#not thinking about if she’s going away forever after tour NOPE

[cheekyvank]

what happens when tour is over and there aren’t beautiful new images of sister daniel every night

[jazwritesalot]

Shaken, Not Stirred - Chapter 3: Vegas Bomb

Pairing: Shinsou Hitoshi/Kaminari Denki, ShinKami Fandom: Boku no Hero Academia, My Hero Academia Rating: Teen & Up Audiences Total Word Count: 22,634 Tags: Aged Up Characters, AU - College/University, AU - No Quirks, AU - Coffee Shops & Cafes, Barista/Electrician/DJ Kaminari, Waiter/Bartender/Psych Student Shinsou, Bakusquad Shenanigans, brief one-sided KamiJirou, side KiriBaku, background EraserMic, background CamieJirou, comedy, alcohol consumption, drinking, house parties, bar scene, implications of depression, cat cafes

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

Written for the ShinKami Big Bang 2020

Things seemed to only be going up for Denki since the night at Lurkers. He was pretty sure that things had been going good between him and Shinsou, too. After getting his number at the bar, they had been texting pretty frequently. Today’s text consisted of a picture of his cat standing on top of the table by his door, paws wrapped around the doorknob as she attempted to twist it.  

I feel like Fen is one evolution away from having thumbs. I shudder to think of the day that happens. 

His phone lit up moments after sending the message and he snorted when he saw the response. 

...there’s too much there to unpack this early in the morning 

??? it’s 3pm?!?

I’m a creature of the night, what can I say?

Lol you sound just like Tokoyami

Wait...is your cat named Fen. Like Fennec fox?

Nope! Fen as in Fenrir! :D

...you...you named your cat after a mythological dog…

OH! YOU KNOW NORSE MYTHOLOGY TOO?!?!?

/too early for this/

When Denki walked into the kitchen, Sero was sprawled out on the couch with his laptop open on his lap, grumbling to himself as he chomped down viciously on an apple. Kirishima was sitting at the table shoveling food into his mouth as his foot tapped out a beat on the tile. 

“Who pissed in your Cheerios, Hanta?” Denki asked after fetching a bottle of soda out of the fridge. 

“Just stressing because Tsuchikawa called to let us know that Wild, Wild Pussycats won’t be able to play tonight because Sosaki came down with a fever. Need to figure out a third act for tonight and update the social media pages.” 

“Having any luck?” Denki asked between gulps of the drink. 

“I wish. Most people I’ve contacted about it have said it’s too last minute. The holiday isn’t making it any better either.”

“Why don’t you play?” Kirishima asked around a mouthful of food. 

“Oh my God yeah! It’s been forever since you’ve played last, Sero. It would be like old times—you and me performing on the same night. Only, you know, we aren’t playing in the same set,” Denki grinned, pushing Sero’s foot to the side so he could plop down on the couch next to him. 

“I don’t know about that guys. I’m not sure that I can be prepared enough before tonight. Besides, it wouldn’t be any fun performing if Kirishima isn’t here to encourage me and my reckless behavior.” Kirishima snorted at Sero’s grin around another bite of food. 

“Sorry man, but this trip with Katsuki is really important, you know? It’s not like I can reschedule it, with the press tours starting after the New Year.” 

“You and Blasty aren’t any fun,” Denki pouted. “Where are you going anyway?” 

“I was able to reserve us a cabin in Hokkaido for the weekend. When we aren’t chilling there, we’ll be out hiking and enjoying nature.” Huh. Well that explained the unusually large backpack that was by the door. “But I really think you should play tonight, Sero. You know I will be cheering you on no matter where I am.” Kirishima’s grin was infectious—a small smile crossed Sero’s face. 

“I’ll think about it. I just might, if I can’t find anyone else to agree to it.”

“Speaking of the show, who else is playing tonight besides Yours Truly?” Denki asked. The smile on Sero’s face strained as he glanced at Kaminari out of the corner of his eye and mumbled a name under his breath. 

“Dude, I couldn’t even hear you. You gotta speak up,” Kirishima laughed while Denki snorted, taking a sip of his soda once again. 

“I said, first act up is Dark Shadow,” Sero ground out and Denki choked on his drink, soda spraying out of his nose. Sero went to whack him on the back, but Denki quickly moved out of his way, glaring daggers at him. 

“Dude? What the fuck? You invited Jirou’s band to play?” Denki croaked out, tears stinging his eyes from the residual soda-spray. 

“What? You know Dark Shadow is a staple band for any show here!” Sero shot back. 

“But you know she’s not talking to me! So why would you go and invite her into our house, Hanta?!” 

“Bro, that’s not very manly of you to do that,” Kirishima quipped.

“I know,” Sero sighed, running a hand down his face. “She asked once she heard through the grapevine that we were having a holiday show, and I agreed to it without thinking. It’s a little too late to tell her nevermind.”

“Traitor,” Denki hissed from his end of the couch as he pulled his knees up to rest under his chin. He wasn’t sure he was ready for this. “Are you sure you can’t stay here and keep the peace, Kiri?”

“I wish I could. But I’m not going to do that to ‘Tsuki, and you know that, Denks. And I’m really sorry, but I gotta get going so I can get him and get to the station in time,” he announced, slipping his feet into his shoes and slinging his backpack over his shoulder. 

“Have fun with Bakugou,” Sero waved halfheartedly, already focused back on his laptop. 

“Thanks guys. Chin up, Denki. I’m sure it will all work out. And have fun tonight for me, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll try. Give Blasty my love,” Denki teased, trying to force himself to think of anything but the sinking feeling in his gut. He quickly fished his phone out, sending off a series of texts to Shinsou in a flurry of panic. 

RED ALERT! My traitor of a roommate invited Jirou’s band to play at the show tonight

(that’s the girl I told you about the other day)

I’m losing my mind. Why did he do this???

ANYWAY! The invitation to the show tonight still stands. I would love if you could be here TwT

He also sent Shinsou his address and had to force himself to put his phone back in his pocket before he continued to panic-text him. Denki groaned, pushing himself to his feet and heading back toward his room to start working on finalizing his mixes and setlist for his performance. 

“You know I didn’t say yes to her to be malicious to you, right?” Sero quietly asked as Denki got to the doorway, a nervous lilt to his voice. 

“I know man,” Denki sighed, the small amount of anger he was harboring deflating. “I just wish I would have had a little more of a warning that she was going to be here than six hours.”

“I should have said something sooner. That’s my bad. I was just worried how you would take it,” Sero admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Did I live up to your expectations?” Denki joked.

“Well, considering you didn’t cuss me out and threaten to not play, I say you’re doing much better than my worst fears,” he laughed. “If it’s any consolation, Jirou seemed genuinely excited to hear that you would be playing tonight.”

“Wait, really?” Denki asked. That didn’t make any sense to him. She was still actively avoiding him, so why would she be happy to hear he was performing?

“Yeah. Maybe she’s ready to make amends? You know her better than we do—she has to do things at her own pace.” Denki thought this over. Ever since he met Jirou the summer between senior year of high school and his first year of trade school, she had always been more of a thinker rather than one who acts impulsively. It’s what made their friendship so strange, them being opposites. But they both wore their hearts on their sleeves, and it definitely took them both a long time to forgive any indiscretions that came their way. And that’s what made them such good friends. 

“You’re right,” he admitted after a few minutes. “I’ll try not to worry about it too much.” He knew that was easier said than done, of course, but as he left the kitchen and immersed himself in his music with Fenrir curled up next to him, he was pretty sure that he could do this. 

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Denki was most definitely wrong—he could not do this. Working on his setlist didn’t take him as long as he anticipated it would, so he soon found himself lying on his bed, periodically checking his phone to see if Shinsou had responded. Each time his phone showed no new messages, he felt his heart sink a little lower and his thoughts start to spiral. Not only was he going to have to spend the night around someone who, as far as he was convinced, hated his guts, but now he also was dealing with the worry that he had (once again) gone too far in his messaging/subtle flirting with someone, Shinsou being the latest victim. 

Time passed by quicker than he realized too. One minute it was 4pm and he was settling in to work on his newest mix, the next, it was inching closer to 8:30pm and he was frantically pulling apart his room to find an outfit to wear to the show. Fenrir’s screams of discontent put a pause to Hurricane Denki’s closet ravaging so he could feed her, but soon enough, he was back at it. None of the shirts he had tried on seemed to fit into the aesthetic he was wanting to go with tonight. His go-to Rage Against the Machine shirt was nowhere to be found, and all of the alternatives just weren’t good enough. He was contemplating just going shirtless when he finally stumbled upon the gag-gift sweater that Sero and Kirishima had gotten him last year for the holidays. The sweater was a galaxy print one that at the hems had flames shooting up the material. A Christmas tree was in the center, and surrounding it were many cats decked out in Santa hats who were pawing at the tree. It was ugly—it was perfect. He paired it with a pair of acid-washed, distressed, skinny jeans and his purple high tops. He knew he was going to be hotter than hell in that cramped basement, but he couldn’t care less. 

He took one last look at his phone, swallowing down the disappointment that there still was no response from Shinsou, and steeled himself to leave his room. He knew Jirou and company would be arriving soon enough to get the equipment brought in and begin the soundcheck, and he wanted to have a decent buzz going before that happened. He gave Fenrir a few good scritches on her head and some treats before shutting her in the room for the next few hours (since he didn’t want to risk her getting out). 

There was a small buzz of activity happening in the kitchen, and Denki found himself drawn there, rather than the living room where he was going to set up the pre-show music, when he heard a familiar, yet unexpected voice speaking. 

“My, my. What do we have here? Didn’t expect to see the Funky Little Firework Man here tonight,” Denki teased as he entered the kitchen, spying both Kirishima and Bakugou seated on the couch. 

“The hell you just call me, Pikachu wannabe?” Bakugou spat out, crossing his arms over his chest. His face was in a weird mixture of a pout and a scowl, which just made Kirishima laugh and pull him close. 

“We weren’t planning on being here either, but as we were on our way to Hokkaido, we got a call from the rental company. Because of a severe snowstorm they are having, the roads from the station to the cabin were blocked off and they had to cancel the reservation,” Kirishima explained, and Katsuki’s frown deepened. 

“We still coulda hiked through the snow. They were just being lame, cancelling on us like that.” Denki laughed at Bakugou’s sour expression and was rewarded with Bakugou flipping him the bird. 

“I’m just surprised you both decided to come here. I thought you were wanting a weekend away together,” Sero added, sipping from his beer as he threw one Kaminari’s way. “Nice shirt, by the way,” he added, nodding in his direction. 

“Oh my God, I can’t believe you kept that thing!” Kirishima laughed, catching the beers that Sero threw his way too. 

“You look like the rejected Ghost of Christmas Past,” Bakugou grumbled as he took a drink. 

“I resent that statement. The Ghost of Christmas Past only wished he looked as good as I do! Anyway, I’m with Sero on this one. Didn’t think you guys would be here.”

“Well, Bakugou here didn’t get to have the full Tape Deck experience last time he was here.”

“And whose fault was that?” Bakugou bit back, but the smile on his face betrayed his anger. “There’s also the fact that Deku has Round Cheeks over at the apartment this weekend, and I don’t want to be anywhere near that mushy gushy crap,” he grimaced, taking another swig from his can. 

“You say that as if you and Kirishima aren’t all mushy gushy yourselves,” Denki teased and dodged the crushed, empty can that Bakugou threw at him. He finished his own beer and fetched the can thrown at him off the floor, dropping it into the recycling bin they had. He went to get himself another beer when the case of energy drinks caught his attention. He spun around in almost manic glee as he grinned at the couple—Kirishima was looking at him with amusement and Bakugou looked wary. 

“Clearly you’re plotting something, Denks. So out with it,” Kirishima laughed, crushing the can and tossing it past Denki to the recycling bin. 

“How do you guys feel about doing some Vegas Bombs?” 

“Why in the hell would we do that, Sparky?” Bakugou scoffed. “I’d actually like to enjoy tonight, not be too trashed to function because of some shitty round of shots.” 

“What? Afraid you’re gonna lose?” Kaminari asked and he could see Bakugou rising to the bait, his jaw clenching and face flushing. 

“The hell I’ll lose. Get the drinks ready and prepare to get your ass kicked,” he growled, cracking his knuckles. 

“Count me in. I can’t wait to beat both of you.” Denki leaned over and gave Kirishima a fist bump; he knew he could count on him to join in the fun. 

“Gonna have to pass, sorry guys,” Sero chimed in, but Denki sort of expected this. Sero didn’t tend to get as hammered as him or Kirishima at the shows. Said that one of them had to be the responsible one, and it might as well be him. He did tend to loosen up a little on nights he played, but it seemed that tonight wasn’t going to be one of those nights. 

“Suit yourself! Three Vegas Bombs, coming up!” This would be perfect—rounds of these drinks would get him to that comfortable buzz that he desired. Denki quickly fetched out the energy drinks and other liquor before flitting over to the cabinet to get the cups and shot glasses. He might not be as good at mixing drinks as Shinsou was, but he definitely knew his way around this one. The three pint glasses were quickly filled with the energy drinks and left to let the fizz settle. The rum, whiskey, and schnapps were all eyeballed into the shot glasses, and if Denki made a mess of the counter, that was for him to deal with later. He topped each shot off with the cranberry juice and moved the glasses from the counter to the kitchen table, a triumphant grin on his face. 

“Alright boys, who’s ready to lose?” he announced with his hands on his hips. 

“You're going down bro,” Kirishima laughed, pushing himself up from the couch and pulling Bakugou, who was grinning evilly, along with him.

“Okay! Sero, you gotta be the judge! Let us know when to start. And make sure neither of them cheat, got it?” Denki laughed and dodged the shove that Bakugou sent his way. 

“Sounds good. Hands on the glasses,” Sero instructed, and all three of them grabbed their pint and the shot. “On three. One. Two. Three.” As soon as the last number left his lips, the three of them dropped the royal flush shots into the pint glass and they chugged. The mixture of fruity liquor and energy drink burned at Denki’s throat and he had to fight back a cough as he continued to chug. He jumped slightly when Bakugou slammed his glass on the table, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth, a wide grin splitting his face. 

“Told you losers I would kick your asses,” he laughed. Kirishima and Denki slammed their own glasses down at the same time, a pout crossing Denki’s face. 

“Dude no fair! How were you able to just down that with a straight face?” 

“Don’t you work with him, Denks? I’ve seen the insane amounts of caffeine that he consumes on a daily basis—a little Red Bull is nothing.” The proud grin that Kirishima wore as he clapped a hand on Bakugou’s shoulder made his heart hurt in ways that he didn’t want to think about right now.

“Oh yeah? Then how about we go again? Bet he can’t win a second round.” That was enough to get them fired up; Denki dished out another round of the drinks and they continued to compete, with Kirishima claiming victory this round. They were about to go again when the door slammed open, TetsuTetsu’s booming voice filling the room. 

“Happy Holigays, my homo-bromos!” he greeted. 

“Bro!” Kirishima cried, clapping their hands together and pulling him in for a one-armed, side hug. 

“Feels like forever since we’ve seen ya! How you been, man?” TetsuTetsu grinned as he pulled away from the embrace and leaned over to give Denki a high five. 

“Not bad! Fly out after the first for this press tour. Not looking forward to that.” Denki tuned out of the conversation as Kirishima continued talking with T, introducing Bakugou before excusing himself to go to his room to change into something more appropriate for the night. Tokoyami was the next to enter the house, a black backpack slung over his shoulder while the other hand was full of his guitar case. He nodded sagely at Denki before turning toward the basement, rat tail whipping behind him. It always came as such a shock to Denki when he saw Tokoyami without his signature mask. For the longest time he thought that it was glued to his face. Denki knew they wouldn’t see any sign of him until the show started, for the man liked to hide in the darkness of the basement as much as he could. Said it helped his ‘creative process.’ As the door to the basement clicked shut behind Tokoyami, Denki could feel the nervousness setting in. He tried to not stare at the back door, but it was in vain—he knew it was a matter of minutes before Jirou would walk in, and he certainly wasn’t prepared. 

“Oi! Dunce Face! Tin Can here said he would finish this round of drinks with us. Get your ass over here,” Bakugou grunted, pulling Denki back into the conversation, and he was thankful for the distraction. The third round of Vegas Bombs ended with Denki finally winning a round, which was surprising given the iron stomach that TetsuTetsu had. He felt a tad floaty, which made him pleased. Right as Sero left the kitchen to go start up the music in the living room and greet some of the other guests that had filtered in, the door opened again and in walked Jirou. The anxiety Kaminari was feeling was quickly replaced with confusion as he noted that she wasn’t alone; a tall and buxom blonde had Jirou tucked under her arm and they both wore soft smiles as they whispered to one another. 

“Finally you two get here,” Tetsu barked out a laugh as he shoved the pint away. “Worried for a moment that you two ran off and eloped.” Eloped? Eloped? Was Denki that drunk that he was hearing things? 

“As if I’d get married without a grand ceremony. Besides, not like Kyoka here has popped the question,” the mystery blonde joked, and Denki continued to blink in confusion. 

“You two are horrible, I swear to god,” Jirou groaned, hiding her face in her hand. “Bakugou. Kaminari. This is my girlfriend, Utsushimi.”

“But you can all call me Camie!” the blonde—no Camie—smiled, waving at the two of them. Denki could only blink. Jirou had a girlfriend? When did this happen? And wait; how did he not realize that Jirou was gay? An elbow dug into his side and he hissed in pain, turning to give Bakugou a glare, who merely rolled his eyes at him. 

“Nice to meet you, Camie,” Denki replied, his voice cracking with nerves. 

“And which one are you, you handsome little thing?” she purred back, reaching out to mess with his hair. The snort from Bakugou as he stuttered out his name was not appreciated one bit.

“Camie, leave him alone,” Jirou complained, but the smile she wore betrayed the amusement she was feeling. Of course it would be at Denki’s expense. 

“Not that I really give a damn, but since Dunce Face over here is impersonating a fish out of water, I’ll be the one to ask. How did you two meet?”

“Oh, well you see, Babe over here literally ran into me. I was walking campus, gotta get to the library you know, when all of the sudden, BAM, I am on my ass on the concrete, books scattering the ground. She hopped off her bike all like ‘oh my god I am so sorry! Are you okay?’ I swear to you, it was love at first sight.” Camie’s animated gestures as she spoke brought a smile to Denki’s face. He hadn’t known her but five minutes, and he already knew she would fit in perfectly.

“Knock it off; it was not,” Jirou grumbled, her face reddening. 

“Maybe not for you, sweetheart,” Camie chuckled, pulling her into her side. “She asked if I wanted to get a coffee at the library coffee shop as an apology and it just snowballed from there. Study dates that turned into late night convos, which then turned to me asking her out on a proper date that didn’t involve the library or school.” 

“How long ago was this?” Denki finally asked. 

“A couple months ago, right babe?” The nod from Jirou, who had her gaze trained on Kaminari, both confirmed Camie’s question and answered the unspoken question that Denki had. At least, one of them. No wonder Jirou turned him down so viciously. Camie turned her attention to annoying Bakugou, who was busy getting himself more drinks while he waited for Kirishima, and Testu had excused himself to go to the bathroom, leaving Denki leaning against the table with Jirou standing awkwardly next to him.

“So, you’re a lesbian?” he finally blurted out, cursing himself for being such an idiot. Jirou looked over at him, expression unreadable for the briefest of moments before she cracked. Her body shook with the force of her laughter and tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. It was contagious—Denki found himself laughing along with her, slapping a hand on the table repeatedly. 

“Oh my god, you’re such an idiot,” Jirou gasped out, wiping away the tears and taking some of her eyeliner with her. “But yes, Denki, I’m a raging lesbian.” 

“How in the world did I miss that? But now I feel awful for all of those pickup lines I threw your way,” he snickered as his own laughter subsided. 

“Guess your gaydar must be broken. Would have thought the hair gave it away,” she chuckled as she gestured to the side shave she was currently sporting. “But in all seriousness, I owe you an apology. Clearly you didn’t know, and it wasn’t fair of me to snap on you the way I did.”  

“Nah, I definitely deserved it. I was being a jackass and not reading the room right.”

“When are you not a jackass?” she quipped with a smirk. “That said, we cool now? I really hate the awkwardness between us. Really kills my vibe.”

“Cool as a cucumber,” he grinned, shooting finger guns at her as she groaned in annoyance. 

“Aww, my babe and her bff have made up!” Camie squealed, rushing over to envelope them in a hug. Denki was quick to escape the near chokehold the taller blonde had on the two of them, choosing to go crash on the couch.  

“Denki and Jirou made up? Just how long was I gone?” Kirishima questioned with a laugh as he walked into the room. Tetsu and Sero followed Kirishima in, each grabbing a beer from the fridge.   

“Long enough, you shitty-haired bastard,” Bakugou grumbled as Kirishima stood behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist and resting his chin on top of the other’s head. Denki was pretty sure it only took Kirishima a long time to change because he was washing the hair gel out so his hair could hang loose, since there was no way in hell that it took him forever to change from hiking jeans and a flannel into a pair of black skinny jeans and a Suicide Silence muscle tee. But he would never out his bro like that. 

“Holy shit, Ei? You’re here?!?” Jirou asked as she was still trapped in the bearhug that Camie gave her.

“Long time no see, Jirou,” he laughed, stealing the beer from Bakugou to take a drink from it. Denki saw Jirou and Tetsu share a look before Jirou was squirming out of Camie’s grasp, making a beeline for Kirishima. 

“You should come help me and Tetsu get the rest of the equipment from the van!” Jirou said, trying to pry Kirishima away from Bakugou, who was trying to swat her away. 

“Yeah bro! Come help. We’re wanting to do something special tonight, because of the holidays, and who better to run it by than you?” Tetsu chimed in, a shit eating grin on his face. Confusion crossed his face before some sort of realization set in, of what Denki couldn’t tell you, and a grin to rival Tetsu’s own split his face. 

“Of course I’ll help you guys out!” he exclaimed, handing the beer back to Bakugou, who was thoroughly pissed off, especially when Kirishima told him to just hang out upstairs. “Sorry 'Tsuki, I’ll be back in a bit, promise. Don’t wanna ruin their surprise.” He gave Bakugou a quick kiss, which did nothing to erase the angry look he was sporting, and took off after Jirou and Tetsu to help them with whatever this plan of theirs that they were cooking up was. 

“If they’re doing what I think they’re doing, this is about to be a very interesting night,” Sero chuckled as he collapsed next to Denki on the couch, nursing his beer. Bakugou shot a glare his way, grumbling something along the lines of ‘cryptic bastard’ under his breath. Denki took the time to fish his phone out of his pocket and tried to not let the disappointment settle further in his stomach as he saw his messages to Shinsou were left on read. 

“Nu uh. We already have one grumpy-puss tonight,” Camie chided as she walked over to stand in front of Denki, ignoring the shout of protest from Bakugou behind her. “I may be new here, but this place seems like it’s supposed to be full of fun, laughter, and good times, not frowns, gloom, and doom.”

“Pretty sure Tokoyami prefers the latter,” Denki joked. 

“Well he’s downstairs brooding in the dark. Now put your phone away and let’s get this party started. How do you feel about tequila shots?” she grinned, pulling a bottle out of her oversized purse. 

“Oh man, you fit right in.” Denki felt his own face stretch into an almost manic grin as he pocketed his phone once again and heaved himself up from the couch. He wasn’t going to let the thoughts of screwing up with Shinsou get in his way of a fun night. Slamming three shot glasses on the table, because Denki was going to make sure Bakugou would join them instead of moping like a kicked puppy so help him, he was ready to really get this party started. 

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Denki wasn’t quite sure how or when he ended up in the basement—tequila was known to do that to you—but he felt the excitement of the beginning of the show thrumming through his veins. Bodies packed the space, and Denki knew from experience that as the night went on, more people would arrive. Bakugou was still pouting and it only got worse when he couldn’t get Kirishima’s attention. Sero stopped him before he stomped up to the designated stage area, telling him that he just needed to be patient. Kirishima still stood with Dark Shadow, his back to the crowd as he chatted with the members, and Denki was fairly certain he saw a guitar strap wrapped around his neck. Instantly, all of the pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. 

“Dude! Is Kirishima going to do what I think he’s going to do?” Kaminari questioned Sero, smacking at his arm. 

“Just watch and see, Denki,” Sero grinned.

