#really pleasantly surprised on how the night sky turned out

[citrinafyre]

A cozy Cheren for @solifeaul !!

[chelseachilly]

so high school

pairing: reader x ben chilwell summary: you and ben have been friends for years, but you haven't seen him much since you left chelsea for another job opportunity. all it takes is an engagement party, a bit of alcohol and a drinking game to bring the feelings you've been harbouring for years to the surface... warnings: hints of smut, alcohol use word count: 5k

author’s note: this fic has been SUCH a long time coming! it started as an idea from a request i got like a year ago asking for a friends to lovers fic involving spin the bottle, and then i got re-inspired to finish when 'so high school' by taylor swift came out. please note this takes place last summer since that's when i started writing it lol, and hope you enjoy!

-

You didn’t really know what to expect when you arrived at Kai and Sophia’s place, but you figured it would be a somewhat classy evening. 

You’ve had your fair share of wild nights with this group of friends - the night in Porto after the Champions League win comes to mind - but you’re all a little older now and you are celebrating Kai and Sophia’s engagement, after all. You thought it would be a relaxed, grown-up party. 

Evidently, you thought wrong.

Kai is already clearly drunk when he greets you at the door with a massive hug, and you can hear Sophia squeal as she comes running to hug you too.

“Congratulations, you two!” you exclaim, hugging Sophia back. It’s the first time you’ve seen them since the engagement, and you’re over the moon for them. 

“Thank you!” Sophia grins, proudly showing off her ring when she pulls away, beaming at Kai. “Now come on, everyone’s already here and they’re excited to see you!”

You knew you were running a bit late, but you don’t realize how late until you walk into a living room filled with drunk footballers. You know most of them, except for a couple of Kai’s new Arsenal teammates you haven’t had the chance to meet before. Reece is here, Timo, Kepa, even Mason is in town for the night.

And, of course, on the couch next to Mason is Ben, whose face lights up when he sees you.

When you got a job on Chelsea’s media team in 2019, you were pleasantly surprised by how quickly you became friends with many of the players. During your very first week, Mason invited you to a party at his house, and from that point forward you’ve been close with a lot of the boys and their partners. 

They’re now like family to you, regardless of if they’re still playing for Chelsea. Many of the boys have now gone in different directions, and you yourself left the club for an incredible job opportunity at Sky Sports a few months ago, but you wouldn’t miss an important occasion like this one for the world.

Even if that means you have to see the one person who has always made your legs weak and your brain turn to mush. The one you’ve missed significantly more than all the rest of the guys since your departure.

The one that you’re pretty sure you fell for the day he signed for Chelsea and you bumped into him in a hallway at Cobham.

Ben Chilwell. 

“Y/N!” Ben exclaims, jumping up to hug you. As usual, he looks unfairly hot in just a white t-shirt and black shorts. “You’re finally here!”

You sink into his embrace, breathing in his familiar scent before the hug is over - which is far too quickly for your liking.

“Yeah, can someone get me a drink or did you lot finish off the bar already?” you joke, pulling back to meet Ben’s gaze. 

“On it,” Mason offers before Ben can say anything, giving you a quick peck on the cheek on his way over to the bar. 

As Mason makes you a strong drink so you can catch up to everyone else’s level, you turn back to Ben and find him still looking at you with those bright blue-green eyes and the warm smile that captivated you from the start. 

“How’s your summer been?” you ask quickly, trying to ignore the butterflies erupting in your stomach from just being in his presence.

It’s been a couple of months now since you’ve seen him, but you’ve seen on his Instagram that he’s spent his summer at F1 races and on yachts while you’ve been stuck working in London. 

“Good, it’s been way too long since I’ve seen you, though,” Ben says sincerely. “How’s life as a hotshot producer for Sky?”

“Busy,” you reply, trying not to blush at his previous comment. “I’m liking it, but I do miss Chelsea. You know, the atmosphere at the club, all the familiar faces.”

“The club misses you too, trust me,” Ben says without missing a beat.

You don’t have time to respond before Mason is thrusting a drink into your hand and Sophia is tugging you away to discuss early wedding plans. 

After an hour or so, you’ve quickly relaxed back into a familiar state of comfort with your friends. Even if you don’t see each other as much as you would like these days, and it’s only going to get harder to make time when the season starts, these people still mean the world to you. 

At some point, after you’re a few drinks deep - you’ve definitely toasted to Kai and Sophia’s engagement with at least 3 different bottles of champagne at this point - and have made the rounds to talk to everyone, you feel someone grab your hand and tug you down onto the couch. 

You let out a surprised squeak, and your heart rate doesn’t settle down at all once you realize who grabbed you - who you’re now sitting so close to that your legs are touching. 

The entire time you’ve been here, you’ve been trying to resist going back over to chat with Ben, even though you’ve felt a magnetic pull in his direction from the moment you laid eyes on him. You’ve been sneaking glances at him whenever you can, admiring the way his eyes light up when he talks or the way he runs his fingers through his hair when he’s thinking about something, but you haven’t had a moment alone since he greeted you.

“What’s up, Chilly?” you ask, chuckling at his content expression. “You pretty drunk?”

“Just buzzed,” Ben smiles. “You know, last hurrah before the season starts.”

“You didn’t have enough fun frolicking around the Mediterranean for a month?” 

The question leaves your mouth before you can think about what you’re saying, and you see the way his eyebrows immediately raise and a slightly smug look appears on his face.

“Someone’s been stalking my Insta,” he smirks. “You miss me or something, Y/N?”

You take a small sip of your drink, staring down at your lap before answering him. Some combination of the buzz and the party and just him makes you briefly emboldened to tell the truth. 

“Yeah, maybe I did.”

When you look up, Ben’s eyes immediately lock with yours, and you suddenly feel your cheeks growing hotter and your stomach in knots. 

There’s always been some unexplored tension lingering beneath your friendship.

Nothing has ever actually happened between the two of you, although there are a few times it probably could have (and one time it almost did) if you weren’t trying to be professional and not hook up with one of the players at the club you worked for.

A club you no longer work for, you realize. 

“I missed you too, Y/N,” he says in a slightly lower voice that sends a shiver up your spine.

You continue to look into each other’s eyes, the tension seeming to build with each second, until Sophia plops down beside you and interrupts the moment.

“Alright, we’re playing a drinking game,” she declares, setting a deck of cards on the table in front of you. 

“Is that really necessary at this point?” you joke, gesturing to the fairly inebriated group of people around you.

“No, but it will be fun,” Sophia grins. “And I’m the bride-to-be, so I’m in charge.”

It’s a simple game to follow, thankfully. It’s essentially a version of truth or dare where the questions and challenges are pre-written on the cards. You go around the circle a few times, and thankfully you get some fairly easy ones, like revealing the name of your first crush (who nobody here knows) and taking a shot of the alcohol of your choice.

It’s entertaining watching the boys complete some pretty outlandish dares, and you’re excited to see what crazy task Ben ends up with when you see him draw a dare card from his spot next to you.

“Alright,” Ben says before reading his card aloud to the group. “Kiss the person…to your left.”

Even in your slightly inebriated state, it doesn’t take you long to realize that you’re the person to his left, meaning Ben has to kiss you. 

The room goes silent as the implication of this settles in. You’re certain at least half of the people here have had some kind of wager at some point over when you and Ben would get together, but you always brushed it off and joked that it would never happen.

Nothing has ever technically happened between you, other than flirtation and the occasional touches. You’ve never kissed him, despite how many times you’ve wanted to. 

There was one time you almost let your desire get the better of you, right after the Club World Cup win in Abu Dhabi. 

You were both caught up in the excitement of the win, and you’d been spending a lot of time together outside of work lately as Ben was recovering from his ACL injury and you wanted to support him as much as possible. 

You knew it was hard for him not to be a part of the win that day, to have to watch from the sidelines as his team emerged victorious. So, you spent basically the entire day with him, sitting with him during the game and staying close by during the celebrations afterward. 

Toward the end of the night, you ended up alone with him in a corner booth of the restaurant the club had rented out for the party. Nobody was paying much attention to the two of you, everyone still caught up in the excitement and dancing the night away. 

“Thank you, Y/N,” Ben said, gazing at you intently as he set down his drink, which wasn’t his first of the night (or third or fourth). 

“For what?” you asked a bit shyly. “I haven’t done anything.”

“You’ve done everything,” he corrected quickly. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.”

You weren’t sure if he meant physically there in Abu Dhabi, as you were the one that had encouraged him to come, or where he was mentally in his recovery at the moment. You’d done everything you could to help him through it, but there was only so much you could do. You weren’t a doctor, or a time-traveller that could magically stop the injury from happening, or even his girlfriend. You were just a friend with no medical knowledge, trying to help without overstepping any boundaries. 

You were just a girl who was head over heels for one of her best friends. 

“Ben, I haven’t…I’m just being a friend,” you said softly. “You’re the one who’s faced this setback head-on, never complaining or giving up. And you’re almost there. I’m so proud of you.”

For a moment, you saw a look in his eyes you didn’t recognize, one that made your heart flutter uncontrollably. The next moment, Ben began to lean in, his eyes flickering to your lips, and you had never wanted anything so badly in your life as you wanted to kiss him.

But you knew you couldn’t. Not when he was drunk and vulnerable and had been relying on you for emotional support for months. He was sad and confused and you knew he would regret it in the morning, and you would regret letting yourself feel something that wasn’t real.

“I, um…” you muttered quickly, pulling away from him. “We should go to bed. Early flight home tomorrow.”

Ben just stared blankly at you for a moment. “Y/N, I’m sorry, I-I’ve just had too much to drink and-“

“Don’t worry about it, Chilly, seriously,” you said, reverting back to the nickname you’ve used for most of your friendship, worried that the if you spoke his first name right now, the pure adoration you harbour for him would come through in the way it left your tongue. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

You quickly squeezed his shoulder as you got up from the table, making your way to the exit as stealthily as possible to avoid having to talk to anyone else. 

The moment you got back to your hotel room, you cried over Ben Chilwell for the first time. You cried in a way you hadn’t even after breakups. 

You cried because you knew he would never be yours, and you had to accept that. 

That night was over a year ago now, and you and Ben never spoke a word about what nearly happened between you. There were certainly moments since where he looked at you with that same glint in his eye, and you allowed your mind to wander as to whether he was feeling some deeper for you, but these hopes were always quickly dashed when he went home with some model or bid you goodnight without acknowledging the tension between you. 

You took the job at Sky, and started seeing him much less often, which wasn’t exactly intentional but wasn’t totally an accident, either. It certainly made your life easier not having to suppress your feelings for him at work everyday. 

Until now. 

Now, when he’s looking right at you with those eyes and you’ve never wanted anything more than to kiss him. 

“Uh…” Ben looks at you and scratches the back of his neck. “It’s up to you-“

“Just do it, Chilly,” you say with a sudden burst of confidence and a bit of recklessness, turning on the couch to face him properly.

Something flashes in Ben’s eyes for a moment - maybe surprise, maybe pure elation - but he doesn’t take long to act on your instruction. 

He grabs your face with both hands and leans in to kiss you firmly. He tastes a bit like beer, but he’s so warm and his lips are softer than you imagined - and you imagined them a lot. 

Everyone cheers and hollers at the kiss, but you can hardly hear them while you’re so singularly focused on the feeling of Ben’s lips on yours.

It’s over before you can properly enjoy it, making you wish desperately that there weren’t so many people here and you could grab him and kiss him over and over again.

“That’s gonna be tough to beat,” Mason jokes from across the table as you and Ben are silently reeling from the kiss you just shared. “I think we should call the game, Soph.”

Everyone else murmurs in agreement, and they begin to get up to get more drinks or continue to chat. But you remain frozen in place, only able to move enough to glance over at Ben, who is still looking at you. 

“Y/N,” Ben breathes your name. “I…”

“I should go,” you say quickly.

You immediately have deja vu to the night he nearly kissed you, how quickly you ran off, but this time is different - now that you know how good it feels to kiss him, there’s no way you can stay another moment in his presence without doing it again. 

“Wait, please,” Ben says, gripping your hand before you can stand up. “Can I give you a lift home?”

“You’re driving?” you ask in confusion, knowing that even if he’s not fully drunk, he’s certainly not sober enough to drive a car.

“No, no, I’ll just get an Uber and have it drop you off first,” he insists. “Make sure you get home okay.”

You know it doesn’t really make sense logistically, as you live much farther away than he does, but you can’t resist the temptation of his soft voice or the way his thumb is caressing the back of your hand. 

“Okay, sure.”

Ben gives you a small smile before pulling out his phone to call the car. 

Once he’s ordered it, you both quickly grab your things and say your goodbyes, ignoring the curious looks and knowing smirks you get when you say you’re sharing an Uber. 

Within five minutes, Ben is opening the door for you to climb into the back of a fancy black SUV, and then sliding in tantalizingly close to you. 

You feel like you’re going to explode with desire for him. 

“You alright?” Ben asks you after another minute has passed, and the look on his face gives you the sense that he’s been working up the courage to say something to you. 

You nod, holding his gaze and trying to keep your heartbeat under control. 

“Do you remember that night in Abu Dhabi, when we…”

You can feel your cheeks growing hotter as you nod, trying to process the fact that Ben not only remembers that moment between you but is choosing right now to bring it up. 

“You were drunk,” you remind him.

“Yeah, but I still - I still meant it. And I still remember how gorgeous you looked that night. You always do, really, but-“

“Ben,” you cut him off, unable to hear another word from him if this is going to end the same way it did last time. “I think you’re drunk now, too.”

“I’m really not,” he says in a steady enough voice that you’re inclined to believe him. And, now that you think about it, you don’t think you saw him have more than a few beers all night. “Are you?”

You shake your head, managing only a small gulp in response as you meet Ben’s intense gaze.  

“Y/N…” he says, barely above a whisper as he leans in closer. “Can I…”

“Your place,” you reply without a beat. Your brain is fogged by how much you want to kiss him again, but clear enough to know that once you start, you aren’t going to want to stop. “It’s closer than mine.”

Ben stares at you for another moment, just processing your words, before he nods and turns to the driver, asking him to skip the first address and go straight to his. 

It’s only a ten minute drive from there, but you’re so full of nervous anticipation for what’s to come that it feels like hours. 

By the time you pull up to his house and get out of the car, you still can’t quite believe what’s happening. Ben quickly unlocks the door and holds it open for you to enter his house. You haven’t been here in a while, but it’s as big as you remember it from all the times you’ve been here for a party or movie night. 

It shouldn’t be awkward being here, except for the fact that you haven’t really been alone since the night of your almost-kiss. And the fact that your first actual kiss was less than an hour ago. 

“Can I, erm-do you want some water?” Ben offers, gesturing to the kitchen. 

You nod with a small, nervous smile and follow him into the next room. 

The kitchen is dimly lit, the only light source coming from the hallway and the stove light as Ben  grabs two glasses and fills them both with water. He passes one to you, and you thank him quietly before taking a sip. 

“Been a while since you’ve been here,” he remarks, perhaps reliving all the same memories you have been since you walked through the door. 

“I know,” you say, setting your glass down and taking a deep breath. “I’m sorry I’ve been a bit distant since I left Chelsea. It was just…easier.”

“I’m sorry if I fucked our friendship by trying to kiss you at the totally wrong time,” Ben says sincerely. “But honestly, I’m more sorry for not trying again since.”

That’s all it takes for you to take the few steps between you and crash your lips to his, immediately throwing your arms around his neck to steady yourself. 

Ben stumbles in shock for a moment before his hands find your waist and he kisses you back with equal passion, backing you up against the kitchen island. 

You moan slightly as he parts your lips with his tongue, tangling your fingers in his hair. Kissing him like this, with no restraint, is something you’ve craved for so long that you can hardly wrap your head around the fact that it’s happening. 

You let out a small squeal of surprise as Ben’s hands move to your thighs and he hoists you up onto the counter, never breaking contact with your lips. Your legs subconsciously tighten around him, and the friction makes Ben groan into your mouth. 

Kissing Ben is everything you dreamt it would be and more. No guy has ever made you feel a fraction of the way he is right now, and all you can think about is how good it would feel to have him inside you. 

You know how badly you want him, and it’s pretty clear that he wants you just the same, but you have just enough sanity left to know that you can’t just be another one of the girls he’s slept with. You’ve liked him too much, and for too long, to be just another notch in his bedpost. This has to mean more to him, too.

“Ben,” you sigh, reluctantly breaking the kiss and feeling your heart palpitating as you open your eyes and see his swollen lips and dilated pupils. “I…I’ve wanted this for a long time.”

“Me too, baby,” he smiles, and the new pet name alone is almost enough to make you cave on the spot and kiss him again. 

“I don’t just mean like this,” you say, hoping he understands what you mean. “I mean I want more with you. Something real.”

It’s the most terrifying moment of your life as you wait for him to respond, not sure what to expect. But when a wide grin breaks out on his face and he lets go of your waist to gently cup your face in both hands, your heart flutters uncontrollably. 

“I want that too, Y/N,” he says softly. “I’ve wanted it from the moment I first saw you, in the hallway at Cobham my first time there. You were wearing that flowy white dress, and I was so nervous being there, but you just smiled at me and introduced yourself and I felt so…safe.”

“You remember what I was wearing?” you ask in astonishment, thinking back to your first encounter with him. You have a similar memory of thinking he was the fittest guy you’d ever seen and how you could get lost in his eyes for hours. 

“Of course,” Ben smiles, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear, those same eyes sparkling. “And I remember thinking I couldn’t believe my luck that I signed for my dream club and met my dream girl on the same day.”

You let out a shaky breath, your eyes beginning to water from the heightened emotions you’re experiencing. 

“I-I never knew you felt the same,” you breathe. “Why did you never…”

“At first, I didn’t want to ask you out because I thought it might be frowned upon at the club and I didn’t want to break any rules or do anything inappropriate,” Ben explains. “And then we became such good friends, I didn’t think you would feel that way about me. When I tried to kiss you in Abu Dhabi and you turned me down, I took that as your answer.”

