing on his car.

“Oh, by the way, you’re a sneaky little thing, aren’t you?”

“What do you mean?” he let out a nervous chuckle to mask the high pitched voice he almost let out.

“I’ll talk to you at your place, drive safely, Sherlock, bye now!”

“Wait, Y/N!” he tried but she already hung up and he could literally feel his face burning.

                                                     -*-

Raul’s never felt so nervous about Y/N before. The drive to his place was relatively short and he spent the whole ride chewing on his lower lip, tapping the steering wheel and regretting every life decision he’s ever made. He knew there was no need to feel like this, she clearly wasn’t upset and sounded playful on the phone, but he was really embarrassed. He should have just asked her, he knew she wouldn’t find it weird, but he was too insecure to do so and now he has to deal with this. He got up to his apartment and did his routine to take a quick shower and change into something comfy completely robotically, mind still a hundred miles per second. And when he heard his doorbell he basically ran to the door, tripping at everything on his way there.

He opened the door ready to apologize and completely breathless, but when his eyes met her frame adorned on his hoodie he swear his heart just stopped. She giggled at his reaction and stood on her tippy toes to press a single kiss to his lips. He stepped back to let her in still in shock as she walked into his apartment. He could clearly hear her voice cheerfully telling about something, but he didn’t register a single word, mind still racing but this time he didn’t even know what to say or do. She must have noticed him standing awkwardly beside the still opened door, so she walked back to him and placed a gentle hand on his cheek.

“Are you okay, Raul?” her voice sounder a bit more worried and her brows were turned into a frown “what’s wrong?”

“I’m- I’m sorry” was all he could mumble out and the frown on her face o my deepened.

“About what, baby?”

“The hoodie, I- I shouldn’t have tried to give it to you without asking if you minded, and I’m sorry I suck at communicating, and I-“ he started and he felt the blush raising on his cheeks.

“Hey, stop it” she said letting her stuff fall on the floor trying to cup his cheeks in both of her hands “Baby, stop apologizing, I’m not mad at you at all, I found it really sweet actually”

“You did?”

“Of course, Raul! You told me you were not the best with relationships when we first started dating and Peter told me sometimes you get really insecure and I know what I was getting myself into from the beginning and turned out you’re not bad at it at all!”

“No?”

“No, honey, the fact that you care enough about how I’d feel if you asked me to wear this is the sweetest thing, it means you don’t want to push anything on me and that you care, and that’s great”

“It is?”

“Mhmm” Y/N hummed starting to caress his cheek “just so you know, this feels very comfortable and I wouldn’t mind wearing at all, I actually like it”

“Good to know” he said wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer.

“That is my boy” she said and he laughed, pressing a kiss to her forehead “I’m sorry if I scared you or anything, didn’t mean to frighten you”

“It’s okay, I should’ve known you’d be okay with this”

“Next time just tell me, okay? I don’t bite”

“I can prove the opposite”

“Oh shut up for a sec, will you?” she tried to sound mad, but the smile on her voice told otherwise “but I’m serious when I tell you to just talk to me”

“I know, I’ll try, I guess I’m just scared to lose you or be an idiot”

“You won’t, I really really care about you”

“And I’m in love with you”

“What?!”

“Yeah” he said smiling sheepishly with a blush creeping up his cheeks.

“I kinda am in love with you too” she replied as he pressed their lips together in a gentle kiss.

And with that, he was sure everything fell into place and his heart calmed down a bit. He had his girlfriend on his arms and that was an angel for understanding him like she does. But before he could deepen the kiss she pulled back.

“Okay, now that we’re fine, can you please shut the door? Don’t want your neighbors knowing everything about us just yet” she said giggling and Raul laughed, closing the door with a click, still holding her close like she could just disappear.

“Sorry, thought Mr. Jones had the right to know the ins and outs of our relationship”

“Hmm... maybe other day, we should ask him for dinner first” Y/N said winking at him playfully and leaning down to grab her bad “now, how about we order a pizza and try the new face mask I bought, I could even paint our nails, I’ll let you apply the glittery nail polish on mine if you want”

“Oh, that’d be nice, I-“ he started out completely in shock she knew what he’d like to do.

“Peter told me” she informed him with a sheepish smile and he shook his head with a chuckle.

“I’m so going to murder him, you two have to stop talking about me” Raul didn’t mean it at all, he couldn’t be happier that she got along so well with his family “I don’t want him telling you all my secrets”

“Oh, so I wasn’t supposed to see all your baby pics and first photoshoot as a teen looking all cute with braces? I mean, Peter gave me the album, I thought we could look through it tonight together”

“You have to be kidding me, give me it”

“No! You’re not going to let me see it!”

“Of course! Why would I let you see any of those horrid pictures?!”

“Well” Y/N said holding her bad closer to her chest “you’d have to catch me first” and with that she bolted towards his room as he followed her quickly, only to pick her up and toss her on the bed, climbing on top of her in a matter of seconds, her stuff long forgotten on the floor somewhere in the apartment.

“How old are you? Five?” he chuckled a little out of breath

“You chased after me, you’re not much better, sir”

“I was trying to protect my dignity”

“What dignity?”

“Shut up” he said laughing.

“Make me”

“Don’t tease me”

“I’d never do th-“ she was cut off by his lips meeting hers a bit more urgently than before, their tongues soon meeting, only to caress each other as her hands took purchase of his curls. And Raul’s never been more thankful for sneaking his hoodie in her closet.

                                                     -*-

*Please reblog or like this post if you liked it so I’ll know.

*I’m sorry if there are any spelling mistakes.

*Please do not repost this without giving me the credit, this is a completely original piece and I do not give permission to copy this!

*Hope you guys enjoyed it!

*xoxo

-🌙

[teamhappyme]

my world is grey without you

pairing: nick amaro x reader

warnings: tissues. this is not happy.

word count: 1.7k

a/n: this is pure sadness. i am so sorry, it is all hurt and the smallest pin point of comfort. my first nick amaro fic, and it’s gonna be ~heartbreaking~ but this idea has been in my head for weeks. hope you enjoy some of the pain im serving. 

****

You think Mother Nature must be in tune to your emotions, when you wake up that early May morning. The clouds were grey, rain pouring from the sky, collecting in puddles on the cracked sidewalks of New York City. If you had to describe to someone how you were feeling today, you would just tell them to look outside. You felt as gloomy as it was in the city today. 

Normally, your walk to the coffee shop was bright and full of sunshine, especially during spring. The flowers were starting to bloom, the sun was staying out longer, and the weather finally started to reach past sixty degrees. Instead it was filled with droopy tulips and black umbrellas covering everyone’s faces. 

You got your usual order, and one black coffee to go, hailing a cab across town to your destination. You planned on walking yesterday; the half hour walk would help clear your head and calm your nerves. But today, it would only leave you wet and cold.

Once you pulled up to the brick apartment building, you paid the driver and quickly ran up the stoop and into the entrance. You buzzed apartment 3G, and after a few seconds, you were let in. You rode the elevator up to the third floor, your foot tapping against the linoleum floor the entire time. 

You stepped out and took a right down the hall, stopping at the fourth door on the left. After three knocks, the door swung open, and there stood the man of the hour.

“Hey, Nick.” you gave him a small smile, lifting the black coffee you got for him on your way here. “I know it’s early, but I figured this may help you with any last minute packing.”

“I,” he started, running a hand through his hair, “what are you doing here?”

“What, you think you can just leave without a proper send off from your partner? Besides, I’ve owed you this coffee for three years. I had to pay up before you left.”

That got a smile out of him, as he reached for the coffee, and opened the door up a little wider. 

“Come on in,” the foyer of Nick Amaro’s apartment usually greeted you with an onslaught of pictures of Zara and Gil, accompanied by many drawings and art projects from the young girl. Now on his last morning here, the walls were stark white, void of anyone ever living here.

“I can’t believe you got this place packed up so fast. It took us a whole day just to get that giant brown couch into the apartment.” You said, as your eyes looked over what was once the living room. 

“Well, that’s what movers are for.” He followed in behind you, taking in the apartment he called home for the last two years. He moved in to the first place he could find, not wanting to spend another minute thinking about living without his baby girl. “I would offer you a seat, but my furniture is in a u-haul, probably crossing Kansas right about now.”

You smiled, as you crossed your ankles and sat criss cross applesauce on the hardwood floor. “That’s alright. I prefer the floor anyways, keeps me grounded.”