“What are you extras going on-” Right as Bakugou was about to explode on the two of them, the first note from Tokoyami reverberated through the basement, silencing any lingering conversations. Jirou’s bass soon was added to the mix, and the anticipation was eating at Denki. He knew what was coming, but nothing could compare to the first ripple of shock that ran through him at a live show once the music started. Back still to the crowd, Kirishima inhaled loudly and on the exhale, the magic happened. The guttural words rang out into the quiet of the basement, his head tilted back, microphone poised in his hand above him as he screamed out the intro. As soon as the last word rang out, he turned around, face cracked into a wide smile as he hooked the microphone onto the stand. Tetsu immediately joined in and the band came to life—the cacophony of guitar riffs, bass lines, and drum beats filled the cramped space with an energy that was contagious. The look on Bakugou’s face as Kirishima joined in with a rhythm guitar, headbanging as he waited for the first verse to start, was one that Denki only wished he had the foresight to record, because that shit was priceless. As the verses bled into the chorus, both Jirou and Tokoyami lended their voices in a perfect harmony to compliment the rough vocals that Kirishima was dishing out. Tetsu continued to beat away on the drums, looking every bit in the element that Denki knew he was in. The area in front of the stage soon started to fill with bodies slamming against one another, various liquors spraying all around, as the mosh pit took life during the breakdown. Denki was itching to join, especially after watching Bakugou jump into the fray, but he hesitated. The last time he was in the pit with Bakugou, it didn’t end so well for anyone involved. Cheers from the crowd echoed all around as the ending notes rang out. Bakugou’s shouts of pride for Kirishima were the loudest, which made both Denki and Sero snort in laughter. 

“Happy Holigays, ya filthy animals!” Jirou cried out. “Bringing you some true, back to the roots, Dark Shadow tonight, courtesy of one Kirishima Eijirou! Now, let’s get this party started!” The loud roar of cheers was soon cut short by Tetsu’s drumming filling the space as he transitioned into the next song. This one was Jirou dominated with Kirishima growling out the supporting chorus. Tokoyami was swaying as he played the chords, letting the music flow through him, the serene look Denki knew he was sporting hidden behind his signature raven mask. The song finished and immediately pushed forward into the next and Denki threw himself into the pit during the breakdown after downing the beer he brought down with him. Between Bakugou and Camie he found himself getting thrown around, laughter bubbling up from him. He had missed this so much. He skidded to a stop next to Sero as the song ended and the band took a drink break. 

“Dude! Next time I’m all down and depressed, throw me in a mosh pit. Instant cure,” he panted and swiped Sero’s drink away from him to finish himself, much to the taller man’s chagrin. 

“I’ll try to remember that,” he chuckled. 

“Dude, where are you going? It’s just now getting good!” Denki asked as Sero started toward the stairs following Jirou’s announcement that this would be the last song featuring Kirishima for the night. 

“Stepping outside for a moment,” he said as he brought two fingers to his lips in the universal sign for ‘I need a smoke.’

“Man, I thought you quit that shit,” he teased and received a shrug in response. “Suit yourself—you’re gonna miss the best part. Bring me back a beer!” he called to him as he dove back toward the mosh pit, the heavy riffs reverberating in his bones. He was pretty familiar with this song, given that it was one of Kirishima’s favorites to blare when they went to the gym together, so as he pushed and shoved along with the others he was screaming along to the lyrics, feeling more free than he had in a long time. A mammoth of a man nearly sent Denki flailing back on his ass, but Bakugou and Camie caught him and propelled him forward. 

“Watch it, Baldy!” Bakugou growled. 

“I’m not bald! But my apologies!” the man yelled back, bowing down and nearly knocking his head on Camie’s shoulder, who laughed and shoved him. The tension that had started radiating from Bakugou disappeared as soon as it came, and he went back to enjoying the rest of the song. Denki followed suit, more than energized that he was getting to see his bro really let loose. He couldn’t wait to mosh with him later. 

“Alright! Hope you guys are having as much of a fuckin’ great time as we are!” Jirou yelled, her chest heaving as she caught her breath as the song ended. “Thanks again to Kirishima for joining us!” There were hoots and hollers as he waved and left the stage area to be beside Bakugou, who pulled him in for a rough kiss. 

“Why the hell didn’t you tell me you could do that, Shitty Hair?” Bakugou asked as soon as they parted and Denki could only laugh along with Kirishima, who was sheepishly scratching at the back of his head. If only Bakugou knew that had Kirishima showed up on time on his birthday, he would have found out just what his boyfriend was capable of. 

“I’m really excited for this next song. Tokoyami and I have been working on something a little different for the drop of our EP. Hope you guys are ready for this!” Jirou called out as she grabbed an acoustic guitar. Tokoyami had already traded his electric one out for his own acoustic one, and with a nod from him, they started. The tune was faintly familiar as they plucked away at the strings, Tetsu in the background providing muted percussion against a wooden table. Jirou and Tokoyami’s voices complemented each other beautifully, and it was driving Denki crazy why he couldn’t place the song. He tried to not let a pang of jealousy hit him as he watched Bakugou cling to Kirishima. If he hadn’t screwed up, then maybe that could have been him and Shinsou tonight. He expelled that thought as soon as it came—he couldn’t let himself get down now. He was still riding the high of the pit and nothing was going to come in the way of that. The chorus of the song hit and that’s when Denki realized it was a song that Shinsou had shown him the last time he was at Cool Beans.    

“What an interesting take on this song. I would have never thought to make it acoustic. I really like it,” a voice said beside his ear, making a shiver run up his spine. He blinked, looking over to see what must be an illusion standing by his side. 

“Shinsou? You’re actually here?” Denki questioned, still not believing his eyes. He figured that he was being stood up, if that’s what you could call it, when he hadn’t gotten an answer all day about the invitation to the show. 

“Yeah, I’m here. Sorry, I meant to text you earlier and let you know I was going to make it, but the cafe got super busy. Then I had to chase Jacques around the apartment because he took off with my shirt,” he chuckled. “Also, you can call me Hitoshi, if you want,” he added, a blush dusting his face as he handed a beer over. 

“Then you should call me Denki. And I must say, Hitoshi, this is most definitely more your scene,” Denki smiled as he eyed Hitoshi. He was in a pair of black skinny jeans which were ripped at the knees and upper thighs and they were cuffed above a pair of dark purple Doc Martens. He had on the same black tank top with the unidentifiable band name in silver (that had been driving Denki nuts for ages) on with a dark purple and black flannel shirt tied around his waist. His hair was pulled up in a sloppy bun and all of his piercings were in and damn, Hitoshi looked like a whole ass meal.

“Oh really? And what possibly gave you that impression?” he joked, eyebrow arched. 

“For starters, you don’t look like you’re about to jump out of your skin at the slightest touch,” Denki laughed while the haunting harmony of Jirou and Tokoyami rang throughout the cramped basement. 

“I am almost scared to know what else makes you think that this is more my scene,” he chuckled and took a swig of his own drink. 

“Besides the fact that you look like you walked out of an alternative magazine looking sexy as fuck? What other evidence do you need, handsome?” he flirted and Hitoshi choked. 

“You can’t just say things like that Denki,” he grumbled, wiping his face with the back of his hand. “Just how many drinks have you even had tonight?” he asked as Denki downed the beer given to him, crunching the can and tossing it. Kaminari’s sassy response was cut off by the ending notes of the song ringing out and he called out a loud cheer that was echoed by others in the room.

“How did you even know where to find me?” Denki asked as the realization that Hitoshi was here and standing next to him finally sunk in. He knew he sent him the address, but sometimes navigating the house could be a pain.  

“He ran into me,” Sero said, weaving himself back into the crowd as Dark Shadow switched gears from acoustic to electric once again, the song one of the best covers of My Chemical Romance that Denki had ever had the pleasure of hearing. “Figured he was looking for you since he seemed to fit the description of the ‘totally cute cat man’ you’ve been going on about,” he snickered and Denki’s face flamed at the arched eyebrow aimed at him from Hitoshi. 

“Oh! You’re the waiter from the cat cafe! How’s it going, man?” Kirishima asked as he popped over with Bakugou in tow, both covered in sweat from the pit. 

“It’s been a day, that’s for sure,” Hitoshi shrugged. 

“Tell me about it, Eyebags,” Bakugou scoffed. “I’ll be back—gonna go get us some more drinks.” He took off up the stairs after giving Kirishima a quick kiss and flipping Denki off after he asked for yet another drink.   

“Dude! It was great to see you play again!” Denki yelled, taking control of the conversation and leaning over to give Kirishima a fistbump. “I feel like it’s been entirely too long and that’s a travesty.”

“You’re right. Hopefully I can get back to it soon enough. By the way, my name’s Kirishima. Nice to meet you!” he smiled, extending a hand out to Hitoshi. 

“Shinsou. Same to you,” he responded, clasping hands with him. 

“I met him when I was doing work at Cool Beans! By the way, the angry blond goblin is Bakugou. We work together at Sugar Rush!” Denki laughed. 

“I’m also Ei’s boyfriend, so don’t be getting any thoughts,” he griped, returning and shoving a drink, which suspiciously smelled like rum and coke, at Kaminari. 

“Don’t worry—no offense, but he’s not my type.” Bakugou’s eyes narrowed at him, but he decided against whatever smartass comment he was planning to say as the last notes of the song rang out.

“Oh really? Then what exactly is your type?” Denki purred, threading his arms through Hitoshi’s, who coughed and immediately flushed a bright red. Thankfully, Jirou’s announcement that this would be the last song of their set distracted Denki enough from getting an answer out of the poor man. “Come on! Gotta enjoy the show to the fullest!” he exclaimed, pulling Hitoshi into the pit. The song was a heavier one than Denki was used to hearing from Dark Shadow without Kirishima playing, but he was proud of them for branching out. Denki felt more alive than he had in ages—the laughter and shoving from his friends surrounding him as the song was reaching its crescendo. Things were deliciously fuzzy as the alcohol raced through his body and he felt like he was floating. He found himself flailing from an unnecessarily hard push from Bakugou, but two large and warm hands shot out and steadied him. 

“Whoa there. No eating shit tonight,” Hitoshi murmured, his voice the only thing that Denki could focus on in the moment, the sound of music becoming a muted roar in the background. Denki looked up, panting, and was struck with just how beautiful Shinsou looked; his hair was wild, whisps sticking out of the sloppy bun and framing his face in the most breathtaking lavender halo ever. His eyes were shining with amusement and there was a light sheen of sweat coating his skin. The dim lights of the room were reflecting off his piercings and Denki was almost certain he was looking at the face of an angel. But what really drew him in was the honest to god grin that Hitoshi was sporting. He had seen the smirks and sarcastic grins that Hitoshi had a tendency to wear when he wasn’t looking bored, but this was the first time he had seen his true smile, and Denki was hooked. He could feel his mouth moving, but he wasn’t exactly sure what he was saying to Hitoshi, the hysteric need to get the thoughts of just how gorgeous and utterly hooked on him he was off his chest fueling his inebriated ramblings as the song was coming to an end. Whatever he was saying seemed to have an effect on the other man, for his eyes widened and jaw slackened slightly. As the feedback from the guitar reverberated through the cramped quarters, Denki closed his eyes and pulled Hitoshi down by the shoulders and pressed their mouths together in a quick and sloppy kiss. He felt Hitoshi stiffen momentarily before tentatively returning it and Denki was sure he had died and gone to heaven. Nothing mattered more to him than the feeling of Hitoshi’s mouth working against his as they stood in the dimly-lit basement, shoes sticking slightly to the liquor and sweat dampened floor as hoots and hollers from the crowd, and his friends, faded into a pleasant murmur in the background. They separated, chests heaving, and there was a softness in Hitoshi’s eyes that made Denki feel all warm and fuzzy inside. 

“Thank you for such a great show tonight!” Jirou said, her voice slightly hoarse from the performance. “Up next we’re gonna have Tape Deck’s own Cellophane serenading us! If you’re interested, find us over at the merch table for a copy of our new EP Revelry in the Dark! Until next time, ya filthy heathens!” The crowd dispersed, many making their way to the merch table that Camie was setting up and others heading upstairs for more booze or smoke breaks. Denki leaned against Hitoshi, who wrapped his arm around him, pulling him close, and sighed happily. While Sero made his way to the stage to prepare for his set the only thing that kept revolving in Denki’s mind was he was a very lucky man. If the grin from Hitoshi was any indication, the feeling was mutual. The basement quickly filled back up and the first notes of Sero’s set filled the air, a serene and stark difference from Dark Shadow’s performance. He cuddled closer to Hitoshi, swaying along with the music, and as he lost himself in the melody he found himself having absolutely no regrets.

[drarrily-we-row-along]

Day 125: Accidental Bonding (Part One)

When Harry woke up, his head was pounding and his heart was racing, he thought he might vomit. He staggered over to the floo to firecall in to work.

Robards answered, "Junior Auror Potter, good morning."

"Hello, sir," he said before his stomach heaved and he had to turn away and take a few deep breaths to steady himself. "I need to call in sick, sir. I think I've got a virus."

"What are your symptoms?" he asked curiously.

"Really bad headache, it feels like my eyes are going to pop out of my head; elevated pulse; and nausea."

His brow furrowed, "Who was your training partner yesterday?"

"Malfoy, sir," he said, his gut twisting uncomfortably.

"Where did you go?"

"Excuse me-" he broke off and held up a hand, turning away from the fireplace to try to get his bearings as his stomach tried to eject itself through his esophagus. After a moment he turned back, "We were sent to that old antique shop, sir," he said as quickly as he could manage.

"You're going to need to go to St. Mungo's."

"I don't-"

"That's not a request, Potter. Go there now and I'll be sending Junior Auror Malfoy right along."

"But-" Harry started.

"No buts, Malfoy called in with the same symptoms and I'm not taking any chances," and without another word he ended their connection.

With a sigh and one more longing look at his bed, Harry headed to St. Mungos.

(Read more below the cut)

They ended up putting Malfoy in the same room as him since they were there at the Ministry's behest and with the same symptoms. Harry tried not to look at him, imagining that getting irritated would only worsen his ever growing headache. Malfoy must have felt the same because he was less annoying that usual.

Healer Kenner, a stern looking woman who reminded Harry very much of Professor McGonagall, ran diagnostic test after diagnostic test and then finally said, "Well, you're bonded."

"What?" Harry yelped.

Malfoy groaned, "You've got to be fucking kidding me."

"Language, Auror Malfoy," she tsked.

"Apologies."

With a short nod, she continued, "The good news is that most of your discomfort can be alleviate by simple physical contact."

"And the bad news?" Harry asked wryly.

"There's nothing we can do to break the bond."

"What?" Malfoy spat.

"Surely, there's something-" Harry started.

She shook her head, "I'm afraid not. But it's not permanent," Healer Kenner added. "It'll only last a month."

"A month?!" Harry asked incredulously.

"Well it's certainly better than forever," Malfoy snarked, rubbing his hands over his face.

Harry wondered if Malfoy's head hurt as much as his did. He certainly hoped so.

But before he could say anything, Healer Kenner raised her wand and cast a spell the dragged their beds across the floor to the other. "Hold hands," she instructed.

He crossed his arms over his chest and Malfoy let out a pitiful groan.

"The sooner you do it, the sooner you'll start to feel better," she chided. "Just be glad that this particular bond only wants prolonged physical contact."

Harry shuddered, he'd heard the stories about some of the more archaic bonds.

"Oh, for Circe's sake," Malfoy grumbled as he reached across the space between them and clasped Harry's forearm in his hand.

A sense of relief hit immediately, Harry groaned as a weight lifted off his chest and the headache started receding.

"It will be faster if you both actively participate."

At this point, as the waves of relief were rolling through him, Harry was willing to do anything. He flipped over his hand, offering it to Malfoy.

The other man slid his hand down Harry's arm, as though he was afraid to break contact with him, and clasped Harry's hand in his.

She was right, his world seemed to right itself as they sat there holding hands and he let his head drop back against the bed as he took full, deep breaths for what felt like the first time in ages.

"How long do we have before it starts to feel like that again?" Malfoy asked, which Harry could admit was a good question.

She hummed, "I'd say two hours maximum before the discomfort starts affecting the way you function." After a short pause, Healer Kenner added, "You're going to probably want to spend nights together."

"Can't we just see each other in the morning?" Malfoy asked.

And Harry couldn't help but agree, "This wasn't that bad," he added. "And now that we know-"

She shook her head, "Now that your bodies are acknowledging the bond, the effects will set in quicker."

"Great," Harry grumbled. "Just bloody fantastic."

This day just kept going from bad to worse. He had no idea how he was going to tell everyone that he had an accidental bonding with Draco sodding Malfoy.

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

They argued about whose house to stay in overnight and finally decided to flip a coin for it. Draco won.

And that was how Harry found himself standing with a duffel bag outside of a surprisingly cute little house, knocking and waiting to be let in.

"Potter," Malfoy greeted as he opened the door to let him in.

And Harry wondered if he was feeling the bond tugging at his skin, too, if the bond was making his gut clench and making him feel irritable and like there was something crawling under his skin. "Can I-?" he started through gritted teeth, reaching a hand toward Malfoy but stopping a few inches away.

Malfoy nodded and closed the distance between them.

The moment he touched the other man his body sagged with relief, swaying back against the doorway.

After a moment, Malfoy released his hand and gestured toward the rest of his house, "Come in," he said. "It's nothing fancy," Malfoy said, "But it's home and it's not something that my family owned."

Harry wasn't quite sure what to make of that statement, so he just focused on looking around the house as Malfoy gave him the tour. Malfoy was right, it wasn't anything fancy but it was surprisingly cozy. It was nothing like Harry had expected; he'd imagined black leather and green decor, dark and broody. But the house was the opposite, the closest anything got to Slytherin green was the sea form green accents in the bathroom. "You have a nice house," Harry said.

"You needn't sound surprised," Malfoy said with a sniff, "I have excellent taste," he added as he opened the door to the bedroom.

The bedroom had pale blue walls and cream bedding, the dresser and wardrobe were both a dark wood that Harry couldn't identify. All in all, it was a nice room, very relaxing.

"You can use this drawer," Malfoy said, flicking his wand at the second drawer to open it, "And I cleared a space for you in the closet."

"Err, thanks," Harry said.

He rolled his eyes, "Don't mention it. I know it's hard for you to believe but I can actually be considerate when the mood strikes."

Before Harry could reply, Malfoy left the room, calling over his shoulder, "I'm making salmon and rice for dinner. If you don't like it you can make something for yourself."

This wasn't quite what he'd expected, Malfoy wasn't quite what he expected, he thought as he put his clothes away. Maybe Malfoy wasn't who Harry thought he was.

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

Nope. Malfoy was precisely who Harry thought he was. The two of them had spent the entire night arguing about literally everything: about using coasters (when they were wizards and removing water stains was no big deal), about which clothes Harry should have hung or left folded, about the proper way to do the dishes, about their friends and the kind of people they were, and dozens of other things that made Harry want to tear his hair out.

They were still bickering when they went to bed because Malfoy had the nerve to critique the way Harry brushed his teeth and to demand that Harry wash his face before he get into bed.

"I'm not letting the oil in your skin damage my pillowcases!"

"My skin doesn't damage pillowcases," Harry snapped. "I have pillowcases too, you know, and none of them have oil stains."

"Potter wash your fucking face or I am covering your pillow with a paper bag," Malfoy threatened. "It's not a fucking hard request. It will take you literally two minutes."

"Fine!" Harry shouted, throwing his hands in the air and returning to the bathroom.

When he came out, Malfoy was already on the left side of the bed, sitting with his back against the headboard, reading a book. "Was that so hard?" he drawled.

"Oh fuck off," Harry grumbled as took off his glasses and he threw himself down on the right side of the bed, punching a pillow for the sheer pleasure of punching something.

"You're such a bloody neanderthal," Malfoy grumbled without looking up at Harry.

"Shut up!" Harry finally erupted. "For Merlin's sake just shut up and I will, too."

Malfoy glanced over at him, looking unperturbed which honestly made Harry even more frustrated.

"It's going to take me ages to fall asleep because I'm so fucking irritated."

After a moment, Malfoy reached over and put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "It's the bond," he said quietly. "We're not touching often enough and it's making us lash out."

"I don't think we need any help in that department," Harry grumbled but he could admit that he was feeling better already.

Malfoy chuckled, "You're right about that, I suppose."

He shook his head and reached up to cover Malfoy's hand with his own and expedite the process. "This does help though," he said with a yawn.

The other man hummed, "I think we should agree now that whenever either of us wakes up over night that we'll reach out and touch the other so we can get as much sleep as possible."

Through a yawn Harry murmured, "Sounds reasonable." He closed his eyes, surprised at how tired he was feeling all of the sudden. "Merlin, I'm knackered."

"Do you mind if I leave the light on to read for a while?" Malfoy asked.

He opened one eye to look at Malfoy's blurry face, "That's nice of you to ask," he said. "I don't mind."

"Are you certain?"

He nodded. "Night."

"Good night," Malfoy replied, going back to his book but leaving his hand on Harry's shoulder.

Harry drifted off, asleep in minutes.

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

When Harry woke up again, the sun was peaking in through the curtains and he felt fantastic. He blinked open his eyes and realized that at some point during the night he and Malfoy had shifted, drifting until Harry's front was pressed tight against Malfoy's back, his body curled around the other man's.

He really ought to move.

But he was just so comfortable and his body was warm and loose and he just couldn't bring himself to move away.

It wasn't long before Malfoy started to shift, waking up slowly and Harry panicked. He did the only thing that he could think of and feigned sleep.

Malfoy arched and stretched, pressing his body back against Harry's for a long, delicious moment before he jumped, seeming to realize what he was doing. Then he held very still like he was waiting for something and Harry wondered if he was waiting for him to say something. When Harry didn't move and continued pretending to sleep Malfoy carefully withdrew himself and climbed out of bed to head to the loo.

Harry laid there for a long moment, missing the warmth of the other man's body, missing the way they'd seemed to fit together already.

Just the bond, he assured himself. This was all just the bond.

Right?

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

Ahhh friends, I'm sorry. I hate to leave you like this but this one's going to need a part two. This girl is exhausted and this fic(let) is taking way longer than anticipated to write. I'll get part two written and posted tomorrow. <3 Lots of love, C

Part 2

Day 124: Joke | Day 126: Arranged Marriage

[cherrycheridarling]

'someday maybe' | t.h.

tom holland x singer!reader

warnings: one swear? fluff and angst? kisses

summary: you're so close to finishing your second album when your manager pushes the deadline, your ex tom helps you write the final track.

{listen to someday by michael bublè and meghan trainor (if you want)}

wc: 2.1k

"Someday maybe when we're old and grey,"

"Yes, yes. I know. You are not being a very helpful manager right now, Noelle." you spoke to your phone as you paced around the living room, "Okay. I'll get working on it. Bye." you huffed and threw your phone against the couch.

Your album was due to be released in two months and you needed one more song to tie it all together. Your manager, Noelle, was pushing you to finish the song so she could start the promo of the album.

You were incredibly grateful for your career, but the pressure weighed down on you everyday. Never ending.

With a final groan you picked up your acoustic guitar and sat on the couch. Picking at the strings, trying to find a melody. You hit record on your voice memo app before strumming away.

"Someday maybe when we're old and grey, we can be in love once more. 'Till then I won't give my love away. Darling, I'm forever only yours." you sang softly.

You and Tom had a joyous relationship. A love that only ever existed in movies and fairytales. The type of love story that gets told for generations and onwards. But alas, all good things must come to an end.

Your breakup was calm, serene and clean. A mutual agreement as if your whole relationship had been a business deal. There were no loose ends or jealous passive aggressive remarks made. Just maturity and respect for one another.

Your pinky still held the promise ring he gave you. A token of appreciation. A reassurance that he'd always be there for you. And he lived up to his word.

Tom walked in and sat across from you, startling you, "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you. Whatcha writing?"

"Need a final song for the album. Sorry for showing up unannounced. I just get better inspiration here, with all the memories, you know?" you timidly looked back down at the guitar.

Tom nodded, "No need to apologize. We gave you a spare key for a reason."

You couldn't stop yourself from spilling the words from your lips, "That was when we were together."

You could hear the awkward silence start to fill the room before he spoke again, "Still our best friend, Y/L/N."

The pain that crossed your features was instant. Being addressed by your last name felt like a stab to the gut. Especially by Tom.

You nodded before playing again, "Can I help you write it?" Tom asked as he sat next to you.

"Dancer, gymnast, actor and now songwriter. How many hidden talents have you got, Holland?" you teased making him laugh.

He shrugged with a smile, "It's kind of like writing a poem, right?"

You pondered on his analogy before slowly nodding, "Yeah, it kind of is. Give it a go."

You began playing the melody and he listened intently for a few moments before singing, "I love seeing you happy. I miss seeing that smile. It's been such a long time. A– Nope. Nope. Nuh-uh. I can't do it." he shook his head aggressively with a loud laugh as you stopped playing.

"No!" you quickly protested, "That was amazing! Don't leave me hanging, c'mon." you nudged him with your shoulder before strumming again.

