#sell silverware

[properbastard]

[ sharpe's background of being a pickpocket, a burglar, and a thief should definitely have been used more for comedy and less for tragedy in the sharpe series because can you imagine

you're an officer in the mess hall. you watch a 6'1" 95th Rifles officer walk in, pickpocket a colonel, hide an entire bottle of wine in his jacket, and stuff a handful of silverware into his shako. He has made eye contact with you the entire time. He throws up a two-finger salute in your direction on his way out. You go to say something, but one of the "exploring officers" stops you and starts rambling about this man's skills. He does this at least twice a week. He's the most efficient soldier in Wellington's army. He calls you a bastard to your face and steals your watch.

[vampireposter]

made it into act 3 and i have so many more astarion thoughts (and wyll, and lae'zel, and gale and karlach and shadowheart, but i am a vampireposter above all else).

at this point i absolutely realize why many people think astarion is a morally bad/evil-aligned individual and i no longer think they are wholly wrong, but i also think it is a lot more complicated than either "he's selfish and evil deep down" vs. "he's just reacting to trauma he wants to be good but you have to help him learn how." i think it is more that he is struggling to reconcile the conflict between his practical need for safety, his emotion-driven desire for revenge, how those interact to create a craving for power, his ever-growing awareness of who he is as a person separate from whatever role he might be playing in his current environment, and i think also at this point he's also probably working to connect all of that to figuring out who he would want to be if it was entirely up to him. +there are definitely things i do not understand about him yet, because i haven't seen the entire story.

i was genuinely surprised by the choice shadowheart makes about the nightsong if tav says something along the lines of "is this really what you want to do, though?" which is my tav's go-to conflict avoidance strategy (he is sort of a pushover and rather averse to starting fights, for a fighter). i did not expect her to reject shar of her own volition, and i'm really curious what choice astarion makes about ascension if tav removes themself from the decision as much as possible.

[dix-rose]

Disney is missing the opportunity to sell plastic forks and call them dinglehoppers

[thirsty-4-ghouls]

No one has been more convincing about encouraging me to play fallout new Vegas than the queer people in my phone. Literally every straight man I know in real life could not be half as convincing as the autistic queer people on this website

[mossy-rock-in-a-field]

Several weeks ago, my retirement-age mother requested that I play Baldur’s Gate 3 for her because she has trouble with controllers/keyboards and wanted “to see what all the fuss is about with that cute wizard boy.” For context, my mother and I have done this sort of thing in the past with certain RPGs (dragon age, mass effect, etc.), but it’s been a few years since she’s personally requested a game like this. Basically, I control her Tav but let her make all the choices so she can determine how the story plays out without worrying about mechanics. She treats it like a choose-your-own-adventure book.

Anyway, here is a list of some of the things my mother has said and/or chosen to do throughout the course of BG3 in no particular order:

She is (obviously) romancing Gale. She is quite smitten with him and his passion for books and learning; she also thinks he’s polite and qualifies as “relationship material.” She also REALLY likes the things he’s said about his cat so far (my mom is a cat lady), so I know she’s gonna flip shit when we meet Tara in Act III.

She’s playing a normal druid Tav with a generally good alignment. Her favorite spell is Spike Growth because she thinks it’s hilarious whenever enemies walk into the AOE and die. I usually end up having to cast it at least once per battle per her request. Sometimes twice.

Contrary to her alignment, my mother tasks me with robbing every single chest, crate, barrel, and burlap sack we come across; this also includes people and their pockets. The party is always at max carrying capacity. ALWAYS. She doesn’t like selling things because “what if I need them.” The camp stash is in literal shambles. There is no hope of organizing it. She’s got like fifty seven sets of rags and a billion pieces of random silverware.

She MUST talk to every animal and corpse in the game. I think five hours of her total playtime so far (47ish) has been spent speaking to animals as many times as humanly possible. Like, I was thorough in my own playthroughs, but this is on a whole other level.

She did NOT get Volo’s lobotomy, but she did let Auntie Ethel take her eye in hopes of a cure for the tadpole. I did not understand the logic then. I still do not understand it now.

She is far more interested in fashion than equipment stats. Do you have any idea how much gold I’ve had to spend on dyes just to make things match? SO much. Same vibe as that “please someone help me balance my finances my family is starving” tweet but instead of candles it’s thirty thousand fucking bottles of black and furnace red dye.

We broke the prisoners out of Moonrise, but they got on the boat too early and bugged the fight by leaving Astarion and Karlach behind. Wulbren Bongle somehow got stuck in combat mode even after engaging the cutscene on the docks below Last Light; he he kept trying to run ALL THE WAY BACK TO MOONRISE nine fucking meters at a time while I frantically tried to finish the fight with the Warden, otherwise Wulbren would have run straight into the shadow curse. (I would’ve let him go; fuck Wulbren Bongle, all my homies hate Wulbren Bongle. But my mom didn’t know that, and she wanted to keep him safe. So.)

She had me reload a save like eighteen times to save the giant eagles on top of Rosymorn Monastery. Wouldn’t even let me do non-lethal damage just to get past things. I think getting that warhammer for the dawnmaster puzzle took us like an hour and a half alone. (Yes, I know you can use any warhammer, but SHE didn’t.)

She’s started keeping an irl notebook to keep track of her quests between play sessions. She writes down ideas and strategies when she thinks of them during the week, then brings them to her next game session at my house. I think she wrote about three pages on possible approaches to the goblin fortress alone.

She insists that I pet Scratch and the owlbear cub before every single long rest, no exceptions. Sometimes I have to do it multiple times until she is absolutely sure that the animals know exactly how much she loves and cherishes them. She has also commissioned a crocheted owlbear plush from a friend of hers and is very excited.

I’m sure there’s a bunch of stuff I’m forgetting, but those are some fun things I thought of. She’s enjoying the game and is telling all of her retired friends to get it and play it for themselves. She asked me “what is Discord” yesterday and I think my life flashed before my eyes.

anyway shout out to my mom for being neat

Part 2 — Part 3 — Part 4 — Part 5

[homunculus-argument]

I've been confused for my own mother before (buying something with a credit card with my deadname on it, having a doctor's office receptionist double-check that I am the patient and not calling on his behalf because I "sounded more mature" on the phone and parents can't make appointments for adults), but I think the funniest wrong conclusion I've had strangers make about trans things I've had around was this time I was putting my old shit up at a flea market. I was selling stuff at a "this shit's gotta go before I'm about to move and I'm not hauling these back to another city"-price, and this old man who apparently frequented there to find stuff that's actually valuable being sold at such prices came to have a look at the goods while I was setting them up.

He was interested in some of my dishware, and asked politely if he could have a look at them while I was unpacking, and chatting with me while he waited for me to be done since he couldn't buy them before I was done (I let him have dibs, but the cash register wouldn't ring them up before I was all set). He apparently noticed that some of my silverware that I'd gotten as graduation gifts and literally never used had my old name engraved on them, but he didn't say anything about that.

But when I put up my old graduation dress - which wasn't worth much, cheap fake silk but it was a nice cut - he remarked "she must've left in a hurry to leave that behind." Since the finnish language doesn't have gendered pronouns, I didn't immediately make the connection that he was referring to someone female before he gestured at the dress. Once it clicked, I figured the best course of action was to just nod that yeah, she's not coming back for those and I'm not keeping them.

Dude had concluded that my deadname must be an ex that dumped my ass so fucking fast she didn't even pack her silverware or nice clothes.

[vapekingg]

Last date

Eddie x Fem!Reader

Angst/hurt (no comfort)

Tags - divorce, successful Corroded Coffin, rockstar!Eddie

“We didn’t have to make a whole thing out of this, you know.” You unravel the silverware that’s folded up in front of you and lay the napkin that concealed them in your lap.

The Liberty Bistro, just outside of Hawkins.

You and Eddie used to treat yourselves to Liberty once in a blue moon, back when everything was so simple. He’d make a big sell or you’d pick up an extra shift at the record shop. That was back when all of your money went to rent, beer and weed. The only groceries you could afford to keep stocked were cans of ravioli and milk. Your apartment was just a little one bedroom. It was nothing compared to a glamorous tour bus or hotel rooms, but it was cozy. It was comfortable.

It was home.

That was years ago. And The Liberty Bistro hasn’t changed. It’s still a quiet little steakhouse with candles on every table. Everyone speaks in hushed tones and ambient classical music plays quietly in the background.

Everything else has changed though.

“I wanted to make a thing out of this,” Eddie says from across the table. “You deserve it. We deserve it.”

He smiles with the inflection of his words, but you can see the hurt in his dark eyes.

Eyes as dark as a lake at night, you used to get lost in them back in that little apartment. Liberty’s would take the very last of your money, not a dime left to your name, and never can you remember feeling so rich.

Eddie looks older now. He is older, you both are. You still remember him as the boyish nerd you’d fallen for when you were seventeen though, how his smile lines wrinkled when he finally asked you out and you agreed without hesitation. Everyone else sees him as someone else. A sex symbol. Hollywood’s newest rock and roll god.

You shift your eyes to the bottle of wine that’s sitting on ice at the edge of the table. Anything to avoid seeing his hurt. This was a mutual decision, after all.

Eddie clears his throat.

“Did you bring the, uh…” He waves his finger before bringing it to his mouth. An old nervous habit that you’ve been on him about for years.

The divorce papers.

You reach for them in your bag and lay them out on the table. There’s about a hundred pages here, his lawyers had insisted on it and yours a had argued with you to fight for alimony.

You didn’t want alimony. You wanted your husband.

That stack of papers sits between the two of you like an omen. It was easier to get married. The decision to get divorced didn’t come as naturally.

Eddie’s eyes hold yours for a moment, finally breaking with his resolve to glance at the end of your affair. You see the crinkle of his chin, how his bottom lip is a little red and wet from being chewed on. If only you could comfort him this time, too.

“Baby…” his voice breaks, even in a whisper.

“Eddie.” You whisper back more firmly, tears stinging your eyes now.

To be quite honest, you’re tired.

Tired of fighting the press and the record label. Tired of traveling. Tired of being alone.

You find a pen at the bottom of your bag and set it atop the stack. It doesn’t need to be that big. It’s just one signature. He purses his lips and bites back tears, but you can see them in the clench of his jaw. The flex of the veins in his neck. Eddie quiets the demons screaming at him to give it all up, to tell his managers to fuck off and stay here in Hawkins with you, and instead grabs the pen.

He signs his name across from yours. The end of your marriage.

You look up, expecting time to have turned back somehow. You wish you were still twenty years old and eloping with Eddie to the courthouse. Instead his eyes are heavier, partially because of you. Eddie is older. His hair is a little thicker and his stubble scratches your face now, or at least it did. It will the next girl. He’s on the peak of greatness, and at one point you thought you wanted to stand on that summit with him.

Now, you just want to heal. And you want him to heal, too.

“Well I guess that’s that.” You finally say.

And Eddie smiles. For your comfort, you can tell.

“That’s that.”

Hi! Just letting you all know that my requests are open for Eddie, Steve, Robin, Hopper, Billy, and Rick Sanchez. Prompt me, folks.

[feinv]

omg idea hear me out

lowhonor arthur morgan is having dinner with farmer's daughter reader and her father

what her father didn't know isthat arthur and reader were having a sort of teasing banter under the table... do u get me

write this however u want ofc nsfw or not -🎀

what if not under the table but on the table? ;)

low!honor arthur x fem!reader. flashbacks of smut.

the clinking of the silverware was accompanying the three of you as you were having dinner, your dad and arthur engaged in a conversation you weren’t even part of.

he was a bad man. that’s what everyone was saying, especially when it came collecting the money that was owned to his gang, and your father was unfortunately on that list of people. arthur made a deal with him that he would get every one third of what your dad earned by selling the goods from the garden.

of course, he could demand more than one third. he could demand half. hell, he could demand the whole income to match his reputation, but having your father pay small amounts just gave him an excuse for coming to your house more often. an excuse he needed to see you.

he was infatuated with you, from the very beginning; how nervous you were around him; how your hands were shaking a little when handing him the money; how your cheeks would burn when he stood a little too close to you. he knew he was a goner when he saw a sweet thing like you and didn’t want to ruin it. he just wanted to have it. to have you. and he did. ;)

so while him and your father were carrying a discussion, your own thoughts were occupied with the flashbacks of what you and arthur did yesterday, blood rushing to your cheeks every time he glanced your way and gave a knowing smirk.

————————————-————————————

your back was flat on the wood, sprawled over the same exact table as he pounded into you, standing tall on the edge of the furniture. the back of your thighs was pressed to his torso, your feet on each side of his head as his hips jerked back and forth, his rough hands gripping the fat of your thighs and soothing them every now and then.

“ye feel so good, sweetheart.” his baritone voice praising you when you replied back with moans and whimpers, his swollen tip kissing your cervix and sending jolts of pleasure all over your body.

he leaned closer, the back of your ankles resting on his shoulders as he bent you in half, thrusting deeper. “prettiest girl i’ve seen,” kissing your soft lips hungrily, swallowing your whines, “even more prettier for me like this,” before his own chapped ones left open mouthed love bites wherever he could reach.

he made you see stars so many times you lost the count, your body so limp the only thing you could register were his love confessions in between his own groans, promising to get you out of the creaky old house and giving you anything you would ever ask for. <3

[devildomwriter]

Obey Me Fun Facts 441-450

• Asmodeus chose Leviathan’s outfit based on a game leviathan liked. Leviathan gave asmodeus a three day lecture so Asmodeus would understand the game better but he escaped many times.

• Satan’s human world outfit was chosen specifically to not be suspicious if he went to a cat café

• When Barbatos got a temporary job at Hell’s Kitchen he was yelled at by a customer for being too polite

• Physical labor makes Asmodeus cry

• The necklace on Solomon’s human world outfit is a magical item

• Mammon and Asmodeus like to go clubbing together after part time jobs

• Diavolo is always worried he’ll bring shame on his ancestors so he visits the mausoleum often to remind himself of his responsibility

• Beelzebub thinks it’s incredible how quickly Solomon repairs magical items.

• Mammon was fired from Ristorante Six after selling all their silverware

• Asmodeus tried feeling up Barbatos on the dance floor so Barbatos pulled Satan to the dance floor and danced with him instead

431-440 • 451-460

[hotgirlgraps]

Risky Business | Part One

Your family’s restaurant is on the verge of shutting down, so you make a dangerous deal with the loan sharks in town and find yourself in some sticky situations

Warnings: angst, violence, one non explicit death (mob!au so it may not be for everyone)

this will be a series

You heard your parents bickering like usual, but once you entered the kitchen, they both went mute. You already knew what it was all about. The restaurant had been on the verge of collapse for nearly a month now and despite every attempt in the book to pick business back up, you were still struggling to keep it afloat.

You awkwardly avoided their eyes as you slipped past your dad and grabbed a stack of foam cups to stock out front. The tensions were thick enough to cut with a knife, but you had a plan to save the restaurant that they didn’t know about, and you weren’t going to tell them until you pulled it off.

You just hoped it didn’t mean you’d be putting your life on the line in the process.

You quickly left the kitchen and heard the echos of their voices pick up again. All you heard for the last month was them screaming at each other over the bills they couldn’t pay, the inventory they’re losing because they simply can’t afford to keep the restaurant stocked, and now your dad is ready to up and sell the place, even though it was supposed to stay in the family for generations to come.

You couldn’t stand seeing your family fall apart over this. Your mom and dad put their blood, sweat and tears into getting the place up and running and you left college to help them out. There was too much invested to simply let it slip right through your fingers, so you came up with a plan that you were putting into action as soon as you clock out.

You quickly stocked the cups and and silverware over by the drink station and headed back into the kitchen. Once again, when your parents heard your footsteps, they went mute but you already knew the second you leave they’d be right back at it.

You peeked through the door and said, “I’m heading out. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Have a good day, sweetie.” Your mom called out to you.

“Love you.” Your dad added.

You hurriedly clocked out, noticing that it was already two and you needed to be on the other side of town in less than half an hour, and you knew if you showed up late you wouldn’t even be considered by Mr. Senerchia.

You felt your stomach twisting into tight knots and had to force yourself to take a few deep breaths once you got on the road. The gps was telling you where to go but your heart beating in your ears was making it hard to hear.

You never thought you’d be doing something like this, but you didn’t think you had another choice. You knew the reputation this man upholds and wouldn’t dare crossing paths with him under any other circumstances.

You pulled up in front of a brick apartment complex twenty-two minutes later with only eight minutes to spare and took a second to look in the mirror, attempting to make yourself presentable despite the fact that you looked like you hadn’t slept in days.