You were ready for the pointed stare you got from him, only making you laugh harder at your awful pun.

“Three years we’ve been partners, and you still have awful jokes I’ve never heard.”

“Hey, I gotta keep you on your toes, Amaro.” he sat down next to you, leaning back on his hands and crossing one foot over the other. You knew there wasn’t much time before he had to head to the airport; you purposely gave yourself a small window to minimize the hurt. “How long do I have you for until you head for the sunshine?”

He looked down at his watch, letting out a small sigh as he checked the time. “My cab will be here in about twenty minutes.”

“Alright. Then we have twenty minutes to make the best cop movie script out of our careers together.”

And for the next twenty minutes, you remembered almost every moment you spent with Detective Nick Amaro. From the first day you met, which had a rocky start, to the day he turned in his papers to be with his kids. There were stories of stakeouts that always included pizza and blaring rock music to keep you awake, monday morning bets on who would be in the precinct last, and endless amounts of coffee runs to keep the other person going. 

There was a lot of trust built between the two of you over the last three years. Nick had been through hell and back in the time you were partnered together, and there was no choice but to trust each other. At work, he needed somebody he could trust without any doubt, and you made it so easy for him. The kindness and empathy you treated him with from the beginning, even when he didn’t deserve it, made a difference in his life. There was no one else he’d trust with his life more than you.

After some time, you two were in sync with one another. You always knew what the other person needed, whether that was a coffee, space, or comfort, the two of you knew what to do. It made work that much easier, it made the bad days that much better, when you didn’t have to tell them how you were feeling; they just knew.

You had just finished the story about your first undercover op together, when his phone lit up.

“My ride is five minutes out.” he said, the trip down memory lane coming to an end. Your smile morphed from a shiny grin, into a small close mouthed line. It was time to say goodbye.

“I’ll walk you out,” you got out, barely above a whisper, as Nick stood up. He held his hand out to you, helping you onto your feet. 

You watched as he grabbed his backpack from his room, patting his pockets to double check he had his phone, wallet, and boarding pass. He took one last look around the place before walking out and closing the door behind him for the last time. 

The elevator ride down was quiet, you spent those thirty seconds regulating your breathing and swallowing the growing lump in the back of your throat. This wasn’t about you.

Once the doors opened to the lobby, you felt soft fingers inching their way into your palm, lighty holding you together. You looked over at Nick, slowly, but he was looking straight ahead. You saw the twitch in his jaw, and the bob of his adam’s apple, and you knew he was holding back his own tears.

Moving your hand the slightest bit, your fingers fell into place with his. You gave his hand a gentle squeeze, before following him out.

The rain had subsided considerably since you arrived, the downpour now more of a spring mist. You stood at the edge of the sidewalk with him for a few minutes, until he got the notification that the car was only five blocks away.

“Well, are you ready to turn into a Cali boy?” you asked, finally turning to see his face. 

“I’m ready for no more New York winters. I am gonna miss just about everything else, though.”

“But you’ll have Zara, and Gil, and that’s all that really matters.” you said with a smile, while gently letting go of his hand. “Besides, I’ll make sure to send you endless videos of me shoveling myself out of my apartment building, just to let you know you made the right decision.”

“Please, please keep that promise and send me those videos. There is nothing more amusing than you swearing at snow.” you rolled your eyes, and nudged his shoulder in annoyance. 

Instead of bouncing back off his body, you felt his arm snake around your waist. You leaned into his touch, letting your head rest on his shoulder. You felt the exhale of his breath before you heard it, along with the rapid beating of his heart.

“I’m gonna miss you, you know,” he started, as you focused on the way his fingers were moving up and down along your hip. “I wouldn’t have made it through everything without you.”

“I was your partner,” you said, the past tense already tasting like bile on your tongue. “I would’ve done anything for you. And I know you would’ve done anything for me.” You turned your head the slightest bit, just enough to see his face. “I’m gonna miss you too. More than I already do.”

He looked down at you, his brown eyes full of emotion and tears. His eyes flickered to your lips for the smallest moment, and you nodded, giving in to the moment, and the man you cared so much for.

His lips met yours in a chaste kiss, just long enough for you to remember what it felt like to hold Nick Amaro this close. 

He pulled away, gently resting his forehead against your own. You let the moment last as long as it could, before the inevitable beep left Nick’s phone. They were here.

You pulled away from him, your waist growing cold without his arm wrapped around you. There was a beep from a blue car a few cars up, and you let out a sigh.

“Your ride’s here, Cali boy.” you said with a smile, wiping away the stray tear that traced your cheek. “Don’t be a stranger, okay?”

“I won’t. Call me, whenever you need me, alright?” you nodded, trying to memorize the smile on his face. He found your hand one last time, giving it a comforting squeeze. 

“I will. Now, go, you’re gonna miss your flight if you hit any lunch traffic.” He looked up the street to the cab, before looking back at you.

He leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to your cheek, and then your lips one last time. 

“I’ll see you later, y/n/n.” he said, and you watched him walk down the streets of New York City for the last time. 

But you knew you would cross paths with Nick Amaro again one day.

****

tags: @hurricanejjareau @qvid-pro-qvo @crazyshannonigans

[rmtndew]

All I’ve Ever Known

Summary: Fiona’s life is a shattered fraction of what it used to be. She’s trying to navigate her new normal when she meets Detective Marshall, who gives her something more to look forward to.

Pairing: Marshall and OFC.

Rating: PG

Warnings: Mentions of death, cancer.

A/N - This was intended as a short drabble but it got out of hand and became a multi-chapter story instead. It’s my first Marshall fic and the first fan fic that I’ve written in over a decade. The title comes from the song ‘All I’ve Ever Known’ from Hadestown: ‘I was alone so long, I didn’t even know that I was lonely. Out in the cold so long, I didn’t even know that I was cold. Turned my collar to the wind, this is how it’s always been. All I’ve ever known is how to hold my own, but now I want to hold you, too.’

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5

The first Wednesday in October was the first day that truly felt like fall had arrived. There was a chill in the air that morning and the fallen leaves had taken on a lovely earthy smell after the rain from the night before had blown them off the trees and pummeled them to the ground. I made a mental note to ask one of the neighbor boys to clean the leaves off the driveway and stone path through the yard so Mom didn’t accidentally slip on them. She’d been so cooped up that summer, I didn’t want anything to be in her way of finally getting to enjoy the weather.

The drive to work was quiet and lovely. The sun warmed my car and when I reached the catering shop where I worked, I sat there for a few minutes, drinking my coffee and soaking up the feeling on my skin. I always got to work early so that I could have those few peaceful moments before the chaos of the day started.

Once inside the shop, I started working with my boss Darcy on filling the boxes for the day's orders. We had two major deliveries that day - a work conference at a hotel, and a training seminar being held in the public library late that afternoon. Other than that, we had our standing order for the homicide unit of the police department. At the beginning of the year, a man had been murdered and according to the news that covered it, there was next to no evidence and the case was sure to go cold. But a couple of the detectives wouldn’t let go and against the odds, they found the murderer and got a full confession out of him. The victim’s wife had been so grateful that she decided to have an ongoing order every Wednesday to buy lunch for the detectives who’d solved the murder, as well as their colleagues. She had received quite a bit of money after her husband’s death and decided to use some of it to pay them back in a small way. That order was always mine. It was fairly small and I could carry it in my car. The detectives were always polite but never tried to make small talk, which I enjoyed. The chatty orders went to Darcy’s nephew Nick, who could hold a conversation with a brick wall and enjoy it. 

Once the boxes for the detectives were filled and loaded into my car, I drove down to the station. I took the dolly from my trunk and strapped down the two insulated containers that had the boxed lunches packed in them. The wind whipped around me as I worked, blowing my hair in my eyes. I pushed it away and held it back with my free hand as I wheeled the food behind me. When I got into the building, an officer went through the containers, as always, to make sure I wasn’t bringing in any weapons, or whatever. The first few times he checked them, I was nervous that he’d find something, knowing full well that there was absolutely nothing illegal in them. Then, once I got to know him a bit, I had considered bringing him a cookie from the shop since I saw him every week, but then the irrational fear that he would think I was trying to bribe him to overlook the non-existent illegal materials I wasn’t trying to smuggle in took over. So, like with everything else in my life, I pushed away any urge, no matter how small, to socially interact with anyone longer than absolutely necessary. That’s why, after delivering there for several weeks, I knew he was Officer Bates (he wore a badge) and I was just ‘Waverly’, as in Waverly Box Catering, my company's name. 