"Alright, alright." he ran his hands down his face, "And although I don't have you, I know now that I need to?" he paused and gave you a skeptical look before you nodded again, "Somehow make you mine. Mmm."

"Oh, okay. He's giving ad-libs and all. Get it." you nodded as he laughed.

You were so engrossed on Tom actually writing a song with you that you didn't focus on the lyrics he was singing.

"And I won't lie, it's hard seeing you with him 'cause I know he can't hold you like I can." his mood seemed to drop by a thousand as the words left his lips.

"When can we meet this boyfriend of yours?" Harrison flicked your forehead from across the booth.

You, Harrison, Tom and Tuwaine were all sat in the local pub. Pints of beer in front of each of you as loud music and chatting filled your ears.

You shrugged, "He's picking me up, so possibly tonight."

Tuwaine's eyes lit up, "Fina-fucking-lly. I swear you've kept him hidden for years."

"We've only been together for three months, T." you laughed lightly with the group of boys.

And they met him. It wasn't the smoothest of introductions, but an introduction nonetheless.

"Boys, this is Kai. Kai this is Tom, Harrison and Tuwaine." you gestured to the parties as they all shook hands and gave polite greetings.

"So," Harrison started, "What do you do for a living, Kai?"

Kai cleared his throat, "I'm a Senior Resident at Kingston Hospital. Working towards being Head of Pediatrics."

Tuwaine and Harrison both nodded, impressed by his profession. Tom's face remained expressionless as he stared at Kai with cold eyes.

"Do you have any siblings, Kai? Any psycho ex-girlfriends? Any wacky cousins?" Tuwaine joked making everyone laugh. "'Cause Y/N has a lot of wacky cousins."

"We could be in love once more,"

"Hey!" you gasped with a laugh.

Kai pulled you closer to him as he laughed, "No, no wacky cousins or psycho exes, but I do have an older sister and a younger brother."

This game of ask and answer continued on for a few more minutes. Tom didn't say a word, just sipped his beer and burned holes into Kai with his eyes. If looks could kill, Kai would be six feet under.

Kai was a sweetheart, but you two ended ages ago. His work got too much for him and your job had you touring and travelling every second.

You picked up after him with the chorus before diving into your own verse, "I remember that love song. I sang every word wrong, but you didn't mind, no, no."

"I love the things you do. It's how you do the things you love. Well it's not a love song, not a love song. I love the way you get me, but correct me if I'm wrong. This is not a love song, not a love song!" Tom belted the 'Austin & Ally' song from the top of his lungs.

"Your turn!" he pointed the pretend mic in your direction.

You laughed, not knowing any of the lyrics, but still wanting to participate, "I love that you not a licket! And you own a watch and chicken! We got a car!" you sang with full confidence, making Tom burst with laughter.

"Yes! Sing it, darling!" he cheered you on, "Absolutely butchering the lyrics, but sing it!"

"Being stuck inside a car. If it's not a doe, don't kiss it! I can't hear a missing, when there's a shoe inside the ceiling! If you really need to fart, you can lunch on a pig farm! Love song! Love song!" you couldn't even hear the song in the background, your voice overpowering it.

Tom was hunched over from laughing before he came back up and planted a soft kiss on your lips, "You are one hundred percent ridiculous and I love it."

You brought yourself back to reality and sang again, "And I'll admit that I miss you, but only if you do. 'Cause you know that I'm shy. And I can't lie, it's hard seeing you with her. 'Cause I know she can't love you like I can."

Tom's eyes met yours as the words fell from your gentle lips. His mouth was slightly agape as you continued to strum.

"You are absolute rubbish. Imagine coming in eighth. Embarassing." you laughed as you crushed Harrison in a game of Mario Kart.

He shoved you with his shoulder, "You're such a try ha—"

"—It's always the same, Tom! How can I trust you? You follow gorgeous models on Instagram and expect me to trust you?" Nadia's voice cut Harrison's words off.

You looked at him with wide eyes, his expression matching yours.

"Those women that I follow have been my friends for ages. Who I follow on a stupid app shouldn't effect how much you trust me."

You paused the game, cutting off the theme song, "How long have they been fighting like this?"

Harrison sighed, a long groan following, "A few weeks. I think it started when she saw that he liked your Instagram picture?"

You stammered, "M-my post? She got mad about my post?"

Harrison nodded before opening his mouth to speak, but Nadia cut him off again, "And she practically lives here! How do you think it makes me feel seeing my boyfriend play house with a superstar?!"

"Aw, a superstar? I'm flattered." you joked making Harrison stifle a laugh.

"I've been friends with Y/N since we were in nappies!"

"I can't be with you if you're going to be friends with her."

Your laughter abruptly died at her words. Harrison stiffened beside you.

"Y-you can't be serious. You can't make me choose between you and her."

"Why? Because you're gonna choose her?" you could hear her voice crack.

"I-" Tom couldn't make out a sentence for a few moments, "Yeah. I'm gonna choose her."

Your heart fell from it's place, stopping at your feet. Harrison brought a hand to his mouth, "H-he chose you. He chose you!" he whisper shouted before you shushed him.

"Of course. I don't know why I expected anything different. I think I'll be going now." Nadia's footsteps approached the living room.

You and Harrison scrambled to look as if you weren't eavesdropping on their argument/breakup.

Tom followed close behind her, "I'm sorry. I really am."

She nodded, hand on the doorknob, "I know. Goodbye." she stepped out of the house, slamming the front door shut in the process.

Tom let out a breath of relief before turning to you and Harrison who were staring at the Mario Kart home screen with the infamous tune playing.

"You guys are terrible actors."

"'Till then I won't give my love away,"

"I'm forever only yours." the both of you finished the song in unison.

There was a moment of silence before you reached over and ended the voice recording.

"T-that was really good. You can change what I wrote, I know it isn't as good as anything you would've written, but I tried. And it was actually pretty fun and I never knew how difficult songwriting was un—"

"—Kiss me." you cut Tom's rambling off.

His eyes grew wide, "W-wha—"

"—Kiss me, Holland."

He swallowed, a small smile stretching on his lips, "Thank God."

And with that, he leaned in and pressed his lips to yours. Interlocking like missing puzzle pieces. Moving in sync like waves in the ocean. Soft and sweet, but filled with passion. You could feel his smile against your lips causing you to grin.

His hand came up to pull your face closer into his. Caressing your jaw, fingertips playing with the hairs on the back of your neck. His other hand holding your hip in a tight grip. Pressing the pads of his digits into your flesh, scared that you might slip through his fingers again.

One of your hands was pressed flat against his chest. Steadying yourself, the heat of the kiss threatening to throw you off of your axis. Your other hand tangled itself into Tom's curls. Pulling and tugging lightly causing small groans to fall from Tom's lips. Your fingernails scratching his scalp. Pulling him impossibly closer to you.

"I want my ten pounds." Harrison's voice snapped you and Tom out of your make out session.

Him and Tuwaine stood in the doorway, shit eating grins on their faces.

Tuwaine laughed before placing a ten pound note in Harrison's palm, "You guys couldn't have waited until next month to get back together?"

"You two were betting on us?" Tom laughed at his mates who nodded.

You shook your head with a smile, "Absolute idiots, all of you."

Harrison let out a happy sigh and pocketed the money, "Today was a good day. Had a sick ass shoot. Got ten pounds. And my best friends are finally together again." he waltzed into the kitchen with Tuwaine, leaving you and Tom alone again.

Tom's shy expression met your gleeful one before he spoke, "Someday came a lot sooner than expected, huh?" he chuckled.

You nodded with a laugh, "It certainly did and I am not complaining."

He sent you a wide grin before cupping your face and connecting your lips to his again.

"Darling, I'm forever only yours."

[boxesandrings]

For the fic request

Shane x F! farmer pls they want to tell jas and Marie about them dating. and their going to to do it at a dinner at marnies ranch.

Hi! I finally wrote this piece and had a lot of fun with it! It took me a while because I had a lot of ideas about how this could go, and wanted it to be fun! I hope you enjoy!

Title: The Set Up

Rating: G

Summary: Shane and the Farmer have been seeing each other for a few months, and want to tell Shane's family over dinner. Marnie, who's unaware of what's been going on, has a different plan for the couple.

Characters: Shane, F!Farmer, Jas, Marnie

Word Count: 3141

Story under the cut, and also on my AO3!

Shane had just finished buttoning up his shirt when he heard Jas yell and slam the door. He ran out of his bedroom, head swiveling as he searched for her, afraid she had fallen or gotten hurt somehow. He listened for her sobs, but sighed a breath of relief when he heard her excitedly talking to someone outside of the ranch. He checked his watch— 4:45. Marnie must be home. He headed towards the door, determined to rescue his aunt from the excited 7-year-old, who had been just a little too excited about dinner with the Farmer tonight.

Jas and Marnie liked the Farmer, quite a bit, which Shane was incredibly grateful for. He and the Farmer had also gotten incredibly close over the past year and a half, something that Marnie had wholeheartedly approved of, as the Farmer had somehow pulled Shane out of his depression, sobered him up and set him on the right path again.

What Marnie hadn’t realized was that two months ago, Shane and the Farmer had spent the day in Zuzu city exploring, watching the Tunnelers and taking tours, exchanging quiet confessions and kissing in every darkened alleyway they passed. They had been dating since but hadn’t told anyone yet, afraid of the newness of the relationship. The pair had finally decided to tell Marnie and Jas about them, and when Marnie had invited the Farmer over for dinner last week, they decided that it was the perfect time.

Shane got to the door and opened it, taking a step out into the brisk fall air. He was surprised to find that instead of Marnie, Jas was excitedly trying to jump on the Farmer, rapidly asking questions and attempting to pull things out of the brown paper bag the Farmer had brought with her. The Farmer was laughing, spinning in circles so that Jas couldn’t reach inside of the bag, carefully holding a wrapped package and some kind of bottle under her arm, answering the few questions that she could.

“Jas, get off of her.” The Farmer looked up, noticing Shane for the first time. She smiled, and Shane noticed her cheeks grow pink as she quickly scanned his body and felt his own grow warm.

“I like that, your shirt. You look nice today.” The Farmer readjusted the items she held, shrugging her arm so that the bag made its way back to her shoulder, her hands holding the package tighter. Shane bit his lip— she was wearing some kind of black, sleeveless dress, made seasonally appropriate by a dark, rich orange turtleneck underneath. She looked beautiful.

“You’re early,” is what he said instead, but he could tell by the Farmer’s curling lips and mischievous look that she might have guessed what he had truly been thinking.

“Marnie told me 5?” Shane shook his head.

“Oh, I thought-- Maybe I misheard.” Shane motioned to Jas. “Come on, let’s let her in the door.”

Jas groaned but walked over to Shane, reaching up to take his hand as he led her back into the house. The Farmer followed behind, setting everything as carefully down on the kitchen table as she could. She began to unwrap the package she had been carrying, taking Jas’ attention once again.

“What are you carrying? What did you bring?” Jas was gripping the edge of the table, jumping up and down hoping for a better view. The Farmer smiled as she worked.

“Your Aunt asked me to bring a pumpkin pie, and I figured I’d bring some apple cider too!” Jas ‘ooh’d’ as the pie was finally revealed, but her attention quickly turned to the bag as she grabbed at its edge.

“And in here?” The Farmer laughed and took the bag away, lifting it to her own face and taking a look inside.

“Well, it’s mostly just a bunch of stuff like vegetables that I thought you guys might like, but I think I did have something for you…” The Farmer reached into the bag and pretended to dig around, tongue sticking out as she looked up at the ceiling. Jas was beside herself with excitement, but Shane rolled his eyes, trying to hide his smile.

She was so sweet with Jas. He had never said anything to the Farmer about it, even before they were dating, but he could tell the Farmer understood that Jas was always going to be the most important thing to him. Jas’ parents were dead and Shane was incredibly protective of her, helping raise and take care of the girl with his aunt.

The Farmer finally pulled out a deep purple flower and Jas gasped, carefully accepting it as she stared at the petals. The Farmer crouched down to Jas’ level, watching the girl’s face.

“Do you like it? Shane told me they were your favorite.” Jas nodded, turning the flower in her hand.

“Yes! Thank you!” She gave the Farmer a hug, wrapping her arms around the woman’s neck. She pulled away, smiling, then turned around to face Shane. “Look!”

“I see! How cool!” He took a step forward and picked Jas up, resting her on his hip. She was getting big, he wouldn’t be able to do this for much longer. He looked at her face, where something blue and sticky was on it. “Dude, what’s all over you?” He tried to rub a thumb against her face, but the gunk didn’t budge.

“We made slime at school today! It’s in my room, do you wanna see?” He set Jas down.

“Later tonight, sure! But I think we’re going to eat really soon, why don’t you put your flower in your room and clean up?” Jas nodded and sped off, closing the door to her bedroom behind her.

Shane looked at the Farmer, who had stood up and was now leaning against the table. She smiled when their eyes met.

“Hi.” Her voice was quiet, and Shane smiled now and walked closer to her, their bodies only inches apart.

“Hi.” She wrapped her arms up around his shoulders, their bodies now pressed together. He had his arms wrapped around her back. “Did you bring anything for me?” The Farmer pressed her lips together, an over exaggerated thinking look on her face.

“Hmmm… nope?” She looked back up at him, their faces getting closer. Shane heard the faucet in Jas’ bathroom turn on.

“Oh, but I had something for you.” His forehead pressed against hers.

“Yeah? What is it?” Shane kissed the Famer, their lips finally meeting as he held her. He could kiss her forever, but pulled away after a few seconds. They hadn’t told his family yet. “You look nice today.”

The Farmer giggled, pressing her face into Shane’s shoulder. He heard a muffled ‘thanks’ from his shoulder, and had been preparing something else, some other compliment when he heard the oven timer go off. He took a sudden step back and made his way toward the oven, the Farmer swaying forward and letting out a small ‘ah!’ as he did.

“Sorry! Chicken’s done. I think.” He grabbed a pair of oven mitts and put them on, reaching for the oven door. He heard the Farmer grab something behind him and make her way toward the fridge, opening the door.

“I’m gonna put the pie and the whipped cream I made in here.” Shane pulled the chicken out. Did it look right? He hoped he followed the recipe right. Where was the meat thermometer, he better check.

“Wait, the pie in the fridge? Aren’t they supposed to be warm?” He opened a drawer, searching for the utensil.

“Maybe? My family always put the pumpkin ones in the fridge at least. I like them cold.” Shane found the thermometer and stuck it in the chicken and sucked in through his teeth.

“Geeze, I don’t know if we’re gonna work.” He looked over at the Farmer and smiled, who in turn stuck her tongue out through her teeth and scrunched her nose. He turned his attention back to the bird— the temperature was good.

The Farmer made her way to a cabinet, searching for utensils to lay out. “That smells really good.” Shane smiled.

“Thanks, I just showered.” He heard her snort behind him, and the rattling of the forks in her hands.

“Hardy-har-har. I meant the chicken.” Shane nodded, taking off his oven mitts and heading toward the refrigerator, where Marnie had put the salad she made earlier.

“Thanks. I’ve never made it before so I hope it’s alright?” He put the salad in the middle of the table, then took half the utensils from his girlfriend and started on the other side of the table. “It’s Marnie’s recipe, so if it’s gross we can just blame her.” The two were now standing on the same side of the large circular table, and when they bumped into each other made eye contact and smiled.

“My ears are burning, someone must be talking about me!” Marnie sang as she walked into the kitchen, setting her purse down on the counter. Her eyes were flicking back and forth between the couple, a large smile on her face. Shane scooched away from the Farmer awkwardly, but the Farmer didn’t flinch, instead walking toward Marnie with her arms outstretched.

“Marnie! Thank you for inviting me over today. It’s been so busy this season, so it’s nice to take a break and actually eat a proper meal.” She gave Marnie a hug, but wasn’t prepared for the force of Marnie’s hug back.

“Of course! You’re always welcome here.” Marnie finally let the Farmer go, scanning over the other woman’s outfit. Marnie turned to Shane, obviously about to say something, but paused as she took Shane in with an approving look in her eye.

“Well, that’s quite a nice shirt.” She nodded at him, but Shane scrunched his face.

“It’s a shirt! I can wear nice shirts sometimes. Why is everyone bringing up the shirt?” He moved toward the hallway door. “I’m going to get Jas, she was washing some… weird… goo off of herself.”

Shane made his way to Jas’ room, the chattering of the women behind him still audible. Marnie’s loud and warm laughter, the Farmer’s sweet giggles. He knocked on Jas’ door and waited for her response, opening when he heard her tiny voice.

Jas was at her little desk, coloring a picture when Shane walked in. He saw the Farmer’s flower in a large cup by Jas’ bed, water practically up to the bloom. He’d have to pour some out later, but admired Jas’ efforts.

“Dinner’s ready, kiddo.” Jas looked up at him, smiling.

“Do you like it? I’m drawing the flower.” Shane nodded, admiring the purple and blue image on the table.

“It’s very pretty.” Jas smiled, and set her crayons down. “Now let’s go eat!” Jas didn’t move.

“But Aunt Marnie told me to give the adults some space tonight.” Shane cocked his head.

“What?”

“Yeah, she said before she got home to let you talk with your friend for a bit.” She smiled at Shane, so proud that she had followed her Aunt’s instructions so perfectly. Shane felt even more confused.

“Well,” he said, shaking the feeling off, “now I’m saying to come eat dinner with us. Let’s go.” Jas hopped up, running out of the room.

In the hallway, Shane and Jas ran into the Farmer on her tiptoes, reaching up into a closet. Shane stopped, but nudged Jas ahead to the kitchen.

“Do you need any help?” The Farmer stepped back, nodding.

“Your Aunt asked that I get some tablecloth out, that she was too short to grab it, but I don’t think I’m doing much better.” Shane scratched his head. Since when did they use a tablecloth? He peered up into the closet, spying the fabric far overhead.

“I don’t think either of us would be able to get that without a stepstool. There’s one in here somewhere, I think.” Shane dropped to his knees, sorting through the boxes below until he found what he was looking for. He pulled it out and pulled the bars apart.

“Oh, thanks!” The Farmer climbed up both steps, reaching far up into the closet overhead. The tablecloth was still a little high up— who even put it there?-- and the Farmer was still reaching far above, her heels lifted, wobbling slightly. Shane steadied her with a protective hand on her back, ready to hold her if she started to fall. The Farmer stretched as far as she could, finally pinching the fabric between her fingers.

“Got it!” She pulled down the tablecloth with a swift motion, almost falling backwards as she did. Shane steadied her, concerned as he held his girlfriend.

“You good?” The Farmer nodded.

“Yeah.” She looked down on Shane, smiling.

“Oh good! The tablecloth is out.” The couple turned to face Marnie, who was leaning against the archway leading into the kitchen, her lips pressed tightly in a way suggesting she was trying to hide a smile. Shane moved his hands back to his side, realizing that he still had them around the Farmer. “Well, shall we eat?” Marnie turned around and quickly headed into the kitchen. The Farmer and Shane looked at each other, and followed behind.

Once the tablecloth had been laid out and the placemats reset, the group sat down to enjoy their dinner, chatting amicably about nothing at all; the season was going well, the animals were producing at a nice rate, Jas had gotten an A on a test. A few times, Marnie would ask a question that would give the Farmer pause, asking about past relationships, what she thought of certain people in town, and Shane would throw his aunt a look, mentally pleading for her to change the topic. Or suddenly, she would grow very complimentary of Shane, talking about past achievements or how he was with Jas, and Shane could tell the Farmer was holding in laughter.

“You know,” Marnie finally said, “We’re really so glad that you came into our lives. Shane’s been doing so much better since the two of you met. You’re really such a positive influence on him.” The Farmer bit her lip, her jaw tense trying to hold back a grin. Shane’s face flushed red.

“Oh, thank you.” She looked briefly at Shane, then back to Marnie.

“Marnie, I— yes. But I don’t think we really have to—” Marnie cut Shane off, kicking her nephew under the table.

“I mean, the two of you make such wonderful friends, I’m sure he agrees. Right Shane?” Shane didn’t know if he could blush any harder, his cheeks were burning. The Farmer’s eyes were wild, practically eating her lips to hide her smile.

“Yeah, we’re real good friends.” Shane cleared his throat.

“Actually, we were, uh, gonna—” Marnie cut him off again.

“I really think you two should hang out more, even. I mean, you get along so well, and who knows where things could go.”

“Marnie!” Shane jumped in his chair and grit his teeth. “What are you doing?” The Farmer covered her mouth with her hand, shaking with laughter. Much like the rest of his family, it seemed, she loved to see him worked up. Jas, holding her cup with both hands, was taking a long sip, her eyes darting between the adults at the table. Marnie turned to Shane.

“What? You were obviously never going to make a move, I thought I’d help!” the woman stage-whispered, her voice loud enough that everyone at the table could hear her. The Farmer lost it now, tears streaking down her face as she laughed.

“Marnie!” The Farmer's head was on the table as she tried to contain her laughter, her hair well into the food, but she hadn’t noticed. Even Jas now was giggling behind her cup at the spectacle unfolding before her.

“I see the way you look at her! Nothing is ever going to happen if you keep mooning at her from a distance!”

It all made sense now. The two different dinner times. Jas’ weird statements. Marnie waiting in the hallways. The table cloth. His aunt had been trying to set them up, unaware that they had already done it themselves. The Farmer lifted her head, shaking still.

“Shane, do you have a crush on me?” He could barely make out the words between her giggles.

“I— Marnie!” He turned back toward his aunt. “I— you don’t need to set dates up for me! I’m a fully grown adult!” Marnie shrugged.

“It really looked like you needed the help.” The Farmer’s head hit the table again, causing Jas to spill her apple cider as she laughed.

“I don’t need the help! We were going to talk about this tonight!” Marnie tilted her head. Shane cleared his throat, trying to settle down. “We’re already dating. We were just waiting for the right time to bring it up.” Jas set her cup down, a large smile on her face. Marnie clasped her hands together over her chest.

“Oh! Shane, why didn’t— is this true?” Marnie turned toward the Farmer, who lifted her head and nodded, still crying. At least she was having fun.

“Yeah, it’s— it’s true,” the Farmer said through giggles, and Jas immediately began to fire off questions at the Farmer. Marnie clapped again.

“Oh! Shane, I’m so happy. You two really would— do— make a good couple, I was so hoping this would happen.” Shane rested his head in his hands, massaging his temple.

“It was just so new that we didn’t want to tell anyone, in case...” Marnie laughed.

“There’s no way it’d go bad.” She looked toward the Farmer, who was still shaking but trying to answer Jas’ questions. Marnie herself began to laugh, the giggles almost uncontrollable. “Looks like you didn’t need any help after all.”

Shane looked up, thoroughly prepared to be annoyed with his aunt, but as he looked at the women at the table— Marnie laughing in her chair, Jas asking rapid fire questions as his girlfriend did her best to answer them while she giggled— and realized that maybe this was just okay. His family already loved his girlfriend (maybe more than him, even) and were rooting for the relationship, even when they didn’t know about it.

The Farmer caught Shane’s look and winked before turning her focus back to Jas, and Shane smiled. While Marnie had somehow gone about things in the worst way possible, the night had gone well. And now, Shane could do what he had wanted to do since the Farmer had caught him in the barn working with the chickens, all those months ago— call her his girlfriend, to make it known how he felt about her, how she felt about him. The night had definitely gone well.

[antebunny]

April 30: rebirth

(Also called Bargaining–idea is taken from an old Loki fic with the same time travel premise).

When Jiang Yanli dies, Wei Wuxian goes into denial and just runs from Nightless City. He goes back to the Burial Mounds and feverishly works on a time travel array. Within the month he completes it and prepares to travel back in time, but there’s a catch. He first activates the array and then spends the next several hours going through the ritual, while outside the Siege of the Burial Mounds begins. The Wens know what Wei Wuxian is up to so they understand why he’s not bothering to protect them. He completes the ritual just as Jiang Cheng and Lan Zhan burst into the cave. They’re both there, at the front, in order to protect Wei Wuxian, but by the time they arrive it’s too late: the array is fading and Wei Wuxian is already dead. He barely sees them in the entrance when he dies, which leads him to (logical) conclusion that they’re there to kill him.

Here’s the catch: Wei Wuxian gets to go back, rewrite time, and change things. He decides to go back to the day before he got kicked out of the Cloud Recesses. But when time finally arrives at the time he activates the array, everyone gets their memories back. Although a lot of people will remember dying, it’s preferable to actually dying. Then Wei Wuxian has to conduct the ritual again, to ensure that this is the future that stays, and seal the deal with his own life. Basically, in order to change the future Wei Wuxian has to die. And obviously because he's Wei Wuxian, he decides that that’s okay so long as everyone gets to live.