You remembered the instructions given to you by Mr. Senerchia over the phone. Go into the complex, take the first set of stairs to the second floor and wait. He’ll send someone to come get you.

You took a deep breath before sliding out the car and heading in. Your knees felt like they were going to give out from under you each step you took but you tried to push past that.

You walked through the door and the staircase was right in front of it, so you did as you remembered and headed up to the second floor.

There were four doors, two on each side and another set of stairs. You could hear distant conversations being had behind one of those closed doors and rock music behind another.

You glanced down at your phone and had only two minutes left before you were supposed to be meeting with the loan shark and debated whether or not you should call him so he knows you’re there, but before you had to think about it too much, you heard some footsteps descending the stairs and looked up from your phone to see a tall, messy haired guy coming down.

You took a step to the side to let him pass you, but he stopped on the last step.

“Y/N?” He asks in a low, almost hushed tone.

You nodded back and slid your phone in your pocket. He tilted his head to the side slightly and eyed you with a look that left you feeling a bit judged.

You felt nervous under his gaze but tried to hide it. He simply nodded his head towards the stairs and started making his way back up, and you followed behind him.

He lead you to a door off to the right and pulled some keys out of his hoodie pocket to open it. You waited for him to step inside and wave you in. You felt like any wrong move could be detrimental.

He silently started heading through the apartment. You could easily tell that it wasn’t anyone’s home. There was no couches or tvs, the only source of furniture were a few fold out chairs aligned along the walls.

You followed him down a short hall until he stopped at a door and knocked in a specific pattern. You heard a deep voice on the other side call him in and felt your stomach twist into those tight knots all over again.

He opened the door and walked in, catching it with the tips of his fingers to hold it for you and you took that as your invite.

You stepped into a small office that you never would’ve expected would be in that bare apartment, but you supposed with the things this man does, it has to be as low-key as possible.

You knew the man behind the desk wearing a sharp black suit and orange tie had to be Mr. Senerchia. The guy in the hoodie stepped around the desk, standing off to the side with his hand clasped over his wrist, watching you.

Mr. Senerchia lifted his eyes from something he was writing down, his shades so dark you couldn’t even see the formation of his eyes behind them. He dropped his pen and stood up, shooting a warm smile but it didn’t make you feel any less anxious.

“Ah, Y/N, glad you could make it.” He greets you, extending his hand for you to shake. “Please, have a seat.”

You tried to hide your nervousness as you sat down in one of the two chairs in front of his desk. You took a deep breath and forced a smile.

“So, if I remember our conversation correctly, you’re here about your family’s restaurant, no?” He asked, clasping his hands together atop the desk.

“Yes sir.” You nod.

“And what’s going on with that?” He asks.

“We’re struggling to stay afloat.” You answered honestly, trying not to show the sadness that admitting it caused you. “We’ve tried a lot of things but we just can’t… we can’t afford it anymore.”

“I see.” His voice lowered. “That’s a shame. I used to go to that restaurant back in the day. Your dad made the best philly in town.” He half-smiles.

You nodded back and looked down at your thumbs nervously twiddling in your lap.

“That’s the thing, Mr. Senerchia. My parents put everything into that place and I just can’t sit by and watch it fall apart. My dad’s considering selling it to the Mercado’s and… That’s just something I can’t stand to let happen. It was supposed to be passed down to me, and my kids if I ever have them. It’s supposed to stay in the family.”

He rubbed his hand over his beard as he processed your words. The warm smile on his face was wiped away and a straight frown was left in its place.

“I see.” He taps his fingers against the desk. “Let me ask you this. Say you had the funds to keep the business going. How would you sustain it? Money doesn’t last forever, it runs out fast if you don’t have a way to keep rejuvenating it.”

“We lost most of our customers because we couldn’t afford inventory. We had to tell people that we were out of almost everything except sandwiches at one point. If we can start keeping the place stocked up again, we’ll have our business back on track.”

He nodded once before he leaned back in his seat and clasped his hands behind his head, slightly swiveling his chair.

“What caused the tight funds in the first place?” He asked, and you felt the sudden guilt in the pit of your stomach.

“I wanted to go to college.” You lowly said, dropping your eyes down to the desk. “I didn’t want to run the business at one point. I wanted to be a nurse instead, so they used their savings to put me through school… but I left when the business started failing to help them try to keep it afloat. Since it was my fault they were struggling in the first place.”

You looked back up at him, seeing your poor reflection in his glasses once again. He didn’t speak for a moment, and you nervously anticipated his next words while you waited on his response.

He leaned back up and folded his arms over the desk, looking down at the pen he set aside earlier.

Your eyes wandered over to the guy standing beside the desk, but instantly looked away when you noticed his eyes were still trained on you.

“I tell you what.” Mr. Senerchia says as he taps the pen against the wooden desktop. “I admire your loyalty to your family. I tell my son all the time that a family business can’t run without that.” He points over at the guy and you collect the new information.

“And since I can see that you’re being genuine about this… I’ll grant you the funds to get the joint back on its feet. Now, before you get too excited, I have some stipulations to that-“ He holds up his hand and you quickly feel your hopes shattering.

“I don’t expect this money back immediately. Truthfully, I’m a bit nervous about this deal, given the fact that the restaurant industry is always a gamble. I won’t add interest to this loan, if-“ he points, capitalizing on the stipulation, “once the business is in your name, you give us ten percent of the profits. That’s it. Pay me back weekly as you’re able to, and give me a cut for my leniency.”

You weren’t sure how that would ever work out. The business wouldn’t be in your name until your parents retire from it, and you weren’t even sure how long that was going to be. On top of that, with the shakiness of it right now, you knew it wasn’t guaranteed that the restaurant would even be running in the next ten years.

“I- Mr. Senerchia as much as I want to accept your offer, I have a couple concerns.” Your voice trembled slightly.

“Voice them.” He nodded, leaning back in the seat and crossing his arms.

“For one, this business won’t be in my name for a while. My parents are signing it over when they retire and Im not sure when that’s gonna be. And with the way things have been, I don’t even know if there will be a business a couple years down the road. I know I can pay you back regardless whether or not we sustain for a long time, but I don’t know if I can shake hands on giving you a cut when I don’t even truly know if we’ll still be in business.”

“That’s the thing about making a big deal. You gotta be willing to do whatever it is you need to do to uphold your end of the bargain.” He says. “Your family’s restaurant has the potential to be one of the best on that side of town. If I can see the opportunity for growth, then I don’t see a reason why it won’t happen.”

You nodded back, pondering his words.

“How about this.” He reasons, “I loan you the money and get the word out about the joint. I bring the business to you. You give me twenty percent once it’s in your name.”

You blinked twice and calculated in your head how much that would be.

“If I can assure you that business will start booming quickly, and your family won’t be troubled with this no more, do we have a deal?”

He extends his hand with another grin, and you didn’t feel like you had much time to think on it before you were shaking it.

He stood up and you stood up with him, letting his hand go after a moment.

“I’ll let Hook go over everything with you.” He says as he picks up a folder and steps around his desk.

“Thank you, Mr. Senerchia.” You say, hoping you didn’t sound as nervous as you were feeling.

“Please, call me Taz from now on. Looking forward to doing business with you, kid.”

He exits the room and leaves you with the guy who’d been silently staring at you the entire time, who you now knew the name of. Or the street name most likely.

He sits down in his dad’s chair and opens a drawer off to the side, pulling out a stack of papers.

You watched him read some things and write his signature on a couple dotted lines as you sat there in the awkward silence.

He slid some papers off to the side and stacked them neatly in his hands, then he looked up at you with that same, perplexed expression he had since you encountered him on the second floor.

“You sure you know what you’re getting yourself into?” He surprised you when he asked, nearly making a chill run down your spine.

“I- yes.” You stammered, internally kicking yourself for it.

His dark eyes stayed trained on you for another moment before he glanced down at the papers in his hand.

“I’m not sure you do.” He muttered. “We don’t usually make deals with people like you. I’m surprised my dad didn’t tell you to leave the second he saw you, honestly.”

You felt offended by that, knitting your brows back at him, but too nervous to ask him what meant by that. Your reaction made him further explain, anyway.

“This is a serious business we run. We deal with shit that you probably wouldn’t even know the first thing about. Not family restaurants on the verge of foreclosure type shit.”

You stared back at him, a bit appalled to say the very least. He placed the stack of papers down and leaned up in the seat, zoning in on you.

“I’m only telling you this because serious shit requires serious repercussions if you can’t keep your word. My dad might have cut you a sweet deal but there’s always fine print when you read between the lines. You might be biting off more than you can chew and if that’s the case” he slides his tongue between his lips and raises his brows back at you, “you’re gonna put yourself and your family in jeopardy.”

His words turned your blood to ice, swallowing thickly as you stared back into his cold, dark eyes.

“So ima ask you one last time. You sure about this?” it was almost as if it were a fatal warning, but you nodded back at him, watching as his lips folded in and he shook his head slightly.

He took one of those sheets and slid it across to desk, spinning it to face you and placing the pen down on top of it.

His finger landed on the first paragraph and he went on to explain what you were signing.

“This is stating that you won’t use our name in any of your statements. If you’re ever asked, cops of anybody, you got the money from anywhere else.” He says, then points to the dotted line that required your signature, and you nodded as you signed it.

“This is stating that you will pay the full amount back in the timeframe that you and my dad discussed.” He points, and you sign there too.

“Sign here and here.” He adds.

He slid the pages off to the side as you signed them and then you came to the last page underneath the stack.

“This is stating that you understand the… consequences if you fail to uphold your end of the deal.” He slowly speaks, and you look back at him.

“We didn’t go over the consequences.” You were scared to say.

He eyed you for a second before he leaned back in the chair, crossing his arms tightly over his chest.

“It’s clear you’re not familiar with how this works. That’s why I asked if you even know what you’re doing right now.”

“I’m just trying to save my family’s business.” You snapped, even though catching a slight attitude with the shark’s son was probably the stupidest thing you could’ve done.

“You won’t have a family business if you fuck up. Or a fucking family. I’m just trying to make sure you get that.” his voice was stronger, more rough than it was before.

You sat there staring back at him, failing to process the words that he just spoke. You were pretty sure he just admitted that they kill people, but that was something you already somewhat figured thanks to the fact that multiple murders seem to somehow get tied to this family, yet they always go down as cold cases.

He composed himself a bit and leaned forward, holding that strong stare on you as he spoke.

“Look. You can back out right now. I’ll tell my dad you changed your mind before the papers were signed and take all the heat for it. No ties to this whatsoever.”

You were on the verge of accepting that offer, but you knew this was your only hope for your family. You hesitated, but shook your head and signed along the last dotted line before sliding the paper back to him, feeling like you’d just signed your soul to the devil.

“You and your dad have my word and my signature on that. I might not look like someone who can keep my word, but I assure you I am.”

He pursed his lips before he stacked the pages up and opened the drawer off to the side, filing them away.

“But I want my family left out of this, please.” You pipe back up, causing him to still with his hands in the drawer. “They don’t know I’m doing this and they never would’ve let me come here if I told them. They have nothing to do with this. I don’t want them having any part of it.”

He slowly sat back up and shook his head at you, balling his fist over his lips as he ran out of patience.

“You don’t get to call the shots here, Y/N. That’s what you’re not understanding. If you fuck up, that’s it. It’s done. My dad might seem like a nice guy, but the man doesn’t play about his money. He’s not gonna care about you or your family if you fuck him over. This isn’t small business shit. This is your debt to my family’s company.”

You took in his every word with complete and utter fear sinking into your heart, but by this point you felt so deep in that you couldn’t change your mind.

You were so close to having exactly what you needed to save your family’s business and you weren’t going to let that slip, even if it meant doing drastic things to make it happen.

“I understand.” You quietly say, staring just as intently into his eyes as he was yours.

He didn’t break eye contact for a couple seconds, and you held your breath until he finally dropped his eyes down to the desk.

He silently got up from the seat and walked out the door, coming back a couple moments later with a briefcase in hand.

He placed it down in front of you and put the code in.

“It’s 0504” he muttered, “don’t change it. i’ll be coming to get this back when I collect your first payment.”

He opens the top and reveals the neat stacks of hundreds before you.

“30K” he says. “Count it if you want to.”

You took his word for it though, and inside he was checking off another reason on the list as to why you weren’t cut out for doing business like this. You always count the fucking money.

He eyed you for a moment before he closed the top and reset the code, then walked back around to sit in the seat.

“Ill let you know before I come to collect. We’ll arrange to meet somewhere next week. You can see yourself out.” he quickly excused you, nodding towards the door.

Again, you were unsure how to respond so you simply grabbed the briefcase and stood up, but that’s when he stood up too.

“Actually, i’ll walk you out. You’re carrying a briefcase full of money. let me see it.” He holds out his hand and you pass it to him.

He heads for the door and you follow behind him, letting him lead you out the apartment as he keeps the briefcase close to his side.

He stops when he steps out onto the sidewalk and looks at your car parked out front.

“Next time park in the back.” He mutters before he heads towards it.

You fumble with your keys to click the unlock button and pop the trunk, and he places the briefcase down before he slams it shut.

He steps back onto the sidewalk and looks you over one last time, and again, you couldn’t quite tell what the hell he was thinking, and he wasn’t willing to give you any clues either.

He silently made his way back to the complex, looking to both sides of him to make sure nobody had wandering eyes.

“Next week.” He reminds you when he reaches the door, keeping his back turned to you.

“I know.” You say before you make your way around the the drivers side door.

————

Later that night after he got back from a couple collects, Hook stopped by his dad’s office to deliver the money, and to also have a discussion about the girl he signed a deal with earlier.

He knocked in a code and his dad called him in. He pulled a wad of cash out of his hoodie pocket and tossed it on the desk before sitting down in the seat in front of it.

“That Michael dude didn’t have the full amount. Told him i’ll be back for the rest tomorrow.” He tells his dad, who stops writing to look at the cash set in front of him.

“How much did he have this time?” He asks with clear aggravation.

“Three fifty”

Taz wipes his hand down his face and grabs the cash, slipping the rubberband off and tossing it to the side as he fans out the money.

“This is the second time, Tyler.” He cuts his eyes at his son. “You know I don’t let shit slide twice.”

“He said his kid needed new clothes for school. He gets paid tomorrow and we’ll get the rest.”

“And if we don’t?” Taz was running out of patience. He had no sympathy for the excuses.

“Then i’ll handle him.” Tyler keeps his eyes held on his dad, ensuring that he’ll keep his word.

“You should’ve handled him today.” He gravely speaks. “if that money isn’t sitting on my desk by six o’clock tomorrow, i don’t want to hear no more excuses for the man. get rid of him.”

Tyler swallowed thickly, but nodded back. Taz went back to filling out a form until his son asked him a question that he wasn’t expecting.

“Do you think making that deal with the restaurant girl was a good idea?”

Taz looks up, and Tyler can see his tense jaw reflecting in his shades.

“Why do you ask?”

“We don’t usually do shit like that. It’s a small business on the verge of shutting down.” He explains.

“If it does, it does.” Taz shrugs his shoulder. “I’m gonna bring what I can to the table, if it succeeds then great. If it doesn’t, you’ll deal with that.”

But that’s what Tyler was secretly concerned about. He knew that if all else failed and y/n couldn’t uphold her end of the deal, it wasn’t Taz who was going to be making her face the consequences. It was him.

“I don’t think she knew what she was doing.” He blurts out. “I don’t see that restaurant going anywhere. She basically signed her life away and she doesn’t know it.”

Taz removed his glasses and set them down, staring back at his son.

“What are you getting at, son?” his aggravation was getting stronger by the minute.

“I’m just saying I don’t think it was the right choice.” Tyler admitted, even though he hardly ever went against his dad’s decisions.

Taz’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Maybe it wasn’t, maybe it was. She signed the contract and took the money, did she not? Too late to go back now.”

“I still don’t think she should’ve even been considered.” Tyler argues, and it was then that Taz lost all patience.

“Well it’s not your choice to make, Tyler.” His voice deepens, “When I sign this business over to you, then you can call all the shots. Right now, you’re here to learn the way I expect this company to run when I can no longer keep it going. You’re not here to tell me how to run it.”

Tyler clamped his mouth shut, gritting his teeth behind his lips.

“We done here?” Taz asked, and Tyler wordlessly nodded tightly before he got up from his chair and left the room.

He went back down to his apartment on the second floor where his boys were waiting.

The blunt Andretti rolled just started getting passed between the three of them when Tyler walked in.

“Yo” Darius called out to him, and Tyler walked over to the couch and took a seat next to Anthony.