Once Officer Bates checked to make sure everything in my containers was safe, he walked me to the elevator and hit the button for me. Thankfully the elevator was empty so that I wasn’t forced to make small talk with the officers or detectives outside of the homicide unit that always questioned why none of the other units got free lunches. The first few times I’d been asked it was awkward, all the other times after those were both awkward and annoying. 

When I reached the homicide unit floor, I made my way to their break room, where some of the detectives were waiting for me. I started unpacking the boxed lunches, placing them on the table, making sure that the names were clearly visible. As I placed the empty insulated containers back on my dolly, my phone rang. Normally I didn’t take calls on the job, but it was from Mom’s doctor’s office. 

I left the break room and found a quiet hall to answer the phone. It was a nurse called Karen confirming Mom’s appointment the following week. We’d made sure to write it on the calendar to remember it, but I thanked her for the reminder anyway and told her that we’d see her next Wednesday. After hanging up, I went back to the break room to collect my equipment. I was surprised to find that every single box had been claimed but one. I glanced at the name: Detective Marshall. Normally I didn’t keep track of who ordered what after the boxes had been filled and labeled, but I knew Detective Marshall’s order by heart. While every other detective switched their orders up, trying different things on the menu, Detective Marshall’s had remained the same every week. A cuban sandwich - whole, plain chips, and a peanut butter cookie. There were times when I’d be doing mindless tasks - washing the dishes, brushing my teeth, filling Mom’s pill box - when their order would randomly play through my mind, like some strange mantra. It was an odd thing to find calming but it reminded me of one of the exercises my therapist had me do as a teenager when my anxiety attacks would get bad. She had me multiply numbers, or mentally list every detail of my bedroom that I could think of, or recite the alphabet backwards. It was simple, mundane, ground exercises and without ever knowing me, Detective Marshall had become my adult version. 

I was about to leave when a uniformed officer came in. He went to the coffee pot but kept eyeing the box. It was nothing to me, really, if he took it. Detective Marshall could probably handle themselves against a lunch thief, but my gut wouldn’t let me let it go. So instead of leaving, I decided to take the box and hand deliver it.

I left my dolly behind and made my way back down the hall where I’d taken my call earlier. I’d noticed several detectives had private offices there and assumed their office would be there, too. I was right. I found Lieutenant Detective Marshall’s name engraved in a gold name plate mounted on a closed door. I took a deep breath before giving a hard and loud but short knock. 

“Yeah,” a man’s voice called out. 

He didn’t say anything else but I took it as an invitation to open the door. When I did, I was met with my first sight of Detective Marshall: A tall man with a short beard and a head of messy brown curls. He was wearing a forest green sweater, the sleeves pushed up to show his forearms. A gun and badge were clipped to the side of his jeans that hugged his muscular thighs. He was holding a folder, looking at it intently. After a moment, he looked up at me. He must have expected it to be someone he worked with because his expression went from neutral to confused in less than a second. He tilted his head, a crease appearing between his eyes - his beautiful blue eyes - as his brow furrowed. 

“Can I help you?”  

“I, um…” I swallowed hard. “I’m from Waverly Catering. I brought you your lunch,” I said, frozen on the spot at the entrance to his office. 

He looked more confused. “Don’t you usually leave them in the break room?” he asked. He sounded like he had a British accent.  

“Yes. And I did. But you didn’t come to get it. I was about to leave and it was the only one left and an officer came in, eyeing it, I was afraid that they would take it.” I suddenly felt my face get hot as this handsome man stared at me while I mumbled out some weird explanation for why I was interrupting his work. “Sorry,” I said, holding out the box. “Here.”

The slightest hint of a smile tugged at one corner of his mouth as he walked towards me. “Thank you.” He took the box from my outstretched hand, his fingers lightly brushing mine as he did. I was sure it was an accident and yet it instantly made my pulse race. “I appreciate it.” 

“You’re welcome,” I said, then turned to get out of there before I could embarrass myself further. 

“Do you make the cookies?”

I stopped and looked back at him. “What?”

He held up his box. “Are you the one who makes the cookies in here or do you just deliver?” 

“Oh. Yeah, I make them most of the time.”

He gave me a short lived, closed lip smile. “They’re very good.” 

My brain reacted as if I’d never heard a more flattering compliment in my life and I had to physically restrain myself from giggling. “Thank you,” I managed to say without betraying my giggling brain. “Have a good day.”

I left his office feeling like a teenage girl who’d just said something embarrassing in front of her crush and I couldn’t figure out why. The feeling lasted until I was back in my car. 

“Come on, Fiona, you’re a grown woman,” I whispered to myself, massaging my temples. “Don’t do this. Don’t do this.”

The last thing I needed on top of all of my responsibilities and already emotionally complicated current life situation was an unnecessary crush on a man just because he had pretty eyes and liked my cookies. But good heavens his eyes were pretty.

    _____________________________________

When I got home that afternoon, I found Mom in the living room. She was watching a cooking show. I went and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. Her hair was growing back just enough to feel like soft baby hair. I jokingly called it her duck feathers.

“How was your day, sweetie?” she asked.

I sat on the arm of the couch, facing her in the big recliner that swallowed her up. “It was good. Not too busy. I had my delivery to the police station again,” I said, letting myself grin. “I met one of the detectives, too. He was very handsome.” 

She looked at me, her cheeks a pretty pink color. It was such a wonderful sight after months of her being pale and gray. “Oh! What does he look like?” 

“He looks...manly,” I said. She laughed. “He was taller than me, which is always rare and attractive, and he has curly hair, and a beard, which I’m not usually attracted to but it really worked for him.” I sighed. “And his eyes. They were such a lovely blue.”

“Is he single?”

I shrugged and laughed. “I don’t know. I didn’t check for a ring. It wasn’t really that type of interaction,” I said. “I was just giving him his lunch and was surprised by how gorgeous he was.” I stood up. “Oh, and I think he’s English. He sounded like it anyway.”

“Honey, look for a ring next week!” 

“I won’t deliver next week, Nick will. You’ve got your appointment with Dr. Turner,” I reminded her. “I’m going to start dinner. Do you want anything special?”

She pointed at the TV. “They’re making chicken carbonara, it looks awfully tempting.”

I smiled. “I think I might be able to rustle some up for you. I’ll let you know when I’m done.”

“Thank you, Fi.”

[the-shadow-of-atlantis]

Meeting Family

Tagging: @melyaliz @sea-quinn @lizartgurl @speedypan @coffee-randomness @uncpanda

Read Earlier Parts Here

A/N Nick and Debbie mentioned at the end belong to @melyaliz

"What are you thinking about kitten?" Selina asked as she carefully brushed the little girl's hair.

Annabella had a little frown on her face that matched her father's when he was deep in thought. Her little brown eyes met Selina's in the mirror.

"What's a grandma?" Annabella asked.

"Well a grandma is what you call the person who's the mommy of your mommy or daddy." Selina said simply as she began to grab strands of Annabella's hair.

"But… daddy doesn’t have a mommy anymore. And you're not my mommy. So how can I have a grandma if I don't have a mommy?”

Selina's heart ached for the little girl, again she found herself thinking about whisking her away. But Bruce was stubborn; they had to stay in Gotham. According to him it was the best option.

"You do have a mommy kitten, she's just not here." Selina sighed, this was a conversation she needed to have with Bruce not her.

"Why can't you be my mommy?" Annabella asked, her voice coming out so soft Selina almost wasn't sure if she heard her right.

How do you explain to someone so young that you just weren't ready for that title no matter how much you loved them? How do you tell someone that even though they love their father so much the commitment scared you? Alfred cleared his throat making Selina jump slightly. She quickly secured the braid she was working on with a hair tie.

"Mrs. McNider has arrived." Alfred announced.

"She's not used to strangers." Bruce said as he approached the manor. "In fact she's pretty protective of any one she's grown up with. So if she doesn't approach you immediately don't take it personally. She has a pretty set schedule though it got a bit disturbed after the… incident. If I’m being she hasn't really been sleeping in her room lately though that was already a slight issue before what happened. I've already added more security measures because once the paparazzi catch wind of who you are it's only a matter of time before she realizes.”

"I see you haven't changed Bruce." Teresa chuckled as they reached the door. "Let's just take this one step at a time."

Bruce made a face as if he did not like that plan and Teresa couldn't help but smile. The doors opened then and Alfred stood in the entryway.