“God, no, Ben, I wanted to let you kiss me so badly,” you sigh. “I just couldn’t take advantage of you. You were drunk and emotional about the injury and…”

“I know, I know, it’s okay,” Ben assures you, pecking your nose quickly. “Now we both know how we feel, right?” 

You nod, resting your forehead against his for a moment and just taking this all in. You’ve wanted to be close to him like this for years, and to have it finally be a reality is almost too much to take. 

“Kiss me again?” you ask quietly. 

All you see is another quick flash of Ben’s grin before he leans in and presses his lips to yours. 

It only takes a moment to escalate back to the same passion you were both displaying before, and Ben’s hands move back to your thighs to pull you closer to him again.

You can feel your desperation for him growing by the second as his tongue explores your mouth and his hands roam your body. You reach for the hem of his t-shirt and pull it upward without breaking the kiss, making Ben chuckle as he helps you in your effort to remove it and tosses it on the floor. 

You immediately move your hands to his sides, feeling the toned muscles you’ve admired from afar all these years. 

The sundress you’re wearing gives him easy access to where you need him most, and his hand is tantalizing close as it rests on your upper thigh. 

“Ben, please,” you groan. “I want…can you-"

You’re interrupted by your own gasp of surprise as Ben tugs you closer and lifts you up off the counter. Your legs tighten around him reflexively, and the friction created makes you gasp again, this time in sheer pleasure. 

“Been waiting too long for this to not do it properly,” Ben says, punctuating his sentence with another, softer kiss. “You wanna go upstairs?”

You just nod and shift slightly to try to get down, but Ben only tightens his grip on your thighs and begins to walk toward the stairs. You continue to exchange sloppy kisses as he ascends the staircase, and you’re turned on even more by the strength and ease with which he carries you up to his room. 

He kicks open the door and gently lays you down on the bed before reaching over to flick on the lamp. You take a moment to take in your surroundings. Of all the times you’ve been in his house, you’ve never been in his bedroom. It’s cleaner than you expected, and a bit cozier and more lived-in than the rest of the house. There’s a book on his nightstand that you can’t quite make out the title of, and a photo of him and his family next to it. 

It feels like Ben, and you feel completely at home.

Ben climbs over you and begins to kiss you again, and your hands immediately fly to his shorts to help take them off. Once they’re discarded and he’s in nothing but his boxers, you can feel how hard he is pressed up against you. 

“Are you sure?” Ben asks softly, though you can see him biting his lip in anticipation as you lightly stroke him over the thin material.

You nod, maintaining eye contact as you quickly pull off your own underwear and toss them aside.

“I’m sure.”

Ben leans in to kiss you again, and you let out a sigh of pleasure as you let yourself surrender completely to the ecstasy of being with him. 

-

“I can’t believe we waited this long to do this,” you sigh dreamily.

You’re curled up in Ben’s arms, lying with your head on his chest and an arm and a leg draped over him. You’re both still catching your breath a bit after the most perfect, mind-blowing sex you’ve ever had in your life. You always knew he would be good in bed, or at least you thought he would be, but he truly surpassed all of your expectations. 

“I know,” Ben murmurs, pressing a reverent kiss to your temple. “I wish I had the courage to tell you sooner, but you’re so important to me. And a part of me also thought I would never have a shot with you.” 

You prop your chin up on his chest to look him in the eye, furrowing your eyebrows. “You thought that you, a super fit, gorgeous footballer would never have a shot with me? Are you being serious?”

Ben nods shyly, as if he didn’t just go down on you until you were seeing stars and screaming his name in pleasure less than 30 minutes ago. 

“You’re beautiful, Y/N, and you’re the smartest person I know,” he says, almost certainly making your cheeks redden. “You’re definitely out of my league.”

“Please, Ben, you spent the whole summer with Instagram models with perfect bodies,” you remind him, a bit ashamed of how insecure it made you seeing him all over social media with so many women you know you look nothing like. 

He laughs softly before shaking his head and pressing a soft kiss to your nose. “No, my mates spent time with those girls who don’t compare to you at all while I sat around feeling sorry for myself and missing you.”

You can’t resist leaning in to kiss him firmly on the lips, your hand tangling in his messy hair. Your heart is so full of affection for this boy already that you know it’s only a matter of time before you fall even deeper for him than you already have.

“You know, maybe it’s a good thing we waited,” you say when you break apart, your fingers still threaded through his hair. “We’re both a little older and more mature now, and we don’t work together anymore. If we’re going to do this, we should do it properly, right?”

Ben smiles sheepishly. “Does that mean you’re my girl now?”

You stiffen, a little surprised by his question even if it’s far from the biggest surprise you’ve gotten tonight. 

“I, um-well, if you want-“

“You already know what I want, babe,” Ben says with a soft expression on his face. “I meant it when I said you’re my dream girl. I want everything with you, Y/N.”

“Alright,” you reply, a wide smile breaking out on your face as well. “Then I’m all yours, Chilwell.”

You both lean in for a kiss at the same time, giggling softly against each other’s lips. You’re so giddy that it’s actually a challenge to kiss him properly, soft moans mixed with the glorious sound of his laughter. 

You don’t think you could ever get enough of this.

And as you drift off in Ben’s arms a bit later that night, after going another round and exchanging a few more soft goodnight kisses and tender words, you make a mental note to buy Sophia and Kai a really nice wedding present. You certainly owe them one.

-

a/n: please let me know what you thought of this, it makes my day getting feedback 💓 thank you for reading!

[fourstarsoutofnine]

I was wondering if you could do something with reader yeeting a weighted blanket at the chain and their reactions? I got reminded of that weighted blanket trend and thought it’d be funny

A/N:HAHAHA ABSOLUTELY OMG this ask made me actually laugh out loud😭 I have a weighted blanket I use sometimes bc it helps with chronic pain(I have arthritis) and anxiety and such—also I’ve always wanted to do that trend w someone but I’ve been to scared bc I don’t wanna hurt anybody :( anyway enjoy!

The chain and a weighted blanket!

(For simplicity’s sake, we’ll say they have weighted blankets in Hyrule lol)

Time:

Is a bit confused with the initial throw(I’d be struggling if I tried tbh) like—why is a blanket being thrown on him, but once it hits him, he stumbles back with a groan and a laugh

“What’s wrong with this thing, great goddesses!”

Totally thinks it’s funny

Will be buying a weighted blanket as soon as possible to get Malon with it…also just cause it feels nice.

Twilight:

Catches it

“Hylia, this is heavy, why is this blanket heavy???”

When you(albeit shocked, cause how did he freaking catch it) explain to him that it has sand(?) in it, and what it can be used for, he’s pleasantly surprised.

“Oh wow! Who would’ve thought of such a thing!”

He accompanies you to go get Wild with it.

Wild:

Body folds like a lawn chair

“OGH-“ and a thunk on the ground 💀

But he’s laughing!

Pokes his head out and just kinda lays there. Twilight’s cackling his head off behind you.

“Why?” He asks with a laugh and you just

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Funny is funny, and it’s nice to have a few pranks here and there, both to keep you on your toes and have a laugh.

Sky:

Also folds like a lawn chair

Except he doesn’t like his head out like wild. When there’s no movement and you peek under, he’s asleep

Mans can fall asleep anywhere anytime in a short amount of time. Sleeping is like second nature to him.

“Sky???”

Nothing. Dead silence. You’re actually beginning to wonder if it knocked him out, but no. He’s snoring, and seems perfectly fine. It’s just comfy and he decided it was time to honk his shoos. Go night night for a bit.

Wars:

You throw it at him from behind and he stumbles forward into the stump he was using as a table for planning their next route.

“Agh! Hey!!!”

Was originally upset but when he saw how hard you were laughing, he can’t seem to make himself stay mad

You were too cute, and far too happy. He didn’t want to ruin that.. and it was a little funny

“Alright Alright, You’ve had your fun…. Now go get the vet.” He said with a soft smile. The effect you had on these boys was remarkable

Legend:

Get ready to run, and run fast

Yeah—he’s… pretty much the only one that didn’t take it well.

You threw it on him and he fell forward and cursed

“Y/n what gives?!”

Though when he saw how upset his yelling made you, he softened.

“It was just a joke, I didn’t mean—“

“No. It’s whatever.” He drops the blanket to the ground with a thud and crossed his arms. “It’s fine. Stop looking like that, though. All…sad. You look like a wet dog… or wet blanket, more appropriately..”

That made you crack a smile, and he huffed and rolled his eyes, the corners of his mouth turning up as he turned away.

You can’t figure out if he said the pun with the intention of making you laugh or not, but it worked. (Spoiler alert, yes he did. He’s a softie whether he likes it or not and he has a particular soft spot for you.)

(Totally got the blanket to sleep under it for comfort, but if you told anyone or asked him about it he’d deny everything.)

Hyrule:

“AAH!” He yelled as he flew forward when you threw it on his back.

He’s laughing, which is good.

Like time, he just laughs and holds it out to you, only he’s doing it with a touch of struggle to keep his arms out until you take it.

“That’s so heavy! What the heck! How did it get like that???”

After a long winded explanation, he really likes it!

Definitely asks for it one night, especially after a particularly rough battle.

Four:

Like Wars, he’s a bit upset but laughs it off, because at the end of the day, it is funny

Just make sure to pay attention to when you’re throwing it on him. Make sure he’s not working on any weapons—that’s dangerous ground both in injury and messing the weapon up.

Then, he’d actually be upset(but not for too long. He can’t stay mad at you.)

“Oh cmon!” He laughs, shoving you once he’s out from under the blanket.

Once he gets over his small upset, he’s laughing louder. It starts being real funny to him.

“That’s so dumb, that’s so dumb.” He says through laughter.

Wind:

He goes FLYING

“Hey y/—WAH!”

When you pick it up he’s got the biggest mischievous grin

“THATS CRAZY! LETS GO GET THE OTHERS!”

Thinks it’s the funniest thing known to mankind

[misspearly1]

115 and 116 with joel bear? <3

Oh my Gosh! Nonnie, forgive me for how long I have taken to complete this. I'm working through my requests slowly. These prompts though?? 🥹 Oh so good for our beloved Joel bear! Thank you so much for sending this into my blog and I hope you enjoy the read. 💜

A Beautiful Thing

Pairing: Joel Miller x Y/N (F!Reader)

WC: 3.9K

Prompts: "You wrote me a song?" // "You weren't supposed to hear that!"

Warnings: 18+ Content. Minors DNI. Strangers to lovers. Love at first sight. Soft Joel playing the gee-tar. Joel being a tease. Reader worrying that she had ruined a surprise, but Joel making her feel better about it. Light Smut. Ass Groping & Kissing. Lots of Fluff with a Happy Ending.

Song Choice: It's Your Love by Tim McGraw - inspired this story, the title, and the song that Joel sings in this story. It doesn't belong to me, of course, but I'm stating that all credit goes to the original singers/songwriters just in case I need to.

AN: Ok, I was deep in the fluffy feels with this one Nonnie. There isn't any smut really - which is strange because I'm always a horny ass bish for Joel lol - but let me know if you'd like a part two with some smut. I'd love to come back to this story. 💖

You have a lot of good days and bad days here in Jackson. Everyone does. It’s just the way life goes, and although the scales sometimes tip too much on the bad side, it only makes you appreciate all the good that much more. 

Take today for example, you woke up bright and early, ate breakfast and felt energetic, then went out on patrol and came back to Jackson without a scratch before taking a shower for date night at your boyfriends house.

It doesn’t sound like much, but when the world went to shit and the chances of dying at any given second became higher than ever, then that is considered a really good day in your books. 

Besides, even if you did have a bad day, then what better way to turn it around than spending an evening with Joel Miller - your boyfriend - whom you deem to be the sexiest man alive?

You vividly remember how Joel took your breath away the first time you met him. Albeit, he was chopping wood under the summer sun with no shirt on in his backyard, but he was, and still is, the sexiest guy you’ve ever laid eyes on. 

This happened just over six months ago, and the only reason you were in his backyard in the first place was to ask for advice about carving a sculpture out of wood, but drooling over his half naked body is what you did instead for a few minutes before he noticed you were standing there.

The man caught you eyeing him up and down, and thankfully for your sake, he felt flattered rather than uncomfortable. You often think about that day and smile fondly at how he reacted to your mindless ogling. The way he blushed a little and softly chuckled never fades from your memory.

You apologised for the intrusion of course, and for staring at him too, then explained that you were there to seek his professional advice. He was a carpenter after all and you assumed he’d know how to help. The project you were working on at the time was a three foot wooden rabbit. You’ve always believed they brought good luck and wanted something decorative for your home.

Joel naturally took an interest in your project and instead of just giving you a short answer and a couple pointers, he offered you a seat on his back porch and gave some really helpful advice on what to do and what not to do. You sat with the man for twenty minutes and the conversation flowed like you were a friend to him, not a stranger. He really made you feel comfortable and welcome, even offered you a tall glass of lemonade with ice upon noticing you were burning up from the sun in the sky.

You accepted his offer, but later admitted that it was actually his voice causing you to burn up. Not only were you attracted to his looks, but you were attracted to that thick southern drawl of his too. He spoke with a pleasantly deep, yet equally soft and smooth tone, one that just captured your whole attention and drew you in.

Joel's company was captivating, and you hungrily wanted more of his attention, but even though he didn't give you any reason to end the conversation, you made an excuse to leave and let him get back to chopping wood. You didn’t want to leave so soon after meeting him, but you had already taken up too much of his time and thanked him before saying your goodbyes. His response however, was most surprising.

“Happy to help, darlin’,” is what he said to you, and the flirtatious wink he shot your way made you feel weak in the knees. It was a simple gesture, but he did it so smoothly and with a seductive smirk on his lips too that just made you all the more attracted to him. 

You left Joel that day, feeling giddy, turned on and a little lightheaded too, then planned to return three days later with a home baked cherry pie to say thanks for the help, but to your absolute surprise and delight, the man showed up at your door just as you had taken the pie out of your oven.

He wanted to see you again and had asked his brother where you live to show up at your door unannounced. You invited him into your home, shared that cherry pie over another captivating conversation and the rest was history. 

Six months later, here you are now; in a steady relationship with the man and your love for each other grows stronger everyday. You still drool over him and even consider it a hobby of yours to watch him work, especially when he’s in his workshop.

You like to be in his company and often just sit on the sofa with a book to read while he chips and chisels away at a block of wood, creating another masterpiece worthy of a place on display around his home. But more often than not, your book is abandoned as you choose to gaze upon him instead.

No matter how many times you’ve done it before, you never grow tired of admiring the way Joel looks while working. He has a little lamp in his desk, it’s dimly lit and casts a warm glow across his face which just highlights his rugged good looks in the very best way. 

The focus and patience he has with woodwork is quite impressive too. You love to see that look of concentration on his face. It’s the way his eyes glide across his sculpture and his brows furrow, or the way he sometimes presses the tip of his tongue against his lip. You don’t know why he does that, but it’s really cute and funny to see nonetheless. Suppose it’s just one of those things that some people do without realising it. 

While you often like to gaze at him in his workshop, he likes to gaze at you too, especially when dancing in the dark. It’s become something that you and Joel do almost every night. He waits till nightfall, when all the lights are off and you’re about to head upstairs to bed or say goodnight and head home. Spontaneously grabbing your hand, he’ll pull you toward his chest and sway to the sweet sound of silence, grinning brightly as you laugh with endearment.

Dancing in the dark. That was Joel’s thing. He started it, but it’s something you very quickly grew to love. Speaking of love, he often swears that your love does something to him while dancing in the dark with you. He’ll joke and say that he’s under a spell, but can’t get enough while looking into your eyes and brushing a piece of hair behind your ear to really drink in the sight of your face mere inches away from his. 

And you believe him. Believe every word of what he says. He certainly acts like he can’t get enough of your love as he finds any and all ways to adore you. “Darlin’, your love is a beautiful thing.” He’s said to you many times before in the past and you believe him, but you never forget to tell him that his love is also a beautiful thing as well. The man treasures you, thinks the world of you and keeps you close to his heart. Those feelings are mutual. You feel the same way as he does, and honestly, you can see yourself spending the rest of your days with Joel. 

Upon spending the last several minutes thinking about the man, the desire to be in his company was growing rapidly, thus making you pick up your pace to reach his house faster. He unfortunately lives on the other side of Jackson, therefore it takes a solid ten minutes to walk there depending on your speed. Usually, you just take a leisurely stroll, but tonight you’re feeling extra needy for his love and attention.

Approaching his front door with your own key in hand, a key that he gave you two weeks ago, you unlock the door and slip inside quietly without making any noise. Joel admitted that he would have given you a key to his home sooner, but he worried about how it would make you feel and assured you that the gesture doesn’t need to be reciprocated. He just didn’t want to rush you, or make you feel obligated in any way, but you wanted to. You wanted him to have access to your house like it was his second home, and so you took your spare key and gave it to him two weeks ago on that very same day. 

Truthfully, you like to spend most evenings over at Joel’s house compared to yours. You can’t describe it exactly, or pin-point the reason why, but his house just feels the right place to be. Despite that, he also has such great taste in decoration too. You admire the way he furnished his place. It looks better than yours and feels cosy, welcoming and relaxed. 

Since you could hear the familiar twang of his guitar upon entering his home, you guessed that he was out back on the porch. It’s one of two usual spots that he likes to sit and play till his heart's content. You love to listen to him, and considering you wanted to take him by surprise, you tip-toed your way into the kitchen and through the laundry room to listen at the back door. However, you didn’t recognise the tune. 

The song Joel was playing is something he hasn’t ever played before, but it started off with an acoustic that was warm and gentle. Just so soothing to the ears that you instantly relaxed as your face softened with a smile. You leaned against the doorframe and closed your eyes, listening to him harmonising with the melody that he had created. The sound of him humming was so peaceful that it could lull you to sleep right here, but then he started singing and your heart skipped a beat. 

“Dancing in the dark, middle of the night,” he says poetically, the lyrics of his song catching your attention right away, “Taking your heart, and holding it tight,” he continues and you continue to listen closely, “Emotional touch, touching my skin, and asking you to do what you’ve been doing all over again. Oh, it’s a beautiful thing,” you gasp, holding your hand over your mouth with tears welling up in the corners of your eyes. “Don’t think I can keep it all in. I just gotta let you know what it is that won’t let me go. It’s your love, it just does something to me.” 