“You good?” Andretti asked when he picked up on his energy.

Tyler leaned back against the cushions and pulled the collar of his hoodie up some, nodding, but not saying anything back.

They all knew when he was in a bad mood it was best to leave him alone about whatever it was that pissed him off, so nobody asked questions, and simply passed him the blunt out of rotation.

He took a couple hits and held the smoke in his lungs until he felt the burn in his chest, then exhaled it above his head.

Anthony and Darius started talking about the cars they had their eyes on and debated which vehicle models were better, but Tyler couldn’t pay any attention to the conversation.

He took two more hits and passed the blunt to his left, then stared down at the coffee table littered with cigar packs, weed crumbs and empty plastic bags while he pondered his dad’s words echoing through his mind.

————

Taz wasted no time getting the word out about the restaurant. Within just a span of five days, every table in the building was full.

Your dad walked in a little after eight, and you’d already been serving and preparing orders since six. He took one look at how packed it was and his eyes widened.

“What? Where did all these people come from?” He asks, “How are they all eating? We don’t have nearly enough inventory to feed them.”

You finished writing down a couple reminders for table six on your notepad while you conjured up something you could say.

Your mom walked through the door a couple seconds later and had the same astonishment on her face. They hadn’t had business that steady in months.

“Where did these customers come from?” She asks, and her and your dad both waited on your reply.

“They just came in out of nowhere. I don’t know, but isn’t it great?” You sent a smile, but they didn’t know what to think.

“Well… Yeah, it’s amazing but how are they all- how did you manage to-“

“Dad, Mom, I’m just gonna be honest. I used some of my savings to replenish this place, okay? I don’t want to hear anything else about it. The business is steady and we’ve made more money this morning than we’ve made in the last week.”

You tried to leave it at that in the case that they’d be able to call your bullshit, but they followed you back to the kitchen.

“Y/n, what do you mean you spent your savings on this? You know we never want you to use your own money to clean up mine and your dad’s mess.”

You could see the pain behind your mom’s eyes and it killed you inside.

“This is my business one day too.” You remind them, making sure to look both of them in the eyes. “Dad was talking about selling it to the Mercado’s and I couldn’t just sit here and let that happen. I love this place just as much as you do. I did this for our family.”

You could see that they had no idea what to say, but the gratitude in their eyes spoke volumes.

At least that part wasn’t a lie. You did do this for the family, but they just didn’t know the half of what you had done.

“We will talk about this later.” Your dad gruffly states before he wraps his arm around your shoulder and pulls you into his side. It was a silent thank you and you knew that.

“Love you dad.” You muttered, “And you, mom.”

Your mom joined in on the quick group hug before it was time to tackle the task at hand. You headed back out to check on some tables and they both headed towards the grill to start cooking the orders you had pinned to the board.

By the time seven o’clock rolled around, business only just started slowing down.

You counted the register down and calculated how much you made in just over twelve hours.

You figured if you could keep this up, you’d have Taz paid off in no time.

————

Tyler’s gloved grip around the steering wheel was tight as he sped away from the bridge.

He kept glancing in the rear view, paranoid that he was being followed even though he made sure nobody was around when the act took place.

He ground his teeth as he took a few backroads back to the complex to make double sure that he was covering his tracks.

The sound of the splash when the body hit the water was echoing in his mind and he couldn’t put a stop to it. He could feel it eating him alive from the inside out and made a note to get as drunk as fucking possible when he gets back to his apartment.

He pulled around back and stayed in the car for another few minutes just trying to recollect himself, but he failed at doing so.

There was a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach, something along the lines of gut wrenching guilt and hatred towards himself but he knew just like all the other times he’s felt it before, he couldn’t let it get to him.

This was just business, as his dad always says.

He slowly made his way in through the back door and up to Taz’s office. He knocked in code again and didn’t bother stepping in when his dad said to.

“It’s done.” He muttered, about to shut the door and head down to his apartment but Taz stopped him.

“Tyler” he made him pause before the door fully shut, hanging his head. “Let’s uh.. Let’s talk, son.”

He didn’t want to and that much was clear to Taz, but he knew how Tyler gets when he has to handle people. He always tries to avoid it, but that only leads to the business losing money and sometimes the consequences have to be faced for that.

Tyler sunk down in the chair and kept his eyes trained on his mud stained shoes. Taz walked over to one of the cabinets on the far side of the room and pulled out a bottle of Bourbon along with two glasses.

Tyler glanced up when he heard the clink of the glass against the wooden desktop and watched his dad pour his to the brim before sliding it over.

He hesitated for a moment but he knew that was the one thing he needed above all else tonight, and wasted no time downing that entire glass and sliding it back for another round.

“I know these things are tough on you-“ Taz says as he fills the glass. “It’ll get easier with time.”

But Tyler wasn’t entirely sure about that. He couldn’t imagine being cold and ruthless like his dad. As much as he wished he could flip a switch turn his humanity off, he couldn’t. He’s tried and failed miserably.

“You got your mother’s heart.” He chuckles. “That’s not a bad thing, but it’s not gonna work if you plan to take over this business one day. You know that already though.”

Tyler silently listens, but the sound of the splash keeps washing over his dad’s words every time it comes back to haunt him.

“You didn’t kill the guy.” Taz shrugs. “If he’s lucky enough he’ll regain consciousness before he drowns. You just… you just knocked him out and… well, he lost his footing and fell over the bridge.”

Tyler felt sick at those words. He knew that wasn’t true and couldn’t ever understand how his dad could falsify the events like that.

Michael wasn’t coming up for air. He was knocked out cold with the brass knuckles stuffed in Tyler’s back pocket. He watched him sink. He was dead and there was no justifiable way around that.

But he didn’t argue with his dad. He simply sat there and downed another shot until he felt his body start to buzz.

“Just business son.” Taz reminded him for the millionth time. “Don’t take it to heart.”

————

You woke up bright and early, ready to tackle another day at the restaurant. You knew that at some point Hook would be getting in contact with you and something about that made you feel a little nervous, but you tried to avoid it.

You had a good bit of money ready for him that you kept stashed away in his briefcase in your trunk. After deducting everything for inventory and bills for the next few months and hoping you were calculating everything accurately, you managed to have a good chunk left over to go towards your debt to them.

Your parents were already at the restaurant preparing breakfast orders. For the first time in a while, they had smiles on their faces when they talked to each other.

They noticed you when you walked in and waved you into the kitchen.

“We’re going to pay you back every penny.” Your mom says. “How much did it take to make this happen? Your dad is going keep track of how much we owe you.”

You shook your head though, already knowing that you were the one who handled the profits and you were already taking cuts to pay Taz back in the first place. The last thing you needed was for them to figure that out.

“I don’t need the money back. It wasn’t much, and I don’t care. I’ll make it back working here.” You offered a convincing smile but your dad shook his head.

“Absolutely not.” He says. “You used money that should’ve been put towards a new car or house, anything else but here. We are paying you back. Just give us a price and we’ll take it out of the monthly profits.”

“No.” You quickly blurted, but tried to recompose yourself. “I’ll just.. If you’re not gonna budge on this, i’ll take out a couple hundred each month until I get the money back. Sound good?”

They both eyed each other but then shrugged, accepting it. You felt a little bit of relief, but not much. Lying to them was never something that you were good at. Nine times out of ten your mom always found out everything without even trying to. But this wasn’t something you could let them get into and you knew that.

A few hours later, you felt your phone buzz in your pocket while you were pouring some glasses of tea and nearly dropped the entire pitcher.

“Shit” you muttered under your breath as you scrambled to take the phone out.

On the screen was a message from an unknown number that had an off the wall area code but you knew exactly who it was.

106 clarkson drive. 3pm.

You didn’t know whether or not you were supposed to say anything back so you left the message on read and pulled the address up on the gps.

It was nothing but trees it looked like, and nearly forty minutes away from you. You were unsure how to feel about that. Part of you kind of wanted to be sick, but there was no reason, right? You had the money ready.

It was already almost two and you had to think fast for a reason why you needed to leave early. It was the dead middle of lunch rush and you weren’t sure how your parents were going to react, but you didn’t have a choice.

“Hey” you called over to your dad. “I’m gonna leave in about fifteen minutes, but i’ll be back. I just- Skye called and she’s having some issues with Kyle and really needs me.”

“Awe” Your mom comes up from behind. “I love those two together. I hope they work it out.”

“I’m sure they will.” You sent a smile. “But you know, I just need to be there for her. I won’t be out all day and when I get back, I’ll stay late and close so you guys can go and do something. Maybe go on a date?”

Your dad laughed at that as he prepared a philly.

“Don’t worry about it.” Your mom tells you. “You’ve been showing up at the crack of dawn every morning. Go take the rest of the day off. Your dad and I will be fine.”

You felt relief at the success of yet another lie, and thanked them before you stocked the front and clocked out.

You were getting that familiar twist in your stomach again once you pulled out of the parking lot. Your hands were clammy, smearing sweat against the steering wheel as you headed towards a location you were unfamiliar with, to meet a man you may or may not have feared a little.

You tried to keep reminding yourself that everything was fine. You had the money you needed to give him and there was no reason for anything horrible to happen to you.

But Hook gave you the feeling that he could be unpredictable at the same time. He wasn’t someone you wanted to piss off, and you knew that.

You turned on a beaten down dirt road and noticed that there was nothing but thick woods around for miles when you checked the gps.

You were only two minutes away from this destination and wished you could simply just drop that briefcase off in the middle of the road and tell him to come pick it up after you bolt out of there, but obviously that wasn’t an option.

A sleek black car was parked off to side in a sandy spot and you recognized Hook when he stepped out with his hood over his head.

You felt your heart race and pulled off the dirt road, parking behind him before you popped the trunk and opened your door.

He was slowly walking towards your car with his hands tucked in his pocket. His hair was falling over his eyes, so you couldn’t see them.

You tried to keep your hands from trembling as you pulled the briefcase out of the trunk, and he looked both ways to make sure nobody was around, even though you were out in the middle of nowhere.

You closed the trunk and set the briefcase on top, about to put in the code he told you a week ago, but his hand slammed on top of it.

You jumped back from him, and he silently grabbed the case and spun it towards him, putting the code in himself.

“I doubt you would have a gun in here, but I don’t know you like that.” He mutters, explaining his previous actions as he opens the top and looks down at the cash stacked.

“Two thousand.” You inform him, and see his eyes glance over at you before he takes the first stack out and starts counting for himself.

You watched nervously. You know you counted and recounted that money at least ten times but what if you made a mistake? Then you lied to the shark’s son.

He could hear your uneven breathing and as he reached down to grab a second stack, he asked, “You nervous?”

You felt your chest tighten, holding your breath until your blood rushed to your head. He didn’t look back over at you, continuing to count the money in hand.

He placed another stack down and moved on to the next one, tilting his head to the side as he quickly counted that one too, but slowed down when he reached the last bill.

You felt your body stiffen, wishing you would’ve counted one more time to make sure it was all there. He went back through that stack once again and pulled out one of the bills, placing it in the last stack.

You watched with confusion as he counted that one too, and again one more time before he took another single hundred out of the combined and passed it over to you.

You looked down at it, then up at him.

“A little over.” He muttered. “unless you want me to add this to it.”

You nodded back and he eyed you for a second before he tossed the bill lazily in the briefcase and closed it.

You felt a slight bit of relief but knew you wouldn’t be fully in the clear until you left him and that dirt road all together.

“Count more carefully next time.” He tells you. “If my dad was the one collecting he probably wouldn’t have told you it was over. But you would’ve known if you were short.”

Your blood ran cold at those words and all you could do was nod back, hoping that this encounter was about to be over.

He grabs the case and tucks it under his arm before he turns around and leans against the side of your car.

You can see his face better when he pushes his hair out of it, and from the looks of the dark circles you didn’t recall seeing before, he must not have been sleeping very well.

You stood there awkwardly, hiding your trembling hands by crossing your arms over your chest, but he already knew you were a nervous wreck.

“Is it the location or just me?” He asks, tilting his head slightly.

“…what?” You weakly asked, and he turned to fully face you, taking one step closer but not getting too close.

“The reason why you’re so scared right now.” He clarified, “Is it the woods, or is it me?”

“it’s- I don’t- I’m not-“

He narrowed his eyes in on you when he watched you fail miserably to produce the words. He didn’t like the affect he was having on you but he wasn’t gonna let you know that.

“You kept your word this week. My dad will be happy, so I’m happy. We’re all happy here.” He says with a dead tone. You didn’t see a single trace of happiness on that man’s face. You weren’t sure he knew what happiness even was.

His eyes were lifeless as they could be. Cold and bone chilling. He had a stern yet somehow emotionless expression each time you looked at him, and you couldn’t ever imagine a smile on his face, either.

“Okay” you whispered simply because you didn’t know what else to say, and he nodded tightly before he took a step back and spun around.

“Next week.” He calls out without glancing back at you.

“Okay.” You shakily say back before you’re finally able to get in your car and drive off.

—————

Taz wasn’t in the office and Tyler knew he wasn’t permitted to be in there without the permission, so he took the briefcase to his apartment and waited for his dad to return the text he sent, letting him know he’s got money waiting.

He slung the case down on the couch and collapsed onto it himself, leaning back against the cushions, staring blankly at the fan spinning on the ceiling.

He kept thinking about how nervous he was when he had to meet up with that restaurant girl earlier. He was worried she wouldn’t have the money, like he expected, and he didn’t know how he’d have to handle that.

It relieved him to no end when he opened up that briefcase and saw that she had more than enough to suffice for the week.

He thought there’d be about two or three hundred dollars at most and even though his dad told her to pay back what she could each week, Tyler knew himself that his dad was not a patient man and wouldn’t be too fond of getting paid in little increments at a time.

That’s why it confused him when he offered that part of the deal in the first place, but he knows what happens when he questions his dad’s decisions.

He waited around for about an hour, then got a text. He grabbed the briefcase and headed up to his dad’s office almost immediately.

He almost wished he could’ve taken a picture of the look that crossed Taz’s face when he saw the stacks of cash.

“Restaurant girl’s collect.” Tyler says as he sits down in the chair. “Twenty-one hundred.”

Taz glanced at his son and nodded, clearly satisfied with the weekly pay.

“Looks like business started booming.” He says as he takes the cash out. “That’s what I appreciate about having connections. Pretty soon they’re gonna have to open a bigger restaurant, and that means more profit for us when it’s signed over to her. if they know how to sustain it.”

Tyler pursed his lips and looked down at the floor. He didn’t know much about that restaurant in the first place and that alone told him that it obviously wasn’t anything special. He didn’t care to have a cut when y/n takes it over but maybe that’ll be so far in the future that his dad won’t even care about it anymore either.

“You know, I was thinking about what you said the other day.” Taz says as he skims through the bills. “About how you didn’t agree with me making a deal on a small family business. You remember.”

“Yeah” Tyler nodded.

“It wasn’t so much the business as it was the girl herself.” Taz tells him. “She really cares about her family. Seems to me like you were wrong when you said she didn’t know what she was doing. I think she did, but her loyalty to her family was more important to her.”

Tyler’s eyes drop down to the desk. He already knew his dad was right about that stubborn girl who just wanted to keep the family’s business afloat, but that didn’t change the fact that she was treading on dangerous territory trying to make it happen.

“I kind of admired that, I won’t lie to you. I really hope she’s able to keep this up.” Taz says as he finishes counting the cash.

Tyler had already pondered all the scenarios that would come if she wasn’t able to, though. Truthfully that was the first thing he thought about the second he saw her.

He knew a girl like her had no business getting involved in anything such as this, but he was pretty sure she didn’t understand that, and for that reason he just didn’t want to bring her up to his dad’s office at all to begin with.

But he realized that she was stubborn as hell when he tried to get her to come to her senses. It wasn’t solely for her, but for him as well, because he didn’t want to have to deal with her after she fails to keep her word.

That’s something that he thinks about quite a bit now, but he won’t tell his dad that. It’ll just be another one of those, you can’t take it to heart lectures that he’ll receive and he’s sick of hearing that shit.

He hopes that everything works out the way restaurant girl and taz agreed on, but he can’t deny the fact that he doesn’t have a lot of faith in that.

————

You were about six hours in to your eight hour shift, feeling the ache in the soles of your feet from constantly being on them all day but you appreciated it nonetheless.

Business was still steady even though it was storming outside and each day that passes, the restaurant doubles it’s money.

You weren’t sure how Taz managed to bring in so many customers but you were thankful for it.

Skye dropped by around seven that evening to grab something to eat to take home to Kyle, but the second you saw her you knew your mom would ask about the problems they’re not even having and had to come up with yet another lie to tell another person.