So Wei Wuxian comes back to life with a golden core and cries for a solid minute, scaring tf out of Jiang Cheng, before he gets a grip. Then he proceeds to yell at Jin Zixuan, not get kicked out, and live life like everything’s normal. He enjoys the next six months of peace, and then he gets to work. Once the year is over, he goes on a very long night hunting trip, kills the Xuanwu of Slaughter, and sets up the cave for use. A year later and they’re at the archery competition, where Wei Wuxian still places first, meets Wen Ning again, and doesn’t pull off Lan Zhan’s forehead ribbon.

Then Wen Ruohan is ~mysteriously~ assassinated and the Wens declare war on all the sects in revenge. When the Wens come for Lotus Pier, there’s no personal vendetta, and Wei Wuxian hides in the shadows and drowns all of them. Then he pretends that he got knocked out and was unconscious somewhere hidden from the main battle where Jiang Cheng finds him. They win the war, and Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan are still alive and bickering with each other, the Jiang sect is still strong, etc. etc. Wei Wuxian personally hunts down Wen Zhuliu early in the war, before he can cause any damage. Then he also kills Jin Guangshan, blames it on the Wens (does it make sense? No. does anyone care? No) and Jin Zixuan commits fully to the war. Jin Zixuan learns to appreciate Jiang Yanli during the war, and since they’re already engaged they get married soon afterwards. Jin Guangyao gets taken in as Jin Zixuan’s younger brother, and since Jin Zixuan is a decent person who doesn’t want him to commit crimes but also needs Help, it goes a lot better. Meanwhile Wei Wuxian finds the DafanWen and they move to the Xuanwu cave, which Wei Wuxian has prepared. Also the carcass of the tortoise should scare anyone away.

Wei Wuxian sticks around to see his sister get married, takes Lan Zhan on a tour of Lotus Pier, at the end of which Lan Zhan proposes. Wei Wuxian is confused but figures that Lan Wangji must like this version of him that hasn’t used resentful energy as far as Lan Wangji knows or recused the Wens as far as he knows, or done any of the things that Other Lan Zhan hated him for. The Wens ask him to adopt A-Yuan, which he does after talking about it with Lan Zhan and after they get married. So now Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are married and they have an adopted child. That part was all the fluff and fix-it, cue the angst. The date of Wei Wuxian’s death draws near, and Wei Wuxian starts getting moody and antsy, starts drinking. Yu Ziyuan yells at him, of course, and everyone else worries over him. It is during one of these blackout drunk sessions that Wei Wuxian tells Lan Wangji that he fully expects Lan Wangji to regret marrying him in the future. Lan Wangji swears up and down that he won’t, and Wei Wuxian kinda critiques himself and calls himself selfish, for marrying Lan Wangji and raising a kid when he knows it’s not going to last.

Basically Wei Wuxian starts getting skittish and disappears for periods of time to the Burial Mounds, where he acquires enough injuries that Lan Wangji suspects that someone is hurting him, which Wei Wuxian vehemently denies, but Lan Wangji is still Onto him. He goes to Jiang Yanli, who says that Wei Wuxian has been acting differently ever since he came back from the Cloud Recesses, seemed to know things that were going to happen before they did, disappears at odd times and incidents that occur when Wei Wuxian is missing, and they get Jiang Cheng, who recalls that one time Wei Wuxian woke up in the middle of the night and just bawled, and after that didn’t lose his temper on Jin Zixuan, pulled back on his most crazy antics.

Still, none of them suspect the exact day, so on that day, Wei Wuxian gets up, tells Lan Wangji he’s going to train the Jiang juniors, and then just…disappears. Night comes and Lan Wangji is already worried, according to the juniors he never showed. Yu Ziyuan accuses him of slacking, but then Lan Wangji barges in crying, holding a note. In it, Wei Wuxian doesn’t tell him about the time travel, but says that Wei Wuxian is going forever, and Lan Wangji will understand why tomorrow. He understands that it’s too much to wish for that Lan Wangji won’t hate him, after how selfish he’s been and what a terrible person he’s been, marrying Lan Wangji and pretending it can last, but he hopes Lan Wangji can still look back and remember him fondly in the future. He apologizes again and tells Lan Wangji again that he didn’t mean to tarnish Lan Wangji’s reputation or saddle him with a child, but A-Yuan is here now and he knows Lan Wangji loves A-Yuan. He leaves a similar cryptic note for Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli, apologizing to all of them for things they don’t understand.

Lan Zhan immediately begins searching for him all through the night, and then in the morning everyone blacks out and suddenly has memories of a different past couple of years, for most people starting with Wen Ruohan getting assassinated. People don’t immediately suspect the Yiling Patriarch, because they think he was simply never created in this timeline, and lives as Head Disciple Jiang and Lan Wangji’s husband, but Wei Wuxian’s family know better. They immediately rush to the Burial Mounds, and find it guarded by corpses. Inside the cave, Wei Wuxian begins conducting the ritual, also crying because he really had a happy life this time and he really really doesn’t want to go, but he can’t bear to revert to the original timeline, not when everyone is still alive here, so he continues. Yu Ziyuan and Jiang Fengmian find out about the whole yiling patriarch thing and jiang yanli is just like…i don’t care. Jin Guangshan is dead and can’t care, Jin Guangyao doesn’t have a vendetta, Jin Zixuan does what his wife says, and Jiang Yanli is alive so Jiang Cheng has no beef, plus he sees the lengths Wei Wuxian went through to save everyone. He also understands the letter now, then he and Jiang Yanli confront Lan Wangji like…do you no longer love him? Lan Wangji of course reacts poorly to this accusation and denies it. They leave A-Yuan behind and go to the Mounds with the intention of convincing Wei Wuxian that he doesn’t have to run away and they want him back.

They arrive in the cave just as Wei Wuxian is finishing with the ritual. But of course, parallels, Wei Wuxian looks up to see them standing in the entrance of the cave and thinks that they’re there to kill him, but also can see how distressed Lan Wangji looks and attempts to reassure him that he doesn’t have to kill Wei Wuxian! You know, his husband in this timeline! Because Wei Wuxian will do it himself! Wei Wuxian makes them fight some corpses while he rushes to finish the ritual, because they seem keen on stopping him (“i know you disapprove of demonic cultivation but this is the only way to save everyone”). Lan Wangji tackles him away from his ceremonial knife, and Wei Wuxian fights back (still has golden core!) they both fight desperately (“i have to do it myself Lan Zhan, otherwise I would let you do it”) over the knife. Jiang Cheng insists that there must be another solution, bc he doesn’t want Jiang Yanli to die. Then Wen Qing and Wen Ning walk into the cave, and Wen Qing like the genius she is, proposes the Alternate Solution. (What is it? Idk. just a magic solution in which Wei Wuxian doesn’t have to die). Wei Wuxian pauses in the middle of fighting Lan Wangji (“i don’t have to die?” he asks while Lan Wangji is busy shattering the knife and then he and Jiang Cheng pin him down so he can stop trying to kill himself in front of them. “Nope,” says Wen Qing, the only person with brains here). So Wei Wuxian sits on the floor of the cave, tied with deity-binding thread (Wei Wuxian: let me go Lan Wangji: not until you promise to go with wen qing’s version of the ritual Jiang Cheng: unless…do you want to leave? Wei Wuxian: no!) (What’s the solution? Maybe all of them sacrifice something important to them, maybe they just…all use their power to BS their way through a solution? Again, I don’t know).

So Lan Wangji unties Wei Wuxian and they hug and kiss and they all head back to Lotus Pier, where they eat a celebratory dinner, and reunite with A-Yuan, and Wei Wuxian celebrates the fact that he can live this happy life and not owe the world anything/need to go through the ritual.

The End!

[prettylittlebutterflie]

It All Started With A Break

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31840603

Okay, so I have fallen down the rabbit hole known as MariBat and I just can't stop all the ideas I have because of this and decided that enough is enough and I am doing it.

This is my very first fanfic - or any fic actually - but I hope you guys like it and be WARNED that some of you may find some part of this story that's similar with another and that may've been because I really liked the idea when I read it and wanna have a kinda similar thing here and the same goes with some trope of this fanfic in the future, but I'll do my best to keep it unique. I am also new to the DCU, but I'm doing research and planning to binge watch stuff and if you could please help this poor soul find a way to navigate and somehow get an idea on how that universe work (especially abt the batfam), I'll be forever grateful to thy savior.

This fic is canon until S4 Ep 1&2 (Truth & Lie) of MLU and as for the rest, I'll let you guys know.

So yeah, that's all. Enjoy and hope you guys like it. (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

P.S. Sorry I kinda ranted, this is my first time actually posting smth so bear with me people

SYNOPSIS

It’s been four years ever since Hawkmoth, who now goes by the name Shadow Moth, began his reign of terror in Paris. Four years worth of akumas that have brought pain and suffering. Four years of no rest in controlling their emotions, afraid of what may come if they were controlled.

After four long years, the Miraculous Team can finally see a ray of light. Everything they have sacrificed for that one goal they all share is finally going to be repaid… Not.

Locating Hawkmoth was easier said than done, and the frustration is finally getting to them. With that, it was decided that they need a break from their hero lives — ok, maybe not. After all, Shadow Moth is proving himself to be a workaholic (like dude, don’t you have anything better to do than destroy everyone’s schedule?) — but anyways, it was clear. THEY. NEED. A. BREAK. Away from Paris. Away from Hawkmoth. Away from the frickin akumas.

So yeah, that’s how it was decided (more like forced) that they are going to America to relax, let loose, and have some fun. After all, who knows, maybe a break is all they need to get things to start getting better — or worse.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

PROLOGUE

“Alright. So, we are going to take a break—”

“For two months.”

“For two months. And because it’s supposed to be a break, that means—”

“No thinking of anything Moth related.”

“No thinking of anything Moth rela— Moth related?”

“You know, Hawkmoth, Red Moth, Shadow Moth, those Moths.”

“Right. Moths. Aside from Moths, it also means—’

“No thinking of akumas.”

“No thinking of akumas. For this entire break, we’re not going to think about—”

“Anything Miraculous related.”

“Anything Miraculous related. Alya, do you really need to do that every time I’m about to say it?”

“It’s because she knows you. We know you. It’s ridiculous, utterly ridiculous, how you always promise not to worry about something, especially anything Miraculous related, just to break it the moment anything related to it comes up. So, yes. She needs to say it and repeat it as much as possible for it to go through that head of yours.”

“Guys, I swear, I’m really going to follow through with this plan. I did agree that we need to unwind ourselves since we’re getting way too stressed and that won’t help us focus on our job.”

“Only after we bugged you about it. Get it? Bugged. Pfft—”

“Hey! Puns are my thing. And you shouldn’t be saying it like that. You’re making it ape-solutely obvious and that makes it not punny anymore”

“Dude, do you really have to do that? That’s so not paw-some. Pfft—”

“All puns aside, it is true that we had to convince you, Mari-hime, to agree on taking a break. Although I rarely take a break from fencing, my Mother and I are aware of the importance of having one and may I also remind you that you were the one who taught us that.”

“And that’s why I told you guys to go have one.”

“But you plus the kitty are the ones who need it the most. Remember what future-me said? About you two always leading us and how she— or rather I am the last one called upon? That means you guys are always gonna work while the rest of us may or may not be needed in some fights.”

“There is a 97.6% probability of you two showing up in fights.”

“Because we have to. It’s our responsibility as the one leading our team.”

“M’lady’s right. Besides, there were only the two of us in the beginning and with all the akumas, we just got used to it.”

“But that doesn’t mean you don’t need to rest. The music I’m hearing from both of you is filled with the stress you guys have and it doesn’t sound nice. Maybe you two unwinding will help make it more beautiful and even more powerful than before.”

“Fine. We’re all taking a break—”

“Especially you and Adrien.”

“Especially Adrien and I, for a month. Now, does anyone have any ideas on how we're gonna do that?”

“Ooh! Me, me! I have a competition coming up this summer break so I can’t really go anywhere too far since I have some training to do.”

“I’m sticking with the ape. Gotta keep an eye on him if I don’t want him messing up with the timeline. Plus, it’ll be pretty fun beating him up every time he asks for a challenge.”

“Hey!”

“The same goes for me. Someone has to make sure the correct time is recorded with not a single millisecond of it missed. Kwami knows how many times he messes it up whenever he does the recording himself.”

“Okay. So Kim, Alix, and Max will be staying in Paris. Are you guys sure that you’ll be able to take a break even if you’re in the city?”

“Yeah, we're fine. And I am totally beating you next time, little bunny.”

“Whatever. There’s nothing wrong with dreaming, y’know.”

“Anything else?”

“Oh, I have an internship in America this coming summer. The one at the Daily Planet. I just got the email and I was finally given an invite!”

“Really? Cool! Told you you’ll get it, babe!”

“Yeah! That’s really awesome, Alya! So I’m assuming you'll be accepting that?”

“You got it, girl! I mean, this is the Daily Planet we’re talkin’ about. I’ll learn so much about writing and journalism there, I’ve just got to take it.”

“So Alya’s going to America. Anyone else with plans outside of the country?”

“There will be an upcoming world-class fencing competition this summer and Mother and I have discussed my participation in it. It will be held in the States as well, specifically Gotham, two weeks before the end of the summer break. Maybe you should participate in it as well, Adrien. That way, you’ll have an excuse for your father to leave the country. I’m sure Mother will be happy to convince him as well to let you participate in it. That way, at the very least, I’ll have someone I know who’ll be an actual challenge.”

“Really? That actually sounds great! I’m sure Father would agree if your mother’s the one who suggested it. Thanks Kagami!”

“Okay. Kagami and hopefully Adrien will have a fencing competition in America too.”

“My Dad is having a tour in America right now. He’ll be having the last one at Metropolis during the summer break. He actually wants me to go with him, but I declined. It’ll be great if we all could go there and see it.”

“Dude, that’s so cool! Maybe you’ll even get to perform with your dad on stage. You did make that song with him that reached the record chart’s top. I’ve even made a playlist based on it.”

“Okay then, that makes Alya, Kagami, Adrien, and Luka going to the States. Chloe, do you also have plans to go there this summer? Maman said your mother was thinking of inviting you to be one of the models in an upcoming fashion show there.”

“She did mention something like that, but I wasn’t really paying attention to details once I found out that it’ll be outside of Paris. I’ll discuss it with her again then I can have my much needed vacation in the States.”

“So now that makes five of you going to America. Nino?”

“Well, I don’t really have any plans this summer. Just chill out and relax, y’know, make some playlist, listen to some music.”

“Ooh! How about you come with us, babe? That’ll be so cool and not all of us will be doing something most of the time while we’re there. You can just chill and relax there and maybe you could even study the kind of music they listen to and make a playlist out of it.”

“I would love to go, but I don’t think I really got the money for it. ‘Sides, my parents might not allow me to go out of the country.”

“You’re already 18 and if your parents ever say no, just tell them that you want to really relax, without keeping your emotions in check and have the freedom to let it out. I’m sure they’ll understand and unlike my Father, they actually listen to you.”

“As for the money, I have some savings and if you want I can lend you some-”

“But-”

“Lend. I’m not just giving it to you. You will have to pay me back, alright? And if you try to say no again, I’m going to insist that you don’t pay me anymore.”

“You sure? You're the best! Thanks, Minette.”

“No problem. So now that makes six of them—”

“Seven.”

“What?”

“Seven. We’re including you.”

“Me? But Alya, I already got plans this summer.”

“Plans? What plans?”

“I was planning on working on my commissions this summer an— Guys, can you all stop rolling your eyes on me and no, Chloe. I don’t need you doing it again.”

“Girl! We all agreed that we’re going to take a break this summer. How does doing your commissions sound like a break to you?”

“You all got your own thing to do this summer and mine just happens to be those. Also, the break was for anything Miraculous related. My commissions don't exactly fall under that.”

“Nope. We actually all agreed that for you, commissions should be added to the list of things you get to take a break from.”

“Adrien! I thought you’re supposed to be my partner? So much for the two of us against the world.”

“He is still your partner alright. But also, as someone who truly cares about you, he decided that you really needed a break. And besides girl, this could be your chance!”

“Chance? What chance?”

“Your pen pal! Doesn’t he live in Gotham? You could go and finally meet him. Who knows? Maybe something might happen.”

“Ooh, he’s from there? That’s awesome! You should totally go meet him. Maybe you could even go on a date or two-”

“A date?! Kim, he’s just a frie-”

“You stop right there, Dupain-Cheng! It’s ridiculous, utterly ridiculous! All of us already had enough with Adrikins always calling you ‘just a friend’ when it’s pretty obvious how totally untrue that statement was. We don’t need you ending up just like him, thank you very much.”

“But he really is-”

“Yeah right. If he really is just a friend, then why do you guys stay up all night talking to each other? You always immediately check your phone whenever a notif comes up and you smile like a love-sick fool whenever you read his messages for you. And don’t get me started on the way you gush about him non-stop.”

“There is something beautiful in your music whenever you talk or even think about him.”

“Your smiles are much brighter compared to before the two of you got to know each other.”

“Markov and I also have a record of your heartbeat and we have observed your heart beating faster whenever we talk about this certain topic.”

“And it's been more than a year since you two have become pen pals. The two of you are now so close that it’s a wonder why you guys still haven’t video-called each other just because you insist for your first time seeing each other to be in person.”

“I think it’s rather romantic. They’ll look into each other’s eyes for the first time then BAM! They’re finally together. But I still plan on giving him a shovel talk the first chance I get. Can’t have him break my twin’s heart without him knowing I have the god of destruction on my side.”

“What do you mean shovel talk- I mean, what even gives you the idea that he thinks of me that way for you guys to assume that we’ll end up in… in that kind of relationship?”

“He’d be an idiot if he still hasn’t fallen in love with you.”

“Literally almost everyone I know had a crush on you or have you forgotten already that my boyfriend’s one of those people?”

“I know for a fact that that’s true since I’ve already admitted that one of my reasons why I began bullying you back then was because I had a crush on you.”

“I must admit, I think I also had the same feeling towards you at the beginning of our friendship until I really got to know Luka and you helped us get together.”

“Oh! There’s also that. Do you actually know just how many people you’ve helped get together, buginette? Alya’s even written an article about it at the Ladyblog of how you are also known as Paris’s own cupid and how all of the couples you’ve paired ended up living a happy life together.”

“Everyone’s been saying how Ladybug’s the next best person they can go to if they ever want to find love after Andre.”

“And yet every time you try to pair yourself with someone, the magic just doesn’t seem to work.”

“So we all decided that we’ll be Ladybug’s cupid and pair her up with the boy she just can’t seem to get off of her head.”

“Now, you coming or what? I won’t be taking the money you’ll be lending me if you say no. I’m only going with these dudes if you also come or else I’ll just end up getting bored when there’s no one who can go around the city with me.”

“...”

“““...”””

“Fine. You guys win—”

“““YES!”””

“So here’s the final plan for the break. Kim, Alix, and Max will be staying in Paris for Kim’s competition, while the rest of us will be going to America doing our own stuff—”

“With you finally meeting your pen pal.”

“Yes. Alright. I’ll go and meet my pen pal. And during the break, no thinking about anything miraculous related. If ever there’s an akuma, only those who’ll be needed will go. Max will bring us to the akuma’s location and if there is anything going on that we can’t be excused of or if the fight goes longer than expected, Alix will bring us back in time making it look like we just went to the toilets, the usuals. Any questions?”

“““Non.”””

“Good. Operation: Taking a Break is good to go.”

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Yay! Finally got to post it. So comments? What do you guys think and who do you think who is saying what? I know there will be new holders in S4, but I decided I’ll either make them a temp or they still don’t know the other’s identities bc of stuff, so yeah. Still thinking abt it. Adios (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31840603

[anon-rebel-writes]

Something Simple

Hi! Hey! How’s it going? Good? That’s so good!

So I’ve been gone...Ha ha. I feel like I should have an excuse ready, and an apology, and a promise to do better in the future. But honestly, I don’t have...any of those.

Well I do have an apology, I’m sorry that I’ve been gone and kinda just left the internet. I don’t really look at social media as much as I used to (which honestly is super good for mental health, but kinda sucky if you do stuff on social media :P)

I haven’t had a ton of ideas lately, and when I do, I get frustrated with myself because it’s not the most amazing piece that I’ve ever worked on. I had a serious talk with my girlfriend (she’s seriously the majority of my inspiration for most of my works) and she said something that gave me an epiphany.

Sometimes you just have to make some sucky tea until you make the best tea of your life :) (I swear that makes more sense if you read the story lol)

I like domestic fluff. I like short and simple stories. So that’s what this is! I don’t wanna waste my time waiting fro inspiration to strike when I can make something to get me through writer’s block! So if you don’t mind my wacky schedule, I hope you enjoy this simple piece :)

It begins under the cut! <3 Ao3 Link

This should be easy.

It used to be easy for him when he was younger. When he was five, Luka would listen to the waves on the boat and hear a unique tune out of it. At eleven, his mom told him about an old tale she heard and he wrote lyrics based on it. Sixteen, Juleka would idly pluck her bass and he’d come up with three different songs just from the sound. Music was natural to him.

Now it was hard. Nothing inspired him. He was supposed to be a musical guy. How could this tear him down so easily! Maybe his life was too good now. No problems to sing about, no unrequited love songs, no daddy issues. His life was great! What happened to him?

After his dad came back into his life, he appreciated their little relationship. They would jam out and have fun, although it was still awkward to call him ‘dad’, it still seemed fine. He found out a lot of weird stuff with magic and identities when he was younger, but it led to Marinette confessing a huge secret to him. Misunderstandings got cleared up and they ended up reigniting their romantic relationship. After proposing to her last year, they got an apartment that was perfect for them.

Everything was perfect, really. Maybe that was the problem, everything was perfect. Juleka did tease him lately about “losing his edge”. Was his edge gone? His blue dyed hair was barely visible nowadays, any tattoos he got during university were usually covered up by his vast collection of MDC sweaters, even his ear piercings were replaced with whatever colored ones matched his outfit that day!

Maybe he was getting old. He was getting engaged to one of the sweetest people in the world, maybe her sugar-like sweetness rubbed off on him.

Was his music destined to be lost to the winds forever? Did all the talent leave his blood the moment he started settling into a domestic life? Juleka seemed to keep her musical charm, she still did small gigs with Rose in coffee shops every now and then. Ivan even toured around with his new band after university.

All Luka did now was make instruments. Was that even close to musical? His dad supported his career decision, despite intense protests. His in-laws helped him open a little shop. Everything was so easy and simple.

Even now, he waited for Marinette to come home so they could finish watching 'Halloween Wars'. He spends his nights watching reality television. Who has he become?!

It clearly led him here, on his couch, guitar in hand, with no progress being made. He wanted to make something fantastic. Something that Marinette would hear and be reminded of the songs he used to write for her. Luka would sing to her and he would tell himself how he “still has it”.

But nothing came out. No tune, no music, no notes, no lyrics, nothing. Luka sighed and put his guitar on the side of the couch and decided to take his mind off of music, at least for now. A little break should be good! Looking across the living room, he realized the utter mess he made.

Music sheets were scattered across the coffee table, pencils somehow found their way to the floor. Maybe he should clean up, just to have a clean environment to work in.

…

Or maybe he should make himself some tea. Tea always gets creative juices flowing! Not cleaning up, nope. That’s what people do when they’re avoiding stuff and Luka Couffaine does not avoid stuff! Especially not cleaning messes that look like a natural disaster hit his living room. Nope, not avoiding.

So that’s where Marinette found the love of her life two hours later after work. In the kitchen, making tea, warzone in the living room and his heart clearly broken. Opening the apartment door and seeing the utter chaos made her remember just who she was about to marry, but going into the kitchen and seeing the look of despair on his face when he realized they had no honey for his tea was just plain sad.

She took off her shoes and coat and walked over to where he stood, hunched over the counter, staring deeply into his bitter tea. Her arms wrapped around his middle and she let her head rest between his shoulder blades. “Lu? You okay?”

Instead of answering, Luka gently stirred the tea with a spoon and shook his head. “...we forgot to buy honey.”

“And…that’s the only reason you seem upset?”

One quick glance over to the living room definitely made her question if honey was truly the culprit. Then again this wouldn’t be the first time a Couffaine had caused trouble for something small. She’d never forget the shape of the boat after the Captain had lost her favorite headband.

“I… can’t make music anymore.”

Marinette slowly let go of his midsection and turned him to face her. She squinted at his face, trying to see if this was an elaborate joke. “Uh- No offense, but that doesn’t seem possible. I mean… music is second nature to you.”

“You don’t get it. I lost my edge! I’m not cool anymore. I don’t have daddy issues, or love issues, or school issues, or work issues, or-”

“Yeah yeah, you were an angsty boy. But music didn’t come from you because you were edgy. Music is just a part of who you are. Whether you have issues or not. And believe me, the songs you used to write for me were anything but edgy.”

