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thecandywrites · 3 years ago

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Jewel Of The North Chapter 12

Woo, I know it’s been a hot minute. But I gotta show Doug and Alorna getting their comupance because JUSTICE and REVENGE. Also, I wanted to send our little blended family on a cruise. Not just any cruise, but a Disney Cruise. Have I have been on a Disney Cruise? No. Do I want to? Yes. Did I watch three and a half hours worth of cruise videos talking about the Disney cruise ships and clubs and concierge level stuff for research? Yes. Is it crazy stupid expensive? Yes. Is this an escape fantasy from The Plague I’m living in? Yes. Also because this is a fantasy story. I’m smudging reality. Becuase those pictures are from the Disney Dream, but last I knew it was the Disney Wonder that was in Alaska. But can I leave things there? No. Because I’m a Dramatic Bitch. And I live for the drama. And yes this has been sitting in my drafts for...way too long. But a few more bumps in the road, some hurdles AND THEN happily ever after. We are getting there.

Jewel Of The North

Chapter 12

Noah’s jaw was on the floor when you came out of the bathroom in the “infamous” gold dress as Noah wolf whistled.

“Wow. That’s the gold dress eh?” Noah asked as he openly gawked at your body in it.

“Yep. It’s the “gold maneater”. Every time my kids see me in it before now, they’ve always complained, because both already have to deal with enough of the “your mom’s a MILF” comments as it is and they think it's too risque for a woman my age. I actually got this dress as a dare from Tasha who said I need a “back on the market and on the menu” dress. Blossom calls it my “get dicked down dress”.” You laughed as you struck a few poses for him as Noah had a hard time forming a coherent sentence and simply made a string of half word-like sounds along the lines of ‘yeah’ ‘mmhmm’ of agreement as he simply settled for gestures of approval and agreement cause his words were failing him.

“Yeah..that’s...that’s exactly what’s going to happen.” Noah reassured you which made you laugh even harder.

“Oh I know. It’s the last night of the cruise, I wanted to go out with a bang.” You shrugged as you slipped your shawl on.

“Ready?” You asked him.

“I uh, I’ll need…” Noah tried to hint as he tried to adjust the bulge in his pants, it had only been hours since you had sex shortly after lunch, but he couldn’t help his reaction to you and he doubted he ever would get used to you or stop reacting to you like this.

“A moment?” You guessed as you beamed smugly, happy to elicit such a reaction from him, even after you thought he would be sated, at least for a few hours but you would be lying if you claimed you didn’t want Noah to try to rip this dress off of you and ravish you- preferably after dinner because you had worked up an appetite.

Being married to your former husband, Andrew, he was ok in bed. But he wasn’t necessarily “sexy” to you, at least in looks. He meant safety, security, stability and comfort for you when you met him and married him but eventually, the spark left, the more narcissistic traits you saw and experienced and the more of an ‘asshole’ he acted and the less natural chemistry you had. He didn’t always know how to get your engine revving and keep it revving. Mentally or emotionally which eventually bled into physically.

But Noah? Oh, all you had to do was think about him and your whole body was humming and buzzing with delight, anticipation and- what you had thought was your long past dead sex drive- which thanks to the awakening it received from Noah, was very much alive and well and practically insatiable with Noah and even though you were losing count of how many times you had had sex, or made love in all of it’s forms, you hungered for more. And with just a look, a touch, or gesture, or especially warm, wonderful words and deeds from Noah and it was all over for you. He was...everything you had ever wanted or needed and you were so grateful you had waited for him because he had been worth the wait and definitely worth all the effort and he made all the bad times and obstacles and trials and tribulations up to this point- worth it and was the last piece of the puzzle and completed everything and you couldn’t wait for him to fully join and complete your family.

Once Noah “recovered” enough, you went to dinner and if Noah had thought you garnered a lot of attention in the red dress, it was nothing compared to the attention you received in the gold dress. He never heard so many ‘god damn’s’ or ‘wow’s’ or even ‘holy fucking shit’s’ from guys and even other women when you strut past, with your arm happily hooked in the crook of Noah’s elbow.

You were happy that his own gold tie matched your dress flawlessly so that it was clearly evident that you were a couple and one hell of an attractive one and you couldn’t help but notice how the women who weren’t looking at you, were staring in awe at Noah. And while you, understandably, weren’t necessarily one of the jealous types, it filled you with pride to be on his arm to show him off, cleaned up and looking like a million bucks himself and you felt so lucky to be with him.

Even after dinner, when you went to one of the “clubs” on board, it was wonderful when Noah danced with you. Andy didn’t dance and hated to dance with you even though you loved to do so and would begrudgingly dance with you at weddings, only when you begged and pleaded for him to.

Noah though? The man, thank the gods, had rhythm, and could keep up with you on the dance floor and the two of you danced really well and the chemistry you had in the bedroom spilled out everywhere else. You were so focused on grinding on Noah with his hands possessively on your hips and riding the hypnotic beats from the music to notice how Doug stared in disbelief as he watched from a safe distance while Alorna was in the restroom and felt jealousy eat him alive, that could have been him. He could have been the one to dance with the hot millionaire MILF. What did Noah honestly have that he didn’t? Was it because he was an ice orc instead of a “traditional” green one? Or was it the plane? Probably the plane.

When Alorna came back she scuffed in disgust to see you and Noah on the dancefloor cutting it up, like you were in your own little worlds as she watched how all the guys who had been staring in desire at her, were now staring at you, their jaws on the floor and their hard ons tenting their pants.

“Come on Baby, lets go back to the casino, let her have this little tiny club, I’m feeling lucky tonight.” Doug insisted to get Alorna out of there before she started a fight because he could see the fire in her eyes that she wanted to start one.

“So do I.” Alorna cooed as they strut out of there and went back to the casino and in the beginning they were winning back all their previous losses, but just like any casino, the longer they played, the more they lost until they lost even more than what they had previously won and then some.

But all of that was a world away from you and Noah.

You barely made it back to the room before Noah hiked your dress up, pulled your breasts out, moved your slimming panties to the side and fucked you into the back of the door of your room while sucking on your tits as you moaned and keened in ecstasy, to the point no one could pass by the hallway without knowing exactly what you were up to inside the room and by the time you made it to the bed, your dress was ripped, Noah’s buttons on his shirt had popped off and the room looked like a hurricane had torn through it and Noah and yourself slept like the dead, having worn each other out half the night.

In the morning, you both got the remainder of your things together and checked out of the room and were happy when even with some shopping on board, you still had left over credit and you had the cruise cut Noah the check for your surplus and just as you disembarked, you watched as Alorna and Doug were arrested by four police officers as they had tried to disembark.

“Get your hands off me!” Alorna screeched as she struggled as Doug was struggling too before both of them got tazed and pissed themselves as you and Noah gasped as you watched on from a safe distance before you two couldn’t help but snicker a laugh as everyone else watched on eagerly and laughed as they recorded it to upload it onto YouTube as the cruise simply handed them a very hefty bill, from not just their room and drinks and spa services and add ons but also a bill for tens of thousands owed at the casino.

“Wouldn’t want to be them.” You practically sang to Noah as you both laughed, watching them get their comeuppance.

“Me neither.” Noah shook his head as you both eagerly watched as they were hauled off and you and Noah got your baggage and got a taxi to the hotel you would be staying in tonight before you would have to go to the airport the next day and each of you would fly your separate ways home.

Once at the hotel you went ahead and booked the Disney cruise for the dates that worked best and went ahead and booked things for all the kids, the extra experiences and excursions you could, you wanted Sakura to have the princess treatment, and knew that Skylar, for as tomboyish as she was, she wouldn’t say no to some pampering, nor Zane for that matter as you did the same for things for you and Noah as Noah made plans of where he was going to park his plane and stuff and meet back up for the cruise before you made more plans of how you were going to move Noah and his own animals and pets and things down for the winter and when and even ordered new things to decorate Sakura’s room with because you were taking Sakura, and her pets home with you after the two families met and would hopefully, with all fingers crossed, would get along and get her on your insurances, get her in school and get her room ready for her so that moving in would be as easy and hopefully seamless as could be and even made plans so that Noah could fly his family down to see where Noah and Sakura would settle in for the winter and have a chance to have a really big, proper gosbe and merging of the two families in September as everyone in your family was eager to meet Noah and Sakura and their family too.

You spent the last night together holding each other tightly, making promises and plans as you made love slowly, savoring every nano second because it would be a while before you would have the opportunity to have this pleasure with each other for a while. The next morning at their airport, Noah waited with you at the gate since your flight left before his, not wanting to spend a single second without you- that he didn’t have to and gave you one hell of a kiss goodbye.

Several hours later, you both arrived home and while you were happy to be home, you missed Noah and Sakura especially and once the kids were dropped off at home, you sat them down to bring them up to speed with the first part of your plan and were surprised when both of them were ok and at peace with it, and strangely- eagerly looking forward to it and when they asked about the second part of the plan, of Noah and Sakura moving in with you for the fall, winter and spring and Noah working on flipping the estates while they were in school and you were at work- they were actually impressed and relieved that Noah would be “pulling weight” and working with your dad on the houses too and were more interested in the how rather than the why of the matter because they could tell that you genuinely loved Sakura and Noah and they were grateful that at least Noah was “connected” to people they knew and trusted, mainly, your father.

“Ok, I’ll be honest, I totally thought I was going to have to do a lot more convincing.” You admitted to them once you seemed to have laid all your cards out on the table to them.

“Grandpa Gru vouched for him and when Grandpa Gru talked with Noah’s dad Ukluk and Noah’s former father in law Tonrar, we were right there and got to hear most of it and we got to talk to them too and they’ve been talking back and forth ever since and Grandpa Gru has been telling us about him and Sakura and they were really nice, and we got to talk to Summer and Isla and we got to talk to Noah’s siblings, well, all of them except Alorna, who’s apparently in jail for slandering you as a priestess, which isn’t cool, but you can’t please everyone. But otherwise we got to talk to his former siblings in law too and even Sakura’s cousins who all seem really cool and they’re all pretty normal, which is a good thing. And to hear all of them be honest about Noah and his situation and especially about Neena and their relationship and how he treated her and how he treats his family as well as the circumstances of her own death and how he’s dealt with it, in particular how he didn’t turn to the bottle or any other vices, or even his own temper, impressed us, like a lot. And instead of a “sales speech” about how great he is, to hear he’s imperfect and makes mistakes but tries his best and treats the people around him respectfully and really well and has honor and a strong sense of duty and was already making sacrifices for people around him, and has similar values that we have and has a very similar situation that we have. That was enough for us. We also comprised a list of questions for him.” Xander revealed before they showed you the list.

“Aww, this is really comprehensive.” You praised as you looked it over and grinned when you already knew the answers to most of these but you’d leave it to Noah to confirm them himself.

“Can I copy this?” You asked.

“Please do.” Skylar nodded before you went to your office and took a photocopy of the list, both sides before you took pictures and then took a pen and added a third page of things they didn’t come up with that Noah had to offer and things to talk about before you copied that and handed it to them to look at before you got a call from Noah.

“Yes?” You answered when you picked up only to hear Sakura’s voice on the other end.

“Hi Mama,” Sakura greeted you sleepily as you looked at your watch and noticed that it was bed time in her time zone as you yourself were feeling quite tired.

“Hi Honey,” You greeted, your heart melting in your chest as your soul ached to be holding her again.

“Can I have a bedtime story?” Sakura asked.

“Of course,” you readily agreed.

“I gotta read Sakura a bedtime story.” You informed your kids who both grinned knowingly and were happy to see you happy before you went upstairs to the bookshelf in your kid’s old playroom and got an appropriate story to read her and once Sakura was put to sleep, you talked with Noah and told him about the list and the developments with Sky and Zane and what your dad had done which Noah was very grateful for as Noah revealed that after you had boarded your plane and he was waiting for his own, that he got a call from your dad and the two talked for a couple of hours while he waited as your dad got to have a good conversation and came to an understanding and was surprisingly sympathetic and really nice and welcoming and Noah had a really good feeling that they were going to get along just fine and when he talked with your Mom, all your mom wanted to know was about his pets and horses and what he liked to to eat and drink and otherwise welcomed him with open arms which made you blow out a breath of relief you suggested that for next year that he would probably need to put an addition to his house for everyone which he was more than happy to agree to because his house currently was only a cottage sized house, big enough and cozy enough for Noah, you and Sakura but with adding Skylar and Xander and the menagerie to the mix, not so much. And even the barn would be cramped but Noah’s plot of land was definitely big enough to accommodate your needs and it could be made to work.

In just the span of three weeks, you had turned one of your guest bedrooms into a bedroom for Sakura and worked overtime to make it perfect while also working with your dad, your brothers and brothers in law to make sure the outbuilding, aka the man cave- was ready for Noah and and looked into zoning for several acres of land to see if you turn it into a runway so that Noah wouldn’t have to rent a space at another air field and looked into commissioning an airplane hanger to be built on the property too since you had bought up the surrounding farmland.

But that time seemed to fly by and now your children and yourself were waiting in the lobby of a hotel, waiting for Noah and Sakura to arrive while you and your children all played games on your phones as they were also waiting, having brought gifts for Sakura which were in gift bags while your own gifts had been a new suitcase full of new clothes and things for them both.

While all of you were excited, you were particularly anxious because the weather forecast told you that this week was going to have some storms and you weren’t sure how the cruise was going to go if the weather was bad, but you had an abundance of seasickness medicine and other medicines, just in case. You were prepared.

Finally Noah and Sakura made it into the hotel and the moment she saw you, she let go of Noah's hand and bolted for you.

"Mama!" Sakura shrieked in delight as you readily got up and closed the distance as you caught her in your arms and tried and failed not to cry, when you got to hold her again as you kissed each other all over as Noah came over and simply kissed you sweetly before the three of you made it back over to where Xander and Skylar were still hanging out in the lounge area, gift bags in hand and friendly smiles on their faces before Sakura got down and practically tackled Skylar and Xander with hugs which made the kids laugh as Noah was holding Sakura’s gifts for your own children.

“Hi, I'm Noatak, aka Noah, nice to meet you both.” Noah greeted your kids with a handshake which they were happy to give him, staring up at this mountain of a man, kind of awe but still a trace of fear because he was still just a little fear inspiring in person but they weren’t terrified or anything. His smile and demeanor and especially his energy was friendly and while they could tell he was nervous, he seemed to radiate calm and warmth, which is what Skylar picked up on the most and just by this first impression, she was cool. Xander, was still reserving his final judgement though.

“Hi, I'm Skylar, you can call me Sky for short,” Your daughter mirrored and echoed back to him as she watched as her little hand disappeared into his much larger one.

"And I'm Xander but you can call me Zane for short too." Xander replied before Sakura happily exchanged gifts as Zane and Sky were excited to see what Sakura would get them before a discussion was held about where to get dinner at before a place was decided that was within walking distance where the kids happily walked with their gifts, eagerly talking and getting to know each other which left you and Noah to walk hand in hand only a step behind them.

“Here, you left this.” Noah said as he tried to hand you a check for the entire amount that you had left him on the day he flew you out.

“Oh no you don’t. You need to keep that, it’s our money now, who knows when you’ll need it, moving can be expensive, as are planes, I know you already had plans to upkeep the plane this winter, I just made the “how” a little easier.” You argued as you took the check and promptly tore it into little pieces and stuffed the pieces into your pocket to burn later.

“Nice try though.” You cooed to him.

“Well then the moment we get back, I need to put you on my bank accounts so that you can access it anyway.” Noah insisted.

“Only if you’ll let me do the same for you and my own accounts.” You proposed.

“Only the small ones.” Noah gently countered.

“Fair enough.” You grinned with a soft chuckle.

Over dinner the kids brought out “the list” of questions as you and Noah sat side by side in the booth while the kids sat on the other side of the table as they went down the list while you waited for the food.

“So what was your first job?” Zane began.

“Well officially, the first job I had that came with a paycheck, was actually on a fishing boat, fishing for snow crabs and just about everything else under the sun up there and that’s how I saved up my money to buy the plane. But otherwise I have been flying with my dad in his plane since before I was old enough to legally drive as did my brother who actually flies for USPS.” Noah revealed which got all but Sakura to blink in surprise.

“Well that might come in handy, there’s supposed to be storms this week on the cruise, I’ll need your help getting my sea- legs.” You murmured.

“Oh there’s plenty of tricks to getting the seasickness to abate.” He reassured all of you which made you feel better about the prospect of spending a cruise on stormy seas as he simply squeezed your hand reassuringly.

“So how did you know that our mom was the one for you?” Skylar asked which got Noah to bark a laugh for her bluntness.

“Direct, I like it, actually, she was the answer to a lot of prayers, the least of which was financial.” Noah began.

“I had been praying, ever since Neena died, so for a while now, for the right woman to look at Sakura and see a daughter, her daughter specifically and love her just as much as I do and would want to be her mother and would be an excellent mother at that and be what Sakura needed to help her heal from the loss of her first one. And have a future with her without erasing or ignoring the past and who would respect our culture and not look down on it, and would help her embrace it. And your mom did all of that and more, like so much more than I ever could have thought to hope for, much less pray for.” Noah answered as you practically glowed with pride next to him and smiled so adoringly at him and thanked all the gods for a man who finally recognized your contributions and gave you credit where it was due.

“Because she prayed with me to the same gods my first mama and all my grandparents pray to and then she showed me how she prayed to hers and we shared a lot of the same ones and she made me my summer solstice outfit, just like my first mama did, only better. And hugging her felt like I was hugging my first mama, that she loved me just as much.” Sakura volunteered which melted everyone’s hearts.

“And it became immediately apparent to me just on that first day that it was The Gods Will that everything that I packed for Taylor and her family, I packed two, and both sets made it and it just so happened that Noah needed everything that I had packed but he didn’t ask for any of it and I sincerely doubt he ever would have either. But he did appreciate it and was more than deserving of it too and while his house wasn’t the biggest or grandest house I’ve ever been in, he built it with his own two hands and he built it well and it was full of more love than anything which was very keenly felt. And I could tell that Noah took care of his house really well too, everything was in good working order, and well maintained and neat and orderly and pretty clean too. He’s been used to doing all the domestic chores along with earning an income and providing for his family just like me and trying to carry everything all by himself which is hard and a burden- I’m all too familiar with myself and he cooks really well too. So, win-win.” You added with a proud smile which got Sky to smile fondly and even Zane to grin as he sat on one side of Sakura while Skylar sat on the other side of her which Sakura couldn’t be happier about, being surrounded by her new family.

“So how did you know that Daddy was the one for you Mama?” Sakura asked you in turn.

“Well he also answered a lot of prayers for me too. So on the trip up to the Frozen Tundra, I had to take a flight and a short cruise up there and it was just non stop men with a few women too, both married, divorced, single, in and out of all kinds of relationships and it was just a barrage of mostly guys wanting to buy me every drink at every bar that they could make- in an effort to have sex with me and I was really sick of it, been sick of it for years now and I was worn down and weary of it all. Like even the spa manager on that first cruise ship tried to have sex with me so my guard was up and I figured I wouldn’t have a break from that until I got to Taylor’s house when surprise- surprise, even there, I ran into the same thing from her brother in law and the whole way up I had been praying that I would find a friend and find relief from all of that and lo and behold- Noah was there waiting for me to get off the boat and he didn’t flirt with me once on that first day or even the second and not really on the third either. He was nothing but respectful and professional to me even before I met him and after he met me in person he showed unbelievable restraint and self control which encouraged me to do the same, because the moment I saw him in person, I thought he was the most handsome man I had ever laid eyes on and there was that instant attraction, connection and chemistry and even with all of that, he let me just hang out and help him in exchange for flying me all over which I love flying and at the first subtle sign of discomfort from other’s advances, he didn’t hesitate to protect me and shield me from those unwanted advances from everyone else and it was such a welcome relief, like it was walking into a cool air conditioned room to rest and get replenished and feel completely safe while also feeling completely free and it was so wonderful to feel that after being in the oppressive heat all day with buzzing mosquitoes trying to suck every bit of blood and joy and peace from me they could and it was really nice and refreshing.” You began which got Noah to huff a laugh.

“That’s funny I felt the same way but kind of the opposite.” Noah said.

“I was oppressive heat?” You laughed.

“No, no, no, it was the opposite in that for me it felt like it was the never ending winter and oppressively cold, but with you- it was like getting that first warm breeze of summer, where the winter finally shakes it’s hold on everything and wishy washy spring where it’s cold one day and hot the next only to be cold the day after that- it felt like winter was finally over and once that warm summer breeze rolls in, it’s even and stable and you can trust that it’ll stay warm instead of trying to rip it away in two seconds, and you did smell like some tropical blooms in paradise, and what was really poignant, was that morning when I dropped Sakura off at my mom’s, my mom said her tea leaves told her that I would find Paradise that day and at the time I had no idea what she meant but the second I met you, it was crystal clear.” Noah explained.

“Which is why I called you Paradise at first Mama and because she showed me the tea leaves and then did some more and they told me that you were a really good mama, one of the best.” Sakura sighed dreamily as she smiled adoringly at you as you mirrored her.

“Aww, that’s so sweet!” You fawned as you picked up his hand and kissed the back of it sweetly before you reached across the table to stroke Sakura’s cheek with your palm and smiled even brighter when she leaned into your touch as Zane and Skylar smiled fondly too as that seemed to cement things for Skylar especially, the gods themselves picked Noah and Sakura out for them and through destiny itself, brought them together.

“So anyway, when I first came up, when I finally got to him- others tried to flirt with me, once he observed that I was tired and uncomfortable, he shut them down and stood up for me without asking for anything in return or trying to flirt with me himself even though at the time I would have probably flirted back but because he showed restraint, I showed some too and he was generous with me without any thought of being paid back for any of it and treated me like we’d been friends for years and we just got along and we clicked on just that base- friendship level because he thought I was married and I thought he was married and we both deeply respected those boundaries and didn’t push them and when we found out that we were both widowed, it didn’t jump straight from friends to romantic, it stayed friends and it grew very organically from there and he went above and beyond for me, helping me with my luggage, helping drive half my crap to Taylor’s house, and hugging him that first night felt like hugging home, only it wasn’t a home I had known yet and it was such a relief all around and a very welcome change.” You explained.

“Yeah except, because you were that wonderful paradise compared to everything else and it’s not like I wasn’t immediately attracted to you either. You were wonderful on the phone and then when I saw you coming down the pier with a plane load of cargo, I figured you were my fare but the closer you got, the more I could see and I had every intention of meeting you halfway but once I got a good look at you, my whole body just froze and my brain shut down and my eyes got tunnel vision and I just watched completely bewitched as the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life who looked like paradise incarnate, coming down the pier and so that’s why I just stupidly stood there and stared at you like an awkward teenager and then when you saw me, smiled politely and turned and called me and pulled me out of that daze, I almost said ‘sorry, we don’t get too many drop dead gorgeous women up here’ but that would have been incredibly unprofessional and inappropriate and my mouth has never worked that smoothly with my brain and then when I was driving you to the plane and I’m seeing every sailor, every passenger, every guy with a pulse stop, stare and do a double take, I thought I needed a warhammer strapped to my back and I thought I was going to be fighting all of them off just to keep you safe because we may live in a polite- modern society but that can change in a hot minute and I had to hide behind my sunglasses and I was terrified something was gonna happen to you and so I had to call Taylor and voice my concerns to her because again, didn’t want to be rude to you and told her that you needed a bodyguard and she told me to volunteer basically before she laughed and hung up.” Noah confessed.

“Really?” You and the kids all laughed in delight, grateful that there was that instant attraction and chemistry.

“Yeah, so like I just had to put myself on my best behavior because I did not want to mess up anything with you.” Noah explained.

“Well obviously it worked.” You reassured him.

“Plus when I met Sakura, I had the most overwhelming mothering urges towards her, like every instinct in my mind and body was telling me to love her and take care of her and do everything in my power to make sure she was ok and help her in any way I could, whether it benefited me or not. And when I got to hug and hold her for the first time, it was like I was holding you guys after I first gave birth to you. That ‘there you are, I’ve waited so long to finally meet you and I’m gonna love you forever.’ feeling.” You repeated and even now Noah still got misty eyed just thinking about it as Skylar had her arm around Sakura and hugged her tight too.

“And that’s exactly what I prayed for.” Noah repeated.

“And then to know that he wasn’t a stranger or just some guy- but to know that it was Grandpa Gru’s old airforce brother from another mother, that- that- was his dad and that our families had actually been old friends before my dad had moved us away, that if my parents had stayed we would have grown up together and probably would have been friends starting then too. And the fact that Taylor also vetted him for me, and that Taylor knew him and knew his family too so that I had not just that childhood connection but also have that mature adulthood character reference and his reputation alone was outstanding and the fact that he not only respected me but respected my profession too which is a really big deal, especially for me, when so many think it’s an invitation for solicitation, but not him, he recognized that it was, not just my bread and butter but actually my calling and was really helpful and supportive.” You mused.

“Well and likewise, because you were the first client since Neena died that didn’t haggle me or look down on me because I was an ice orc and a pilot and you didn’t treat me and my family like tourist attractions which has happened a lot before and you respected me and my profession which also went a long way too.” Noah confessed.

“Yeah, being objectified sucks, we just get objectified for different things. I’m actually worried that’s gonna happen on the cruise, that you and Sakura will get patronized because you’re ice orcs and get roped into posing for other guests who think you’re part of the experience.” You confessed.

“Nah, I wouldn’t, if Sakura and I brought our native regalia, maybe, but since we didn’t, I doubt that’ll happen, I don’t think people will care enough to notice us because usually we get ignored everywhere we go that isn’t home where we know everyone.” Noah reassured you.

“But, back to what we were talking about, the moment you came into my life, suddenly money was the last thing to matter to me, all that really mattered was Sakura and you, and making sure both of you were ok and taken care of and most of all safe.” Noah professed.

“Aww, I had the same feeling but especially for Sakura, like I knew you would be ok and could take care of yourself and I knew Sakura would be ok as long as you would be successful so making you as successful as possible so you could continue to care for her became my immediate goal. Which is why once I found out that your competition was undercutting you to steal your already limited pool of clients, I felt I needed to try to help any way I could and it ended up working out really well. And what worked out even better was that all the money that I made that first day, even when I went and didn’t expect to make any money at all, I spent helping you even more so that it was in no way a burden and the more I gave and the more I helped, the more blessing and happiness I got in return and the blessing didn’t stop at you and Sakura, it went to your family and Neena’s family too and even the clans, despite Alorna and Doug’s attempts to sabotage that because the seeds and things I brought from the lower 48 that I barely spent anything on- ended up getting split up and going to all the clans and it all got used and appreciated which is, at the end of the day, what matters.” You added.

“And it proved to everyone what a fine woman you were that even in the face of deep disrespect and sabotage that you kept your cool and kept your composure and were classy and gracious and respectful and still honored the clans and the council, which was the right thing to do, it wasn’t easy and I didn’t make it any easier on you either.” Noah confessed.

“How did you make it hard?” Zane asked with a frown.

“I took her concession as her giving up on me and Sakura and it wasn’t that at all, she was in her own priestess regalia and in regalia, she has a code she needs to abide by and I didn’t take that into account or consideration at all and I, very wrongly jumped to the conclusion that she was giving up and I will probably regret that mistake till the day I die.” Noah readily confessed which impressed Zane and Skylar that he was humble enough to admit he made a mistake and owned up to it and didn’t sugar coat it or downplay it but was actually very factual in his recounting which was very honest and forthcoming, which they respected and admired.

“Well you need to forgive yourself for that, I know I have, and beating yourself up for a mistake won’t get you anywhere.” You comforted him with another squeeze of his hand.

“No but it sure did teach me some humility and the lesson to not to jump to conclusions and to actually talk things out and figure it out instead of just emotionally reacting.” Noah gently countered.

“And it taught me to explain myself before misconceptions and misunderstandings happen because the difference in culture is still there.” You allowed.

“Huh,” Zane hummed and shrugged it off.

“But that’s still a really good thing that you would admit that you were in the wrong and obviously you apologized and tried to make amends and that you’re humble enough to admit that you were wrong and learned lessons, even as an adult.” Skylar praised.

“And what an apology it was.” You grinned cheekily which got Noah to blush and smile bashfully.

“It wasn’t just sex was it? It was an actual apology right?” Zane pressed.

“Yes, it was an actual apology, like, crying, on his knees, begging for forgiveness and admitting fault and promising to do better and then following through with actions.” You reassured Zane.

“And then yes, sex.” Noah took a chance and teased Zane which got Skylar to snort a snickering laugh as Sakura giggled too as Zane just sighed tiredly and resigned himself to this even though secretly he was relieved that it was Noah that you had chosen, or the gods rather, because now that you were in a serious relationship, his friend’s dads would hopefully now be deterred and stop drooling over you already.

“Yeah, I guess that’s inevitable and part of a healthy, committed monogamous relationship right?” Zane returned, trying to be cool about it because he could tell Noah was being harmless, in his joking and appreciated the gesture and could humor him.

“Yup, very healthy,” You nodded.

“And very committed and monogamous.” Noah nodded in turn.

“So have you ever killed anyone?” Skylar asked which got you and Noah to laugh because she just- came in from left field with that one.

“No, I have killed many animals though, for hunting purposes because hunting and trapping is legal and absolutely necessary if you’re going to live up there.” Noah answered.

“What’s the biggest thing you’ve killed?” Skylar asked.

“A bull moose that was just over 1500 pounds, getting that thing to my plane was the hardest thing because you have to dress it in the field and carry it out in pieces and carry it out quickly before the wolves and bears get wind of it. But thankfully I was hunting with my dad and my brothers and brothers in law so we all helped and we got a few moose that day, it set up the families for most of the winter actually.” Noah began before he recounted his other hunting expeditions and by the end of dinner, Sky and Zane seemed happy and satisfied with Noah’s answers to his questions and Noah in turn got his own questions about you and them, answered too.

You went back to the hotel and you tried to “ease” everyone into this by getting two hotel rooms, one for Noah and Sakura and the other for your kids and yourself, but they were right next to each other and had a door from one to the other that you kept open and once the kids got dressed to go swimming in the hotel’s pool and Noah got to see you in a bikini again, he nearly lost control and had to actively remind himself that not only was Sakura around, but your own children and the guests at the hotel meant he couldn’t just scoop you up and fuck you against the closest surface. The bikini wasn’t even all that “sexy” it was actually modest compared to most but your body in it was giving every ounce of will power he had a run for its money.

“Did you miss me?” You cooed to him as you caught him staring at you as you laid out the kid’s towels down over the sun chairs as you taunted him by wiggling your butt just enough to make it jiggle a little.

“You have no idea.” Noah returned huskily as he simply came up behind you and wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you flush to him to pin his hardening cock to your backside and left the most salacious kiss on the side of your neck, your knees almost buckled from under you as you dropped your own towel on the ground as your whole body betrayed you and you were ready to rip your bikini off of your frame and offer yourself to him poolside.

“Fuck.” You cursed under your breath as it was suddenly unbearably hot in the sun, because Noah had practically set you on fire with just that little touch and kiss.