“Hey” you grabbed her wrist, pulling her off to the side. She looked at you with a concerned look.

“So I had to leave early the other day and I used you as an excuse to my parents” you quickly rambled, “I told them you and Kyle were arguing so you needed me to come hang out with you. Just, if they ask, I was with you all day last Friday.”

Skye’s brows knitted together. “Okay” she draws out. “But where did you have to go that you couldn’t be honest with them?”

You couldn’t be honest with her either though. It was clearly stated in the contract.

“I just had to run some errands and didn’t want them, like, asking where I was at and whatever. Nothing big.” You blurt out, but it was clear as day that she didn’t buy it.

“Do I know these errands?” She smirks.

God you hoped not.

“It was nothing like that.” You rolled your eyes. “Literally just simple shit like getting my car washed and running to the store. I just didn’t tell them cause… I don’t know why. I just didn’t.”

She pursed her lips, eyeing you skeptically and you did your best not to show how nervous that made you feel.

“Hm.” He hums. “If you say so.”

She grabs the bag with her and Kyle’s to go boxes and was just about to turn and leave before your mom just had to walk out from the back last minute.

“Skye!” She greeted her. “It’s been a minute since we saw you. Look at this place, it’s finally picking up huh?”

Your mom flashed her proud smile at you and it left an aching feeling in your heart.

“Yes ma’am, it definitely is.” Skye smiles back. “You guys deserve this so much! Everyone in town should be coming here, honestly. My favorite place to get lunch any day of the week.”

“Awe, you’re sweet.” Your mom says. “You know you don’t have to pay here though. I don’t know why you keep insisting.”

“Doesn’t feel right if I don’t.” Skye shrugs.

Just then, you heard your dad call your mom back into the kitchen and felt an ounce of relief.

“Well I hope we see you again soon honey.” She says, then looks down at you. “You can go ahead and clock out if you want to, also. Your dad and I can take it from here. Go out and do something tonight. You deserve it.”

There was that pain in your heart again. All the pride your mom had for you just extended the guilt you felt, but you knew there was nothing you could do about it. You just had to try to force it away and keep doing what you had to do.

“I think i’ll stay. I don’t have anything to do anyway.” You say before you look back at table nine, who were getting low on their drinks. “Gonna go check on my tables.” You quickly blurted before you walked around the counter.

Skye left right after that, bidding a quick goodbye to your mom before she headed out.

You were over by the drink station refilling some glasses when you caught a glimpse as someone fairly recognizable, even from the back came in and took a seat at the last table.

How you knew it was him before you even got a good look at his face was something you didn’t understand, but you assumed it was the black hoodie you only ever seen him wear.

You tried to avoid making eye contact so maybe he wouldn’t know you noticed him come in until you served drinks to your tables and checked up on some customers, basically just buying yourself time while you wondered why he was even there in the first place.

He was watching you, you could feel it. His stare was burning a hole right through you, and you couldn’t help but to struggle just trying to do your ordinary tasks.

You wrote down one last order and it came out a little bit hard to read, but you turned it in to your dad anyway before you had no other choice but to go approach the last table.

His arms were folded on top of it while he looked around the restaurant, observing. He didn’t look back at you until you slowly approached him, standing a bit at a distance and he noticed that.

“What can I get you to drink?” You asked. It was always the way you start off. You placed a menu down in front of him but he pushed it back towards you, bringing his eyes up to look into yours.

“I’m good.” He gruffly mutters.

You awkwardly picked the menu back up and let the confusion you were feeling wash over your face. You kept your voice to a minimum as you leaned towards him slightly, ensuring that nobody else around would be able to hear you.

“Do I owe you something?”

He simply shook his head, remaining silent.

“Then why are you here?” You managed to ask, but felt like you shouldn’t be asking this man any questions in the first place.

You saw the way his lips pulled slightly to the side. “I’m just seeing what this place is about.” He tells you.

Something about that didn’t sit right with you, but you knew you wouldn’t ask him to leave anyway. He locked his eyes on your dad when he called out a table’s order for you to come pick up.

When you did, he just watched you. Watched how you talked to the customers and how you were clearly unable to focus on anything after talking to him. He watched the people filing out when a party of nine left, and he watched you clean up all the empty plates and cups afterwards.

You felt those eyes on you the entire time, but you didn’t look back at him. You were so nervous under his gaze you couldn’t even keep your hands from shaking until you were out of his sights completely.

You stayed in the back for a while doing some dishes, stalling for time basically.

You were wondering why Hook was even there, and if something bad was meant to happen for some reason. Any time you’re around him you just have this strange feeling of impending doom that you can’t shake.

You knew he was keeping an eye on you, probably to make sure you were doing everything you needed to do to keep the business booming. Considering that you were well over your head in debt to his dad, you could understand that. Still didn’t change the fact that you disliked him even stepping foot in the restaurant, though.

“Go ahead and start closing out front. I’ll handle the rest.” Your mom broke you from your thoughts as she grabbed a plate from your hand that you were barely even washing.

You were reluctant but you knew you couldn’t tell her why, so you stiffly nodded before you grabbed a washcloth and spray and headed back out front.

By this point, the restaurant had cleared out significantly, and the only two tables left were a family of three on one side and Hook on the other.

You wiped down all the tables around the two that were occupied and tried your best not to acknowledge his stare when you were finishing cleaning the table in front of his.

There was only a few things to do before you were able to start breaking down the drink station and officially call it a night, but you weren’t sure if he knew what time you closed or not, considering he was just sitting there pointlessly.

You grabbed a few empty plates from the family of three and took them to the back, dropping them in the sink where your mom was finishing up the last of the dishes.

“What did that guy in the back order?” Your mom asks. You felt your stomach knot up at the mention of him, but kept it as cool as you could on the outside.

“Just a drink.” You lied.

“He’s cute.” She says, like she usually does when an attractive guy who looks to be around your age comes in to the restaurant. She always tries to get you to talk to them, but you don’t know how many times you have to tell her you’re not trying to be in a relationship with anybody right now.

On top of that, Hook wasn’t cute. He definitely wasn’t the sweet, charming guy that she would love for you to bring home for her to meet. He was the one she’d certainly tell you to stay far away from, if she knew the first thing about him.

“Not really.” You tell her before you leave that conversation all together.

When you walked back out front, the heaviness lingering in the air had disappeared, and so did he. It was crazy how his mere presence brought on a shift in the atmosphere that you could immediately feel the weight being lifted when he was gone.

The family of three was just getting up from their table and heading out. You told them to have a great night before you grabbed that washcloth and spray bottle you set down earlier and cleaned off the last table of the night, all the while staring over at the empty seat Hook was sitting in before.

————

Tyler knocked on his dad’s office door around midnight. He was dead tired, but that was usual.

When he was called in, his dad was expectantly waiting, waving him in. He sat down in the chair and tried to keep his eyes from crossing, but he was nearly on the verge of passing out from pure exhaustion, thanks to some things keeping him up at night.

“I stopped by the restaurant.” He mutters.

“And?” Taz urges.

“It’s on the right track.”

Taz nods as he files some papers away in his drawer.

“I expected as much. Gonna have you check in a few times here and there to make sure everything’s straight.” he tells him.

“Don’t you have people doing that already?” Tyler asked. He couldn’t help the aggravation in his tone. He was dragging and grouchy and his dad could see it.

“Yes, but what’s one more?” Taz shrugs. “I prefer all eyes I can get when my money is involved.”

Tyler wanted to roll his eyes but he didn’t. He truthfully wanted no part in any of this when it came to the restaurant girl and the deal his dad had with her. But he knew it wasn’t working that way.

“Still distraught over the other guy?” Taz asked, noting his son’s rather poor condition. The dark bags under his bloodshot eyes were a dead giveaway of the state he was in.

Tyler shook his head dishonestly, and Taz eyed him, choosing not to call his bluff.

“Go get some sleep. Need you in better shape than that in the morning. We got a run to make to the east side of town around nine.”

Tyler was more than just a little displeased to hear that.

“To do what?”

“Starks has an issue we need to help him out with.” Taz informs. “Someone’s been caught snooping around his property.”

Tyler knew what that meant. Another body to get rid of. He didn’t mind it as much since he wasn’t the one taking the life. If anything, it was somehow refreshing. At least he wasn’t being sent to catch the person lurking around.

“Alright.” He lowly speaks as he stands up from his seat. “I’ll be up.”

Taz watches as his son drags his feet across the floor, making his way towards the door.

“Tyler” he calls out to him right before he leaves. He glances over his shoulder back at his dad.

“Business is business.” He reminds him yet again. “You didn’t do anything wrong. The guy knew the deal when he signed the papers. Stop letting it eat you up inside and go get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”

But Tyler couldn’t help but to think about it. It was haunting his dreams, so he didn’t sleep.

Another bottle of liquor was downed and two blunts were faced after he got back to his apartment, just in an attempt to turn the shit off that was eating away at him piece by piece.

————

You knew today was the day you were supposed to meet Hook with another payment, but last time he texted you to meet him around three, and it was already six-thirty and you still hadn’t heard anything from him.

You were getting ready to clock out as you counted down the drawer. You had another two grand to go towards your debt and counted it six times to make sure it was the exact amount.

You had plans to go out with Skye, Willow and Anna later on and were starting to get anxious. You knew you probably weren’t supposed to text him first, but when you clocked out around seven-fifteen, that’s exactly what you did.

Instead of saying anything about the money, you simply sent him a question mark. At least you knew you made the attempt even if he never texts back, but that alone made you incredibly nervous. That would mean you were late on the second payment, even if it is his fault. Right?

You went back to your apartment to start getting ready, and had a couple texts come through as you were doing your hair. You rushed to grab your phone but a bit of disappointment sunk in when it was Anna, already a little tipsy asking where you were at.

You sighed, stressed to the point where you could feel your stomach twisting up in those knots you’ve been getting a lot lately, as you sent back your reply.

You made pretty quick work of getting yourself ready before you headed out to the bar, but made sure you kept your phone volume up so you wouldn’t miss the text if Hook ever does decide to send one. You had the money stuffed in a purse you never used in your trunk, so it was ready.

You were still anxious but hoped a couple drinks with the girls would take your mind off of it. You didn’t intend to get too drunk but every time the four of you get together, it seems like that’s always inevitable.

“Hey!” They all greet you in unison when you finally get to the bar. They were sitting at the round table in the middle, with one seat left open for you.

“Hey” You smiled as you took that seat, hoping they wouldn’t be able to tell that you were internally more anxious than you’ve probably ever been in your life.

“We ordered you crown and coke” Willow tells you, sliding the first shot your way and you were so thankful for it when you downed that glass.

“Congrats on the restaurant” Anna says, “Skye was just telling us how much it’s been thriving lately!”

You had that weird sensation of guilt hit you, but you forced it away and feigned a proud smile.

“Thank you.” You say, tapping your fingers anxiously over the table. “Yeah it’s- it’s really been doing great lately. We got lucky.”

“We’re all gonna stop by Sunday and eat.” Willow adds. “Tell your dad we missed his phillys”

You smiled at that, then Anna turned around to order another round of shots.

“Kyle said if it keeps going at this rate, you guys are gonna have to hire some extra help around there.” Skye says, “And he has a little cousin who’s looking for a job. She’s nineteen and never had one before but if it’s something your parents would consider, you can tell them about her.”

That was something you thought about already too. You definitely felt like you needed to hire extra employees with the way business picked up but under the circumstances, you didn’t want to add anyone else to the mix. In the case that everything ends up backfiring. You didn’t even want your parents there anymore. You would’ve carried the whole restaurant on your back if you could.

“Yeah, i’ll talk to them.” You lied.

“Guess who texted me the other day.” Anna says as she pulls out her phone.

“Who?” Skye asks, “Wait, don’t tell me… Jack?”

You watched the smile spread on Anna’s face and a bit of a blush creep to her cheeks.

“Just hook up already.” Willow rolls her eyes. “You’re like two lovesick teenagers too scared to tell each other how you really feel.”

Anna rolls her eyes back and continues typing, and that reminds you to check your phone too, but there was still no message from Hook.

“I’m tired of hearing you talk about him honestly.” Skye teases. “All you need to do is tell him you want him and he’s all yours. It’s really that simple. How do you think I got with Kyle? He didn’t confess his feelings for me, I did. Men need you to do that in order to make a bold move, trust me.”

“Agreed.” Willow chimes in.

Just then, another round of shots was delivered by a guy with warm brown eyes and a bright smile. You noticed him when he reached the table and immediately felt yourself smiling back when he shot that grin your way.

Skye and Willow both watched the way you were grinning, blushing, the whole nine, and when he dropped the drinks off and walked back over to the bar, they both had the same idea.

“Go get his number.” Skye was the first to say it, causing Anna to snap back into the conversation. She was too caught up texting Jack to realize the guy was even there in the first place.

“Who?” She asks, glancing between you, Skye and Willow.

“The cute bartender guy. Y/n was eyeing him pretty hard.” Willow adds in, but you rolled your eyes at that.

“I was not eyeing him. He’s cute, I was just appreciating his attractiveness.” You shrugged, grabbing your drink and taking a few sips.

“Go appreciate it some more. Looked like he was doing the same thing.” Skye tries to encourage you, but you really didn’t have the desire to.

“Nah, no guys tonight. I’m here with you three for a reason. It’s girl’s night.” You held up your glass up and they all cheers it.

“Still think you should do it.” Skye mutters before she takes a sip of her drink.

“Agreed.” Willow adds. “It’s about time you start putting yourself out there again. I know you said you never wanted to after what happened with…” You shot her a look and she avoided your exes name all together.

“I’m just saying, not every guy is gonna fuck you over. You won’t know that until you see for yourself, and you won’t see it unless you try.”

You shrugged your shoulder and downed the rest of your drink. You didn’t want to think about any of that stuff. It’s been two years since you got your heart completely shattered by a man you had all intentions to marry, and the wound still burned when you thought about it.

“She’ll do it when she’s ready.” Anna adds, sending you a soft smile. “You can’t rush these things. We all know one day Y/n is gonna be the one to find a man and fall hopelessly in love with him, get married, have a ton of babies and live happily ever after while we’re still sitting here wondering why we don’t have rings on our fingers yet.”

Skye laughed at that, a little louder than she normally would which meant she was definitely starting to feel the alcohol.

“You’re probably right.” Willow shakes her head.

“Yeah, Kyle and I talk about getting married all the time but he never fucking asks me!” She dramatically shrugs her shoulders.

“He’s just nervous babe.” Anna says. “You probably have to be the one to ask him.” She jokes.

“At this point, most likely.” Skye shakes her head.

It was then that you felt your phone buzzing in your pocket and quickly went for it. On the screen was finally a text from Hook.

behind the apartment. soon.

“What?” Skye called you out when she caught your reaction. You quickly locked your phone and stuffed it back in your pocket.

“Nothing” you shake your head. “Just my mom wondering where I went.”

“You moved back in with your parents?” Willow asked. “since when?”

“I didn’t” you blurt. “She just stopped by my apartment to drop off some stuff and saw that I wasn’t there. You know how she is.”

It was insane how easily you were beginning to come up with these lies. It didn’t make you feel good about yourself. You’d never had to lie to your best friends about anything before, but this was just something out of your control and you knew that.

Another round of shots was delivered by the same bartender and Skye and Willow both sent you knowing smirks when he set yours down in front of you and sent that warm smile your way again.

“Thank you” You beamed, and he nodded before he passed the other drinks around the table.

“Um, excuse me, sir-“ Skye called out to him before he got the chance to leave. You instantly felt your cheeks burn and kicked her under the table, but she acted like she didn’t feel it.

“Do you have a girlfriend?” She asks, and clearly the guy was a little taken back by that question, but he answered it anyway.

“I don’t.” He smiled back at her.

“Interesting.” Skye taps her fingers against the table, letting her eyes purposely wander over to you, and the bartender clearly picked up on that.

“Sorry about her” You blurt out when his eyes land back on you. “She’s drunk. Don’t pay her any attention.”

“I’m a little tipsy, not drunk, and my friend thinks you’re really hot.” She laid it all out on the table and your mouth dropped.

The bartender’s smile widened, cheeks flushing a bit.

“This is y/n” Skye points at you, and he turns his head to look at you again.

“Nice to meet you, y/n” he holds out his hand, and you take it despite the way you were nearly imploding from Skye calling you out and putting you on the spot like that.

“Nice to meet you too. And sorry about her, again. We’re not trying to bother you.” You managed to chuckle, but he shakes his head.