You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. It was a complete shock to hear a song so moving and meaningful, and sung so beautifully by Joel that’s about you and your love. You had so much joy exploding inside of you that it was overwhelming, though he stopped abruptly and you peeped around the door to find him jotting words down on a little pocket pad - his song book. 

He looked so enthralled as he continued where he left off, his head bobbing along to the tune as he tapped his foot against the floor. You still couldn’t believe it and almost felt compelled to pinch your skin to check if this was all a dream. Joel rarely sings for you. He plays the guitar for you all the time, but to actually sing along to his music takes a lot of courage and just hearing him sing so passionately with confidence was sending shivers down your spine. 

His voice was transcendent and mesmerising, full of affection and romance. It made you feel like you were at the centre of his world, enveloped in the warmth of his love. Though, as much as you loved to hear the man sing, it didn’t feel right doing it this way. You were essentially eavesdropping on him at a time where he was most vulnerable, and it’s not fair.

He doesn’t know you’re standing just a few feet away, and what if that betrays his trust if he were to find out? Or worse, what if it destroys his confidence to ever sing in front of an audience? The worry of this possibility made up your mind. He can’t know you’re here. Not yet and not like this. 

Moving away from the door and quietly making your way towards the kitchen, your plan is to open the front door and shut it loud enough for him to hear. Then he will stop singing, hide his songbook and you can pretend that this never happened until he is ready to play his song for you. You could still hear him as you neared the front of the house, and the sound of his voice was as beautiful as ever. 

Upon reaching the front door, you opened it and shut it again before calling out for him like this was your first entry. “Hi baby!” You say excitedly, “I’m home.” 

The music stops instantly and it makes you stifle a laugh to hear him yell back like he wasn’t just singing his heart out. “Hey darlin’, I’m in the backyard,” I know that, you thought, “Come out here. I got somethin’ to show yer.” Oh shit… You panicked, wondering what he had to show you and if you have just spoiled your own surprise. What if he was going to play the song for me tonight anyway and I ruined it? You ask yourself with a pang of regret. 

You didn’t know what to think or what to expect when you approached the backdoor for a second time, but the smile on Joel’s face brought you some comfort and relief. After all, you were eager to see him tonight and are still very much hungry for his love and attention, but if you have ruined something special, then you at least hope some of the surprise can be salvaged. 

Hurrying towards him and taking a seat right on his lap, you held both your hands to each side of his face and leaned in to plant a kiss on his lips, displaying just how much you miss him. He kisses you back ravenously and smiles like he hadn’t seen you in days when it was only last night that you last saw each other. The fact that he missed you just as much made your heart swell. 

Naturally, he laid both hands to your ass with a groping squeeze, humming deeply into your mouth with satisfaction. You like when he holds onto your ass like this. It makes you feel adored and aroused. He breaks off to look at you, his smile slowly turning into a smirk as he whispers. “Hi, gorgeous” 

“Hey, stud,” you reply and mirror his smile, though your cheeks started to burn up under his wanton gaze. “How’s it going?” You ask upon recognising the playful mood he was in and return the gesture with your teasing tone of voice, “I see that you have your guitar out here. Playing for the stars again?" 

“Oh, you saw that, did you?” He chuckles with amusement, as if he were pleased with himself and you can tell that he’s up to something since he had that look in his eyes; it was just full of mischief. You looked at him suspiciously, your eyes narrowed as he continued to laugh. “Yeah, I have my guitar out here…” he slowly bit his lip, and he did it in such a sexually provocative manner that it made you clench around nothing. “I was singing a song.” 

“M-hm,” you roll your lips together and quickly gather that he’s onto you. That’s why he’s acting this way… He knows. “And um… What song were you singing?” You try to come across like you don’t have the slightest clue, as if you don’t already know he was singing. 

His chest swells with pride as he answers truthfully, “I was singing your song, babydoll.” 

“You wrote me a song?” You beam excitedly. Even though you already knew, it didn’t take away how incredibly special you feel upon hearing the man say those words himself. Perhaps some of his surprise for you was salvaged after all. You weren’t taken aback with shock, but you felt your stomach flutter and your heart begin to pick up speed once again. He still looked so happy too, and you could tell he was savouring the way you reacted.

“Yes darlin’. I wrote you a song and I was singing it just now, but-” he looks at you with accusatory eyes, “You weren’t supposed to hear that.” 

Now you were taken aback with shock, and he began to laugh at your reaction, the sound was sweet and authentic to your ears. It didn’t sound fake or full of mockery. He just sounded so amused and happy, really happy as a matter of fact, and he ran his hands up your back reassuringly. “You weren’t supposed to hear that yet,” he clarifies, and it gives you some comfort, “It’s ok that you did, and I appreciate that you tried to make it better by pretending you didn’t hear me.” 

“Fuck…” You sigh and shake your head, blaming yourself for ruining everything. “Did you know I was standing there the whole time?” You ask incredulously. 

“No, not quite, sweetheart.” He replies, thus causing you a great deal of confusion. If he didn’t know I was here, then how did he know I heard him singing? You wonder while he continues to smile and shake softly with a chuckling laughter escaping him. He’s too happy, and that look on his face spoke of pleasure. 

“Wanna take a wild guess as to how I knew?” He asks, then pauses briefly with one of his brows raised, as if giving you a chance to think about his question before answering. But you didn’t answer. You couldn't answer, so he did instead. “Since when do you come home and announce you're here?” 

“Oh my God, Joel,” you cry out with embarrassment. Burying your face into his neck and lamenting over your mistake, you could still feel him shaking ever so slightly as he continued to laugh at your failure. “Of course!” You moan into his shirt with a ghost of a smile on your lips. “How could I have been so stupid and forget about that. Of course you would know something was up.” 

“You’re not stupid at all. Don’t say that, babe,” he chides. Sliding his hand up your spine and cupping the back of your head, his embrace tightens a little as he plants a kiss in your hair, the action making you feel less disappointed with yourself. “I know you were thinking what’s best for me,” he says, hugging you closely, “And that’s something special right there, doll.” 

Tilting your head to rest your cheek against his neck, his words gave you even more relief and comfort, though the worry around fucking everything up still remained. You lift your head to look at him, expressing a look of regret in your eyes and ask: “When did you originally plan to play me the song?” You sigh, chewing on the inside of your lip with self-annoyance, “I just feel really bad, you know? Like I ruined something special you had planned to surprise me with.” 

“You didn’t ruin anything,” he promised. Shifting his position a little more to aid his comfort, he leans back and kicks his feet up onto the table before pulling you to sit directly over his crotch. The action was nothing out of the ordinary, he prefers you to sit like this as much as you do, but it made you gasp softly upon feeling his bulge press into your heat from below.

He heard the noise you made and recognised the way it made you feel, causing him to smirk before resting his hands to your ass once again. “I hadn’t decided when to play it for you,” he answers, shrugging. “I just couldn’t make up my mind… was overthinkin’ the how and when to do it, but I shoulda’ just played it for you a long time ago.” 

“Wait…” You tilt your head at him, confused, “What do you mean by a long time ago? How long have you been working on this?” 

He grins brightly, his cheeks starting to blush a little from your questions, but he had no problem in answering them truthfully. “Six months ago, right after I met you in our backyard,” he says, and it really takes your emotions on a rollercoaster ride as you don't know what to say or what to think. Though, your silence didn’t discourage him and he continued. “I knew you were different darlin’, and as soon as you left me, I couldn’t stop thinkin’ about yer,” your face burns with flattery as you absorb his compliments. “Couldn’t even get back to chopping wood. I was that head over heels for yer… So, I grabbed my guitar and started playing something I never played before.” 

“Really?” You manage to break your silence to ask.

“Really babydoll.” He responds with an affirmative nod. “The tune came first, but the lyrics came later and…” he pauses momentarily to brush your hair behind your ear and gaze into your eyes. “...That day I showed up at your door and we shared the cherry pie in your kitchen? That’s when I knew for sure you were different. I knew in my heart that you were something special, Y/N.” 

“Joel,” you blurt his name with an elevated tone in your voice, your smile displaying nothing but delight and rejoice. “Did I really make you fall that hard for me?” You cry out and laugh sweetly, as if you couldn’t believe him even though he’s just said it himself. He fell just as hard as you did the moment you laid your eyes upon him. The feeling was mutual. It always has been. 

“Yes ma’am, I did indeed,” he drawls thickly, the crows feets around his eyes deepening, “And showing up at your door unannounced was the first best decision I ever made in our relationship.” He details, though it piqued your interest and you had to ask: “If that was the first, then what was the second best decision you ever made?” 

Joel pulls you in, placing his lips to your cheek with a tickling kiss as he whispers teasingly. “I’m sure you can figure that one out,” he chuckles softly before peering into your eyes and holding your line of sight. You hear the way his breath hitches in his throat, see the way he looks at your lips and smiles, his eyes expanding with love and devotion. It’s the way he looks at you every night, and sure, you could figure out what the second best decision he ever made was, but you wanted to hear him say it himself. You wanted to hear him ask you that question. 

And not a second later, he did ask you that question, and your answer was an immediate yes.

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[luvyblossom]

Love me (not) (Pt. 3)

Hello Lovelies!

Thank you to those who have given me so much love on the previous parts! There will be a part 4 coming soon. This chapter is so self indulgent. Lots of angry Hyunjin! Also if you want to be added to the taglist just leave a note and I will add you.

Happy Reading!

W/c 4.5k

Warnings: this fic contains sexual content. MDNI

Series Masterlist

_____________________________

The week went by as normal except for the fact that you had not seen Hyunjin since he left your apartment that night. You had texted him to hang out a few times but he had said he was busy with some project or had other plans so you let it be. Felix had started to join your regular study sessions that used to be with Hyunjin and he would drag you to the gym after to show you some Taekwondo moves. Your evenings passed by pleasantly that week with Felix and his lessons would tucker you out so that you were ready for bed as soon as you got home. You were almost tired enough to not miss Hyunjin sleeping next to you- almost.

It was finally Friday and the day of your 'date' with Felix. You weren't sure if it was a date yet. Although you had spent hours with him this week, he had been friendly and nothing more. No real flirting, no almost kisses- which was frustrating because watching him show you martial arts moves only made him sexier. You had tried to call Hyunjin but he hadn't picked up. You were starting to wonder if something else was going on. He had never spent this much time away from you. Maybe he was just really stressed with his project but you decided that you would go see him tomorrow, he needed to take a break at some point. Now however, you had to get ready for a hike which was likely uphill. How exactly could you look cute while sweating?

"Where exactly is this hike?" You asked Felix as you climbed into his passenger seat.

"It's a surprise." He gave you his signature smile as he started to drive. You both listened to music and sang along. Maybe you were just forming a friendship similar to what you and Hyunjin had. Felix felt familiar and while you found him extremely attractive, he had not given you any indication that he liked you after the night of the party so you decided to clear your mind of any date ideas. You would just be disappointed again if you were expecting it.

Felix parked his car in what looked like the middle of nowhere. You were surrounded by trees and there was no sign of any civilization. "You didn't bring me here to kill me right?"

Felix laughed, "I've shown you enough self-defence that you should be able to take me down."

The hike was really pleasant. Trees surrounded you and when the foliage thinned you could see a river with bright blue water running alongside the trail. You walked quietly with Felix, a comfortable quiet, as you took in the beauty around you. The whole time Felix just watched you.

"This is the spot," Felix said as you reached a clearing at the top of the hill. Two large rocks sat at the top as if they had been placed there just so you and Felix could sit. From the lookout you could see the expanse of the river, the changing csky and the faint outline of the city skyline. You had made it just in time for the sun to start setting.

"It's absolutely beautiful," you sat on one of the rocks and Felix sat down next to you. The sky turned shades of orange, red, pink and purple as the sun started to dip below the horizon. "So how many girls have you brought here?" You teased.

"Actually just one," Felix rubbed the back of his neck, a habit that you had learned to recognize was a sign that he was nervous. "My grandma used to bring me here. She always told me this spot was magic, if you made a wish as the sun set, it would come true."

"What did you wish for?" You turned to Felix, peeling your eyes away from the gorgeous view in front of you. He was already looking at you, his brown eyes looking so intently as if he was trying to memorize every part of your face. He moved closer to you and crashed his lips onto to yours, taking you by complete surprise. The kiss was deep and he held onto you, pulling you close against him as if you were going to be taken away. He ran his tongue over your lips asking for entrance which you granted, allowing him to deepen the kiss. You pulled away to get some air and moved to straddle his lap. As soon as you were sitting on him, his lips were back on yours.

You felt his hands start to explore your body, tracing his fingers from your neck, down your back and to your hips, leaving your skin burning with every touch. He let out a moan as you started to grind yourself down on him, feeling how hard he was. He kissed down your jawline until he reached a sensitive spot on your neck, leaving a love bite there while he guided your hips to roll over his length. You could feel the wetness gathering in your panties as you rubbed yourself against him, getting just enough stimulation for momentary satisfaction while leaving you wanting so much more. Felix was leaving sloppy kisses and bites all over your collarbones while desperately pushing up into you, yearning for friction as well. He suddenly stopped his movement and pulled himself away from you, drawing a whine from you.

"I think we should head back," he sounded breathless as he said it. As much as you wanted him to rip off your clothes and fuck you there, it had become dark. The city skyline painted a faint figure of lights in the distance and the stars and moon reflected in the water. You could hear coyotes in the otherwise quiet night so you reluctantly agreed.

The moon lit your hike back. Felix and you walked hand in hand, admiring the stars, the admiration being interrupted with bouts of making out on the path before remembering your final destination. When you did finally reach Felix's car, you were more desperate than ever. As soon as he climbed into the car you were on top of him once again, crashing your lips onto his. You let your hands roam his body and slip under his shirt to feel his muscled torso and chest. His muscles were carved out, defined like a statue. It was your turn to mark him up as you kissed over his collarbones.

Felix groaned as he placed his hands on your shoulders and gently pushed you away from him so you were face to face. " Can we just talk for a second?" He was still breathless as he held you away from him, resisting the urge to buck his hips up into you.

You were surprised, not sure what to expect as you nodded your head.

He brought one of his hands away from you to scratch the back of his neck. "So I-uh," he closed his eyes tight, trying to figure out the right way to say what he wanted. He opened his eyes but avoided looking into yours, "I have a bit of a reputation of uh, sleeping around. I know it may make me seem like that's all I want but I really like you and I don't want it to come off like I just want a one night stand. Can we take it slow so I can actually date you?"

There was your heart, thumping loud enough to echo through the quiet valley. He looked so cute being this nervous and he liked you? He wanted to date you? You felt admired, wanted and so warm as he sat nervously, waiting for your answer. You moved the short distance between the both of you and gave him a kiss on the cheek, getting his attention so he would finally meet your gaze. "I can take it slow," you reassured him with a smile. You could see the relief wash over Felix's face as the smile that almost permanently sat on his face returned.

Despite being tired from your week with Felix and the long hike, you sat in bed feeling more giddy than ever, recounting all the events that happened today. You felt a blush spread over you as you remembered how Felix had felt against you. How he had told you how he felt. You didn't have to guess or overthink, he just told you what he thought. You wanted to call Hyunjin to tell him everything that happened but it was already late. You would have to wait until tomorrow.

-------

You tried Hyunjin's phone getting sent to voicemail for what felt like the 100th time this week. You hung up and called Seungmin instead who refreshingly, picked up after the first ring.

"Hello pretty lady. What makes you call today?"

"Is Hyunjin there? I have literally not been able to get a hold of him this entire week."

"He's not home. He's been a dick this whole week. I think he's fought with everyone at the house atleast once."

That was weird. Hyunjin could have a temper but it rarely came out and he wasn't one to pick fights quickly. "He must be really stressed over that project. Do you know when he'll be back? I'm gonna force him to take a break."

"I'm not sure when he'll be back but we're having a party tonight and I know he'll be there for that so just come tonight."

You let out a sigh. Another party. "Okay I guess if that's the only way to get a hold of him. Do you know if he's angry with me? I've never seen him be this intense about school." You weren't sure what exactly you could have done to deserve this much of a cold shoulder from him but maybe that's why he had been avoiding you.

"He hasn't talked to me at all, but I'll see you tonight!"

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

You walked into the over crowded frat house trying to navigate your way through the crowd and find a familiar face. You found Seungmin at his spot in the kitchen making drinks.

He gave you a smile and a hug when he saw you, handing you a drink. "You look hot,” was all he said as he looked at you, making you blush at the compliment. You had worn a fitted short dress with thin straps that left most of your cleavage exposed. You smacked Seungmin's arm as he pretended to gawk at you so he would stop teasing.

"Do you know where he is? Has he already found a girl or can I catch him before he disappears?" You didn't want to walk into his room and have a repeat of last weekend.

Seungmin pointed Hyunjin out to you, he was sitting on one of the couches next to some girl- it wasn't Jess to your relief. She had her hands on his arm as she kept talking and he seemed to be barely listening to what she said. He looked so effortlessly gorgous as he sat there in a white button down and black jeans. His black hair framed his face and rings adorned his long fingers as they wrapped around his red solo cup. Not seeing Hyunjin for so many days had made you forget how perfect he looked, almost unreal.

"Good luck, he's been so grumpy," Seungmin said as you made your way through the suffocating crowd again to reach Hyunjin.

You tapped the girl's shoulder, "I'm sorry to interrupt but I really need to talk to Hyunjin." She gave you a dirty look and tried to turn back to Hyunjin. You proceeded to shove yourself between the two of them on the couch, successfully chasing her away after she called you a bitch under her breath.

Hyunjin looked at you but somehow avoided eye contact, "Y/n, what are you doing here?" His voice was quiet but sounded so cold and monotone.

"I came to see you," you tried to place your hand on his but he pulled it away from your grasp. "Is something wrong?" Hyunjin wouldn't look at you and you were starting to get over the silent treatment he was giving you. You chugged your drink and then grabbed Hyunjin's forearm, attempting to drag him off the couch. It wasn't very successful as he didn't even budge an inch despite you using your full force. You held on to him and gave him a pleading look until he got off the couch with a sigh and let you lead him. You ended up taking him to his room so it would be quiet enough to have a conversation. You were happy to find that there wasn't a girl waiting to kiss his face off in his room tonight.