“You kiss your mother with that mouth?” He teased you.

“You keep pushing it and this will end in one of two ways, I get away from you so I don’t fuck you in front of the gods and everyone- right here, right now and scar the kids for life or you can figure out a way we can both sneak away for five or ten minutes so we can get our own private business taken care of.” You offered as you bent at the waist to pick up your towel and to feel his shaft tried to spear the cleft of your ass as it laid against the length of it.

Thankfully the kids soon made friends with the other kids swimming at the pool and Noah and yourself did manage to “sneak” into a family’s restroom.

That door was barely shut and locked before Noah ripped your bottoms off as you barely had a chance to step out of them before he picked you up, pinned you against a wall and entered you roughly then started up a very earnest and powerful rhythm as he kissed you like a man starved while you clung to him like a lifeline while you tried to stamp down your whimpering keens and feeling rejoined was feeling like you were whole again.

“Gods I’ve missed you.” You confessed between scorching hot kisses.

“Missed you too, my hand has been a poor substitute.” Noah confessed which got a giggle to bubble from your throat.

“Likewise.” You returned as his hips snapped forcefully into yours and the pleasure was almost overwhelming, after three weeks of just talking on the phone, seeing him again in person, the magic and the sparks and the chemistry was still there, if anything there was more of it. That three weeks had felt just as long as the two years between losing Andy and finding Noah to begin with and it was crazy how in a month, what once was a stranger was now the center of your life and the same could be said for Noah.

But at least you had all the texts, phone calls and emails. And thankfully Noah had been busy with his business while you were gone, having practically worked nonstop once he got back. And you talked to both him and Sakura at least once a day, especially at night, reading stories to Sakura to put her to sleep and then talking to Noah about his day after putting Sakura to bed. And sometimes it was just decompressing or heart and soul bearing conversation and other times it turned into some really amazing phone sex. But none of it held a candle to the real thing and way faster than you were expecting, you came in a shuddering keen, nuzzling your face into the crux of his neck and shoulder while your fingertips dimpled into the meat of his shoulders and back and it took less than ten pumps later before Noah finally let loose himself and pumped you full of his seed, a growling groaning moan as he simply pinned you against the wall and held you tight and nuzzled his face in the juncture of your own neck and shoulder and breathed in your scent deep into his lungs, feeling anchored by it because now, that he had you in his arms, he didn’t care about anything else. Everything else seemed so far away now.

By the time you made it back out, Sakura was on Zane’s shoulders as he and some of the other kids there were playing chicken and didn’t notice that you and Noah had stepped away it seemed as you both slipped into the warm water and swam around until the sunset and you finally got to go back to the rooms where you happily put Sakura to bed, snuggling with her in her bed as you read a story from your phone to her as Sky and Zane got ready for bed in their own bed across from you and watched on fondly before they fell asleep after Sakura did before you happily crawled into bed with Noah, made love and then fell asleep in his arms, finally sleeping well for the first time in weeks and Skylar and Zane didn’t have any issues with it in the morning which was a relief for you and Noah.

Before loading the cruise ship you had Noah take you and your second set of luggage and a huge crate of gifts for kids, all of Sakura’s cousins on both sides of her family since you and your kids had insisted on also getting gifts for their soon to be cousins and loaded those up on the plane so you wouldn’t have to worry about those gifts getting dirty or damaged before they could reach their recipients and your kids got to explore Noah’s plane which they thought was really cool, Skylar actually did summersaults down the cargo hold as Zane sat in the cockpit and eagerly looked at all the controls and was asking Noah about what each one was and did which made you happy as Noah promised that after the cruise, he would let them fly the plane for a few minutes on the way home which made them really happy and excited for. Which made you so excited to see everything again, but instead of the eyes of a visitor but from the eyes of a soon to be local.

Thankfully you got onto the cruise ship early because you were in the concierge royal suite and not surprisingly, Zane and Skylar seemed to make new friends right at check in, some of them had even been at the hotel the night before and even Sakura made new friends too which gave you some relief that she wasn’t being left out or ignored. Skylar and Zane could make fast friends wherever they went when they wanted to and for a week long cruise, they could do so freely to make the trip more enjoyable and Skylar and Zane had gifted Sakura a little notebook to write down all the names of all her friends so that once they got on board they could send each other gifts and “pixie dust” to other guests which Zane and Skylar insisted that all the kids staying in all of the handicap rooms on board get pixie dust in particular which damn near made Noah cry because of how thoughtful and inclusive they were to include them as Sakura also agreed to do the same which made you particularly proud. You had also spent the last three weeks making sure that you would have all the extra touches and flourishes that would make the cruise memorable and special for everyone.

Once you were invited to board, you got your pictures taken and then it was announced to the welcoming crew that the Kintucks and the Kingsleys were arrived which Sakura thought was really fun and once onboard the concierge lounge on the ship, you got each of them the program for the cruise and your highlighters out and brought out the list of things you had already put into your agenda, like princess makeovers and royal tea service for the nights you would be going to Rapunzel’s Royal Table for dinner where it was basically Disney’s version of “formal nights” as all five you got to have your choice about activities for the cruises.

Noah, unsurprisingly, was happy to just be along for the ride. Sky and Zane were really looking forward to all the kids clubs and since this was Sakura’s first cruise, much less a Disney one, she was just eager to experience everything she could as Skylar and Zane were equally eager to share the experiences with her while you were eager to have some good proper alone time with Noah because your suite had two huge whirlpool tubs, one for the master and one for the kid’s room and while you brought plenty of bath bombs for the kids, you also brought some for yourself too along with some amazing lingerie just for Noah’s enjoyment, as all of you tried to get used to the rocking of the boat.

“So...what’s that trick to getting your sea legs?” Zane asked Noah as you could tell from his expression that he was getting a little queasy as he sipped on his ginger ale.

“Ok so back when I was on a fishing boat, what we would do is we would fill the hold up with sea water, get our gear on, as if we would go overboard and we would take turns throwing each other into the holding tank, like throwing each other as high in the air as we could, with more flips and twists, the better and when the body gets thrown around like that, it’s forced to re-calibrate itself and even in a really bad storm there is always a rhythm to the waves that your body gets used to, we would barely be out of port and we would start doing this, usually on the third throw, maybe the fifth throw if you’re really bad off, you’re good to go, now the biggest trick is when you get back on land, your body will still want to follow the rhythm of the sea and you can get “land sickness”, which is getting sea sick sitting perfectly still, but again, it’s the same trick to get out of it.” Noah explained.

“So you yeet us basically.” Skylar grinned excitedly.

“Yeah, into the pool.” Noah nodded.

“Yes!” Skylar cheered which got Noah to laugh as he looked around casually and noticed something...odd.

“Hey, not to be a worry wart but we might have a problem, 8’oclock.” Noah murmured to your family as he looked around casually again which got everyone’s ears to pick up.

“What?” You asked, as you instantly looked around yourself before you noticed the family in the direction Noah alluded to before your own stomach dropped.

“They’re looking at Zane pretty hard.” Noah realized.

“Ah, fans, this happens quite a bit, hopefully they’ll be cool and not swarm me.” Zane muttered in resignation.

“Cause of your YouTube channel?” Noah asked.

“Most likely, they don’t look like the ballet following type.” Zane answered.

“If they come over and bother you- do you want me to get rid of them?” Noah offered casually.

“Uh, well, there’s no reason to be rude, but yeah if they get bothersome and hound me, please do.” Zane answered, happy and relieved that Noah would even offer before the family couldn’t help it and came over.

“Hey, are you Zane Kingsley, with King’s Snakes?” Another boy asked Zane as the family from across the lounge had been staring and gawking at Zane the moment your family had been waiting to board the ship and Noah noticed Zane plastered on that same, forced polite smile you did that first day when that whole tavern tried to buy you drinks as Noah looked from Zane to you to see you did the same thing as Skylar didn’t bother hiding her annoyance at the intrusion while Sakura looked on curiously as she ate her snack.

“Yeah, that’s me,” Zane reluctantly confirmed before the whole family seemed to gush and fawn and geek out that they met a “celebrity” on the cruise before they all got pictures with Zane as Zane humored them and gave them autographs while he tried to keep it about the snakes, asking if they had any and was happy that they were looking to buy one soon.

“Oh my goodness, look at us being so rude, are you vacationing with your family?” The mom asked.

“Yup, that’s my mom Zara, my sister Sky, my soon to be stepsister Sakura, and soon to be step dad Noatak.” Zane introduced which brought a more genuine smile to your face.

“Oh wow, you guys are ice orcs aren’t you?” The dad asked.

“Yup, we’re from the Sungilak tribe too.” Sakura volunteered.

“Oh that’s so awesome, do you mind if we get pictures of you guys too? We’ve never met ice orcs before, you have such beautiful coloring.” The mom tried to flatter.

“Sure.” Sakura agreed before she smiled really brightly for them as you and Noah shared a meaningful look before the family seemed satisfied they left you alone.

“Gods, please let that be the only time that happens.” You muttered to Noah worriedly as you squeezed his hand as you walked the halls to your suite to get changed into your bathing suits since the luggage that wasn’t your carryons had already been delivered.

You all got to your room and just as the other guests were boarding, Noah took the lifeguard aside and explained what he was about to do to you and your family and got special permission to do so since he would be throwing you guys much higher and farther than would normally be allowed but they trusted Noah for his word and his experience.

Skylar had never screamed more gleefully in her life, even on roller coasters, she didn’t squeal so loudly and Sakura did about the same and Zane even let out a shout or five as you marveled at Noah’s strength in not only picking you up but throwing you just as high and just as far as the kids but it worked like the charm it was. Then Noah jumped and did flips in the air to calibrate himself to it and once done, all of you happily went back to the room to fully settle in and get ready for the sailing away party as Sakura got to be on your shoulders while Skylar requested to enjoy it on Noah’s shoulders and was happy to be the tallest in the crowd that was gathered.

The first two days of the cruise were perfect, everyone got to have all their fun events that they wanted to go to and no one had issues with seasickness at all and you and Noah got to fully reconnect and Noah loved the lingerie and loved getting it off of you in record time too while the kids were in their kid’s clubs and do a lot of crafts in the oceaneers clubs.

The third day however, the storms hit and thankfully you were in the middle of the ship so you didn’t have to have deal with the bow going up and down with the waves, but the winds and rains hitting the glass of the veranda was the scariest thing you had encountered on the sea as all three of the kids huddled close to you in your bed as Sakura was squarely on your chest, Zane was under your right arm and Skylar was under your left and Noah was on the other side of Skylar as Noah simply smiled fondly to see you comforting all your children through the storm and was relieved that none of you were faring badly because of the seasickness as you all huddled together under the blankets during the worst of the storm.

Then after that, the storms passed and things went back to normal however, for the rest of the cruise, your family soon garnered more and more attention every time you left your cabin as Zane got an exorbitant amount of attention and “pixie dust” from just about all the kids on board because the news of “a celebrity” had traveled fast and even Noah and especially Sakura was approached a lot too, to the point that Noah actually did have to intervene and remind the other guests that you were all on a family vacation and that if they wanted pictures with ice orcs, to get them on shore with the others who were actually dressed to cater to tourists but that he and his daughter were not part of the attractions themselves and that Zane was also on a private family vacation and appreciated his privacy which Zane had never been more grateful and thankful for Noah to do as Skylar was more adoring of him in those moments than she had been yet because usually you fiercely protected Zane from “fanatical fans” but with Noah, he was the best deterrent yet and she had immediately claimed him as her step dad and had instantly started calling him "Dad" which Noah got used to pretty quick as Zane had to get a second piece of luggage to pack all of the “pixie dust” from the cruise.

Then when you got off the boat with your luggage, Noah flew you back to your family’s new home away from home, to meet his family which your kids thought was the coolest thing to be flown in and all took turns in the cockpit with the head gear and help steer the plane and then the kids happily loaded themselves into the back of the pickup truck with their luggage and thought the Frozen Tundra was really, really pretty, with the mountains and the greens and the swaths of wild flower blooms in the other fields and you had them also pack gifts for their soon to be cousins as well, making sure that all the kids were accounted for and prayed that the kids would like the gifts as you went to Noah’s house first to unload all your luggage as Zane happily poached stickers and other items from all the “pixie dust” that he got form all his “fans” on the cruise and added them to the gift bags for a special Disney touch to them.

You were never more relived to see Neena's family with the Noah’s family again as they still gave you the same warm welcome that they had done last time and Sakura was so proud to introduce her new siblings to all her cousins who were thrilled to get presents as you and Noah watched on, as Skylar of course, wanted to wrestle with her new boy cousins while Zane was content to simply sit and talk with his new girl cousins as they all happily played with their new things of slime happily around the card table in the game room.

“Ok, you guys can wrestle if you want but here are the rules, no broken anything, no broken noses, wrists, elbows, knees, ankles and obviously necks, we don’t want to take anyone to the ER today, that kind of thing. No pulling hair or braids or anything like that, and anything that a bathing suit would cover is off limits and of course, honor the tap out code and only displays of good sportsmanlike conduct is allowed. And boys, if you’re not cool with a girl like Skylar getting the best of you and beating you, don’t wrestle with her in the first place. She’s had a lot of formal training. Skylar, only match what you’re about to be given, no ganging up on anyone, lets play fair, one on one or two on two or however it has to go to be even. No breaking furniture or windows or anything like that, let’s be respectful of each other and the space. No trash talking or anything like that.” You specified, making sure you made eye contact with all of them before they all eagerly nodded their agreement.

“Ok, have at it then.” You agreed before you backed away before it descended into controlled chaos.

“Does that happen a lot?” Isla asked as she sat next to you on the couch with Summer as you all watched as Skylar happily started pinning each one down to the ground as all the boys were beyond happy and excited that a girl was willing to play this rough and could go toe to toe with them and they didn’t have to worry about holding back to keep from hurting her cause she was one tough cookie.

“Yeah, now don’t misunderstand, the two of them could just as easily switch places. And at home, Zane is Skylar’s workout and sparring partner so he knows everything that she does martial arts wise and in school he was the one to restrain her when she would get in fights in school so he knows those holds better than she does. But he prefers to make interpersonal connections through talking. Skylar, is obviously more physical and they’ll both bond to everyone else, just through different means. And Skylar, is actually a really gifted, graceful dancer and Zane can do all kinds of lifts with her and it helps her keep her own balance in the martial arts, but she prefers the skin on skin contact and getting to know each one by playing like this.” You explained before you watched Skylar actually kick one particular boy cousin off of her with so much power he practically went flying backwards about 10 feet, a few feet off the ground as Zane saw him coming and pulled the other girl cousins out of the way so they didn’t get pulled into it and hurt as the boy got up and laughed and dove back in as the other fathers watched their sons play fight with amusement as the other women were puting the finishing touches on dinner as Noah had never beamed with so much pride at seeing Skylar seem to take on two at a time with ease and judging by all the bright smiles on all the faces of the kids, they were all definitely having fun.

“So how was the cruise?” Noah’s brother Nago asked from the pool table.

“Uh, it was a mixed bag honestly. The first couple of days were awesome. Then word got out that “a celebrity” was on the cruise and then it wasn’t so great. Zane has a YouTube channel about breeding ball pythons and he’s only ten but he’s already making money as a breeder and he’s actually really, really smart when it comes to their care and genetics and medical care. And so, because of that exposure, he gets recognized a lot and he got recognized on the ship and he signed more autographs than Mickey Mouse did. It was insane. And it got to the point that he had me step in and remind these people that he wasn’t at an expo, he wasn’t on this cruise for any kind of publicity but he was just on a private family vacation and it’s a good thing I have a mean glare to keep them at bay but it was the same people who objectified Sakura and I the whole time, thinking because we were ice orcs that we were part of the cruise and the experience too, that wasn’t cool and Zara showed her claws a few times trying to keep Sakura safe and not hassled either and the staff of course was really cool and understanding and helpful. And then of course we had those storms roll in and it got pretty dicey a few times and if I had not done the water tank trick on all of them and myself, all of us would have been sicker than a dog that whole time. But even with all of that going on, Zara never faltered once. She was amazing and kept everyone safe and together and having a good time and to Sakura, she just thought it was the best family vacation she had ever been on and thankfully didn’t think the attention she got was a bad thing as Skylar warmed right up to me and loved it that I was bigger and taller than anyone else on board and loved to sit on my shoulders to watch all the shows that weren’t canceled due to weather. Zane is of course reserving judgement which I can’t argue with or find fault in. So, like I said, mixed bag.” Noah surmised.

“Well of course it wasn’t going to be perfect. Nothing ever is.” Ukluk noted.

“No, I wasn’t expecting it to be but I just wasn’t exactly expecting what we got either.” Noah muttered as he continued to watch Skylar closely to make sure she wasn’t getting hurt before she put one of Sakura’s cousins, Kako into a choke hold.

“Hey! Kako! Tap out, she’s gonna make you pass out buddy.” Noah suggested as Suka laughed at how his son was being put into a choke hold as Kako never looked happier to be in such a state.

“I’m good!” Kako tried to say as he waived off his uncle in between trying to squirm out of the hold only a minute later he went limp into a pile on the floor before Skylar let him go and rolled him over with the help of his siblings and other cousins as they all cheered that she had knocked him out before they clamored for her to do the same thing to them.

“Really?” Skylar asked.

“Yeah!” They insisted before Skylar looked at you and then to Noah and the other dads for permission.

“Go for it!” Nago, Yakone, Tonrar, Dave, Max and John all encouraged her.

“If that’s what they want, go for it Sweetie.” Ukluk laughed and gave her the nod before she beamed and outright tackled the rest of them until she had all the boys passed out on the floor around her and stood and caught her breath and appraised her handiwork while Noah and his brothers and brothers in law and his father and father in law all give her high fives and teased that she needed to come over to their house for sleep overs to do that to their sons that night for bed.

“If this was two hundred years ago, she would be getting marriage proposals left and right for that.” Isla practically cackled to you which made the rest of you laugh with her.

“Yeah, most of the boys at school already view her as this little warrior goddess as it is. And she’s only 8, just turned 8 too, I can’t imagine what she’ll be like at 18, but my rule is, no dating while in elementary, middle or high school. If you want to date in college that’s your choice but nothing before that.” You insisted.

“Ooh, that’s gonna be hard, especially up here, most are matched before high school graduation.” Isla grimaced.

“Well then she’ll be one of the few who aren’t as will Zane, and Sakura. Because they’re children right now and they should focus on being kids, having fun, enjoying hobbies, learning life skills and school. Not anything romantic, they’re still growing and developing and maturing for their age, romance should be the last thing pushed onto them.” You insisted.

“Agreed.” Noah practically boomed from across the room which made you smile even brighter as Skylar then joined Zane’s group and met all the girl cousins and sat next to Sakura and put her arm around her.

“Can you show me how to do that?” Sakura asked Skylar.

“And me?” The other girls chimed in.

“Yeah sure, wait for them to wake up first.” Skylar said as she nodded over to the boys who were still passed out before their mothers came down to get everyone.

“What happened to the boys?” Samantha asked worriedly, seeing her sons passed out on the floor.

“Oh Sammie, you should have been here! So the boys found out that Skylar can wrestle, asked her to put them in choke holds which she did! It was the single coolest thing I’ve ever seen.” Nago laughed giddily as he went over to his boys and picked up their arms and let the arms drop.

“The boys...asked for this?” Samantha repeated.

“Yeah, and of course I was cool with it and gave her permission too.” Nago insisted.

“We all did.” All the guys insisted.

“...ok. Well dinner is ready, and they need to wake up for dinner.” Samantha insisted before all the guys murmured their agreement and woke up their sons who almost jolted awake.

“Hey bud, how do you feel?” Suka asked Kako.

“I feel fine, that was really fun!” Kako beamed happily.

“Good, I’m glad you had fun, time for dinner.” Suka insisted as he helped his son to his feet before all the other boys as they all happily got up and went upstairs and happily told their mothers all about how awesome Skylar was and how she plays just as rough as they do which made their mothers happy to hear that they were getting along and you and Noah were finally relieved that this time, things were going much smoother.

#Jewel Of The North #Jewel Of The North Chapter 12 #ice orcs #jewel orcs

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bisexualsforprompto · 5 years ago

Note

Prompt 21 Haunted- Batfam hosting a haunted mansion event for Halloween?

Oooo I like this!!!!

Scared Cat and Bug

“Why did we decide to do this again?” Adrien asked with fear as he clung to Marinette.

“D-Don’t be such a scaredy cat.” Marinette whispered as she walked further into the manor, “Alya said she wanted to get the inside scoop on the Wayne Manor haunted house.”

“First,” Adrien whimpered in a hushed tone, “You’re just as scared as me, and second, why did they insist on us going before them? Nino knows I hate horror.”

Marinette sighed, “Alya said she’d be able to tell how scary it was by listening to our screams from behind. At first I thought Nino was against it, but I definitely heard him laugh.”

“Our friends are jerks.”

Marinette sighed, “Yeah, but we love them.”

Adrien ventured further into the house, “I don’t like this at all...you don’t think the Waynes would make it too scary, right?”

“How should I know? You’re the one who knows them.”

Adrien grimaced, “My father knows them. One of the only reasons I was allowed to come.”

Marinette nodded, “Sorry.” Was all she said. Adrien sighed and took her hand, leading her further into the manor.

The two heroes walked in tandem as they walked through the house. The lights flickered and creepy music began to play.

“I’m gonna pee my pants, I’m gonna pee my pants,” Adrien whispered to himself like a mantra as he got closer to Marinette.

Rubbing his head like she’d rub a cat’s fur, Marinette gave a chuckle, “Of course the two people who hate horror went together.”

“This is gonna be torture.” Adrien whined as the lights dimmed.

A half hour and many jump scares later, Marinette and Adrien found themselves outside of the house, the Waynes greeting them.

Apparently they had a security system set up and they saw and heard. Every. Thing. They. Did.

“I’m gonna die of embarrassment,” Marinette whispered.

“Aw, don’t feel bad,” the oldest adopted Wayne said, “A lot of people screamed.”

“Actually,” Adrien said, “It was me who screamed, not her.”

“Really?” Damian, the blood child, asked with genuine curiosity, “But the scream was consistent with a little girl’s.”

Marinette definitely didn’t laugh, nope.

“Wait,” the second oldest, Jason, said, “If you weren’t the screamer, why are you so embarrassed, little miss?”

Covering her face with her hands Marinette spoke softly, “I was the one who punched one of the ghosts in the face.”

“That was you?!” Jason laughed, “I’m pretty sure he has a black eye now, you pack a powerful punch.”

“I’m gonna die.” Marinette whined.

“There, there.” Adrien said, patting her on the back, “It’s over now.”

Marinette might’ve been fine if she didn’t hear some of the Waynes chuckle under their breath.

Thank kwami for Alya and Nino. They came out right after and after saying their goodbyes to the Waynes, dragged Marinette and Adrien back to the airport.

As they boarded the plane, Alya grinned, “That was fun, right?”

#maribat #there was only a lil crossover in this but it was still fun to write #this could be considered adrinette but i was thinking they were friends in this

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poisonedapples · 4 years ago

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The sides except they go to a tech school

This is extremely self indulgent but I apologize for nothing

Roman’s Program: Digital Media

Roman’s big dream is to be an actor, but he also has a very intense need to know a whole bunch of stuff about the production field and be a jack of all trades, basically

He’s also autistic and has a huge special interest in movies, so he’s just on cloud nine

He had a really hard time making friends at his home school, which is also another reason why he most to go to the tech school instead. He wanted a second chance and to meet new people who loved the same stuff he could never seem to shut up about, but he’s also very nervous and just really wants to make some friends this year

He’s also extremely salty that Remus followed him to his new school. Remus was always the talk of the school and Roman was always in his shadow, so this time, his strategy is to pretend that Remus doesn’t even exist

Remus will not take this as an a solution, but Roman’s not giving up anyway

He also met Patton, Logan, and Virgil in his College English class. Their seats were assigned next to each other, but it was Patton that actually started getting all of them to talk to each other

Speaking of Patton, him and Patton went together like a moth to a flame. They hit it off day one and have acted like the best of friends since, and it makes Roman extremely happy

Roman and the others also became closer friends because of a Digital Media project Roman did about the different programs around the school. Since all his friends are from different programs, he interviewed them all, and it was the most fun project ever because of everything they did behind the scenes

They mostly just goofed off when not on camera. It was lovely

He refused to let Remus take part in that project though. RIP to Remus

Patton’s program: Cosmotology

Patton’s biggest dream is to mostly help people feel better about themselves. He wants to make people feel happy and learn a little more self love, because nothing makes Patton happier than seeing other people enjoying themselves

He’s also an extremely sociable person, so a need to help people like who they are mixed with lots of talking? Without getting a master’s in psychology? A perfect mix to become a hair stylist!

He loves all the different styles you can do and how different everyone’s hair can be from another person’s. The program also has you learn stuff about makeup, and he loves putting makeup on people as well. He practices on the girls in the program a lot, and they always get so excited when they see the finished product. It fills him with happy butterflies

He doesn’t tend to wear makeup on himself, though. Not because he thinks boys can’t wear makeup, he just hates the feeling of it on his skin. Hence why he will take any willing participant to be his canvas

His extroverted energy also shows a lot in his academic classes. The first day of English, he immediately turned around and started talking to the kid with a camera

It took him a little longer to get the boy sitting next to him to talk to him though. Apparently “We have the same glasses!” Isn’t an acceptable conversation starter

He did, however, get the kid named Virgil to agree to let Patton to put makeup on him. Patton started that conversation by asking about his eyeshadow, but nope, apparently those were just eyebags

Though Virgil still liked makeup anyway, so score, Patton still got what he wanted

Now if only he could get Logan to laugh out loud and cut the serious act. Then he’d be a winner for sure

Logan: Mechatronics

Logan’s a nerd. A huge nerd. Hence why he fits in with the mechatronics program so well

Logan has always loved robots and tinkering with technology. More than anything, he wants to work on space aircrafts as a mechanical engineer, hence why he’s in the mechatronics program

He also has ADHD and his biggest hyperfixations are in robots and space, so he’s completely in his element. It’s nice to spend most of his day in a class where he can talk about spacecrafts and how they worked, and not only will people listen, but they’ll also care about it almost as much as he does

Though, he’d prefer to keep his closet full of robotic kids toys he keeps breaking apart and fixing again to himself. At least for now

Though because he’s in mechatronics, he’s required to be in all advanced classes for his academics to get college credit. Which he doesn’t mind at all, but in his college English class, he definitely sits next to quite...the eclectic bunch

He acts like they inconvenience him, but he actually enjoys their company. Even if Roman can be a little loud, but him and Roman actually hit it off quite well with their debates and frequent conversation jumping

(It’s the ADHD-autism solidarity)

Logan also has quite the liking to Virgil, mostly because they’re both looking into the engineering business and have similar interests with space

Logan pretends like Patton annoys him, but he’s not very good at it. He hates that Patton knows he has a secret love for puns and keeps using it against him to try and make him laugh. How dare he

(Patton just keeps trying because he knows Logan likes it and he’s also a bit of a little shit)

Logan hopes that all three of them consider him one of their closest friends as well. Because actually, now he has more to look forward to in his English class than just the poetry and seeking for alternate meanings for things in text

Now, most of his entertainment comes from saying “Romeo and Juliet is an awful love story” and seeing Roman go off an a rant about how it’s not even a lOVE STORY it’s about THE GENERATION DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PARENTS AND KIDS and it’s STRUGGLES, CALCULATOR WATCH-

...It’s quite amusing

Virgil’s Program: Aviation

Anxiety is fight or flight. Well...Virgil literally just wants to take flight

His dad used to take Virgil out on vacations quite often when he was younger and his dad’s job was more focused on traveling, so Virgil has flown in planes a lot. He’s always been an anxious kid, always afraid of so many things, but for some reason...flying was one of the things to calm him the most

Except for going through security, fuck airport security

But still, there was never anything more satisfying than looking through the window on a plane. He’s always loved it, and he’s known since a very young age that he wants to learn to fly things, even if he decides not to become a pilot

He’s seventeen now and still wants to be a pilot, even if his shyness has turned into an anxiety disorder. It’s been a while since he’s been on a plane since his dad is now a psychologist, but he still loves it and misses it almost. So when he heard his district’s tech school had an aviation program, he signed up so fast

His teacher has to practically pry him away from messing with the drones and planes when they need to do other stuff, it’s kinda funny

It’s also great that he met Logan in his English class, because Logan loves engineering and aircrafts like Virgil does. One of Virgil’s backup plans is to be an aerospace engineer, so their conversations are always fun

He also has no idea how Patton figured out his secret love of makeup but now he’s being used as a canvas, apparently

Plus, Roman asked if Virgil could fly a drone for him to get an aerial shot for some digital media projects, so holy shit Virgil made three friends in one day when he’s been trying to make one friend for YEARS

He just bursts into his house like “DAD GUESS WHAT I MADE F R I E N D S”

His Dad is very proud but also very concerned

Virgil just ignores that though and sends memes to the new group chat with all four of them in it

Remus’ Program: Auto Collision Technology

Remus loves broken stuff. Especially big broken things, like cars

Of course, there’s no job for purposely wrecking stuff, but looking at damage in cars and how to repair it is exciting enough for him. His parents are just happy he found something to put more...positive energy into, instead of always causing trouble and getting popular for being “the bad boy”

He had lots of friends at his home school, lots of which he still talks to, mostly because his chaotic energy entertains a lot of people willing to deal with it. He has that same effect at the tech school, but the one person he’s never been able to get more on his side is his own brother

Remus has always been a bit too chaotic for Roman’s liking, and he knows that Roman wanted to go to the tech school for a fresh start. But Remus won’t stop himself just to make his brother happy, so it Roman’s salty about Remus doing something good for himself, then so be it

(Remus is a little salty about Roman being salty, but they’re brothers, what do you expect)

But Remus doesn’t need him anyway! Twin brothers are overrated! He’s got plenty of other people in his programs!

But his closest friend he’s gotten since coming to the tech school? Janus. Him and Janus go together like two chaotic peas in a pod, even if Janus has a whole lot more braincells than Remus ever will

Though, Remus has never had more fun with a friend than with Janus. He’s had lots of friends that come and go once they’re bored of him, but Janus feels real. He feels genuine, and Remus...really doesn’t wanna get rid of that

He likes Janus a lot, hence why he invites Janus over and lets Janus into his super secret eating spot he goes when he doesn’t wanna act like a crackhead at lunch. It’s actually quite nice

Roman just has to deal with the fact that, if he’s gonna be a salty bastard, then Janus is his new ride or die

(Please someone help these twins they’re saltier than the Dead Sea)

Janus’ Program: Firefighting Technology

When Janus was a young teen, he got trapped in a house fire that scarred the left half of his body. Firefighters were the ones that saved him, and since then, he’s always had a huge respect for them. Enough so to really want to become a firefighter

He’s always been very focused on self care and secretly very empathetic, so that mixed with past experience from being saved from such a dangerous event actually makes him a great candidate for a firefighter. He’s not one giant on talking, but he’s still good with teamwork when others want him to work with them

He has a good set of friends in his program, but his best friend was someone he met during lunch when trying to get away from the noise of the actual cafeteria. He also noticed that same kid was also in his anatomy class, so...destiny, I guess?