“Not a bother at all. Just let me know if you need anything.” He smirks before he lets your hand go, and you only nod back before he heads back to the bar.

“Wow” Willow gapes. “Skye, I can’t believe you just did that.”

“What? Broke the ice? She clearly wasn’t going to.”

“Because I didn’t want to.” You cut in, “You know I’m not trying to get with anybody right now. Why would you do that?”

“Because I know what you need.” Skye retorts. “You have got to stop avoiding guys all together just because of what Friedman did to you years ago.”

You rolled your eyes and the tensions at the table escalated when she mentioned Max’s name. They never did that.

“Sorry.” She huffed. “I was just trying to help you out. I want you to be happy. That’s it.”

————

Tyler shot up straight out of bed after he finally woke up from a serious crash. After him and his dad got back from handling Ricky’s little problem, he hit the bed and didn’t wake up until almost nine at night.

“Fuck!” He shouts when he notices the time and the message on his screen from the restaurant girl. “Fuck, Fuck, Fuck.”

He quickly typed back before he headed up to Taz’s office, rushing to it, more so.

He knocked on the door and when his dad called him in, he could see the clear aggravation on his face.

“If you don’t have money in your pocket I don’t know why you’re standing in my office right now, son.”

“I’m getting it.” He says.

“It’s late already. This is only the second week.”

“It was my fault. I passed out when we got back from Starks’ place. She’s coming to drop it off.”

Taz tapped his fingers against the table and pulled the glasses off his face.

“No more of this.” He demands. “These excuses and the slacking you’re doing lately. It’s really starting to piss me off!”

“It’s not an excuse.” Tyler’s voice raises, making his dad shoot him a look. “She already has the money. I just didn’t text her letting her know where to meet cause I crashed. I’ll bring it to you as soon as I get it tonight.”

“I understand that.” Taz says. “Maybe she’s not late, but you are. That’s still just as bad to me. You need to be on top of this shit, son.”

Tyler’s mouth clamped shut, grinding his teeth against each other.

“What about Callis.” He tacked on. “You gonna remember to collect from him tomorrow, or are you gonna be too busy sleeping?”

“I’m meeting him at noon.” Tyler said, balling his fists inside his hoodie pocket. “You’ll have the money around one.”

“I better, son. I wanna see you straighten up. All this moping around you’re doing and forgetting your collects isn’t gonna work around here. Don’t let this happen again.”

Tyler tightly nodded and turned back to the door, rolling his eyes when his dad wasn’t looking. He headed back down to his apartment and felt the weight of the whole fucking world bearing down on him.

All the pressure he felt to keep his dad’s business in line was something he knew he would never escape from. The fact that one simple mistake on his part could be detrimental to anyone involved was never something he could fully accept without feeling like the devil himself.

He waited around until ten minutes to eleven, then got a text that said almost there, and headed out his apartment and down to the back.

He stood off in the corner, covered by the shadows and waited until he saw headlights slowly turning in. He only pushed himself off the wall when he was sure it was her car.

She stepped out with a bit of a stumble and stood there awkwardly. Clearly she was nervous again, but something else about her was a little off too.

He eyed her for a moment while she didn’t move, standing still as stone in front of her door.

“You got the money?” He asked, and she quickly nodded before leaning down to push the button to pop the trunk, and bumping her head on the inside of the car when she stood back up.

She stumbled back a little and he just watched her, knitting his brows.

He walked over to her trunk and lifted the top, finding a black purse laying inside. He grabbed it, shaking his head.

“Should really invest in a briefcase with a lock.” He muttered as he slung the purse on top of the trunk. “Anyone could steal this shit.”

“Nobody knows it’s in there.” She slurred her words and he noticed. He paused with his hand in the bag and glanced over at her.

“Are you drunk?” He asks, and she simply stares up at him like she’s done something wrong. Wide, round eyes filled with all kinds of worry.

He shakes his head again before he starts counting the money, but gets interrupted when she can’t help but to say something that’s been on her mind all night long.

“Taz knows i’m not late, right?” She blurted, and he eyed her again, seeing the genuine concern on her face.

“He knows.” He muttered before he goes back to counting. She felt a little relief, but not much.

She wondered how he managed to accurately count the cash when it was nearly pitch dark outside. The only source of light was the dim streetlight off a little ways.

He skimmed through the cash and stacked them accordingly off to the side, and she just watched as he did it.

She wasn’t as nervous as before and maybe that was just because of the shots she had at the bar, but she appreciated it. She wasn’t scared to really look at him this time.

He felt her staring though, but he didn’t acknowledge it. He kept his eyes trained on the money while she was observing the way his lips moved when he silently counted.

She also noticed that he had some tattoos peeking out from under the sleeve of his hoodie and wondered what they were, but of course she wasn’t going to ask him.

“Two K.” He nods, stuffing the cash back in the purse. “wait here.” He says before he walks past her and through the door of the complex.

She leans against the car and stares at that door, waiting for him to come back. she didn’t know why he told her to wait, until he came back with that empty purse about five minutes later.

She grabbed it from him and tossed it in the trunk, then stood there aimlessly because she wasn’t sure if she was excused to leave yet.

He stood a little distance from her, wondering why she showed up so drunk in the first place, but that wasn’t his business, and he didn’t know why he was thinking about it in the first place.

“So everything’s okay?” She asked, and he knitted his brows back at that.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Like, Taz knows I had the money and… Everything’s okay?”

He could tell that she was scared, she wasn’t good at hiding it even with who knows how much alcohol in her system.

“Yeah.” He nods. “He just got it. Told him it was me that was late, not you. Its all good.”

“Okay.” She breathes out a breath of relief and he could tell that immediately. It just reminded him of the fear he puts in everyone’s hearts, but that’s what he’s supposed to do. It’s not like he has a choice.

“Next week, restaurant girl.” He says before trying to turn back and go inside, but her voice stops him.

“Restaurant girl?”

He pauses with his hand on the door knob and glances over his shoulder at her. “Yeah?” he shrugs.

“You don’t know your client’s names?” She asks, and he turns back around to face her, crossing his arms.

“Restaurant girl.” He shrugs again. “and you’re not my client. You’re my dad’s. I’m just doing the work for him.”

“But I still have a name and it’s not restaurant girl.” She shuffles on her feet, looking at the ground. She wouldn’t have said anything if she wasn’t so damn drunk.

“It’s y/n.” She says as she picks her eyes up to look at him again.

His lips form into a tight line and brows knit together again, wondering why he’s even standing there listening to this wasted restaurant girl in the first place when he could be inside smoking a blunt like he wants to.

He didn’t even know what to say back to her, so he just stared at her until she started feeling nervous all over again, ten times worse, like she’d overstepped and pissed the shark’s son off.

“I just- i’m gonna go.” She quickly excused herself, and he watched as she stumbled to her car.

“You’re gonna drive like that?” He calls out before she got the chance to open up the door. “Cause my dad’s not gonna be happy if something happens to you and he can’t get the rest of his money. Kind of a stupid choice you’re making.”

She pauses, slowly turning back to face him.

“I’m just gonna go home. It’s not that far.” her voice was a barely there whisper, but he rolls his eyes and pulls his phone out his pocket.

He types something up and she just watches, until he lifts his eyes to her again.

“Uber’s on the way. You can pick up your car tomorrow morning before my dad wakes up and sees it out here. So be here before six.”

“I don’t need an uber, I’ll be fine.” She adamantly refuses, about to open up her door, but his strong voice stops her in her tracks.

“Y/n, don’t get behind the wheel like that. That’s fucking stupid. Just wait for this uber and come get your car in the morning.”

She turned back around slowly, taking her hand off the door handle in defeat. She leaned against the car and crossed her arms over her chest, and he leaned back against the wall and did the same.

There was a moment of tense silence between them. She stared down at the pavement and he stared at her.

“Make sure you’re here before six.” He reminds her, knowing she was drunk off her ass. “I don’t want to have to explain to my dad why your car is out here. That’s bad for business.”

She looked back up at him and nodded, pulling out her phone and already setting a five o’clock, five-fifteen and five-thirty alarm so she’ll make sure she’s up.

He watched as she stuffed the phone back in her pocket and stared back down at the ground, clearly avoiding eye contact with him.

He glanced down the alleyway and then back at his phone, noting that the uber was only a few minutes out and pushed himself off the wall.

“Come on.” he muttered, heading out from behind the complex, towards the sidewalk.

She followed him, and stopped when he stopped out in front of the apartments. He looked to both sides of him, and there were a few people on the street but none of them paid any attention to him and her.

He silently leaned against the wall and she awkwardly stood next to him, anxiously rubbing her hands together as she waited on the car to come and pick her up.

They heard two gunshots ringing in the distance. She jumped, he didn’t flinch.

She looked up at him with worried eyes, and he didn’t look back down at her when he said, “Happens all the time.”

She was more than ready to get the hell out of that side of town, so when the uber pulled up, she was more than just relieved.

He pushed off the wall and stepped up to the driver’s window, leaning down to say something to him but she didn’t hear what it was.

He tapped the hood twice before he looked back at her, then proceeded to open the back door.

She was a bit surprised by that action, but she didn’t say anything about it except a quick, “Thank you” before she slipped inside.

Before he closed the door behind her she heard him say, “Tomorrow morning, don’t forget.” But before she could respond, he slammed the door.

————

The next morning, just fifteen minutes before six, the uber dropped you off in front of the complex, and when you went to pay, he denied it.

“Covered.” He simply said before he unlocked the door. You looked at him confused for a second before thanking him and getting out of the backseat.

Your car was still parked where you vaguely remember leaving it, and you were thankful nobody stole it in the middle of the night.

You weren’t smart about leaving the keys in it, but that’s something that happens when you get drunk off your ass, you assumed.

You went to open the door, but it was locked. You tried again, and then moved onto all the other doors, and they were locked too.

You paused for a moment, trying to remember if you actually did have your keys when the uber picked you up last night, but you were sure you didn’t.

You leaned down and looked into the window, but there were no keys in sight.

“Fuck” You breathed out, pulling out your phone to see that it was getting real close to six and Hook was pretty adamant about you getting your car out of there before then.

You debated whether or not you should text him and tell him what was going on. He probably wouldn’t care in the first place, and if anything you’d probably just piss him off.

You tried to come up with a plan and realized the only thing you could really do was call your mom, since she had a spare… so basically, you couldn’t do anything.

You were starting to panic a little. Your thumb hovered over the keyboard, just about to type a message when you heard the door click behind you.

You spun around and saw Hook standing in the doorway shirtless with sweatpants sitting low on his hips. Your eyes slightly widened and he noticed that, wasn’t quite sure what that reaction was for but he didn’t ask questions.

“Here.” He steps out, tossing your keys. You looked down at them after the initial surprise of seeing him in the state he was in wore off.

“Went to make sure your doors were locked and realized you left your keys in the ignition last night.” He raspily mutters, “Would’ve either had a dead battery or no car today.”

You looked down at the keys, simply because looking at him was making you feel some strange sort of feelings.

You noticed that he had tattoos littering his skin. His chest, torso, arms and probably many more from what you assumed. Not to mention the sculpted abdomen he clearly put a lot of work into.

It was strange considering you only ever saw him in that black hoodie, and even stranger that you were feeling your heart race when he was standing so close, but not from fear like usual.

He tilted his head to the side, brown eyes staring down at you. He wasn’t stupid. He knew the effect he had on women, but didn’t expect you to be one of them.

You fumbled with your keys and dropped them like an idiot, and he stared at them on the ground before you bent down to pick them up.

It was funny to him, but he didn’t crack a smile.

“Well” you tried to play it all off, successfully looking back up at him and trying your best not to let your eyes wander elsewhere. “Thanks for not letting anyone take my car.”

“Mhm” he hummed, crossing his muscular arms over his chest. “Should be more careful about that. Maybe don’t drive drunk next time and you won’t have that problem.”

You vaguely recalled him basically scolding you the night before when you tried to leave. It was a distant memory thanks to the haze of the alcohol, but you know it happened.

“Yeah, I won’t.” You tell him, and he tilts his head back, peering his eyes at you for reasons you didn’t understand.

“We won’t tell my dad about this.” He says, and you nodded back.

If Taz would’ve known that he hit up one of the getaway drivers to take a drunk girl home, he would’ve lost his shit.

He already made sure Hobbs knew not to say a word about it, but he needed to make sure you knew not to as well.

“I mean it.” He sternly states, making sure you’re looking him in the eyes when he expresses how serious he is about that.

“Okay.” You tell him. “I won’t say anything. I wasn’t going to in the first place.”

He eyes you for a little longer before his gaze drops down to your keys that your nervously fidgeting with. The sound is annoying to him but he doesn’t say anything about it.

“My dad’s about to be up.” He tells you, and you take that as your time to get in the car and leave.

“Alright.” You say. “Uh- next week i’ll have more money. So, just let me know when to bring it to you.”

He nods before he spins around and makes his way back towards the door, and it’s then that you noticed another tattoo at the top of his spine.

You tore your eyes away when he glanced over his shoulder, watching as you unlocked your car door and got inside. He said nothing more before he went back into the complex, and you pulled out of the alleyway.

That whole Saturday was spent nursing a serious hangover, but by the time Sunday rolled around, you were back at work.

Skye, Anna and Willow all came in for lunch like they told you they would and since it wasn’t too busy, you were able to sit down and talk with them for a little while.

“So” you said as you took a seat. “That guy from the other night-“

“Cute bartender guy?” Skye asks.

“Yeah, him. He found me on instagram and followed, so thanks for that.” You said sarcastically.

“Did you follow him back at least?” Anna chimed in.

“Nope.” You shook your head, earning Skye’s eyes to narrow.

“Why not?” She asked.

“Cause I don’t even know him like that.” You retorted.

Skye’s eyes rolled. “You can still follow him back. He clearly was into you. Why else would he look you up and follow?”

“I get that, but I’m not trying to get with anyone right now. I told you that the other night.”

“It’s a fucking follow on instagram. It’s not like you’re jumping on his dick behind the bar.”

You were a little taken back at her sudden irritation and choice of words, to say the very least.

“Damn Skye.” Willow comments.

“I’m just saying.” She shrugs her shoulders before she plops a fry in her mouth.

“She’s just not ready yet.” Anna softly spoke up.

“She’s not doing shit if she just follows him back-“

“Why are you so concerned about this?” You interjected. Skye looked across the table at you when you interrupted her.

“Because I’m sick and tired of waiting for you to be happy again, y/n. Ever since Max you have literally been lifeless. I just want you to find someone who brings your smile back. That’s it.”

You dropped your eyes down to your phone and Anna and Willow both eyed you, waiting for a response. The tensions at the table were escalating and the silence was speaking volumes.

“Max isn’t the reason why i’m like this.” You spoke up after a moment. “Think what you want, but i’ve got more to worry about right now than a man. That’s the last thing on my mind. This restaurant is my biggest priority right now.”

Skye’s shoulders sunk. “I get that, but-“

“But you don’t, Skye.” You shook your head at her. “Because if you did understand, you wouldn’t even be worried about me having a boyfriend right now either. You’d be more concerned about the weight on my shoulders trying to keep this place up and running.”

Your snappiness made everyone drop their heads and you immediately felt bad for it, but you didn’t take your words back.

It wasn’t entirely Skye’s fault. Truthfully you knew you’d been on edge for the last few weeks thanks to having to keep so many secrets and lie to everyone you cared about. You constantly feared that your deal with the Senerchia’s would be found out and that led you into a spiral just contemplating what would happen next.

“I’m sorry.” Skye says, her voice barely audible and you thought you felt your heart crack when you heard it.

“It’s okay, Skye.” You softened up. “I just have a lot going on right now and I don’t want to add anything on top of it all. I love you, and I appreciate you just wanting me to be happy, but right now a man isn’t in the cards for me.”

————

Tyler walked into the bar late Tuesday night. He needed to take his mind off things and the liquor stores were closed, so he assumed he’d pay a visit to that old place he used to frequent before life got complicated.

Dante was tending so he took a seat in one of the barstools and waited for his friend to finish serving drinks.

He noticed him when he walked back from the other end and immediately started making his signature. He passed it to Tyler who wasted no time downing it and sliding the glass back for another round.

“Everything cool?” he asks, and Tyler stiffly nods. He fills another glass and passes it back, and it was just another one that Tyler tipped back and downed in half a second.

Dante leaned against the bar and pulled out his phone, scrolling through his feed on instagram, which reminded him about the girl he followed not too long ago.

After checking his notifications, he saw that she still hadn’t followed back.

Tyler was staring at the glass in between his hands, waiting for his friend to get off the phone so he could get it filled again.