"Ah Mrs. McNider, I hope you had a pleasant flight." Alfred greeted.

"It was wonderful Alfred." Teresa smiled as she stepped inside. "Now where is my granddaughter?"

"Hiding." Said Selina, she stood in the middle of the entrance and just behind her clutching her leg was Annabella.

Her little face peered over the side of Selina's leg and Teresa couldn't help but gasp. Deep down she must've been expecting the features of her daughter. Despite the pictures she had received she thought maybe her eyes would hold the coldness her daughter carried. Instead Annabella's soft brown eyes studied her with such intense curiosity they seemed to bore deep into Teresa's soul. No, not the eyes of her daughter, they were the eyes of her lost son.

"So you're a grandma?" Annabella asked, stepping away from Selina.

"Yes, I'm your grandma. Though if you don't mind I would prefer the word abuelita." Teresa smiled as she bent down to be at eye level with her.

"Abuelita." Annabella tested the word out. "Why?"

"Because that's the spanish word for grandmother." Teresa explained.

"Tú hablas español?" Annabella asked, excitement lighting up her eyes.

"Sí." Teresa chuckled.

"Ms. Wayne, why don't we show your abuelita where she will be staying." Alfred suggested.

"Okay." Annabella beamed, taking her grandmother's hand and leading her through the manor.

By the end of the day Annabella decided that grandmother's are the best. Hers especially, Teresa did not mind answering all of Annabella's questions. And Annabella was convinced that her grandmother's handbag was magic since she always seemed to have just the right thing to use throughout the day.

As soon as Annabella's head hit the pillow she was out like a light. The adults all stood around as they watched her sleep.

"This is the first time she's fallen asleep so fast." Selina whispered.

"She'll be up soon enough." Bruce frowned as he felt his phone buzz. "I have to go into the office."

"I guess I should go home too then." Selina sighed, she turned and gave Bruce a peck on the cheek.

Teresa watched as Selina quickly and quietly walked into Annabella's room and gave the little girl a soft kiss on her forehead. With that she went out and Alfred escorted her out to her car.

"She wants to run, you know." Teresa said, focusing on Annabella now.

"I know she told me." Bruce said, wondering how she could have known that.

"But she's still contemplating it. Unless you tell her the truth, there's a chance she will stay. She needs to know why you're so driven to stay here."

"It's better for Annabella."

"Is it? Or is it better for you?"

"What do you see?" Bruce sighed.

"She will suffer one way or another even if you leave. How I'm not quite sure, but she'll pull through, she's strong. She'll be even stronger if she has more people supporting her, she needs more family and more friends."

"We're all she has."

"Now Bruce we both know that's not true."

Bruce simply frowned at that knowing that. Okay so maybe there was other family but he couldn't risk bringing them into their lives.

"Go, I'll watch over her. Make sure she stays in bed." Teresa urged as she lightly guided him away from the little girls room.

The week got better for Annabella and by the end of it she had her grandmother wrapped around her finger. For all her meals Annabella was allowed to help her grandmother prepare the food. Well she was allowed to pour things into the pots and pans at least but the kitchen was filled with music and laughter.

Though Annabella had considerably warmed up to Teresa every time they went out to the park or just to tour Gotham Teresa did notice the little seemed to cling to her. For good reason strangers were still scary for Annabella. Still they needed to work on her people skills.

In the evenings they would relax with some tv while Teresa worked on a craft. Annabella loved to ask hundreds of questions on whatever her grandmother was working on. She was even given little tasks like sorting the yarn for hitting or organizing the strips of fabric for a quilt.

By the time it was bedtime Annabella she went to sleep with ease. Bruce had to admit he was impressed but even he could tell Teresa was a little winded. Maybe she had a point, maybe he should bring in more family.

"She has an aunt and uncle that have children. They are all the way in Tokyo and I haven't spoken to them in years but… I'm sure they would be thrilled to come and spend some time with her." Bruce looked at the woman who smiled knowingly. "What?"

"I knew you'd come around." Was all she said making Bruce feel uneasy.

"What did you do?" He asked, he was still trying to figure out just exactly what she was capable of.