Remus can definitely be an eclectic person, but Janus secretly thrives on a good set of chaos. It makes life interesting, and Remus can definitely be described as interesting

He’s also the only person Janus has met that thinks Janus’ scars are cool as hell, so double win

It’s also immensely entertaining to join Remus on his quests to constantly annoy his brother. If he had a brother he’d probably do the same, honestly

Mostly, he’s just here for the chaotic ride. He gets to be a sarcastic bastard with a secret love for the dramatic flair and somehow make friends at the same time

He still needs to find a way to get under Patton’s skin, though. Patton never gets bothered by Janus, but that’s probably because Patton has known Janus as his neighbor for literal years

Damn him. Janus will get him some time

Though for right now, Remus gets most of the wins of weirding out Patton. That is, until Roman shrieks and chases them both off

Yup. Janus chose a good best friend. Even if he’s a chaotic, salty bastard

#ts janus #ts remus #ts roman #ts patton #ts logan #ts virgil #roman sanders #remus sanders #logan sanders #patton sanders #virgil sanders #thomas sanders #sanders sides #janus sanders #fire mention #house fire mention #I had way too much fun with this so hopefully someone else is entertained

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apocalyptic-mailman · 4 years ago

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apropos of nothing, some offhand ideas for how to make fo3′s world more believable, because honestly what the fuck even were half those settlements.

Megaton:

We’re given some context on why Megaton in particular exists--the crater made for convenient wind shelter, it was near an airport and a lot of the scrap that built the town is made from aircraft bits, a cult developed around the bomb for some reason. so:

buildings made more obviously from aircraft scrap. Most of the shacks look pretty bog-standard, probably a result of needing to reuse assets as much as possible, but aircraft aluminum is corrosion-resistant and relatively easy to form. Shine up the shacks, is what I’m saying, and have some more obviously plane-sourced clutter; rounded airplane windows, using commercial plane seats as furniture, stuff like that. While we’re at it, let’s empty out Springvale. It makes zero sense for the founders of Megaton to have never picked Springvale clean for building materials. Boards, concrete, and especially nails would be quite useful in building shelter.

Dismantle the bomb and operate a reactor from the fissile material. Honestly, I see no reason this should conflict with the Church of Atom’s beliefs; given their worship of nuclear fission, they should be all on board with building a reactor. Plus, it answers the question “why is this town still here”/“how does this place sustain itself” better than “caravan trading center”.

Rivet City:

We’re given less context for why the USS Enterprise is an inhabited settlement, especially since a permanently-docked aircraft carrier that is apparently actually being used as a floating airbase at the time of the Great War should have been a pretty obvious strategic target, but I can def think of a few things that might make it more believable as a still-inhabited city 200 years later.

Fishing and aquaculture. Seriously, it’s literally in the Jefferson Memorial tidal pool, and the broken bow is full of Mirelurks. Fishing, Lurk hunting, fish farming, maybe even Tenochtitlan-style floating gardens should be a huge industry. Rivet City should, by all rights, be the food production center of this Wasteland.

More guns. Seriously, it’s an apparently recommissioned aircraft carrier with a shitload of (what would have been at the time of the war) functional planes on the deck; the .50s should’ve been ripped out of the now-useless jet fighters and mounted into emplacement defenses. Rivet City has the potential to be very well-defended and safe, and likely a center for arms manufacturing given the abundance of steel and existing weapons to copy.

More life in the superstructure. There’s a little going on there in the base game, but not really much; you’ll probably only visit once or twice. This should be the governmental and security center of the settlement, given its high placement, central location, and commanding view, and should be seen a lot more by the player during quests.

More going on on deck. People don’t like spending all their time in confined spaces with no fresh air or natural light, generally; even if the apartment spaces are all below deck, there should be some recreational areas on the flight deck.

Tenpenny Tower:

Honestly idk that there’s anything that can be done. How the hell property rights are enforced well enough, in this post-nuclear hellscape, that the owners of wealth can fuck off to a gated community and their employees don’t just immediately seize the source of that wealth, is beyond me. Tenpenny Tower should not exist, at least not as a standalone settlement; it should be the center of a huge industrial center or something like that, as the clear rich-people neighborhood of a larger settlement.

I hate to say it, but Fallout 4 actually got its gated community right, almost; the Upper Stands wouldn’t have made sense if they existed outside of the larger Diamond City. (That said, it still doesn’t make sense, given that the Upper Stands residents don’t seem to actually own or employ any of the lower city, but it’s closer to making sense than Tenpenny Tower.)

The Citadel:

Actually, kind of makes sense. While the Brotherhood of Steel in FO3 themselves could do with some fleshing out, the Citadel is one of the only places in the Capital Wasteland that makes perfect sense. Of course they’re not farming or have large-scale industry or trading, it’s a military base. The only things to change here would be with the BOS’s interactions with the rest of the Wasteland; who’s supplying them, and why? Having them take on the role of protectors of the Wasteland can be a viable idea, we just need to see them interacting with Rivet City and Megaton to establish that, and give them an enemy to fight that isn’t just raiders with an orc skin Super Mutants.

And lmao that’s basically all the major settlements in this game because Bethesda is lazy as fuck

#fallout 3 #fallout

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studentville-struggles · 5 years ago

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A Double Life

Chapter 5!!

A self-indulgent Daniel Ricciardo fic.

Summary: Returning to old passions results in the start of chaos and living a double life. We say we hate chaos, but the thrill is unlike anything else.

Words: 1,941

Masterlist // Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4

F1 was no joke.

PhD’s were no joke.

You were exhausted. Exhausted didn’t even begin to cover how you felt. Were you dying? Who even knew at this point.

One monday your legs finally gave out as you were walking into university, collapsing from the exhaustion you were fighting. Thankfully you had just made it into your building, the porters quick to call a medic. You actually ended up having to take a couple of days off of lab work and go home and just spend some time sleeping and spending time with your parents. Your supervisors were so worried for your health and the stress you had been putting yourself under they pretty much banned you from the lab for a week.

You still did the workouts you needed to and prepped for races from home. You just did everything on more than five hours sleep. The luxury. It was so damn needed.

Speaking on the phone to Lando one night, the two of you becoming closer friends since being team mates and him checking in more frequently since finding out about you collapsing, you had been joking about how nice sleep was.

“I used to think that being ordinary was boring. Now I’d do anything for a 10 hour nap and a chippy.”

Your little exhaustion moment had scared you a little bit. You’d always managed to do everything. You could have two intense lives and work it. You had felt that for the last three years you mastered juggling a double life. Was it finally coming to crumble around you? Was this it, was the dream over?

You wouldn’t allow it. You couldn’t. Youd fought so hard for this, to have your cake and eat it. It was never meant to be easy and you knew that, this was just one more thing to overcome. Once you had your PhD you would be able to live any life you wanted. You might even be able to sleep seven hours a night on the regular.

You would make this double life work for a little longer, you had to.

Having re-evaluated routines and switching things up so that you could make the most of both lives whilst still being healthy, you were feeling confident, comfortable and it was growing with each race that passed. Sure, not all of the results were what you dreamed off; after all you were yet to tip Lewis off his pedestal, but you were getting there. Getting the car to do your bidding was the first half of the challenge. Now you just needed to do that, but better than every one else on the track.

The other thing to come out of your health scare; especially after some of the drivers have commented on your less deathly appearance was an interesting change in your friendship with a certain Australian.

Sure, you had the big change from thinking he was rude to being caught smiling at his texts, to hanging out in Australia at the start of the season. That you had kind of seen coming; but this? This was unexpected, and you weren’t quite sure what to make of it currently.

After finding out about your little incident, Daniels’ entire energy changed. He was visibly concerned about you, whether you were better now, how you were doing getting everything under control for good. His reaction to discovering the in-depth extremeness of your routine having binged watched your show – he claimed it was a curious interest to occupy his flight but you knew it was to be nosey and you didn’t mind that – was even stranger He had effectively cornered you at the paddock in China with a written out list and spluttering of expletives with the general message of “what the fuck, no wonder you're exhausted.’.

The frequency at which you two texted and chatted was steadily rising as your friendship bloomed but after his discovery of ‘the incident’, it had sky rocketed. Both in general conversation, but also in his concern for you overdoing things. He’s started to make a point, like Lewis often does, to ensure you take a bit of time for you and to relax; so movie and game nights are now a little thing you get when you meet up for a face to face catch up.

The vibes between the two of you were shifting ever so slightly and you weren’t entirely sure where there were setting themselves.

---

You were very lucky in that your family would often come to support you, especially your mum and dad. Albeit your mum couldn’t watch half of the races due to her fear that her little girl was going to be hurt, but she was there every chance she had.

As the season progressed and you were getting some races closer to home, you felt it was about time to invite the main group of people who were yet to see this side of you. Given the intense patience and grace they had given to you, supporting you though everything and allowing your camera crew all access; it was time to invite your boss. Well your other boss. Your supervisor.

Getting back into the swing of things at work in the lab after the Spanish Grand Prix, you felt it was finally time to give back to your lab family.

“I’d like to take you to work next week, and maybe a few others once I check numbers.” Your supervisor knew what ‘work’ meant for you but with more and more people questioning your regular three day weeks, you were starting to feel like letting your two worlds collide a little more.

“Where is work next week? Monaco?”

“Yup. I’ll give my media team a ring and see how many we can take including hotels and go from there”

“Including?!”

“Full VIP, would be rude of me not to.”

A short phone call later, with some rough numbers figured out, you had five full VIP passes at your disposal. Given you rarely have guests at Grand Prix’ they allowed a few extra tickets this time. As one would imagine with a free weekend in Monaco, the academic staff in your research group snapped up those tickets in no time. Of course, with the amount of time spent in your offices and labs, you were safely assuming three of the five had no idea what your job was, though were very curious as to how and why it was taking you to Monaco.

Academic life was no joke. Everyone was busy, everyone had very little free time. Watching sports was only done by super fans really. There weren’t any motorsport super fans in your office and somehow both your show and driving career had still remained unquestioned. How that was true with the camera crew still following you around, you had no idea.

You had sent out a rough, and very vague itinerary, reminding them to be ready to leave work at 6 pm on Wednesday, heading straight to the airport. You had also sent strict dress code instructions- the smarter end of smart casual, knowing that they would likely, if not definitely, be appearing on camera.

With some of your team meeting you at the airport, ready to get your race weekend media started, the confusion of your university colleagues was growing. It peaked as they had you film a short clip to start the weekends media off, it was only a short Instagram story, post hair touch up, to say hi to fans.

“Hey guys, just me taking over the Instagram stories! We’ve just arrived at the airport to head over to Monaco! Can’t wait to see you guys this weekend and I’ve even brought a few colleagues from the university so you’ll be seeing my two worlds collide as well! See you soon!” Waving at the camera, you cut the video. With all thumbs up from your team, you uploaded it to your team Instagram, views piling in almost immediately.

“Rachel what the hell do you do?!”

“Oh you’ll see soon enough, I don’t want to ruin the surprise now.” You teased, surprisingly enjoying the suspense.

Walking up to the private jet having gone through security with ease, the shock was only increasing, though you everyone was feeling very excited for the flight now they saw the plane. Things were fairly calm after this, the journey quick, smooth and you avoided giving too much away.

Arriving at the hotel you sent everyone off to their rooms, giving timings for meeting the next morning. You would be leaving before them to start greeting the media and doing some press conferences before your track walks, and so had arranged for a few cars to be sent for transferring the rest over to the main hub. Once they were all happy with the plans, not that you’d given many details, merely timings, you could head to your room where Daniel had snuck over waiting to reunite.

He had many complaints about spending the evening having your catch up in a hotel when he had a perfectly good home a few minutes away. At some point during the evening, after the food had been demolished, the words said and a crappy Netflix original on the tv, the two of you had fallen asleep. When you woke a couple of hours later, you were awkwardly hunched on the sofa still, somehow having entangled yourself with Daniels body.

Realising that it was far too late to send Daniel home, you both needed sleep if you were to survive the media day, and you couldn’t send him on his way in the small hours of the morning. Trying not to wake him too harshly, you start untangling yourself from the mess of legs. With Daniel starting to stir, you grab his hand, wordlessly pulling him from the sofa, over to the hotel bed.

Still in the silence the middle of the night brings, Daniel shed the majority of his clothing, slipping under the covers in only his underwear, with you following soon after as you quickly change into your sleepwear.

For something so foreign in your friendship, the ease and comfort at which you snuggled together, falling asleep again under the covers, was almost unnerving. Almost. In your sleepy state, you couldn’t recognise that, only time would reveal that.

Having snuck off to begin your media day trackside, you were eager to see your lab colleague's reaction to where they were. It was as you were heading back into McLarens hospitality that you, as well as the whole group, could see the full magnitude of this job and how it differed to the Rachel they were used to seeing in the office.

“You’re a driver?” Shock? Disbelief? You couldn’t quite tell but the reaction was

“Yes”

“What the fuck? But you’re in the lab like 10 hours a day”

“Now you know why I don’t have time to get things done otherwise in my three-day weeks.”

Once the shock wore off, the excitement and initial questions had settled, you set the group up with timings for the day and let them wander round the paddock freely as you headed back to your meetings, promising to see them during the lunch break.

Having your worlds united felt good. It felt as though some of the pressure you hadn’t realised was there from keeping them separate, was melting away. Although the feeling that was beginning to bubble away every time you bumped into Daniel was very close to being a distraction.

You needed to drive; just get in the car and block everything else out.

#studentville-struggles #rachel tries to write #a double life #dr3 #daniel ricciardo #daniel ricciardo imagine #daniel ricciardo fic #daniel ricciardo x reader

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awhitehead17 · 4 years ago

Note

Can you write a timkon youtube au based off of compilations of Dan and Phil being cute/domestic/boyfriends?

Hey anon, so I have never watched Dan and Phil before however I have watched MarkE Miller and I think his relationship with Ethan is really cute, so I’ve some stuff from there instead - hope you don’t mind!

I imagine Kon being a vlogger who films a variety of stuff while Tim is more of a gamer.

I hope this is okay and that you enjoy it! :D

“Right, so I have to totally show you guys this!” Kon grins into the camera and quickly makes his way over to the ensuite of their hotel room. Still smiling into the camera he explains, “As you know, Tim and I have reservations tonight at the local restaurant but right now we’re getting ready and Tim is singing in the bathroom.”

Kon tries to stifle his laughter as he carefully opens the bathroom door up just enough to see into the room. Through the crack he places the camera so the audience would be able to see the mirror that covers the wall and Tim’s reflection as he gets ready.

His boyfriend was only half dressed in his slacks, he has a hairbrush in one hand and was waving the other one about as he dances to the music playing from his phone which was placed by the sink. Kon snickers, which causes the camera to shake, as Tim widely moves his body, sings out of tune and uses the hairbrush as a microphone.

It goes on for a few seconds and Kon’s enjoying the show as much as he knows his audience would too. He loves seeing Tim be carefree and open, even if it was dancing and singing in the bathroom half naked with no cares in the world.

Eventually he must have been too loud because Tim looks in the mirror and finally spots the camera sticking out through the door. He halts his movements and stares at Kon with a scowl.

“Really? You better delete it.”

Kon finally pushes the door open and walks into the room. He faces the camera to the mirror making sure it’s pointed at them, when he reaches Tim he throws an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders. He smiles widely into the mirror, loving every second of the moment.

“But why? Babe, you put on such a good show!”

Tim crosses his arms and glares at both Kon and the camera through the mirror. “Delete it.” Tim demands.

It only makes Kon smile harder. He turns his head and presses a kiss to Tim’s temple. “Hmmm I’ll think about it.”

“I hate you.”

“Love you too. Now finish getting ready!”

Kon leaves Tim to it but as he exits the room Tim slams the door shut behind him and seconds later he could hear the door being locked. It makes him snicker and he turns the camera back onto himself as he goes and settles on the bed. “I am totally not editing, or deleting, that footage.”

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

“That’s 26, 27,28, twenty – hey, come on. Six more and you’ve done it.” Kon says looking down at Tim who was now on his back with his arm resting over his face, in the position of defeat.

Tim shakes his head, “Nope. That’s it I’m done!”

From where he was kneeling and holding Tim’s feet down with his hands, Kon gives the camera opposite them a look before turning back to Tim.

“Come on Tim, how am I supposed to do a workout video if my partner won’t even workout!”

“That sounds like a you problem. Also you didn’t even ask me, you just forced me into this!”

Kon moves and puts his hands on Tim’s knees and shakes them, “Timmmmm…..”

A beat goes by but soon enough Tim was huffing and removing the arm from his face and placing his hands beside his head. Kon grins and repositions his hands on Tim’s feet again. Despite Tim’s complaining he was in amazing shape and effortlessly lifts his body up into a crunch until his face was opposite Kon’s. Instinctively Kon moves forward but stops himself halfway which makes Tim give him an odd look.

“Uh, twenty… nine.”

Tim snorts and falls back down before coming up again, this time as Kon moves forward Tim stops stutters in his movements and jerks his head forward but instantly back tracks as Kon does. They pause and stare at one another before huffing out a laugh.

“30.” Kon says smiling.

Tim rolls his eyes and goes back down. This time as he comes up, he reaches out and grabs Kon’s jaw to pull him in for a chaste kiss before dropping back down again. Kon’s too surprised to even say the next number.

This time Kon was expecting it, so when Tim comes up again he instantly puts his lips to Tim’s in a kiss. However Kon wasn’t prepared for his boyfriend to reach up, grab his head and force him to travel down with him at the time as the kiss.

Tim’s legs open up and Kon finds himself landing on top of Tim with his arms bracketing the other’s shoulder’s. Kon pulls back and looks down to find Tim smiling and laughing as he wraps his arms around Kon’s shoulders.

“You better edit that out.” Tim says looking up at him.

Kon blinks and turns to the camera he had momentarily forgotten about. “Maybe.” He turns back to Tim and smirks. “You never know, someone may use this for inspiration.”

Tim smacks him. “Kon!”

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

“You’re going to die.”

“I’m not going to die.”

“You’re doing it wrong, you’re totally gonna die.”

Soon enough the characters on the screen gets slashed in half with blood flying everywhere and the screen goes black before restarting up at the previous check point. Tim turns his head and gives Kon a smug look.

Kon refuses to look at him as he huffs and holds up the controller for Tim to take. Tim grins and gleefully takes it. “Now let me show you how it’s actually done!” He turns his focus onto the screen in front of him, concentrating on getting all of the character’s moves right so he could defeat the boss that Kon epically failed to do so.

“You know,” Kon starts as he leans back in his chair, “when you said you wanted me to join you in a video, this wasn’t what I imagined.”

“Oh?” Tim says absentmindedly, his attention was still on the screen in front of him.

Kon shakes his head and turns to the camera opposite them above the screen. “Why do you guys even watch him? Like seriously, he’s the most boing human being I have ever met. What makes his videos so interesting?”

“Because…. I am…. awesome… Boom!” Tim drops his controller onto his lap and flicks his hands as the boss dramatically dies on the game. Tim grins into the camera before flicking his gaze to Kon. “They watch me because I am the best gamer of all time. Nothing can stop me and these fabulous fingers of victory.”

Kon lest out a disbelieving laugh as Tim wiggles his fingers in front of the camera. “You’re a dork, that’s what you are.”

“You’re just jealous.” Tim states, he turns to the camera. “Do you guys think he’s jealous because he doesn’t have my magical, fabulousness fingers that can defeat anything thrown my way. Or do you think it’s because he’s just a sore loser that got his ass kicked a hundred times over?”

“I am not a sore loser!”

“Blasphemy! You totally are.”

“I’m not!”

“Comment down below if you think he is! Let us know what you think!”

----------

Kon holds his phone up to the camera, allowing it to focus on the messages on the screen before turning it around to face him. “So Tim’s just messaged me that he’s finally off the plane and is now waiting in the security line, he’s guessing he’ll be another 10 to 20 minutes as he’s near the front.”

He turns the camera away and points it as his surroundings. “I’m currently in Metropolis airport waiting for Tim to come through those-” he points to the doors with the sign ‘arrivals’ above it, “-doors because he’s just taken a flight from Gotham to get here. I’m picking him up and then we’re going to go back to my apartment and chill. Tomorrow we’ll go out and do something but tonight is a chill night.

It’s been so long since I last seen him in person and you guys know that, so this is actually really exciting because I have missed him so much.”

While he waits Kon puts down the camera, his audience doesn’t need to see 10 minutes of useless video while he stands around and does nothing. To kill the time he does a mixture of playing on his phone and people watching. However, once he spots Tim he brings the camera back up and points it as his boyfriend walking towards him.

“There he is! Oh my gorgeous boyfriend who I have dearly missed!” In the camera he shows Tim off, he was wearing grey joggers, a loose red t-shirt and had his suitcase trailing behind him as he walked.

“You look like a mess.” Kon greets him when he gets into hearing range. Tim smiles and rolls his eyes.

“I haven’t seen you in weeks and that’s the greeting I get. Gee thanks babe, I love you too.”

Kon turns the camera back to himself, shaking his head dramatically, “People these days, you just can’t have a laugh like you used to.”

“Shut up, I know you were.”

They finally get close enough to embrace the other. Kon moves the camera around so it was pointed at the two of them as they hugged. “I missed you.” He says kissing Tim’s temple.

“Missed you too.”

They pull apart just enough so they could have a light kiss before readjusting themselves. Kon throws an arm around Tim’s shoulders while Tim puts an arm around his waist and uses his other hand to pull his suitcase along. Kon keeps the camera on them. “Reunited at long last.”

Tim snorts, but was definitely smiling, “You’re hopeless.”

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

“If you’ve been keeping up with mine and Kon’s recent videos, then you would know that he and I are taking some time off to spend some quality time together. I am currently on my way to surprise him before we get started.”

Tim keeps glancing at the camera attached to his dashboard as he drives up the motorway explaining the situation. He has to stop himself from swearing up a storm when some asshole recklessly overtakes him.

“Anyway, we’re meeting in New York to start off with because Kon has some business he needs to take care of first and then we’ll get going to the chalet we have hired for like 10 days. We’ve got a hotel room for the night and then we’ll be traveling there tomorrow.

Today I am doing a different kind of video because I am going to surprise Kon. He thinks I’ll be arriving later in the day, but unknown to him I have left like 5 hours early so I can be there when he gets back from his whatever.”

Once he gets to the hotel Tim picks the camera up and starts recording. “I’ve arrived at the hotel and Kon’s not back yet which was the plan. On the way here I stopped by the local shop, grabbed some wine and some snacks for us, I even managed to get chocolate covered strawberries which is great because Kon loves those.

Now I know I’m not the most romantic person, but I just want to surprise him and give him back a little something.”

Tim stops recording and makes use of his time by playing on his phone until Kon sends him a message saying he’ll be arriving to the hotel shortly and how he’ll be waiting for Tim when he gets there. Tim smirks at that because Kon is clueless.

After getting that message he picks the camera back up. “Kon has messaged me, he’s on his way back to the hotel now, so it’s time that I give him his surprise!”

Tim keeps the camera aimed on him as he positions it on the headboard of the bed. Once it was settled he goes and presses himself up against the wardrobe so he was hidden from the door.

Tim smirks back at the camera when he could hear keys rattling, he grins even more when the door to the room opens and he could hear Kon walking through. Once his boyfriend’s back appears in front of him he jumps out from his spot.

Kon catches his movement and jumps. His whole body jerking as he takes several steps back away from Tim in fear. A moment goes by as Kon gets over the fright and Tim grins at him.

Putting hand over his heart Kon exclaims, “Why would you do that!”

Tim cackles and move to hug him. “Surprise babe! I love you.”

Kon pouts at him but wraps him up in a hug nonetheless. Tim shifts slightly and gestures to where the camera was pointed at them from the bed. “I caught all that on camera, that’s going to be great to re-watch later.”

Kon gives the camera a deadpan look before turning back to Tim. “I hate you.”

Tim bops him on the nose, “But make up for scaring you I have brought wine and some snacks, one of which happens to be chocolate covered strawberries.”

His boyfriend’s pout turns into a happy smile, “Okay, you have redeemed yourself. Thank you.”

#anonymous #timkon #Tim Drake #Kon-El #YouTube AU #fluff #domestic fluff #humour #kon's a vlogger #tim's a gamer #they constantly feature in each others video #their fans totally adore their relationship #fanfiction

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daisyxbuckley · 5 years ago

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Only Human//Mitch Rapp Series

A/N: OPE HERE IS THAT PLOT TWIST I PROMISED. So this was originally going to be a long as fuck chapter...however I split it into two because I dont’ wanna set you guys down with a 10K long chapter and that’s where this was heading. I will be updating the masterlist and you guys get TWO chapters today because the other one is basically almost written. As usual, thank you for following it and give your feedback if you want!

Description: Ophelia Lane has a past that most CIA operatives would hate to have. The 25 year old is sent back to The Barn to help Stan train the new batch of recruits, including one that is hell bent on getting revenge. Can she keep it together or will a secret that is hidden under the surface come back and haunt her?

@cxddlyash @xceafh

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Ophelia left her dad’s office and followed Mitch down to his room. The door was shut and she raised her fist debating on if she should knock or just leave him alone. As she was about to knock, the door flew open and Mitch was standing there breathing hard. She could tell that he was angry and from the state of his room they were going to have to get him a new desk and chair.

“What the fuck do you want Ophelia.” He spat out. He looked like he had been in the middle of changing and packing after he had destroyed his room. His eyes were dark and he had a look on his face that the girl had never seen before.

“I just wanted to check on you…” She said quietly tapering off. Mitch scoffed and ran a hand through his hair before turning around and walking further into his room. Ophelia followed him and closed the door gently. “Mitch please…” Before she could react he had spun around and she was shoved up against the wall. His hands were on either side of her head pinning her there and the rage in his eyes actually scared Ophelia for the first time.

“Did you know?” He said lowly. Mitch didn’t know why he was taking his rage out on her. She wasn’t who he was mad at, but he had this darkness that took over ever since Katrina died and he had let go of trying to control it a long time ago. Ophelia shook her head and watched as her eyes darted around the room trying to look for a way out of his hold. “Dont. Lie. To. Me!” He yelled slamming his hand right next to her head. Ophelia let out a yelp as she tried not to break eye contact with him again.

“Mitch I swear I didn’t know.” Ophelia breathed out. “He has this habit of doing shit to the new guys. Making them realize that it can never be personal. I didn’t even know he had that video till he showed it to you.” She said quietly. “Mitch please, I would have tried to find a way to stop him from doing that if I knew.”

The only sound in the room besides her heart pounding in her head was their breathing. He was so close to her that she could smell the kind of cologne that he used. Ophelia finally squeezed her eyes shut and tried to slow her breathing down. Mitch looked at her as she counted silently to herself and realized that though she was scared of him, she wasn’t making a move to take him out. She was telling the truth.

She didn’t even have time to react before his lips were crashing on to hers. It wasn’t a soft kiss, it was something that they both needed. All the hatred, rage, frustration and sadness that they had both been dealing with over the past two years came to the surface. Ophelia found her hands coming up to his hair, weaving her fingers through it and pulling causing a growl in his throat as his hands went to her waist and pulled her closer squeezing. Pulling away to breath Ophelia’s eyes closed as Mitch trailed wet kisses down her neck, running his hands down her ass and squeezing before finding themselves on her thighs and lifting her up.

Her legs wrapped around his waist as her fingers trailed down his shoulders and arms leaving light scratches up and down them. Mitch groaned as he tasted her skin. She smelled like peppermint and vanilla, a mixture of her shampoo and lotion that he knew she liked. His hands found her waist and the hem of her shirt as he lifted it over her head. The bra she was wearing made his head spin as he felt the lace under his rough hands. The moans she was making as he was leaving kisses all over her body made him want nothing more than to just throw her clothes off and fuck her.

Before either of them could go any further a pounding on Mitch’s door startled them out of the haze they were in. Ophelia and Mitch refused to break eye contact as the pounding happened again eliciting an eye roll and a sigh from the man.

“What?” Mitch yelled as he gripped O’s hips a bit tighter than he should of.

“Rapp, get your ass dressed and meet us outside. Tell O to hurry up too.” Conners said on the other side. “We are heading out in five.” Mitch’s forehead fell into the crook of Ophelia’s neck as the footsteps faded away. He looked down and noticed that she was still wearing her wedding ring, something that ended up snapping him out of the haze he was in. Ophelia wrapped her legs from him and dropped her feet to the floor before stepping out of his gaze and finding her shirt. Slipping it back on she took one more look at him and headed out the door.

****************************************************

The plane ride to Istanbul was a long and quiet one. Ophelia sat on one end of the plane while Stan and Mitch were on the other side. Mitch kept stealing glances over at her sleeping form, hoping she would look back. Her headphones were back in her ears and her head was resting against the window. She had refused to look at him when they got in the car and hadn’t spoken a word to him in the 5 hours they were on the plane.

“We land in 3 hours. I want to go over some details with you.” Stan said breaking him out of his thoughts. Mitch cleared his throat and looked back at the older man as he laid a file on the table for Conners and Mitch to look through. “This is what we know so far. Ghost was working with some Russians to secure the plutonium.” Stan said as Mitch read the file.

“Sir, do you want me to wake up O?” Mitch asked looking over at the girls sleeping form. Stan shook his head. “No. She’s already caught up.” Mitch didn’t miss the way Stan deflected the question but he figured it was best to just let it go.

“Hamdi Sharif. He's an arms dealer out of Turkey. Four days ago he purchased a Russian designed nuclear trigger.” Stan said as he watched Mitch. “We just need to wait for them to set up a meeting because it’s bound to happen. When they do, we will be there.”

Mitch nodded looking over the file again. “Get some sleep kid. We need to be at the top of our game.” Stan said as he leaned back in the chair.

When the plane touched down in Istanbul, Ophelia was already up and alert. Annika Ogden met them at the airport and O smiled at her. She had heard about the woman and knew how good she was. Getting into the car, Annika drove while Stan sat in the front seat. Ophelia, Conners and Mitch were all in the back. Stan had started passing out files again giving all of them a run down.

“Hamdi Sharif. Playboy and arms supplier. He's like the Santa Claus for terrorists.” Stan said as Ophelia poured over the file. Mitch watched her and realized that he had never seen her in this kind of element before. It was almost like she was a whole new person.

“He’s a scumbag.” Mitch said under his breath making O look up.

“Spare me your Jr hero abroad shit.” Stan said turning his head.

“Not really an opinion sir. Sharif is a piece of shit.”

“It’s not a crusade.” Stan said rolling his eyes. “Remember don’t-”

“Don’t make it personal. Yeah I know.”

Stan sighed as he watched him before continuing. “Conners you’re with me. Rapp, you and Anikka are eyes on. Ophelia you are their support. You are to be invisible you got me?” He said looking at his daughter.