“Hey” he decides to turn to Tyler for some advice. “I met this girl the other night and her friend was… I don’t know, I think she was trying to get us to talk or something.”

Tyler’s eyes cut over to Dante, brows knitting under locks of messy hair.

“Anyway I found her on instagram and followed her but she never followed me back.” He says. “Think I should send her a message or something?”

Tyler blinked twice. It wasn’t common for him to be the one his boys turn to for any type of advice whatsoever. It felt weird to him.

“I’ll show you a picture of her.” Dante adds as he goes to the girl’s page.

He clicks on one of her at the beach over a summer. The picture was a year old but it was the most recent one on her account. He turns the phone to Tyler and when his eyes dropped down to that photo of restaurant girl in a bikini, he had to do a double take.

“She’s hot as hell.” Dante says before he turns the phone back. Tyler looks back down at his glass and thinks for a minute. He was debating whether or not he should tell him to shoot his shot or not. Leaning more towards not.

“Apparently she went to college too. Or maybe she’s in college still.” He says as he turns the phone to show Tyler another picture of her standing with two other girls in front of the university.

He thought back to when she told his dad she had to drop out to keep the family restaurant running. But he didn’t say anything.

“What do you think?” he asks before locking his phone and setting it down on the counter. “Should I message her or just take her not following me back as my answer.”

Tyler wordlessly slid his glass over to him, then tapped his knuckles against the countertop when there was nothing to occupy his hands.

Dante made another drink and passed it back, and that’s when Tyler finally spoke up.

“Up to you.” He shrugs. “I wouldn’t chase after her, but you’re not me.”

Dante picked up on Tyler’s vibe. His attitude was emitted stronger than it usually was. He just assumed he had another bad day. It wasn’t unusual for Tyler to be grouchy six days out the week. He didn’t take it personal.

“I mean, I don’t wanna seem pushy but this girl was something else, man.” he says. “I couldn’t take my eyes off her.”

Tyler thinks back to something that struck him the moment he remembered it. The gears start turning in his mind, and a question amounts from it all.

“What night?” He asks, trying to make it seem like he was just keeping the conversation going, but he was curious.

“Friday.” Dante tells him, and it all made sense when restaurant girl showed up drunk off her ass.

“Mm.” Tyler hums before he downs the glass he was holding. “Did you uh.. hook up with her?”

“Nah” He shook his head. “Would’ve if she wanted to, but I didn’t get that vibe from her. It was her friend who was trying to start stuff. She acted like she was too nervous to talk to me.”

Too nervous. Made sense. That girl was always nervous.

“So what happened?” Tyler asks as he coolly passes the glass back, silently requesting yet another shot. Now that the liquor was working through his system he was forgetting about the horrible day he had and focusing more on the interesting conversation instead.

“I served them their drinks and her friend started asking me a bunch of questions. She was hot too. They all were, actually.” He chuckles as he slides another shot to Tyler’s waiting hand.

“But she asked if I was single. Stuff like that. Then she pointed at the girl and was like, this is y/n and she thinks you’re hot.”

Hearing Dante say restaurant girl’s name was kind of weird to him, but he didn’t really know why. Hearing him say she thought he was hot wasn’t exactly weird, but it made him feel something he was unfamiliar with.

“So I just introduced myself to her. She kept apologizing for her friend and looked so embarrassed.”

Tyler pictured it all playing out in his head. The liquor was starting to go down a little too smooth at this point and even with that, it left a bitter taste on his tongue.

“So what happened after?”

“Nothing.” he sighed. “She left not long after that. Her friends stayed until the bar closed but when I served them more drinks they didn’t say anything else about her. I wanted to ask if I could get her number but she was gone before I got the chance. Found her on Instagram though, but, y’know, she never followed back.”

He nodded tightly, knowing exactly where she went and not bothering to inform Dante about it either. He tapped his fingertips against the glass three times before he took a slower sip.

“Sounds like she’s not into you.” Tyler decided on. Voicing it out loud, he sounded kind of harsh, but it was better than telling his friend to send her a message.

Dante had no idea the kind of shit Tyler does or the people he knows. All he knew was that he worked for his dad and was under the impression that Taz was a bondsman and he just took phone calls for him. He told all his friends that three years ago and the lie somehow stuck.

There would be too much explaining to do and things could get pretty messy.

“Think so?” his hopes were clearly let down, but Tyler nodded back.

“There’s other girls.” Tyler added. “You work at the most popular bar in this town. Could have a new one every night of the week if you wanted to. Don’t worry about that one.”

Dante nodded back before he picked up a washcloth and started wiping down the counter.

Tyler was thinking about everything he’d just learned, and concluded that it was just the liquor sinking in when he got a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach over it.

At least that’s what he was hoping.

————

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[gingerteawrites]

BY THE HEARTH: Meeting Yuji

A/N: Welcome to the second part of this mini-series! I am so glad to have you read this piece. Make sure to read the prologue here before you continue with this. Please let me know what you liked (or maybe did not like) about the piece, and I'll be sure to take that into consideration with the following parts. Enjoy!

Content: Royalty!AU, Nanami x female reader, king Nanami, Princess Y/N, Widower Nanami, Toddler Yuuji, hurt, angst. Not beta read

Word count: ~1K

banner from @cafekitsune

ACT II:

You woke up with a stiffness in your neck, groaning as you tried adjusting your position in the bed. You tried rolling your body away from the source of light, only to realize that you had fallen asleep and stayed in a sitting position all night. Heavy lids finally opened, squinting at the sunlight that dimly filtered into the opulent bedroom. It reflected off the overhead chandelier, causing thousands of fluttering lights to glimmer on the chamber’s walls. Still in a sleepy haze, you removed the velvety cover from your lower body and rested your feet on the floor, leaning on your hands against the edge of the bed. You sighed, finally looking up to examine the room.

He did not come, everything looks the same as last night. Your lips pursed in thought.

A resounding knock on the heavy door pulled you out of your haze, and a new fleet of servants filtered in, not waiting for you to respond. You sat up straight, startled by their sudden entrance. They all carried indifferent looks, carrying a multitude of items in tow. You finally relaxed a bit when you saw Alma enter last, closing the door behind her before she turned to smile gently at you.

“Good morning Your Highness. We are here to help you get ready and serve you breakfast”, she explained, inviting you to sit at the vanity.

You smiled back politely and greeted the woman “Good morning Alma.”

They all worked to get you ready, helping you change into a pastel gown with floral appliques and pinning your hair up into a loose bun. Another group of servants plated the breakfast which you ate slowly, noticing that all the dishes were from your homeland. You itched for a good conversation, looking around for someone to talk to, but everyone you settled on averted their gazes, while Alma, who had shown some modicum of kindness to you seemed preoccupied with quietly directing the servants to clean up in various ways. She had to be the head maid but was here assisting you personally. Odd, you thought.

You turned your attention back to the food, thinking of your cheerful ladies-in-waiting back home. What a shame it was that they did not let anyone from home accompany you. In many ways, this marriage felt like your kingdom abandoning you; selling you away for political advantages. But you had been given the choice. You had agreed, so you shook the negative thoughts out of your head. You were doing your duty. Despite the fact that you did not know who your husband was. That he had not written you the customary courting letters. And that you had not seen him since your wedding. You had agreed, so you had to live with the consequences.

You soon finish the breakfast, wiping at your mouth with the napkin and setting the silverware onto your empty plate. The servants took this as a cue and started taking the utensils away. You adjusted your dress, and stood, walking towards Alma, who still stood by the door, giving instructions to some young maids outside.

“Alma, am I allowed to leave this room?”, you ask, and she startled a bit, directing her attention towards you.

“Of course Your Majesty,” she said, bowing her head slightly in response.

“I expected to have breakfast with my husband this morning…” you remarked, trying to sound casual to assess her response

She waved her hands, donning an apologetic smile as she quickly explained “His Majesty usually has breakfast in his office, he is a very busy man.”

You inched closer, head tilting slightly at her words a dedicated king… Or maybe just a workaholic you hummed in thought

“I want to get some fresh air,” you announced, holding your hands behind your back. Alma nodded immediately, calling over two servants who stood not far from you “Of course Your Majesty, let us accompany you to the gardens.”

You smiled at her quick response, At least I am allowed to move within the castle.

The maids gathered around you, flanking your sides as they prepared for the little excursion. They pushed your heavy doors open, allowing for the group to walk out into the gigantic hallways. The stone, which had seemed more ragged and dull the night before now held a certain glow. The glow of resilience, like something sacred that had witnessed many a thing. The crests engraved into the pillar were surrounded by flags that hung heavy, displaying the territory’s richness. You held your breath, carefully examining the decor, reminded of your own smallness in this place. These gigantic walls held a history you were so separated from, and a growing sense of foreignness enveloped you.

Your group passed various servants and guards in the castle, offering a range of reactions at you, their new queen. Some threw curious glances your way, quickly averting their gazes when you noticed their looks, while others single-mindedly focused on the tasks at hand, ignoring you completely. Towels were being carried around, floors scrubbed and instructions shared, bringing the cold castle to life with the bustle of its inhabitants. You kept walking, observing the new scenery with keen interest.

Your party finally reached the gardens, which sprawled open in a scape of flowers and trees. The outside air felt moist but cool, carrying the remnants of last night’s storm. You closed your eyes and let it fill your lungs, stepping out onto the cobblestone path that snaked around the garden. Your eyes reopened with a smile, the breeze caressing your cheek as a silent welcome.

“We could wait here if you would like to walk through the garden alone, Your Majesty,” Alma announced, noting your delighted expression. You turned to her, eyebrows raised in surprise at her suggestion “I assure you there is nowhere unsafe within the castle walls.” she added.

“Oh no, that was not my concern,” you waved your hand and shook your head. “Thank you for the suggestion, I would like to do that.”

She nodded, offering another smile and stood a few paces away with the other servants to allow you room to wander. You engaged on the stone path that curved into a deeper part of the garden, turning back to see that they had not moved, only their eyes followed your movements. As you ventured deeper, the group eventually faded out of sight and you focused on admiring the white lily bushes that littered the entry of the path. The warmth of spring had yet to take full force, still, the flowers already showed signs of bloom, small buds and green leaves covering each plant. The trees still lay fruitless, and your fingers brushed against the bark of a fig tree as you thought of its future growth. Birds chirped melodiously over you, and you allowed yourself to enjoy this moment of peace.

It’s not all bad. I don’t have to have a bad life here, you mused, your heart filling with silent encouragement.

After some time, you wandered into a small opening in a more isolated corner of the garden. The space held an intricately carved fountain in the middle, and two benches across from each other that faced it. You sat down and titled your head back to enjoy slowly moving clouds, noting the small birds that dashed overhead.

Your moment of respite was interrupted by the sounds of quick steps running in your direction, causing you to crane your neck towards the corner from which they came. You thought they might have belonged to a small dog, but a child soon appeared, dashing at full speed towards you.

The boy had delicately combed strands of pink hair, a determined look in his eyes, and a mischievous smile that pulled at his lips. His own eyes widened when he noticed you, digging his heels into the path to stop the momentum from his run. He stared at you, wide-eyed and you returned the look, not sure how to react.

“You’re not a maid!” he asserted, pointing his finger at your attire with an assured look on his face.

His assertion made you chuckle a bit, equal parts amused by his conclusion and taken by his cuteness. His wide eyes shone brightly, and you immediately felt drawn to his carefree aura only a child would possess.

“That is a correct guess,” you said, offering your warmest smile “And who are you, boy?” you asked, tilting your head slightly, resting it on your wrist in interest.

“I am Yuji, my Lady!” He announced proudly, bumping a fist to his chest. You wanted about to giggle again at his attitude, but the sounds another group of footsteps approaching caused you to look up from his small stature to the path from which he had arrived.

“Hey, quick!” he whisper-yelled, coming to wrap his hand around your index and middle fingers “We need to hide, come!” He pulled at them with strength that surprised you enough to almost make stumble as he led you to another section of the garden that resembled a small maze. With vines climbing wooden screens that cast long shadows behind them. You both quickly stood behind them.

“Is this a game of hide and seek?” you asked quietly, and he made a ‘shhhhhhh’ sound, finger placed on his lips and his brows knit in seriousness.

You stifled another chuckle but straightened when you heard the footsteps near, holding the boy closer to your feet as a group you couldn’t see hurriedly passed through the space you had previously been sitting in.

That sounded like quite a few people. You looked at him, lips pressed together in thought.

“Did you do something wrong, little Yuji?” you whispered even quieter when you were sure the group was out of earshot, and the boy fixed you with an offended look

“Firstly, I am not little!” He said, lip upturned “And I didn’t do anything wrong.” he crossed his arms, turning his face away.

Your experience with countless little cousins told you that making him mad would not be a productive way to get the answers you wanted, so you squatted so you reached his height, and held a hand over your chest “I am sorry for my assumption,” you expressed, mustering the most sincere tone you could.

He eyed you suspiciously for a second, but after a huff, a smile returned to his face “Apology accepted!” he said, to which you smiled in return. You wanted to ruffle his pink hair and pinch his pink cheeks, but refrained, not sure of how he would react. He extended his hand at you, seemingly wanting you to grab it.

“You look new around here. Want me to show you around?” He beamed, swaying on his feet in anticipation of your reply.

“Another correct assumption,” You smiled, holding your forefinger to the air “And that would be very kind of you, how could I refuse?” You added, grabbing his hand before standing up to your full height. You could probably find his parents while in the castle with him. Yes, that was the best course of action.

His face beamed at your response, and you could swear you felt a fresh pulse of energy from him radiate through the air “Yay! But one condition!” he urged, holding his palm up to you “No one can see us. Come on!” He pulled you, causing you to almost trip again at the strength this kid displayed, which you were now sure someone his age should not possess.

The boy dragged you to an exit completely different from where you had entered, opening into a separate terrace with a gazebo standing in the middle. Vines climbed up its delicate metal frame that was itself molded in the shapes of blooming flowers. Your mouth hung open at the sight, wondering about the craftsmanship that went into it. Yuji also stopped at your feet for a moment, but you felt him pull at your arm again, causing you to look down and notice a forlorn look in his eyes.

“Is everything okay?” you asked softly, the other hand itching to caress his hair, but settling on resting it on his shoulder.

He shook his head, and the mischievous determination you had noticed earlier returned to his face “Let’s go to the library!” He announced, “It’s the most interesting place in the palace anyway, and they have books about worms!” he added, pulling you into the adjacent hallway, and eventually through more isolated corridors.

The way he expertly navigated the space, knowing which doors servants would come out of and how to hide made you realize that he was intimately familiar with this castle. “Worms you say? That sounds very interesting!” you said, trying to mirror his excitement “I know right!” he beamed right back, his hold tightening around your fingers

He must be the son of a servant here, you mused while he quietly pulled you along, eyes narrowed in concentration as he led you, as if on a secret mission. He’s too well-dressed to not have rank though, you kept wondering. Regardless of his birth, the boy had shown you more warmth than anyone in this castle, and you were grateful for his presence. You eventually reached a heavy ebony door with thick metal handles, and he used his entire body weight to pull them open, before urging you in.

The room you entered was lined with large windows that extended from roof to floor, flanked by opulent curtains that caused the light to filter in bright streaks. The room smelt of old books, causing you to marvel at all the volumes that endowed the gigantic shelves. Thick spines, some ornate with gold engravings, others plain, but equally precious under your gaze. You were surprised to note the library’s emptiness and turned to look at the boy who had already shut the door and was moving a few paces away. You caught up behind him, following his movements.

“Why is this place so empty?” you inquired, feeling he would know the answer.

“Visitors are not allowed these days,” he responded absently, starting to run towards a specific shelf, and plucking a book out. You reached his location, bending down curiously to see what he was doing. His eyes shone at the thick volume he had pulled out, and he held it towards you proudly. “Worms, Millipedes, and other small critters” was written in cursive across its cover with an illustration of various insects in a circular arrangement.

“This is the best book in the entire library!” he announced.

You smiled again at his attitude, taking in the kid’s enthusiasm. He started opening the book, the pages fluttering as he searched for a specific chapter but paused to look up at you. “Are you going to pick out a book?” He asked, head tilting in thought when he noticed you had not left his side. You were tempted to look around, but shook your head and decided against it for now. You crouched down to his height again and rested your chin on your knees.

“Let’s read that one together”, you pointed to the book he was holding

His eyes shone even brighter, and his face morphed into a wide pink-cheeked smile. “Let’s not waste any time, then! Come on!” He said, taking off towards another corner of the library, and you ran after him.