Luka sighed and grabbed his cup of bitter tea. He looked in it and gave it to Marinette. “This tea sucks. It’s like my music. It doesn’t have that ‘umph’ that it needs to be good.” She looked into the cup and decided to take a sip. She let the flavor sit on her tongue for a bit and stared back into the cup, thinking to herself for a second.

“The tea isn’t great, I’ll give you that. But that doesn’t mean it’s bad. It’s just… simple. Nothing too extraordinary, nothing too disgusting. It just tastes like tea. And maybe you just need to make simple tea every once in a while before you can go back to making your delicious Luka juice.”

He chuckled at her analogy and took the tea cup back to give it one last sip. Honestly Marinette was right, although she always tended to be right about these things, the tea wasn’t awful. It wasn’t his favorite, but not every song is his favorite either.

She gave him a kiss on his cheek before heading over to their bedroom.

Luka decided to move back over to the living room to clean the area up a little bit. He put away the massive amount of paper and took most of the pencils from the area, leaving only one sheet of music, his guitar, and a single pencil.

He let out a deep sigh and sat back down on the couch, grabbing his guitar. He sat back and stared down at the music sheet on the table. “Something simple, huh?”

[natromanxoff]

Queen live at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, MI, USA - September 20, 1980

(x)

Freddie stopped the show part way through Love Of My Life because the rowdy audience was drowning out Brian's guitar.

Around this time the Detroit Lions football team had adopted Another One Bites The Dust as an anthem. When Queen performed it as an encore with Freddie donning a Lions' cap, the arena exploded.

(x)

Fan Stories

“It was September 20th, 1980 and it started just like any other day for me. I was upstairs playing my favorite 45 record for the millionth time it seemed... at least to my mother that is. The song was Another One Bites The Dust by Queen, I had already worn out 3 or 4 of the 45 record which was released just a short time ago. My Uncle had stopped by and asked me if I wanted to spend the night and see a late movie. At first my mom was rather reluctant to let me go but being a Saturday and no school she gave in and off we went. As we were driving I noticed that we weren't going to his place so I asked him what the movie was, he just smiled and said we weren't going to a movie but to a rock concert, He KNEW my mom would forbid me to go to such an event so he used the movie as a ploy to get me out of the house. I asked him what concert, all he said was it was a surprise. By the time we entered Detroit Michigan I was all excited as this was my first concert ever, we weren't even allowed to listen to rock and roll. We got to the Joe Louis Arena and that is when I melted into the seat, on the Marquee in BIG letters "QUEEN". That is when I melted in my seat and repeatedly thanked my uncle, he later told me the look on my face was worth the tickets. We made our way inside and found ourselves about in the middle of the floor, we had General admittance tickets. I remember jumping up and down a lot during the support bands set. In case you are wondering the bands name was Dakota, and I have never heard of them. Well after they had finished we tried to make our way forward knowing we would NEVER see Queen where we were, we were young and short, I was 14 and my uncle was 18. Well it seemed like an hour, but must have been a couple of minutes when 2 security guards told us to follow them. My first though was "oh no, we are in trouble and are not going to see Queen". Well, That was NOT the case, in fact they took us ALL THE WAY UP FRONT, just off center stage, we were on Brians side.

No sooner did we get there when the whole place went dark. Then this sound that seemed to come from everywhere started. It got louder and louder and started to rise in pitch. I kept looking at the stage to see if I could see the band, nope.. but I did see something above us moving. by now the sound was reaching a peak and then it happened, a LOUD explosion and Lights that blinded us. It happened a couple more times but now I was ready... the crowd were going nuts, I WAS going nuts, then the guitar. Out walked Brian May playing this song that would literly plague me for years as I was certain it was NOT a Queen song, but no idea, of course it was Jailhouse Rock. Then Freddie came out. He was wearing a black leather jacket and orange pants with blue kneepads. I can't remember if he was wearing a hat and sunglasses. By now the crowd was so loud I could not even hear my uncle next to me, he later told me that during the first 2 songs all he could say was YEAH.... @$!* Yeah... Of course the second song was the fast version of We Will Rock You but to be very honest at that time the only 2 songs I knew were Another One Bites The Dust and Don't Try Suicide, so EVERY song was a new experience. After We Will Rock You Freddie spoke to us for the first time, he said something like "Hello Detroit... " he may have said more but I can't remember. Hearing bootlegs from that tour I would assume he added "Lets Rock and Roll Huh" or something like that. I remember when they went into Play the Game everyone went nuts, of course I didn't know it was new to me, ALL the songs were new. He then spoke to us again telling us that they were happy to be back in Detroit and that we were in for a treat.Then came Mustapha, That was my first taste of their diversity, this foreign language. but what confused me was just about everyone knew that language. again, I didn't know the song and had no idea what it meant but it was cool. I think Freddie took his jacket off around Play the Game or Mustapha not sure, to be real honest I was amazed by the guitar player, Brian made everything seem so easy. I can tell you that pretty much the whole night was a sensory overload and that I could not take in everything. The Get Down, Make Love section that was lights, smoke, Freddie and Brian was too much, If you never saw Queen live when they performed this then you truly missed a WONDERFUL experience, Video does NOT do this song justice, Freddie really sets the mood when he starts his vocal teasing. Aside from Another One Bites The Dust the only song I could NOT get out of my head was oddly enough another John Deacon gem, You're My Best Friend had a beat that just could not be dismissed. Then the moment I found to be the most humorous, Freddie asking us if we liked his new moustache, He informed us that he grew it just for US, then he said, You Fuckers will believe anything. When I saw a book some years later By Judith Davis mention the same scene I wondered if he said that at all the shows or just ours, after listening to various bootlegs I could not find any other one that mentioned that. Now You remember I mentioned that I was just 14 right. When Freddie announced Fat Bottomed Girls he dedicated it to all the ladies with huge tits, for a 14 year old boy that was WAY COOL, in fact there were a couple of women near us that actually flashed him, I wonder did he even notice. During Love Of My Life Freddie stopped the show because we were too loud he could not hear Brian, The rest of the night was a blur aside from Brians nifty guitar work on his solo. That moment right there convinced me that I wanted to be a guitar player. I remember yelling a lot ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST!!!!..

I was very very close, I KNEW Freddie could hear me, well I got my wish, he came out after a brief break and I was just in heaven, I heard MY song, now I could go home happy, but wait, Queen and Freddie had another surprise in store for me, I am a Star Wars Geek, and when he came out on Darth Vaders shoulders I was just freaking out, I ACTUALLY thought it was the same guy that played Darth Vader. of course I had no idea what that song was, funny how songs work into your subconscoius, a few days later I was just drumming the beat to We Will Rock You, NOT knowing what it was. Anyway, the last song was odd, I THOUGHT COOL they are playing My Country Tis of Thee.. Well, I know now that is was NOT that song... hehe. I left the concert just amazed, my ears ringing, just going on and on about what just happened. My uncle told me to calm down, there was no way my mom could know we saw a concert he would be in trouble, so he kept drilling me about the "Movie" we saw, the next morning the first words I said to mom were "Mom I saw QUEEN!" she was furious, but the damage was done, the next few weeks I bought every Queen album I could, I even stole money from my paper route just to by the next LP, and when I found Live Killers, it was so close to what I saw, BUT, there were differences. The date was September 20th, 1980 when my life changed forever. I would be completely OBSESSED with Queen, I would do anything I could to get their latest LP. Thank you for reading this and I hope you found it as enjoyable as I did writing it as I actually started to remember things that had been locked away. I found out that John had nearly brought down the cymbles nearest to him, Crystal had to dive out to catch them, I had the pleasure of chatting with Crystal Taylor (Roger's drum roadie and no relation by the way) and asked him if he remembered that and to my surprise he said that John did that often, but he DID remember our show because of Freddie stopping the show during Love Of My Life.” - Mike Preston

[royallyprincesslilly]

Title: Kismet {11}

Henry Cavill x Famous OFC Aliya Taylor

Warning: Plot, Slow Burn, Mild Cursing, Dialogue Heavy

Words: 7k

Summary: Aliya is a singer turned model turned actress. Since she was fifteen, she’s been creating her empire in the entertainment world. As the daughter of a famous fashion model/designer and Hollywood director, you’d think life is easy for her, but her past has been anything but easy. Due to past trauma, she’s forever changed and no longer trusts any man that is not in her family and a select few in her team. She’s sworn off love and serious relationships and has planned never to fall again, but love isn’t something that can be planned. It just happens when it’s meant to. Can Aliya outrun a love that seems hellbent on holding tight to her, a love that is Kismet?

Note: The musical notes emoji 🎶 signifies a song being sung. They are the lyrics.

If you enjoyed this please LIKE, COMMENT, REBLOG!! 😘  

As always, thank you so much for reading. ❤️❤️

***Loosely Edited/Proofread***

***Interactive***

Previous Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 

🎶 “But I don't wanna give up. Baby, I just want you to get up. Lately, I've been a little fed up. Wish you would just focus on—me. Can you focus on me? Baby, can you focus on me?”

 The sounds of H.E.R filled the semi-rustic kitchen as you moved around it, checking on the multiple things you were making. Her album was one of your go-to things for mellowing out. You sang along and got lost vocalizing along with her. It didn’t take long for you to forget what time it was and that you weren’t exactly alone in the house. As the song ended and the next came on, you held your hands in the air, already feeling the opening of Girls Need Love Too.

  🎶 “Honestly, I'm tryna stay focused. You must think I've got to be joking when I say. I don't think I can wait. I just need it now. Better swing my way.”

 The lyrics were hitting you as right as gospel right about now. Pulling open the oven, you checked on the treats inside, making sure they were rising just the way they needed to. After you were pleased with their progress, you checked your pots on the stove one more time, then went back to the pitcher you were mixing your famous mimosas. That was when DSVN came on, and the hypnotizing sound of the lyrics with the beat made your mind drift back to Henry, especially when the hook came on. It sounded like it was made just for you in this situation.

 For the next few minutes, you focused on trying not to burn breakfast rather than dancing or singing. That was until Santana came on, and you couldn’t help but bust out your best salsa moves to Carlos’ electric guitar and Latin flare. The song was so catchy that you quickly got carried away winding your hips and doing your best Shakira impersonation. If she were standing in front of you, you thought she’d be proud because you gave it everything you had. Before you knew it, the song was almost over, and you’d forgotten about being quiet, and were now singing along to the song as you danced around the kitchen.

 “Someone woke up on the right side of the bed.”

Your scream was loud, so loud it bounced off the walls of the room. Your head nearly snapped off your neck from the force of which you spun around.

 “Oh my god!”

 Henry stood there pinching his lips, trying to stop himself from laughing at you.

 “You scared me half to death.”

 “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I um—I smelled food and heard music, and here you are,” Henry explained.

 “Oh no, no. How long were you standing there?”

 Another smile spread across his face, and it was all you needed to know he’d probably seen the whole thing. Embarrassment filled you.

 “Oh god, no.”

 “Don’t be embarrassed. You can dance and sing. I enjoyed the show.”

 You snorted while shaking your head, trying to overcome your embarrassment. When you met his eyes again, you still saw the amusement there.

 “Good morning,” you began.

 “Good morning. What’s—what’s going on?”

 He motioned to the organized chaos around you.

 “Oh, breakfast.”

 “Did you order?”

 “Nope. One hundred percent handmade but these hands,” you replied, holding up your hands and flexing your fingers for emphasis.

 Henry’s eyebrows shot up as he approached the kitchen island.

 “You cook.”

 Approaching the same island on the opposite side, you nodded. “I cook and bake and mix and clean, iron, and do laundry.”

 Henry snorted and nodded, clearly amused by the sarcasm in your voice.

 “Cute.”

 You smiled and leaned against it, resting your elbows on the wooden island keeping your eyes on him.

 “I know I don’t look it, but they do say never judge a book by its cover,” you replied.

 Henry nodded before he spoke. “For the record, I’ve never judged you.”

 You studied him for several moments before your eyes drifted over him, taking in his tan linen pants and cream shirt. He looked good, and you almost got lost in that before you snapped out of it. Clearing your throat, you pushed off the island and looked around.

 “I’m almost done.”

 “What’s for breakfast, chef Taylor?”

 You smiled, “I’m glad you asked Mr. Cavill. We have lavender vanilla  bean beignets, scrambled eggs, sausages, and of course mimosas.”

 Henry’s eyebrows again shot up. “Wow. How long have you been up?”

 Turning from him, you dropped a few mint leaves into the pitcher you’d just mixed. “Well, I actually haven’t slept yet.”

 “So you’ve been up all night?”

 “Yep.”

 Sliding to the right, you turned off the oven and took out the beignets to place them on the stove to cool.

 “Why? Is everything all right?”

 “Yeah. I’ll be fine. I’m a night—insomniac.”

 He was going to find out one way or another throughout this vacation anyway, you reasoned with yourself.

 “Really?”

 He sounded hesitant but also surprised.

 “Yeah, most of the time.”

 You used the time he stood there in a state of shock to finish up what you were doing before turning back to him.

 “Are you going to pass out later or soon?”

 “Nope. Come on. All done. Can you grab those two?”

 You nodded your head to the two platters on the stove as you took the others walking out of the kitchen to the outdoor dining table he’d shown you yesterday. Once he saw the table that had two other platters and set place settings, he exclaimed.

“Wow.”

 “I know, but I like to cook.”

 “Everything smells incredible,” Henry complimented as he stood at one of the Rattan chairs waiting for you to sit first.

 Once you sat down, you motioned for him to begin. “Dig in.”

 A few minutes passed with the two of you loading your plates with various items. Once you were finished, you took up the pitcher and poured drinks for you both. When he brought one of your beignets to his mouth, you paused and watched him sink his teeth into it. As soon as he did, he moaned so loud it filled the space and drifted off.

 “Holy--,” he began but never finished because he took several more bites finishing his first one. Once he’d swallowed and reached for another, he continued. “How did you learn to make beignets?”

 “Well, it began with my Gramaw, but eventually, it was experimenting.”

 He bit into another and rolled his eyes into the back of his head, and groaned. “These are heaven.”

 “I’m glad you like them.”

 Covering his food-filled mouth, he spoke, “Love them, get it correct.”

 You snorted and nodded as you began to eat. The view before you caught your eye once again, and getting lost was easy. The morning was beautiful, warm, and calm, with a gentle breeze that carried the salt in the air from the nearby sea. You didn’t know who wouldn’t love waking up to this every day. It was then you realized how badly you’d needed a vacation after all.

 “You stare out a lot.”

 Henry’s voice brought your eyes back to him to find his already on you.

 “I’m sorry,” you began with a soft smile. “Another thing about me, I do that—a lot.”

 “What’re you thinking about?”

 You looked out again and nudged your head to the view. “How incredible this view is and that I can’t believe it’s been so long since I’ve taken a vacation,” you confessed.

 “Tell me about it. I was literally running on fumes. I have no idea how I made it this far,” Henry said.

 You continued to eat and fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes before he spoke again.

 “Was there anything particular you wanted to do today?”

 “Like what?”

 “There’s so much to do. I know a good spa. There’s diving, boat tours of this incredible lagoon, wine tasting, touring, driving along cote d'Azur. You name it, and it can be done,” he listed off.

 “A lot of choices.”

 You brought your legs up and hugged them to your body as you continued to eat while thinking about your options.

 “What do you feel like doing?”

 “I don’t mind either way,” Henry quickly responded.

 That didn’t help you one bit, but you made the decision all the same. “Nothing screams vacation like a bikini, and a beach, so let’s live it up.”

 He smiled as he nodded. “All right. We have a plan then,” he said, clapping his hands.

 The rest of breakfast was comfortable and peaceful. Neither of you seemed to mind that conversation fell to the wayside because you were both lost in the food and scenery before you. After breakfast, you and Henry managed to do the dishes and clean up the kitchen together as you endured his teasing on the multitude of things you’d used to cook. As you cleaned, you caught his eyes on your body a few times, but he kept his physical distance for the most part. After you separated to get yourselves ready for your day in the sun.

 You spent longer than necessary trying to decide on the right bikini. You didn’t know if you should go demure princess or buxom goddess. You were moving and making decisions by reading him. You told yourself the night before that you’d go at his pace and take your cues from him. If he initiated touching, you’d reciprocate. If he kissed you, you’d kiss him back. If he stayed away, you would too. You didn’t want to do the wrong thing or anything, especially since you didn’t know where you stood with him. Letting your self-doubt win, you chose the middle ground on the bikini.

 Thirty minutes later, you stepped outside the villa to find Henry waiting patiently at a white Fiat convertible.  

 “Wow. Is this yours?”

 “Yep.”

 “I don’t know why I’m surprised. We have established that you’re a car man.”

 He smiled as his eyes trailed over you. “Wow. The short shorts come out, huh.”

 You looked over yourself, then back to him. “This is short? Ha, just you wait. I have even shorter.”

 “I bet you do,” Henry chided as he held open the passenger door for you.

 “It’s about a ten-minute drive to the beach, maybe eight if the cliffside isn’t flooded.”

 “Wow, you’re right there, huh.”

 He smiled and nodded as you slipped into the car.

 “All right, let’s go. I have a goal to be kissed plentifully by this French sun, so in two weeks' time, I’m showing every bit of the melanin my ancestors blessed me with,” you joked.

 Henry shut your door and walked around to the driver’s side. Once in, he pressed the start button.

 “Bring it on. I happened to really like yours…it’s sexy,” he slipped in, meeting your eyes for a few moments.

 “Did you just call me sexy, Mr. Cavill?”

 His smile was wide before he slipped on his sunglasses. “Did I? Maybe, maybe not,” he said before he pulled off, beginning the journey.

 As he drove, you relished the breeze and sun on your skin and waved your hands in the air, fully enjoying the carefree vibes you felt. Before long, you’d pulled out your phone and began snapping a multitude of pictures of the scenery, the people, and occasionally even Henry, though he probably had no idea. You didn’t want to miss the chance to see how perfect he looked behind the wheel.

When you got close to the beach, Henry parked along the cliff as plenty other cars had done. According to him, no one made a fuss about small things like that; as long as people could still pass it was all right. The laidback style was already agreeing with you. With him carrying all the bags like the gentleman he was, you allowed him to lead you across the road toward the sands of the beach and then down the shore to find the perfect spot. It took a few minutes, but when you found it, you staked your claim, stomping in the sand, marking it as yours. Henry took the initiative, spreading the oversized beach blanket using the items you’d brought with you as anchors for the corners.

 Once he’d gotten it perfect, you wasted no time pulling off your tank then peeling off the shorts your wore. You tried to keep your eyes away from him, though you really wanted to know if you had his undivided attention. The middle ground bikini you’d chosen was still a look. The cut complimented your curves, while the color complimented your complexion. You wanted to take it at his pace, but you also had to show him you were still hot.

 When you lied back on the blanket, you gawked at the ocean before you and marveled at its sparkle while the sun reflected off of it. Looking beside you to him, you found his eyes on you and his jaw slightly ajar.

 “This is so beautiful.”

 Henry snapped his head away from you and looked at the view you were just staring at. “Very,” he replied, his voice constrained as if his throat were closing. He held your bag out to you, but he didn’t look at you again.

 “Thank you.”

 You dug through it looking for your sunscreen spray. Once you’d found it, you began spraying along your arms and shoulders, rubbing the mist in working your way to your chest.

 “Why France?”

 “Huh? Excuse me?”

 “France. Why France for buying a house?”

 “Well, I have some French blood-ties; the Channel Islands has its history of it, and France is smack in the middle of there and London. I fell in love with it,” he explained.

 “Why Bandol?”

 “Oh, that’s easy. It’s still luxurious enough like St. Tropez but not as high profile. I can be Henry here and not worry someone is taking my picture.”

 You nodded and understood perfectly. It was hard being on all the time. You’d gotten so used to it that you often forgot how to be off.

 “I get it. It’s the same reason why I’ll always choose Australia and Ireland overall,” you explained.

 “I’ve only seen Ireland a few times. I think I need to go back,” Henry added.

 You smiled as fond memories washed over you of your time in Ireland. “You definitely should.”

 You sprayed your shoulder closest to him and began rubbing in the liquid.

 “Ehm, need some help?”

 Your eyes met, and you fought back your smirk. “Are you sure it’s okay?”

 “Yeah, I can help. It’s no problem,” Henry assured.

 You handed him the bottle, then turned your back to him and waited. He didn’t touch you for several moments.

 “How many tattoos do you have?”

 “Um—not sure, seven, eight maybe,” you said while anxiously waiting for him to begin.

 “That’s quite a bit.”

 “Not too much. They’re all strategically placed,” you explained.

 When you felt the sprays on your back, you held your breath and waited for him to touch you. As Soon As he did, you bit your bottom lip, trying to ignore the feeling of completeness that washed over you. You liked the feel of his hands on your skin.

 “Have you—ehm, have you ever thought about tattoos?”

 “I have,” Henry began, his voice deeper than it had been moments before. his hands trailed lower to the small of your back, and you hunched over even more, giving him more access. “I’ve just never gotten around to it,” he finished.

 Turning your head to rest your cheek on the tops of your knees, you smiled. “Too much work?”

 A soft chuckle escaped him, and you felt his thump trail up your spine until he reached the back of your neck. Two sprays hit your skin, and he began rubbing into your shoulders. A weak moan slipped out, but he didn’t pull away. The kneading of his hands became more forceful then. You were quickly losing your nerve and grip on reality. Another moan slipped from your throat, and that was when Henry’s hands stilled and rested at your shoulder blades. You felt his fingertips trace the softest pattern onto your skin before they were gone.

 “All done.”

 By then, your heart was racing, and the butterflies in your gut were fluttering below your waist. Clearing your throat, you turned back to the ocean.

 “Thanks.”

 “No problem,” Henry said before he stood and discarded his shirt.

 The action didn’t help you at all. Your jaw hit the floor as you took in every inch of him you’d spent all night since seeing the sprigs of hair peeking out his shirt. Plenty of dark hair decorated his chest and trailed down his abs until it disappeared behind his pants. A soft gasp drifted out of you, but your eyes refused to stop ogling. So you sat there looking at him and counting each of his eight ab muscles. The man had an eight pack; you thought to yourself as your throat painfully tightened.

“What’s wrong?”

 Jerking your head up to his face, you shook your head, trying to find words.

 “Wrong? Huh, nothing—um—you uh—you’re—you’re--.”

 Henry smiled as he cocked his brow, waiting for you to say something intelligible. You had nothing, though.

 “Cat got your tongue?” The humor in his voice was so obvious, and you felt like an idiot.

 “And my brain cells, it would seem.”

 His smile made you smile while trying to avert your eyes from the rock hard statue that he was.

 “Sorry.”

 Henry scoffed. “It’s okay,” he said.

 “No, it��s not. You’re a person, not a piece of meat,” you clarified, feeling awful. You were doing the same thing to him that you hated men doing to you.

 “Wait, you think I’m a piece of meat?”

 Looking back at him, you spoke, “No, but I’m sure women look at you like you’re a piece of meat and in turn treat you like it.”

 He nodded, “They have in the past.”

 Your eyes again drifted downward, but you caught yourself before they got to his massive pecs. Clearing your throat, you stood.

 “Do you burn easily?”

 “I’m a white British man, of course, I do,” Henry joked, making you snort loudly.

 “Wow, do you want some?”

 He held his hands up as if to shield himself from you. “Are you looking for an excuse to feel me up?”

 “What!?”

 Henry snorted and laughed loudly.

 “You’re kidding,” you surmised.

 “Yes. You should have seen your face.”

 You shook your head while burying your face in your hands. “Wow. That’s not cool.”

 “You were an easy target,” Henry said, turning his back to you. “Oil me up, baby.”

 You had every intention to, but the side of him from the back stopped you in your tracks for a few moments. As you slowly approached him, you accessed the entire meal that was him before you, unsure where to start. You sprayed over his back then slowly began rubbing across his skin. You couldn’t believe that even his back was as toned as an Olympian. Your brain was slowly short-circuiting with every inch of skin you touched. When you brought your hands down his spine to his tailbone, Henry groaned, and you fought the urge to go lower.

 “All—done,” you said slightly above a whisper.

 “Not quite,” Henry said, turning to face you. “My chest burns easily too.”

 Face to face with temptation; you knew you were destined to give in. it was only a matter of time.

 “I thought you could--.”

 “—Nope. You started the job, so you should finish it.”

 Smiling, you bit your bottom lip. “Does that go for my chest too?”

 Henry’s eyes dropped to your breasts and rested there for a few seconds before he looked back into your eyes with a completely cheeky expression on his face. “Well—that is entirely up to you, Ms. Taylor.”

 Like a child, you giggled most uncharacteristically. Slapping your hand across your mouth, Henry laughed at you. “Oh god.”