“Yes Sir.” She said with a blank face. Annika noticed the tension between the two as she cleared her throat. “Sharif has a routine. Let’s see if anything breaks his pattern.”

“Okay, we have 48 hours. Quick, Clean and no footprint. This town is ready to blow as it is.” Stan said looking out the window. Within 10 minutes they had all left the car at some point and went to their respective places. Mitch had to admit that Ophelia was good. He watched her step out of the car, followed her with his eyes and she still managed to disappear into the crowd. He and Annika sat at a water fountain scrolling through their phones as they watched Sharif drive up. Getting out of the car, he looked like he was having a heated argument with his personal assistant.

Mitch had gotten up and started walking towards the man, ignoring Annika as she hissed for him to come back. Running into him, he slipped his hand into the jacket pocket and grabbed the phone from him. “Sorry, sorry.” He said quickly as he walked off. Noticing Ophelia had reappeared, he quickly passed the phone off to her without sparing her a glance and headed to the car.

Meeting back at base camp, Ophelia drank a cup of coffee while Mitch stood with an analyst who was decrypting the phone. “That was fucking reckless Rapp.” Stan said looking at his daughter who shrugged her shoulders.

“He could of been made.” Conners said as he came in.

“Well I wasn’t.” Mitch had an annoyed look on his face as the analyst motioned that the job was complete. “Here we go. 11 am tomorrow. A meeting at a restaurant on Akbiyik Street.” He said as Ophelia and Stan walked over.

“That’s right before Sharif goes and sees his mistress.” Ophelia said as she looked at the schedule. “It breaks the pattern.”

“I’ll tell you what will break his pattern. When that fucking assistant tells his boss that he lost his phone.” Conners said. Ophelia looked up at him and rolled her eyes as Annika spoke up.

“He’s too afraid of Sharif to let him know he screwed up” She said as Stan nodded.

“Alright. We go tomorrow.” He said walking to the other side of the room.

Mitch stared at him and looked at the others. “What's the mission sir?”

“Eliminate the target. Eliminate the recipient. Obtain the package.” He said as he picked up a gun and started clearing it.

“What's the package?” Ophelia asked slowly. She knew there was something Stan wasn’t telling them but she figured he would have spilled by now.

“We’ll know it when we see it.” Was all he said before looking at Conners. “You’re lead. Rapp is backup.”

“What about me?” Ophelia asked as Stan looked at her. “You stay here and run comms. I need your eyes on us.” Was all he said. Mitch could see the twitch in Ophelia’s jaw as she processed his words and knew she was pissed.

“Are you kidding me? You have three other people here who could do that.” She yelled throwing her hands up. “I’m ready to get out there and you know damn well that my skills are more useful out there than in here. Let me already be in the coffee shop, you know that I'll be able to blend in and if Conners needs help i’m already there.”

Stan opened his mouth to say something but Ophelia held her hand up. “Unless the next words out of your mouth are ‘Yes Ophelia, you can come’ then I want you to take whatever you’re about to say and shove it up your ass.” She said clenching her teeth. The others in the room looked at each other as they had never heard her speak to him like that before.

“Fine. But you stay at the bar and keep an eye out. Do not engage Ophelia.” Stan said. Annika looked over at Conners and Ophelia speaking carefully.

“Rapp and I will watch from across the street. We get to play lovers.” She said laughing a bit. Ophelia had to stop her head from snapping to the left when she heard that.

“Okay, you all have your orders. Get some sleep.” Stan said before leaving the room.

The day was beautiful as Ophelia walked into the cafe. Her headphones were in her ear but only one of them played music. The other one covered up the earpiece that kept her connected to the team.

“Ophelia sit on the side of the bar.” Stan said in her ear. She couldn’t see any of them but she knew that they had eyes on her. Going up to the bar, the girl ordered a drink and brought her book out and started to read it.

“It’s 10:50. He should be arriving soon.” Stan said as they saw cars pull up. Mitch looked around from the table that he was sitting at with Annikah as she chatted with a man next to her. He saw the military pull up as Sharif got out of the car and started walking into the cafe.

“He brought the military with him.” He said quietly. His eyes scanned back into the cafe where Ophelia was sitting and watched as she casually flipped a page in her book. He knew that she had read it before and had the entire thing memorized so she wasn’t reading it. Ophelia began shaking her foot in a way that meant she had eyes on Sharif, but to anyone else it would just seem she was tapping along to the beat in her ears.

“I’ve got eyes.” She said casually as she turned another page. Looking up she noticed the man sitting down across from someone at a table when she heard Stan's voice in her ear. “Conners you’re a go. Survey 2 get in place.” Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Mitch get up and start crossing the street coming inside. Ophelia put her book down and walked casually over to the bar to get the attention of the guy behind it. Speaking in Turkish she kept her eyes on Sharif and the man and ordered some food to be brought to her. Mitch was seated about three tables away, watching her, as Conners entered the cafe.

Suddenly the man stood up that had been facing Sharif and looked around. Ophelia hid her face behind her hair and started heading back towards her seat when she felt someone press her to the bar. To anyone else it would of looked like two lovers having a conversation but she knew what it was. She had been made. Mitch had been looking out for Conners when he glanced back at the table and saw that Sharif was alone. Looking around he noticed the situation that Ophelia was in and started to stand up. “Stan, something wrong. Ophelia is cornered.”

“Rapp you get her the fuck out of there. NOW.” Stan yelled as he started making his way through the crowd.

“Ophelia...you still smell like that peppermint body wash you always bought.” The voice in her ear made the woman tense up and grab the bar in front of her. Her knuckles turned white as she refused to look behind her. That voice had brought back a rush of memories that she had and it almost made her knees buckle. “God, you still look amazing. Your skin is still so soft.” He whispered as his fingers trailed down her arms to her hands, locking them on the counter. Those hands used to bring her a sense of safety, of peace. Now all she wanted to do was scream. Finally turning around she looked into the eyes of the one person that she thought she had lost.

“Ronnie…” She whispered. His hair was cropped and he had some stubble. But his eyes were different. They used to be full of love and joy..now they were full of hatred. His fingers followed the chain around her neck leading to her wedding ring and he gave out a laugh. “I see you still kept it.” Was all he said before he had turned around. Ophelia knew that Conners was sneaking up behind him but Ronnie was quicker. He grabbed the knife meant for her food and turned around shoving it through his ribs and into Conners lung. Grabbing Conners gun, Ronnie took the silencer off and looked at Ophelia’s white face one more time before he turned back and shot at Mitch who started running over.

From there everything was chaotic. Ronnie was shooting at Mitch and other Civilians to get out of the cafe. Sharif and his bodyguards quickly got out of there and headed towards the car. Ophelia was still stuck to the bar, almost like she had been glued there. Her entire body was shaking and she felt like she couldn’t breath. Mitch had made his way over to her and grabbed her face and wondered what had happened as she shook in his hands.

“O...O look at me. We need to get out of here.” He yelled as he pulled her down to avoid more shots. Ophelia seemed to snap out of whatever trance she had when he touched her and she nodded. It was like a switch had flipped and the scared little girl that Mitch had seen was gone. Ophelia grabbed her gun from her bag and shot up chasing after the two men with Mitch behind her. Ronnie had vanished but Sharif was still in her sights as she made it to the sidewalk. Mitch opened fire on the car as it sped down the road.

“Mission terminated. Exfil to secure location, confirm.” Ophelia and Mitch looked at each other when they heard Stan’s voice in their ears. “Survey 2, you better let me hear you fucking confirm.” Stan growled. “Ophelia, you better answer me dammit.” Ophelia took the ear piece out of her ear as she looked over and spotted a car that was idling next to them. “Mitch” was all she said before he went up to the driver and shoved a gun in his face telling him to drive. Before Ophelia could follow him she felt a hand wrap around her arm and dragged her off.

“God damn it Ophelia. This a fucking mess. We are out of here.” He said slowly, pulling her away. Ophelia watched the car drive off and tried to fight but her dad was too strong. Letting herself be dragged along the woman hoped that Mitch would be okay.

#mitch rapp x reader #mitch rapp #mitch rapp imagines #dylan o'brien #american assassin #stiles stilinski #mitch rapp fanfic #american assassin fanfic

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lunarity2013 · 5 years ago

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A young American woman's thoughts on 9/11 and the current state of the union:

I won't pretend I know or understand every detail of the attacks, or how my country has changed so drastically since then. But I do know what I saw, I know what I felt, and I know how it's affected me these past 18 years.

September 1, 2001: I was 6 years old, heading to my first grade classroom. I rode the bus back then, and usually zoned out until I could get somewhere to read or draw in peace. I don't remember stopping to get breakfast in the cafeteria, but I do remember heading to the classroom. I remember walking in to see my teacher staring in horror at the tv screen. My classmates and I were confused — "Mrs. Hicks, why are you crying?" "Mrs. Hicks, why are we watching the news?" "Can we change it to a cooler channel?". We didn't know any better.

Then we saw the second plane hit the tower.

I don't remember much about what happened after that — maybe the day passed in a daze, maybe we got sent home early for our safety (we're only about a half-hour away from Hartsfield-Jackson airport, and I know now that many people were worried we might be next). All I know is I remember being at home later, watching the news (and complaining about the news) with my parents, and eventually watching Mr. Rogers discuss the matter in a short tv message (not this one, but kinda close).

Things changed more than some people seem to know, for those of us too small and too young to understand much anything else.

My kindergarten and first grade classes, up until then, had never enforced the reciting of the pledge, and had never held a moment of silence before. Now the moment was compulsive, almost harshly enforced by many teachers, and if we didn't stand and recite the pledge, we sometimes had to stay standing until we did recite it. They threw the numbers in our faces — 3000 lives, countless unfound bodies, families broken apart — and expected us not to understand, I know now, but to fall in line anyway.

Far too many people took this event — one that was said to have brought our nation so close together — and used it to force complacency into our veins. I had classmates who lost loved ones to the attack — either working in the buildings, or helping the rescue effort. They were the first to fall silent. Then came those of us who simply couldnt comprehend the tragedy; we just didn't want to get in trouble, and just did what was asked anyway.

At that age, there were very few who fought back, even in the older classes. Those who did just wanted answers: why do we have to pledge our allegiance to a flag when it's humans who are fighting and suffering? How does a moment of no one talking show respect when we don't know what really happened? What happens to our country if we go to war over this? No one had any answers, and some teachers got so frustrated that they would simply get on to the kid and move on instead of addressing their concerns.

Then our soldiers flew to the Middle East, and we've lost so many more lives (and countless innocent civilians on the other side) than we ever did on that day. And look at how everything has changed.

Now, I'm almost 25, and look out to a world that frightens me so much more than the memory of collapsing towers and deadly debris. Our soldiers are considered infallible, looked to out of near-hero worship levels of admiration. We spend more money on defense and security in this country than multiple others combined. People protest things like police brutality during the pledge, and instead of discussing the actual issue, they discuss whether or not it was "disrespectful to veterans", without ever asking actual veterans. (Yes, racism was the biggest part of why the issue was ignored, but that doesn't change the fact that many people hold the pledge and the flag to a standard that rivals those of false idol gods). Students — kids, fucking kids — are shot in their schools, and people won't work to protect them because they're still so afraid of being unable to "protect" themselves.

Nazis walk in the streets, claiming they're being attacked, while all they preach is hate and violence. We once agreed we hated Nazis, that they were gone, but they never left. They just helped build this environment for them to thrive.

Veterans are living at a high rate of homelessness and unemployment, while people declare our soldiers and this fight to be more important than anything else. Some of these veterans say the war is wrong, and are scorned for it.

Black children are warned their entire lives never to trust a cop, but people think it's outrageous that cops should deescalate situations without using violence. A black boy gets shot in his backyard, and no one cries for him because no one hears about it.

A white man shoots up a synagogue, or a black church, or a mosque, and people will cry "mental illness" and "this isn't the time for gun control talks". Those who cry "terrorist" are swiftly silenced.

People are being torn from their families and shoved into small holding pens, like animals lined up for slaughter. Conditions are horrific. People have died. People are still dying.

And I walk into a classroom today, for work, and see the teacher discussing 9/11 using a video — a song — that asks people why they would disagree with the fight unless they'd forgotten the attack on our soil.

People like myself have to be sneaky now, when and where we criticize our home. I only feel safe to do so here, where the only people that know me IRL either agree with me on some level or don't follow my blog at all. I don't even feel safe to discuss these with my parents, even though I know they feel the same, because I won't ever be able to get them to understand my perspective; they're too easily blinded by their own.

I can't say that I'll never understand how we got here, from where we were. I can hope we never go through such an event again, though that hope is fading fast the longer I stay in this reality. I know too well now how the world has changed, how my world has changed. Mr. Rogers' words only do so much for me now, serving only to remind me how far we've fallen and how little I've done in my years of growing up to fight against it. And I know it's not my fault that I haven't done much — there's only so much a child with no means of doing anything or going anywhere on their own can do, and very little a child of left-leaning parents in a right-wing community can say without something going very wrong — but that doesn't change how I feel.

And I want to do more, now. I look back on that day, now, and can feel the hurt and pain so many did then at the loss of so much life, but also the fear and heartbreak at how many more lives have been ruined and destroyed in the years the followed. And I want to help make it right.

Mr. Rogers said he was proud of us. I want him to be right.

#me #personal #9/11 #9/11 attacks #if this resonated with you feel free to reblog #mr rogers mention #on mobile — dont know how to do read more

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funkywerks · 5 years ago

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Things I Know About Airplanes Part 1:

First things first !

There are just some things you cannot control. So let go of that perfect travel itinerary. Air travel is made possible by so many factors its impossible that on everyday in every way everything goes perfect !

Is air travel safe ? Absolutely. Is airtravel convenient? HELL YAH. Is airtravel fun, cheap or relaxing? Go fish . So remember unless you want to swim , walk , or drive to your destination This airplane business is overall pretty cool.

I would have titled this post “ tips to make you a better traveler” , but that would mean that I deem myself queen supreme of all sky travel ever.

( and there is nothing that grinds my gears like a couple people calling themselves world travelers after their cruise to Cabo on spring break ). So this is just based on what I know as a flight attendant .

the plane will ( and I cannot stress this enough ) NOT , wait for you.

- SORRY !!!!! If you’re late the plane will not wait for you. If you miss your connection the plane will not wait for you. Let go. Stop stressing. I know this is a hard pill to swallow. You got this. Stop yelling at airport or airline staff because no matter what we do ( NO MATTER WHAT WE DO aka WE CANT DO ANYTHING) if we are delayed aka late or if you are late, Your plane is gone. THE PLANE WILL LEAVE AT THE TIME IT SAID IT WOULD. Much like you committed to being there at that time. I don’t make the rules. The rules pay me to be at work on time & here I am.

Why can’t the plane wait for you?

The world doesn’t revolve around you. How many more delays would you have caused if every time you were late for a connection or a flight , if it waited only for you. Just you. Did you ever think about the other 200 people trying to get to their connections. & maybe you haven’t thought of anyone else. BUT TODAY IS THE DAY YOU START. If you really wanna brain storm you can also think about the flight that needs your aircraft after you THOSE PEOPLE TOO . So just think about others. Bad weather ? Can’t go . Broken airplane ? Good thing we have awesome pilots and mechanics that can detect such dangers. No airplane ? Come on! you’re smarter than this. Stop being upset about it. Nothing you can do. Rebook your flight. Sleep in the airport if you have too or buy a hotel if you REALLY have to. Swallow your pride. You can travel across the country in less than 5 hours in a supersonic tin that sometimes has WiFi and movies ( more about that later ). Life is good.

Tip from a flight attendant, my personal fav , I swear by it:

Book the earliest flight you can. Like 5 am early!!!!! You are less likely to be delayed in the morning. There is less air traffic and the airplanes come from the hangers after being serviced overnight. If anything goes wrong you have time for a back up plan. Not being a “morning person “ is a lame excuse for an adult human these days . ok .

I’m honestly not sure if I’m giving airplane advice or just life advice at this point tbh. Moving on !!!!

2. Headphones and other things you forgot to pack.

Ok so. I’m for sure not about to tell you how to pack the perfect carry on because there is no such thing ( don’t let any YouTuber tell you so ) But I can tell you about the common items that people forget to bring with them on airplanes

( based on multiple true stories )

- headphoneS / MULTIPLE PAIRS / meaning the ones for your phone ( Bluetooth or lighting port AND the old regular ones ) if the airplane gods smile upon you the day of your flight , you might have inflight entertainment WOW free movies in your seat back! that’s insane right . ( especially since you’re paying for transportation and not to be entertained ) but if you forget the regular headphones, you can’t watch them ! I always also download other movies to my phone or tablet as well just Incase.

- A blanket or jacket. It’s true ! Breaking news ! not all airplanes supply blankets. Flight attendants get asked all day long multiple times if we have “ any extra blankets , it’s so cold in here “ so. Wear a jacket & closed toed shoes ?. Flight attendants have minimal control over the temperatures. Why did you wear shorts and sandals? YOU KNOW AIRPLANES GET COLD. Just like movie theaters are cold. You never ask someone at the concession stand to warm up your theater. This isn’t a house it’s an airplane. My airplane outfit is always nice jeans, plain tee, socks , vans and a jacket. Always. I will swear by it, I’m always the right temperature.

- Portable charger bank. This ones lame and I hate it. Not all airplanes have charging outlets. And it sucks I know. I work there. Can you imagine walking into work and there being no outlets. Well I feel your pain on this one. All of the airplanes are random. Some airbus models have screens and WiFi and chargers. And some have none. Luck of the draw. If you cannot find the charger in your immediate area. A flight attendant cannot make one for you. Be smart ! bring a portable charger bank. If the airplane is and old Boeing 767 ( super random plane we use for some Europe routes and select domestic ) it has cigarette lighter chargers ( like in old cars ) in some rows **** . Just bring a portable charger and avoid landing in a foreign country without access to information. Save yourself.

- SNACKS why do so many people overlook the importance of the airplane snack. Unless your flight is over 3 hours food will not even be available for purchase. And over 3 hours the food is expensive and mediocre. Complimentary meals are only served on long haul international or routes Jfk - SFO JFK - LAx and JFK - San ( direct ) . So airplane snacks are important. I usually get 2 choices . Something to munch on while watching my movie and one snack that actually is a meal. For example : I bring sunflower seeds and a Pb and j. Or if I’m feeling extra !!! : a quick bacon egg and cheese from the airport Starbucks, large venti ice coffee and Chex mix. You get the idea. It’s an airplane not a kitchen. It’s like a sky bodega. Don’t be unhappy. bring your own stuff. Especially if you’re vegan, or allergic to everything. PLEASE I BEG YOU! DONT BE THE FITNESS GURU WHO NEEDS MORE GRASS FED PROTEIN AT 38000 FEET. ( actually happened to me ) oh also people say that airplane coffee isn’t safe? Because of the water tanks. The Jury is still out on that: I will be your personal lab rat , I drink multiple cups of airplane coffee in one sitting. Make your assumptions and opinions. I will stay warm and caffeinated.

3. Hacks and tricks . Ok so we’re getting to the good stuff. I’m about to tell you the easiest way to be offered a free drink , snack , or in general special treatment on the airplane. Are you ready !? BE SUPER NICE AND PERSONABLE. Ok not exactly rocket science but seriously the SECOND you mumble under your breath, say something rude, get an attitude, look unsettled, or be annoying in the galley. You might as well kiss your chances of getting any special treatment goodbye. ( one person does something , the entire crew knows about it. rude passengers will not be rewarded . Being rude to airline staff never works . I’ve never seen it work) airline staff will most of the time reward good behavior. Wow are we back in pre-k? Or what. Ok now something more tangible . -BRING THE FLIGHT STAFF SMALL GIFTS. Most airplanes have 4 flight attendants on board. International has 12. If you walk on board and say “ hi I’m ______ seated in 23a ( whatever your seat may be ) I brought these for the flight attendants” almost 10/10 times we love it and tell the whole crew to take care of that person specifically. This is important : *You will probably have a flight attendant ask you “ thank you for the gift. do you need anything ? “* and that is your go to time !!!! That’s your time to shine !!!!!! If you want a free drink or snack !!!! Ask now!!!!!!!!!!! This is a real thing and it really works. Small gifts include : individually rapped candies, hand sanitizer, a pack of pens, any kind of snacks at all , a 4 pack of Red Bull/espresso 4 little bags of mnms,donuts or munchkins from Dunkin’ Donuts. Honestly it doesn’t have to be big or expensive! If you show up to your flight on time AND you’re nice to the flight attendants. Just wow . Doing better than 99% of anyone else on airplanes. Go you . If you are a high maintenance flyer this is your go to move to get on the good side of everyone on the crew. Or buy a first class seat ok ? A smile and some donuts go a long way. DO YOU WANT FREE WIFI ? Me too but unfortunately most of the time the WiFi is expensive and not at all free . BUT after take off if you connect to WiFi and the WiFi connection is sourced by the company “gogoinflight” ( you’ll know cause that’s what it’s called in your settings when you connect to WiFi ) I do have a trick. Gogoinflight is a company that sources WiFi for major airlines, if you have T-Mobile ( or if you know someone with a T-Mobile phone number *****) you can enter your phone number and boom free WiFi for an hour. FREE BEER AND WINE - actually free - on international routes ( not Caribbean) don’t be a jerk ! It’s an airplane not a bar. You’re an adult you know you can’t act drunk on airplanes. It’s actually VERY frowned upon and personal CAN call security on you. If you can’t drink 2 glasses of wine on the ground without dancing on the table , you can’t on the airplane. Oh and TRUST me I’ve seen the light while yaking in the airplane bathroom and THAT MY FRIEND!!!! will not be my final destination!!!

#Travel #Flight #flight attendant #Tips #Airplanes #Things I know about airplanes #aviation

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evilrubberducke · 6 years ago

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The Sky’s the Limit

Another week, another IzuMina short for you all. I tried dipping my hand a little bit in the angst pot. Hopefully you still enjoy it.

Summary: In the aftermath of the I-Island incident, most of class 1A are glad to be returning home. However, for Mina the trip home may be just as terrifying as the Villain attack

Read it on AO3!

Izuku sighed as he eased himself into the cramped plane seating. It was a relief to finally be getting something done, after hours sitting around waiting for the plane to be ready to board. He understood why their flight had been delayed so much, of course, but that didn’t mean he liked it.

I-Island had been thrown into a tizzy in the wake of the villain attack. The administrators had ordered a full inspection of nearly every system to make sure that nothing like that attack could ever happen again.

No one begrudged them the worry over the systems being compromised, but the check had lead to delays in almost every part of life on I-Island, which had put the locals in a bit of a bad mood.

It had also left the members of class 1A feeling rather homesick. They had been kept on the island after the incident for three days, being debriefed on their actions. All Might had done as much as he could to take the heat off of them, but in the end they were the primary responders, and they were learning the consequences that came with that position.

Finally, they had been given the green light to return home. All Might was remaining on I-Island while Mr. Shield recovered, which meant that Izuku was returning with the rest of his class. He didn’t mind though. He had traded Jirou his assigned window seat in exchange for her seat next to Mina.

Despite being on the island together for several days, the couple had spent almost no time together. The island administrators had given the students accomodations in the nicest hotel available as thanks for their efforts in combating Wolfram and his cronies. It had been extremely nice, with a jacuzzi, free room service, and a truly massive television and every game system you could ask for. The problem was that they had been essentially confined there while the security team finished their debriefing. Between shared rooms and some very nosey friends, Mina and Izuku hadn’t gotten more than a few moments to themselves.

A long plane ride wasn’t exactly a romantic getaway, but at this point Izuku would take what he could get. At least the people seated near them wouldn’t create a series of memes that they constantly bombarded him with just because he had slipped up and used her private nickname in front of everyone.

A loud thump from the overhead compartment startled Izuku from his thoughts. He looked up, and saw Mina smiling down at him as she closed the door. Something about the smile seemed off though. He’d never been very good at reading people’s body language, a side effect of spending so much of his childhood isolated, but after being close with Mina for months, he’d gotten better at it.

“Is everything ok?”

“Yeah!” She replied, a little too quickly.

Before Izuku could continue the conversation, Mina angled herself to the side, ducking down slightly so she wouldn’t hit her head on the overhead compartment, and began to sidle past him to get to her seat. As she did, Izuku whipped his head to the side, trying very hard not to stare at her backside passing directly in front of him.

As she dropped into her seat, the smirk on her face made it very clear she knew exactly what she had been doing. Izuku wasn’t the only one who was tired of being cooped up. In Mina’s case, it had actually been much more difficult. Her energetic nature did not take kindly to being stuck indoors for so long.

She wasted no time in checking the seat over, even going so far as to pull the safety manual out and leaf through it. It was very cute to watch, like a puppy exploring a new house.

“Having fun?” He asked.

She jumped a bit, then looked sheepish. “I- just making sure everything’s in order.”

Now he was sure that something was up. Mina had picked up a few habits of his since they had started dating, one of which was stuttering when she became truly nervous.

“Are you sure you’re feeling ok Mina?”

For a moment, she looked as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she pulled out her phone and began to fiddle absently with it. “I’m fine. Just excited to be going home.”

He didn’t pry further. After all, he knew very well that sometimes you just needed space when something was bothering you.

---

Thankfully, the plane finished boarding rather quickly due to everyone being very eager to be on their way after all the delays. Surprisingly, the last seat in their row was left empty, a fact that Izuku was very grateful for. He hated sitting next to strangers. It gave him the willies, for reasons he wasn’t quite sure of.

The crew ran through their obligatory safety check in record time, and Izuku tuned them out. He’d been on a few plane trips in the past. When he was much younger, his father had bought his mother and him tickets to come see him in America. There had only been a handful of trips though. As he grew older, no more tickets had come in the mail, and Izuku had despaired of ever seeing his father again.

As the plane began to taxi onto the runway, Izuku unwrapped a stick of gum he had bought ahead of time. He’d never had any trouble with pressure changes before, but his paranoid nature always insisted he be prepared for everything. Bakugou’s warnings long ago about his head popping open like a grapefruit hadn’t helped either. He knew they had just been mocking jokes, but they had still gone through his mind as he had walked through the airport.

“Want some?” He offered, turning to Mina. He stopped when he saw her face.

Her skin was as pale as he’d ever seen it, the vibrant pink faded almost grey in some places. She was sweating too, and her breath was coming faster than usual.

“Mina, you’re-”

He was cut off, as the plane finished it’s final turn, and began to rapidly accelerate. As it did, Mina’s hand snaked out and wrapped around his own in a vice-like grip. She even gave Todoroki a run for his money in terms of grip strength.

With that, everything clicked into place for Izuku. The odd, nervous behavior, the pale skin, the attempts to deflect. Mina was afraid of flying. Very afraid, unless he missed his guess.

Her eyes were squeezed tightly shut, and she was shivering slightly. In response, Izuku pulled his hand away, and wrapped her in a side armed hug. It wasn’t very comfortable, but it was the best he could manage, given the seating arrangement.

Her shivering calmed a bit, but she didn’t pull away until the plane had been level for several minutes. When she did pull back she at least looked a little better. Her skin was still paler than he’d like, and her eyes looked a little unfocused, but she didn’t seem to be panicking quite as much.

“S-sorry.” She muttered dejectedly.

“Nothing to be sorry for. I was scared too, especially the first time I flew.”

She nodded. “My family all live pretty close to home, and we never had time to go for long vacations, so I never did planes." She squeezed his hand again. "I'm...not a fan."

He returned the squeeze. “You don’t need to worry. I’ll be here with you the whole time.”

“I know. Easier said than done though.” She risked a glance out the window, but quickly turned back looking even paler than before.

“You should try to get some sleep.” Izuku said. “That way, we’ll be home before you know it.”

She nodded, and laid her head on his shoulder. The armrest between them made the position slightly awkward, but neither one cared very much. They were thinking about someone much more important.

-----

He didn’t know when he’d fallen asleep, but the next thing he knew, Izuku was being jolted awake as his seat seemed to drop out from under him. The plane had hit a spot of turbulence, and was shuddering rather alarmingly. He could see the passengers near them all looking around fearfully.

His view was obscured a moment later when Mina slammed into him. She had practically vaulted over the armrest, and was now wrapping herself bodily around him. Unlike her usual hugs, she wasn't careful with her horns, and one of them grazed his forehead painfully. Her cheek was pressed close to his, and he could feel hot tears running down her face. Her breath came in heaving gasps, and a stream of incoherent words were flowing out of her mouth.

He racked his brain desperately for something that would make her feel better. He wasn't used to being the one people turned to for comfort, and it showed. So, Izuku did the only thing he could think of, and emulated his mother. He wrapped his arms tightly around Mina, running his fingers through her hair. Then, he leaned in slightly, and began to speak in what he hoped was a low, soothing voice. He started telling her about all the cool support equipment Melissa had shown him at the expo, and all the foreign Heroes he had seen in passing. She almost always fell asleep when he got into talking about Heroes, so he hoped it would work in this case as well.

As he spoke, he could feel her heart rate begin to slow, which filled him with relief.

It took several minutes, but no more turbulence occurred, and finally Mina lifted her head from his neck, and placed her forehead against his.

“Thanks.” Her voice was low, and a bit gravely, but strong.

“Of course. I’m always here for you, whatever you need.”

A small smile graced her lips. “I know.” The smile grew wider, and a touch of her usual color returned to her cheeks. “Though, I think you’re the only guy in the world who would try to comfort his girlfriend by talking about spending time with another woman.”

Too late, Izuku realized how his rambling thoughts had sounded, and he felt his temperature rise suddenly. He hadn’t really discussed the time he had spent with Melissa with her at all, not that they had done anything untoward, or even thought about doing something like that, he was taken after all, and he definitely wasn’t the kind of person to cheat and-

“You’re mumbling again.” Mina said, pressing a finger to his lips to silence him.

He blushed. He’d been working hard to curb his habit, but progress had been glacial to say the least. HIs brain just moved too fast for him to keep track of.

“Sorry” he said sheepishly.

“Don’t be. It’s a part of you. And I like every part of you.” With that, she planted a firm kiss on his lips.

Before Izuku could properly react to the kiss, a cough interrupted them. They turned their heads to see an extremely scandalized mother covering her child’s eyes and shooting them a glare so potent Izuku could swear she possessed some sort of ocular Quirk.

It was at that point that Izuku realized his girlfriend was sitting on his lap in the middle of a very public plane filled with irritated travelers. His face went full nuclear as he hurried to push Mina back into her seat, trying to look as apologetic as he possibly could while internally freaking out.

Mina, thankfully, went quietly back to her seat, which was unusual. Normally, she would have been laughing at the situation or teasing Izuku relentlessly about getting flustered over something as simple as a kiss in public. Instead, she was as purple as a plum and sitting meekly with her hands in her lap.

The only reason Izuku could think of for the difference in behavior was the context. Mina didn’t mind showing affection in public, but intimacy was a very different beast. She was a romantic at heart, and a little shy about showing it where other people could see. It was one of the few ways Izuku could actually get her to blush. Teasing her was impossible, but a few soft words could melt her into a puddle when used just right.