"Nothing I haven't done before." Teresa waved her hand dismissively. "Now off to bed for you too. There is no light in the sky yet and you won't be young forever."

~~~~~~~~

Nick sighed as he rubbed his eyes. He really needed to take a break from the computer but he just had one more task to do. Blinking, he stared back at the screen and clicked on his junk folder. Without meaning to, he accidentally clicked on one of the files. He was about to exit out of it when he noticed the header.

“Hey honey?” He called out and blinked again wondering if maybe he was just sleep deprived.

“Yeah?” Debbie asked, coming out from Jens room holding the book she no doubt took from the girl in order for her to go to sleep.

“Um, since when did Bruce have a daughter?” He asked cautiously, still unsure if the article was real or not.

“What?” Debbie asked, walking faster. She stood behind him and bent forward to see what her husband could possibly be talking about.

There in the email was an article from the Gotham Gazette a large photo was displayed that had Bruce walking out of an ice cream shop holding a little girl that looked to be around five. Next to him was an old woman who had a soft smile on her face. In the bottom corner was a picture of two women but one seemed vaguely familiar. The header read Who’s the Real Mother?

Debbie didn't bother to read the article, instead she focused more on the little girl that Bruce carried. It was hard to really see any of her features in the black and white photo but there was no mistake when it came to the way that little girl smiled. She had Aunt Martha's smile.

“I’ll start looking into flights.” Was all Nick said as he opened a new tab.

“I’ll start packing.” Now all Debbie had to figure out was if she was going to slap her cousin or kill him for not telling her about her niece.

[ambssssssssss]

Fifteenth Year

Part 10 | Part 12

Finding a house just outside of town is relatively easy, all things considered. Now that Dani and Jamie have been there for over a decade, the people in the town have grown used to their presence, even fond of them. It probably helps that their union is now civil and thus recognized by law, but there had been a general air of acceptance long before that. Dani and Jamie did their part in the community, lived their lives together and quietly made their way in the town. Turns out, that did more for them than they thought. 

Having The Leafling downtown gave them both plenty of time to make connections with the other business owners and patrons in the area, both professionally and a few that they got to know more personally. (They’d established a trade system with the coffee shop across the street, one that had worked for years and garnered both businesses more attention from passing tourists. One small bouquet/arrangement for one small coffee.) When Dani started substitute teaching, they made even more connections with the families in town and it was through them that they learned of a house for sale in one of the nicer neighborhoods. The house was large, two-story with three bathrooms and five bedrooms. A quick stop at the realtors office down the street from the shop, a house tour and a sizable payment later, Dani and Jamie were officially homeowners. 

Moving in proved to be a more difficult task. Dani hadn’t expected to feel so nostalgic as they packed up their apartment over the shop but maybe she should have. After all, they had spent close to fifteen years living there, most of that time with a literal ghost. The silving lining existed in the fact that they weren’t losing the apartment, weren’t planning to rent it out anytime soon so they could still come back to it if they wished, but Dani would miss living there. She enjoyed the process of moving, though. 

It seemed to be some kind of neighborhood event when they moved in and so they had a lot of help unloading trucks and moving furniture around. It was a great chance to meet all the people they’d be sharing the street with and if Jamie melted a little bit every time one of the neighborhood kids ran up to Dani yelling ‘Mrs. Clayton! Mrs. Clayton when will you teach me again?’ well, no one could really blame her. A few times Dani had pointed Jamie out to the children who were then extra excited because ‘there’s two Mrs. Claytons? Will she teach us too?’ And then Jamie would find herself swarmed by a small mob of children asking her about plants. Both interactions were entirely too adorable and made both women look forward to the days when it would be their own children fluttering back and forth between the two of them on the lawn, entertained with games and snacks while the adults milled around. 

With all the help, they were all moved in by mid-afternoon with only the unpacking to do, which Jamie convinced her wife to leave for the next day after they got the bed made up. 

“It’s not like we have a new bed to break in,” Dani laughed as Jamie hovered over her, shirt unbuttoned and a toned abdomen on full display. Dani couldn’t help but run her hands along Jamie’s stomach and smiled as she felt the muscles jumping beneath her touch. 

“We’ve got a whole house to break in, Poppins,” Jamie leaned down to kiss at Dani’s neck. “Gotta do it now, before we’ve got kids walking in on us all the time.” 

Dani laughed again and pulled Jamie into a kiss that voiced her agreement. Jamie had a point, after all. 

They spent a few months settling into their new place, getting into the routine of going into town for work and coming home in the afternoon, before they started looking into adoption. There was a lot of unnecessary paperwork and red tape to work through, but they eventually got their license to foster children with the option to adopt later on and so they ended up sharing their first Christmas in their new house with three small children. A six year old boy, a three year old girl, and another boy who was only a few months old. All siblings whose parents had died in a car crash. According to the kids’ files, at least their father had been a drunk and they hadn’t been treated very well while under his care. The social worker thought they might benefit from being in a house without a strong male authority figure. 

Dani and Jamie had fallen in love with all three of them on the first day. 

The oldest, Jonathan, was bright and cheery and smart as a whip. He wasn’t as used to open affection yet, he still tensed when anyone touched him unexpectedly or spoke in too loud of a voice, but he had started to warm up to them. The girl had the sweetest laugh and looked like she could have been Dani’s biological child, they were so similar. Her name was Hannah. Both women had teared up a bit when they learned her name, thinking back to their old friend. The baby boy, Michael, was just getting to the point where he was trying to sit up on his own and though the sleepless nights and diaper changes were frustrating at times, neither woman could hold onto that feeling for long. Michael was simply too adorable to stay mad at for long. 

They had spent Christmas morning piled together in the living room, opening what seemed to be a mountain of presents. Henry, Flora, and Miles had insisted on sending the little ones presents, as did Owen, since they couldn’t be there in person. Dani and Jamie thought it was a bit too soon to introduce the little ones to their extended family. That would have to wait. 

In the afternoon, Jamie took the two oldest kids outside to play in the snow while Dani settled Michael down for a nap and then got started on a substitute Christmas dinner for them. She had hot chocolate waiting for the three shivering but happy people who joined her in the kitchen once the novelty of the snow had worn off for a bit and though Jamie was a bit skeptic, they all drank it without complaint. Perhaps there was one beverage Dani could get right. 

They spent the evening watching Christmas films together in one large pile on the couch until all three of the children had drifted off, Michael curled in Jamie’s arms, Hannah lying between Jamie and Dani with her feet against Dani’s legs and head against Jamie’s arm, and Jonathan leaning against Dani’s other side. 

“They’re ours,” Jamie said, her voice low so she wouldn’t wake them. Dani stretched out the arm Jonathan wasn’t laying on towards her wife, slipping her fingers into short hair. 

“They are,” she agreed easily. She felt it the moment they met. “We’ll ask them tomorrow if they want to stay with us.” 

Jamie nodded, and gestured down towards Hannah. “Take her, will you? We should get them to bed.” 

Dani gently eased Hannah over until her position was almost reversed so Jamie could stand with Michael in her arms. Jamie rounded the couch, pausing to press a kiss against Dani’s hair, and then made her way up the stairs. Hannah shifted against Dani’s side, nuzzling closer to her. Dani leaned down and kissed Hannah’s hair and then repeated the action to Jonathan on her other side. Jonathan stirred at the touch. 

“It’s okay, buddy,” Dani soothed him as the little boy looked around. “Jamie’s just putting Michael to bed.” 

“And you’re up next, Penguin.” Jamie said as she came back into the living room. Dani smiled at her wife. Jamie had given all of the kids they fostered so far a different animal nick-name and she’d yet to use the same one twice. Jonathan had been dubbed Penguin when he awkwardly flapped his arms the first day they met, looking like a penguin trying to walk. Hannah became Koala bear due to her tendency to hold on to either Jamie or Dani like a koala at any given opportunity. Michael was Monkey because he had a strong grip that Jamie swore meant he’d be climbing all over things as soon as he could. “Say goodnight.” 

“Goodnight mom,” Jonathan said tiredly, leaning into Dani as she wiggled her arm free to wrap around him. 

“Goodnight buddy,” Dani returned with a kiss against his hair, sure there were tears shining in her eyes. Jamie lifted the boy up into her arms, eyes shining in the same way that Dani’s were, and carried him upstairs to his own room. Dani followed this time after maneuvering Hanna into her arms to carry her as well. Once the girl was tucked into bed, Dani made her way to Michael’s nursery to check on him and kiss him goodnight before she made her way to the master bedroom to wait for her wife. Jamie joined her after a quick stop in Hannah’s room to kiss her goodnight as well. 

“He called you mom,” Jamie said, sounding as amazed as Dani felt. “Do you think that means he wants to stay?” 

“I hope it does,” Dani changed into something to sleep in and then crawled into bed, quickly joined by Jamie. “They’re ours Jamie, I can feel it. It’s almost like how I felt when I first saw you.” 

“And how’s that?” Jamie asks, though she’s heard the story before. She loves hearing her wife say it. 

“Like I’d known you all my life, like you were always meant to be a part of it.” 

“Ditto Poppins,” Jamie pressed their lips together shortly. “I love you.” 

“I love you, too,” Dani kissed her again. “And I love our family.” 

Somewhere above them, in the place where she had finally found her rest, Viola Lloyd smiled down at the happy couple as they fell asleep in one another’s arms. She knew that Dani and Jamie deserved to enjoy all the good in life they could get and was happy to see that the same love that had been her salvation was still growing after all these years. 