 You sprayed across his chest and abs but hesitated touching him. Instead, you stood there gawking at the way his chest glistened. It’s not that you didn’t want to feel. You really, really wanted to feel. You just didn’t think you would be able to not come across as a thirsty fiend. Henry waited patiently waited no doubt taking notice of how you were beginning to hyperventilate. After a minute, he took a step back.

 “Here, I’ll finish the job—this time.”

 You dropped to the blanket and laid back, trying to recover. You couldn’t believe this was life right now. You’d never been attracted to anyone like this. You never struggled like this with anyone, and that reality was a little alarming. Peeking up, you watched as Henry finished rubbing the sunscreen into his chest, spreading it along his swollen shoulders and bulging arms. Your mouth ran dry while another part of you was anything but.

 While proving to be a heightened temptation, a day at the beach was just what the vacation doctors ordered. The roaring sun, the breeze with the salt in the air, and the screams and laughs of people enjoying themselves were wonderful. You didn’t think about work not once, or anything beyond the man beside you reading a book and the book you were reading while the soft sounds of jazz drifted between you. It was perfect.

 Every so often, your eyes drifted to Henry and took in different parts of him. Everything you saw you liked, and the fact that you liked it, only helped your brain daydream even more. There were a few times he caught you staring at him just as you caught him staring at you or parts of your body. When you did catch him, it only emboldened you to play up different parts of your body. You were relieved to know he at least still found you attractive.

 When he goaded you into the water, the two of you played in the waves. The first time Henry splashed you and got water in your hair, you made gasped and pretended to make a big deal about it, which prompted him to apologize profusely. You considered it payback until you tackled him in the water, holding him underneath until he lifted you in his arms like he was Goliath. Your eyes locked, and there was a moment you thought he would kiss you, but instead, he tossed you into the water. That one action began a water war that he easily won thanks to his colossal size and overpowering strength. You didn’t mind.

 By the time you’d sat to enjoy the picnic lunch Henry had packed, only a handful of people had recognized the two of you and asked for autographs and pictures. It really was the perfect first day of vacation, and you already didn’t want it to end. After lunch, you and Henry were walking along the shore, enjoying the lull of water crashing onto your ankles like you had no cares in the world.

  ~~~~~~~~

 -Henry-

 You were gorgeous, more gorgeous than you’d ever been. You were drop dead with make-up on, but without you were a knockout. He couldn’t keep his eyes off of you, and he knew you had to know. There was no way that you didn’t. He didn’t start the day with any expectations because he really didn’t know what to expect, but it had turned out to be a great day. He looked across to you and took in your curled and coiled hair that framed your face and gave you an even more youthful glow.

 “So your hair is naturally curly?”

 You smiled and nodded as you turned to look at him.

 “Curly, coiled, kinky, it’s a bunch of stuff.”

 “So you straighten it.”

 “Yeah,” you confirmed.

 He was confused.  “Why?”

 With your brows knitted together, you took him in. “What do you mean why?”

 “Why? I can imagine it takes a lot of time. So, why do you do it?”

 You scoffed but didn’t speak right away. He allowed you the time to think.

 “Well—in the business, it’s easier. As horrible as it is, there are not many people who will cast the black actress with unruly hair or will have the right people who can do it properly. It’s a huge thing for black actresses, and unfortunately, can be the reason why many don’t get a role. So for me—I guess I got used to directors or photographers preferring the sleek look, so I just—maintain it. No one really cares for this,” you said, motioning to your hair.

 He understood what you were saying. Hollywood was fickle; he was living through it right now but couldn’t believe people's ignorance.

 “I like your hair right now. I like how free and beautiful it is. You don’t look—bound. You look free.”

 Your eyes met his, but he couldn’t read the look in them.

 “Oh uh—thank—you.”

 “You’re welcome,” he replied with a smile. “You should just leave it alone from now on.”

 You snorted. “Oh, is this how you want to see me?”

 He could hear the tease in your tone, “Free and beautiful? Absolutely.”

 Again the look in your eyes stumped him. Before he could ask you what you were thinking, you looked away and back out to the water.

 “What if I want to see you like this from now on?”

 He chuckled, “What, shirtless with bad hair?”

 You laughed with him for a few seconds. “Well, nothing wrong with this view at all,” you said, making him blush.

 “Oh, and for the record, your hair is anything but bad. When it’s all slicked to perfection, you look put together, but—I like the more…distressed you. You look free and boundless.”

 The smile on his lips hadn’t slipped since you’d begun your walk, and staring at you, he didn’t think it would slip. You looked away and cleared your throat, something you’d been doing a lot the entire day.

 “I’ll make a deal with you. You keep this look going, and I’ll keep this look going,” you proposed piquing his interest.

 “Do we have a deal?”

 “All right, we have a deal,” he sealed, holding out his hand for you to shake. When you did, you smiled mischievously.

 “Good,” you said before you pushed him into the water and the incoming wave.

 Shock flooded him though he should have known from the glint in your eye he’d picked up.

 “Did you really?”

 With pride and joy, you nodded, “I sure did.”

 As he stood, he wiped his face of the water and chuckled to himself.

 “As a gentleman, I will give you a four-second head start,” he announced.

 “Four seconds?”

 “Three now.”

 You squealed and ran down the beach, trying to put as much distance between you as possible. It was futile. He was fast. Once he’d counted down, he took off after you. When you looked back to see him coming, you screamed louder and tried to pick up the speed, but as he said, he was fast. In a few short seconds, he caught you and immediately began tickling you, making you scream even louder.

 “I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” you shouted through bouts of laughter and screams.

 “No, no, too late for that.”

 With you in his arms, he brought you to the water facing you out so you could see the massive wave coming in. You screamed again while kicking your legs, trying to get him to drop you, but it was no use. Seeing there was no way out, you stopped screaming, but when he tossed you into the wave, you screamed until the water engulfed you. He stepped back and waited for you to wash up on the shore. When you did, he proceeded to tickle you some more until you tripped him and rolled onto him to retaliate.

 Though he hadn’t let on that he was ticklish, you figured it out and exploited it mercilessly. The tickling led to both of you playfully throwing wet sand at each other while waves knocked you down. When he grabbed you, he smeared the wet sand across your chest below your collar, making you scream. That was when you coated his chest down to his waist. He pulled you to him rubbing his chest over yours to make sure you were as lathered as he was.

 “Oh my god!”

 A wave crashed over the two of you, nearly drowning you—nearly. When the water receded, you were still there in his arms, practically underneath him. he took in your beauty, and all he wanted to do was kiss you. he almost did before he stopped remembering what had led you to this point. He was tired of proving and showing you he wanted you—wanted to be with you. It was your turn to prove to him that you wanted him just as much as he wanted you. That was when another wave washed over you, dampening the mood. He was thankful for it.

 Once he was standing, he pulled you upright.

 “Ready to go?”

 You nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.”

   ~~~~~~~~~

-Y/N-

 After leaving the beach, the two of you walked along the shops that decorated the surrounding area. He pointed out all the places he’d visited over the last few days. He knew some of the shop owners by their names, and it was something you liked for some reason. After the first few shops, you decided to pick up something for dinner and spent the next few minutes trying to decide just what to get.

 “Any special requests?”

 Henry’s surprise only lasted a few minutes before the smile you were getting so used to appeared.

 “You’re cooking?”

 “Yep.”

 His surprise turned to awe as he circled you once. “You can pick whatever you want,” he whispered in your ear before he walked to a stack of cans.

 “Are you sure?”

 He nodded, assuring you that you were good to make the decision.

 “Do you eat a lot?”

 “Do you?”

 “Hell yeah, I do,” you said in an exaggerated tone that had Henry laughing.

 As you walked around the store, you placed various items in the basket that Henry carried. Some peppers, scallions, garlic, onions, mushrooms, and plenty of herbs followed before you walked across the way to a seafood shop. You thought about something simple like salmon but changed your mind when you saw lobsters and said what the hell. You were only going to get two, but Henry piped up and tricked you into four, citing your insatiable appetite. Deep down, you wondered what appetite exactly he was referring to, for food or him. A trip to the local spirits shop had you stocked for more than just one night.

 When you made it back to the villa, Henry was the one to carry the bags to the kitchen, not letting you lift anything but the beach bag you’d left with at the start of your day. You met him in the kitchen in time to see him hoist everything onto the island.

 “All right, you’re all set there.”

 “Thank you, Superman.”

 He smiled and helped you unpack the items in the bags, laying them out on the counters and the island. Once that was finished, you made a move to the door.

 “I’m going to take a shower. I can feel sand everywhere.”

 What was to be a relatively quick shower quickly turned long because you needed to wash your hair and treat it, so you didn’t have any residual salt damage. No one liked breaking hair. That alone usually took almost an hour. Instead of going for the full experience, you cut a few corners in the routine but still managed to complete it. After throwing on a pair of shorts and a tank, you made your way back to the kitchen, ready to cook one of the best meals he’d ever have.

 With soft music playing and a towel wrapped around your hair while your leave-in heat treatment did what it was made to, you began prepping the ingredients. The soft music and time alone gave you more time to process the perfect day you’d just had. There was nothing about it that you’d change, even down to the intense tension that was constantly between you. If another day played out the same way, you still would think it was perfect.

 “All right, I’m clean now. Would you like some help?”

 Henry stood behind you in a tank and sweats with his hair full of curls.

 “Sure, you can actually prove to me that you know what you’re doing in here,” you teased as he approached your side.

 “I’m about to knock your knickers off.”

 You snorted and peeped at him. “Promise.”

 The flustered look on his face said he just realized the land mind he’s just stepped into. Pushing it to the side, you focused on the chives you were chopping.

 “What would you like me to do?”

 Looking around the kitchen, you assessed everything that needed to be done then delegated.

 “Those veggies need to be rough diced and washed.”

 “Consider it done,” Henry replied, stepping away to begin prep. Before he began, though, he walked to one of the bottles of wine you’d just gotten, popped it, and poured two glasses.

 “A little vino for you.”

 Smiling, you took the glass. “Thank you.”

 The two of you worked together chopping, dicing, and slicing the vegetables and herbs and the seafood for dinner. Every few minutes, your eyes met, and you giggled. Once the cooking began, Henry teased you about your towel wrapped hair, saying that was how magazine covers should show you. You watched his form and how he handled his knives and liked how he moved. He handled knives like he’d been doing it his whole life.

 When you saw him perfectly Julianne cut the cucumbers you practically drooled and were ready to push him against that island. You loved a man who could handle himself in the kitchen. Pumping iron and weights and a nice body was great, but cooking dinner for someone because you care, was a supreme turn on.

 When the lobster was steaming and the potatoes boiling, you leaned beside him and watched him kneed the dough he was prepping for what he called his famous sugar rolls.

 “So mentioned you have nieces or nephews? I don’t remember which,” you began.

 “Yes. Three nephews, no nieces.”

 “Cool. What’re their names?”

 Henry smiled as he spoke, “James and Peter and Lucas.”

 “Strong names.”

 “Yeah, Nik and Charlie picked them,” he said.

 “Nik—he’s the older brother, right?”

 “Oldest. I’m surprised you remember.”

 “No girl?”

 “Ha, Charlie really wants a girl. He has a son Lucas but dreams about having a daughter.”

 “Nice. I have two nephews, Niko and Milo, and a niece Aloa, my oldest sister Miesha,” you added.

 The way Henry smiled, you could tell he liked kids. “That’s nice. Do you see them a lot?”

 “I try. It’s hard, though, with my schedule.”

 He nodded, then shifted to the sink to rinse off the cucumbers before beginning with the carrots.

 “I understand.”

 With your curiosity piqued, you decided to dive right in. “So you like kids.”

 “Love kids,” he replied. “You?”

 “Uh—yeah. They’re precious.”

 “I’m guessing you’re close to your brothers.”

 “Oh god, yes, really, really close. We talk several times a day. They’re my first call when something good or bad happens, and it’s the same for them.”

 “That’s good. I’m close to mine too. We don’t talk every day, but I try. I do have a twin, so we don’t need to talk. We just know what’s going on with each other,” you explained.

 “How is that having a twin?”

 You shrugged and put a piece of cucumber into your mouth. “It’s everyday like for me. I don’t know what to say,” you said with a small chuckle.

 “Are all the clichés true?”

 You scoffed and went back to keeping yourself busy. “What clichés exactly?”

 “Oh, you know that you feel each other’s pain and feel what the other feels, oh that you know what they’re thinking.”

 You couldn’t help but laugh a little. “It’s not like I fall down the stairs, and he feels me fall. That’s just impossible.”

 Henry nodded and moved to rinse the carrots.

 “Yeah, it’s more like a constant presence I feel. You—you never really feel alone, sort of like this constant connection or feeling like someone always has your back. We can feel what the other feels a lot of the time, but it’s sort of like a gut feeling more than an actual physical feeling. There are times he’ll feel when I’m sad and crying, and it’s incredibly annoying.”

 “I can imagine,” Henry started.

 Feeling his eyes on you, you turned to face him and waited for him to speak.

 “Does he feel everything—your moments of happiness or—pleasure?”

 Snorting, you laughed loudly, unable to keep it in.

 “Happiness, I think there could be valid proof to that. As for pleasure, no idea. It’s never been brought up but kinda creepy to think about that.”

 You both busted out laughing, realizing just how creepy it would be if there were any validity to that. Cooking together turned out to be really fun. Usually, you hated people in your space, but with Henry, you didn’t mind it at all. You didn’t mind the subtle way his body brushed yours whenever he passed you. You didn’t mind the sly looks across the kitchen when he took a sip of his wine. You didn’t mind the flirtation in the air, and when he watched you make your lemon cake for dessert, you didn’t mind that he was learning one of your secret recipes. It was something you felt you could get used to.

 Two hours later, you were bringing out one of the platters to the dining table in the yard just in time to catch Henry putting a clay vase filled with beautiful lavender and rapeseed flowers. The purple and yellow combo was so bright it looked like it belonged with the décor around you.

“Wow, would you look at that,” you began eyeing the perfectly set table. “You can set a table too.”

 His smile was wide. “I sure can.”

 “With the proper place settings. I’m impressed.”

 He ran his fingers through his hair and slowly licked his lips as he shrugged. “I didn’t go to finishing school or anything but--,” Henry trailed off, making you laugh at the sly reference to you.

 “Oh, okay, Mr. Cavill.”

 You backed away with your hands raised, making your way back to the kitchen with him following close behind. You pointed to him the items to go, and he walked with you back outside.

 “I know you think I eat a lot, but--.”

 “Oh, stop it. I am sure you have to have a high-calorie intake to maintain your Superman shape, so—ta-da,” you said, giving him jazz hands in front of the food-filled table.

 “Oh, so you’re looking out for me, huh.”

 “Of course. What else is your girlfriend supposed to do?”

 Henry’s smile slowly slipped before it reappeared but only for a second. “Girlfriend, huh?”

 Just like that, your stomach fell through the floor, fully realizing what you’d said. Now you felt like an idiot especially seeing his reaction.

 “Um—well--.”

 Not waiting for you to respond, Henry walked to your chair and pulled it out for you.

 “Uh—give me a second,” you said, bending forward to pull the towel off of your head.

 It had been well past the forty-five minutes you usually kept it on for, and you didn’t want to eat with this heavy thing on your head. Using your fingers, you combed through your curls then stood up to face him. This was practically the first time you stood before a man that wasn’t part of your family with your hair natural. You hated that you felt self-conscience about it. The look on his face was a lot different this time. His eyes were wide, and his mouth ajar.

 “Sorry. Thanks,” you said, slipping into the chair.

 Once he’d pushed you in, he sat across from you.

 “So I know you love your beer and steak,” you began with a smile. “So the steak is cooked in Guinness—a lot of Guinness.”

 Henry chuckled and assessed the steak on his plate while nodding.

 “Bon appetite.”

 Once henry put a slice of the steak in his mouth, he moaned and gave you the chef’s kiss. You knew exactly what it meant, the good ol seal of approval.

 “This is really good.”

 “I’m glad you like it.”

 After putting another slice of steak into his mouth, he nodded. “I love it. you’re a great cook.”

 “Thank you. I tried to tell you.”

 Henry chuckled, giving you a slight roll of his eyes before he continued eating. He was right dinner was good. While you ate, you enjoyed the setting sun and conversation about music, good food, and good wine. One bottle of wine quickly finished, then you were cracking open another and another. When dinner was finished, you sat there listening to the stories of his childhood where his mother played referee between five boys. The way he talked about her made her sound like a saint. It was clear to see how much he admired and loved her. That made you like him even more.

 By the time you climbed into bed for the night, your mind was racing a mile a minute, and all your thoughts were of Henry and the probability that he just might be the perfect man. That thought scared you even more than there being something wrong with him. If he were perfect, then it meant he was perfect for you, and perfect for you meant commitment, complications, and vulnerability while opening the stage for possible heartbreak. Even through the fear, one constant remained—you wanted him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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[prettyboybarzal]

Dancing with Our Hands Tied (3)

Pairing: Pierre Luc Dubois x Reader

A/N: Please let me know what you think! Next week is a fuuuuun chapter. The drama really spices up, I promise. I’m very excited! :))) 

Word Count: 2.3k

Warnings: Again, just alcohol consumption

Previous Chapter // Masterlist // Next Chapter

Sadie’s apology tour continued through the week after her visit. It started with her buying breakfast for you the morning after and it didn’t end until you practically begged her to stop saying sorry.

“Sadie, it’s over,” you grumbled into the phone that Thursday night. “Everyone has nights like that. I’m not mad at you.”

“Well, I’m just worried that you’ll never let me visit again!”

“Definitely not for a very long time.”

“You bitch!” she exclaimed, sending you into a fit of laughter that she joined in with just moments later. After the laughter settled, she sighed softly. “You did thank Pierre, right?”

Your silence answered the question for her.

“Oh, my God,” she whispered to herself. “I cannot believe you couldn’t put your stubbornness aside for one night!”

“It wasn’t me being stubborn,” you defended. “It was me being thrown off guard by a man who is otherwise an asshole to me and not knowing how to react to his kindness, fake or not.”

“I don’t think you know a thing about him.”

“And you do?”

“I know plenty,” she said. “More than you do, I can tell you that.”

“Enlighten me.”

“Try to get to know him yourself.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Fine, then I’m going to try to DM him on Instagram so I can send him a thank you,” she grumbled. You sat up straight on the couch, on high alert. 

“You absolutely will not.”

“Then thank him for me,” she barked. “Like a normal person.”

---

Pierre was in a mood and he couldn’t pinpoint where it even started, though he had a feeling that his goal drought was only making it worse. They’d been away for a week and while he didn’t mind roadtrips most of the time, the hotel beds on this one were exceptionally uncomfortable and his missed shots were haunting him at night.

It gave Seth and Josh an excuse to drag him out the day after they returned home.“You need to get your mind off work,” they’d said. And though he protested, he still ended up with his feet sticking to the ground beneath him. 

His mind was elsewhere, like it had been all week, and as it wandered, it ended up back to you. 

Whenever he thought about the night of Sadie’s incident, he found himself getting more and more agitated by your attitude. It shouldn’t have surprised him, and yet…

“YN’ll be here soon.”

A groan ripped through his chest at Josh’s words. You were the last person he wanted to see after a shitty week on the road. 

“You invited her?”

“You know what?” Josh asked. Pierre raised a brow at him. “I’m not even going to entertain this argument with you tonight. And that goes for her too. Tonight, we’re all friends.”

Seth laughed into his drink while Pierre fixed a glare on his teammate. Josh didn’t waiver for even a second.

“I’m getting a drink.”

The bar wasn’t as crowded as it usually was, but Pierre didn’t mind a bit. In fact, he liked it better this way considering the mood he was in. He didn’t feel like being bothered and he wasn’t in the mood to mingle. He wanted to drink away his stress in the booth in the corner with only Josh and Seth to entertain him. And, well, you.

The bartender recognized him as he approached and brought him his usual, though Pierre could tell he’d put a little more liquor in it than normal. 

“Did you watch the games?” he asked, eyes narrowed at the man behind the counter.

“Yeah,” he said softly. “Listen, man, you’re one of the best. Don’t stress.”

He left Pierre alone then, but the Universe had different plans.

“Duber, is that you?” 

He knew that voice.

“I feel like I haven’t seen you in so long.”

Standing in front of him was his date to last year’s Cannon Ball, Taylor. He thought he’d never see her again, not after the few hours they spent together, but here she was with a little more lip filler than she’d had then. She placed a manicured hand on his forearm with a smile and Pierre knew he wasn’t getting out of this any time soon.

---

“Are you still mad at me?”

Those were the first words out of Josh’s mouth when you showed up to the bar. He was seated beside Seth, who was sporting a shit eating grin because somehow he’d managed to avoid your wrath.

“No, but you’re lucky I had a week to cool off because if I’d seen you the day after, I would’ve killed you.”

“I told you Pierre’s not a bad guy,” Seth said, elbow nudging into your ribs as you sat on the other side of him. Your eyes cut to him, daring him to open his mouth again, but he kept it shut.

Josh watched you search the bar and realized, shockingly, that it was Pierre you were looking for. 

“He’s over at the bar,” he spoke, lifting a finger to point him out. His back was turned, but over his shoulder you could see the blonde hair of whatever girl he was with.  “I’m pretty sure he’s with that girl that used to stalk him last year. The one he brought to the team gala last year.”

His body language was all off, you could tell from the moment you laid your eyes on him. His shoulders were squared and he wasn’t even leaning into the girl in front of him, though she didn’t seem to mind a bit. Her fingers tracing up his biceps as she spoke to him. You finally got a look at her face and the memory of her hit you.

“Oh, shit,” you whispered, leaning over to talk to Josh. “I remember her.”

“Yeah, the one that got so drunk he had to carry her home and make sure she got into bed.”

You nodded as the night came back to you. Sure, she was super drunk, but that wasn’t what stuck with you. The thing that stuck out to you about that night was the way Pierre treated her.

Last season, your feud with Pierre was at its worst last season. Whenever he stepped into a room, you had to leave it. Even when Josh asked you to be his date for that event, you almost said no just because you knew it’d be nearly impossible to avoid Pierre. The boys broke you down though, as usual, and you accepted the invite after telling Josh he owed you one.

He so clearly invited her for the sex he’d get at the end of the night. They spent the entire pregame at Boone’s apartment with their hands all over each other and she even went as far as pinching his ass in front of the entire group on the way to the Ubers.

But, even if she was just a fling, he made sure to open all the doors for her and he held her purse when she had too many things in her hands, and even when she didn’t. He spent thirty minutes at the beginning of the night out on the terrace taking pictures for her Instagram. He even stopped drinking when he realized that she was taking advantage of the open bar because, as he told Seth, “I don’t want her getting too sick.”

And, while that night shocked you then, it didn’t any longer after seeing the way he handled Sadie. 

“He just mouthed help,” Seth said with a snicker. You looked up and caught the last moment of a helpless look from Pierre. Josh chuckled on the other side of Seth, neither one of them in a rush to help their teammate out.

“Well, are you gonna help him?”

They answered with a harmonized, “Nope.”

You watched him a little bit longer as Seth and Josh carried on beside you. And then it dawned on you. This was your chance to make it up to him. You’d save him from a girl he wants nothing to do with to make up for helping your sister out. Finally, the issue could be put to rest. Hopefully. 

“Do you guys want drinks?” The boys relayed their orders without a question and you slipped away to the bar, feet dragging in Pierre’s direction purposefully for the first time ever. 

You stepped up to the bar just a few paces behind him and placed your drink order with the bartender. As you waited, you inched over to the 6’ 3” hockey player and ran your fingers up his back. Your touch had him standing at attention immediately. He turned his head, eyes widening as they met yours. You smiled sweetly as you curled your fingers around his bicep and said, “Hi, Luc.”

“Hey,” he said, swallowing thickly. He couldn’t possibly be hearing you right. Luc?

Your eyes cut to the girl in front of him as you tightened your grip on his arm.

“Do you mind?” you asked, though you clearly weren’t going to give her a chance to answer as you steered Pierre towards you and boxed her out of the conversation. 

Goosebumps rose along his skin from your touch and he was praying that you wouldn’t notice, or that you’d at least ignore it if you did. 

“Thanks.” 

“Consider us even,” you spoke with a shrug. “That’s for keeping Sadie alive last weekend.”

“That was no problem,” he said. “You didn’t have to make it up to me.”

“No, I did,” you grunted. The bartender returned, placing your drinks down in front of you while you signed off on the receipt. “I didn’t say thank you, so consider this my thank you. Now we can drop it. Forever.”

---

It was 11:30 p.m. when you gathered your things and stood from the booth to wish everyone a good night. Pierre knew it was coming. You’d been looking at your phone for the past twenty minutes, the conversations around you background noise to the plans you were making. You said your goodbyes. A hug for Josh and Seth, a wave in Pierre’s direction, and then you were gone.