"What do you want?" Hyunjin sounded like an angry teen as he sat down at the edge of his bed.

"I want to know what’s wrong with you. I haven't seen you all week and you've barely spoken to me."

"I told you I was busy." Hyunjin still refused to look at you.

"Did I do something to piss you off? Did something happen? Seungmin told me how grumpy you've been this week."

Hyunjin didn't say anything, looking down at his shoes, still effortlessly gorgeous even when he was moping. You walked up right in front of him and hugged him, pulling him close to you. He didn't resist but he also didn't wrap his arms around you in the way you had become accustomed to. You pulled away and moved your hand under his chin, tilting his head up so he would finally look at you, ignoring the way your heart echoed in your ears at the proximity. His deep brown eyes seemed clouded, like they had a storm brewing behind them that hadn't quite reached the surface.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it but don't ignore me please." You wanted to tell him how much you had missed him this week. How empty and cold your bed had felt without his presence but you knew how needy that would sound and you didn’t want to say those words aloud.

Hyunjin’s eyes softened as he looked into yours, recognizing the concern that flooded them. He spread his knees so you could slot into the space between his legs as he sat at the edge of his bed. His arms finally wrapped around you and he pulled you in so close that you could feel each other breathe.

Hyunjin let out a deep sigh, pulling you even closer, "you didn't do anything wrong. I'm sorry." He closed his eyes and nuzzled his head into your neck. With his lips ghosting over your skin he whispered, "I missed you," so quietly that you almost didn't hear.

Your breath hitched, being this close to Hyunjin was dangerous. You pushed away from him, giving him a warm smile when he looked up at you, loosening his grasp on you. You wiggled out of his arms and began to look around his room. His desk was cluttered with different art supplies, the walls covered in paintings and posters. An easel sat by his window in the corner of the room. It faced away from you so you couldn't see what was painted on the canvas.

"You promised you'd show me your paintings. I think I've earned a private showing by now."

Hyunjin stood up and walked over to his desk to grab a sketchbook. He sat back down on his bed and patted the spot next to him signalling you to sit down. He flipped through the book describing the inspiration behind every painting and picture. His art was breathtaking with such a wide range from delicate water colour paintings of abstract scenery to sketches so precise that they looked like photographs. They gave you a different view into his life: his dog back home, the places he'd seen and his favourite movie scenes.

"So not only is Hyunjin Hwang absolutely gorgeous but he's also extremely talented." You complimented him, not noticing the blush that painted over his cheeks. You kicked off your heeled boots and started to walk around his room, admiring his paintings that decorated his walls.

Hyunjin sat, watching you as you smiled at his paintings, pointing out the scenes of places that you had visited together. He got the chance to take you in. You. Looked. Hot. Your dress left little to the imagination as it hugged every one of your curves. Being away from you for a week had allowed Hyunjin to ignore how he had started feeling about you after the towel incident, but being around you now, looking the way you do- it brought those feelings bubbling back. He was willing himself not to get hard in your presence. Hyunjin had not met with any girl since the last party, your lack of presence in his days making everything feel boring. He had been pent up and he didn’t realize it until you were in front of him, with your perfect lips and in that tight dress. The sight of you was only making his situation harder. While lost in his horny thoughts, Hyunjin did not notice you open up the other sketchbook on his desk.

You felt like you were in your own museum, getting to feel the artist's art not only through the paintings but through his words. Hyunjin was very talented and you lamented not getting to appreciate his art sooner. You finished examining all the paintings on his wall and started to look at the various sketches scattered over his desk, finding a sketchbook that he hadn't shown you yet. As you flipped through the pages you saw some shadow-work and flower paintings. Then you reached a sketch with made you stop turning. The picture was of the library where you always studied, the focus of the sketch being a girl with her hair swept up in a bun, brows furrowed as she held a pen between her teeth and stared down at something in front of her. It was a sketch of you.

"Did you draw me?" You asked Hyunjin while turning to the next page. Here was a drawing of a familiar memory when you and Hyunjin had gone to the beach. There you sat in the sand, looking out at the sea with your beach towel wrapped loosely around your shoulders for warmth. He had drawn it from his perspective. He sat next to you that evening and had captured your side profile while you were unaware, lost in the feeling of the misty breeze that had floated over the ocean.

Your words snapped Hyunjin back to reality. It took him a second but he realized which one of his books you were holding. His eyes widened in panic, "Don't look at that one." He practically shouted as he lunged towards you, aiming to grab the book out of your hands before you could look any further. You tried to dodge him but your reflexes were not quite as fast as his. He swiftly grabbed the book out of your hand but not before you got a glimpse of the next page. You had seen a side profile where the girl wore a loose muscle shirt that showed ample side-boob and allowed her nipple to poke through the thin fabric. What stood out to you was the small rose tattoo that sat beneath her breast, right on the rib. The small tattoo that you had gotten on your 19th birthday, the one that was so easy to hide that very few people knew about it.

You didn't get time to process the intimate drawing as you found yourself trapped between Hyunjin and the desk. He stood against you with one hand on the desk supporting his weight and the other holding the sketchbook behind him. The proximity and the thought of his sketch left you feeling dizzy. You somehow found the breath to say, "Why can't I see it?" Not giving away that you may be aware of exactly why he didn't want you to look.

Hyunjin chose not to answer the question, being unable to think of an excuse when he stood this close to you. Your body pressed up against his and your face so close to his that the smallest movement would allow him to kiss your soft, tinted red lips. He tried to shake the urge to take what he wanted most at this moment. Instead he gently brushed his fingers over your jaw. The touch was so light that you barely felt it, but it was enough to make breathing impossible for you as you stood feeling like a deer in headlights trapped under his intense, almost hungry gaze. He used the same feather light touch to run his fingers down your neck. You still held your breath, heartbeat drowning out all the noise from the party going on just outside the door, leaving you feeling like it was just you and him in this moment.

Suddenly, his fingers stopped their gentle movement as they lingered at the base of your neck. His eyes staring at a spot and his gaze changing from soft to intense fury. He spoke in a quiet, measured voice, "Who did that to you?"

Your attention was brought to the spot that his eyes were fixated on. You ran your hand over it, feeling the tender flesh, realizing it was the spot where Felix had left a hickey on you the night before. You had completely forgotten about it.

"Y/n, who did that?" Hyunjin repeated, voice as quiet as before but the words sounding harsh.

"I uh- I had the date last night and-"

Hyunjin cut you off, "Did you fucking sleep with him?" He scoffed. "One fucking mediocre-ass date and you threw yourself at him." Hyunjin's words dripped with bitterness as he glared at you, his body still pressed against yours and his fingers still hovering over the hickey on your neck.

You attempted to push Hyunjin off of you,"it is none of your fucking business what happened between us." You matched his rage as you continued to push against him, failing to move his body. "Let me go."

"He's going to use you and then toss you aside when he's bored" Hyunjin snapped at you, continuing to trap you with his tall frame.

"Not every guy is like you." You pushed him away one more time, this time he let you go.

Your words rang in Hyunjin's ears. It stung that you thought of him like that, but he knew it was true. You walked away from him and sat down on the edge of his bed again, beginning to lace up your boots. "Where are you going? It's almost 2am."

"You don't need to monitor everything I do." His worry was valid and you felt a bit bad for snapping at him again but you were so angry. Who is he to dictate what sort of relationship you had with Felix? There was finally a decent guy who liked you, who wanted you and who was honest about his feelings and you weren't going to let Hyunjin's dislike of him ruin a potentially good relationship.

Hyunjin swallowed his jealousy, pain and anger, recognizing the rage that you held behind every word. He had just got you back and he did not want to spend anymore time without you. The week truly had been so lonely without you. He walked over and knelt in front of you, slowly taking your hands away from your boots so you would leave the task and acknowledge him. "I'm sorry," he closed his eyes, "I'm being overprotective. I just don't want you to hurt."

You let out a breath, the warmth from his hands working it's way through your anger, reminding you how much you missed him. "I know you care about me and you mean well. I know you don't like him but I promise he's genuine. He really makes me feel special and I trust him."

Hyunjin kept his eyes squeezed shut as you made your case for Felix. Finally, he met your gaze, "Stay over tonight. It's too late for you to go home." You agreed, too tired to go home at this point and looking forward to time with your friend. You spent the rest of the night watching movies in Hyunjin's bed, comfy in his t-shirt, until you both drifted off to sleep. The glimpse of the sketch still at the back of your mind as your eyes fluttered shut.

-------

You joined the line of girls doing the walk of shame out of Sigma Chi the next morning. Hyunjin was still asleep but you needed to go home. You could not shower with his 5-in-1 wash again. Unlike the other girls who tugged on their clothes and uncomfortable shoes from the night before, you had the luxury of leaving in Hyunjin's hoodie and a pair of his sweats.

As you walked out, you heard someone calling your name. You turned to see Felix jogging towards you. "Good morning," he said when he reached you. "What are you up to?"

"Morning. I'm heading home. Hopefully to take a nap," you replied. "What are you doing running on a Sunday morning like a psychopath?"

Felix laughed, "Training doesn't end. But I'm done for now, let me walk you home." He took your hand in his, lacing his fingers through yours. "You were at Sigma Chi?" He tried to sound casual, masking how the question was gnawing at him.

"Yeah. I was at the party last night and ended up staying over since it was late," you explained, not picking up on how Felix clenched his jaw.

He wasn't sure how to prod further without making it seem like he wanted to know what exactly happened. He had been happy this week, thinking Hyunjin had backed off but now he saw you walk out of Hyunjin's house, dressed in clothes that were definitely too baggy to belong to you. He finally blurted out, "you saw Hyunjin?"

"Yeah, I went to see him and we talked it out. It's good to not be fighting anymore." Despite being tired, you felt light. The weight that Hyunjin's absence had left on you finally lifted. Felix on the other hand did not feel as light. Maybe the hickey had been too subtle.

----------

And that's the end of Part 3!!

This is an original work. Do not republish or repost this work in any form, including translations.

©LuvyBlossom

Tags: @chartrucewhore, @meeeds

[tgmsunmontue]

You need to learn how to fall 6/10

Hangster (and IceMav) - Bradley is too tall to be a naval aviator and instead becomes a sky diver, specialising in spin recovery. He is a civilian contractor to the military to teach pilots how to survive parachute spins from ejections. A more in-depth version of this post.

PROLOGUE 2003-2006 2007-2010 2011-2015 2016+

>>Bradley

>>Jake

~30 months Later…

                “Dr Bradshaw!”

                “Ah. Lieutenant Seresin.”

                “You remember me.”

                “You name and rank are on your uniform.”

                “Think you still remember me.”

                “You’re very sure of that.”

                “I like to be memorable.”

                “Hmm. I’m sure you do. Can I help you?”

                “Just wanted to see if you’d be interested in that drink.”

                “We’re in Corpus Christi. This isn’t my home. I believe I told you to look me up if you were ever in North Island.”

                “So you do remember me. And this is my home base, so halfway there right?”

                Bradley sighs, it feels like a bad idea for so many different reasons, but he could do one drink. It’s not like he has any other plans for the evening before returning to the base accommodations he’s been put up in for this training stint and even if it does end up a one-night stand he’s kind of horny enough that he’d go for it right now. He hasn’t had sex in a few months, which isn’t actually a problem, he’s not

                “Sure, okay. We can go for a drink. As long as it’s not on base.”

                “Deal.”

                One drink turns into dinner, turns into another drink and then coffee. They end up talking for a couple of hours, before they realize it’s after ten and they both have early starts. He hadn’t expected to enjoy Jake’s company quite this much, his sense of humor biting, but intelligent conversation, engaged and invested conversationalist. He’s pleasantly surprised. Jake, and he is Jake now, walks him to his car, parked in the far end of the lot under the shade of a tree in the hopes it’ll keep in cooler in the Texas heat.

                “Thanks for agreeing to have that drink with me…”

                Bradley pulls a slightly depreciating face, knows he’s maybe acted a little like a jerk.

                “Thanks for inviting me. Again. I enjoyed myself.”

                The kiss is soft, dry and gentle, nothing more than a brush of lips and he’s too stunned to do anything more about it, to chase his lips for a deeper taste. Instead Jake tips an imaginary hat at him and walks away and he wonders what the hell just happened. That’s not the way he thought their evening would end.

…             …             …

                The next day his phone vibrates with a new message and it’s not from a number he recognizes.

>>When I’m in North Island I’m looking you up.

                Huh.

                He’s not sure if that’s a threat or a promise.

                He carefully saves Jake’s contact details in his phone.

…             …             …

                Despite their conversation over dinner he hadn’t really put two and two together and realized that Jake was in Corpus Christi to also be an instructor. He should have thought about it, realized when Jake was talking about instructing he was referring to right then and now. Their paths cross on multiple occasions but Jake doesn’t ask him out again. He’s nothing but professional, courteous and friendly. His eyes and lips seem flirty, but Bradley’s pretty sure he’s projecting now, completely imagining it. Neither of them mention the message, and he finds himself staring at it simply to remind himself that he didn’t imagine receiving it.

                Maybe he thought Bradley was interesting or attractive, but since their dinner, since they’re working together, there’s nothing actually there. Despite the text message he’d received, which he’d carefully saved into his contacts, Jake hasn’t asked Bradley out again, and he’s not sure whether he’s disappointed or relieved. He’s only there for two weeks, the training short and intensive, he’ll be back in nine months to cover other things, reiterate what he’s already covered (and in five months for a new intake of students). By then they will have had more experience, better understanding of what he’s trying to teach them. He does the rounds of goodbyes before heading for the airstrip and the plane he’s catching back to North Island.

                “It’s been nice working with you. Thank you for making your expertise available,” Jake says, shaking his hand and Bradley nods and smiles, the formality of Jake’s tone not matching the intensity of his gaze. It’s a sharp contrast to the more antagonistic man he met a couple of years ago, contrasting further with the charming and flirty guy he ended up having dinner with and he wonders which one is truly Jake Seresin.

…             …             …

                Days later, working on a research paper and he feels like he’s going to vibrate out of his skin. He really needs to fucking jump out a plane, confused and frustrated for no reason he can pin down and he wants the clarity that falling through the air gives him. He redoes all his pack jobs. Unrolls and checks, realizes he’s maybe a little distracted and asks Mav to check them for him as well, before he does it again, his mind finally settling into the familiar rhythm. He convinces Ice to take him up for a jump, specifically a hop and pop, wants to spend as much time floating down as possible, Mav on pick up within the drop zone.

                It’s a textbook landing, he times the flares out perfectly, the velocity of approach slowing and he still prepares for impact but there’s almost none, jumping down a step would have been worse and he almost bounces up simply with the amount he’s bent his legs. He pulls in the toggles, tugging on the lines to stop them from gusting and begins pulling it all in.

                “Nice, you look almost blasé about the whole thing.”

                “Yeah, it was nice and smooth.”

                “You look like you belong up there… something one of your instructors said to us once, about you being a natural. You do look like you born to it.”

                “It’s my safe space, which I know seems weird to you, but it’s just….”

                “Everything comes into pinpoint focus and you can’t imagine being anywhere else,” Mav provides and Bradley catches his eye and nods.

                “Yeah. Also it’s where I feel the most alive. Nothing else matters.”

                “Hmm…” Mav agrees, and he slaps Bradley on the shoulder, helps him unclip and roll. “You know that’s how I feel about flying. Seeing you just… step back onto earth, reminded me of how I feel about when I step out of a plane.”

                “Like you immediately want to get back up there?”

                “Yeah.”

                “Well, I have you to thank, you know. I know this probably isn’t what you imagined for me. I know you always wanted to keep me safe. But when I decided on this, I thought I’d have to fight you on it, that I’d have to fight both of you. Instead you both just… supported me. I know that can’t have always been easy.”

                “Loving you, supporting you? Easiest thing we’ve ever done in our lives. Trust me. Stopping ourselves from protecting you, wrapping you in bubble wrap and stopping you from making mistakes… that’s been the hardest, especially when it was in direct conflict with the first. You’re happy. Do you know how happy that makes me?”

                “Really happy?” Bradley jokes, although he knows it’s going to miss the mark, the expression on Mav’s face far too serious. Apparently they’re having this heart-to-heart, out here in the middle of tussocky almost desert.

                “I mean, it does but also… I could die tomorrow and would feel content that I had done the best job I could. That we could. We knew we would never replace your dad, never wanted to. But we’ve always wanted to be there for you.”

                He doesn’t say anything, just grabs for him and hugs tight. Mav doesn’t mention his dad very often, and Bradley’s pretty sure there’s shit there he’s likely never dealt with, is aware that Mav has nightmares but has never asked about them and realizes in that moment that he might in fact have nightmares about Bradley himself. Fuck. He hugs him tight again.

                “You’ve done a great job Mav, you and Ice have both done a great job.”

                “Well, you know Ice. He can’t be anything but excellent at everything he does.”

                Bradley laughs, and the moment eases from the somberness back to their usual banter but he gives Ice an extra tight hug when they pick him up from the hangar and he just laughs at the quirked eyebrow he gets in response.

…             …             …

>>You have any idea how hard it was to keep my hands to myself?

                Bradley stares down at the message. It’s from the contact number he has marked for Jake Seresin but there’s just the other message he never responded to and now this. He’s on the other side of the country, hell, he went on a fucking date two nights ago… and now he’s staring at his phone and wondering what the fuck is going on. First off he needs to make sure this is actually Jake.

>>Jake?

>>Yep. Thought I better show you that I can be professional before I started talking about how I love watching you walk. Your legs are fucking gorgeous, want to get my hands all over them.

                He swallows, skin feeling tight and hot from a single fucking message and okay, he hadn’t been reading things wrong, Jake clearly just felt like he needed to prove something. He

>>I’d let you.

>>Got to get myself to North Island first. I want to date you.

                Oh. He hadn’t been expecting that. Hadn’t expected Jake Seresin to challenge him, to be this persistent, to still want… well, him. It’s been nearly three years since he met him at Top Gun, about two weeks since he saw him in Corpus Christi… He’d sort of thought Jake would pass him by, had been okay with that.