As he looked at her, a soft glow caught his eye. He leaned past Mina, and lifted the window screen.

At the edge of the horizon, a hint of golden light was blossoming as the sun began to rize. As Izuku and Mina watched, its rays danced across the clouds and the myriad waves far below. It was a truly magical sight.

“It’s so pretty” Mina said softly

“Yeah” Izuku agreed. “Does it make up for the scare?”

“Not in the slightest.” She leaned back slightly, and Izuku wrapped his arms around her once more. Enjoying each others warmth, the two watched as the sun rose to greet the world once more, and for a brief time, it felt like they were the only two people in the world.

#izumina #mha #mina ashido #midoriya izuku #mha fanfiction #fanfiction #minadeku #my hero academia #Fluff and angst #bnha #bnha fanfiction

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let-it-raines · 6 years ago

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Betting on the Bullseye (18/?)

Summary: Emma Swan loses a bet that means she has to ask her celebrity crush to be her date to her office’s annual fundraising gala. Killian Jones is that celebrity crush. She expects all kinds of humiliation and for her dignity to be completely lost. What she doesn’t expect is for him to say yes.

Rating: Mature

A/N: I wrote this chapter awhile ago, and I was so proud of the movie title I made up…I checked Netflix the other day, and they have the same movie. So, you know, either I saw the movie without realizing it, or Netflix has some explaining to do…I kid, I kid :D Thank you guys for continuously being the best!

AO3: Beginning | Current

Tag list: @nikkiemms @resident-of-storybrooke @wellhellotragic @bmbbcs4evr @onceuponaprincessworld @jennjenn615 @mayquita @captainsjedi @teamhook @skyewardolicitycloisdelena91 @artistic-writer @branlovesouat @dreadpirateemma @kmomof4 @ekr032-blog-blog @galaxyzxstark @lifeinahole27 @andiirivera @ultimiflos @hollyethecurious @thejollyroger-writer @superchocovian @cs-forlife @qualitycoffeethings @jonirobinson64 @notoriouscs

When he got the call in the middle of August, he felt actual butterflies in his stomach. He’s always hated that turn of phrase, but oftentimes, it’s the only phrase he thinks can actually describe what it’s like to be so damn nervous that he feels as if something seriously wrong is going on in his body. He could feel it in his stomach and in his throat. Hell, he could feel it in his fingers some days.

He was excited.

He was terrified.

It happens sometimes. He wishes it happened more often, but honestly, he wonders if it keeps the excitement for what he does alive to get to read through scripts to find the rare gem that actually speaks to him instead of liking everything that passes over his desk. This one, though, the more he reads it, the more he thinks about it, the more he gets inside of Michael’s head…the more he wants it.

Which is probably why he’s about to throw up as Robin drives him over to meet with the producers and the casting directors. He’s not even really auditioning, just talking to them, but it feels like he’s doing his first audition all over again. It had been for an extra with one line in Grey’s Anatomy, and he felt as if he was attempting to prove himself to be Tom Hanks or something.

It was ridiculous.

He didn’t even get that role. It was one line. He’s pretty sure he was supposed to be ordering coffee or something.

His phone buzzes in his lap, and Emma’s name pops up, instantly calming him down for a moment.

Emma: Go kick ass today, KJ! I love you!

Emma: I also love your ass, but that is totally unrelated to what I’m supposed to be telling you right now.

Killian: I love you too! I’ll try to kick arse with my good arse just for you!

Emma: That’s all I ask.

He does kick arse if he says so himself, the meeting going far better than expected. They want him. He knew that they wanted him, but they actually, seriously want him. He’s still got to do negotiations, to work out a few details and to screen test with potential costars, but he’s got the role if he wants it. It’s all early in the preproduction stages, but damn is he excited.

“You look like Roland after I let him eat more than one donut,” Robin laughs as they drive away from the lot and make their way to go get lunch. “You excited?”

“Obviously, mate.” He pulls out his phone and texts Emma about everything, knowing that she’s at work right now and can’t really talk. He really wants to tell her anyways. “And nothing compares to your son on a sugar high. Absolutely nothing. It’s like he’s been possessed.”

“He has been. By sugar.” Robin pulls off of main road and down into one of the business districts. “You want to go in somewhere or do take out?”

“We can do take out. Just pick something out Roland will like since we’ve got to pick him up from school.”

“He’s not going to be hungry.” “He is if we have any kind of junk food, and I feel like we deserve junk food.” “Because we’ve worked so hard today?”

“Exactly.”

Sure enough, when they pull up to pick-up at Roland’s elementary school, the boy climbs in the backseat, buckles himself in, and then immediately asks for some of the fries Killian is eating.

Like clockwork.

-/-

He swears that every Labor Day weekend his corner of Santa Monica gains at least half a million tourists. He’s sure that’s a bit excessive, but it’s only Thursday and people are absolutely everywhere. It’s to the point that he’s in the grocery store trying to stock up for the weekend, and he can’t turn anywhere without running into a cart with someone stocking up on beer and any kind of junk food he can imagine. He can’t really say much, not when he’s doing the same thing, but he absolutely cannot wait to get his things, check out, and get home before he has to drive to the airport to pick Emma up for the weekend.

He should have just ordered online and had his stuff delivered, but he wasn’t exactly sure what he wanted when he thought about it the other day after he and Emma had talked.

Emma’s had a hell of a few weeks at work, has pretty much wanted to pull her hair out nearly every day, and even though he saw her two weeks ago before he had to come back to California to meet with the producers for this movie (he wishes they’d give it a temporary name other than Project 783 because he’s a bit tired of calling it that), she was too stressed for either of them to really enjoy it. It’s been a long summer. A good one but incredibly long.

He’s pretty sure there’s several songs about long hot summers, and that’s pretty much been his entire summer. With a lot of airports and Uber rides and living out of his overnight bag.

But Emma’s coming in today, is already on her plane, and is staying through Monday. They’ve got his premiere for Highland Waters tomorrow night, a day to themselves on Saturday, and then they’re spending Sunday out on the Jolly with his family, Anna and Kris included. He’s pretty sure Anna has texted him at least five times a day double checking that Emma is definitely going to be here this weekend. Despite how much time Emma has spent with Elsa, she keeps missing Anna.

Anna is not okay with it in the slightest. Sometimes he thinks she’s been his sister-in-law for his entire life instead of five years with the way she treats him. She’s refreshing, and he’s completely sure that she and Emma need to meet on soft ground for when Anna inevitably tackles her.

Yeah, she’s definitely going to tackle Emma.

After he finally checks out and loads his groceries in the car, he drives home a little faster than he should and quickly puts everything away. He’ll have to tidy it all up later, but he needs to go ahead and make his way to LAX because he already knows that traffic will be awful. It nearly always it, and this weekend is going to make it worse.

Sure enough, he’s late to show up, but he hasn’t gotten a text from Emma letting him know that she’s landed, so he parks in hourly parking and makes his way inside, taking the long route to avoid the photographers that stake out at the exit nearest to the parking lot. He doesn’t see her anywhere, but considering it’s at least thirty times more insane than the grocery store in this small corner of the airport, he doesn’t exactly expect to right away.

Killian: Have you landed?

Emma: Yeah, but we’re taxiing right now.

Emma: My legs are so stiff, and the man next to me has talked for this entire flight.

Emma: Ah, shit. He just asked if I’d get dinner with him.

Emma: Why are people so weird?

Killian: What did you say?

Emma: Obviously I said yes.

Killian: Bring me some takeout from wherever you go.

He keeps texting back and forth with her until the texts stop and he’s left simply standing there watching and just waiting for her to show up somewhere.

“Hi, hi, hi,” Emma sighs as she jogs up to him at the airport, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and holding onto him as he tugs her closer, the bill of her baseball cap rubbing into his cheek with the sudden embrace. “How long have you been waiting here? It took forever taxiing after we landed, and then I had to pee, which I pretty much refuse to do on the plane which was hard because I had coffee…and yeah. Sorry for being late.”

“I absolutely do not mind,” he promises, quickly brushing his lips over hers as many times as he can before things turn inappropriate in a very public place. “Even if you were obviously going out to dinner with that man. I’ve just been watching people get black suitcase after black suitcase mixed up with other people’s very similar suitcases.”

“Sounds like quality entertainment.” “Right? Your flight’s luggage is coming out on this belt in front of me, so yours should be here soon. I’m surprised you didn’t do carry-on.”

She shrugs, pulling back from him and tightening the plaid shirts that’s wrapped around her waist. “Too much stuff. I wasn’t exactly sure what to wear tomorrow, and Ruby convinced me to bring…a lot. I figured you could help. Plus, my foundation went over the TSA limit for liquids weirdly enough, which I found out at security. That was a fun time.” “Sounds like you’ve had quite the adventure, Swan.” “I have. Look, there’s my suitcase. Let’s go.”

Emma practically jogs off to get her luggage, and he wonders just how much coffee she’s already consumed this morning. It’s got to be quite a bit, and he knows that she’s definitely going to crash in the middle of this afternoon. But it doesn’t matter. She’s here. She’s here, and he’s absolutely convinced that they’re going to have a wonderful Labor Day weekend with all of the plans that they’ve been making.

He hasn’t been this excited for a weekend in a long time.

-/-

“I like this,” he croons as he walks up to Emma at the counter in his bathroom that he’s come to think of as her counter. All of her stuff is there, the things she leaves behind both on accident and on purpose, including the damn toothbrush she ordered replacements heads for and had them sent here instead of to her home. He’d already signed up for the refurbishment ones, but he didn’t let her knows that when she texted him about the delivery. So now he has an entire dentist’s office worth of toothbrushes.

“Thank you.” She finishes putting her earring in and then turns around. “If I move from side to side, the fringe shakes.” She demonstrates for him, twisting and turning so that the white fringe on her dress moves with her, and he’s about as fascinated with it as he is with the smile on Emma’s face. It’s almost like she’s living some kind of childhood moment she never got right now, and all he can think is how happy he is that she’s happy. And how much he wants to spend the rest of his life with her.

He’s known it for awhile even if they’re not there yet, but he’s there. And he’s perfectly happy to go at Emma’s pace. He knows that she’s it for him. All this summer, the months of flying back and forth, of getting brief moments of time together and even more talking on the phone, it’s been difficult, but it’s kind of reaffirmed things for him on what he wants out of life. Emma’s not the first woman he’s been in love with, she’s not even the second or the third, but she’s it in every big sense of such a small word. He somehow…somehow he just knows it with every fiber in his being.

God, he loves her. More than anything.

“See?” Emma laughs, looking up at him as the fringe stops moving, resting back in place and framing her body. “I bought this dress forever ago and have never worn it. It looks okay for the premiere, right?”

“You look stunning, my love,” he promises, taking her hands and kissing her knuckles so he won’t mess up her makeup. His lips move along the skin of her hands until he’s kissing her wrist, right on the small black dot. “And this is perfect.”

“Thanks. You look nice too. Very handsome but,” she reaches up and runs her hands through his hair a little bit, “your hair is too flat. You gotta add a little life to it.”

“How embarrassing will it be for me to admit that I usually have someone do my hair for things like this?”

“Only a little,” she laughs, continuing to mess with his hair, which feels far too good than it has any right to feel. “Why didn’t you for tonight?”

“Smaller event. I’m not even wearing a tie or anything.”

Emma rolls her eyes before turning around and picking up her lipstick and reapplying the red, her tongue poking out the slightest bit. “You are obviously in shambles.”

“Thank you for your never ending support.” He can see her wink in the mirror. “Always.”

The show sends him a driver, which he really didn’t understand for something like tonight when it’s simply a miniseries premier and not a movie, but he’s not going to complain about not having to worry about how much he’s had to drink when thinking about them getting home. So he thanks Steve, before helping Emma into the back of the car, her dress seemingly always in movement, and loading in himself.

Robin’s waiting for him when they pull up to the hotel where they’re hosting this thing tonight, and Steve drops them off at the front entrance where he can see Isabelle getting out of her car as well. Apparently, the producers are trying to schmooze them one last time.

“You ready, darling?” he asks Emma, taking her hand in his, lacing their fingers together as Robin walks them through the front doors. “Yep,” she says quietly, her eyes darting around the room that’s bursting with people. “This is kind of weird.” “Aye, I know. It’s pretty unconventional.” “A pipe burst down at the theater where they were going to do this,” Robin explains, “and they’re having to redo all of the upholstery. And this was a good last-minute option even if things are a little unconventional for it being a show.”

“That’s shitty luck.”

“It is, but this is a nicer place if I’m honest.” They walk into one of the ballrooms, and there’s a wall set up for them to take pictures by, a group of photographers and journalists already taking pictures and interviewing some of his costars. “Jones, you know what to do here. Take your picture alone, then some with Isabelle, and then you’ve got one interview at the end. Emma, you can stay with me if you want to.”

He looks over to Emma, and she nods her head, smiling at him even if her eyes are blown a little wide. “You going to be okay, darling?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She squeezes his hand before releasing it. “Go do your thing, KJ.”

So he does, standing and taking pictures, alternating between smiling and staring at the cameras with an emotionless look. This, to him, has always been one of the most awkward parts of his job. It’s not the interviews. It’s standing alone and having people take pictures of him. So he’s eternally thankful for when Isabelle finishes hers and comes to stand next to him, wrapping her arm around his waist and smiling.

“You’ve got these crazy eyes going on right now, Jones,” she laughs, all the while her pose never fades. “I’d try straightening those out.”

“It’s the damn flashes and the way it’s far too dark in here.”

“You’re supposed to be a professional,” she teases. “Get it together.”

“I would, but your shoes are just so bright that I’ve been blinded.”

She hits his back – hard – and he laughs while they continue to move across the small carpet until they separate to do their own interviews. She’s one of his favorite costars, someone who he actually likes to talk to outside of work, and even though they’ve been finished filming for months, he knows he’s going to miss her when she flies back home to New Zealand instead of staying here.

When he’s finished talking, having gone through Ezra’s entire backstory once again as well as explaining just how excited he is for the miniseries to begin, he makes his way through the doors, figuring that’s where he’s supposed to go. It’s definitely different than he’s used to, not at all familiar, so he waits inside the impromptu theater that he’s just stumbled into until Robin and Emma also come through the doors with smiles on both of their faces. Good.

“You want to get something to drink, KJ?” Emma asks, coming up to him and poking her fingers at his chest. “Because I know for a fact that you hate watching yourself on screen, and I feel like you are going to need a couple glasses of rum for that.” “Are you trying to get me drunk?”

“No,” she promises, wrapping her arms around his neck while he rests his on her hips, feeling the soft material of her dress under his fingertips, “I am not. I’m just trying to make life more bearable for all of us before you whine and moan all about your performance in the show.”

“She’s right, mate,” Robin laughs. “You’re going to give us all hell this entire time.” “See?” she nudges, running her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck and pleasantly scratching his skin. “You need something to drink. Plus, I think there may be food.”

“Swan, I would never dare bring you somewhere without food. I’m not a madman with a death wish.”

“That’s a good plan for you.”

After they get their drinks and Emma finds herself some food (“They have mini cheeseburgers, KJ. I knew your job wasn’t worthless.”), they settle themselves down into their seats while people continue to move around them. Isabelle comes to sit next to Emma, and they absolutely hit it off. It’s wonderful, even if most of it is them teasing him, but Emma’s just got this smile on her face, her eyes lighting up with joy…and it’s all he wants. He wants her to be happy, and if it means him suffering through being made fun of and having to watch himself on screen, it’s completely and totally worth it.

Plus, there are other scenes that he’s not in, and those are okay to watch. Those are brilliant to watch because it’s a bloody brilliant show. Emma gasps in all the right places, laughing at all of the totally inappropriate places when he’s doing something like sword fighting, and she spends the entire time whispering a live commentary in his ear that has his stomach rolling while he stifles his laughter in her hair and in her shoulder as he runs his lips across her bare shoulders every time he gets a chance. She smells like her hairspray, her perfume, and a little bit of rum on her breath. He enjoys the spice of it.

He enjoys her.

“That was brilliant,” Emma sighs when it’s over while the room claps. “Is there any way you can get me the entire thing, like, right now? I kind of want to know what happens next without you giving me spoilers.”

“I don’t think I have that power.”

She groans, stretching out her legs in the seat while her head falls back. “What good are you?”

“I thought we already established that the sliders you consumed earlier were what I was good for.” “That’s what your job is useful for. You, on the other hand, need to be worth something.”

“I’ll just have to think on that, love.”

He’s not sure if he ever comes up with something he can be good for since he can’t get Emma the entire season on Highland Waters, but he does get her some more food and a refill on her drink as everyone settles around the bar, chatter and laughter filling the room while music plays on the speakers overhead. He’s not exactly sure who all is here, most of the faces unrecognizable to him, so he assumes they’re executives instead of the crew he was so familiar with while filming. He would recognize the crew.

“So tell me,” Isabelle sighs as she comes up to he and Emma in the lounge by the bar, the wine in her glass sloshing around, “how in the world does Killian Jones get someone who is such a catch like Emma here?”

“I ask myself the same thing every day,” Emma teases, settling herself down on his thigh while he wraps his free arm around her waist, the other hand holding his glass.

“You have literally known her for three hours, Isabelle.”

“Yes, but in those three hours, she has informed me that you organize your fridge and pantry as well as everything else in your house like you’re in some kind of organization club.” “I am not embarrassed by the fact that I’m organized. Emma should be embarrassed by how much of a slob she is.” “Hey,” Emma laughs, adjusting herself in his lap while she slaps his hand over her stomach, “I am not a slob. I’m not a slob,” she repeats to Isabelle, “and really, the weirdest thing about Killian is definitely that he eats his salad without combining ingredients. Like, if there are strawberries in there, he eats all of them before moving onto the lettuce.” “That’s not weird.” “That’s really weird, Jones. I can guarantee it’s not the weirdest thing about you, but it’s pretty weird.” Someone calls out her name, and Isabelle looks away, practically tripping over her own heels even as she stands still. “I’ve got to go, but I’m going to come back and find you guys later.” “So she’s drunk, right? She can’t actually that clumsy all of the time, and if she is, that was incredible acting in that first episode.”

“She’s definitely a bit intoxicated,” he chuckles, tilting his head to the side and brushing his lips across her jaw and down her neck while she moves and gives him more access to her skin, little moans escaping her lips. Bless her. “I think we may be too, but we’re sitting down.”

“Because we’re, ah,” she gasps when he bites down on her skin, and it sends a shiver down to the base of his spine, “intellectuals.”

“Big word there.”

“You really are drunk if you think that’s a big word.”

He hums, leaning back in the chair and yanking her back with him so that she giggles, the sound high and lilting even with all of the sounds in the room. “I think we should go home, Swan,” he growls into her ear as his finger start moving over her stomach, wishing the damn fringe wasn’t in the way. He loved it at the beginning of the night, loved the way it made Emma feel, loved the way it hugged her curves, but he’d really rather she not be wearing it right now.

“I think that sounds like a plan, Stan.”

They load back into the car and get a ride home from Steve. He can’t say he’s ever made out with a girl in the backseat of a car, not since he was a teenager and Liam would have lost his mind had he and Hannah Kirpatrick been in the house, but now as a thirty-three-year-old man, he does just that. She tastes like the spice of the rum they’ve both been drinking, maybe a bit like the chocolate she ate right before they left, grabbing it on the way out the door, and it’s intoxicating as always as her lips move against his over and over again.

They’re probably scarring poor Steve, but he honestly doesn’t care when there’s a white fringe dress on the floor of his living room.

-/-

“Okay, so remind me that I am not twenty-two anymore the next time we decide to go out and drink so much,” Emma groans when she wakes up the next morning, her voice far too loud for how much pain he’s in.

“You’re talking far too loudly.”

“Oh my God, so are you.”

He chuckles, even as his head pounds, and wraps his arms further around his pillow, burying his face in the softness while he tries to will everything away. “You are nearly five years younger than me, so you’re much closer to twenty-two and not feeling dead from drinking too much.”

“You have a bigger body mass. Harder to get drunk.”

He kicks out on the other side of his bed until he finds flesh with his foot. He’s honestly not sure what part of Emma’s body he’s kicking, but he doesn’t care. “Rude,” he mumbles into his pillow, turning a bit and opening one eye just so he can see her stretched out as well, her hair covering her face from his view. “You’re not supposed to comment on a man’s body mass.”

“You’re taller than me and weigh more. Your body mass is bigger. It’s not an insult.” He kicks at her again until she yelps. “I hate you so much.”

“You don’t.” “I do.” “Will you still hate me if I go make us some hangover food?”

“Pancakes with chocolate chips and whipped cream would be acceptable. And coffee. And bacon. It has to be cooked in the oven and not the microwave though.”

“Bloody hell,” he grumbles, rolling over in bed and letting his eyes adjust to the light, “how are you being so specific about what you want?” “I am a specific type of person.”

“Okay,” he sighs, slowly getting up from bed and letting his eyes adjust to light, “I will go make us all of that food, but I’m also going to make you eat some fruit, yeah?”

“Fine, Mary Margaret. I will eat all of my food groups.” “Don’t tease Mary Margaret when she’s got a good point. Besides, you eat salads all the damn time.” “Not when I’m miserably hungover and not picking everything out like you do.”

He’s miserable pretty much the entire time that he’s making breakfast, the medicine he took and coffee he’s drinking helping a small bit. Emma eventually joins him, her hair wrapped up in a towel on the top of her head while she’s changed into the sleep shorts she likes and one of his older t-shirts that she must have gotten out of one of the drawers in his closet. Misery loves company, so as he and Emma grumble and groan all while waiting for their food to be cooked, it’s not quite as miserable as it was.

Or maybe it is. He did drink a hell of a lot of rum yesterday.

But eventually he feels less like death and more like a human being. The food helps, even if he does have a lingering headache, but honestly the fact that they hoard themselves away in his bedroom with his curtains closed to block out the sun and do nothing but hide out under the covers while the rest of the country likely has a nice Labor Day Saturday helps the most. Plus, Emma grabbed bags of chips out of his pantry and brought them upstairs with her so they really don’t have to leave his room at all.

Except to go get water. Neither of them thought about water when they both really need it.

“I’m proud of you, you know,” Emma speaks out of nowhere, making him turn his head to face her. She’s got a bag of salt and vinegar chips in her lap, something he already knows makes her tongue break out because his does the same, not that she cares about that, and if he were to shake out his comforter, he knows there’d be crumbs everywhere.

“For what, sweetheart?”

She shrugs, the bit of sunlight that’s peeking through the window casting across her face and hitting the green of her eyes, making them shine even more brightly than usual. “For your premiere yesterday, for getting the role for that movie that doesn’t have a name yet. I totally think it should be called After Life, though. People will think it has supernatural stuff in it when it doesn’t. It’ll just be about what happens after life is over for someone you love.”

He laughs, scooting up on the mattress and inching closer to her, nearly sitting up himself. “I’ll have to tell the producers that. Get you a paycheck for the name and everything.”

“Always looking out for me.” “Undoubtedly.”

“But I’m also just…” she sighs, her entire body heaving with the movement, and it’s what gets him to sit up against the headboard with her. “I’m proud of you for who you are, for getting this life for yourself, for not letting your past define you any more than it has to.” “Emma, what’s all this about?”

“Nothing,” she promises, putting the chips on the table next to her while he watches her features, watches to see if there’s anything she’s not telling him. “I don’t know why, but I was thinking about the Sorellino’s, about how I was late because of work, and how at the end of the night you told me how proud you were of me. That meant so much to me, probably more than I can ever tell you, but I also realized that I never told you how proud I am of you for the life that you’ve built.”

Emotion lodges itself in his throat, as do the words he wants to say in response. He remembers that night. How could he not? He remembers telling Emma how proud he was of her, remembers the way her eyes lit up and her lips trembled a bit, and he also remembers her telling him that his mum would be proud of him if she were here to see him. And while he doesn’t think what he does is changing the world, he’s glad that he does what he loves. Emma telling him that his mum would be proud of him, well, that was just the same if not better than anything else she could have said.

It doesn’t change the fact that he can feel his entire body heat all the while thinking about Emma and how she thinks him to be a man who she’s proud of, a man who she wants to be with despite all of his shortcomings and failures.

“Thank you, my love.” He leans over and brushes his lips over hers, tasting the chips she’s been eating.

“You taste like onions,” she groans, her entire demeanor lightening instantly so that he laughs against her lips.

“You taste like vinegar, so you really can’t complain.”

“Lucky for you, I do have a fancy toothbrush compared to your regular, manual one.”

“You and that damned toothbrush, Swan.”

She winks, reaching over and grabbing the big of chips before popping a large on in her mouth. “You’re really going to appreciate it when I eat this entire family-sized bag of chips all by myself in the next hour.”

“Those were for you and Anna for tomorrow. She’s going to kill you before she even meets you.”

“Don’t be so salty, KJ.” Emma pops another chip into her mouth while he groans, scrunching up his face. “Totally worth using the word salty for the look on your face right now.”

#betting on the bullseye #captain swan #cs fanfic #cs ff #cs fic

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phantasticworks · 5 years ago

Text

Terminal

I’ve been awol for a while because I’ve been working all summer and I’ve recently moved back to school and life has been busy but I’ve actually been working on this for four months (between my episodes of writers block and working on my other wip) but I am finally back with another one shot! Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy!

read on ao3

Words: 20k

Description: Phil finds himself stuck in an airport in Florida when a nasty storm blows in from the coast. His phone is dying and his will to live without it is too. He stumbles across a cute brunette who may be just as dorky as himself, and of course flirting ensues. And maybe this cute stranger has a charger to spare? Really your goal as a reader is to solve the incredible important mystery of whether or not he gets his phone charged (and maybe have a little Phan story along the way)

Warnings: mentions of depression, swearing, smut, the usual

Phil hated airports.

Actually, that’s not entirely factual.

It wasn’t that he hated the airports themselves, although they weren’t anything to write home about, honestly. He was actually just a little annoyed with the delays. Like, how many times can a flight be delayed before it’s just cancelled altogether? Phil didn’t know, and he really didn’t want to find out.

His flight back home to London had already been delayed twice, each time for another hour. He couldn’t tell much from looking outside other than the fact that it looked like it was nearing midnight, although the clock on his phone told him it was barely four in the afternoon. In theory, he knew that this meant the storm was really bad and he should be concerned for his safety, but he didn’t see the point in being too fussed about it, considering he was in a massive building and they weren’t on the coast.

Luckily, his family had flown back the day before. Since he was now a responsible, financially stable adult, he’d bought his own tickets and hotel room. Unfortunately, he had misunderstood the dates that the rest of his family was flying out, and he’d booked everything a day late. Which really hadn’t upset him all that much anyway, since it had been a week-long trip. He was just annoyed about it now that he was having to wait in the stupid airport while his family was already safe and sound back in England. Okay, so maybe he wasn’t upset about the part where his family was safe; obviously he was glad they’d gotten home fine, but he was just irritated at the inconvenience of waiting.

He’d gotten bored sitting in the boarding area of his flight, so he’d been wandering the airport, staying close enough to check to flight board every now and then as he popped into the different shops throughout the massive building. He’d stumbled into a little airport café at some point, and after ordering a caramel macchiato he’d settled into a booth close to the front. Bored, he pulls out his phone with the intention of playing flappy bird. After only a few tries, he gets the message that his phone battery is at twenty percent. Wonderful. His charger is wherever his main suitcase is, so he’s out of luck for now.

He sighs, looking out of the window to look at the unideal weather they were stuck in. If someone had told him that his trip to America would be this hard to come back from, he’d never have gone in the first place. Well, that probably wasn’t entirely true either; he loved going to Disney World with his family, and just because he was stuck in the airport due to some sort of hurricane didn’t mean he regretted going on the trip entirely.

Phil tries very hard to keep this in mind ten minutes later when he’s walked out of the café to check the flight board, only to find that his flight has been delayed another three hours. He lets out a long, annoyed breath, apparently startling the man standing next to him. “Sorry,” he mumbles, embarrassed. He normally wasn’t such a sour person, even in the face of inconveniences like this. He fully blamed it on the fact that not only was he stuck in the airport, but he didn’t have his phone charger.

“’S fine,” the man responds, his voice causing Phil to take a second look.

He wouldn’t have bothered if he hadn’t heard a familiar accent, but upon realizing this man is also British, Phil can’t help it. He takes a moment to survey the man’s profile, trying his hardest to be casual about it. The man was tall, maybe an inch taller than himself, although it’s hard to tell from the poor posture he possesses. His hair is a deep brown, and so curly that Phil can only marvel at it for a moment. He’s dressed almost entirely in black, aside from the white t-shirt that he’s wearing under the black bomber jacket. It’s a good look on him, Phil thinks, although, he could probably use a little color.

Almost as if his thought has summoned the attention of the stranger, his heard turns, catching Phil staring at him. Too embarrassed to do much of anything, Phil looks down, feeling his face heat up. “Where are you headed?” The man’s voice says softly, breaking the silence.

Glancing up, Phil takes in his dark brown eyes, unsurprised that they match his hair perfectly. “London,” he answers with a nod to the board. “I mean, I’m obviously not headed there for another eighty-four years, or however long it takes the storm to pass,” he attempts a joke, smiling broadly when the brunette laughs.

“Right? I’m going to be collecting social security by the time we get on the damn plane,” the brunette rolls his eyes, bringing a hand up to brush a stray curl back. Phil unashamedly follows the motion, returning his gaze when his hand falls away.

“Definitely,” Phil says, a little awkwardly as he scrambles for something else to say.

Before he even has the chance, the man’s phone begins ringing, and he shoots Phil an apologetic smile as he fishes it out. “Nice meeting you, mate,” he says easily before turning and pacing away, bringing his phone up to his ear as he goes.

Phil tries his hardest not to pout, but he is a little annoyed at this turn of events. He’d wanted to keep talking to the rather attractive stranger, if only for some company with someone who isn’t American. Nothing against Americans, of course; he just felt it was easier to hold a conversation with someone he had more in common with. That and, well he was rather attractive, and Phil definitely wouldn’t have been averse to flirting with him a bit.

Sadly, all of that is now out of the picture, as the brunette turns a corner, disappearing from his sight, probably forever. Phil heaves a deep sigh. Oh well. It’s not like he was seriously looking for anyone, especially not just someone he happened to stumble across at an airport.

Resigning himself for a life devoid of cute British brunette guys who have a sense of humor that matches his own, he finds himself walking away from his terminal yet again, on the lookout for something interesting to occupy his time. When he finds the Disney World merch store, he’s intrigued, but decides not to stop. He’d had his fill of the little cartoon mice this week.

Instead, he finds himself in the Kennedy Space Center shop. It was always amazing to go in and see all the cool space stuff, and he quickly forgot his encounter with the cute stranger as he searched through the various t-shirts on a rack.

That is, until he glances over at another shopper and finds none other than the cute stranger himself. Although he’s a little surprised to see him again, Phil finds himself smiling, casually making his way around the circle of clothes to get a little closer to him. “Fancy seeing you again,” he says casually as he shoots the man a friendly smile.