Pierre only stayed another thirty minutes. By the time midnight rolled around, he was drunk. His teammates clearly had a game plan because he wasn’t even thinking about his on-ice performance anymore. When he exited the bar, he found you still standing against the outside walls. Your jaw was set, arms crossed over your chest, clearly perturbed by the fact that you were still waiting for Charlie. 

“What are you still doing out here?”

His eyes were glassy and he stumbled over the sidewalk as he sidled up beside you and leaned against the bricks.

“Charlie’s not here yet,” you answered. He noticed your frustration, arms crossed over your chest as you glared out at the street in front of you. He lifted his wrist and glanced at his watch.

“Wasn’t he supposed to be here thirty minutes ago?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you dating him? Or is it just a booty call type of situation?”

“Can you stop talking about him?”

He continued anyway, pushing himself off the wall to step in front of you, “Why do you go home to him all the time? I mean, it can’t possibly be the sex. Every guy in there, including me, has eyes for you. You could have whoever you want, I bet.”

“Close your eyes then,” you spat, stepping to the side so you could have a clear view of the street again. He rolled his eyes. Even his compliments were shoved to the side. There was no getting through to you. He leaned back up against the wall as you began speaking again. “And, just to be clear, we’re still not friends. You must be delusional to think that I want to talk to you about anything going on in my life, especially my sex life.”

“That’s fine,” he said. “I don’t want to be your friend.”

“Good,” you quipped. “I don’t want to be your friend either.”

Your eyes lit up as Charlie’s car pulled up to the curb and you were practically jogging over to it before he even parked. You slipped into the passenger seat, pecking his lips quickly in an effort to get him to drive away before seeing his neighbor. You were unsuccessful.

“Is that Pierre?” Charlie asked, leaning across the center console to get a better look at his neighbor. He called his name from the open window and Pierre came walking over with a swagger in his step. He ducked down, elbows resting against the bottom of the window, and crowded your space purposely. “You heading home?” 

“Yeah, trying to call an Uber.”

“Don’t worry about it. Just get in!”

Your head whipped around so fast that you were surprised you didn’t have whiplash after, but the frantic look that crossed your face wasn’t even registered by the man in the driver’s seat and within seconds, Pierre was sliding into the backseat.

You were silent for the rest of the ride home, listening to the boys talk about hockey. Just hockey. While you checked your make-up in the mirror, you wondered if he was annoyed by the hockey talk. Josh and Seth always hated it. Your eyes cut to him as the thought crossed your mind and you found him already looking at you. 

You immediately closed the mirror. 

The elevator ride up to their floor was painful. You were eager to slip past Charlie’s front door and get away from Pierre. They exchanged a little more small talk as they fumbled with their keys and the locks. Pierre opened his first and smiled wickedly at the two of you before slipping into his apartment. 

“Have a good night, you two,” he said. “Keep it quiet, alright? I have an early morning.”

And then he was gone, disappearing behind his apartment door, before you could talk back.

[bumirang]

Turtle, Duck, Dragon, Horse: Ch. 8 excerpt

It’s a chilly afternoon when Bumi sits in on Hana’s worst training session since she arrived at Air Temple Island.

Under Jinora’s supervision, she and six other novitiates were walking the circle in a coordinated effort to create a sphere of solid wind nearly twice her height. Intimidating, but she’d managed it before. She actually wasn’t doing too terribly, until she caught sight of him out of the corner of her eye. Maybe it was excitement or performance anxiety or just the distraction, but that’s when it all went wrong. She immediately fell out of step with the others, but the more she tried to correct for it, the more unstable their formation became, until the sphere was a roiling squall-ball they were struggling just to contain.

Master Jinora stepped forward and summoned a gust with thought alone. “That’s, uh, impressive, but if you’ll slow down and back away, I can safely disper—”

Then it exploded, with a roar like a thunderclap in reverse. Thankfully, they were shielded from the worst of it by a barrier whipped up by their teacher, but it was a close thing.

Hana’s ears are still ringing when she makes in Bumi’s direction, ignoring the accusatory glances from her fellow novitiates. It’s obvious to all of them who messed things up, but they can’t prove anything, so whatever. Bumi, in contrast, just waves happily, absentmindedly petting Bum-Ju on his shoulder.

She stops five feet away from him and plants her hands on her hips. “What’re you doing here?”

“Hi to you, too,” he replies, slightly offended.

“Sorry, that sounded… I mean, did you need me for something?”

“Nope.”

“So, what, you popped by to watch me be a screw-up?”

“Well, I like to get a feel for where the newbies’re at. Didn’t think you’d be out with ‘em.”

She deflates a bit. “You saw how hopeless I am. I’ll be stuck with the newbies forever at this rate.”

“Nooo, no… Your bending’s just, uh, chaotic.” His smile is wide but not very convincing. Oh no. He’s trying to be nice. Her face burns at the realization. Pity is the last thing she wants from him, of all people.

He continues, “Form was great, though. Right, buddy?” He glances at the dragonfly-bunny, who shrugs. “Yeah, he thinks so, too.”

“…Thanks.” She stares past him, at the ground, wishing she were anywhere else. At the same time, Bumi’s easily her favorite person on Air Temple Island, and it’s usually such a treat being the focus of his attention. If only she could be anything other than a pathetic misfit in his eyes.

He puts a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, kid, don’t get hung up on it. We’ll figure it out.” His voice has gone all serious, worried.

“You don’t have to… be nice to me.”

“…Huh?”

“Because you feel sorry for me. I don’t want…” She feels her eyes flood with hot tears. In a panic, she slaps a hand over her face, harder than she intended. “Ow.”

Bumi clears his throat and calls over her head, across the courtyard, “Hey, Jinora, gonna steal Hana for a bit!”

“Oh, we’re all done!” she calls back, sounding less rattled than she probably feels. “No theft required.”

“Great! Seeya at dinner!” His hand slides down to Hana’s arm, sending a wave of goosebumps shivering along her shoulders and neck. She almost jumps when he mutters into her ear, “I know a good place to talk. No lookie-loos.”

Then they’re hurtling through the air, and she forgets about her shame for a sweet thirty seconds. His grip on her arm is firm, but she latches onto him anyway. Just survival instinct, she reminds herself, as she hears him laugh with her ear against his chest. He wraps an arm around her then, and she feels safer than she ever did on the ground.

Bumi sets them down in a little grassy clearing on the eastern edge of the island. It’s not far from one of his favorite places to have class, but without any obvious paths to it, you’d have to survey the island from the air to even know it exists. Or just know its layout like the back of your hand. It’s late afternoon, leaving most of it in the shade from nearby trees. What sunlight there is glows gold on dead grass. Framed by two stunted trees jutting from the cliff’s edge is the skyline of Republic City, painted gold as the grass. Bumi pulls a little ta-dah pose in front of it, which gets a smile out of her.

“That’s more like it,” he says, wearing his own smug grin. “Now what was that about you not wanting me to be nice?”

“I just meant…” She grasps at the air, like the words she needs to complete her thought are buzzing around her. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to go out of your way. For me.” It seems like a moot point now.

“Why not you?”

“I’m not cut out for this. You’re wasting your time.”

He laughs softly to himself and crosses his arms. For a moment, Hana’s terrified that he might be mocking her, but when he looks back up at her, his eyes are kind, and a little sad. “I know how ya feel,” he says with a shrug.

“How could you poss—”

Bumi just raises an eyebrow at her, and she slaps her hand over her face again. It stings worse than the first time, but she figures she deserves that.

“Fu— Nngh! I’m such an—” Hana drops down onto her haunches, holding her throbbing face in both hands. Maybe with enough pressure, she can shove the tears and snot back where they belong. “I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad.”

She hears him sit down across from her. “M’not mad, kid. Like I said, I’ve been where you are. More or less.” She steals a glance at him, seated maybe a foot away and wearing the city itself like his own personal aura. “I see you busting your ass to do what comes so easy to others, and I know what that does to ya. Shame and doubt. Anger. A lot of anger. It can make ya feel worthless…”

She nods and eases into a cross-legged sit, mirroring him.

“S’not true, though. Everyone’s worth something. You’re worth a lot. Trust me, I’ve got an eye for talent.” Bum-Ju, who’s been hovering at a respectful distance, picks that moment to park himself on her head. “See? So does he.”

Hana wipes her runny nose, trying to hide it at first, but Bumi’s expression is so genuinely affable that she feels silly for thinking he might judge her. He’s on her side. A goopy face won’t change that. For lack of better options, she wipes up with a sleeve.

Hands dry, she reaches up, tentatively, to pet the dragonfly-bunny. “Is it okay if I…?”

“That’s up to him.”

The spirit doesn’t flee at her touch. In fact, he leans into it. She gasps as she runs her fingers through his fur, which is easily the softest, silkiest texture she’s ever felt, like yarn spun from cloudstuff. To her surprise, he gives a happy little chirrup and plops into her lap, landing on his back.

“He says to tell you he wants belly rubs.”

“Heh. Okay.” Petting Bum-Ju is supremely soothing, like lemonade on a summer’s day. His quiet little chirps merge and blend into a purr, and she smiles again. How could she not?

“It… It’s humiliating. I knew training wasn’t gonna be easy, but this is like being a little kid all over again.” She runs a finger along the edge of one of the spirit’s strange insectoid wings. Like the fur, it doesn’t feel entirely substantial. “I was supposed to be an earthbender, y’know.”

“Yeah? Says who?”

“…My dad.”

“Hah! Ain’t that always the way?”

“Heh…”

“You don’t give me earthbender vibes at all. You’re too… squishy.”

Her head shoots up to glare at him, and she notices how the sunlight’s shifted since they arrived. Twilight’s creeping up fast. “Did you just call me squishy?”

She’s caught him off-guard, and he blushes at the unflattering implications of such a word choice. “That’s to say… Well, the way rocks aren’t, right? Does that make sense?”

“No…?”

“You’re, I dunno, airy.”

“So I’m squishy like air…?”

Bumi runs a hand through his hair in actual frustration. “Forget I said you were squishy!” He looks relieved when she giggles and clues him into her teasing.

“My point being,” she continues blithely, “I may be the worst airbender here, but I had no earth talent whatsoever. Dad was not pleased. I never even wanted to do it, except to please him.”

“Sorry.”

“I have a little brother, though, and he’s brilliant with earth. Stone, glass, metal. You name it. Guess it worked out for Dad in the end, but I always… Even though it was crazy, I always wanted to fly. Not in an airship, but like the birds do. It never seemed fair.” She winces at how naive that sounds. “After Harmonic Convergence, I thought, y’know, finally. This is who I’m supposed to be.” Sympathy fills the lines around Bumi’s eyes and mouth, and she looks back down at the fuzzy spirit in her lap. She gives him some experimental chin scritches, which seem to go over well. “But it’s been more than three months now, and I’m still… I’m just a screw-up.”

“You’re the best teaching assistant I’ve ever had.”

Hana blinks. “Aren’t I the only one you’ve ever had?”

“Nah, I used to spend summers teaching new recruits arts ‘n’ crafts.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Says somebody who has no idea how boring it can get on a tour of duty! Keeping your hands busy staves off Sea Madness. And fistfights… Well, that is until somebody badmouths another guy’s macramé. I’ve been called as a witness at some crazy court martials, lemme tell ya.”

“I… Wow, okay. I guess you’d know.”

“And before I forget, let’s get one thing clear,” says Bumi, leaning forward and pointing right in her face. “I like being around you. Aren’t we friends?”

What’s the appropriate response to that? “You… friend… with me?” Well, it’s definitely not that. “I guess I didn’t… I thought you were just trying to figure me out. What’s wrong with me, I mean.”

“That, too, but hey! We have fun, right?”

“Yeah?”

“There ya go! Friends!”

She laughs. She can’t help it. Seeing the way Bumi’s face lights up only makes her laugh harder. Bum-Ju launches clear of her lap as she doubles over. Collapsed on the grass, she finally admits, “Okay! We’re friends! I guess!”

“So…” Only when she sees his shoulders relax does Hana realize how tense he’s been this whole time. “You always wanted to fly, huh?”

“Oh, yeah. More than anything. Thought I could grow up to be a bird if I put in the effort, but I was forced to develop an overactive imagination instead.”

“Sounds like a fun story.”

She pushes herself back into a sitting position and picks bits of grass out of her hair. She could do with a trim, now that she’s thinking about it. “Not a whole lot to tell. I was basically a toddler, and I don’t remember much.”

“Yeah?” Bumi’s grinning at her. He grins a lot, to be fair, but he has a different style for every occasion. Goofball, smart-ass, encouraging, nervous, and so on. This is a pure look of amused contentment, just for her. It makes her feel all gooey inside, but in a nice way, no snot involved.

“Hm. Well, okay. Mom did tell me about one time she found me eating worms out of the garden.”

“Hah! What’d it taste like?”

“Slimy dirt, probably? I only know it happened from Mom. Like I said, toddler.”

Bumi scratches his neck and looks off to the side, like he’s debating something with himself, then says, “I jumped off cliffs a lot.”

“Wow. Dark.”

“Into the water! Got pretty good at climbing. Diving, too, but that’s just, y’know, falling with style.”

“Umbrellas.” He looks at her expectantly, eyes glittering like chips of ice. They might be the palest she’s ever seen, and if they aren’t the most beautiful, they’re definitely in the top five. That’s a strange thought. Despite his age, he’s actually quite handsome. In fact, the wrinkles themselves emphasize his features in a way she didn’t realize she appreciated until just now. They tell a story of a life well-lived.

A quirk of his eyebrows reminds her that she’s in the middle of a conversation, during which she’s just said “umbrellas” and stared at him for ten seconds.

“W-well. Um. I saw this character in a storybook who flew around with an umbrella, so I found the biggest one I could and ran down the street, screaming my head off the whole time.” Hana feels herself blush at the admission. “That part seemed important for some reason. I was, like, five.”

“How’d that go?”

“As I recall, I broke the umbrella, and several people called the cops. They thought I was escaping from a murderer or something. Can’t imagine why.”

Bumi just laughs. Hana revels in it until he quiets enough to keep telling him embarrassing things about herself.

“Then there was the time I spent a month collecting loose feathers around my neighborhood and stuffed them all in my shirt,” she says, with a bit of added pantomime. “Was gonna jump out the apartment window, but I chickened out.”

“So… it worked?”

“Shut up. You are horrible, and I hate you now.”

“Minus 57 points for disrespecting your elder.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault they dress me like a giant baby.” She tugs at a corner of the scarlet shawl sewn around the shoulders of her standard-issue Air Nomad pajamas. They both snicker.

Then Bumi sits up straight like he’s been struck by lightning. “I got it!”

“Hm?”

“A wingsuit. Try one on!”

“That’s not really allowed unless you’ve qualified, though.”

“Eh, if you get in trouble, I’ll smooth it over,” he says with a little hand wave. “It could be just the confidence boost you need to get over whatever mental block is tripping you up.” He gestures at his own outfit. “Think about it. The right uniform can totally change how you see yourself. And I should know.”

“That’s a good point, but…” Hana shrugs and makes various non-committal noises. What she doesn’t mention is her discomfort at the snugness of the wingsuit’s fit. As ridiculous as the pajamas look on her, they’re at least loose and comfortable. Squeezing into a skintight flight suit to practice—probably clumsily as ever—is just another humiliation waiting to happen. It does give her an idea, though.

“Remember when I told you how I’ve had a bit of Kyoshi Warrior training?” she asks with a little smirk.

“I remember you not flipping me, even after I asked nicely.”

“Well, I might still have my fan lying around somewhere…”

[ssa-sapphic-inactive]

All Babes are Wolves by Spinnerette

-ˋˏ Die For You ˎˊ-

note: can i just say, i’ve never listened to this song before but now i absolutely love it! thank you for the submission and the new addition to my playlist ;)

pairing: emily prentiss/fem!reader

prompt: give me a song and i might write a blurb or fic based on it

summary: y/n takes emily on a friendly date to see their favorite artist in concert, and while they’re dancing in the crowd, emily soon realizes that her feelings for y/n go way deeper than just being friends and coworkers

“Y/n, am I allowed to know where we’re going yet?” Emily asked you, as she sat in the passengers seat of your white jeep.

“Nope!” You chuckled. “But we’re almost there, so don’t worry.”

You quickly merged into the left lane, before turning into a parking lot that was a block or two away from The NorVa theater in Norfolk, Virginia. Every month, you and Emily would each take a turn picking different places to take each other. It was true that the two of you became super close after you first joined the team. In fact, you were inseparable. Hanging out with each other was like second nature and whenever you two were together, it was like you were transformed into teenagers always laughing and enjoying your youth. You absolutely loved it, and you loved her. She was your best friend.

Last month, she took you on a tour of the famous landmarks in Washington DC because you’d never been. The night soon ended with you both sitting on the famous steps of the Lincoln Memorial as you looked out onto the sunset that was reflecting onto the water of the Washington Monument. It was so surreal and dreamlike that you wished you could stay there next to her just like that forever. You took a cautious glance up at her and smiled as you caught the warm sun’s orange and pink tint cascading down her cheekbones and jawline. Emily was breathtaking to you, and you couldn’t get enough of her. It was then that you realized how much you needed her more than just a friend.

The only problem was, you didn’t think that your best friend felt the same way about you.

After parking the car and pulling the keys out of the ignition, you quickly opened your door and jumped out before rushing over to Emily’s side and opening her door.

“How chivalrous of you.” She teased, showing you those dimples that drove you wild. “Care to tell me where we are now?”

“Ughh, patience Em! Trust me, you’re gonna like it.”You quickly grabbed her hand and tugged her along the bustling sidewalk.

One of the conversations you two had bonded over during your monthly rendezvous’s, was your shared love for alternative music and rock bands. There was not a single trip that went by without you two blasting your playlists in the car on the way to your destination. It was tradition at this point. So, for the next friend-date, you decided to take her to a concert featuring one of your favorite bands Spinnerette. You both loved the band, but they had been innactive for the past couple years. However, they had recently announced that they were making a comeback with a pop-up concert in Virginia and you instantly knew that you had to take her.

“Alright,” You spoke, smiling cheekily as you stopped in front of the theater. “We have officially arrived at our destination!”

Emily furrowed her eyebrows as she looked up at the sign. She was curious as to why you decided to take her here, but soon her eyes lit up at the poster taped onto the front doors.

“Shut. Up.” She mumbled, walking closer to it as she read the headline. “How the hell did you manage to get tickets to this? Is this a joke??”

“I may or may not have flashed my badge in order to get them, but that’s beside the point.” You quickly tried changing the subject but Emily frowned at you like you were a kid and she was the authority figure.

“Y/n!” She scolded, but still kept her beautiful smile. “So you’re telling me that you seriously used the ‘I’m a FBI agent.’ excuse?”

You stood quiet for a few moments before putting your head down in shame. “Maybe...”

When you looked back up, you expected her to be disappointed, but instead she pulled you into a bone crushing hug and gave you a high five. “I knew I loved you for a reason.” She joked, but that quick statement made your heart stop momentarily. If only she knew, you thought. Instead, you chuckled nervously before leading her into the theater, hoping to avoid the awkwardness that could have been had you exposed your true feelings.

A half hour later, you and Emily were standing somewhere in the mosh pit where you had a clear view of the small stage. You were so excited for the show to begin and so you didn’t take notice of the way Emily stared at you in adoration. You would not take your eyes off of the stage as you waited for the band to walk on. She even tried talking with you to pass the time but you just kept your head facing forward while you squeezed her hand in pure excitement. It made Emily feel warm inside because she loved nothing more than to see you happy.

Eventually, the lights dimmed with the exception of the warm spotlight shining on stage. Suddenly, Brody Dalle, the lead singer, walked on with the other members trailing behind her. Immediately, the crowd lit up with cheers and applause and you began jumping up and down while squealing in anticipation.

“Thank you for coming out tonight!” Brody spoke into the mic, pumping up the crowd. And as she pulled a note from the pocket of her ripped up leather pants, your anxiety completely skyrocketed. “We’re gonna start off with a fan favorite that I’m sure you all know. This song was actually requested by a fan in the crowd tonight named Y/n Y/l/n, and she told me to say the following:

To Emily, my badass bestie: Oh babe, I would die for you. (And that’s not just me reciting lyrics. I seriously mean it, because that’s what our job entails. I would literally jump in front of a bullet for you, Emily Prentiss)

The crowd awwed and laughed at your written words, as did Emily, before she turned to look at you in nothing but fascination. “I’m speechless. Do I even want to know how you managed to get in contact with the band?”

“It’s like I told you already, Em. There’s nothing a little flash of the badge can’t fix.” You smiled as you patted the back pocket where your credentials were.

Emily laughed as she wrapped herr arm around you and kissed your cheek. Your face instantly heated up and you were thankful for the darkness being present, so that she couldn’t see you blush. Just then, the music started and Brody’s raspy voice blared through the theater as “All Babes Are Wolves” echoed throughout the perimeter.

You and Emily both jumped up and down while screaming out the lyrics that were blending in with the other fans shouting them out as well. You flipped your hair around crazily as you jammed out and enjoyed yourself and Emily couldn’t be more in love with you at that moment. So, she did the only thing that felt right to her in that moment in time. She pulled you incredibly closer and kissed you with so much force and passion that the rambunctious sounds around you deafened completely. All you could see was the raven-haired beauty in front of you, and all you could hear was her sensual voice whispering in your ear.

“I would die for you too.” She admitted, lovingly.

tag list: @reids187iq @ughilovesupergirl @hotchnisskibbs @crindy123 @emilyprentiss27 @avogotyournumber @yipyipjemily

[artxyra]

So I had this idea and I was wondering if you would write it. So damian has lived with his dad for a couple of years, he is 15/16 and his brothers have been nagging him about going on a date like a normal teenager for months now, and then one day he just snaps and screams at them " don't you get it I'm already betrothed!" His brothers are confused but try to help " I'm sure we can find a loophole and get you out of it!" "No. If the betrothal is broken the league will kill her."enter marinette.

Note: Well this story sounded better in my head, but it took forever to type up. I hope you enjoy it. 

Damian couldn’t remember a time when his brothers didn’t make an attempt at his love life. Every other month (sometimes weeks) it was attempt after attempt.  He hated it. At first, he humored his brothers, but that humor quickly turned to the opposite emotion. Though Damian’s biggest secret thought that it was hilarious, and it was.

Damian remembers their first attempt, he was only fourteen, been in the Waynes’ custody for almost four years. He remembers being tugged into a bathroom and then forces to wear silly fancy clothes. His brothers should have been lucky that he didn’t have his weapons on him. To them, it was to gain the high school boy experience since Damian refused to do any of the sorts. Shouldn’t they just happy that he has one friend at the very least? Nope, they really wanted Damian to have a sense of normality.

“Baby bird, every teen goes on a date. Please just do this for us.” It was Dick that had started the persuasion. Damian had only tsk and fold his arms against his chest. He was already fed up with all the bullshit spewing from the older adopted Wayne’s mouth.

“Why should I even do this? I barely know the har—girl and—” Damian begins to scowl as Dick interrupts him by tossing a vest for him to wear. He mentally gags at the texture of the vest. Damian had scene better quality, not that he’ll tell where.

“We promise it will be worth it.”  It was Tim that adds to the conversation as Jason was to busy cleaning up his knife in broad daylight.

It wasn’t long after that was the date with a Gotham native. She wasn’t up to his standards; it was clear that she didn’t want to be with him for him. To this day he suspects that she only agreed because of the money. Damian tried everything to make the date super uncomfortable for the girl even going so far as to make up an explicitly detailed gory story. She left cursing his brothers, mainly Dick, out at the end of their date.

Damian had thought that would be the one and only time that would happen…he had forgotten the stubbornness that runs in the family. Failing was not an option as this continues for another four years.

“I’m sure it was a fun date.” A female’s voice says from the screen of his laptop, that was place on his dresser as he does shadow movements with his katana.

“It was tiresome, Angel, and quite frankly I’m getting sick of it.” Damian lowers the blade to his side and turns to face the screen. On the screen is a lovely female, around his age with long dark hair that drapes over her shoulders. She lets out a giggle.

“I’m sure they have the best intentions, besides it’s not like they know I exist, anyway.” She says rolling her eyes.

“Angel, I love you, but not even you can last an evening with the dates they have set up over and over again.” Damian sighs putting up the katana. He then picks up the laptop and goes to lie on his bed.

“Well, I’m sure it will all be fine. Besides, I have a surprise for you that is coming soon. Just hold out until then. Okay?” She says with a bright as a loud sound goes off in the background. Damian sighs and nods before ending the video call. He hates keeping her a secret, but it was the right thing to do.