                Before.

                Hadn’t ever seriously thought he’d be in this position. This guy has either being playing a long game, or he’s definitely more interested in Bradley than Bradley ever though.

                So.

                Now?

                He doesn’t know. Doesn’t want to let him pass him by at the very least. Not without at least trying.

                The sound of laughter has him looking up, Mav giggling because he’s just provoked Ice enough into rapping him across the knuckles while cooking dinner. Fuck. He realizes then that for Jake his tiny little family could be a deal breaker. Ice the recently promoted COMPACFLT, Mav a captain, both of them pretty legendary and intimidating apparently. Never to him of course, but to someone else in the service… he doesn’t know. Jake could take one look at his family and just… turn around and walk away. Jake’s waited this long though, but it feels weird now, having Jake not know this part of his background when he already knows so much else.

                He wants to tell him, in person, so he can read his reaction. He’ll be seeing him in five months. If he’s serious about dating then they’re always going to have periods of time apart…

>>You have anything again long-distance dating?

>>Just the inability to touch. You letting up on the whole North Island thing?

>>Yeah. Think I am.

PART 7

[raparopa]

Could I request a Tolya X reader where they are on Nikolai’s ship at night and reader can’t sleep so she stays up reading poetry and he joins her? 🤍🤍

a/n: I am alive☠️With all this studying, I was completely lost and I really want to get back into my rhythm! I don’t know if I will succeed, but I will try very hard, maybe slowly and not right away, but I will try. I've got a lot of requests, I'll try to sort them out for now, but if you have any ideas, don't hesitate

warnings: none (I had to use lines from poems by famous authors, because poetry is not my forte)

pairing: Tolya Yul-Bataar x reader

do you understand or feel it?

I couldn’t find a place for myself: I tossed and turned in bed for an hour, drank tinctures for sleep, counted the crows that were jumping in my head - and none of these methods helped me. Didn't help me sleep.

Usually, sleeping on board our ship was more than good. The soft swaying of the waves, the light of the stars penetrating into the small porthole of my cabin - it was all so beautiful and good. Exactly until this evening. I don’t know what caused my insomnia, but not being able to just relax in a cloud of blankets and pillows, as well as one adorable heartrender by my side, was just killing me.

Therefore, I couldn’t find anything better than to walk along the empty deck and gaze at the stars, taking Tolya’s collection of poetry with me. He found something in the poems and I was wondering why exactly they amazed him so much, because before I had no time at all to escape from business and devote myself to... art?

I quietly walked along the creaking wood, plopped down on one of the boxes and turned my gaze to the clear, dark sky. The silver disk of the moon sparkled, surrounded by a vault of small stars, filling everything around with its cold light. There was a smell of salty breeze and oil, splashes of water could be heard somewhere, and I again thought how disappointing it was that on this good night I couldn’t just sleep.

-So, so... Let's see what we have here that makes Tolya go so crazy?-The book opened easily and I began to leaf through the pages, reading the first lines to find the poem I liked.

…And all that's best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes…*

I raised my eyebrows; the lines sounded promising.

...Thus mellow'd to that tender light

Which heaven to gaudy day denies...**

Poetry at night, in the light of the moon, absorbed me more and more, and now I understood why Tolya carries this little book with him everywhere and no longer understood why people did not allow him to read them out loud.

I re-read and re-read, looked for new things, mentally noted the works that were imprinted in my mind and heart, thought about how I would ask Tolya to buy a collection for me or tell me how to choose the most interesting one.

Immersed in my thoughts and tender lines of light poetry, I did not at all notice the cautious steps that appeared on the deck.

-...as fair art thou, my bonnie lass, so deep in luve am I...

-...and I will love thee still, my dear, till a' the seas gang dry.*** - a strange voice rang out over my ear and strange hands wrapped around my waist. - Good night, my heart.

I winced, immediately slamming the book shut and rolling my eyes in pseudo-annoyance, trying to hold back a smile.

-Tolya! You scared me, Saints, don't do that again or I'll hit you.

He laughed, pecking me on the cheek and resting his chin on my shoulder.

-You weren’t in bed, I thought something happened, and you’re sitting here and reading poetry.- Yul-Bataar giggled. -I expected anything, but not this, Y/N. You... pleasantly surprise me.

-I couldn’t sleep, I decided to take a walk and thought it would be nice to take something to read...

-And how? Poetry isn't for everyone, you know. Not every person is able to understand the meaning and feelings embedded in ordinary poetic lines, in ink written on paper. When you read poetry, you must either understand or feel.

I turned my head slightly to see his smiling face, clutching the volume of poetry in my hands.

-Well? And you?-Tolya asked again.

-What?

-Do you feel or understand, when you read these lines, my heart?- He quickly took his book from my hands, lovingly and gently opening it.

I thoughtfully followed his movements, digesting the words he said, trying to grasp their essence.

-Don't know. I haven't read enough to fully...dive into this. I think I need to get to know a lot more to feel poetry.

-Do you want to feel it?- Tolya’s warm embrace immediately disappeared, which made me instantly freeze. He walked around the chest on which I was sitting, opened the collection and began to look for something in it.

-What are you going to do?- I asked, admiring his silhouette, which so softly curved around the silver light of the cold stars. Tolya smiled mischievously, without taking his eyes off the pages.

-Once, you want to feel poetry in your heart, Y/N,-he put his palm to his chest. -Then let me show you this path and read some wonderful things?-He looked up at me and smiled tenderly.

I smiled back, bowing my head.

-I would be glad if you honored me with this, dear,- I responded, involuntarily giggling.

-Then, as expected, every bard is entitled to a reward. For each poem I want to receive... - Tolya thought theatrically, rubbing his chin. - For a kiss. Is the lady happy with this price?

-Cunning fox!- I laughed, squinting from the sharply elevated mood. -But, yes, the lady agrees to the conditions of the cunning bard.-I had to bite my lip so that my smile did not sparkle like a mirror reflecting the light of the sun.

-Then let's start! Bright star, would I be stedfast as thou art... ****

Or maybe this insomnia was not a punishment after all?

**“She Walks In Beauty” by Lord Byron

***“A Red, Red Rose” by Robert Burns

****“Bright Star” by John Keats

[ravensliterature]

Braid = Marriage?

A/N: A new day and a new post

pairing: Fili x Reader

warnings: Mentions of nudity but nothing happens

w/c: 1957

Prompt: You got done washing up and Fili offers to braid your newly clean hair but there is something he kind of forgot to tell you... 

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The company had been traveling for quite some time. Long days on the road can make anyone feel grimy. The mud, the bugs, and the smelly dwarves didn't help. You love them dearly, but it doesn't mean they don't smell. Your hair was wet from sweat, and your armor was dirty from days of continuous travel.

"We stop here for tonight!" Thorin yelled to the rest of the company.

They all cheered and dismounted from their horses, stretching their legs. You were one of the last to get off your horse, and you felt your stiff muscles begin to relax as your feet hit the muddy ground in the clearing.

Everyone started setting up camp or cleaning their gear for the night. You walked over to Dwalin, who was sitting by some logs eating from his food pouch. He looked up when he heard you approaching.

"Need anything?" he asked.

"No, not really," you said, wiping the dirt from your pants.

"Are you okay?" he inquired.

You laughed and nodded. "Yeah, I'm great. I could go for a nice bath."

He smiled back at you and nodded in agreement. "Aye, I feel you. If you don't mind going by yourself, I believe there is a small river not far from here," he explained.

"That would be perfect," you responded, giving him an appreciative smile.

You quickly turned on your heels to find this supposed river. It was exactly what you needed—a bath and a chance to clean yourself before bed.

You walked until your boots sank slightly into the softer ground. There was a small stream flowing around the foot of a hill, leading to a river big enough to bathe in.

As you approached it, you noticed how large it was. The water was clear as it rushed from the rocks down to the center of the river. The surface of the water shone a dark blue, reflecting light from the clouds above. You stood still for a minute, admiring the view. It was peaceful and beautiful.

Slowly, you began to take off your clothes and undergarments. You tossed them onto a nearby rock and then climbed in. The water was pleasantly warm, almost relaxing. You lay still for a few minutes, enjoying your surroundings. Your skin tingled as a cool breeze blew through the trees around you. The sun was beginning to set, making the scene even more beautiful as it reflected beautifully on the water. As the sky turned red and the sunset approached, you turned to exit the river. It was only then that you noticed you weren't alone.

The trees rustled and your fear began to rise. The sound filled the air, and you thought to yourself, "I'm done for. I've got to leave." But before you could move, another person stepped out from behind a tree. It was a familiar face.

"Fili?!" You gasped. His eyes widened in surprise, his mouth forming an 'O' of shock as if he wasn't expecting to see you there.

"Y/N?!" Fili exclaimed, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

You looked away, unable to meet his eyes. "Well...I wanted to bathe!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were here!" Fili looked down sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck.

"Oh well..." you mumbled quietly. You could feel his piercing gaze boring into you.

The two of you sat silently for what seemed like hours, trying not to look at each other. Finally, you found the courage to speak.

"Well, you're free to join me, the river is for everyone," you chuckled lightly.

"Yes, alright..." He agreed, finally tearing his eyes away from yours and walking to the bank.

He stripped off his cloak and tunic, leaving just his pants on. As he reached the shore, he took off his socks and shoes and jumped into the water. Once inside, he waded further in until he was waist-deep. When he was completely submerged, he began to relax in the warm water.

You watched quietly and admired the way the water played with his dark blonde hair, creating little twirls. You'd never admit it to him, but the sight made your heart beat a little faster.

After watching Fili for a moment longer, you turned away, feeling a bit self-conscious after realizing how much you stared at him. You decided to make your way over to where you dropped your belongings and began to dry your skin and hair.

Just as you finished drying your skin and were about to braid your hair, Fili walked out of the river. You turned around to meet his eyes. You couldn't help but gulp in nervousness, noticing how attractive he appeared right now.

"Hey, Y/N," he greeted awkwardly.

You returned the greeting, smiling shyly. "Hi..."

The two of you stood awkwardly staring at one another for a moment, unsure of what to say next.

Finally, Fili broke the silence. "I can help braid your hair if you want," he offered hesitantly.

"Really?" You asked excitedly because you loved the dwarven braiding style.

"Of course," he replied. "Just let me get dressed first."

He began to get dressed. You noticed his chest had become broader than it had been when you first met. You wondered how much training he received. You wondered if he fought dragons. Did he have scars? Were they dragon-related?

Once he was fully clothed, he turned around to face you. You decided to put on your attire together so he didn't expect you to immediately turn around. You were startled by the sudden closeness between the two. You tried to keep your composure, but he smelled intoxicating, like fire and leather.

"Is everything alright?" He asked, concern written on his face. "You seem kind of tense."

"Uh, yeah... let's just braid my hair," you stuttered slightly. "It's just hot in these clothes."

"We just bathed, I'm freezing," he chuckled.

After taking your hair out of its ponytail, you pulled out one of his spare braids and started weaving it in. You tried hard not to think too much about what the dwarf looked like naked. You hoped it wouldn't come across as creepy.

"So," you said awkwardly, "tell me something about yourself."

Fili stopped in front of you, staring at you. He looked down at his braided hair and then back to you. "What would you like to know?"

"Um, how about... how long did you live in Erebor before the dragon?" you replied.

He thought for a moment before responding. "Never had the chance, the dragon took my home before I could live in it."

"Sorry," you apologized. "Were your parents around before the dragon?"

He shrugged and continued on his braiding. "My mother was and lives in the Blue Mountains. And my father, well, he was killed during the battle of Moria."

"...Will I be welcome in Erebor?" you asked curiously. "I mean... I'm just some human and I don't know any of the dwarven cultures."

Fili sighed. "Of course, you are Y/N. You are one of the company, basically a dwarf by friendship."

You blushed at his compliment, then shook it off. The two of you kept braiding and chatting about various things as time ticked by. By the end of your time, you had a braid about the length of your arm.

"We probably need to return to camp, but first..." He paused to grab a bead from his hair. "I'd like to put this in your hair to hold the braid."

He handed you the bead as you held out your hair for him. He finished the braid and gave a triumphant grin.

"Thank you," you thanked.

Fili gave you a reassuring smile. "No need to thank me."

The two of you walked back into camp.

You both sat at the table while Kili told stories. He spoke of his adventures and of Thorin who had been the king while in the Blue Mountains. Everyone listened with attention until Kili turned to you and asked:

"Y/N, is that Fili's bead in your hair?"

You nodded in confirmation.

"Why is it so important for you to have Fili's bead?" asked Kili.

"Because it's a dwarvish custom," Kili said matter-of-factly. "It's a sign of courtship!"

"Wait, what?! Courtship?!" you exclaimed. Your cheeks turned crimson with embarrassment. You had never really thought about courting someone before. You had only recently accepted your love for Fili. What would he say if he found out? Would he feel disgusted or happy? Would he accept the proposal or reject it?

Everyone seemed very confused about you and Fili having courted. They hadn't thought Thorin would allow you two to be together since he was crowned prince.

"Do you love him?" Balin suddenly asked. You were shocked to find that they already knew about your feelings. How did they find out?

You hesitated for a moment. Should you tell them how you felt or not? You decided to tell them the truth. After all, they were your closest friends. No secrets. Especially not with them.

"Yes. I do..." you said, trying to hide your face.

Fili then proceeded to have the toothiest grin you'd ever seen. He leaned forward towards you and grabbed your hand, which made your heart flutter. You felt so relieved and embarrassed but at the same time so elated.

Fili squeezed your hand tightly and whispered in a low voice that no one else could hear, "Y/N, I love you. More than anything in the world."

You couldn't even bring yourself to respond. Instead, you simply smiled and nodded.

"So when were you going to tell me about your surprise courtship plans, Fili?" asked Thorin sternly.

"Uhm..." Fili looked at you. You could see him blushing as he struggled to form coherent words.

Thorin rolled his eyes and shook his head exasperatingly. "Just tell me!" he demanded, irritated.

Fili took a deep breath and closed his eyes before speaking. "I love her, Uncle," he stopped to look at you nervously.

"And what makes you think that?" questioned Thorin, sounding suspicious.

"Well, she has always been a good friend of mine. Not many people understand me as she does. She doesn't judge, and she asks questions. She is my best friend and she is my One," he explained, still looking at you with a hopeful expression. "She cares more about the company than she cares about herself sometimes..."

"Aye, she's done plenty of foolish stuff to save this group," Bofur reassured him, giving Fili a small pat on the back.

Thorin nodded approvingly. It was true. Many times you've risked your life to save your friends' hides. Even Thorin couldn't stop himself from admiring your courage. He knew that you're not a weakling. You were tough, smart, and strong. A true survivor. But sometimes you were just a bit reckless. She would be a fine wife for Fili.

She deserved to be with someone who loves her unconditionally. Someone who respects her intelligence, personality, and loyalty. Someone who treats her with respect and compassion. Someone who will protect her and love her always. Someone like Fili.

"I approve," Thorin continued, "Don't you dare hurt her, Fili."

You saw the relief wash over Fili's facial features. "Never, sir," he promised, placing a kiss on top of your head.

You laughed lightly as the pair continued to banter. The rest of the night was filled with laughter, stories, and lots of food.

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Submit a request here

[the-whispers-of-death]

leaving anon mood, hi, i asked the stuff about stone

you said stone likes stars.

maybe a x reader where he'd known reader for a while but they hadn't really talked a lot yet (like stone with ghost before they started to sleep together) and then one day stone can't sleep and for some reason, instead of going to ghost's room, he goes to the back of the base (or any other place where u can see the stars idk) and finds reader there

and they stay quiet for a while until one of them (u can choose, didn't really think of which one could start the conversation) points at a random star and is like 'that's x' and then maybe it becomes a little competition of them seeing who knows more stars and constellations and BOOM it becomes their thing and they find themselves doing that after a while without even realizing

Wait, that's so cute!!!

Stone had a routine with Ghost where he'd go and sleep in Ghost's barracks with Ghost whenever Stone had a flashback, but tonight he was stumbling past the barracks. He needed fresh air, which meant it was a terrible flashback that he had.

He took a deep breath once he opened the doors to the base and walked outside, feeling the breeze on his cheeks. He had forgone the muzzle-like mask tonight, too frazzled to put it on. Besides, most people were sleeping.

Except you. You stood there, staring up at the stars.

Stone didn't know you well, he didn't many people well, to be honest. But he respected you, he had heard all about your qualifications from Soap and Gaz. You came highly regarded to the 141, a new face among the older ones.

He didn't really like new people, but you had a calmness to you. So against his better judgement, he walked over to where you were standing. His cold brown eyes looked up at the stars, taking in each twinkle in the night sky.

You two were silent for a long time, just you two and the stars. There were no need for words.

Until Stone broke the silence, wanting to see how you'd react to him speaking. "That's the constellation Cygnus," he said, his cold voice booming through the quiet night air. He traced the constellation in the sky with his finger, drawing your attention to it.

Your lips turned upwards into a smile as you followed his finger. You looked at the constellation before pointing out to another. "That's Cassiopeia."

Stone followed your finger, looking at the constellation you had pointed out. He was pleasantly surprised, not many people knew constellations that weren't very common. He was used to people pointing out constellations such a the Big Dipper, Orion. He kept his surprise to himself though, still outwardly cold and stoic.

"Ah, so you know your constellations, huh?" Stone asked, secretly intrigued. His muscles twitched to lean into you, curious to know more about your knowledge of the stars.

You laughed and replied, "I bet I know more constellations than you do."

Stone couldn't help himself but to crack his cold and stoic demeanor and raise an eyebrow in response. "You're on."

You two spent most of the night pointing out constellations to each other, it becoming a game to you two. Before he knew it, his frazzled state from before had been soothed. He no longer felt on edge and fatigue was starting to set in.

He left you outside, with the promise that he'd come outside tomorrow night to continue your little game of who's more knowledgable about constellations.

He had a good feeling about you.