The brunette’s gaze shoots up at his voice, his lips quirking up into a small smile. “I see you’re a nerd as well, then.” His cheek dips with the indentation of a dimple, and Phil nearly swoons on the spot.

Nodding, he grins. “Oh, absolutely. Space, Pokemon, Buffy, the whole nine yards for sure.” He holds a shirt out and grimaces at it; it’s tacky, with ugly cats in space suits on it.

“Right. You look like the type,” the brunette smiles, leaning his elbow on the rack closest to him and observing Phil as he goes to put the shirt back. “Wait, wait. Can I see that?” His eyes flick from the ugly shirt up to meet Phil’s gaze, and he makes a face but hands it over.

Phil watches with distaste as the other man turns the shirt around, looking at how the cats are shown from the back on the back of the shirt. He’s got this adorable little smile on his face, and Phil can’t help but thinking even though it’s possibly the ugliest shirt he’s ever seen in his life, it would probably look fantastic on him. He considers that it’s probably a strange thing to think of a complete stranger, but that still doesn’t stop him from saying it. “That’ll look cute on you.” He smirks when the other man’s cheeks flood with a light pink color, pleased by this reaction.

“Thanks,” he mumbles, tucking the shirt back in the rack before filtering through it, probably looking for his size. He glances over his shoulder at Phil before smiling sweetly. “I’m Dan. I don’t think I said that earlier.”

Phil smiles back, leaning against the clothes rack. “Phil. Nice to meet you, Dan.”

Dan finally pulls out a shirt and holds it up to his chest, glancing down. It’s by far too big for him, but he just smiles and tucks it under his arm. Phil quirks an eyebrow, and Dan just shrugs. “I think it’ll make a nice sleep shirt.” His cheeks flood with color right after he says this, and Phil smiles at him.

“It looks very comfy,” he agrees, his attention drawn to a shoe display next to him. He turns and begins scanning the shoes there, a certain pair of sneakers catching his eye. He can tell that Dan is still standing close by, but he pretends not to notice as he looks at the cool patches on this shoe, the kind that are Velcro and can be removed and replaced with different ones. He begins looking for his size, smirking when he sees Dan begin looking at a rack of space-themed jewelry on the rack beside him.

“So, you’re not from London, are you?” The brunette finally asks, his eyes studying a necklace that Phil really doesn’t think he’s interested in buying.

He smiles as he stands up straighter, unable to find a size eleven in the shoe he wanted. Which sucked, because they were freaking cool shoes. “What gave it away?” He asks, affecting his voice with his nearly-lost Northern accent.

Dan grins, shrugging. “Some things you say just give it away, mate.”

Phil rolls his eyes at this. “Well, you sound a bit like Christopher Robin yourself, so I don’t think you get to judge.” He smirks when Dan grimaces at this.

“I love Winnie the Pooh, but you can’t just say that,” Dan says, flicking the jewelry rack so it spins around.

“I’m not surprised. You’re quite posh.” Phil is thoroughly enjoying this, but Dan seems only mildly embarrassed, so he’s pretty sure he isn’t actually offended.

“Well…” Dan shrugs before a smirk tugs at his lips. “Is it terrible if I ask you to say “ace” so I can get the full effect of your northern accent?” He asks, his brown eyes dancing with mischief.

Phil pretends to be completely offended, but his laughter ruins the effect. “It is, but you’re cute, so I’ll do it.” Dan blushes at this before Phil speaks again. “Ace,” he says, his voice sounding deeply northern when he does.

Dan barely gives him a minute before he’s giggling hysterically, a dimple carving itself out in his cheek. Phil struggles not to focus on that little indentation, but it’s so endearing he can’t help but smile. “Oh my god,” Dan nearly gasps. “That’s the best thing I’ve ever heard. Ace!” He mocks, this sending him into yet another fit of giggles.

Phil rolls his eyes, crossing his arms at the brunette. “That’s like racist. Or… regionist! Yeah.”

The brunette bites his lip, trying to contain his giggles. “If you say so.” He shrugs then, before glancing over at the shoes Phil had been looking at. “They didn’t have your size?” He guesses, stepping closer to look at the shoe Phil had been looking at.

Sighing, Phil shakes his head. “Sadly no. No one ever does, my feet are too big.” He frowns as he glances over shoe boxes, almost every other size besides an eleven.

Dan smirks, and even though Phil doesn’t really know him, he can tell this is going to be bad. “Well, you know what they say about men with big feet.” He waggles his eyebrows suggestively, and if he hadn’t made it incredibly dorky with that expression, Phil probably would have blushed.

Instead, he bursts into laughter. “I’m sorry, were you trying to be sexy? That was bad. That was so bad.”

Dan’s lips twitch into a frown, and he shrugs one shoulder. “I mean, I was just being factual. I don’t know where your head was, mate.”

Phil smirks at this. “I think you know exactly where my head was,” he suggests, raising an eyebrow.

The brunette glances away from him at this, and Phil’s almost positive he can see a light pink tinge to his cheeks. “Well now who’s being sexy,” he mumbles, stepping over to a different rack of shirts.

Phil steps around him, casually following him without seeming too creepy. “I mean, you are, but thanks for the compliment.” He grins at the way Dan’s eyes widen. Phil was honestly surprised with himself. He almost never flirted, especially not with strangers in an airport. Yet here he was, flirting with this man he barely knew. Scratch that, he didn’t know him, at all. All he knew was his first name, he had a questionable taste in clothing, and an even more questionable taste in humor. But Phil knew he was a sucker for that sort of thing.

Dan seems to fumble at this, and Phil finds it completely endearing. But he finds that ten minutes flirting with this stranger is probably more than enough, and with the intention of not making himself seem like a creepy stalker, he turns to leave. He heavily debates inviting Dan to go eat dinner with him, but he figured that was a bit far, even for him. So instead, he just waves to him. “It’s been nice talking with you, Dan. See you around.”

As he says this, the brunette glances up, looking a little disappointed. “Yeah, see you.” He does a little two-finger salute that Phil thinks is probably the most adorable thing he’s ever seen.

Smiling to himself, he leaves the store in search of an airport restaurant that isn’t disgustingly overpriced, a certain brunette occupying his thoughts as he makes his way through the maze of shops and terminals.

---

Phil isn’t sure how long he spends at the little Chinese restaurant he’d found, but people-watching everyone around him keeps him occupied for a while. He sips his Coke as he watches the various people milling about, creating stories for each of them in his head. It’s the kind of life he’s stuck with without his phone to keep him occupied. He didn’t want to buy a new charger, as it seemed like almost everything about airport shops were more expensive, but he figured eventually he’d need to.

Eventually he grows tired of his people-watching game and goes instead to find somewhere to hang out at his terminal until his flight boards, or more likely, gets delayed yet again. It was almost completely black outside now, even though it wasn’t that late, and if they were closer to the coast, Phil would’ve been a bit more concerned about how bad the weather seemed to be getting.

He’s looking around at all the occupied chairs at his terminal when he spots a mop of curly brown hair by the window, sitting on the floor due to the lack of available seating. Without thinking about how creepy this will probably make him seem, he makes his way over to Dan. As he gets closer, Phil realizes he’s got an open journal of sorts on his lap, his hand moving quickly across the page as he writes. Phil pauses for a moment, debating whether he should interrupt him, seeing as he looks rather busy.

Almost as soon as the thought has entered his head, Dan suddenly glances up, his warm brown eyes widening slightly as the meet Phil’s gaze. Rather than be disturbed by Phil’s presence, the brunette only smiles, which Phil takes to be an open invitation.

“It’s incredible that we keep bumping into each other,” Phil teases as he steps closer to Dan, their proximity forcing the brunette to tilt his head back to hold his gaze.

“We’re on the same flight, mate. I don’t think there’s a whole lot of mystery there.”

Phil nearly blushes at that, feeling quite daft now that it’s been spoken so bluntly. “Well, yeah,” he stutters out, bringing a hand to the back of his neck rather awkwardly.

Dan smiles at this, nodding to the floor beside him. “You’re welcome to join me if you’re just looking for company,” he says easily, shifting so that Phil has more room to sit.

He hesitates, but another look at Dan’s cute dimpled smile has him sitting down almost immediately, curling his legs up in a criss-cross fashion. Dan looks pleased, but turns back to his journal, writing along a page with quick, messy strokes of his pencil. Phil doesn’t read what he’s writing, but he does glance over and take note of the slightly-below average handwriting that is only barely better than his own.

Too awkward to just sit in comfortable silence like a normal human, Phil shifts so he can look out at the rest of the people in the terminal, sitting properly side by side with Dan. “So… busy airport, huh?” He says nonchalantly, any semblance of normalcy from their earlier conversation leaving him. He wasn’t sure what it was making him feel so nervous; he thought maybe it’s the casual atmosphere of sitting down next to someone rather than talking to them in the middle of a store.

Dan glances up at him, a thin smile on his lips. Phil feels his stomach drop and hopes that Dan isn’t already tired of him being there. The brunette reaches up and pushes one of his curls back, and Phil’s eyes follow the motion. “It is, probably just a lot of holiday travelers. Florida’s a popular place, you know.” He shrugs, his eyes flicking back down to his journal.

Phil nods at this, awkwardly glancing down at his hands as he struggles to come up with a conversation topic. He glances at the notebook again, getting an idea from that. “Are you a writer?” He asks, thinking it an innocent enough question.

Apparently, this assumption is wrong, if Dan’s subtle flinch is anything to go by. “Um, no,” he says, a breathy laugh escaping his lips.

He offers no further explanation, so Phil is left to stare at his profile, his mouth shifting into an awkward ‘O’ shape. Fumbling for anything to repair this awkward conversation and maybe get back to their earlier conversational chemistry, he blurts out the first thing that comes to his mind. “Do you like video games?”

Honestly, someone should just take away his vocal chords now, because that would be less painful than the sting of embarrassment he feels immediately after saying this. He imagines a plane careening into this part of the terminal, just to destroy him so he won’t have to face the undoubtedly annoyed response Dan is likely to have to his weird question. Sadly, well actually maybe not, this doesn’t happen, and he’s left to glance over at Dan after a moment, hoping that he’s not completely weirded out.

The brunette is staring at him with a strange look on his face, but he’s smiling. Phil counts this as a blessing. “I do, actually. I’m a big fan of Guild Wars, but I like a lot of the classics, too. How about you?”

Phil grins after hearing this, nodding. Games were his area. He could talk about video games with a willing listener for hours, if he’s completely honest. “I don’t play a lot of Guild Wars, but I’ve played before. I’ve been into Fortnite a lot recently, but as far as classics, Crash Bandicoot, all the way.”

Something seems to shift in Dan then, going from politely interested to excited all at once. The chocolatey brown of his eyes light up and he shifts around so he’s facing Phil, his journal falling shut. “Yes! That’s literally one of my favorites. None of my friends ever want to play it with me, because they say it’s for kids.” He rolls his eyes at this, as if he’s never heard anything so ridiculous in his life. If Phil didn’t like him before, he definitely did now.

“Right? It’s so hard finding someone to play with. I usually end up playing with myself instead.” He shakes his head in mock disappointment, his smile dropping when he catches sight of the strange look on Dan’s face. He’s biting his lip, holding back laughter. “What?” Phil asks, thinking over his words. His face heats quickly when he realizes what it sounded like he was implying. “Oh my god, that’s not- I don’t, I mean, I do, but- fuck.” He’s a stuttering mess with Dan watching him in amusement, and he can’t help but feel a little self-conscious about it.

Dan bursts into laughter then, clutching at his stomach as he leans over. “Oh my god, Phil. You really just said that.” He takes a moment to catch his breath, sending a charming smile Phil’s way then, as if he hadn’t just been in hysterics over Phil’s unintentional innuendo and everything that followed.

Shrugging, Phil glances down at his hands once more, trying to will his blush away. “Sometimes I say things that I don’t understand, and it’s just… it’s just not a good time,” he admits bashfully, not meeting Dan’s eyes.

The brunette bumps shoulders with him, clearly good-natured enough not to tease him about it too long. “Don’t worry, I think it’s cute,” he informs him, a cheeky smile on his face when Phil’s head darts up to look at him.

Phil rolls his eyes, trying to hide the flipping of his heart in his chest at Dan’s soft gaze and easy smile. “Yeah, well,” he grumbles, stumbling to formulate a cohesive response. “Your mum,” he finishes lamely.

Dan giggles at this, the sound bringing a grin to Phil’s face. “Your mum,” he repeats, shaking his head. “Phil, that’s hardly mature,” he says with mock disappointment.

Keeping up his appearance of a child, Phil sticks his tongue out at him, crossing his arms to add to the effect. “Yeah, well, no one says you have to be mature. I’ve lived long enough I can make my own rules,” he announces, lifting his chin petulantly.

“Yeah? How long have you lived, then?” He asks nonchalantly, sending Phil a smirk.

Phil rolls his eyes at this, shifting around a bit. It wasn’t like he was ashamed of his age; that would be ridiculous. But sometimes saying that he was actually thirty-two was a bit disheartening. “Um, would you believe me if I said twenty-six?” He jokes, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Dan was obviously younger than him, probably twenty-three if Phil had to guess, and he seriously didn’t want to scare him off by being way older than him.

The brunette snorts at this. “I might’ve if you hadn’t asked me that. Now I’d just think you’re lying.” He bumps Phil’s arm with his elbow good-naturedly, a dimple carving itself onto his cheek as he smiles.

Tearing his gaze away from the little crescent of cuteness on the other’s skin, Phil looks across the terminal, biting his lip. “Well, if you must know,” he sighs dramatically. “I just turned thirty-two.” He cringes as the words leave his mouth, unintentionally. He can’t help but glance at Dan for his reaction, barely surprised when he sees that his chocolate brown eyes have widened. Phil was right, he never should have told him, he’s disgusted, Phil’s basically a pedophile, and- wait, he’s laughing.

“Phil,” Dan giggles, shaking his head. The ease and familiarity of hearing him say it worries Phil, but he reasons with himself that it’s just due to the fact that he’s heard his name is whole life. It has nothing to do with Dan himself.

“What?” He demands, slightly defensive.

Dan smiles, leaning back against the wall. “You’re acting like you’re really old,” he claims, propping his arm up onto his knee, which he’s pulled closer to his body.

Phil shrugs at this, unable to argue. He was. He felt old, might as well act it, too. “I mean, not all of us can be twenty-three and spritely, Daniel.” He softens the sharpness in his tone with a small smile.

The brunette looks dumbstruck, his eyebrow arching up in surprise. “I’m twenty-seven, twenty-eight in June, mate.” He looks a little uncomfortable saying this, but Phil’s not entirely sure why.

“Really?” When Dan nods hesitantly, Phil shakes his head slowly. “You really look younger. And I mean that as a compliment, I promise.”

Dan laughs at this, rolling his eyes up to look at the ceiling. “Well I would sure hope you could come up with better insults,” he teases.

Phil shrugs, looking to the side. “I’m not very good at trash talk, actually.” He considers this for a moment before adding, “I do get a little vicious during Mario Kart, though.”

“I’d love to see that, actually. Are you a sore loser, too?” Dan shifts so that his shoulder is leaning against the wall and he’s more fully facing Phil. Phil likes this, because he feels like he has his full attention. Something about that pleases him.

“I mean, I don’t think so, but some liars say that I am.” He’s definitely thinking back on his friends who frequently game with him, and they definitely think he’s a sore loser. And maybe he is, but still. Dan doesn’t have to know this.

Dan grins, his dimple taking Phil’s attention immediately. “I think you definitely are,” he says decidedly, nodding along as if he’s got Phil all sorted out.

Phil raises an eyebrow to this. “I guess one day we’ll just have to put that to the test, Daniel.” He’s only half-joking. If they’re both living in London, it actually makes plenty of sense for them to get together sometimes and hangout, since they seemed to have a lot in common.

The brunette’s cheeks fill with a soft pink color, and Phil bites back a grin as he turns away, nodding quickly. “Definitely,” he agrees quietly.

There’s a pause while Phil debates the morals of asking this near-stranger out right now. He considers the fact that they’re stuck in this airport for the foreseeable future, with nothing to do, and seemingly very similar interests. Taking a shot in the dark, he knocks his knee against Dan’s. “Let’s get coffee,” he suggests, cringing when it comes out sounding like a statement.

The shock on Dan’s face is almost comical, but it honestly just makes Phil a little nervous, wondering what kind of shock this is. He hopes the good kind. “Like… when we get back to London? Or- now? Like right now?” He stutters, his hand rubbing along his knee in sort of an anxious fashion.

Phil immediately feels guilty for putting him in an uncomfortable position, and he’s quick to try and remedy it. “We don’t have to, obviously. But, um… yeah, I meant now, if you want. Or back in London. Or now and back in London, preferably. You know, if you want.” He’s tripping over his words and his cheeks are burning in embarrassment, but Dan has a soft smile on his face as he watches Phil fumble for the right thing to say.

“Okay,” the brunette says easily.

A little surprised at how easy that was, Phil purses his lips. “Oh. Well. Right.” He’s frantically trying to remember where the café he’d been at earlier was, but quickly realizes there’s a coffee shop down the corridor from their terminal. Turning to face Dan, he rolls his shoulders back confidently. “Meet me at the coffee shop down the hall in ten minutes?” He requests.

Dan’s eyebrows knit together in confusion, and he glances over to where the sign of the shop could just barely be made out from where they’re seated. “What? Why can’t we just walk together?” He inquires, looking baffled.

Phil grins, moving to stand. He ignores the slight ache from sitting on the hard ground for so long, instead paying attention to the way Dan’s eyes slowly drag up his long legs and up to his face. He smirks when Dan flushes and looks away adorably. “We have to meet there, you goose. Otherwise it doesn’t count as a date.”

“A date?” Dan squawks. Phil smiles at the blossoming pink on his cheekbones, secretly very pleased with this reaction.

“Sure,” Phil says with a shrug. “I mean, who knows when the flight will actually be rescheduled, why not go on a coffee date while we’re here?”

Something shifts in Dan’s face then, as if he’s just realized something, and his eyes flicker to the ground. Phil barely catches the downward curve of his lips into a small frown before the expression is gone and Dan is glancing back up at him with a half-smile. “Sure. See you there, then.”

Phil nods a little slowly, suddenly uncertain if this is even something Dan wants. What if he’d read the signs wrong and Dan isn’t interested in him at all? Before he has time to panic, he sends him a smile before turning to make his way to the coffee shop, determined not to let himself ruin this before it’s even begun.

Ten minutes later, Phil is standing just on the inside of the little coffee shop when Dan walks in, looking a little awkward as he brushes a hand through his curls. He gives Phil an awkward smile when he sees him, walking to stand beside him. “Hi,” he says quietly.

Phil grins at him. “I’m so glad you could make it, Dan! It’s been too long!”

Dan gives him a strange look. “It’s… It’s been ten minutes, just like you asked.” He sounds adorably confused now.

Rolling his eyes good-naturedly, Phil leans closer to stage-whisper. “I’m just playing into the typical date-script. People always say stuff like that when they’re on a date with someone, you know.”

Crinkling his nose at this, Dan shifts back on his heels. “Well, yeah. I’ve been on dates before, mate. I know how they work.” He almost sounds bitter as he says this, and Phil wonders if he’s seriously annoyed with him. Before he can spiral too much, though, Dan shoots him a smile. “But I guess I’ll let it slide- if you’re buying.”

Phil gapes at his cheeky grin, but quickly recovers. He nods with a laugh, gesturing to the counter. “Of course. It’d be a shit date if I wasn’t a gentleman who paid.”

Dan glances over at him as they step up to the counter, shrugging. “Bit heteronormative, if you ask me.”

Phil shrugs as well, glancing over the menu as he responds. “Not really. I think if you ask someone out, you’re implying you’ll pay. If you’d invited me, I’d be pretending I didn’t have my wallet right now,” he teases.

“Yeah?” Dan responds, quirking an eyebrow.

Grinning, Phil bumps his shoulder against Dan’s. “Course not. I’m not that much of a prick. But, assuming you want to go on another coffee date when we get back to London… I’ll be paying then, too, since I asked.”

Dan frowns at this, but it’s their turn to order and he can’t respond when the barista asks them to go ahead and place their order.

A few minutes later and they’re sitting down at a small table close to the front of the shop, each of them with a caramel macchiato. They both laugh a little when they realize they’ve ordered the same drink, and Phil thinks it’s incredibly endearing when Dan begins nervously fiddling with his hair as they settle at the table they’ve chosen.

“Your hair looks cute, you know,” he comments after they’ve sat sipping on their drinks for a few moments.

Dan glances up immediately, a surprised look on his face. “Oh, um, I-“ he stumbles over his words, glancing away from Phil and continuing to run a hand through his hair.

Phil smiles at this and leans closer. “Are you nervous?” He whispers loudly.

“No,” Dan says adamantly, ducking his head. Phil can just tell that this is a lie, and he hesitates for barely a minute before pressing his foot against Dan’s under the table.

“It’s fine, if you are. I’m nervous too.”

“Right,” Dan snorts, glancing up at him with a roll of his eyes. “I’m sure you’re just shaking like a leaf.”

Phil is a little taken aback by the bitter tone in Dan’s voice, but he brushes it away. “I am nervous,” he shrugs. “I don’t go out very much, and I definitely don’t go out with cute guys very much.”

Dan looks down at the table once more, tracing the grain of the table with his fingernail. “Really?” He asks quietly.

Smiling softly at the man in front of him, Phil brushes his foot with his own yet again. “Yes, really.”

They’re quiet for a few minutes before Dan lets out a quiet groan and sits back in his seat. Phil watches him with raised eyebrows, a little concerned that he might have changed his mind about going out for coffee. He’s surprised when Dan speaks next. “This would be so much easier if you weren’t fit,” he mumbles, trying to wash the words down with his coffee.

Phil gapes at him for a moment before his lips curl into a smirk. “Yeah?” he says teasingly.

Dan rolls his eyes at this. “Shut up,” he rolls his head back to look up at the ceiling. “Wanna play desert island?” He asks, shifting the conversation completely.

“Sure,” Phil says easily, going along with whatever whim it seems that Dan has had.

So that’s what they do for the next hour or so. They take turns sharing their top five movies, books, tv shows, and even dive into music. Only a few minutes into the music topic, however, Phil realizes that Dan is much more of a music enthusiast than himself and he quickly concedes that whole conversation. Honestly, it was entertaining to see Dan seem to get so worked up over something so objectively simple, but Phil still wanted to learn so much more about him. He made a mental note that if they did continue this when they got back to London, he’d devote an entire afternoon to Dan’s musical musings.

“You wouldn’t happen to have a charger, would you?” Phil says at some point, realizing his battery has drained to seven percent since they started talking.

Dan smiles and nods, fishing around in his bag for what Phil assumes is a charger. He hands it over with a triumphant grin, which Phil copies. “Here you go.”

“You’re an actual lifesaver, Dan.”

The brunette smiles at this. “Just don’t lose it. You seem like the kind of guy who loses things a lot.” He has a knowing sort of look to him, as if he really does know this.

“I do not!” Phil protests. It’s not entirely a lie. He does lose things, but not like, all the time.

Dan quirks an eyebrow. “Where’s your charger?” When Phil goes quiet, Dan smirks, shaking his head in amusement. “And there lies my point,” he laughs.

Phil juts his lip out in a pout, feigning offence. “Well, I assume it’s wherever the rest of the luggage is. But I most definitely did not lose it.” He sends up a silent prayer that it’s still in his suitcase where he left it. Wouldn’t it be ironic if he opened his suitcase later only to find that his charger was gone?

“Sure, bub. Whatever you say,” Dan drawls.

Phil rolls his eyes but tucks the charger into the port and plugs his phone in. “Well now you can’t escape for a while, because I’ve got your charger,” he says smugly, hoping that Dan takes this to be casually flirtatious instead of too forward.

Dan shrugs. “It’s my spare.” Phil’s face probably noticeably falls upon hearing this, and Dan’s face shifts into one of panic. “Oh, I didn’t mean- like, I don’t want to, um… I didn’t mean I was going to leave. I just… I carry two chargers,” he explains hurriedly, looking a little embarrassed by the end of his rant.

Phil takes a moment to just smile at the brunette before he bothers responding. “Honestly, I’m just impressed that you’re smart enough to carry two chargers,” he says, hiding his smile behind a sip of his drink.

A fleeting look of amusement crosses Dan’s face before he seems to register what Phil has said. “Wait, does that mean you don’t think I’m very smart? That’s pretty damn offensive, Phil.”

“I never said that!” Phil protests.

“Yes, but you did sort of imply it.”

“I’ll imply your mum,” Phil shoots back, biting his lip when he realizes how childish that was.

Dan barely blinks before he begins giggling. “Oh my god,” he gasps through the laughter. “You’re like, a proper nerd, aren’t you?” He asks, sounding nothing short of fond.

Phil shrugs, feeling his cheeks heating at the question.

Seeming to catch onto Phil’s slight embarrassment, Dan presses his foot against Phil’s, smiling gently when their eyes meet. “I’m proper into nerds, so don’t worry about it.”

“Glad we’re on the same page, then,” Phil smiles.

---

“So, let me get this straight,” Dan says through a gasp as he struggles to contain his laughter. Phil is flushed with embarrassment with Dan’s reaction to the story he’d told him, but all things considered, it was warranted. “You mean to tell me you broke your hand by doing a piggy-back race with someone shorter than you?”

Phil shrugs, and pretends to be very intrigued by the cup in front of him. “Yeah… that’s about it, yeah.”

Dan shakes his head, a fond look on his face. “Phil Lester, man of many talents.”

“Oh, come off it, I bet you did stupid things in uni as well, don’t try to lie.” He intends this to be teasing and completely harmless, so he’s surprised when Dan’s face morphs into a grimace, his gaze dropping to the mug in front of him.

“Yeah, like drop out,” he mutters bitterly.

Phil isn’t positive what to make of this, but he stutters out an apology for bringing it up. “I’m sorry, Dan, I didn’t mean to-“

Dan cuts him off with a sigh and a dismissive wave of his hand. “It’s fine. Not like I go around advertising it. You didn’t know.” He shoots Phil a reassuring smile, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

Feeling a little guilty and also a little embarrassed for bringing up something that was clearly a sore subject, Phil blurts the first thing he thinks of. “It isn’t for everyone, you know.” At Dan’s confused stare, he continues, stumbling over his words awkwardly. “University. Not everyone enjoys it, and not everyone needs it. Hell, I have two degrees and I don’t really use either of them.”

Dan tilts his head at this but seems a little less reproachful of the topic than he did before. “Yeah?” he prompts.

Phil nods. “English Linguistics and Video Post-Production. Yet I work at a publishing company instead.”

At this, Dan’s eyes light up. “You work at a publishing company?” His voice is pitched up an octave, clearly excited about this new information.

“Yeah,” Phil shrugs, feeling a little awkward now. “I’m not like, a top-tier editor or anything. I do edit, but I’m not like, great at it. It’s really just a job for me.”

Dan nods in understanding before drawing his bottom lip between his teeth and looking out towards the corridor. “What company?” He asks timidly.

Phil rattles off the name and Dan only nods. It goes quiet for a moment, and Phil is struggling to hold himself back from asking, once again, if Dan was a writer. Sure, he’d said no earlier, but maybe now that they know each other a little more Dan will feel like sharing something like that? And it wasn’t like Phil was some sort of recruiter, although he’d probably be in his boss’ good graces if he did find a promising new young writer.

It feels too personal too ask, considering Dan’s earlier response, so he decides to just leave it alone. For now.

Before he can go as far as asking anymore questions, a pleasant tune is played over the airport intercom system and a feeling of nervousness settles in Phil’s stomach. He hoped they’d finally have an answer about the flight rescheduling.

“Good afternoon, Orlando International Airport travelers. Due to inclement and dangerous weather, all international flights have been cancelled until further notice. If you would, please see the flight attendant at your gate for information about flight rescheduling. We apologize for the inconvenience and wish you safe travels!”

“Well, fuck,” Dan says, eloquent as ever.

Phil bites his lip to stifle a surprised laugh at his bluntness, but nods. “Yeah,” he says weakly. “Did you have anything you needed to rush back to London for?”

Dan rolls his eyes with a smile. “Oh, yes. I definitely needed to rush back to my empty flat and my existential crises. I’ve been missing that something terrible.”

“Oh,” Phil lets out, a little uncertain if he’s kidding or not. There’s an edge to his tone like he might not be, and Phil isn’t entirely sure how to interpret that.

“Kidding, mate.” Dan reaches across the table and lightly brushes his fingertips against Phil’s wrist. “I do need to go pick up some antidepressants, but I think that can probably wait until I can safely cross the Atlantic.”

Phil frowns a little at this, pushing his empty cup around on the table. “Do you have enough with you? Like, the antidepressants?” He asks quietly. This definitely feels like crossing a line of casual friendship with a near-stranger, but Dan’s the one who brought it up, so surely, it’s safe territory.

Dan has a soft smile on his face as he looks up at Phil, and Phil can just feel his heart melting at the sight of the dimple on his cheek. “I do. Thank you for asking.”

Relieved that Dan didn’t seem to feel like this was too personal a topic, Phil nods before glancing down at his cup again. It’s quiet for a few minutes before Phil realizes they’ve been sat there for probably over two hours. He needed to call his parents and tell them what happened, and Dan probably didn’t want to spend all of his time with a stranger.

“I should probably go. Gotta call my mum and let her know I haven’t died yet or anything. And I should probably let you get back to your writing.” Phil doesn’t want to leave but he just doesn’t feel that he should stay, either.

Dan nods quickly, but Phil is almost positive that he sees a look of sadness wash over his face before it disappears. “Yeah, yeah. Sure. Well, I guess, um… I’ll see you later?”

Phil smiles at how awkward this seems to be for Dan. He hands him his charger back and then unlocks his own phone, pulling up a space for a new contact and handing it back to him. “Here. So I can get in touch with you when we get back to London.”

The small smile that works its way onto Dan’s lips is gorgeous, and Phil finds himself staring at his lips like an absolute creep while Dan types in his information. “I texted myself, so I’d have your number, too.” Dan tells him when he hands the phone back.

Glancing down at the screen, Phil finds this to be true. After typing in his information, Dan had sent himself a message, which was only an emoji spoon beside a boy with brown hair.

“Is this your way of saying you want to spoon me?” Phil teases him.

Dan flushes, shaking his head. “No! I mean, not that I wouldn’t- that’s not what-“

Phil cuts him off with a giggle. “It’s fine, Dan. I’m only teasing.” He stands from the table then, and Dan follows suit. “I’ll see you later, Dan. Have fun writing.”

Before he can lose his nerve, Phil steps just a bit closer, almost as if he’s going to step past Dan entirely, and then he presses his lips to Dan’s cheek softly. When he pulls away, he catches the surprised look on Dan’s face, but it’s replaced by a smile as Phil turns to walk away. “Bye, Phil.”

And Phil hadn’t had a whole lot of great first dates, but he already knew that he would be impatiently waiting for their second.