This kid has way too much energy for his own good. You finally came to a stop when you reached the opposite corner of the library, hand placed on your chest as it heaved with quick breaths. It was furnished with a small coffee table and a silver sofa set by one of the large windows. He sat down closest to the window, and you joined him on the small sofa. The boy then scooted closer, opening the book to the chapter named “Helminths”, with an illustration of an earthworm gracing the first page. Yuji moved the book over to rest on your knee so that both of you could see, and your heart warmed at how comfortable he acted around you.

“Do you want me to read it for us?” you suggested, tilting your head down to look at his face. He looked up, and his brows furrowed a bit before he nodded bashfully. “I can’t say some words yet,” he admitted, looking down at his lap with a small pout.

Your resolve to not ruffle his hair finally broke, and you gently tousled his hair at the cute display “Don’t worry, I struggle too, sometimes,” you whispered your confession, causing a smile to return to his face. You softly cleared your throat and started reading from the piece, enunciating the long classifications of worms, from benign to parasitic, noting with a raised brow how he practically thrummed in excitement when you talked about tapeworms feeding from and reproducing in human hosts.

Soon enough, you felt his weight lean against your arm, and you knew that the peaceful atmosphere and the melody of your voice had lulled the boy into sleep. You closed the book, making sure to bookmark the page you ended at, and adjusted him so that his head lay in your lap and his neck wouldn't hurt when he woke up.

I have to find his parents, you thought, running your fingers up and down his arm in soothing motions. He looked so peaceful sleeping, nuzzling softly against you.

The calm moment was interrupted by the sound of the heavy library door being pushed open, and frantic footsteps walking around the library. Your head rose and your brows furrowed at the intrusion. Was this place not supposed to be empty now?

“Yuji! Yuji!” a voice resounded, gravelly and loud, the frequency of the calls betrayed a tinge of worry. Your back straightened instantly, recognizing the voice and your arm paused its gentle touches across the child's arm. Before you could react, the king emerged from behind a shelf, his expression hardening immediately at the sight before him.

“What are you doing with my son?” His low voice came out rough with displeasure and contained anger, and you wanted to burrow into the ground and disappear.

Oh no.

Tag list: @ofcqdesi @tomiokasecretlover

Please comment if you want to be added to the tag list. Thank you again for reading, I would love to know your thoughts on this!

[napakmahal]

Moving in with Tadashi blurb

“God where did all this crap come from?” Tadashi dropped a cardboard box with shoes written on the side in black sharpie. “Seriously, I shared a room and your old place wasn’t that big.”

You scoffed looking around at all the boxes with just his name on them. “It’s all your crap. I could sell all your tech shit and we could buy ourselves a small house.”

Moving into your new apartment was scary, tiring, but so exciting. It would be Tadashi’s first time living somewhere he couldn’t just look over and see his little brother sleeping there. It would suck and he and Hiro had a pretty long conversation about how he wouldn’t be around as much anymore. Hiro swore he would be happy he got his own bathroom but he was genuinely sad to see his big brother go. You decided that the pull out in your very small living room was designated just for Hiro to come visit.

“Ha-ha,” He laughed sarcastically. “But at least we got all the boxes up here.”

You breathed out and grabbed one of the bright orange box cutters. “I know, I think I just lost five pounds. We cannot do this ever again, like I’m so tired. Can we just stay here forever?”

“This place is the size of my old bedroom. We cannot stay here.” Tadashi joked and started unloading the boxes of kitchen supplies. When you announced you’d be moving in Cass gifted you two a blender, toaster, pans, pots, plates, cups and lots of silverware. “Besides this is just one stop before we get our house.”

“A house? Damn Hamada, we should’ve started saving last year.” You looked back at him as you unpacked some wall frames. “Seriously, I don’t know how Cass does it. The rent on that place has to be in the thousands.”

You laughed together and picked out a few more things. In one of the boxes was an air mattress GoGo gifted you when she moved in with Honey. So you’d sleep on that until the mattress you ordered showed up.

So you divided and conquered. You went for the kitchen and dragged your new kitchen supplies behind you to wash and put away. A few hours past when Tadashi came jogging out of your new room sweating and out of breath.

“I did it, I finished the bedroom.” His breathing was weirdly rapid.

You pointed at him. “Why are you so out of breath?”

“The pump stopped working mid-way and I had to blow up the mattress manually.” He took a sip out of his water bottle.

“Oh my god,” you laughed still washing the new appliances. “Sit down, just relax.”

He did, for a while as you just washed the dishes. The whole thing was so mundane. Was life going to be like this all the time? You weren’t married but what if this what it was like?

Suddenly, as you were drying them you felt to arms snake around your shoulders. Tadashi dug his nose into the side of your neck.

“Hi.” You said sweetly.

He replied, muffled, “hi.”

“What’s up?” You asked.

He sighed and pressed kisses to the side of your neck. “I miss my family.”

“Aww, baby. They’re not very far, it’s like a 30 minute drive. And next week we’re having the over for dinner.” You dropped the towel and turned around.

Tadashi’s dug his head into your chest. “I know, but it’s so quiet without them.”

Your voice was quiet and you started petting his head with your fingertips. “Hiro’s at school right now. You wanna call him over?”

“No, not today.”

[soapoet]

how are you, october?

+3 Taylor Swift songs each because she's striving and so should you.

like & rb if it resonates ♡

Soapy scribbles: I already did a general energy reading for this autumn season here, but there's quite a bit of energies at play this autumn, so I felt the need to look at October specifically as it feels very important.

01.

Shufflemancy: Taylor Swift ‐ Don't blame me, I did something bad, Red.

How long have you kept the light on? Sitting there, staring at the door, waiting for someone who never seems to come? The radio is on, playing two stations at once. The flower petals all say maybe, not he loves me, he loves me not. You are frustrated and confused, yearning for clarity but outside the sun just won't rise and the only light is the one lit outside your house. Have you given your time at a discount, or is the free trial still running? Someone needs to draw the line in the sand further from the waves that keep washing them away. You want more, and for love to not feel like agony. Red is the colour of passion, both love and hate. I see you wearing their white t-shirt, your heart bleeding and staining it red as you watch them sleep. Safe and sound, whilst you howl to the moon. You're growing territorial. A desperate act to ward off the wolves that prowl your prey. You saw them first, but they don't seem to see you.

It seems as though your thoughts and feelings are silly until somebody else echos them, word for word, and then they're liquid gold. You're not a ghost, but you feel your outlines blur. Where do you end and where do they begin? You haunt their halls, but they're fast asleep and never notice a bump in the night. You've felt powerless, like the quietest poltergeist, unable to move and shake the silverware, never able to rattle the cupboards or the picture frames. Somebody treats you like they would give you their last name, yet make no such commitments, not a single step in that direction. It is all up in the air, and you feel like the rug beneath your feet will get pulled at any moment. Is it not tiring to lie awake, watching the shadows, wondering what beasts may strike if you let your guard down in slumber? Without certainty, you're the one in fear under the covers, certain it wasn't just the wind. Because in your experience, it never really is.

Do not sign the dotted line without examination of the fine print. Better yet, do not sell your heart and soul to someone who will keep you on a shelf, saved for a rainy day, but will not puncture breathing holes into the lid and care for you truly. Do not let yourself be kept for a season, wings clipped and left to asphyxiate in a jar. You have given enough benefits of the doubt, but nobody is so daft, so oblivious, they would not embrace love they find worthy and good. Do not let yourself be kept as an option or as something good enough until something better, new and shiny, comes along. Close up shop and demand full subscription for your time and effort. If they won't pay the price, you'll find better in no time whilst karma chews them out. Especially if you feel like you can't do better, or have felt like love keeps avoiding you and you're somehow faulty and too broken to be loved, there really is someone around the next few corners who won't play you like a game or stick around only in fair weather but your storms too. So don't settle, you deserve better than okay and fine and good enough. For a select few, there really is love here, but may be drowning in addiction or fears of some kind. Remember that you can't help someone who doesn't want help, because change is made when they want change. This change may very well be coming up in the near future, and wrongs may be made right slowly. If this is somebody you love, whether romantically or platonically, even in a familial sense, make sure you keep your head above water and put your own oxygen mask on first before helping another. You can extend a helping hand, but do so when they ask, not because you're expected to do it because you always have. New beginnings in old relationships are possible if you want it.

Additional details: Amethysts, Ayurveda, moths, mixed signals, love languages, uquizzes and other such tests, purple, blue, red, bus rides, tattoos, job offers, writing, poetry, thesis, message in a bottle, missing an ex, addiction, healing, birds and squirrels, starting over, second chances, reminiscing, old photos or journal entries or ig posts, synastry charts, girl in red, Phoebe Bridgers, Noah Kahan, Bishop Briggs, YA book series, maladaptive daydreaming, BPD, lighters, short trips, parties or other get togethers, double dates, life path 8, birthdays, sanrio, studying, Scorpio/Aries/Virgo/Capricorn/Pisces, 3H/4H/5H/12H, Saturn/Mars/Uranus, Lilith/Chiron, 25/89/222/555.

02.

Shufflemancy: Taylor Swift - Gorgeous, Paper rings, I think he knows.

Luck seems to be on your side, or it soon will be. After a long drought, you have stumbled upon an oasis. Prayers whispered in the dark, sometimes choked out by tears, are now proven to have been heard after all. Endless night and harsh winter is over, even though seasonally speaking it's right ahead of us in the northern hemisphere. In your life, however, you're coming out of a very long and hard winter. You have felt cold and lost, sometimes frozen in place, as though your icicle bones and frosted skin wouldn't let your body decompose when you thought you were dead. You were stuck up to your thighs in snow. Every step was a challenge, and harsh winds threatened you like frail branches bending and snapping in storms. Now the snow is melting, trampled into slush beneath your boots and making way for spring flowers to bloom.

Forward movement is happening in many areas of your life. New beginnings are popping up like wildflowers in a meadow for you to frolic in. You're making changes and changes are making you. Immovable objects begin to roll down the hilltop where you've felt stranded like a lone celltower sending and receiving signals. You may have felt in your heart and soul that the winds are changing. Your intuition has been wide open and receptive for some time now, hasn't it? But rooted in place unable to move you have felt unable to take action. That is changing now as not only can you move forward, but things you have wished for begin to arrive like ships to your shores. You sowed and nurtured the seeds and it is time to harvest your crops. If you have dealt with mental terrors and grief, you should see those slowly begin to heal, circumstances improve, and help becoming available to you and you finally feel ready and able to take it.

If you've been engaging in some good old fashioned yearning, know that it's a case of mutual pining. Someone whose freckles, birth marks, or scars you have mapped out like an astronomer the night sky in stolen glances has stolen just as many of you. Either one of you, perhaps both, have been closing doors as of late, gone through endings and made space for the new and found the keys to the doors once shut and chained and locked. There is a distinct sense of leveling up here, like entering a new region in a game at last when the requirements have been met, and you're now free to explore new and unknown territory. I see unwavering eye contact where before it was a game of cat and mouse. I see a church, two people side by side in the pews sharing quiet confessions. Words previously only thought find a voice and get spoken, not to the moon but the heart they were meant for. There can be some secrecy involved, but less like the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet it's keeping something sacred between two souls, keeping each other like an oath. Sheltering a flame, for some of you one rekindled, between four hands and promising to meet in the woods at night. This secrecy is not one grown from shame, but one of dedication. A solid foundation, a home and sturdy fortress is being built or rebuilt in the dark of the night so its eventual beauty and intricacies may be admired by all in the sun. You may have manifested this, or simply known this was inevitable. All you really had to do was accept it as fate and wait for it to unfold. This is a cozy kind of love, but also devout like two souls looking upon each other in reverence. It feels as close as it feels free. There's something to lean on but also room to grow. You hold each other tightly, but loosen the grip as needed, and always ready to catch the other if they fall. For some of you this marks the end of a third party situation, an entirely new love, and for others this is reworking an existing or past love with a new set of rules and making magic together after tough challenges.

Additional details: Full moon, abundance, sudden income, lottery luck, gifts, receiving or giving flowers, dancing, swimming, guided meditations, listening to higher frequencies, therapy or counselling, lists and plans, entrepreneurship, editing, finishing tasks, cats, rabbits and ferrets or rodents, pancakes and waffles, sunflowers and dandelions, espresso, heavy rain, holding hands, nostalgic scents or environments, coughing, PTSD, neurodivergence, artificial intelligence, fidget toys or stress balls, colouring books, arts and crafts, dainty jewellery, body language, law of assumption, dreams, blue, green, black, glasses, kpop, punk, indie, Stray Kids, Ateez, Dreamcatcher, Daft Punk, Sabaton, Avenged Sevenfold, Korn, Virgo/Leo/Cancer/Aquarius/Sagittarius, 1H/3H/5H/11H, Jupiter/Moon/Mercury/Pluto, North and South Node/Ceres, 12/13/33/555/888.

03.

Shufflemancy: Taylor Swift - The archer, Mean, Anti-hero.

Narcissus and Echo, a tragedy of old. You may have been at the mercy of fluctuating between the two. This can be a dance between you and another, or you and your own reflection. You may have pushed someone away. A friend, a family member, yourself, or an authority figure of sorts. Demanding they leave you alone, left them on read or never bothered to open their letters at all, after so long of clinging to their every word. Certain of your independence, a need to put yourself first, desperate self love wholly unrequited. Or perhaps you fought viciously for yourself, but your voice was never heard. As though you always needed someone else to speak your words for them to be taken as right and true. Perhaps you were sent on a glitched quest, "ask your mother" only met with "ask your father", leaving you in the uncertainty of the in between, alone and filled to the brim with unanswered questions and no sense of direction.

You have sought help, asked for assistance, asked all the right questions and really pushed your own cart forwards though it has been uphill. And something or someone always cast stones on your path forward, shoved stick between the wheels to make the process feel so hopeless. There are wounds that you bear that have been left unhealed for years. Still raw and bleeding you dry whilst you try to keep yourself together like cupping water in your hands as it spills through your fingers. But though your path is full of traps and spikes and is uncertain and winding, you know the way forward all within yourself. Because you carry with you the only light you need to find your way. You may cross paths with kind advisors who unseathe their swords to fight for you, and some of them may already be in your life. Those who see the injustice and tear down the thicket ahead to make way for you and protect you whilst you stitch your wounds and ready yourself for battle yourself. Accept the help, encouragement, and follow these kind mercenaries when you get lost. Allow them to carry your burdens when as Atlas you need a break from carrying the world upon your shoulders. Soon you'll be strong enough to do what you need to do. Be better, stronger, healthier, if not for you right now then for those who need you and cherish you and want you by their side in the quests of life. Eventually your actions will prove to be the best for you, and a faint portrait of a future you smiles upon your present self for your decision to keep moving forward.

If you need to put your foot down, do so in earnest. Shoo away guilt and shame, and let go of the idea that you must suffer in silence and weather unnecessary storms, speak when spoken to and follow another's commands so often not in favour of your own well-being. Fight your inner demons, but know you need not fight them alone. Dip a quill in ink and rewrite the rules. Break into the library which holds the book of life and black out that what does not serve you, and take ownership of your own story. If Narcissus treats you poorly, trample him under your foot on your way out the door. He is only a flower now and seasons change, and he will wilt and wither away as you no longer shine upon his petals.

Additional details: Violins, literature, art galleries, sisters and fathers, divorce, babies or children, psychotherapy, CBT, law, changing your name, lgbt+, jazz, classical music, Regina Spektor, Kate Bush, Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, borzoi, dog videos, playing instruments, writing a book, storytelling, unknown address, exotic animals, spiders, ED, OCD, teddy bears, squishmallows, studying for a test, doctor's appointments, funerals, chill covers/lofi, slowed/reverb/acoustic versions, subliminals, affirmations, lace, fuzzy socks or woolen socks, bruises, house plants, monstera, ivy, pothos, tea collection, cold hands, Taurus/Gemini/Libra/Scorpio/Capricorn, 2H/6H/8H/10H, Saturn/Pluto/Neptune/Venus, IC/MC, 17/23/95/11:11/000/444.

[thatdarkfanficstuff]

Flutter - Chapter Two

Pairing: Mafia!Steve Rogers x Reader

Enjoy!

It took nearly a week for Tony to get the nerve to broach the topic with your family. While you and Peter were old enough to have lives of your own, Pepper liked you all to have dinner together as often as possible. You hadn’t thought anything of it when she requested a family meal, but perhaps you should have. You couldn’t remember the last time it had been so silent in the house. Something was bothering Tony and you all knew it was better to just let him stew until he decided it was time to talk.