Reblogs are welcomed & appreciated! Asks are open, feel free to pop in and talk or request something! (SFW requests only, please and thank you)

[amaretigris]

Camping, Pt. 2

A/n: Whoops this part got a little smutty 😝

Taglist: @luna2034 @mylittlemermaid221

WARNING: EXPLICIT | 1.9k words | Fluff, smut, & angst

Tossing and turning, you couldn't get yourself to sleep. You'd probably been laying in the tent for half an hour now. Every time you turned to face Jonah, you saw his back and his phone screen illuminating the side of his face. You wondered if he was texting someone. A girlfriend, maybe. But what did it matter?

Rolling your eyes and letting out a frustrated sigh, you stared up at the top of the tent. You realized there was a window of clear plastic, letting you see the twinkling stars. Staring up at the moon accompanying them, the sight calmed you a little.

"It sounds like you're having trouble getting comfortable," Jonah broke the silence again.

When you looked over at him, he'd put his phone down on his chest, and was looking up at the skylight, too.

You looked back to the stars. "Yeah, sorry. I hope I'm not keeping you awake."

Jonah huffed a laugh. "No, it's okay. I'm not very tired."

Silence fell again and you heard crickets chirping.

"I've always loved looking at the stars. These burning balls of gas. They're so beautiful," you noted, almost to yourself.

"Yes. They're beautiful tragedies, aren't they? Destined to burn and die," Jonah remarked.

You looked over at his face again, illuminated by the moonlight.

"I think everything beautiful has a little bit of tragedy in it. Don't you?" You reflected.

Jonah met your gaze.

"I suppose so. Doesn't make it any less beautiful," he said, raising his eyebrows.

Feeling the heat of his gaze, you returned your eyes to the sky. What you didn't see was Jonah's eyes combing your profile.

You felt the need to break the tension. "What do you do, Jonah?"

You heard Jonah chuckle. "Oh, you know. A little bit of acting. Just trying to survive, really," he joked.

"That's great. You seem very talented," you smiled.

"Thanks. What do you do, (Y/N)?"

"I got a job right out of college working at a vet clinic."

"Wow. So you're much more realistic and stable then," Jonah looked at you and laughed.

You looked back at him and his dimples and giggled. "I mean, I guess. Less exciting though."

Jonah looked at you incredulously. "Sounds exciting to me. It also sounds like a job that requires a lot of compassion."

You looked down at your hands, fidgeting with the sleeping bag.

"Yeah. I love my work, it's just been a bit boring lately. I came on the trip this weekend to get away and change things up," you shrugged.

"Really?" Jonah eyed you curiously. "How much were you looking to shake things up?"

You took a sharp inhale before looking back at him. "Um, I'm not sure. Why?"

Jonah leaned closer to you, like he had a secret to share. You instinctively leaned forward as well.

"We could go for a late night swim in the lake," Jonah whispered.

You laughed and shook your head.

"No way. It's dark out, we'd barely be able to see anything."

Jonah pointed up to the skylight.

"The moon is full. We'll have plenty of light. Unless you really don't want to," he put his hands up, mocking surrender.

You narrowed your eyes at him for a moment while you weighed your options.

"Fine. I'll race you down to the lake," you squealed, jumping out of your sleeping bag.

Trying to jump up but still being confined, Jonah wrestled with the zipper of his sleeping bag while you took off down the hill. Stripping your shirt on the way down, you waited until you felt the sand under your feet to drop the article on the beach. You quickly slipped your shorts off and threw them to the same side, running down to the water in only your undies.

You heard Jonah trailing behind you. When he saw you strip your clothing, he did the same. By the time he got to the water, you'd already dove under. He ran in, suddenly surprised at how pleasantly warm the water was.

Jonah saw you surface near him and began swimming towards you. When he got within range, you started splashing him. Before you knew it, the two of you were chasing one another in the water.

Laughing and trying desperately to flee, you weren't surprised when you felt Jonah's muscular arms wrap around your waist and pull your back to his chest.

"Gotcha," he whispered playfully, his lips ghosting the shell of your ear.

You felt goosebumps erupt on your skin as his breath fanned your neck. Without really thinking, you let your left arm snake up to intertwine your fingers in his curls. Something about the tension of the moment made you let out a sultry moan.

Shit. Clamping your hand over your mouth, you tried to withdraw your arm and move away from him, but Jonah caught your hand. You turned to face him. It was the first time you'd gotten a good look at him since the two of you entered the water in only your delicates, and you couldn't help but look down. His strong arms and contoured abdomen were beautiful in the moonlight.

Your gaze moved up to his piercing eyes. He was staring at you, waiting to see if you'd make a move.

"I'm sorry," you breathed. "I don't know where that came from."

You only realized that Jonah still had your hand when his thumb started making gentle strokes across the back of it.

"Don't apologize. It's alright," he whispered, looking down at your lips.

Nervously licking them, you watched as Jonah inched closer and closer. There's no way this was happening. Surely you were dreaming. You should probably pinch yourself...

And then his lips were on you. All needy and urgent. Nipping at your bottom lip and letting his tongue soothe the tender spots. You gasped into the kiss at a particularly hard nip, giving Jonah access. He slipped his tongue in and explored, noting when you moaned or tightened your hold on him. This lasted for a few minutes before the two of you broke apart, gasping for air.

His crystal blue orbs bounced between your (e/c) ones. You were afraid to speak; afraid to ruin the moment.

After a few pants of air, Jonah began, "Should we go back to the tent, or-".

You put your finger over his lips and nodded. He smiled against your finger before grabbing your hand and leading you to shore.

Once you stomped back up on the beach and grabbed your clothes, you were swooped up from behind. You yelped as Jonah positioned you in his arms to carry you bridal style up the hill.

You looped your arms around his neck and giggled on the way up. You had started planting little kisses on his neck and jawline when you heard him finally start to unzip the tent. Carefully ducking in with you in his arms, Jonah laid you down on his sleeping bag, and went back to zip up the entrance. When he returned to you, he kissed you again. You felt his hands start tracing your sides. The sensation gave you goosebumps all over again. His hands slowly moved up toward your breasts. Feeling your nipples pebble underneath his touch, he moaned into the kiss. Pulling away, you held eye contact with Jonah as you arched your back, and reached around to unclasp your soaked bra.

Sliding it down your arms, you tossed it to the side of the tent. Jonah's eyes raked over your chest before he looked back at you with something feral in his eyes. He kissed and nipped at your lips again, moving down your neck, and to your chest. It was then that you felt Jonah's growing bulge against your thigh. Gasping, you let him kiss and knead your boobs, twirling your fingers in his hair again. Whining, you started rubbing your thighs together.

"Please, Jonah. I need you," you gave him puppy dog eyes.

He looked up at you and started pushing his boxers down, kicking them off the rest of the way. Seeing his member spring free from his underwear, you were shocked at the size of him. Jonah's eyes came back into your field of vision.

"(Y/N), is this okay?" he asked as he started tugging on the waistband of your underwear.

You quickly nodded. "Yes, please Jonah."

Pulling your thong down in one swift motion, Jonah licked his lips, and returned to his assault on your mouth. Your hands on his back were pulling him as close to you as possible. Feeling your core throb, you knew what you needed. You felt Jonah grab his length and position himself at your entrance. He broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against yours, looking deep in your eyes. You nodded, giving him permission. With one quick thrust, Jonah was inching inside you. Easing himself in, he tried to move at a slow pace as he let you adjust.

Your thighs were shaking but you nodded at Jonah again to keep going. He pushed himself in as far as he could, bottoming out inside you. You gasped and moaned, clawing at his back. Jonah set a steady rhythm, pushing in and pulling out of you. It didn't take long for you to find your peak. Helping you ride out your high, Jonah wasn't far behind you.

When he collapsed beside you, Jonah pulled the cover over you, and cocooned you in his arms. He kissed the crown of your head before he drifted to sleep. You listened to the sounds of the crickets again, lulling you to sleep.

This terrible sound woke you out of your deep slumber. With your eyes half open, you swatted your hand around the bottom of the tent, looking for the offensive device. Jonah was still lightly snoring beside you. You finally spotted his phone with the alarm going off on his side of the tent. Reaching over and being careful not to disturb him, you grabbed his phone, shushing the alarm while you mashed the dismiss button.

You didn't mean to look at his phone. You really didn't. But as soon as the alarm cleared, his messages popped up on the lock screen. There were 5 messages from a contact saved as:

Ursula 💜

Hey! Can I call you?

_______________________________________________________

Hello? You haven't talked to me at all this weekend

_______________________________________________________

Jonah? Please call me back

_______________________________________________________

Are you purposely ignoring me?

_______________________________________________________

Call me. We need to talk.

_______________________________________________________

The only thing you heard was your heart pounding in your ears. You felt your adrenaline spike, dropping Jonah's phone on the pillow, and grabbing your clothes. You threw your clothes on as fast as possible and unzipped the tent. You had to get away from here. What had you done? This guy has a girlfriend? You didn't even ask him if he did. You just assumed he wouldn't do that. Why would you assume that? What's wrong with you?

All these thoughts raced through your brain as you stumbled out of the tent. You didn't realize that Jonah had woken up and seen you fall. He sat up and called to you.

"(Y/N)?"

But you were already gone- running away from the campsite. Where could you go? The beach popped into your head, but you quickly dashed that thought away. No. You just needed to get away.

[theflyingfeeling]

Second Day of Gift-Giving: Two Dialogue Partners

Prompt: "Oh, you’re cold! Do you want my hoodie?"

This part is a continuation of the first part, which you can read here!

~

There was snow in Oulu. That was the first thing Aleksi noticed when he opened his eyes after landing. He was sure the snowline actually went somewhere far souther, but he had decided to rest is eyes a little shortly after take-off, since even Rilla was wise enough to do so, curled up in his carrier by Aleksi’s feet. Aleksi supposed she, too, was exhausted from the early wake-up call after the restless night they had had; however, Aleksi doubted the reason for Rilla’s uneasiness was less due to being just too damn excited about seeing Aleksi’s bandmate and perhaps more due to ‘pillow moving too much’ (the ‘pillow’ in question being Aleksi).

It was also a lot colder in Oulu than it had been in Helsinki when they had left, which shouldn’t have been a surprise. Still, Aleksi found his teeth clattering as he sat down on the passenger seat of Olli’s sedan, wondering how on earth he had imagined he would be warm enough in just his leather jacket and a longsleeve.

“Yeah, sorry, the air conditioning is stuck on freezing. I’m gonna have it fixed later this week,” Olli explained, and Aleksi was tempted to ask if he meant the air conditioning of his car or of the entire north of Finland.

The drive from the airport to Olli’s place wasn’t hopelessly long, but long enough for Aleksi to still be quivering moments after they had already entered Olli’s pleasantly warm apartment. Although Aleksi tried his best to hold back the shivers, he saw Olli looking at him with a slight frown.

“You’re still cold? Do you need to borrow a hoodie?”

Without waiting for an answer, Olli disappeared into his bedroom and seconds later came back with a grey bundle in his hands, passing it to Aleksi.

“Here, I wore it briefly after a shower this morning, so it’s practically unused. I hope that’s alright, all my other ones are in the laundry.”

Aleksi didn’t have the heart to tell Olli he had, in fact, packed some hoodies of his own, nor was he strong enough to fight against the prospect of getting to wear one of Olli’s incredibly soft hoodies again. The last time he had done so had been on their last tour, half by accident when Aleksi had grabbed the nearest piece of clothing to put on himself when he had gotten the chills mid-nap in the RV, half by some self-tormenting curiosity to find out if having something of Olli’s so close to him would have the same effect on him as having Olli near him. (It did, as it turned out, very much indeed, because in his light sleep, Aleksi had seen all sorts of surreal dreams with Olli starring in the main role, and when he had woken up, his mind had been dizzier than ever with everything he felt for his friend.)

The hoodie he was now pulling on himself smelled of fabric softener and, ever so slightly, of Olli’s cologne, which he must have put on before changing into the black sweater he was now wearing. Aleksi hugged himself and quietly thanked Olli as he leaned back on the living room sofa, smiling at Rilla excitedly running after a ball Olli had apparently bought for her just for the occasion. He huddled up further into the sofa while listening to Olli talk about a heated topic in the band group chat, and Aleksi wished he could’ve been paying more attention, but he was too distracted by the faint smell of Olli surrounding him to think about much else. Instead, he let his eyes close as Olli kept chattering away in his calming voice, both to him as well as to Rilla, and with all the sleep debt he was running on, it was too easy for Aleksi to fall asleep on the sofa; finally warm, finally where Olli was.

He hadn’t intended for the nap to last so long, however; when he next opened his eyes, the bits of sky he saw from Olli’s windows were pitch black, although it really was no shock considering how early the sun set around this time of the year. Blinking his eyes a few times, he noticed Olli had lit up candles on the coffee table and turned on the fairy lights above the TV. The man himself was sitting on the floor with his back resting against the sofa Aleksi was resting on, Rilla curled up on his lap. His hair tickled Aleksi’s forehead when he turned to look at him.

“Good nap?”

“Mmmmhhh. Yeah,” Aleksi answered and rubbed his eyes. “Sorry for falling asleep though.”

“It’s okay. You were tired.”

“Mmmmhhh,” Aleksi hummed again, too comfortable under the blanket that had somehow ended up on him to make an effort to sit up just yet. He closed his eyes again for just a few more seconds and listened to Olli move slowly, supposedly as to not bother Rilla too much.

Opening his eyes again, Aleksi found himself staring straight into Olli’s dark ones that glowed in the soft candlelight, studying him, holding his gaze as if he was trying to ask him something.

Aleksi wished he would have. He wished Olli would’ve asked him why he was so sleep-deprived, or why he had squeezed him so hard at the airport, or why he had smiled so blissfully while fondling the strings of the hoodie Olli had given him. He may not have been able to give an answer, albeit it being short and simple, but it would’ve been nice to be given the chance at least.

Now, with Olli’s eyes travelling on his face, Aleksi felt like he had no chance at all to do anything but let him, even though it was driving him crazy, having Olli’s face so close to his all of a sudden. He felt defenceless under Olli’s gaze that seemed indecisive about whether it should stay on Aleksi’s eyes or his mouth, which didn’t help Aleksi’s case in the slightest. His breath became shallow as he remembered the last time Olli had looked him like that, in the dim lighting of an American hotel room, and Aleksi would’ve given nearly anything for Olli to be the first to lean in this time as well, because Aleksi himself for sure didn’t have half the courage Olli seemed to have.

For a second (or two or three), it felt as if Olli was leaning in, at least close enough for Aleksi to feel him exhale before he straightened his back and glanced at the dog on his lap.

“Would you guys be down for some dinner soon? I’m getting kinda hungry,” he spoke, directing his words more towards Rilla, whose ears twitched at the mention of dinner.

Aleksi tried to find Olli’s gaze again and failed, because suddenly there must have been something extremely fascinating on Rilla’s fur instead, judging by how intently Olli was observing it.

“Sure,” Aleksi sighed. When Olli stood up, mumbling something about a frozen pizza before striding off to the kitchen with Rilla on his heels, Aleksi bit his lip at another lost opportunity to make up for all the time he had wasted pining after Olli and barely doing a damn thing about it. 

He could only hope the universe would be kind enough to grant him some more lucky chances like this; one of these days, he might actually lose it and make good use of them, at least once he had first untangled the massive knots of fear, worry and embarrassment. 

[thewaywardbirdsnest]

Never Been Kissed

“No. Fucking. Way. You’re lying.”

“That’d be an awfully weird thing to lie about.”

“Never?!”

“Not even once. Are you good on that or…?”

“Shit, sorry.”

Sanji passed the joint back, but continued to stare in open-mouthed surprise. How was it possible that Ace - effortlessly sexy, charismatic, spontaneous Ace - had never been kissed?

He had nearly regretted coming to the frat party that Ace had invited him to. It was crowded, the music was terrible and he had struck out with every girl he had tried to chat up. But when Ace had waved a joint in front of his face and jerked a thumb towards the back door, he figured it couldn’t hurt to stay just a little longer. At least he could stumble home pleasantly stoned instead of annoyed.

They had met last semester, suffering through the first half of organic chemistry. Together they had slogged through mountains of homework and studied for some of the most grueling tests of their college careers thus far. Even though they were in different lectures this semester, their friendship had survived, much to Sanji’s surprise. He had assumed that Ace - popular, charming Ace - would leave him behind. But the invitations to study, to hang out, to party, kept coming, and Sanji was going to enjoy it while it lasted.

And that’s how he ended up on a sagging couch on the back porch of Ace’s frat house having his world turned upside down by this bombshell information.

“But like… how?“ he asked, turning to pull his legs up onto the couch, leaning against the arm, settling in because there had to be some story here, right?

Ace took a deep drag off of the joint and tipped his head back to let the smoke float out towards the ceiling. “When I was younger, I had these really, like… romantic notions about how I wanted my first kiss to be with someone special and uh… Dunno, just never met anyone that fit the bill. Then I got to college and it just wasn’t a priority for me. Too busy just doin’ my own thing.”

He shifted to face Sanji, swinging his legs up onto the couch and tucking his feet on either side of Sanji’s. “So yeah, here I am, twenty years old and never been kissed.”

“Wow…”

“Uh-huh.”

Ace leaned forward to pass the joint back to him. Sanji plucked it from his fingers and brought it to his lips, but before he could take a hit, Ace asked him a question that nearly made him drop it. “Why’s it so hard to believe?” Because you’re fucking gorgeous, idiot! Sanji thought, but kept that opinion to himself. Instead, he shrugged and replied, “You’re popular. Guess I just thought you would have had plenty of offers by now.”

“I’ve had a few, but nobody I was interested in,” Ace assured him as he took the joint back.

As he watched Ace take another hit, his freckled face turned towards the night sky seemingly lost in thought (or maybe just really stoned, or both), Sanji couldn’t help but wonder what kind of person did interest Ace - smart, kind, adventurous, sexuality-crisis-inducing Ace. He lamented that whatever his standards were, Sanji himself probably didn’t even come close to making the list. He’d never consider—

“Hey, Sanji?”

The blonde shook himself back to the present. “Yeah?”

Ace stubbed out the joint in an ashtray on the floor and left it there.

“Wanna be my first?”