---

Phil calls his mum after he and Dan part ways and lets her know about his flight being cancelled, and while she’s worried initially, she’s relieved that he’s safe and will be coming home as soon as the weather clears up. He listens to her worrying and her concerns for a respectable amount of time before telling her he should probably go to save his battery percentage. This starts another lecture on forgetting his phone charger in his luggage, which he reluctantly listens to for nearly a half hour.

Eventually, though, he makes his way back to his terminal and spots Dan sitting beside the big windows that outlook the blacktop, just like before, and he quickly comes up with another excuse to get off the phone with his mum. He loved Kath, he really did. But right now, he wanted to go talk to his cute new friend, and he couldn’t exactly do that while on the phone.

Deciding that he’s pretty much become the creepy stranger who just invites themselves into conversations anyway, he makes his way over and plops himself onto the floor across from the brunette.

Dan glances up almost immediately after Phil sits, jumping a bit. A smile takes over his surprised expression, but Phil feels a little guilty for startling him.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to sneak up on you,” he says awkwardly, raising his hand to rub at the back of his neck.

“’S fine.” Dan smiles at him and closes the journal in his lap. This makes Phil feel a little guiltier, because he feels like he’s interrupted something.

“I’m sorry, I’m being rude. Do you want me to go so you can write? I completely didn’t think of that before just inviting myself over. I can go-“ Phil is halfway to standing before Dan reaches a hand out to stop him.

“No, you’re fine! I promise. I, um… I could use the company, actually.” He bites his lip after saying this and shifts his eyes to the floor as if he’s embarrassed.

Phil smiles at this, missing Dan’s touch as soon as he pulls his hand away from his arm. “That two hours didn’t ruin your opinion of me?” He inquires with a laugh.

Dan rolls his eyes good-naturedly, his lips twitching into a smile. “No, surprisingly not. I mean, I think you’re a little odd, sure, but I think I can tolerate a little odd.”

“Oh, so you’re only tolerating me?” He can’t help but tease him.

“Would you prefer I did something else?” Dan smirks, his eyes gleaming in a way that makes Phil feel hot.

Phil isn’t entirely surprised by this bold almost-flirting that Dan’s doing. He did a lot of that over coffee earlier too. Even still, it takes him a moment to form a proper response to the blatant flirtation. “I guess it depends on what you’re offering?” He cringes as it comes out more like a question, but Dan seems unbothered, his tongue darting out to swipe across his bottom lip.

Shrugging casually, Dan leans back against the window, allowing his head to be propped up by the glass. “I think there’s a few too many people here for you to receive anything on the menu for now,” Dan’s lips pull up into a smirk, and Phil is almost positive that this man is going to be the death of him.

“Oh,” he croaks out, glancing around at the other weary passengers milling about the terminal. “That’s a damn shame,” Phil mumbles, glancing down at his hands with what is probably a blush on his cheeks.

“Mhm,” Dan hums. There’s a silence that wraps around them, but before it has the chance to feel suffocating, Dan is speaking again. “Have you talked to the flight attendants about getting a new flight?”

Phil drops his gaze to his hands again as he shakes his head, feeling embarrassed. Honestly, it had slipped his mind, but even if it hadn’t, he probably wouldn’t have done it yet. He hated talking to people about things like that, which was probably a little odd, considering his willingness to flirt with a stranger in an airport.

“I, uh… I don’t do so well with things like that, so no. I’m working up to it, though.” The admission has him cringing at himself, and he really hopes that it doesn’t ruin Dan’s opinion of him so soon.

Instead of laughing, which is what Phil expected, Dan reaches over and brushes his knuckles over Phil’s hand. “Do you want me to go with you to ask?” He asks sweetly, a gentle smile on his face when Phil finally raises his gaze to look at him.

Bless him, honestly, for being such a sweetheart. Phil nods, smiling sheepishly. “Um, I’d appreciate that, yeah.”

Dan smiles at him before tucking his journal into his backpack and standing, holding a hand out to help Phil up. Phil takes it with a smile, more than pleased by the contact, and even more pleased when Dan doesn’t pull away even after Phil is already standing. Instead, he leads Phil over to the attendant’s counter with their hands still intertwined, quietly commenting on the fact that the only attendant there looked a bit like Shakira.

“Hi, we’re on the flight to London, and we were wondering when we could get that rescheduled?” Dan takes the lead the moment they stop in front of the attendant, a charming smile on his face. Phil stays silent, his nerves making it hard for him to hold eye contact with the employee stood in front of them, who gives them a surveying look.

“Of course,” She says slowly, turning to her computer with an almost bored look on her face. Dan shoots Phil a look, pursing his lips as if he’s noticed how rude the lady is as well. “So, our earliest open flights to London aren’t until Monday morning, nine am,” she announces, glancing over at them with a plastered-on smile that Phil can tell is fake.

Dan gapes at her, and although it takes Phil a moment, he realizes that today is Saturday. Meaning they could be stuck in this airport for two nights. “You’re joking,” Dan deadpans, his voice full of disbelief. His hand slips out of Phil’s suddenly, instead clasping his other on top of the counter. His eyes narrow at the attendant, and Phil shifts awkwardly behind him. “It’s Saturday evening, ma’am. And you’re saying we’ll be stuck in this airport for two nights?”

His voice is growing louder, and Phil glances around at the other travelers, some of them giving them strange glances. Phil shifts on his feet, feeling incredibly awkward and out of place with the scene Dan’s causing. “Dan…” He warns quietly, reaching for his elbow.

“Well, you can still leave the airport and go to a hotel,” the attendant says, her smile gone in favor of a blank stare.

“Will the airport be offering accommodations?” Dan says, his voice taking on a sickly sweet quality. Phil has barely known him for three hours, and yet he can tell it’s full of sarcasm and irritation.

The lady has the nerve to smile back at him, and Phil can tell from the stiffening of Dan’s back that it just pisses him off more. “I’m afraid not, sir. We’ll only be covering the cost of the plane ticket.”

Dan blows out a breath, and Phil can sense an argument coming. Already nervous enough from the attention of the other passengers, Phil quickly grabs his arm, tugging him away from the counter. “Thank you so much, we’ll think on it.”

Before Dan can say another word, Phil slides his hand down Dan’s arm before intertwining their fingers and pulling him back over to their spot beside the window. Dan’s muttering to himself and when they come to a stop, his hand falls limp in Phil’s grasp. “I wasn’t finished talking to her,” he snips, his tone making Phil pause. Dan had yet to say anything snarky to him in a serious fashion, so this was a little more than surprising to him.

Phil shrugs, moving to sit in the floor and patting the space beside him. “Maybe not, but you seemed like you were getting a little upset.” When Dan doesn’t immediately sit down, instead pacing around in front of Phil, the older man sighs. “Thank you for talking to her for me,” he says softly. He hopes his tone, or his words, will get the brunette’s attention.

Somehow, his assumption actually works, and Dan pauses, glancing down at him. His gaze shifts from annoyed to almost fond, and he lets out a small sigh before moving to sit. “You’re welcome,” he says quietly. “I can’t believe they aren’t paying for hotel accommodations,” he continues, his voice bitter.

Phil gets the feeling that maybe this isn’t exactly about that, but probably more about Dan’s ability to pay for the hotel himself. After a quick moment of deliberation, Phil decides to go out on a limb to confirm his suspicion. “That doesn’t mean you can’t still stay in a hotel,” he says casually, waiting patiently to see Dan’s reaction.

Dan doesn’t surprise him. He scoffs softly, dropping his hand to pick at the ugly carpeting. “In theory, sure.” He’s quiet for a moment, but then he sighs and glances up at Phil with a sad sort of look. “I don’t really… I’m not really in the position to be spending money on hotel reservations. I just barely had this flight paid for, and…” he trails off, but Phil’s heard really all he needs to know.

After a beat of silence where Phil contemplates this news, chewing on his bottom lip, he finally decides to just go for it. “Stay with me, then.”

Unsurprisingly, Dan’s head jerks up at the words, a look of shock on his face. “What?” He breathes.

Phil shrugs, trying to appear more casual than he feels. “If we’re going to be here until Monday, I’m renting a hotel room. I want you to stay with me.” Feeling awkward with the almost-demanding way he’d said that, he continues. “Er, I mean, only if you want to, obviously. You don’t have to, but I just… I don’t want you to stay here, all by yourself. And… If you want, you can pay me back someday, after we’re back in London.”

Dan looks shocked, his brown eyes swirling with emotions that Phil can’t quite name. Eventually, he seems to settle on skeptical. “But… You barely know me. I barely know you. We just met, like, today, Phil.”

With a careless shrug, Phil says, “I know. But, I don’t think you’re the type to kill someone in their sleep, and I can assure you I’m far too lazy and squeamish to try it. Plus, I would love to see you in your cute cat shirt.” He grins as he says the last part, his tongue poking out just a bit.

Dan flushes, dropping his gaze to his hands, which are now fidgeting in his lap. “This is crazy,” he mutters.

“What is?” Phil asks him softly.

Waving a hand vaguely at the space between them, Dan lets out a short laugh. “This. Whatever we’re doing. We just met, and you…”

“I want you to spend the night with me. Yeah. But, honestly, Dan? Is it any worse than having like a one-night stand with someone? At least we sort of know each other, and it’s not like we have to sleep together or something.” Phil ducks his head to try to catch Dan’s gaze. “I won’t force you to, obviously. But I’d really love it if you’d come stay with me. I don’t want you to be alone.”

Dan seems speechless at this point, but after several seconds of intense eye contact, he finally nods slowly. “Okay,” he says softly.

“So, you’ll come with me?” Phil asks, trying to keep the hope out of his voice.

“Yeah,” Dan shrugs. “I don’t see why not. But, um…” He flushes, and Phil wonders what he could possibly have to be embarrassed about now. “Will we… you know…”

Phil studies him, confused. “Will we… What?” He asks, shaking his head uncertainly.

Dan ducks his head, covering his face with his hands. “Oh god. Please don’t make me say it.”

Lost, Phil lets out an awkward laugh. “I’m not sure what I’m not supposed to make you say.”

Dan huffs, but then glances back up at Phil, an almost determined glint in his eye. “Sleep together? Are we going to sleep together?”

Startled at the blunt way it was phrased, Phil is left a little speechless himself. “Oh, um…” He glances around, hoping no one in their immediate vicinity is listening to them. “I mean, if you want. I’m a cuddler, so we can share a bed if- wait, did you mean-?”

“I meant like- yeah.” Dan nods, his eyes darting off to the side. “But, um, that too, I guess.”

Phil can’t help the chuckle that escapes his lips, and Dan glances up at him in confusion. “You’re cute when you’re nervous,” he says fondly. He stands up then, reaching a hand out for Dan. “C’mon. Let’s go tell the lady that we’d like to reschedule our flight, and we’ll sort out the rest after that.” Dan, although looking a little unsure, nods and allows Phil to pull him up. “And by we, I mean you, because she scares me.”

Dan lets out a laugh at this, reaching over to grab Phil’s hand again. “Fine, I’ll deal with the scary airport lady. Do you want to look for a hotel while I talk to her?”

Nodding, Phil reluctantly releases Dan’s hand to move over to an empty chair, pulling his phone out of his pocket to google the nearest hotels. Dan moves over to the attendant’s desk once again, and Phil frowns when he sees the way the lady barely smiles at him. Americans are truly something else.

Just as he’s clicked on the website for a decent looking hotel, Phil hears his name called. He glances up, his eyes finding Dan’s. “Can I see your ticket, love? I have to prove we were actually on this flight.” He rolls his eyes at this, since the attendant can’t see his face, and Phil smiles.

Tugging it out of his backpack, Phil moves to hand it to the brunette. “Here you go,” he says cheerily.

Dan smiles briefly before ducking his head slightly. “She thinks we’re together, so I’m going to let her think that and get the new seats together- if that’s alright, with you.” His voice is just quiet enough that the flight attendant probably can’t hear him over the sound of the other people milling about the terminal.

Phil nods, his lips curving up. “That’s perfect.” Fully aware of the attendant’s gaze on them, he leans forward and pecks Dan’s cheek gently. “I’ll go ahead and book us a room.”

“Oh, and I asked about luggage. She said it’s not likely that they’ll even be able to retrieve it, do you want me to try anyway?” Dan asks before turning back around.

Suppressing his disappointment at this, Phil shrugs. “No, it’s fine. You don’t have to bother.”

Dan nods and runs a hand through his hair. “Be right back, then,” he replies before turning back around to the attendant. Phil hears him talking politely to the lady, so he takes that as his cue to return to his seat to work on the hotel thing.

Five minutes and a freshly booked hotel room later, Dan returns with two new tickets, handing one of them to Phil before tucking the other into his own backpack. “So, everything sorted?” He asks, shrugging the bag onto his shoulder.

“Mhm. We have a reservation under Lester at the Marriot. I ordered a car, and that should be here in like half an hour, I think.”

“Perfect. Wanna head to the front of the airport to wait?” Dan’s still standing, obviously expecting Phil to agree to this.

“Sure, that works.” Phil stands, tugging his own backpack onto his shoulder. He sneaks a peek at the flight attendant at the desk and noticed the sneer on her face as she watched them. Something he really hated dealing with was homophobia, and he was less prepared now than ever to handle someone who didn’t know them, or their situation, to be judging them.

He’s just about to make a remark to Dan about leaving, but the words die in his throat when he feels Dan’s hand slip into his. His eyes dart up to Dan’s, and he’s pretty sure the surprise on his face is likely very suspicious. Dan has a half smile on his lips, and he quickly leans in, brushing his lips against Phil’s cheek as he whispers, “I see the bitch glaring at us. I’m giving her a reason to glare.”

The grin that breaks out on Phil’s face then is really impossibly to stop, considering the fact that what Dan has done just fills him with adrenaline. He was out to his family and close friends, but he was never really offered the whole PDA option with his previous partners. It probably had something to do with his very unfortunate habit of falling for men who were closeted, or in some cases, men who thought they were straight but eventually realized that they weren’t.

“Ready to go, babe?” Dan says, in an overly sweet voice, clearly put on for the attendant.

Phil snickers but covers it with an unconvincing cough. He replies with an affirmative before he and Dan make their way to the front of the airport, where the car would hopefully come to pick them up soon. Phil fully expects Dan to drop his hand once they’ve made it out of their terminal and the flight attendant’s line of sight, but he makes no move to do so. Maybe this makes Phil blush, but he’d deny that if anyone were to confront him about it later.

After waiting in front of the airport for about ten minutes, quietly chatting about the weather and how much they missed England, their cab finally pulls up in front of them. “That was fast,” Dan remarks as he goes to climb in first.

“That’s what he said,” Phil mutters behind him.

The remark has Dan stopping in his tracks, slowly turning to stare at Phil, halfway in and halfway out of the car. Phil grins innocently. “I don’t have words, Lester. There are no words for how much I hated that.”

Phil rolls his eyes, shoving him forward gently. “That sounded like a lot of words to me, mate.”

Dan scrunches his face up as he slides into his seat, shooting the look at Phil as he climbs into the car as well. “Get away from me with your logic.”

Just to be a pest, Phil scoots as close as humanly possible to Dan, smiling innocently when he rolls his eyes at him. “What? I’m just getting comfy.” He doesn’t let Dan answer, instead choosing to turn around and give their driver the address of the hotel, just to be sure he knew where they were going.

The car ride is surprisingly quick, and Phil plays Crossy Road on his phone, Dan watching over his shoulder the whole time, both of them a little too awkward to make idle chit-chat with their driver. When they pull up outside of the hotel, Phil hands the man a few bills, not missing the way Dan purses his lips from beside him.

“What?” He asks as he climbs out of the car, holding the door open as Dan follows.

Dan shrugs. “I could have paid for that,” he says quietly as they walk to the hotel doors. Unlike when they were in the airport, Dan doesn’t reach for Phil’s hand.

A small weight settles in Phil’s chest at the thought that he’s hurt Dan’s feelings, and he frowns as he holds the door open for him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think- you can buy dinner, okay?”

Apparently, that’s the right thing to say, because Dan smiles brightly and nods. “Okay. I’ll hold you to that,” he says with a grin.

Phil rolls his eyes playfully. “You better,” he teases back.

There’s no one in the queue line, so they walk right up, smiling nervously at the clerk behind the counter. She smiles thinly, glancing between the two of them before her eyes settle on Dan. “Hi, how can I help you?”

Dan’s lip quirks up as he steps closer to speak to the clerk for them. “We’ve got a room booked for Lester,” he informs her, spelling it out afterwards and glancing over at Phil with a small smile. The relief Phil feels at not having to converse with her himself is immeasurable, and he sends Dan a grateful smile in return.

After a moment, she glances back up, a pitying smile on her face. “Sorry, there must be a mistake here, that reservation is in a room with only one bed.” She glances between the two of them again, biting her lip in what she probably thinks is an attractive manner when her gaze settles on Dan.

Dan smirks, shaking his head. “No mistake. Do you guys do room service? We might fancy some wine later, right babe?” He turns to smile at Phil, his eyes filled with mischief.

Phil struggles to hide his laughter. “That sounds lovely.” He turns back to the girl, digging in his pocket for his wallet and handing his credit card over, as well as his ID. “Here you go.”

Although her expression has shifted to one of contempt, the girl nods stiffly before running his card and fishing out their room key cards, sliding them across the counter with a pen and a form. “Sign at the bottom, please,” she mumbles, her gaze no longer focused on either of them.

Phil dutifully signs the paper and grabs their key cards, handing one to Dan before tucking his own into his pocket and grabbing his credit card. “Thanks!” With a cheerful wave, he turns away from the counter, making his way through the lobby of the hotel as if he has any clue where he’s going. He vaguely hears the receptionist suggest that he take a left to find their room, and he nods, tossing another wave over his shoulder, tugging Dan along by his hand.

“Did you see her face? She was so shocked!” Dan giggles, lacing his fingers through Phil’s as they walk. His excitement is palpable, and Phil’s lips quirk up into a smile at him.

“She did look pretty surprised,” Phil agrees with a nod. “Are you okay? You seem kind of hyper.”

Dan nods, then shrugs as he pulls out his keycard, checking the number before stopping at a door. “Yeah, I guess the gay part of me just thrives off straight shock and blatant homophobia.” He says this nonchalantly as he opens the door, but the words make Phil giggle.

“Wow, you’re really a hero in a rainbow cape, aren’t you?” Phil jokes as they step inside their room.

Dan crinkles his nose. “Rainbow isn’t really my aesthetic, I’m more of a monochrome person,” he says with a cheeky grin.

Phil rolls his eyes at this, tossing his phone and keycard onto the desk, followed by his backpack. “Alright, Edgelord.” He kicks his shoes off haphazardly before flopping down on the bed. “Oh my god, this bed is so nice,” he gushes.

There’s a soft laugh, and Phil tilts his head to watch Dan. The brunette places his backpack down beside Phil’s before leaning down and moving his shoes, tucking them under the desk neatly before taking his own off and doing the same. Phil watches as Dan stands up, his gaze still locked on their shoes. He seems to shake himself out of whatever thoughts he’s having, turning to face Phil. A blush covers his face when he sees that Phil’s gaze is already on him, and he quickly moves to sit on the end of the bed, looking rather awkward all of a sudden.

Phil smiles at him before patting the space beside him. “Come here.”

Dan obediently moves to the end of the bed and crawls up to sit beside Phil, staring down at him with those wide brown eyes. Phil can’t help himself, so he reaches out and brushes his knuckles against Dan’s knee, craving physical touch. Their gazes are locked as he continues the motion, and Dan slowly shifts closer until he can more comfortably drop his hand onto Phil’s arm. He drags his fingertips up the length of Phil’s arm, dipping under the sleeve of his t-shirt before trailing back down.

“You okay?” Phil murmurs.

“Yes,” Dan answers almost immediately, sending Phil a smile.

“You’d let me know if I made you uncomfortable, right?”

Dan looks surprised at this, then purses his lips amusedly. “Yes, of course I would.”

Phil nods, happy with this. “Good.” He moves to sit up then, pressing his back against the headboard. There’s a thought nagging in the back of his head, and he knows he needs some kind of clarification on it before their night continues. “I don’t know how far you want to take any of this, so to avoid any embarrassment or mistakes on either of our parts, I think we should talk about it.”

“Okay,” Dan nods easily. He tilts his head to the side, studying Phil closely. “How far did you want to go?” Despite the fact that this is what would probably be an awkward conversation with anyone else, Dan seems completely comfortable with discussing everything beforehand. This is a huge relief for Phil.

A smirk tugs on Phil’s lips. “Well, I’m up for anything. Like, if you want to properly sleep together, or if you just want to watch a film, or somewhere between the two. I’m genuinely happy with whatever you’re comfortable with, Dan.” Phil tries to sound sincere, because he is, and he wants Dan to feel absolutely comfortable with him, especially considering the oddity of their circumstances.

There’s an odd look on Dan’s face as he seems to process Phil’s words, and he swears softly as he looks down. A confusion filled moment later, his eyes return to Phil’s, and he sighs. “This is going to be so sappy, but you may honestly be the nicest person I’ve ever met, Phil.” He shakes his head with a laugh before moving to sit closer to Phil, their knees pressing together in the criss-cross way each of them are sitting.

Phil smiles at this. “I hope that’s not a nicer way of saying you think I’m boring.”

Dan fake gasps before grinning. “I would never!” He denies through a giggle.

“Oh, sure. I believe you.” Phil nods, trying to maintain a serious expression.

A pout pulls at Dan’s lips, and he tilts his head down to bat his eyelashes at Phil. The expression is so adorable, and it emphasizes the dimple on his cheek, so Phil really can’t help it when his body tells him to lean forward and press a gentle kiss to the concave skin. He feels Dan let out a shaky breath against his own cheek, and suddenly it hits him that he’s definitely just crossed a boundary.

Sitting back, horrified with himself, Phil hurries to apologize. “I’m sorry- I wasn’t-“

Dan cuts him off abruptly, a rosy patch appearing on his face. “I didn’t mind. I, um… You can do it again. Like, proper, if you want.” He stares down at the bed, but he’s chewing on his lip anxiously as he waits for Phil’s response.

Phil tries to hide his smile as he leans forward, trying to catch Dan’s gaze. “Would you like that?”

His cheeks more noticeably red now, Dan nods, his eyes looking anywhere but Phil’s.

“I need some words, Dan,” Phil says gently, moving his finger to stroke Dan’s jaw. “I won’t kiss you without your full verbal consent.”

This has Dan’s head snapping up, his wide eyes falling onto Phil’s face. His look of surprise would be concerning if it wasn’t so amusing. Phil quirks an eyebrow at him, tilting his head. “I don’t think… I’ve never had someone check like that before kissing me.”

“Oh.” Now it’s Phil’s turn to feel surprised. “I’m sorry? I just… I don’t know, I like to ask?” He says this almost as a question, suddenly a little unsure of himself.

Dan smiles at him, a fond look on his face. “No, I actually… I like that. I like that you asked first.”

Phil grins at this, tilting his head. “Well, you never actually answered me…”

With a smirk, Dan shifts closer, dropping his hand onto the base of Phil’s neck, his thumb stroking up and down the column of his throat. “I want you to kiss me.” Dan presses forward, his mouth hovering closely to Phil’s. “I want you to do way more than just kiss me, though.”

Phil shivers at his words, and he doesn’t waste any more time after that. He presses forward quickly, connecting their lips. An audible sigh tumbles from Dan’s lips at the contact, and the noise only encourages Phil to press forward more insistently. He tugs gently at Dan’s shirt, trying to guide him to sit on his lap. Dan seemingly misunderstands, reaching down and tugging the fabric up and over his head.

Smirking, Phil leans forward and runs a hand across Dan’s chest, dragging his thumb against a nipple as he goes. “That’s not quite what I meant, but it’ll do,” he teases.

Dan looks surprised, which is beautiful coupled with the way his skin is already flushed. “That’ll do, donkey, that’ll do,” he says suddenly, a Scottish lilt to his words. His face immediately floods with color and he reaches a hand up to cover his mouth, as if he hadn’t actually meant to say that aloud.

Unable to help himself, Phil tilts his head back and starts laughing loudly. He feels tears of mirth spring to his eyes as he giggles, struggling to get ahold of himself once he sees the mortified look on Dan’s face. “That was- oh my god, Dan,” Phil gasps. “That was so funny.”

“I- that was embarrassing!” Dan snaps, clearly more upset about it than he’d let on. “I- that wasn’t something I meant to- ugh.” He pulls his knees up to his chest, ducking his head to hide his face.

Phil sobers up seeing that Dan’s genuinely embarrassed. He reaches forward, petting Dan’s hair gently. “Dan, love, it’s honestly not as embarrassing as you think. I thought it was funny. I laughed.”

“Yeah, you laughed at me because it was stupid,” Dan mumbles bitterly, tilting his head to get Phil’s hand away.

“It was funny, Dan. You have a good sense of humor.” When Dan doesn’t respond to this, Phil decides to approach it from a different angle. That angle is by playing Dan at his own game. “I like your sense of humor. It’s one of your layers,” he says slowly. He’s staring at Dan so intensely that he sees the way his shoulders tense up, as he clearly starts to understand the reference. “You know what else has layers?” He grins brightly when Dan slowly raises his head.

“What?” Dan asks, almost smiling but trying to hide it.

“Cakes. Everybody loves cakes! Cakes have layers,” He says brightly, doing a horrible imitation of Eddie Murphy.

Dan’s lips quirk up into a half-smile. “Ogres are not like cakes,” he mumbles.

Phil grins before reaching over and brushing a curl out of Dan’s face. “No,” he hums in agreement. “I reckon they’re not.”

A soft look is on Dan’s face when he leans forward, pressing his lips to Phil’s in a soft, timid kiss, worlds away from the hot kisses they’d shared only moments before. “I really like you,” he whispers against Phil’s mouth.

“Guess what?” Phil whispers back, pressing another kiss to Dan’s lips before pulling away again. “I really like you too.”

“Can we…” Dan trails off, as if he’s unsure about what he wants to say.

“Can we?” Phil prompts gently, rubbing his thumb across Dan’s cheekbone slowly.

Dan takes a deep breath, leaning into Phil’s touch. “Can we not have sex tonight?”

Surprised, and a little confused, Phil leans away. “Oh- of course. We don’t- I mean, we won’t if you don’t want to do that… with me.” He feels an irrational sense of hurt in his chest, and he knows damn well that it’s unwarranted.

Dan’s eyes widen as if he’s been misunderstood. “No, no, that’s not what I meant. Of course I want to, I just…” He trails off, his eyes roaming the wall as if his thoughts are written there, ready to be read off like a script. “I don’t think I want to go that far tonight. Not since we just met.”

Phil nods slowly, trying to wrap his mind around exactly what he thinks Dan wants, considering they’d been on a completely different page only minutes before. “Okay… That’s fine. We don’t have to do any of that.”

The brunette chews on his lip, contemplating. “Can we maybe, like, do some of it? I-“ he flushes then, as if he’s seriously still embarrassed. “I want you, but I don’t want this to be a one-time thing. And I feel like maybe we should have something to look forward to… for later, you know.”

Suddenly, Phil gets the idea that this is likely not about Dan’s aversion to sleeping with him at all. It’s about his aversion to only sleeping with him once. His anxiety settled, Phil smiles at the younger man. “Of course. We’ll need something to look forward to after our next date,” he says cheekily.

Dan laughs, but scratches the back of his neck awkwardly. “About that, actually,” he starts.

Phil immediately goes back into panic mode, his eyes widening in surprise. “Oh are you- did you not want to-“

“No, no, no, let me talk,” Dan reprimands gently, flicking Phil’s elbow as punishment for his interruption. He ignores the way Phil pouts, rubbing the skin as if it actually hurt. “I want to, of course I want to. But, I don’t want to go get coffee.”

Phil frowns, confused. “Okay, well, did you-“

“No!” Dan says, louder this time. “Let me ask!”

Startled at Dan’s outburst, Phil leans back a bit, chuckling. “Okay, okay. Go ahead, then.”

Dan takes another deep breath, as if he’s trying to prepare himself for something. “I want to take you to dinner. There’s a restaurant near where I work that I’ve been dying to try, and I want to take you with me.”

Phil tries to force down the flattery he feels at the fact that he rode in the same train of thought as the other everyday parts of Dan’s life, at least for now. “I’d love to go with you,” Phil responds after realizing he hadn’t answered him yet. “When we get back to London we’ll figure out when to go.”

Dan smiles, appearing relieved. “And I can pay, right?” He sounds excited by this, to Phil’s amusement.

“I can-“

“You told me earlier that whoever asks is who pays. I get to pay, right?” Dan interrupts.

Phil sighs, staring at the other man with far too much fondness, all things considered. “Fine, yes, you can pay.”

Dan grins brightly. “Perfect,” he replies, leaning forward to kiss Phil quickly. “Can we order some food?” He asks then, placing a hand on his stomach. “I need to feed the baby.”

Phil blinks.

“The what?”

Dan smirks. “The baby.”

“What baby?” Phil asks, cautious in a way that he shouldn’t be, given that Dan is, as far as he knows, biologically a male and thus unable to carry children.

“Me, I’m the baby,” Dan responds, his eyes sparkling with joy when Phil huffs.

“Oh my god, shut up,” Phil groans, shoving at his shoulder lightly.

Dan giggles, catching his arm and pulling him closer. “No,” he sing-songs. “You like it! You think I’m funny!” He says gleefully.

Phil rolls his eyes, suddenly adamant on not agreeing with that very true statement. “Eh,” he says nonchalantly. “You’re okay.”

Dan pouts before apparently deciding he feels like being cheeky. He swings a leg over Phil’s thighs, so he’s settled on his lap. “Say it, say you think I’m funny,” he demands, dropping his arms to rest on Phil’s shoulders, his hands playing at the ends of his hair.

“I think you’re funny,” Phil deadpans. Smirking, he continues. “Funny looking!”

“Phil!” Dan whines.

Phil smiles, unable to help himself as he leans in and captures the other man’s mouth in a kiss. “You’re cute,” he mumbles against the chapped lips.

“Yeah,” Dan agrees absently before pressing closer, moving his lips against Phil’s gently. Pulling away a little, he bats his eyelashes at him. “I’m also hungry,” he reminds him.

Phil’s laugh echoes around the room. “You’re like a pet, or a kid. You have to be amused and fed and all this stuff. It’s really a lot of work, huh?”

Dan quirks an eyebrow. “At least you don’t have to change my nappy,” he jokes.

Phil’s lips curl up into a smirk. “I still want in your pants, though,” he says coyly.