All in all, after fifteen years, their life could only be described as perfectly splendid. 

[miastideclock]

Im Changkyun Drabble, “10. 45. 49.”

Can you do 10-45-49 with changkyun from monsta x? something like he realized he had feelings for you but ghosted you, a little bit angsty but romantic too. I’m sorry if this is too much jwjkdkdk thank you❤️❤️

Word Count: 1196

10. "Oh, I see you're still alive." 45. "I see you have better things to do." 49. "I need you to listen."

-

Nine weeks. Nine weeks it had been since you had hung out with, or even talked to your best friend. The first two weeks, you had been nothing but worried, just wanting to make sure that he was okay. It was about two days into what would be week three where you had seen him at a local record shop. You had gone over in a hurry to talk to him, but the second he saw you- he had dropped his items on a random shelf and left without a word. It was then you realized he had purposefully ignored you.

It hurt, a lot. Especially since you had no idea what you did wrong. You tried talking to a mutual friend, Jooheon, about it, but he had no idea either. So instead of going out for dinner and breakfast and random friend-things with Changkyun like you usually would, you had opted for Jooheon- someone who was equally much fun to mess around with.

"Absolutely not. As a butterfly- Joe would be the best Jonas Brother." You scoffed as you didn't believe you were even having that conversation.

"In no way shape or form are you correct. Nick all the way." Jooheon protested after he took a sip of his coffee. You were currently sat at a table at your favorite cafe, having yet another useless, but entertaining conversation. Before you could reply, Jooheon's eyes moved to something behind you. They then shifted back to you and gave you a look almost of saying sorry. You furrowed your eyebrows, but before you managed to turn around to look at what he saw, someone was stood next to your table. You looked up and met the eyes of the boy hadn't seen in so long.

10."Oh, you're still alive." You pointed out sarcastically, being upset with him for obvious reasons. He ignored it, and rather asked Jooheon if he could have his side of the booth for a little bit, Jooheon being hesitant to move, but did it regardless.

45."I tried stopping by your place, but I see you have better things to do." Changkyun said as he sat down, rubbing his palms on the fabric on his thighs, side eyeing Jooheon who was now sat on one of the bar stools by the counter, tapping away on his phone. You gave the boy in front of you almost a disgusted look.

"Yeah, cause it's mine and Jooheon's fault that you haven't spoken to me in over two months. I tried calling you again and again, but when you just ignored me I thought that was your way of telling me you didn't want anything to do with me- because I know if you just needed a small break you would just tell me that, but no. You put actual effort into not seeing me, making sure you'd never be there if I was there. But I obviously understand that if I fucked up, you have every right to be mad at me, but at least let me know why." You opened a locked door you didn't even know you had. The way you spoke wasn't so much yelling as it was just hushed exhaustion.

You could see the look on Chankyun's face fall as he probably felt bad for what he had done. 49."I need you to listen to me, juts for a second, okay?" He almost beg, making you silently nod while sitting back in your chair with you arms crossed across your chest.  

"Ignoring you for the past month has bee-"

"Two."

"Sorry, ignoring you for the past two months has been so fucking hard, but I was convinced it was what I needed to do. You see, Y/N. I- I have feelings for you- pretty strong ones too. And since you didn't like me back, I knew I had to do something about it to get them to go away. But after some very painful weeks, I realized not only did that not work whatsoever, it hurt not only me, but also you- and that was the last thing I ever wanted to do." He spoke softly.

"Who told you I didn't like you back?" You slowly asked.

One of the main reasons it had pained you so much when he suddenly no longer spoke to you, was because you were hopelessly in love with your best friend. Ever since the day you met him six years ago, you felt your heart beat a little faster, and your laugh a sound a little louder whenever you were with him.

"Well, I just figured-" Changkyun started, but you soon cut him off.

"You absolute cracked office-chair of a human being- you're so dumb." You chuckled. "I like you too-- that's why it especially hurt me when you left. Why didn't you at least try? The worst that could happen was that I didn't reciprocate the same feelings and things would be a bit awkward for a few days while I tried to help you move on. There was never a need for you to completely desert me. "

You understood where he was coming from, but you also knew that he knew better than this. So when he leaned over the table to intertwine your fingers, you didn't know wether to retract your arm, or to rub small circles with your thumb on the back of his hand. You soon decided on the latter, a smile forming on his lips.

"I know, I'm eternally sorry. I just didn't want to risk ruining anything between us, because you're the most important person in my life, you know this. I would never make it without you, and I realized that over the past two months. I need you. My glass is only half full without you, and I hate myself half full. Y/N, I love you. I love you in the way you love a friend, where you have love for them and want nothing but the best. But I also love you in a romantic sense, one where I want to spend every minute of every day with you, hoping that I can ever make you as happy as you make me. And doing what I did is the exact opposite of making you happy, and if you can't forgive me I completely understand."

His speech caught you off guard as the butterflies erupted in your stomach, making it hard to sit still. You wasn't sure if you wanted to leap out of your seat and hug him, or kiss him. After deciding on the latter, you let his hand go and got up, this at first making Changkyun's stomach drop, thinking you were gonna leave him. It was then his turn to be caught off guard when you slid into his side of the booth, grabbed his face and kissed him.  

"You dumb-head. I love you too."

I hope you liked it! Feel free to request more x

-bentley

[patrickswayzeme]

Happy Holidays everybody! Sorry this is a bit late! This is my Secret Santa gift as part of @secret-santa-klaus

My gift is for @skull-w-cigarette , I hope you like it!

Note: this takes places in some kind of alternate timeline where the Hargreeves meet up on a less of an urgent timeline in the 60s. Around the same time but maybe a few weeks later, closer to Christmas. I apologize for the plot not being better thought out, I just thought of the idea and ran with it. Hope you like it! (I also apologize for the lack of a cut, I’m on mobile, I will fix it as soon as I get to a computer)

Allison had almost forgotten her alibi. She grimaced as she looked down at the shopping bags on her arm, filled with hurriedly bought presents. Whatever size shoe that was, she did not think it was actually her husbands. She hadn’t actually went out to go shopping on a Saturday afternoon. She had been having lunch with her sister, which she knew she didn’t have to hide from her husband, but the truth was she wasn’t ready to explain it all. Yes, she had one sister but no her sister didn’t remember who she was and yes they were all adopted. Once she got to that point, she would have to explain who had adopted them, and it was going to keep getting more and more complicated after that. He had already been spooked by two of her brothers and she was going to get to explaining everything, she promised herself, but she just needed a little more time. She let out a deep breath before opening her front door. She smiled as soon as she did and noticed that Ray had decorated while she was gone. The Christmas tree was up and covered with tinsel and there were already presents wrapped under the tree. “Awww” she couldn’t help murmur audibly. He was so sweet. She felt a pang of guilt in her stomach when she thought of the poorly chosen shoes and the half-baked lie he would never suspect.

“Ray?” She called, the smile could be heard in her voice “don’t worry about hanging the mistletoe. You don’t need the help.” She joked in a sing song voice, peaking around corners in search of her husband.“Honey!” Rays’ familiar voice exclaimed, coming out of the kitchen, his arms wide open ready for a hug which Allison immediately excepted. Hey!” She playfully smacked his hand when he tried to look in the bag. “No peaking!” She scolded. Ray chucked and backed away “sorry sweetheart, I just can’t help it!”Allison quickly stuffed the bags in the coat closet, promising herself she would buy better gifts later. Ray excitedly grabbed her hands and started gently pulling her to the kitchen. “Now follow me, I got something to show you!” “Did you decorate the kitchen too?” Allison asked excitedly.“Not quite” Ray winked as he slipped behind her and covered her eyes. “No peaking” he repeated, laughing. Allison smiles impatiently. She heard some kind of scraping sound? No, it was more like a slobbering and a scraping sound and then heavy breathing. “What on earth do you have in here, Ray?” She asked, still amused but growing skeptical. “Surprise!” Ray exclaimed when lifted his hands over her eyes to reveal a small golden colored dog happily eating from a brand-new doggy dish in the kitchen floor. “A dog, Ray? It’s a bit early for Christmas...l” she began slowly, not wanting to hurt his feelings but I little surprised he had never asked her about pets before making this decision. She rationalized that perhaps pet buying wasn’t considered as series of a decision as it was in the future and resisted the urge to get upset. Ray put a calming hand on her shoulder, noticing the worry creases on his wife’s forehead. “Now don’t worry!” He calmed “He’s not for us, he’s for your brother!”

Allison’s eyes went wide. “My brother?! Ray, which brother of mine do you think would be capable of this kind of responsibility…Klaus can barely take care of himself, and I think Luther would like a dog, and could probably take care of one, but I don’t really know where he’s living right now, and his current job is kind of unpredictable…and a pet could be used as leverage…” Ray took Allison’s hands in his own and gently pulled her closer to him. “Baby, slow down. He’s for your little brother! How old is he 11? 13? Where have you been hiding him?” Allison took a deep breath as she realized which brother he must have met. “Five?” She asked. “Pardon?” Ray asked, obviously confused. “He’s…five…years…old?” He asked, slowly. “I mean I know he’s young, but he definitely seemed older than ten….is he a leap year baby or something?” Allison waved her hands in a criss-cross motion. Even though she had regained her voice, she still used motioned with her hands more than she used to. “No, sorry…that’s his…nick-name. Five…” She backed up to lean against the counter. “I’m sorry, when did you meet me ‘little’ brother?” “This morning actually. It was a little scary at first. I came down a little late for breakfast and he a was just sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee. It was kind of cute though, after you know, the fear of an intruder wore off.”