Sanji nearly choked on air.

“Wh- uh- fuck, what?” he stammered.

Ace fixed him with that dazzling grin of his. “My first kiss. Right now.”

“I— uhm— I thought you said you wanted it to be with someone special,” he said, his mouth going dry in an instant.

Ace laughed and shifted forward onto his knees. “You don’t think you’re special?”

“I— uh—“

“Because you are,” Ace insisted, crawling into Sanji’s lap. “Very.”

His eyes flicked down to Sanji’s lips and then back up to meet his. “You can say no.”

“No— I mean— Yes, I’m… I’m saying yes,” Sanji scrambled to right himself but hey, excuse him for being a tad inarticulate while his dreams were coming true, okay? “Are you sure?”

“Definitely,” Ace confirmed, his hands settling on Sanji’s shoulders. “Been thinkin’ about this for a while now. Months.”

“Months?!”

Ace giggled. “Why is it so hard to believe that I like you, Sanji?”

Sanji was surprised he didn’t burst into flames on the spot. What. The. Hell.

“So?” Ace prompted him with an eyebrow raised in challenge.

Sanji took a deep breath. “Okay, yeah.”

He reached down to grab the bottle of water he had brought out with him and took a swig.

Ace snatched it and took a sip as well. “Cotton mouth’s a bitch.”

Sanji laughed nervously. “Yeah, right?”

Alright, Sanji, pull yourself together. You are about to be this guy’s first kiss. You better make it fucking fantastic. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

He placed one hand on Ace’s hip. He was going to store away the soundbite of the little gasp Ace made when he slid his other hand up to cup his jaw forever - he had no right to be so goddamn cute. Sanji hesitated, steeled himself, and then closed the gap between them.

Sanji tried to keep it simple, short and sweet, but before he could pull away, Ace was diving back in, hungry for more. He was surprisingly alright at it, for it being his first time. A little overenthusiastic maybe, but he took subtle direction well. When Sanji decided to take a risk and graze his bottom lip with his teeth, Ace let out a satisfied groan that had Sanji clutching him tighter. Christ…

When they finally came up for air, Ace was beaming. Sanji chuckled and tucked a strand of dark hair behind his ear. “So? How was it?”

Ace hummed contentedly and gave him one more peck on the lips. “Perfect.”

Sanji felt his face flush. How was he the flustered one in this situation? Before he could give it too much thought, Ace was nudging their noses together with a whispered, “More?”

“As much as you want.”

It had been quite some time since Sanji had just made out with someone, no intentions of escalating, just exploring a hundred different was to express their feelings with a kiss. It felt so damn good.

After a while, they settled in to just cuddling on the couch, Ace sprawled on top of Sanji, his head on his chest, while Sanji ran his fingers through Ace’s hair and up and down his spine. He could tell Ace was drifting off.

“Hey, sleepy, you wanna head to bed?” he asked gently. Ace groaned and shook his head.

“Too comfy,” he mumbled. “I’ll buy breakfast if you don’t make me get up right now.”

Sanji huffed a laugh and pulled the blanket that was draped over the back of the couch down over both of them.

“Deal.”

[coffeeandmagicaltales]

The Auror & The Devil part 8

(FLUFF, cozy, nothing really happens, grab your tea/coffee & enjoy)

*

Aesop opened his eyes and immediately forgot what he had dreamt, excited about the day that had finally arrived. The fire in the fireplace crackled pleasantly, sunbeams glided across the floor from the salon, and from the chirps reaching his ears, he inferred that the swallow family, nesting right outside his window, had just grown in size.

He smiled broadly and purred with satisfaction, turning on his side and stretching in the soft, fragrant bedding that pleasantly enveloped his naked body. Like a cat, he rubbed his head against the pillow, tousling his hair and emitting increasingly louder sounds of contentment. He felt like he was slipping back into the arms of sleep, which he didn't resist at all. Normally, at this time, he would hastily tie a tie and frantically search for matching socks... But not today.

He suddenly woke up startled by his own louder snore and decided it was finally time to get out of bed. He might have more time, but he didn't want to waste it on sleeping.

Even in the castle, it was getting warm; pajamas were not advisable at night unless you wanted to cook under a sufficiently thick quilt. The fireplace was purely decorative, enchanted flames provided only light and coziness, with warmth as hot as a fire painted in a picture.

Aesop lazily put on underwear and two different socks.

"By the authority vested in me, I hereby appoint you a pair," he muttered to himself, looking at the long brown-green sock with a niffler pattern and the short, gray one with bird feet and eggs. He smiled at them, recalling how, by chance, two years ago, it turned out that both he and Abraham were fans of patterned sock designs.

One day they met at Gladrag's, noticing on display the last pair with pom-pom Puffskeins. They shared them, wearing them for special occasions like the Yule's ball. It was always accompanied by a conspiratorial wink and a clandestine pull-up of the trouser leg, as if belonging to a secret Puffskein-socks-club with only 2 members.

Aesop laughed and stood up cautiously. The first steps always had to be gentle to give his left knee time to wake up. He limped to the chair where his clothes awaited, quickly putting them on. Glancing out the window and seeing the clear sky, he decided that the vest and coat would be unnecessary. After adjusting the suspenders, he threw on his jacket and loosely tied the tie.

With a swift wand movement, he packed all his belongings into suitcases, which would accompany him tomorrow on the journey to his mother and John. A very short journey, on the other side of the lake, to Aranshire. The lovers were planning to stay there for just a few days to handle some matters in Hogsmead before heading to Cragcroftshire, where they currently lived. The family home in Aranshire was empty until Aesop moved back in, after taking the job at Hogwarts. He only thought about whether he had cleaned everything enough and if the food he prepared would please them, wanting to impress her and make her happy.

Merlin, he was over 40, yet always found himself emphasizing in her presence that some surprise awaiting her was his doing. Like a child boasting that it had cleaned the house and cooked dinner, proud of the achievement, expecting praise. He felt a bit pathetic but wanted to make up for her time when he was too small to help, and she was left alone with everything. Many times, he saw her cry from the workload, loneliness, and because of him, when he constantly got into trouble and then almost died...

Now, looking at everything from a slightly different perspective, he saw how much he had distanced himself from her after taking the position at Auror's office... He didn't want to be seen as a small-town person; he moved to his father's place in Oxford and... practically became a copy of Aristotle. Of course, he never planned it because he never got along with his father, but in a sense, he inherited his character. If not for the accident, he would probably be the same careerist as his father; married to an unhappy woman, having a child with her for whom he wouldn't have time, and whose fate, from conception, would be known—he or she would become an Auror, no discussion... Now, thinking about his time at the Ministry... he might have accidentally sentenced someone to a fate similar to what happened to him and his mother, and it made him feel sick.

He scolded himself for ruining his day with unpleasant thoughts and, having walked the stairs of the tower, headed for the door. A dozen pairs of eyes were already fixed on him outside.

"Professor Sharp, could you just..."

"NO!" Aesop replied, ignoring any pleas for a chance to raise grades, last-minute revisions, or any other matters. He shooed away all the students circling around him, following him from the Faculty Tower to the courtyard like a flock of chickens, emitting a cacophony of sounds reminiscent of clucking. "Goodbye, I'm on vacation, see you, no, I'm not here, NO, NO, goodbye, I'm not here, please don't send ANY owls to me, I won't reply anyways. Hahaha." He chuckled wickedly under his breath and departed, leaving behind a group of disappointed pupils holding failed potions and exams marked with a bold "TROLL."

Oh, that IS a GOOD day, indeed, he thought, lying on a patch of grass hidden between the reeds by the lake and using his jacket as a pillow. He didn't intend to lie down for too long, respecting his back and leg, but half an hour was the perfect time to think about what to eat for breakfast at Sirona's. Half an hour...

He breathed deeply, savoring the scent of herbs gently carried by the gentle breeze from the lake. He loved this blend of scents, valuing it more than the most expensive women's perfumes; lavender, mallow, wolfsbane, dittany... Among them, busy bees and bumblebees flew, collecting nectar, sometimes landing on Aesop to take a short rest, tickling him with their tiny legs, especially when they decided to clean their wings right on the tip of his nose. He watched them with delight, not wanting to disturb them, and listened to the sounds of their wings, mingling with the rustle of the wind ruffling the water's surface. The lake gurgled at the shore, leaving bubbles and foam on the sand and stones. The singing of birds from the Forbidden Forest made his thoughts gently drift like leaves on the lake's surface, heading towards several ideas for paintings and poems that had been brewing in his mind during the school year but had no time to materialize. He pulled out a small notebook from his pocket, flipping through the written and crossed-out pages, finding an empty one somewhere. In his other hand, a quill appeared.

"Hmmm... Maybe like this..." He murmured to himself, arranging the first verses, whispering them to himself while scribbling on the parchment. "My words immerse themselves in you with their full weight. They plunge into your abyss. So fragile and trembling, all yours... Hmmm, what's next?..." He pondered, looking at the fluffy clouds. "With your delicate fingers, you tenderly caress the clouds of my thoughts, and I... Well..." He wrinkled his nose, rejecting a slew of ideas in his head about what to write next. "Let it be. And I? Well, I break and crumble, painlessly, gently, writhing at your feet, so thirsty... I want more, I want to sink further, drinking every inch of your body... Hmmm..." He set the notebook aside and, closing his eyes, caressed a blade of grass with long fingers. After a moment of thought, he added, "I want to be the rain crawling over your warmth, the breath that will release the strands of your braided hair and weave from them a true delicacy. It will cover us both; healing all wounds, a feather-like softness. All ours..."

The air just above Aesop's head was cut with a whistle as someone flew on a broomstick like mad. Sharp jumped up to see what was happening, but before his eyes accustomed to the light, the person crashed into the lake, creating a fountain of water behind them.

"Mora," he immediately concluded and rolled his eyes. What she was up to now?

He was sure she hadn't seen him, and he observed from his hiding place as she emerged from the water, taking a deep breath.

"Aresto momentum!" she shouted, aiming her wand at a giant Dugbog that appeared seemingly out of nowhere and charged toward her. The powerful spell hit it in time, and Morana emerged onto the shore, preparing to cut the creature's tongue. With a slight wand movement, she put it to sleep, and after an unpleasant operation, she smeared its mouth with an ointment that made the creature's tongue instantly grow back. She patted the monstrosity on the side.

"Aesop will be proud," she said aloud to herself and laid the sleeping Dugbog on the sand. The oinment Sharp had taught her to make a few days ago worked perfectly.

Aesop? Sharp thought, surprised to hear the sound of his name in the woman's mouth. It sounded really strange. Usually, when students talked about him among themselves, he only heard "SHARP" muttered through their teeth. This... was something else and made his head buzz. He stood up from his hiding place, grabbing his jacket, and began walking toward her, a cocky smirk on his face.

"Well, well, good job," she heard behind her back and froze. "Task accomplished."

She smiled faintly, blushing; she had no idea he was here, and she didn't suspect he saw her ridiculously fell into the water. She stood before him, completely wet and embarrassed, trying to put together some words, while he, with a wave of his wand, dried her clothes.

"Come on, I've cherished "my time with no people around" enough for today," he grumbled sarcastically and nodded his head, signaling for her to follow him. "Have your friends already gone home?"

"Yes, I have to stay for a few more days and help Mrs. Dimm. She caught a cold, and Mr. Dimm went to London for business, and the brewery will be on my head until Friday. Besides, I still have to gather cabbage..."

"When I started working at the Ministry, my task was to chase people like you... Owners of illegally large amounts of cabbage. The Ministry fears goblins, and a sixth-year has a private army of biting plants in her secret room," he laughed, and Morana echoed him, blushing. "Speaking of biting, would you like to have breakfast with me at Sirona's?"

Probably she ate something along the way, a sandwich or an apple, as usual, hurrying to start the 'hunt.' She smiled broadly, and he already knew that she was probably as hungry as her cabbages. 'Could I leave the ingredients in your office first?' Aesop nodded and gestured toward his office as she took them. He moved them both to the courtyard. Students still circled around, and Sharp cast the Disillusionment Charm on himself.

'I'm not here,' he whispered to her, and Mora struggled to maintain composure as they tried to quickly make their way to the potions class, where Sharp dispelled the charm. He watched Mora pack all the ingredients into jars, then stood by one of the boards where he had drawn dark magical symbols the day before.

'Yes, as promised, I wrote to a few people about what I think you might have seen in your dreams (of course, I didn't tell anyone that you have them; the Ministry only knows there was a massacre), and we've identified such signs... Do you recognize any?' he asked as Morana approached.

Her eyes sparkled, and she began to analyze each of the symbols with concentration. However, after a moment, it became clear to her that there was nothing here that even remotely resembled the symbols from her dreams. 'I'm sorry... Unfortunately, no.'

'Hmm, Mora, what you just said is also a clue for me.' Sharp's words surprised her, and she looked at him questioningly. He leaned against the board and slowly began to explain everything. 'It means we're looking in the wrong place. Sometimes you have to eliminate all false leads, starting with the simplest, in this case, various sigils and glyphs found on dark magical artifacts associated with flower magic or related rituals. They add power to various tools, absorbing black magic...'

'That doesn't sound like "simple,"' Morana muttered to herself, to which Sharp chuckled softly.

'Oh, it only seems that way. Black magic isn't difficult because it's based on very primitive emotions, which is what makes it so effective, and its effects are difficult to neutralize.It's easy to cast Crucio on someone, and to conjure a Patronus often takes months of practice.'

'Yeah... you need to mean to hurt somebody in the case of Crucio, and a Patronus... you have to summon the happiest thought, often in difficult moments...'

'Exactly.' Sharp stroked his chin thoughtfully. 'That's why it's sometimes hard to resist the thought of taking shortcuts. But it's the same thinking as if I tried to control the chaos in classes with Mr. Weasley by yelling...'

It's true, Sharp never raised his voice. Morana only noticed that now. Other teachers, even Mrs. Garlick, sometimes yelled at someone when they did something exceptionally foolish. Especially Mrs. Kogawa was "loud." It didn't mean he was angry, but his composure, or just one icy look, was enough to maintain order. Amazing... she thought. I wonder how he learned that?

'It would probably be even worse...' she confessed, restraining a smile, and something suddenly remembered something. 'Amit gained a bit of courage and promised to talk to Garreth...'

'He gained some courage because?' Sharp interjected into her sentence, becoming suspicious that Morana had a hand in it, and looked at her askance.

'Well...' she began uncertainly. 'Perhaps by complete accident, it turned out that he can read Goblin language, and another accident led him to enter the mine with me to...'

'Wait a moment... Mr. Thakkar reads gobbledygook?' Sharp became interested.

'Sort of, he's self-taught; Lodgok claimed he had a terrible pronunciation...'

'Lodgok?'

'Yes, you knew him... sir?' she added hastily. Sharp nodded. 'Incredible... Mr. Thakkar reads gobbledygook' he muttered to himself.

'Well, Amit is constantly talking about goblins; just don't listen to him carefully...'

Ouch, that hurt Aesop, not because Morana's tone was quite sharp, but because she was right, and a sense of guilt flooded his cheeks with redness.

'Well...' he started somewhat awkwardly. 'I guess it's time to eat something...'

Morana raised her eyebrows; he wouldn't get away so easily.

'Many students complain that you don't speak much, Aesop.' she hissed, crossing her arms over her chest, and the sound of his name in her mouth, spoken in such a stern manner, made him shudder and turn into an audience. 'I wouldn't be surprised if Ammit kept your picture somewhere like a holy image because you are a huge authority for him... He wants to become an Auror, and it would be good if someone could talk to him about it.'

Aesop took a deep breath, unable to disagree with her words.

'I apologize.' he whispered softly. 'I'll try to give you all a bit more attention next year... I didn't prepare myself through whole life to become a teacher like Matilda Weasley, and I'm not good at it.'

'Not true...' Morana denied. 'If it weren't for you, it would be hard for me.'

Aesop waved his hand.

'You're an adult; working with you is different from working with eleven-year-olds who put wands in their noses and pretend to be Graphorns, chasing each other in the corridor before my classes...' Morana burst into laughter, and the gurgling sounds suddenly interrupted her.

'Hmm, someone has a Chinese cabbage instead of a stomach,' Aesop joked, to hear her comical laughter and grunting again. So lovely.

*

Under the Three Broomsticks was quite quiet and almost empty; only two tables within sight were occupied by someone. Morana immediately felt strange. Hogsmead, mainly living off the school, in the summer turned into a deserted ghost village, to which she was not accustomed at all. Sirona, to dispel the silence, played music from the gramophone, which gently filled the space, mixing in the air with the scent of butterbeer. She was pleased to see guests and immediately came out from behind the bar to welcome them.

'I was sure I wouldn't see familiar faces today! It seems everyone sadly run away from me...' She smiled at Mora and Sharp.

'You won't get rid of me so easily, you know that, unless you remove pancakes from the menu.' Aesop's voice was completely serious, but Sirona, like Mora, knew he was joking, and she immediately brightened up.

'For you, Professor, I'll send them even by owl.' She winked at Morana, then turned to her with concern. 'How are you feeling? Finally it's the end of this nasty year...'

Morana grumbled.

'It's okay, but I need to rest a bit...'

'If Professor Sharp is bothering you, just wave, and I'll come right away to chase him away.' she interjected sarcastically, but her tone was light and there was nothing in it but sympathy for Aesop. He just smiled under his mustache, not taking his eyes off the menu.

'Ladies, I'm right next to you, and I can perfectly hear you...' he grumbled.

'I didn't say anything,' Sirona laughed and took their order. They sat in a corner by the fireplace.

"How long have you known Sirona?" Morana asked shyly when Sirona brought them breakfast and, on her way out, gently patted her shoulder.

"Hmm," Aesop pondered, tapping his fingers on the table. "About five years. At first, she helped me with meals when I wasn't too... hmm... mobile. I didn't want to burden my mummy with cooking for me; she's getting up in years, and I'm not a child... She, of course, claims otherwise and would probably bring me breakfast from Cragcroftshire... but I never agreed to that. So the choice was simple- Sirona. We're practically neighbors... My house is on the other side of the lake in Aranshire."