It was a week later when his brothers came to him with another blind date proposal signally the tenth time that has happened in a span of a month. Everyone could see the growing frustration in the young Wayne heir. With the mention of dates, couples, restaurant, manhood, romance, it would set Damian off, although he was quick to calm down with a message from an Angel.

“Look Demon spawn, she is literally perfect for you.” It was an excuse, something for him to look forward to. No one is perfect.  

“C’mon baby bird, she could be the one.” Another excuse. There was only one girl that was the one and she’s several hundred thousand miles away.

“Go, it all fancy and shit, also the NDA.” Ugh, this was becoming numbing. Damian could only wish to slide his fine blade across all their necks. Also, why the hell would Jason even mention an NDA to him in the first place?

“What is this? Another blind date for the young master?” Thank god for Alfred.

“Alfred, we promise this will be the last time.” That’s a lie and he knows it.

Damian could feel the growing headache forming at the back of his mind. Dick’s moving too fast, Tim’s giving him all the details about his so-called date, and well Jason is just being Jason.

“Enough!” Damian finally breaks. “The reason why I don’t like going on these so-called blind dates is because I’m betrothed to someone.” The word betrothed rings through the heads of his family members.

“Wha~!” Simultaneously, the older Waynes’ minds break.

“Is there any way you can break it off? A loophole even? How are you betrothed?” Shouldn’t that had been asked backward? They could all see the steam oozing out of Damian’s ears.

Crossing his arms and turning his back to his brothers, Damian looks down. “No, not unless you want a death on your hands. The only way to end a betrothal is to kill the other, that has always been the League’s away of things.” The second the last word left his lips, Damian walks away; he needs to talk with his Angel.

Still in shock, everyone turns to one another.

“How could we have missed that?” Tim screeches before taking a sip from his mug despite the shaking in his hand.

Dick was unsure what to say, think, or do. It’s not every day you learn the brother you’ve been setting up is engaged. An engagement that they could not break.

“I’m more worried who the brat is engaged too?” Jason murmurs then proceed to clean out his gun. His brothers stare at him with wide eyes unsure what to say to the second oldest.

For the next week after that bomb drop, his brothers continue to pester him about his betrothal, they even managed to include Bruce in the conversation a couple of times. If it wasn’t for Alfred, Damian knows that the pestering would have left someone in the hospital.

On a rare sunny day in Gotham, Damian had taken Titus out for a walk. It was clear his mind and to get away for the time being. Finding a nice park bench to sit on, he pulls out a small sketchpad and begins to sketch. Titus runs around enjoying the outdoors.

“Is this spot taken?” The voice sounded so familiar. He grunts ever once looking up the person afraid that he had misheard the voice. “Oh, c’mon Dams, I thought you would be happy to see me.” It was then that he looks up. In shock, he pushes the sketchpad to the side and pulls the person in front of him into his arms.

“I miss you.” He murmurs into her dark hair. “But how?”

“I managed to win the Martha Wayne scholarship, and then your butler Alfred got into contact with me about visiting.” She says looking up to Damian, though she was mainly seeing his chin due to their height difference. “You’ve grown.” She then pouts.

Damian lets out a soft chuckle, hoping that no one outside of his Angel heard him. His Angel places her head against his chest and together they stayed like that until Titus decided that he was some attention.

“Awe, he’s so cute.” She says petting the Great Dane.

Damian was internally happy to have her by his side for the first time in years. She’s the one that is perfect for him and it’s not because she was molded to be, but because she knows him inside and out.

When Damian, Titus, and his Angel returned to the manor, it is Alfred that they see first.

“Welcome home, young master, and Miss Dupain-Cheng.” Alfred greets the teen.

“Alfred, please call me Marinette, my last name can be a mouth full,” Marinette says giving the butler a smile. Alfred nods and proceeds to guide them to the living room. “So, this is the Wayne manor, those photos you send me Dams does this no justice.”

Damian once again chuckles knowing she’ll be in a heavily inspired by the architecture which will then cause her to go dark until she finishes whatever project came out of the inspiration.

“Angel, how about I give you a proper tour of the manor?” He offers to which she gladly takes.

Marinette had been staying at the Wayne manor for a couple of days before Damian brothers make their grand entrance. Without catching sight of the girl, they make their way to the youngest Wayne hoping to get some answers about his betrothal.

“Um, you can ask me if you want,” Marinette says from behind the boys causing an outcry of emotions.

“What you’re real?” It was Tim rubbing his eyes that speaks first.

Marinette awkwardly nods, “And you need sleep. I have a special brew that can knock anyone out within seconds.” She says to Tim before turning to the others. “I’m Marinette, nice to meet you.”

Dick and Jason stare at the girl lost for words. Dick was internally gushing about her size and how cute she is compared to Damian while Jason struggles to comprehend the person in front of him.

Marinette closes the gap between her and Jason. She looks over the second oldest and smiles sadly. “You have so much darkness around you. The same that used to be around Dams. I could help you if you want.” She says taking the male’s hand.

Jason was lost for words. This person was willing to help him. He wasn’t sure how to feel but the light flowing off of this tiny person was overpowering.

“That’s it you’re my new favorite sibling. I will protect you with my life.” Dick cries out starting the competition of who’s Marinette’s favorite brother-in-law.

Not surprisingly enough, Marinette warmed her way into the Wayne family. She even bonded with Steph, Cass, and Barbara whenever the girls came over for a girls-only day. Damian quickly was reminded why he didn’t want his family to know about her, seeing that he barely has time with her as his siblings take all the time away. Though it has it’s benefits. He can now visit Marinette in France without needing to sneak away and she could come to visit the manor whenever she wants.

Damian knew the moment he said “I do”, she’ll be his forever in life and in death just like he’ll be hers forever.

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[ri-ahhh]

Okay, but with Grayson complaining about being lonely and wanting a girlfriend I CANT HELP but to think about how horny he probably is on top of that. Like- its been on my mind for days, so can you PLEASE write something about gray meeting a bitch, like through friend or something, and realizing he likes her and then having these dirty thoughts about her, and like he doesn't want to but he just cant help it... I will die and love you forever, you're writing is my absouloute favortie.

Ur so sweet babe haha thank you😊 hope this is along the lines of what you wanted.

Getting his dick wet has never been a problem for Grayson Dolan; not since receiving his first sloppy, inexperienced blowjob when he was on tour at the tender age of 16. There’s been a steady flow of girls in and out of his life ever since, fulfilling both his needs sexually and the fleeting desire for noncommittal intimacy. And that’s how he likes it for the longest time. Easy and no-strings-attached.

But he’s older now, and even though quarantine hadn’t stopped him from hitting up his favorite one or two booty calls every now and then, he feels empty in a way that’s becoming all-too familiar. It’s not a new feeling, but every time he leaves their homes (because that’s his number one rule — hookups stay out of his bed), there’s a longing that wasn’t satisfied and that’s becoming more and more apparent to him.

So he stops fucking around — literally. He believes in the power of the mind and manifestation almost to a fault, and considers that maybe he’s letting casual hookups interfere with what he really wants: companionship.

It seems like a breeze at first. Grayson swears he feels lighter, clearer in the head, more focused on what he wants out of his life. He puts his mind to being the best version of himself and hoping that it’s enough to attract the same kind of person that he can put all of his love and effort into in return.

As months roll on, however, he realizes that sometimes the universe just doesn’t listen right away. And for the first time in his life, Grayson discovers the monotony and reality of what it’s like for the ‘regular’ guys out there, whose only sexual pleasure comes from their own hand and the porn category of choice for the night. He was used to that as a filler, for sure, but not as his one and only outlet.

Plain and simple, he’s horny. All the time. Which makes him grumpy, and irritable, and frustrated with both himself and everything around him. So when Ethan tells him in passing that his girlfriend is flying in from New York with her friend to visit, it just makes him grunt. The fact that his brother is in such a happy and healthy relationship himself is a point of contention for Grayson in his head. He’s thrilled for Ethan, but he can’t help but dwell on the creeping jealousy in his chest. Here he is, starved for both intimacy and sex now, and Ethan will get served both of those the following night in excess while Grayson lies in his bed alone.

The next night, they’re all having dinner at the kitchen table — all four of them, including her. The friend. The friend that Ethan had mentioned would be coming but that Grayson had so brusquely ignored. The friend that had his eyebrows raised the second she walked shyly through his front door, drawn in immediately by her beauty.

The friend he can’t keep his eyes off of now as she goes to town on the roasted sweet potatoes and black bean burgers he had made himself. She’s quiet but witty and has a cute laugh that makes his heart flutter a little in a way he hasn’t experienced in a long time.

He feels a nudge against his ribs, and startles when he jerks to the side to see Ethan staring at him pointedly with a knowing little smile on his lips.

“You’ve got ketchup on your shirt, bro,” he says, nodding to the blob of red on Grayson’s white shirt that had dropped from the forkful of sweet potatoes, which had only made it halfway to his mouth as he listened to her talk.

“Shit,” he mumbles embarrassedly, flushing a color near the tomato-red that’s now stained his shirt. Of course, the first time he’s feeling real feelings around a beautiful girl, he has to revert to awkward, clumsy Grayson rather smooth, relaxed Grayson.

He starts to scrub up the mess with his napkin, but she reaches out from her seat across the table from him and grabs his wrist in her petite hand. “Oop, wait! Dab, don’t swipe, or you’ll make it worse. I know how to get that out as long as it’s not smeared around into the fabric.”

Grayson swallows, his arm flaring with goosebumps at her gentle but insistent touch, but tries to keep his cool. She’s grinning at him amusedly, then sits back in her seat when Grayson follows her instructions.

“I thought ketchup was one of those things that you’re just kinda fucked if you get it on your clothes, Ethan says, filling the silence left by his brother.

She shakes her head. “Nope. Peroxide will get it right out, especially if you wash it after. Do you have any?”

Ethan cocks a brow and looks at Grayson, hoping he’ll use the opportunity to speak to her. Thankfully, he does, even if it is lacking a little bit of gracefulness. “Huh, peroxide? Oh... uh, yeah, I — yeah, in my bathroom.”

“I’ll help you when we’re all done, if you want,” she offers before taking a modest bite of her burger.

Grayson nods, and can’t help but watch the way she sucks a bit of barbecue sauce off her thumb once she swallows. His heart picks up and he has to shift in his seat a little when she winks at him, his pants tightening under the table. Damn it. He’s been trying to avoid that reaction and those thoughts, determined to do this right.

He fixes a smile to his lips, and hopes his face isn’t giving him away. “Yeah, that’d be great.”

Everyone helps clean up the table and dishes, and Grayson leads her into his room while they leave the other two to have some alone time. He prays that he made his bed that morning and that there’s no dirty underwear on the floor or used tissues on the nightstand.

Luckily, the floor is relatively clear, and the bed is made, if haphazardly so. She follows him into the en-suite bathroom and watches him dig under the cabinet in the first aid bucket he has down there.

She’s wearing jean shorts and a loose-knit sweater, and when Grayson starts to stand back up he takes a moment to appreciate the tone in the muscles of her legs and the flashes of skin he can see through her top, hoping he isn’t being too obvious.

She takes the brown bottle from him and tugs on the hem of his shirt. “It’ll be easier if you take this off.”

Grayson nods, and can’t help the laugh that escapes him when she turns her back to him. “What are you doing?”

“Giving you your modesty! I don’t know you, for all I know you might be super insecure.”

“At the risk of sounding like a total douche, I promise I’m not,” he answers, reaching behind his neck to tug the collar up and over his head. “Here you go.”

She turns back around, and Grayson doesn’t miss the way her eyes travel over his sculpted torso. He can’t help but smirk a little, thrilled at the cute blush that tinges her cheeks when she meets his eyes and realizes she’s been caught.

He hasn’t had a woman look at him like that in months, however, and he’s grateful when she tells him, “This will need to go in the laundry tonight if you want to make sure the stain comes out, so you’ll need another shirt anyways.”

It gives him an out to duck into his closet, taking a moment to collect himself before grabbing the first T-shirt his hand touches and slipping it over his head.

“Cold water first,” she informs, smiling at him through the mirror when he re-emerges as she leans over the sink with the water running. She shuts off the water and squeeze out the excess, then takes the peroxide and pours some onto the stain.

“Woah,” Grayson says, eyebrows raised in surprise at the fizzing bubbles visibly picking up the bright red from the fibers of his shirt. “Where did you learn this trick?”

“I work in the toddler room at a daycare. We keep this stuff on sight and scene to avoid 20 outfit changes a day on a few two year-olds. I’m sure you can imagine the amount of ketchup and blood stains a toddler procures on the daily.”

Grayson chuckles. He feels himself growing more fond of her by the second. “You like kids?”

“I love them,” she replies with a grin. “Working in childcare is pretty rough, but it’s been a great college job. Lots of experience for my degree. And, you know, good practice for the future one day.”

If he hadn’t been sold by now, that does it. Beautiful, smart, and good with kids?

He takes a moment to assess himself and his thoughts. He doesn’t think he’s letting his dick lead him right now, even if he does want her that way. He’s just as attracted to her mind as he is the curves of her body and the features of her pretty face, and finds himself wanting to talk to her for hours on end.

He doesn’t realize there’s a heated silence, both of them standing there staring at each other, until she clears her throat and holds up his shirt. Grayson glances down at it to see just a faint brown rim around what use to be a bright red mark. “All done.”

“Thank you,” he says, taking it from her and tossing it in his laundry basket. “Come on, hopefully we don’t walk into something we can’t unsee.”

“You make a pretty good meat shield,” she says jokingly, following close behind him. “All big and broad. I can just hide behind you and keep my eyes unscarred.”

Grayson laughs loudly, his ego swelling, and he has to resist the urge to take her hand in his. That would be too much. Right?

Thankfully, the couple is just cuddling innocently on the loveseat when they enter the living room.

“Movie?” Ethan asks when the two of them settle on the couch, a respectful and calculated distance between them — not too close and not too far.

“Sure.”

They’re all in a fun and lighthearted mood tonight, so they settle on Moana. Grayson wants nothing more than to throw his arm around the beautiful girl next to him, who sings along playfully to the songs she knows, her enthusiastic movements shuffling her closer to him. He doesn’t know if it’s intentional, but he doesn’t really care; her presence in both body and spirit feels good to him.

Ethan’s girlfriend only makes it about halfway through the movie before she’s passed out, tired from the long flight earlier that day. He looks down at her fondly and chuckles when he sees her nuzzled sound asleep against his chest.

“I’m gonna take her to bed,” he announces quietly before standing with her in his arms. “Goodnight, guys.”

They both murmur back “goodnight” and watch Ethan disappear down the hall. The movie plays on for a couple of minutes, before she’s turning to him and making small talk. Which turns into broader conversation about bigger things. Which leads to them settling so close that their knees touch. She finds an excuse to pick an invisible fleck of something off his hand, which turns into their fingers playing with each other’s teasingly.

Which turns to Grayson checking his watch in a quiet but not unpleasant lull, and muttering, “Oh, shit,” in surprise.

She checks her phone lying on the couch cushion behind her. The time shines back at her 1:27 AM.

“Damn, when did it get so late?” she wonders aloud, looking at him amusedly.

Grayson shakes his head. “Time flies,” he says. Whether it’s the late hour, or him getting his mojo back, or just the fact that he’s so naturally comfortable with her, he suddenly feels bold enough to reach out and tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. “Are you tired?”

She blushes and bites her lip, allowing him to keep his warm palm pressed to her neck while his thumb strokes the ridge of her jaw gently.

“Not really,” she answers, scooting that much closer to him. “Not ready to go to my bed, anyways.”

She’s referring to the guest room she’s already settled her things into. Grayson smiles. Rules be damned, he thinks, until he realizes in the next moment that there’s no way this amazing girl is going to be just a hookup. There’s no rule to be broken.

“Why don’t you come to mine, then?”

[mendesblurb]

WHERE IS THE LOVE

Shawn Mendes x female reader

Warning: fluff, maybe grammar error and maybe some punctuation errors and maybe typos

GIF Credits to owner and maker @tannerandthesociety-backup

It felt like it was just yesterday when you were a new transfer student entering a high school in Toronto.

You were forced to relocate to another country because your dad was offered a promotion at work. You were so happy when he conveyed the news even though you were a little sad that you had to move to another country.

First day of school was tough as nobody wanted to get to know the new kid. You were about to give up when a group of guys asked whether they could sit with you during lunch.

Because you were lonely and desperate for friends you said yes. Those guys were Shawn,Brian and Connor. Soon the four of you became inseparable, you see the thing is for other people at the school they were the three weirdos and now you were their newest member.

The three of you were there from the beginning of Shawn's music career. You were there when his vine blew up and you were all so proud when stitches went trending.

Fast forward to now, you are currently on a summer break from university and what better way to spend your break than joining your best friend’s world tour.

Today you were off to the land of the rising sun aka Japan. As soon as you reach your seat, all you want you to do is take a nap. But unfortunately that was just impossible as you were sitting in next to Brian and Connor.

“Guys please let me sleep.” You whinnied

“Nope, Y/N you're so busy with boring University assignments and now we can finally catch up with each other .” Brian said

“Hey Y/N, what’s stopping you two?” Connor asked

“What do you mean?” You said in lazy tone and eyes still closed

“Let me rephrase it for you my dear, do you or do you not still have feelings for Shawn?” Connor said cheekily

You opened your eyes immediately and said, “Connor wtf?” You said while elbowing him

“Owww, but seriously that sounds like a yes to me, right Brian?” Connor said

“Uhm without a doubt.” Brian nod his head

“Look Y/N, all I’m saying is It will be a dream come true if you and Shawn finally decide to take your friendship to the next level.” Connor said

“What are you trying to say Con, stop giving me riddles.” You whined

“All I’m saying is I know our Shawnie like you too and I have a plan to make him confess his feelings to you.” Connor said

“Whatever brilliant plan you think you have, I don’t want to know because whatever feelings I have towards him will just ruin our friendship.” You replied

“Cmon Y/N, please!” He said while giving you his puppy eyes

“I just don’t want to ruin our friendship, Con.” you said

“I pinky promise, your friendship won’t be ruined.” He said

“Fine, tell me your so-called amazing plan” you replied

“Brian, will you do the honours of explaining the plan to this amazing lady here.” Connor said

“ it would be my pleasure.” He said while giggling

The next few hours flew by and soon you were arriving at theHaneda Airport. Upon arriving the four of you and all the crew rushed to the hotel.

————The next morning———————————-

“Good morning Y/N and Con.” Shawn said in a clearly still sleepy face

Shawn was sleepy but not blind as he saw his 2 best friends standing rather close to each other. Connor’s hand was wrapped around your waist and his face was buried in your neck.

“Oh hey Shawn, didn’t see you there.” You said and immediately you turned your attention back to Connor and he whispered to your ear,”pretend I said something funny and you loved it.” In response you just giggled and Completely ignored Shawn.

Shawn felt annoyed and decided to go and find Brian. After spotting Brian, Shawn decided to approach his table.

Shawn plopped on the seat next to

Brian, resting his head in one of his hands while the other aggressively stabbed the watermelon in his bowl with a fork.

“Dude, don’t blame the watermelon when you have a jetlag!” Brian said

"I am not jetlag" Shawn mumbled through gritted teeth and annoyed expression, lifting his eyes to look at you again, gripping the fork tighter when he saw who you were with.

Brian followed his friend's eyes, and he was crossing his fingers and hoping his plan worked when his eyes landed on you. But for now he just sighed and put his hand on Shawn’s shoulder, to somehow give him support over the image of his two best friends acting all flirty toward one another.

You made your way through the hotel restaurant to find Brian’s table while holding Connor’s hand. This was part of the whole plan, you and Connor had to act all flirty with each other during breakfast.

Hey guys" You playfully greeted, reaching the table, a big smile on your face as you sat across from them.

Before Connor could sit down next yo you, he got a phone call from Andrew saying that he needs to finish editing the video now so he excused himself and went back to his room.

"Hi Y/n" Brian happily replied, lightly nudging Shawn’s elbow when he didn't say anything.

Your smile instantly replaced by a frown, when you noticed Shawn was just focused on his watermelon , avoiding your gaze. By now you wonder, whether the plan actually worked because the last thing you want is to ruin your friendship.

"So how did you guys sleep?" You awkwardly asked, focusing your curious eyes on Brian, waiting for him to tell you what was going on with Shawn.

“Uh ... not much but managed to get 6 hours" Brian said. "So, when did you get all lovey dovey with Connor?" He asked to take the attention away from Shawn, but he mentally he knew that's probably the last thing Shawn wants to hear right now.

"Oh last night Connor confessed his feelings and I said I felt the same" You smiled back again, meanwhile Shawn just choked at his glass of milk.

By now Shawn was coughing and you quickly asked, “ Shawn you okay, here have my water.”

“I’m good Y/N, thanks.” Shawn replied but still avoiding your meet your eye

“He confessed his feelings and now you guys are showing all the PDA" He teased in a mocking tone making you frown for the second time, because it wasn't a sarcastic mocking tone, it was a mean mocking tone.

"I mean he is proud to say that He has feelings for me and now he just wants other people to know about our love too so I will say it’s a sweet gesture he likes and I really enjoy it too" You defended yourself, and Shawn just chuckled.

"I'm pretty sure that's just a rebound,I mean we're talking about Connor, He makes everyone think he has moved on from his ex and Y/n, I'm sure he just wants to have a tour fling to show his ex." Shawn proudly said

"So you're saying I'm just some fling for him?" You asked, ignoring the way your heart ached from Shawn who was thinking so low of your other best friend.

"What I'm saying is the guy still constantly talks about his ex , so my advice is you shouldn't be that excited about your new relationship status because he'll just end up going back to his ex.” He stated while obviously still clouded by jealousy.

"Seriously why can’t you be happy that I end up with Connor, Mendes" You painfully said, before getting up from the table and leaving your bowl of cereal behind and you went back to your room.

Jealousy could trigger many things and you certainly didn’t expect Shawn would say that about Connor.

“Mendes, when was the last time she called you that?” Brian said

Mendes, you only call him that whenever you are upset with him. And now he realised that he too was blinded by the jealousy that he didn’t monitor all the words coming out of his mouth.

“ You know what I still can’t believe, I am still surprised that a guy like you could write so many songs but can never truly say anything to the person who inspired all the songs.” Brian shook his head in disapproval and left Shawn all alone at the hotel restaurant.

…………………….Later at rehearsal…………………..

Part B of the plan was for you and Connor to arrive together at the rehearsal but also you need to arrive a little late to build some type of tension, at least this theory was stated by Brian.

“Okay everyone let’s take 5, before we start.” Shawn said to the band, “Brian where‘s Y/N?” He asked

“I don’t know probably, with Connor.” Brian replied

After rehearsing for 2 songs you finally arrived at the venue with Connor.

Usually during all rehearsals or concerts you will give your full attention to Shawn and after every song you would give him a thumbs up and clap for him.

Today however it was different as he looked across the stage he saw you sitting in Connor’s lap and giggling at his cheesy jokes.

Shawn felt heartbroken when he saw you, his girl, well not exactly, his girl that isn't his but is his ... the girl he loved forever... anyway, when he saw you laugh with someone that wasn't him his heart instantly dropped.

Especially when that someone was Connor Brashier, I mean he knew that Connor was aware of his feelings toward you and he didn’t expect this type of betrayal from Connor of all people.

———- The day of the concert——————————

Today was the big day, usually Shawn felt excited because he was about to meet all his fans but today he couldn’t concentrate, he kept thinking whether things could turn out differently if he confessed his feelings sooner. Would you feel the same? One thing for sure is he would be on cloud nine if you felt the same way he did.

“Shawn, you ready?” Andrew asked

“Yeah, yeah sure.” He said clearly distracted

“Hey.” You said entering the dressing room

“Y/N, what are you doing here?” Shawn asked

“Am I not allowed to wish my best friend a goodluck?” You asked.

“Whatever Y/N just go and be with Connor.” He said

“Look Shawn I think there’s something you should know.”

“Look Y/N, I need to focus on rehearsing my lyrics so please don’t distract me.”

“Shawn I’m sorry if I ever was a distraction, I’ll be outside if you need me.” You said trying to hold back your tears

“Y/N wait! I’m sorry I didn’t mean that it’s just you’re a distraction because dammit I am in love with you and I understand that you’re with Connor now and I just think you should know how I feel about you .” He said

“Shawn I’m not with Connor, I mean the whole thing was them trying to prove to me that I wasn’t the only one who felt that way towards you… the truth is I have loved you since high school if I’m being honest.” You confessed

The next few minutes was a blur as Shawn got up from his seat to kiss you…. what you didn’t know was that the dressing room door was open and Connor and Brian were standing there.

Seeing that Brian grabbed the door handle and closed the door.

Standing at the side stage, Connor happily said, “we did it bro.”

“Damn right we did.” Brian sighed happily and they fist bumped each other.

@itsalwaysbeen305