Allison nodded. “Okay...what did she say?” “He just asked where you were and I said you were out but he could stay or I could drive him home but he said it was fine and he would stop by later, downed the coffee in the cup and left. I don’t think I’ve ever met a kid that...sophisticated before if that’s even the right word.” Allison laughed “theres a lot of word you could use to describe my brother.”

Alison felt hot breath on her ankles and looked down to see the puppy jumping on her legs, desperately trying to jump up closer to her face. She had almost forgotten about him. He had finished devouring his food and now wanted attention. She scooped him up in her arms and scratched his head.

“Aw, Ray you really shouldn’t have, but he is adorable...” she nuzzled the puppy’s head with her chin and pouted. “can we keep him?”Ray laughed “if your brother doesn’t want him then, sure.” He said warmly. “I guess we should ask his..your...parents?” He said slowly and unsure, hoping Allison would jump in with some more enlightening information. She didn’t. She took a few moments before putting down the wriggly puppy in her arms back on the floor. “Let’s go sit down and talk.”

Ray’s biggest take away from Allison’s limited explanation of her siblings seemed to be that Five was living somewhere alone. Or at least somewhere unknown. She had tried to explain that wasn’t really as alarming as it seemed, he could take care of himself. “He spent years alone” she explained. That only made Ray more concerned. “He’s staying with us.” He kept saying definitively. “At least for a little while.” Allison tried to explain that it was probably impossible to convince him of this and that he might be staying with her brother, but he was insistent. “Won’t people ask questions if we..?” “Have a little white boy living with us?” Ray finished “yes they will. But we’re going to figure it out. He is your brother and even the simplest of minds are going to have to accept that.”

When Five came back the next day, Ray found him in the kitchen again, sipping coffee out of the same mug. “Is she here?” He asked politely but matter of fact, looking up from his coffee to briefly flash a polite smile before looking a way again. There was something so unusual yet familiar about his demeanor that Ray found a bit unnerving but also kind of amusing.

“She is...but before she comes down, there’s something I want to show you.”

Five cocked an eyebrow. “Okay...” he looked at Ray for a a minute, sighed then got up.

“Wait one second!” Ray said excitedly, holding up a finger before dashing into the other rooms

Five sighed again and sat back down to finish his coffee. He thought he might just sneak upstairs to talk to his sister or better yet, leave through the kitchen window. He decided against it if not just for curiosity’s sake. Although he didn’t think that Allison would be able to stay with her husband since they had to go back home and fix the timeline, he did want to at least make sure he was as nice and as well meaning as he seemed.

“Okay you can come into the living room now!” Ray called. He was sitting on the floor, under the Christmas tree holding a box, that seemed be struggling out of his grasp. He had been gently holding down the lose fitting lid and let go as soon as he saw his brother-in-law. Out a sprang a little golden brown puppy right towards Five. Five took a step back and cocked his head at Ray in confusion. “A..dog?”

“Uhh yeah...he’s for you..” Ray was suddenly a bit flustered. This wasn’t the reaction he expected. Did he just buy this boy a dog because he had never got one as a boy, he briefly wondered. “Allison and I..well we were hoping..”. “We wanted to let you know you could stay here.” Allison’s voice cut in. Ray turned to see his wife smiling in the doorway.

“The lady of the house has spoken!” Ray said as he walked over the to her and kissed her forehead. “Good morning, dear.” He murmured.

Five looked at the couple incredulously.

“I won’t be doing that. I’m staying with our brothers and another guy. It’s all good.”

Ray started protesting, Allison just looked at her brother with a thin lipped smile, totally unsurprised. She touched Rays shoulder, to let him know it was okay.

Five got up and dusted himself off “Allison, let’s catch up some other time. This address.” He handed her a card with small neat handwriting. “I will be taking Mr. Pennycrumb though.” He said matter of factly, reaching to shake Ray’s hand. “Thank you, Raymond.” He said before scooping up the puppy and going out the front door.

Raymond looked dumbfounded at his wife who just shrugged. Ray laughed, leading Allison to laugh. “Let’s go get some breakfast, sweetie.”

He said taking her hand.

Allison’s eyes went wide. “My brother?! Ray, which brother of mine do you think would be capable of this kind of responsibility…Klaus can barely take care of himself, and I think Luther would like a dog, and could probably take care of one, but I don’t really know where he’s living right now, and his current job is kind of unpredictable…and a pet could be used as leverage…” Ray took Allison’s hands in his own and gently pulled her closer to him. “Baby, slow down. He’s for your little brother! How old is he 11? 13? Where have you been hiding him?” Allison took a deep breath as she realized which brother he must have met. “Five?” She asked. “Pardon?” Ray asked, obviously confused. “He’s…five…years…old?” He asked, slowly. “I mean I know he’s young, but he definitely seemed older than ten….is he a leap year baby or something?” Allison waved her hands in a criss-cross motion. Even though she had regained her voice, she still used motioned with her hands more than she used to. “No, sorry…that’s his…nick-name. Five…” She backed up to lean against the counter. “I’m sorry, when did you meet me ‘little’ brother?”

“This morning actually. It was a little scary at first. I came down a little late for breakfast and he a was just sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee. It was kind of cute though, after you know, the fear of an intruder wore off.”

Allison nodded. “Okay...what did he say?” “He just asked where you were and I said you were out but he could stay or I could drive him home but he just said it was fine and he would stop by later, downed the coffee in the cup and left. I don’t think I’ve ever met a kid that...sophisticated before if that’s even the right word.” Allison laughed “theres a lot of word you could use to describe my brother.”

Alison felt hot breath on her ankles and looked down to see the puppy jumping on her legs, desperately trying to jump up closer to her face. She had almost forgotten about him. He had finished devouring his food and now wanted attention. She scooped him up in her arms and scratched his head.

“Aw, Ray you really shouldn’t have, but he is adorable...” she nuzzled the puppy’s head with her chin and pouted. “can we keep him?”

Ray laughed “if your brother doesn’t want him then, sure.” He said warmly. “I guess we should ask his..your...parents?” He said slowly and unsure, hoping Allison would jump in with some more enlightening information. She didn’t. She took a few moments before putting down the wriggly puppy in her arms back on the floor. “Let’s go sit down and talk.”

Ray’s biggest take away from Allison’s limited explanation of her siblings seemed to be that Five was living somewhere alone. Or at least somewhere unknown. She had tried to explain that wasn’t really as alarming as it seemed, he could take care of himself. “He spent years alone” she explained. That only made Ray more concerned. “He’s staying with us.” He kept saying definitively. “At least for a little while.” Allison tried to explain that it was probably impossible to convince him of this and that he might be staying with her brother, but he was insistent. “Won’t people ask questions if we..?” “Have a little white boy living with us?” Ray finished “yes they will. But we’re going to figure it out. He is your brother and even the simplest of minds are going to have to accept that.”

When Five came back the next day, Ray found him in the kitchen again, sipping coffee out of the same mug. “Is she here?” He asked politely but matter of fact, looking up from his coffee to briefly flash a polite smile before looking a way again.

There was something so unusual yet familiar about his demeanor that Ray found a bit unnerving but also kind of amusing.

“She is...but before she comes down, there’s something I want to show you.”

Five cocked an eyebrow. “Okay...” he looked at Ray for a a minute, sighed then got up.

“Wait one second!” Ray said excitedly, holding up a finger before dashing into the other rooms

Five sighed again and sat back down to finish his coffee. He thought he might just sneak upstairs to talk to his sister or better yet, leave through the kitchen window. He decided against it if not just for curiosity’s sake. Although he didn’t think that Allison would be able to stay with her husband since they had to go back home and fix the timeline, he did want to at least make sure he was as nice and as well meaning as he seemed.

“Okay you can come into the living room now!” Ray called.

He was sitting on the floor, under the Christmas tree holding a box, that seemed be struggling out of his grasp. He had been gently holding down the lose fitting lid and let go as soon as he saw his brother-in-law. Out a sprang a little golden brown puppy right towards Five. Five took a step back and cocked his head at Ray in confusion. “A..dog?”

“Uhh yeah...he’s for you..” Ray was suddenly a bit flustered. This wasn’t the reaction he expected. Did he just buy this boy a dog because he had never got one as a boy, he briefly wondered. “Allison and I..well we were hoping..”

“We wanted to let you know you could stay here.” Allison’s voice cut in. Ray turned to see his wife smiling in the doorway.

“The lady of the house has spoken!” Ray said as he walked over the to her and kissed her forehead. “Good morning, dear.” He murmured.

Five looked at the couple incredulously, absent minded petting the puppy that was climbing all over me.

“I won’t be doing that. I’m staying with our brothers and another guy. It’s all good.”

Ray started protesting, Allison just looked at her brother with a thin lipped smile, totally unsurprised. She touched Rays shoulder, to let him know it was okay.

Five got up and dusted himself off “Allison, let’s catch up some other time. This address.” He handed her a card with small neat handwriting. “I will be taking Mr. Pennycrumb though.” He said matter of factly, reaching to shake Ray’s hand. “Thank you, Raymond.” He said before scooping up the puppy and going out the front door.

Raymond looked dumbfounded at his wife who just shrugged. Ray laughed, leading Allison to laugh. “Let’s go get some breakfast, sweetie.”

He said taking her hand.

[prettyinlimegreenboots]

The Twelve Days of Holly, Jolly Tidings - Day 2

Disclaimers: I watched “Dash & Lily” the other day on Netflix. This story is LOOSELY based on that book and Netflix series.  I do not own “Dash and Lily” or Newsies or anything recognizable within the series.  There are occasional curse words throughout the series, nothing too horrible but there’s some.  

Saturday, December 14 