"Hmm, it must be strange to have a view of your workplace from home."

"Well, Hogwarts is not just my job; I spent my entire childhood there, and the castle feels like home to me. Believe it or not, Matilda Weasley lived in the cottage next door. We played in the yard every day... We ate mud pies and fought over who would catch the chocolate frog first."

Morana looked at him in disbelief.

"Huh, the world is small," she muttered to herself, taking a sip of butterbeer. They ate in pleasant silence, immersed in their thoughts, satisfied with each other's company. Morana shuddered, remembering something. Something no one else knew yet, and something she wanted to share with Aesop first.

"You know, I've been thinking a lot about ancient magic..." she began very softly. "Maybe you're right that the Hogwarts library hides more than one secret, but..." she paused, unsure of how to choose her words.

"Hmm," Sharp murmured, his voice sly. "I saw during our last class how you were hiding a book under the desk and reading it, thinking I wouldn't see... I took your points for that, and maybe that's why Slytherin didn't win the House Cup, oh well hahaha..." he laughed wickedly, wiping his mouth with a napkin and looking at her, his eyes gleaming with a kind light. "Durmstrang, a school that makes one great. The title is greatly exaggerated but catchy. That's when I figured it out. I would be ignorant to claim that only Hogwarts is the best magic school. It was for me, but for you and your abilities, perhaps Durmstrang is the best option."

"I gave myself another year to think about everything and catch up on my studies. I don't want to make a wrong decision..."

"Oh, decisions like choosing a school are not binding for life. Cheer up..." He leaned in his chair and lightly lifted her chin, which was directed downward, toward the valley of despair. "You can always come back; it's just a school, Mora, nothing more. The school is supposed to give you knowledge, not make you sit here now, overwhelmed, thinking about things that you don't even know will happen."

"You're right..." she said softly, to which Sharp just shrugged, returning to his meal.

"Duh! Not without reason they say I'm part of Hogwarts' best and brightest," emphasizing the last part, he chuckled.

They talked for about two hours. At one point, Sharp, with concern, inquired if her dreams still bothered her and apologized for not giving her much attention lately due to the amount of work he had. Morana assured him that the dreams were not very troublesome for now. She also understood that he had his responsibilities, hundreds of equally important students, and she was just one of them.

Their farewell didn't last long. They shook hands, thanked each other for the year, and wished each other a pleasant vacation. Sharp promised Morana that his investigation would remain open, and then they parted ways outside the Hogsmeade gate. Morana, after a few seconds, looked back.

Aesop Sharp walked with a slow pace, limping, toward Hogwarts. It was strange that she couldn't accompany him, couldn't go back with him to the castle as usual, and be sure that she would meet him somewhere in the corridor tomorrow morning or during breakfast, to hear his usual "Mornin' Mora" or the grumpy "I haven't had my coffee yet, Mora, so do not expect a good morning from me," often accompanied by an eye roll. She had gotten used to it; it had become an integral part of her day. She sighed, then summoned her broom and flew over the Forbidden Forest.

Aesop watched her from afar. She flew like a madwoman.

"Devil," he muttered to himself, not hiding his admiration for this young woman and feeling a pang of regret as she vanished among trees. Where did it come from? It was hard for him to determine because he had never favored students, and certainly, he had never felt sadness when they went on vacation.

Today, he still had a small meeting summarizing the two semesters. Without Eleazar... He didn't expect that at work, which seemed to him a cozy haven away from worries. Well, this year everything turned upside down.

In the corridor, he met Matilda, greeted her with a slight nod, and friendly touched her arm. She smiled at him, and as they walked together toward her class, she immediately started talking about end-of-year matters, reminding him of some errors in protocols that he hadn't corrected yet. He tried hard to focus on her chatter, but quickly lost that battle, and his thoughts drifted toward the young female Thestral (Morana named her Hranolka) in the Room of Requirement, whom he still had to give evening medication, and he calculated the dosage.

The beginning of the meeting was as boring as usual, and Aesop's eyes involuntarily closed. He stood where he usually did, in the shadows, leaning against the frame, as close to the exit as possible. The headmaster had complaints about everyone for not finding anyone willing to take Professor Fig's place, and he was disappointed that no one among those gathered wanted (without payment) to teach a few extra hours. "A festival of shame," the term Aesop usually used for all that kind of the meetings, was coming to an end after the headmaster left, but suddenly someone mentioned something about Morana.

Sharp's senses immediately sharpened, and he became alert.

"Well, I think our little rose has blossomed! Passed her exams beautifully..." Mrs. Garlick chirped.

Did you have any doubts? Aesop grumbled soundlessly, barely holding back from saying those words aloud.

"...Well, except for potions... I heard that Professor Sharp was very harsh with her and often took points for any reason..." she continued, and Aesop already knew where this conversation was heading.

"Well, I took points from her not for 'any reason,' but when she deserved it," he growled, leaving his position and approaching other teachers. "The fact that I am harsh with students is rather common knowledge, even beyond Hogwarts... You had enough time to decide to take over Fig's duties, but you were well aware of the thorns that this rose possesses..." he gritted his teeth. "...So a cripple with an awful face and a nasty character took care of it."

"Well, we didn't know it would be a burden for you," Mirabel interjected, blushing. "You can always resign."

Sharp chuckled.

"Strange that I wasn't given that option at the very beginning, but even then, I wouldn't have taken it because I hate passing responsibility for someone like a hot potato." his harsh voice ans an ice-cold glance scared Mirabel a little. "My answer is no. As long as Morana Dimm needs my help, I will advise her."

"Well..." Matilda spoke, trying to cool down Aesop's emotions, glaring at him. "That's enough for today. I wish everyone a pleasant vacation! Bye-bye!"

The meeting members stood up and dispersed. Some continued to discuss travel plans in the corridor or said their goodbyes. Aesop was left alone with Matilda.

"Was I wrong?" he grumbled.

Matilda sighed, rolling her eyes, and slumped into her chair.

"Why is it always that you don't say anything at any meeting for five years, and when you do, you almost make someone cry?"

"Ah, so you also think I was right," he grinned cunningly.

"I sometimes just know when not to say something..."

"Hmm, that's why you were in Gryffindor, and I was in Slytherin," he shrugged.

"Ugh, don't start," she groaned, starting to deal with the paperwork.

"Hmm, Matilda? Did you know that Mr. Takkar is interested in goblins?" he asked shyly, suddenly recalling Morana's words.

"Yes, hard not to notice; he talks about them all the time..."

"Oh..." he blurted out, and his cheeks flushed.

"Maybe I don't say things out loud as boldly as you, but I definitely listen better," she looked at him over her glasses.

Sharp grumbled something under his breath and, leaning down, lightly kissed her cheek in farewell.

"Say hi to mum and thank her for the jam!" she shouted after him as he left. "And correct those protocols; you know you won't escape from me!"

Aesop sat behind his desk in his room. For a moment, he stared at the empty piece of parchment, formulating a sentence in his mind. Finally, dipping the quill into the ink, he began to scribble.

Dear Mr. Thakkar,

I've heard that you are looking for someone to help you polish your Gobbledegook speaking skills. I can recommend my good acquaintance, Arn, a goblin. He would be an excellent teacher.

Would you be interested?

Please respond promptly.

Prof. Aesop Sharp

"Mora will be proud" he said to himself.

End of part 8, thanks for reading!

[girl-next-door-writes]

I've Gotta Go Away

Characters: Steven Grant x Reader

Summary: Just a cozy Christmassy date with the lovely Steven Grant.

Word Count: 1068 words

Prompt: #2: Drinking hot cocoa in a small café

The darkness was punctuated by the flurries of white that danced within the harsh winter breeze, illuminated by the streetlamps and shop windows creating a strange and mystical ballet which nobody paid attention to. People on the street scurried by, heads down and collars pulled up against the elements, eager to finally find a respite from the frightful weather. Pavements became damp slush with banks of murky snow lining the edges, preparing themselves to freeze overnight and prove hazardous to any early morning pedestrians.

From the warmth of his seat, Steven stared out at the snowflakes creating intricate patterns on their way to the ground. His damp coat and scarf hung on the back of the wooden stool, the smell of wet cloth covered by the aroma of coffee from the counter and vanilla from the various reed diffusers strategically placed around the shop. It all mingled with a hint of pine, which was strange as the overly decorated tree in the corner with the soft twinkling lights was entirely made of plastic. Perhaps that was one of the mysteries of Christmas, how just the image of a tree could conjure up the familiar smell, like a sense memory. 

His hands were wrapped around a half full mug of hot chocolate, tiny marshmallows, half melted, bobbed around on the surface happily. Steven had placed them there himself. He always felt a little awkward asking if the marshmallows were vegan whenever he went to a coffee shop, not wanting to put anyone out or make things difficult. He definitely didn’t want to be one of ‘those’ vegans and they had already been so kind to make his drink with almond milk. Instead, he had taken to carrying around a small pack of marshmallows on the off chance he might want a sugar hit.

He had managed to snag one of his favourite seats, sat at the high bench in the window. It was ideal for people watching, but as the sky grew darker the glass changed from a window to more of a mirror. He could see the twinkle of the fairy lights over by the counter, the flicker of the candle on the table in front of him was twinned, and then there was his own reflection staring back at him. Steven had to admit that he looked tired, and quickly shifted his gaze, uncomfortable with the look he was giving himself.

“You sure you don’t want a top up?” Your voice brought him out of his thoughts as you returned to your seat beside him.

“No, thanks love. I’ve got half a cup still left.” He gave you a soft smile, still not quite believing that you were really here with him.

The two of you had been trying to meet up for a few days now, and he had resigned himself to yet another year of almosts and near misses. You had not been so ready to give up on the Christmas miracle yet though, and he had been pleasantly surprised when he looked up from the gift shop counter and saw you standing there. Turned out, you had managed to get the afternoon off work and wondered if he wanted to go for a drink when he’d finished. Of course, he had immediately agreed and the end of his shift couldn’t have come soon enough.

That had been three hours ago, and neither of you showed any signs of leaving yet. Steven had even been looking for any indication that you might, that he was boring you or you had realized you’d made a terrible mistake, but there had been none. In fact, you seemed to be enjoying yourself as much as he was. The conversation was easy, although Steven did find himself nervously stuttering over a few words every now and again. The butterflies in his stomach had calmed somewhat. There was still a nervous energy, but the anxiety that had laced that feeling had dissipated.

Time seemed to fly by, and before he knew it the staff were indicating that they wanted to close up for the night. Checking his watch, his eyes widened when he saw the time.

“Oh, I am so sorry for keeping you so late! How are you getting home? Will there still be a bus running?” He looked at you with such concern, feeling that he had somehow made your life difficult and now you would be less inclined to meet up with him again.

“I’ll just get an Uber, it’s fine.” You assured him with a warm smile. “We can share one if you want, that way you’ll know I got home okay. And I will know you got home okay too. Plus, it means we can keep hanging out a little longer.”

“Y-yeah?” It came out more of a question than a statement but you had simply nodded and pulled out your phone to open the app.

“I’m gonna need your address though, to book it.”

Steven gave you his address and it wasn’t long before the two of you were standing in the doorway of the café, staring at the small screen as you tracked your lift. The wind had picked up outside, the flurries of snow now creating mini hurricanes in the air, and neither of you really wanted to brave the cold until you really had to.

When the car pulled up, you had grabbed Steven’s hand and carefully crossed the soggy pavement, a gesture he didn’t fully comprehend until the two of you were safe and warm in the backseat and your hand remained in his. That wasn’t something just a friend would do, that meant you liked him, didn’t it? At least a little. He couldn’t help but let hope grow within him, perhaps this had all gone so well that you might be open to a more obvious date scenario.

All too soon, the car pulled up outside your home. “Well, Steven, it’s been lovely. We should definitely do this again” You said softly, leaning a little over and pressing your warm lips against his cold cheek. The action caused his brain to short circuit for a moment and before he could regain his senses you had been climbing out of the car and into the snow. His fingers pressed against his cheek, the ghost of your kiss still lingering there. Yes, he thought you should definitely do this again.

[glitterytrashcan]

Papyton first kiss.

(No clue if this will go well but lets go!)

Stars fill the night sky as the last tinges of orange and pink fades from view. Mettaton and papyrus lay on a soft blanket sprawled out in the grass under the moon.

This date had Been a surprise for papyrus. Dinner at sunset and then stargazing. This wasnt their first date and hopefully it wont be their last. Mettaton had come to truly love the precious skeleton by his side. Admiring him under the stars made that admiration grow. He's just so sweet and perfect.

Papyrus had chosen the last date and as their agreemant stands he will be choosing the next one though... He's not quite sure he can beat this. He's going try his hardest to wow mettaton in return.

He feels mettatons gaze and after a moment turns to his botfriend watching his face turn pink upon gettibg caught.

"Is something the matter mettaton? You were staring at me again."

"No nothings wrong papy dear just... Admiring how beautiful you are and the way you look at the stars." Mettatons soft voice makes the skeleton turn orange with embarrassment. He's still getting used to mettatons genuine compliments.

"I well! You look- uhm..."

Papyrus noticed the look mettaton was giving him. Its a new one one he doesnt know of the top of his head and watches as ton leans closer.

"Papyrus may i- uh.. Can i kiss you?"

This question had caught paps off guard. He was always insecure of the idea of ton wanting to kiss him and his lack of lips. He cant really smooch back, but everything in him says yes, "yes you can..."

Papyrus was pleasantly surprised when the softest touch of rons hand caresses his jaw before the kiss. He may not be able to kiss back but papyrus has decided he wants mettatons kisses at all times if they all feel this nice.

Mettaton feels papyrus lean into him and puts a little more into the kiss pulling papyrus slightly closer. Their souls are glowing enough to make their own littke sunset.

When ton does pull away hes smiling, not the fake one his genuine lopsided grin. "Not bad?"

"N-not bad! Pl-please do it again.."

(My attempt at fluffy romantic first kiss)

[lampmanliveblogs]

And so rolls the credits, with some more beautiful drawings showing some of the events that took place in the Demon Realm between the Day of Unity and now.

Here we see King, looking out on The Collector’s new land of Toys and Flavors.

Boscha and Mattholomule arguing loudly in front of the statue of Principal Bump while Skara, Jerbo, and Viney watch. I don’t think these are in chronological order, so I’m not 100% sure exactly when this takes place if it’s before or after ”Miki” and ”Roka” arrived at Hexside. Some time has clearly passed, based on the disheveled looks and Mattholomule’s stubble.

The Collector and King have a tea party with the Coven Heads in Tiara Halls. King is clearly creeped out by the empty smiles and hollow eyes of the puppets, but The Collector is as unaware as ever, only showing happiness at finally having a new friend to play and spend time with.

Here we see King hugging Eda in her Owlbeast form while The Collector looks on, confused. The lifeless puppet body of Lilith lies on the floor. 

I do believe it was stated that The Collector turned both Eda & Lilith to puppets and then turned them back at King’s request. So what I think happened is that when Eda tried to save King from The Collector during the Day of Unity, the Owlbeast freaked out, Eda lost control and turned into the beast proper. The Collector then turned her into a puppet. 

Later, King begged The Collector to turn Eda back to normal, and we see here him trying to reason with the beast. Now, The Collector believed Eda was still under the influence of the curse, which leaves two possibilities. One is that Eda did gain control back thanks to King, but pretended not to to trick The Collector. The Collector then turned Lilith back to normal to help keep an eye on Eda. Lilith then started making elixirs.

The second possibility is that Eda did not gain control of the beast, or at least not fully. The Collector turned Lilith back to normal at King’s request to help keep an eye on the beast, an she made the elixir, which helped Eda gain control back.

The Collector is looking on confused in this image. Confused, because the bond between a child and their parent is something they have never known, perhaps?

In the next one, one of The Collector’s spies made it into Hexside, forcing Mattholomule, Skara, Jerbo, and Barkus to fight it off. Meanwhile, Boscha is hiding as a disguised Kikimora ”comforts” her.

Like I said before, I was very pleasantly surprised at how well Boscha’s little arc was handled in this episode, considering how little time was actually spent on it.

A shot of Jerbo and Mattholomule in the bathroom. Mattholomule is… drawing on his face? I dunno, I got distracted by the water moving in the sink.

…hold up! Is Mattholomule’s stubble drawn on? Ooooooh… that’d explain why it got smudged earlier… I did wonder what was up with the weird shadow… way for me to miss an obvious joke.

Here we see Eda giving Lilith her haircut, with King sitting on her shoulder. Notably, King is not wearing his Collector pajamas and Eda also has a few feathers popping up.

King stands alone in front of a pond, the calm water reflecting the night sky, as well as a memory of a simpler, happier time when his family was all together. Stars, the reunion is gonna be so happy, I can’t wait.

And finally, The Collector, alone, floating, overlooking the Titan’s skull, just as they did a the end of the episode.

The actors laugh on your behalf because you can control them But to get a hug from the ones you love, you need to console them All too much trouble Stay in your bubble Leave it to others It’s a bad habit Make like a rabbit Bounce and then make it so

He can’t say ’No’

And that was The Owl House season three, episode two; For the Future! Was it everything I ever dreamed of? Not really. In some ways, it was actually more, cause I never dreamed of Boscha ever getting any character development.

I loved the episode, obviously. Highlights include the conversation between Camila and Luz, Stringbean hatching, as well as Hunter and Gus reassuring Willow. I’d also say the story with Hexside and Boscha counts as a highlight for me.

And the thing about Boscha is, it’s not like the best thing ever, I’m not suddenly a huge Boscha fan. But I do genuinely think it was a very well put together part of the episode, which is why I include it in my highlights.

A lot happened in this episode, way too much for me to recap here. No Bat-Queen though. I swear, if she doesn’t play a part in the next episode, I will…

I am tremendously excited for the finale! In fact, as I’m writing this, I am having to restrain myself from putting it on right after I’m done typing, that’s how excited I am. And it should come as no surprise that I have no idea when that’ll be ready. Like I said, I’m excited to get into it, but, well… I have work and stuff. And I want to be absolutely sure that I do as good a job as I possibly can on this final episode.

We’ll see. So… until next time, take care of the planet Earth, and remember that anything can happen in space!