The groan he receives in response is quickly becoming one of his favorite sounds, usurped only by the whine of “Phillll,” that immediately follows it.

~~~

“I’m so full,” Dan announces a full room service-ordered pizza later.

“We ate a whole pizza. We’re gonna explode,” Phil complains, throwing an arm over his eyes. “I actually feel ill.”

Dan laughs quietly from beside him. “I can make you feel better,” he murmurs, his voice closer.

Phil moves his arm enough to look at Dan with one eye. “No offense, but I’m not in the mood to be sexy right now.”

The brunette rolls his eyes, reaching forward to flick Phil’s temple. “I didn’t mean it like that, you freak. I meant I can put on a film and snuggle you.”

Phil blinks. “Oh.”

“So?” Dan prods.

“Sure, yeah, let’s do that,” he agrees easily enough. He hands Dan the remote to the television since it’s closer to him. “Pick something good,” he instructs as he goes to slip under the covers.

Dan raises an eyebrow. “Don’t you want to take your jeans off?” he asks.

Phil stops, glances down at himself, and then turns to Dan slowly to smirk. “Are you trying to get me out of my pants, Daniel?”

“Tactless, Philip, absolutely tactless,” he mumbles. “Still, take them off. If we’re going to share a bed I will not be sharing it with someone who’s going to be rubbing denim all over me.”

“Who said I’ll be rubbing anything all over you?” Phil teases as he stands to shimmy out of the jeans.

Dan meets his eyes with a steady gaze. “I did,” he responds, his voice low. “Shirt, too.”

Phil feels a shiver run through him at this turn of events. “Oh- okay.” He tugs the shirt off at the neckline, and for once in his life, the movement is as smooth as he imagined, and he drops the fabric to the floor. He turns his gaze to Dan, finding him staring back, his gaze dark. “Better?” Phil asks, attempting sultry.

The brunette blinks slowly. “Are you always this messy?” He asks, his tone as unreadable as his expression.

Phil startles at that, having expected an entirely different reaction. “Sorry?” He stutters out.

Dan gestures to the clothes on the floor. “Those don’t go on the floor,” he chastises, his tone somewhere between amused and disapproving.

Blinking, Phil shifts his gaze to the clothes he’d carelessly dropped. “Oh. Well, I don’t have my luggage, remember?”

Dan opens his mouth as if he has something to say to that, but apparently, he decides against it, snapping his mouth shut again before shrugging.

Insufferably curious as usual, Phil can’t help but prod. “What?” He asks, placing his hands on his hips.

The brunette shakes his head, smiling thinly. “Just a pet peeve, you’re fine, c’mere.” He holds his arms out, inviting Phil into his embrace, but Phil doesn’t take the bait.

“No, just tell me. Is it because I threw my clothes on the floor?”

Rolling his eyes, Dan drops his arms. “If I tell you will you quit being weird and come snuggle me?”

“Maybe,” Phil sticks his tongue out childishly.

Dan snorts. “I just don’t like clutter.”

Phil blinks.

“That’s clutter?” He asks, gesturing to the crumpled clothes.

“Yes,” Dan confirms with a nod.

“Oh.”

“Come here now?”

“Let me-“ Phil cuts himself off, bending over to collect his clothes. He haphazardly folds them before laying them on the desk where he’d sat his backpack earlier. When he turns around, he finds Dan studying him with a soft look.

“Thank you,” he murmurs. Again, he holds out his arms. “C’mere.”

Phil shakes his head, turning around and grabbing Dan’s backpack, which he knows contains a certain adorable cat shirt. “Pajama time,” he says enthusiastically.

Dan flushes. “Uh…” He trails off, the rosy patch adjacent to his dimple drawing a smile from Phil’s lips.

“Please? It’ll be comfier, and you’ll look so cute,” Phil says cheekily. Maybe he just wants to watch Dan undress, but there’s more to it than that. He wants to snuggle with the other man and snuggling with him in nothing but a t-shirt and boxers is just incredibly tempting to him.

The brunette rolls his eyes and lets out a huff but sits up and holds a hand out. “Hand me the shirt.”

Phil makes a gleeful noise before digging through the bag, tugging at the white fabric when he sees it. He makes sure to take the tags off first before handing it over, watching as Dan tugs his other shirt over his head. When he catches Phil’s stare, he flushes even more.

“Quit looking at me!” He whines, tugging the fabric over his head quickly so that Phil can no longer see his bare skin.

“Sorry,” Phil says, very little remorse in his voice. “I just think you’re very fit.”

Dan stares pointedly down at the shirt he is meticulously folding. “Whatever,” he mumbles.

Even with his pouting, Phil can see the small smile on his pink lips.

“Are you taking your jeans off?” Phil asks as he finally settles onto the bed beside him. “You’ll be comfier that way,” He tries to encourage.

Dan snorts. “You are absolutely thirsty, aren’t you, mate?”

Phil shrugs unashamedly. “I’m gay, and you’re hot. Simple man, simple pleasures,” Phil explains with a smile.

He expects the eyeroll he gets, and he doesn’t bat an eye as Dan stands and begins tugging his jeans down his legs. Their gazes meet briefly, and Dan freezes briefly before seeming to gather some courage, turning away and very obviously bending down to push the material down to his ankles. The position gives Phil a perfect view of Dan’s ass, which is obviously his intention.

Suddenly Phil doesn’t care quite as much about watching a good film.

When Dan is finished, he folds his jeans, placing those and his shirt onto the desk beside Phil’s neatly. When he turns around, there’s an innocent sort of smile on his face. “What?” He asks, clearly catching onto the shift in Phil’s energy.

“C’mere,” Phil rasps, patting his thighs.

Dan quirks a brow, putting a hand on his hip and giving Phil a disbelieving look. “You want me to sit on your lap?” he asks, sounding dubious at the very idea.

“Yeah, I do,” Phil answers confidently. “Please,” he adds, softer.

Dan’s face softens at this, and he immediately moves forward, climbing onto the bed and tossing a leg over Phil’s and coming to rest his ass atop Phil’s thighs, just as he wanted. “Okay?” He whispers, bringing a hand up to card through Phil’s inky hair.

Phil drops his own hands onto Dan’s thighs, just below the fabric of his boxers. “Perfect,” he replies, just as quiet.

The air around them is heavy with silence as they sit there, studying each other closely. It should feel awkward, or intimidating, but it only feels intimate, and dare Phil say it, safe. He traces small circles onto the skin of Dan’s thigh with his thumbs, and revels in the way Dan scratches at his scalp gently.

“I feel like I’ve known you forever,” Dan interrupts the silence with a whisper, his voice wavering as Phil watches his eyes flood with emotion.

“So, do I,” Phil replies. “It’s…“ he trails off as he tries to think of a way to describe it. “I feel like you’re someone I’ve known forever, but I’m only just finding you again.”

Dan ducks his head at this, letting out heavy breaths against Phil’s shoulder, his body beginning to tremble. “Fuck,” He whispers.

“Are you- I’m sorry, that was probably creepy and totally weird. I understand if you think I'm a serial murderer now,” Phil apologizes quickly, wincing as he recounts the very strange thing he’d just confessed to this man he’d only known for the past ten hours or so.

“No, I just-“ Dan takes another heavy breath. “It’s a lot, for me. To feel like this.”

Phil dares a question into the lull of silence. “Like what?”

Dan’s quiet for a long time.

Finally, he speaks. “Like I’m not alone.”

Phil’s positive his heart breaks at those words. His hands move to wrap around Dan’s back, tugging him into a hug. “I’m right here, love.”

After a few moments of him stroking up and down Dan’s back, coupled with pressing soft kisses to his hair, Phil finally manages to calm Dan down. He leans away slowly, carefully avoiding Phil’s gaze as he rubs his hands over his eyes. “Thank you,” he mumbles. “God, I’m sorry I’m so weepy and emotional, like that’s not what you signed up for, fuck,” Dan rambles, leaning away and running a worried hand through his untamed curls.

Phil shushes him gently. “I signed up for you, Dan. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Dan stares at him for a moment, his gaze hardening. Before Phil can even think to question it, the other man leans forward, capturing his lips in a bruising kiss. Phil startles, but gently kisses back, trying to coax Dan out of his harshness. Dan’s not having that, though, nipping at Phil’s lips and rolling his hips down to grind against the older man.

Phil’s heart races at the change of pace, and not in an entirely good way. Gently, he presses his hands against Dan’s hips, halting his movements. “Dan,” he whispers against his lips, pulling away when Dan tries to follow. “You need to slow down,” He reprimands gently.

Dan huffs, shoving Phil’s hands off his hips and rocking down once again, making Phil gasp and shudder at the friction on his clothed cock. Dan doesn’t stop there, gripping the back of Phil’s neck and pulling him in again for another kiss.

As much as Phil is turned on, the concern he feels for Dan’s well-being is eclipsing the feeling his cock is trying to convince him he should focus on. Knowing that Dan isn’t fully stable right now, Phil once again presses against his hips, forcing them to a reluctant stop.

The cry that falls from Dan’s lips once his movements are stopped again is enough to break Phil’s heart all over again. He sounds positively wounded, and Phil can’t stand it. But he also can’t stand the idea of Dan forcing them to go too far right now in a fit of emotion. “Dan, stop,” he says, his voice authoritative in a way he hasn’t been so far.

Dan whines, he actually whines. “But-“

“You aren’t actually ready to go that far, you already told me that,” Phil reminds him, stroking his thumb over Dan’s cheekbone.

“I changed my mind,” Dan argues petulantly.

Phil levels him with an unimpressed stare. “That’s a lie, and we both know it.”

“You don’t know shit,” Dan snaps immediately.

Phil is a little taken aback by the sharp tone, but he tries to hide how hurt he actually is by it. “Okay,” he concedes quietly.

Dan’s face immediately falls as he catches himself. “I didn’t mean- Phil, I wasn’t-“

Phil cuts him off with a shrug. “It’s fine. You’re right, I don’t know as much as I probably should to be making such rash judgements.”

The brunette shakes his head adamantly, chocolate curls swaying over his forehead. “No, no, no, you know plenty. You’ve learned more, and listened to me more, in the past ten hours, than most of my friends have in the past ten months.”

Still not fully convinced that he hadn’t meant it, Phil shrugs. He’s going to try not to let his now sour mood cost them their comfortable evening, though. “Wanna watch a film still?”

Dan nods, swallowing hard. “Are you cross?”

Phil shakes his head, moving under the duvet. “No, I’m not cross. C’mere so we can snuggle.” He holds up the covers to allow Dan to crawl under them and get settled. Despite how comfortable they’ve already established that they feel with each other, it’s a little awkward as they try to maneuver into a position that’s comfortable for the both of them.

They end up with Phil resting his back against the head board, Dan sat between his legs, his back to Phil’s chest. It’s cozy, and Phil finds himself petting Dan’s curls gently as Dan channel surfs for something to watch.

“I’m sorry I snapped at you,” the younger man whispers.

Phil presses a kiss to his neck, not missing the way Dan shivers. “It’s okay.” He hesitates, a question burning on his tongue, but he’s almost positive he’s crossing a line. Rather than ask what he’s desperate to inquire about, he chooses a different path. “Do you need to do anything before you go to sleep?” He asks.

Dan stiffens in his arms, and Phil panics, thinking for sure that he’s messed up. “Brush my teeth?” He says, his voice lilting up as if it’s a question rather than an answer.

His attempt at asking about his medication indirectly foiled, Phil releases a small sigh. “I meant, like…” he trails off, pondering how to phrase it without sounding insensitive.

“Are you asking if I need to wank before I sleep?” Dan deadpans when Phil fails to respond.

Phil splutters at the question. “No! I mean, if you still wanted to like, not like- but- that’s not what I was asking.”

Dan turns enough to meet Phil’s gaze. “Then what the hell were you asking?” He’s smiling, clearly amused at how flustered Phil is.

Closing his eyes tightly to avoid any sort of anger Dan might harbor, Phil speaks without thinking. “I was trying to ask if you needed to take your medicine tonight. I wasn’t sure how to ask that delicately.”

He waits for an outburst, to feel Dan shove him away and curse him for being so nosy, but it doesn’t come.

Instead, he feels a hand cup his jaw before soft lips press to his. “Phil,” Dan breathes through a laugh.

Phil slowly opens his eyes, surprised to find Dan staring at him with the softest gaze. “I’m sorry,” he blurts before he can stop himself.

“Don’t be,” Dan immediately says. “I think it’s really sweet that you asked me that. You’re actually right, I need to take it before I sleep, but it makes me really drowsy, so when I take it I’ll be out pretty quick.” He says the last part with his eyes downcast, as if he’s embarrassed for some reason.

“Okay. Do you want to take it now? It’s getting late.” Phil honestly doesn’t care at all what time it is, but he doesn’t want to mess up Dan’s body’s chemistry by keeping him from taking his medicine when he should.

A grimace is on Dan’s face as he glances over at the clock. “Remind me in an hour?” He requests, his voice soft.

“Sure,” Phil replies with a smile. He grabs the discarded TV remote, continuing the search for something to watch. “What’re you in the mood for?” He asks, moving in to rest his chin atop Dan’s shoulder.

“I reckon I’m in the mood for you,” Dan says cheekily.

Phil rolls his eyes and tilts his head to lick Dan’s ear. He intends it to be a punishment for Dan’s inappropriate behavior, so he’s not expecting the quiet gasp and the shiver that rocks Dan’s body. “Hm,” Phil hums, intrigued at that response. “That’s interesting,” he teases. Dropping the remote after clicking play on a random title, he wraps his arms around Dan’s chest, holding the younger man in place against his body. This time he deliberately drags the tip of his tongue along the shell of Dan’s ear, pressing a kiss there before moving down to the spot just behind the lobe.

“Phil,” Dan breathes, his hand coming up to grip Phil’s arm.

“What?” Phil whispers. “Do you want me to stop?” It comes out sultry but it’s a serious question, and if Dan says yes he knows he’ll drop it immediately.

“No,” Dan nearly shouts. “Feels good.” He arches his neck, giving Phil more room to work.

“Good,” Phil hums before dropping his lips back to the expanse of skin, kissing a line down from his ear to the base of his throat. “Can I leave a mark?” He breathes, suddenly obsessed with the idea of leaving this piece of Dan covered in marks. Phil doesn’t generally think of himself as a possessive person by nature, but this time he feels is an exception.

“Fuck yes,” Dan all but moans. “Please.”

Phil smiles against the skin before opening his mouth and sucking, just hard enough to bring a little color to the area. He didn’t want to hurt the other man, obviously, but in a sick way, he wanted Dan to feel him even after they parted.

His teeth graze the spot just a little, and Dan’s body jerks. “Fuck,” he moans, long and drawn out. Phil glances down, smiling proudly to himself when he sees the obscene way that Dan’s boxers have tented with his arousal.

“More?” Phil whispers, double checking that Dan is still into this.

“Please.” It’s almost a sob.

So, Phil goes back to his gentle assault, scraping his teeth along the bites after each suction. He’s had this done to himself, he knows how electrifying it can feel to have the already tender area grazed like that, and from Dan’s physical response, he’s a fan of it.

“Please, please, please,” Dan chants.

Phil pulls away just a bit. “What do you need?” He asks.

“Touch me, please, I’m so close,” Dan babbles, practically thrashing in his arms at the pleasure.

Phil pauses at that. “You’re already close? Just from this?” He asks, breathing deeply against Dan’s neck before licking a stripe up the side.

“Yes, yes, fuck,” Dan whines.

Phil hums. “Think you could come just like this?” He doesn’t seriously think Dan could, but the imagery is.... intoxicating, to say the least.

Dan twists in his arms, trying to get friction on his cock. “Nuh-uh,” he protests. “Can’t- not close enough-“

“Okay, shh, I’ll get you there.” Phil’s mind is whirling with all the possibilities here, his own straining cock forgotten in favor of getting Dan off. He could easily wank him off in this position or he could even reposition them to suck him off. While both of those are equally as tempting, he almost loses it at the idea of wanking Dan while still sucking on his neck.

Phil drops a hand down to palm over the front of Dan’s pants, and the boy shudders against him. “Phil,” he gasps.

“This okay?” Phil whispers, moving his hand to dip his fingers under the waistband of the material.

“Yes,” Dan breathes.

With permission granted, Phil shucks Dan’s boxers down to his thighs, unconcerned about properly removing them right now. He makes a soft noise as he gets a look at Dan’s weeping cock, gently wrapping his hand around his length and giving it a squeeze. “What a beautiful cock,” he breathes into Dan’s ear, darting his tongue out to lick inside.

“Phil, don’t-“ Dan protests, his brown eyes wide as he tilts his head to stare at the older man.

“It is, though. Absolutely gorgeous, love,” he praises, stroking slowly as he whispers into Dan’s ear.

“Gonna come,” Dan whispers, dropping his head back to rest on Phil’s shoulder.

“Yeah? Your pretty dick is going to come all over my hand?” Phil hardly ever talks like this in bed, but something about Dan is intoxicating and he feels absolutely drunk off it. “Go on, then. Come for me.”

Dan whines, his hips rutting up into Phil’s hand as he chases his relief. “Close, close,” he whines helplessly.

Phil presses a kiss to his neck, nipping gently before licking over it. His left hand crawls up from where it had been resting on top of Dan’s stomach, rucking his shirt up as he goes. His thumb brushes against Dan’s nipple and he stills for a moment before moaning, his hips moving even faster up into Phil’s hand.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he chants.

“Shh, we’re in a hotel,” Phil reminds him, a little worried about being caught out.

Dan whines loudly at that, and Phil shrugs his shoulder so Dan’s head rolls to the side, just enough that Phil can capture his lips in a heated kiss. He presses his tongue inside, licking into Dan’s mouth and swallowing his noises as he strokes him faster.

He feels the moment that Dan’s orgasm overcomes him, his body going rigid and his mouth slackening against Phil’s before he shudders and moans into Phil’s mouth. Then he’s spilling wet and hot over Phil’s fingers, his hips still rolling gently as he rides out the pleasure.

“Good boy,” Phil murmurs on a whim.

Dan whines at this, his body slowly relaxing as the last waves subside, until he’s laying completely limp against the front of Phil’s body. Phil brings his wet hand up to his mouth, sucking a finger into his mouth to clean Dan’s come off. Dan opens his eyes at the noise, and his face goes a shade darker when he sees what Phil’s doing.

“Want some?” Phil offers with a smirk, holding his hand out.

Dan stares at him, his eyes wide, but he slowly, hesitantly opens his mouth in invitation. Phil smears a little onto Dan’s lower lip before pushing a finger into his mouth. He’s shocked when Dan closes his lips around the digit and begins sucking, swirling his tongue around as he swipes the mess clean. His gaze never falters, and Phil is mesmerized at the wrecked look on his face.

He moves onto the next finger without being asked, and within just a few moments, his hand is completely clean again. “Thanks for the snack,” Dan says with a smirk, appearing to be completely at himself again.

“That was...” Phil trails off, unsure of how to even explain how that made him feel.

Dan’s expression shifts to one of shyness. “Sorry, was that too much?”

Phil gapes at him, slowly shaking his head. “That was the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen,” he informs him matter-of-factly.

If it’s even possible, Dan’s rosy cheeks just become darker at the compliment. “Really? I didn’t know if maybe it’d gross you out or something, it’s-“

Phil has to cut him off there. “No, fuck no. That was hot.”

Dan smiles genuinely at him before wriggling out of his grip and turning to face him instead. Phil’s legs part immediately to give him more room, his prominent erection very obvious at this angle. Dan makes no move to tuck himself back into his pants, and instead he pulls them off entirely, tossing them to the end of the bed.

“Thought you didn’t like clutter?” Phil teases.

“Sex clutter doesn’t count,” Dan snips back.

“Round two already?”

Dan grins. “Actually, this is more of part two to our round one. You still haven’t come once.”

“Hm, interesting observation,” he coughs out. Phil has been painfully aware of this fact, but since he was unsure what all Dan was comfortable doing, he didn’t want to push him any further yet. It seemed that Dan didn’t have these same reservations.

With a cheeky smile, Dan lays down, making himself comfy on the bed. “Don’t worry, I’m here to help.” He glances up at Phil then, quirking an eyebrow. “You’re okay with this, yeah?”

Phil nods. “Yes,” he assures him quickly. He’s aware of how desperate that probably sounds, but he can’t find it in him to care.

“I’m gonna suck you off, okay?” Dan asks, looking up at Phil with doe eyes.

“Fuck,” Phil whimpers. “That’s more than okay, yeah, shit.”

Dan smiles before leaning in and licking up Phil’s length, flicking his tongue over the tip before bending his neck to take the tip into his mouth. He swirls his tongue, suckling lightly before momentarily popping off. “Teeth?” Dan inquires.

Phil pauses before shaking his head. “No.”

Nodding, Dan goes right back in, this time bobbing his head to take more of him into his mouth. Phil groans when Dan hollows his cheeks, unable to help shifting his hips up a little to chase the wet heat. “Sorry,” he mumbles, flinging a hand up to grip at his own hair.

Dan peers up at him, pulling off with a frown. “Here, give me your hands.” He takes Phil’s hands and guides them to his hair, pressing them down against his scalp until Phil gets the picture.

“Oh,” he breathes.

“You can pull on it, I like that,” Dan says, his voice a little shy.

Phil takes a shuddering breath before complying and tugging Dan’s hair a little, enough to guide him back to his leaking cock. “There we go,” he murmurs when Dan’s lips part for the tip. “Good boy,” he says tentatively, testing it out. Dan had responded well to it when he was on the brink of release, but he was unsure if it was still a thing now.

Dan moans around him, and Phil relaxes, relieved to find something Dan is into as well. He chews on his lip as Dan works on taking him deeper, his red lips stretching beautifully around his length. Phil nearly purrs when Dan sucks just right, bobbing his head slowly before pulling off almost entirely and lapping at the precum.

Phil can’t help but groan at the way Dan is licking him. “You look like you’re eating a fucking ice lolly,” he pants.

Another lick and Dan pulls his mouth away long enough to smirk. “Tastes even better,” he says, his voice low and rough.

Even though he knows that Dan is trying to be sexy, Phil can’t help the snort of laughter that falls from his mouth. “Fuck, Dan.”

“Hm, maybe later, I’m busy right now,” Dan says cheekily.

Phil can’t help but roll his eyes at this. “You’re so- oh fuck,” he moans when Dan suddenly deepthroats him. Phil grips the sheets tightly, using all his willpower not to fuck into the wet warmth, knowing that in this position it would absolutely choke Dan. “Fuck, fuck,” he mumbles, moving a hand to stroke gently through Dan’s curls. “You’re so good at this, baby. So good.”

Dan hums, and slowly shifts his jaw. Phil feels it just as much as he sees it when Dan swallows around him, and Phil drops his head back with a groan. He’s close, he’s so close, but he doesn’t want to hurt Dan and he knows that when he comes he’s not going to be thinking about keeping himself still.

Gently, he grips Dan’s hair and pulls him off a little bit. Dan’s eyes are wide and slightly panicked when he looks up at him, but Phil only smiles reassuringly. “You’re doing lovely, but I don’t want to hurt you finishing like that.”

Dan crinkles his nose. “I don’t think someone has ever called my blowjob skills “lovely” and I’m not entirely sure what to make of that,” he rasps, his voice wrecked.

Phil rolls his eyes, tugging on a curl playfully. “My mum raised me right, I know how to give a man credit when credit is due.”

“Your mum raised you to give compliments to guys who are good at blowing you?” Dan asks sarcastically, that same smirk on his lips again.

Narrowing his eyes, Phil leans down and drags his fingers over Dan’s lips. “These are moving an awful lot, but not in the right way.” Unprompted, Dan’s mouth falls slightly agape, and Phil takes the opportunity to shove two fingers down into the wet warmth immediately. Dan’s eyes are wide, but he obediently begins sucking and bobbing his head. “There we go. Be a good boy and do it that way, okay?” He'd never fancied himself this bossy in bed, but here he was, being bossy and directive, but judging from the way Dan's eyes nearly roll back in his head, he doesn't mind.

Dan nods excitedly before sliding his mouth off of Phil’s fingers, settling back down between his legs to get back to work. Phil can’t help the soft noises falling from his lips as Dan works him to the edge, and when his orgasm hits a couple minutes later, it comes as a pleasant surprise. “Oh,” he gasps, tugging gently on Dan’s hair as he feels the feeling crash over him. “I’m-“ he tries to warn him, but Dan doesn’t catch what he’s trying to say, instead winding up with a mouthful. “Sorry,” Phil apologizes as he tries to catch his breath. “You can spit it out, I won’t care.”

The brunette gives him an apologetic smile, his mouth still full, as he slides off the bed and makes his way to the bathroom. Phil hears him spitting the contents out, followed by the sound of running water. He can’t even be offended honestly, he wasn’t the greatest at swallowing himself, and didn’t do it very often.

“Sorry,” Dan apologizes almost immediately upon walking back into the room, his smile one of guilt. “Haven’t learned to love the taste just yet.”

Phil laughs at that. “Mate, I don’t think I’ll ever love the taste, it’s fine.”

Dan crinkles his nose. “Don’t call me that, I just sucked your dick.”

Phil blinks. And then he promptly bursts into giggles. “Sorry, I just-“ he loses it again when he notices the indignant frown on Dan’s lips. “You just look so cute, all offended about that.”

“I’m not cute!” Dan protests.

Suppressing a smile, Phil shrugs. “Sure, whatever you say.” He tosses the sheet over himself then, not bothering with pulling his pants back on or anything. He felt loads more comfortable and confident than he had earlier, and he wasn’t about to lose that by retreating into his clothes. Unless his nakedness made Dan uncomfortable, of course. But judging by the way he too crawls under the blankets, naked aside from his cat t-shirt, Phil concludes he's not all that fussed about it.

“I’m tired,” Dan announces then, staring up at Phil as if it's his responsibility to change that.

Phil gives him a soft look. “I bet. And I hate to do this to you since you just sat down, but you still need to take your medicine.”

Dan groans. “Fuck. I forgot already.” He rolls over and looks up at Phil, his eyes wide and pleading and gorgeous. “Phil, I would be forever in your debt if you’d fetch my meds for me,” he says sweetly.

Phil responds with a snort. “I dunno, sounds like a rough deal. You get drugs and I’m stuck with you forever, or until I decide you’ve paid me back?”

Rolling his eyes, Dan’s mood seems to shift. “I know it’s a shit bargain, but I’m too lazy to get up.” He tries to force his casual, funny tone, but it falls flat, and Phil realizes he’s seriously annoyed about what Phil had said in jest.

“I was kidding, Dan,” Phil says gently. “I’d be honored to spend as much time with you as you’re willing to give.” He puts all the sincerity, all the honesty, that he can into those words.

Dan’s gaze falls down at this, and he fiddles with the corner of the pillowcase as a distraction. “Yeah, well…” He trails off. “Don’t be sappy,” he grouches.

Phil carefully reaches out and pets Dan’s curls. “I’m not. You’re not giving yourself enough credit. You’ve been nothing but lovely to be around, and I’ve been thrilled to spend the day in your company. Don’t sell yourself short, Daniel.”

A soft groan sounds and Dan’s rolling over to bury his head in Phil’s naked chest. “How do you exist?” He grumbles.

Phil grins. He can do the whole sarcastic, playful bit. Just maybe a little less direct this time. “Well you see, when a mummy and a daddy love each other very much-“ He begins.

Dan yelps at this, pulling his head away from Phil’s chest like he’s been burnt. “Oh my god! No! I don’t want to hear about that!”

Cackling, Phil can’t help but lean in and press a kiss to Dan’s full lips. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.”

“That was horrible. I’m considering withdrawing all admissions of my affection for you,” Dan announces pretentiously.

Phil smiles softly at this, slowly running a finger along the shell of Dan’s ear. “You have affection for me?” He asks, his voice almost a coo.

Dan’s face goes a shade darker at this. “Not anymore,” he proclaims.

Pushing his face against Dan’s hair to hide his grin, Phil hums in disagreement. “No, I don’t think so. I think you like me a lot, actually. I think you fancy me a bit.”

“Mm, maybe,” Dan says, half-heartedly.

Phil smiles and presses his face closer to Dan’s, shifting so that his mouth hovers just over Dan’s ear. “Well guess what?”

Dan tries to feign nonchalance when he says, “What?”

“I fancy you a lot,” Phil whispers.

The shiver that runs over Dan’s spine is impossible to miss. “Yeah?” He asks.

“A whole lot more than I should fancy a stranger I met in an airport,” he admits. And honestly, it’s the first time he’s really let himself process it. Here he was, meeting a man in an airport of all places, and falling for him in the span of a day, as if he has any right to get that close that quickly. And yet, he didn’t feel like a stranger. He felt like he’d known Dan forever, like there wasn’t a time that he hadn’t felt his heart beat faster at the short breaths he took, or the sight of those brown curls. It was insane, and maybe he was insane, but he felt so completely at home with Dan that he couldn’t imagine lying to the other man about how he felt.

“I don’t want to be a stranger you met at an airport,” Dan says quietly. His voice is so low Phil nearly doesn’t catch it, almost as if Dan hadn’t intended for him to hear.

His heart twists uncomfortably at those words. “No?” he asks.

“I wanna be more than that to you. I want…” Dan trails off, and his voice is wavering with uncertainty even when he finds the words. “I want to see where this goes. I don’t want to just be the guy you met at an airport and screwed around with in a hotel afterwards.” Phil opens his mouth to protest but Dan beats him to it. “See, I know you’re going to say I’m not that, but I want you to prove it.”

Phil pauses, trying to make sure Dan is finished before he tentatively asks, “How?”

Dan tilts his head so that he’s staring straight into Phil’s eyes, honey and caramel and chocolate drawing him in. “I want to date you. I want you to go on a date with me when we’re back in London, and I want to stay over at yours and have you stay over at mine and I want us to go to movies and dinner and be cheesy and lame and have sex and I want you to want to introduce me as someone besides the guy you met at an airport.”

His words are rushed and aren’t all coherent, but it’s a beautiful speech, and Phil’s heart is pounding by the end of it. It takes him a moment to figure out how to respond, and another to figure out how to make his mouth move again. “Okay. I hope you like horror movies and popcorn and cuddles because that’s what you’re getting yourself into.”

Dan nods, his face totally serious. “And sex. I like sex.”

Phil has to laugh at that and press another lingering kiss to Dan’s willing mouth. “And sex,” he mumbles. Dan brushes the tip of his tongue across Phil’s lips, but instead of opening his mouth to him, Phil pulls away a little. “I hope you like “boyfriend” too, because I’m particularly fond for that word.”

The sound Dan makes then is a cross between a gasp and a squeak, but Phil is quickly swallowing it with his own mouth, leaving very little room for argument or response of any kind.

And maybe they were stupid and naïve, and this would never work, but maybe they were willing to try and put in the effort anyway. And Phil knew there was more to Dan than what was meeting his eye, but so far, he was willing to accept every part he’d been willing to share. There would likely be other conversations, logistics on how they would see each other when they didn’t even know where in London the other lived, but it wasn’t anything a google map and some patience couldn’t solve.

And maybe it wouldn’t be perfect, as things rarely are, and this would all fall apart in a month. Or, maybe they would be as close to perfect as he could want. The likelihood of either was really just a gamble at this point, but that was something he was willing to try for.

Phil hated making mistakes. He hated being a failure.

But he hated the idea of giving up on a good thing before it had even begun even more.

#phan #phandom #phanfic #airport au #dan is a lonely introvert writing in his journal #phil is a simple gay man who wants to woo this curly haired nerd #also dan's cat tshirt bc im soft for that #smut #fluff #depression

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