Mornings were the worst for her. It was awful having to drag herself out of a warm bed, only to be cold as soon as her feet hit the hardwood floors. She mentally reminded herself that she needed to purchase some rugs, as the hardwood floors weren’t going to be so forgiving as the winter months continued. 

Quickly getting dressed, she threw on a pair of jeans and a festive winter sweater that was cozy enough to combat the harsh NYC December weather. Slipping her feet into her slippers, she padded out to the living room, shocked that she saw colorful lights reflecting against the wall. 

Pausing, she distinctly remembered unplugging the tree last night before she went to bed, but low and behold it was lit up.  As it was yesterday, a box wrapped in emerald green reindeers was sitting under the lit up tree. 

She bypassed the tree, heading into the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. Waiting for the drink to brew, she shook her head at her boyfriend. His one mission in life was to make those closest to him happy - as long as those he loved were happy, he was happy. 

They had met accidentally - he had bumped into her outside of the library their junior year of college.  She was studying journalism while he was studying mixed media arts - they should have never met, not in a million years, they had no reason to.  He had apologized profusely, before convincing her to grab coffee with him.  After a few minutes, she agreed and that was the start of their relationship.  She couldn’t stop thinking about him and after a month, he confessed the same thing before asking her out on a date. For the past 5 years they had been together; her effortlessly fitting in with his group of friends and him charming her little group of friends. 

The coffee maker beeped, letting her know her cup of joe was ready. She added some creamer before padding back into the living room, sitting on the floor in front of the tree. Taking a sip of the coffee, she sighed in contentment before picking up the box. As she did yesterday, she smiled taking the notebook out of the box, eager to see what Jack had up his sleeve for today.  Walking over to the couch, she settled in before opening the notebook to see the familiar scrawl. 

Katherine,

Happy 2nd day of Christmas!  Based on what you wrote yesterday, it seemed you had fun on your little adventure - that makes me so happy! 

Today’s adventure - you’re going to see the Big Guy himself.  Head to the Harold Square Macy’s and tell him exactly what you want for Christmas - let your imagination run wild, tell him everything! 

Have fun today and I love you! 

Jack 

Biting back a cuss word, she shook her head. Of course her boyfriend would send her into a department store with only 10 shopping days left before Christmas.  Pausing, she smiled - she had confessed to Jack how she loved going to visit Santa as a child. There was something special when her parents would take her and her siblings to visit Jolly Old St Nick and tell him everything they wanted that year. 

Maybe Jack knew her better than she thought he did . . . 

Later that afternoon

Pounding down the stairs to the D train, she rubbed her hands together vigorously trying to get some warmth in them as she bounced on her toes waiting for the train to arrive. Her ears picked up the sound of someone playing Silent Night on a violin a bit down the platform. Singing softly under her breath, a smile tugged at her lips as she listened to her favorite Christmas song. 

The train came into the station with a screeching whine, before coming to a complete stop, allowing passengers to leave and others to hop into the car. She took a seat, her bag on her lap as the train continued its journey. 

Secretly, she had always loved the Subway, even as a child, though her parents hated it. She always loved that everyone was together in that car just to get from one place to another. When she was on longer train rides, she would try to figure out where everyone was going to - meeting up with friends or family, first dates, old dates - but as she got older, she stopped playing the game, opting to write on the longer journeys. 

She was knocked from her thoughts as the train pulled into her station. Making sure she had everything, she made her way out onto the platform before ascending the stairs and heading to Macy’s.  Biting back a groan, she watched hoards of people make their way to the famous department store before walking inside. Sighing, she pushed herself forward and joined the queue to get into the store. 

Taking a moment to get her bearings, she inhaled deeply before pushing forward. She headed to the 8th floor, where Santa Land was located.  Trying to hold her frustrations down, she put a smile on her face as she made her way up the escalators. 

As she stepped off the escalator, she was surprised the line wasn’t very long. Joining the queue, she ignored the looks from the parents in the line, pulling out her phone to see a message from Jack. 

Ignore the haters - enjoy your time with Santa. Remember, tell the big guy alllllll the things you want

She grinned, her finger dancing across the screen texting him back.  Do you have an in with the big guy? Trying to figure out what to get me for Christmas? 

Three dots bounced up and down as he typed something.  Nah, your present is bought and wrapped and hidden away. But Race might need some help so he’ll be conferring with the big guy

She threw her head back laughing at his response. He never failed to make her laugh, one of her favorite qualities of his.  If Race needs ideas, he can ask me himself.  I’m in line at Macy’s. 

The three dots returned as she moved closer to Santa. I know . . . have fun. 

Her head whipped around the area, looking for a telltale sign of Jack being near. Looking around, she didn’t see him anywhere. Her phone vibrated again in her hand. You’re cold as ice, sweets. Don’t look for me . . . just have fun and tell the big guy everything on your list.  

She shook her head, watching a little girl enthusiastically greet Santa. BTW, you look really cute in your Santa hat.  After your visit with Santa, look in the notebook. 

Glaring at her phone, she couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her mouth at his text message.  She watched the little girl hop off Santa’s lap before the elf gave her a look, motioning her forward. 

Walking up the steps, she gave Santa a look before he patted his lap.  She grinned, pushing away her embarrassment before taking a delicate seat on his lap. “Hello Santa.” 

“Hello Katherine.” Her eyes went wide, as Santa grinned at her. “Merry Christmas. Tell, what would you like me to bring you this year?” 

She thought about all the things she could tell him but one thing came to mind. “I just want my family and friends to be happy.” 

He chuckled deeply, a typical Santa laugh. “Jack did mention you’d wish for something not for yourself but for others.  Now, Katherine, what can I bring you?” 

“You know Jack?” She whispered, giving him a look before scanning Santa Land. 

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Yes, our friend Jack is a mutual friend. But, Katherine, what do you want for Christmas?” 

“I want to believe again . . . and a new fuzzy blanket.” She rushed out, chuckling along with his deep chuckles as he shook his head. 

“Merry Christmas, Katherine. I hope all your wishes come true.” He handed her a candy cane before a photo was snapped. As she stood, he winked at her before becking the next child in line forward. 

She skipped down the stairs, pausing to look at Santa once more before heading towards the exit.  She scanned the area once more before heading towards the escalators. She headed down to the third floor, where she knew a Starbucks was located. Walking in, she quickly ordered a Peppermint Hot Chocolate before picking a table.  Putting her bag on her lap, she grabbed the notebook from it before flipping it open.

Did you tell Santa I say hello? Did you tell him everything you wished for?  Santa and I go way back . . . he’s an old family friend who loves the romance of the holidays. 

Now I want you to think about your past Christmas’ - what are the things that stand out when you think about those memories? Write them down . . . 

A smirk tugged at her lips as she thought of Christmas’ past. Her sixth Christmas especially stands out because she ended up in the Emergency Room with a broken wrist from a sledding accident gone horribly wrong. And the seventh Christmas when she received Samantha, an American Girl doll that she begged her parents for for months prior to Christmas. She remembers how still she got really still when she unwrapped the doll - absolute shock and awe across her face as she looked up at her parents. Her teenage Christmases were filled with rambunctious yells from her siblings as they uncovered whatever was under the tree.  

In that Starbucks, she wrote line after line of precious memories, some of which she had never told a soul.  The memories were easily recalled, tumbling into her mind faster than she could write them down. A smile was on her face the entire time she thought back on 24 years worth of Christmases. 

Now re-read everything you’ve written down - you’ve had some great memories, all associated with Christmas and the magic the season holds. Now head to the second floor and look for the Teddy Bear display. Leave the notebook with the teddy bear with the green bowtie and there’s a surprise awaiting you. 

Picking up her cup, she tucked the notebook back in her bag before leaving the shop. Hopping on the descending escalator, she took a sip of her hot chocolate, sighing and reflecting on the day she’s had. Stepping off the escalator,  she went right, eyes wide looking for the teddy bear display. 

As she rounded the corner, she found the massive display of more than 50 teddy bears. Stepping forward, her eyes searched high and low to find the teddy bear with the green bowtie.   She grinned, finding him in the very center, holding a white box in its hands. Taking the white box, she slid the notebook in between the green bowtie bear and the adjacent bear, making sure it wouldn’t fall. Backing away from the display, she slipped into the doll section, careful to stay out of the way of serious shoppers. Taking the red ribbon off the white box, she smiled opening it up.  A smile curled over her lips as she saw the small Santa charm nestled in the cotton. Picking it up, she grinned seeing his little red hat and jolly smile. Putting it back in the box, she put the box in her bag, eye looking at the display but noticing the notebook was already gone. She laughed, shaking her head before heading down the escalator and out into the city. 

 Meanwhile

He grinned, opening his phone and looking at the photo he took of Kat on Santa’s lap. She had the biggest smile on her face and she looked so at ease sitting up there. An old family friend had been playing Santa at Macy’s for years and was only too happy to help Jack out with his request.  Locking his phone, he followed her as she made her way from Starbuck to the second floor where the toy department was.  He watched her bounce on her toes, looking for the specific bear he had told her about before finding it, a smile lighting up her face.  Watching that she was distracted, he quickly grabbed the notebook before slipping back amongst the toys. He grinned, this was turning out to be too easy and that was the way he preferred it. 

Thanks for reading Day 2! I would love to hear your thoughts! Feedback is especially appreciated and loved!