Finally, he interrupted the rhythmic clinking of silverware with a sigh as he sat his fork down. He took a long drink of his wine. “Alright. It’s time to talk.” His gaze swept over the table before landing on Peter. “I had meeting with Rogers. He wants assurances of our loyalties.”

Peter snorted and rolled his eyes. “What? He wants us to swear an oath or something?”

Tony pursed his lips. “No. He wants Roman to marry Morgan.”

Well, you hadn’t expected that. It was rather medieval of him. Huh. You wondered why Tony agreed to it. Steve must have been angrier than usual. A glance at Pepper showed she’d already been aware and she wasn’t happy. You leaned back in your chair and watched as your overdramatic brother jumped to his feet. His chair scraped against the tile.

“No fucking way, Tony. You can’t just sell her off like property.”

Morgan’s lips were pressed into a thin line but she said nothing, letting Peter fight her battles like usual. She had a mouth but not around your father. No, when Tony was around, she was the perfect angel.

“Watch your mouth in front of your mother,” Tony automatically corrected Peter. “And sit down.”

When he hesitated, Tony lifted a brow. “Now.”

Once Peter had dropped back into his chair, Tony leaned forward. “This is business. Morgan doing her part for the family.”

Peter’s jaw clenched, his face contorted in his anger. “There has to be another way. Roman’s a raging asshole.”

You huffed a laugh. Well, that was true enough. Tony shot you a chastising look before putting his attention back on the family hothead.

“Enough, Peter. This is the price to be paid for your indiscretions. Rogers fears you’re reaching above your station. Making us family is his was to secure your allegiance. Stop pissing in other people’s pools and we wouldn’t be having this discussion.”

Your brother visibly slumped in his seat with the admonishment. He’d been warned more times than you could count about his temper but now his beloved little sister was paying the price. That had to be a harsh blow for him. Sucks to suck, you guess.

You sipped your wine and waited for everything to finish playing out. You’d fix this just like you always did.

Morgan’s fingers clutched the stem of her water glass. Her wide eyes darted between your parents before flicking over to Peter. He gave her a subtle nod, telling her to speak up. “Roman is older than me. And he has a reputation. Everyone knows what he’s like.”

“Your point?” Tony prodded. Pepper laid a hand on his arm reminding him to be patient.

Morgan swallowed. “He sleeps with anything that moves. And he’s always starting fights. He’s mean. I hate him.”

“A lot of people hate their spouses, princess. You’ll get used to it.” Tony lifted Pepper’s hand and kissed the back of it to assure her she was an exception.

You outright laughed at the insulted expression on your sister’s face. When Tony glanced at you, you smirked. “That was kind of harsh, Dad.”

Tony leaned back and mirrored your smirk. “And what do you have to add to the conversation, sweetheart?”

Morgan huffed in irritation at the tone he used when he addressed you. Your relationship with your father was drastically different than hers. For one you had over a decade on her sixteen years. For another you were around before anyone else, even Pepper. He adopted you when the parents you didn’t remember died in a crash. For years it was just the two of you. And you were the one he trained to take over the company. Your dynamic was completely different.

“Did our illustrious king of the city ever actually state which daughter he wanted?”

You didn’t miss the hope that flashed on the rest of your family’s faces save Tony. Once again, you were offering a solution to their problems. You were good at it. Its why your dad wanted you to take over despite Peter sharing his creative interests.

Tony’s gaze turned calculating. “He didn’t specify,” he admitted after a moment. You could practically hear the gears turning in his head as he tried to figure out where you were going with this. You didn’t want to marry Roman any more than Morgan did.

“Interesting.” You ran a finger along the fabric of the tablecloth as you thought. “Then perhaps it should be me.”

He immediately shook his head in denial. “Absolutely not. You’re too valuable for me to turn over to Rogers.”

Morgan’s chair scraped against the floor, her voice a blend of anger and pain. “And I’m not?”

“That’s not what he meant, baby,” Pepper said in an attempt to soothe the hurt.

You turned your attention to your little sister. “You’re his princess. Trust me, he figured he had four years or so to find you a way out of it. He won’t have that luxury with me. Besides, he doesn’t want to go through the effort of training anyone else to take over for him.”

After a confirming nod from her father, Morgan calmed and sat back down.

“I can take over for him,” Peter said.

Tony blinked at him. “No.”

You grinned at Pete’s annoyance. Tony’s dark eyes met yours in a silent standoff, willing you to give in. But if there was one thing you’d gotten from your father, it was your stubbornness. With a resigned sigh, he gave the nod that sealed Roman’s fate. Steve Rogers would get more than he’d counted on when he made this deal.

“Fine. We’ll do it your way.”

Peter’s grip tightened on his fork, knuckles going white. He looked ready to protest on your behalf now but a glance in your direction kept him in his seat. Smart boy.

Tony lifted his glass. “To the future Mrs. Carter.” He drained his wine with a sour expression.

You crinkled your nose in annoyance. “No. I don’t like it. He’ll become a Stark.”

Pepper chuckled. “You think you can order Roman Carter to take your name and he’ll just do it?”

You shrugged one shoulder. “No, but Rogers can. I’ll make it part of the contract.”

“Contract?” Peter asked.

“Like Daddy said, it’s a business transaction. I’ll have everything written out and signed before I even think of walking down the aisle.”

Your brother tilted his head to study you. “You have this all figured out don’t you?”

“Not all of it. Not yet, but I will.”

***

You drove yourself to the Rogers estate the next day. You parked on the curved drive in front of the house. The front door opened before you even reached it. A man you recognized as Sam Wilson leaned against the frame making no secret of taking in your form from head to toe. Evidently liking what he saw, he grinned. You couldn’t help but return the smile. He was so pretty after all.

“And how can I help you today, pretty lady?”

“Would you please inform Mr. Rogers that Tony Stark’s daughter is here to see him?”

A look of surprise flashed across his face before he gestured for you to step inside. He shut the door behind you. “Wait here.”

Left alone in the entrance hall, you surveyed your surroundings. The house was nice but cold. You saw none of the little touches that would make it a home instead of a showpiece. You weren’t impressed.

Sam reappeared with a smile. “This way,” he said with a gesture.

The door he led you to was only a short distance down the hall. He opened it without knocking and motioned for you to enter, remaining in the hall when he closed the door. Your gaze ran across the expanse of soft leather and dark wood. Books lined the walls and Steve Rogers sat at a large desk with his head bent over papers as he read.

You were content to remain silent and use the opportunity to size him up. You’d seen him before, of course, but typically from a distance. His blue suit jacket hung on the rack behind his desk. He wore a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up showing a couple of tattoos on his forearms. His shoulders were broader than you would have guessed but it was his hands that drew your eyes as he made a note in the margin of his work.

He glanced up as he finished and his double-take had you smiling. He tossed the pen on the desk and leaned back in his chair as he looked you over. If Sam was pretty, Steve Rogers was gorgeous. His neatly trimmed beard had you wanting to run your fingers through it before you traced his soft lips. You shook your head slightly. What. The. Fuck. What was wrong with you? It wasn’t like you to fall for a handsome face. At least not so quickly. You cleared your throat which seemed to snap Rogers out of whatever daze he was in as well.

“You’re not sixteen,” he said by way of greeting.

“I am not,” you agreed before introducing yourself. “The eldest Stark daughter.”

He hummed. “I forgot Tony had two girls.” He gestured to the chairs in front of his desk.

You sat, leaning forward in anticipation of the coming conversation. “I’m to inform you that as you didn’t specify, I will be the one marrying your son.”

“Stepson,” he corrected automatically before running his eyes over you again. The weight of his gaze felt like a physical caress and you suppressed a shiver.

You waited for any hint of surprise or disapproval, but he just continued to look at you with an intensity that suggested he was seeing more than a Stark daughter or a future daughter-in-law. He was as if he saw you—as if you were the only person in the world that mattered. And wasn’t that a heady feeling. Despite the reason for your presence, you couldn’t help but wonder about the man sitting across from you and this connection that sparked to life in mere seconds.

“Why you instead of Morgan?” Steve finally asked.

“To be blunt, Mr. Rogers, Roman is an asshole. Most of the time I won’t give a shit what he does. But if he crosses me I will put him place without hesitation.”

His eyes lingered on your face, taking in every contour as if committing it to memory. Then, slowly, a smile dawned upon his features. A smile of recognition, perhaps even respect. “Understood. I wouldn’t expect anything less from Stark’s daughter.”

“Very well then,” you said as you stood. “We’ll arrange a time for us to get together and go over the specifics.”

***

Steve nodded and watched as you moved to leave. You paused at the door to give one last glance over your shoulder and he huffed out a breath as you shut the door behind you. His shoulders slumped as tension flowed from him and he ran a hand down his face. Holy shit. You were not at all what he was expecting when Sam announced your arrival.

The air seemed cooler now, or perhaps it was simply the absence of your presence. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had such a visceral reaction to a woman. He stood and went to the window with the best view of the drive. You slid behind the wheel of your car without noticing him. A smirk played on his lips, his thoughts on the fire behind your eyes, a testament to your spirit. Steve admired that—more than he should given the circumstances.

“Trouble,” he muttered. You were going to bring so much chaos. The thought should be unwelcome, but it was anything but. Roman wouldn’t know what to do with you. But Steve…

Steve could think of so many wonderful, fabulous things he would like to do with you.

[izvmimi]

cw: palace drama au! multiple wives, you are empress, katsuki is emperor. violence. implied infidelity. a/n: i didn't edit this sorry

it's the day of the autumn solstice and the second year of the flame emperor's reign, and you as Empress find yourself as the center of a disaster.

your hands shake as you settle at your ornate banquet table, your eating utensils dropped to the side and your appetite long gone. your eyes dart from the emperor in his own seating place, elevated and separate from you and the remainder of the wives, to the gaggle of overly-dressed women who stare at you in shock, and finally to the handmaiden who kneels in the center of the hall and accuses you of high treason.

your mouth opens and closes. what can you say to defend yourself?

"i, your servant, would not make this up or let heaven strike me down."

your trusted handmaiden finishes her accusation and bows deeply; the palace guard beside her, a man you've met at most twice, takes a final glance at you, allowing himself to smirk, then also bows in respect to the emperor. you can't bear to look at your husband now, letting your eyes focus on the soup before you. they prick and blur however, as though the steam and spice is injuring you, but when tears begin to fall wordlessly, it's clear that you've begun to break down.

for the next few moments, the room is so silent one could hear a pin drop.

they all wait for the emperor to speak.

instead of speaking however, he claps once, slowly, loudly and echoing throughout the ornate room. you can tell one of the wives is startled as there's a quiet clanging of silverware in the distance and hushed whispering.

another clap, then another, and then a laugh. you look up, and your husband looks furious from his high position, but there is a smile on his face that is much more like a baring of his teeth and he is laughing as he looks at the two bodies prostrating themselves before him.

"so let me get this straight..." he recapitulates.

your heart sinks into your stomach. you don't want to hear this accusation again and yet you will.

"empress has been going behind my back in the palace that i've designed especially for her exactly to her specifications, for you-" he points to the guard, an admittedly strapping young man with a slightly uncanny resemblance to the emperor if not for a duskier tone to his hair and kinder, brown eyes, "and i have been none the wiser."

the young man looks up and katsuki resists the urge to throw a plate, keeping his other fist tightly clenched, rested on his knee.

"yes, your majesty." previously confident, he seems to now be diminished in size, realizing the severity of his claims with katsuki's ever word.

katsuki laughs again.

"and you?"

the palace maid scrambles up and nods.

"yes, your majesty, your servant is listening." she doesn't meet his eyes, despite the laundry list of accusations she'd provided on your name moments ago.

"and you have seen this the entire time and waited till our family dinner to report it?"

the palace maid deepens her bow, her forehead pressed onto the ground, frantic.

"i was afraid of my mistress, the empress, your majesty, but i couldn't continue to be complicit to this sin against you!"

he chuckles again, and the palace maid sees herself in between his teeth.

at this time, as though practiced, another consort suddenly rises and loudly proclaims that a crime has been committed against the emperor and the harem.

"you dare make a mockery of your marriage!" she accuses. this woman has never liked you, several ranks below you and bitter all the while, and as she communicates her discomfort with you in your position loudly, her handmaiden standing beside her attempts to calm her down and settle her into her seat. she folds her hands in her lap and trembles like a leaf, knowing that the tides may not be turning in their favor.

another concubine rises and insists that any person who would sell out their master in this fashion is a demon and should be punished on principle.

an additional concubine insists that your love is true. commotion increases and you can barely hear anything for the rush of blood in your ears. you cannot believe this is happening.

being accused of cheating in the imperial harem is a death sentence.

and on top of that it is simply not true. you would never - you love katsuki, more than life itself.

katsuki rises suddenly, his robes flapping behind him as he steps with gravitas down the stairs, ringed fingers tightly clenched still in fists behind his back. there is a smile on his face and you know that smile, it is vicious and it is unpredictable. the wives all sit quickly, unsure of his next move. you remain frozen, not a muscle moving since you were brought to trial.

the room silences again and katsuki stands before your supposed illicit lover. he takes him by the chin, observing him as one does some sort of livestock. bending ever so slightly, he looks him in the eye, and the man seems to reduce himself in stature out of fear.

"i could not say no," he utters.

"shut up." katsuki orders and the man falls silent. "aren't you good-looking?" he jokes, as he circles the man like a cobra. he turns behind him, not letting go of his chin, and leans in, whispering, "tell me what it was like to sleep with the empress."

the guard's mouth opens and closes and katsuki's hand lowers, fingers tightening around his neck.

"tell me."

"i-"

katsuki's nails dig into the center of the tender skin and the man sputters. katsuki laughs as the man leans forward, and katsuki laughs.

"drag him out and execute him."

in a blur, the man is dragged out kicking and screaming and your heart pounds unrelenting in your chest.

katsuki stands still, hands behind his back and your accuser trembles.

"you're telling the truth, young woman?" he asks.

she also sputters, still trembling, "yes, yes, well, maybe, um..."

"that's what i thought."

katsuki finally squats in front of the palace maid whose lips waver. the harem leans in to look, the consort who so brazenly accused you herself holding her breath.

"what's your name?"

she whispers it, and katsuki declares back.

"a woman who lies does not deserve to exist. from now on you are a ghost."

the woman pales, but the decree is already set out. katsuki doesn't have to say it this time, but the guards seize her and she's meant to be erased, whatever that means in the empire.

you continue to hold your breath; the rest of the harem does as well. katsuki turns to you and takes your hand, bringing you back up to his seat with him. he murmurs,

"you must have been afraid."

you nod, tears streaming down your face. the other members of the harem watched, but it won't be the first or the last time they've recognized your favor. after all, you ARE the legitimate wife.

everyone is just extra.

"a little," you murmur under your breath. you take your seat next to him, and the tables are rearranged.

"trust me," he says. you look into his eyes, recognizing that they are true, and that they see your heart. he feeds you from the cake at the center of his table and it's the first thing you can swallow, nodding, sweet chasing away the bitterness that was swelling in your throat. he turns to the rest of the harem.

"everyone eat in peace. the solstice is still upon us."

and they do.

[charlotte-of-wales]

Marius Borg Høiby would throw parties at Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette Marit’s private apartments at Skaugum, where valuable items were stolen - include a credit card issue to the ‘Royal Court’

Se og Hør has learned that several people with significant records have been at Skaugum, both in Marius’ own residence and in the Crown Prince couple’s private apartments for parties, referred to as the “Skaugum festival” by his inner circle.

In connection with these parties, valuable silverware was stolen from Skaugum. The thieves are said to have later tried to sell this via an auction house.

Another thing that was stolen was a credit card that the Crown Prince family used. The card was used and charged for a year in 2020 by unknown persons without anyone knowing. The card was issue to “The Royal Court”, which may indicate that the public sector covered those bills.

On a private video, we can see a person filming inside Skaugum in the Crown Prince family’s private apartments while they ride around singing in a Segway. Other photos show Marius driving roughly and denting a car on the Skaugum estate.

They also revealed that the police have kept Marius Borg Høiby and his circle of friends under surveillance for a long time. The police had expressed their concern both about Marius’ cocaine use and his connection to people the police suspected of large-scale drug trafficking. Furthermore, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon were informed about Marius’ criminal friends.

The fact that Mette-Marit is familiar with some of Marius’ controversial friends is substantiated by a visit while she was home ay Skaugum. Several people from Marius’ circle were present, including members of an infamous motorcycle gang.

When Marius was arrested on September 13 on skii trip for breaking the restraining order against his ex-girlfriend, a 38-year-old criminal was present. He was recently convicted of drug possession and money laundering, and is charged in a new major cocaine case.