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nicoline1998enilocin · 5 months ago

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The Night We Met

PAIRING || Police Officer!Tony Stark x Florist!Bucky Barnes

WORDCOUNT || 9.5K

SUMMARY || Bucky never expected that a 3 AM phone call would change everything for him. When he found out about a break-in at his flower shop, he also found love amidst the chaos.

RATING || Explicit (E)

TAGS || Canon divergence. Everyone lives AU. Florist AU. Police Officer AU. Veteran!Bucky Barnes. Florist!Bucky Barnes. Police Officer!Tony Stark. Strangers to friends to lovers.

WARNINGS || Tony is described as being tattooed. Angst. Break-in/robbery. Talk about a past traumatic event during war. Mentioned loss of limbs.

SMUT || Bottom!Bucky Barnes. Top!Tony Stark. D/S undertones. Soft Dom!Tony Stark. Sub!Bucky Barnes. Bondage: Vibranium handcuffs. Uniform kink. Dirty talk. Praise. Begging. Edging. Orgasm delay. Subspace. Oral (M receiving). Deepthroating. Implied rimming. Protected anal sex. Aftercare.

A/N || This one-shot is written as part of the WinterIron Bang - hosted by @winterironevents - and is based around the amazing artwork of @scottxlogan! I want to thank @vikwrites for taking the time to beta this story, as you have helped me bring this to a whole new level! 🤍

EVENTS @anyfandomaubingo || Police Officer!Tony Stark @buckybarnesbingo #B011 || Wearing each other's clothes @buckybarnesevents HBS Week 2 || "What should I call you?" @fandom-free-bingo Frosty || Moral support @fandom-free-bingo Pride || Pronoun badges @fandom-free-bingo Pride || "What if someone sees?" + Friends to Lovers

@fandom-free-bingo Wild || Flower Shop AU @kinky-things-happen || Subspace @lgbtqbingo || Height difference @sebastianstanbingo || Uniform Kink @winterironevents WIB #R2022 || Alpine

GIF: Source || All other graphics are made by @nicoline1998enilocin

Main Masterlist || Bucky Barnes || Tony Stark || WinterIron

When Bucky went to bed mere hours ago, he was blissfully unaware his life would be turned upside down completely, and it would all be thanks to one single phone call at 3 AM. His cat, Alpine, was cuddled onto the pillow next to him, her snowy fur brushing against his face when he was rudely awakened from his slumber by his phone going off at the ungodly hour.

While she's still purring in her sleep, Bucky quickly stirs upright and grabs his phone, groaning as he sees an unknown number calling him. A surge of panic goes through him as he considers all the possibilities that could come from this phone call, uncertainty creeping throughout his figure.

Did something happen to my parents or Rebecca? Did Steve lock himself out of his apartment again after being on the rooftop for too long? It all passes through his thoughts as his finger hovers over the alarming 'pick-up' button.

"Bucky," is all he says in a deep, rumbling voice as he picks up, thinking about strangling whoever it is on the other side of the phone line. He's never been a good sleeper, but it has only worsened since he returned from war. Some nights, he jolts awake, the sounds of gunfire still ringing throughout his head, so he cherishes every minute of sleep he can afford.

"Hi, I'm looking for James Barnes. Is this him?" the man on the other side of the line questions, and Bucky can physically feel himself relax as he hears his voice, making him feel like a weight is being lifted off his shoulder. It's a deep, soothing baritone that renders him just a little calmer, even with the vague question he got asked.

"Yes. Is everything okay? I can only assume something's going on, seeing that you're calling me at—" Bucky glances at his alarm clock before finishing his sentence, "3:15 AM." Alpine wakes up because she hears Bucky's voice. She rubs her soft head against his free hand, and her silken fur brushes against his calloused palm, making Bucky smile a little.

"This is Lieutenant Tony Stark from the NYPD, and I'm sorry to inform you that your flower shop was broken into less than 30 minutes ago. I'm currently at the scene, but it would be helpful for you to come over and assess the damage that has been done," Tony calmly explains. His words hit Bucky like a freight train, causing his eyes to snap shut in horror at the realization of what had happened.

His flower shop—the pride and joy that he has dedicated the past decade of his life to, had been broken into and completely torn to shreds without any semblance of remorse from the bastards who did it.

"I—I… I'll be there in 10," Bucky sighs before saying his goodbye and quickly getting up so he can call his best friend, Steve, to inform him about what happened and to ask him to take care of Alpine, as he didn't know how long he would be gone for.

"Buck-" "I don't have time to explain! I have to go to the shop, and you need to take care of Alp for me, okay? I'll explain later," Bucky quickly says as he puts on an old Henley, a pair of sweatpants, and his running shoes before putting his hair into a messy bun on top of his head, slipping on a jacket, and running out the door. He at least still has the right mind to grab his wallet and keys before leaving and jumping onto his bike on his way to the store.

When he arrives, however, his heart sinks into his stomach as he looks at the damage they have done. Bucky quickly parks his bike before sprinting over, tears brimming on his waterline, threatening to spill over as he takes in every inch of his ruined storefront. Multiple windows are smashed in; the remaining glass shards are shattered and littered on the sidewalk. As he walks in the empty door frame, the entire interior of the flower shop is overhauled, many stems and blooms are trampled, their petals downcast, drooping, intricately designed bouquets scattered across the floor, and the door to his office is broken into. Amidst all this, a large police team is investigating.

With a heavy feeling in his stomach, tears began flowing freely down his cheeks as he looked around, observing the desecrated state of his beloved shop. Before he can go too far, he's stopped by a man in a police uniform, but despite his large stature, Bucky is still a good few inches taller than the man, which is noticeable as Bucky looks down to meet his gaze.

"You must be James. I'm Lieutenant Stark. We spoke on the phone not too long ago," Tony explains as he flashes his police ID, which Bucky responds to with a dejected nod because he is at a loss for words right now.

"W–Why?" is all Bucky can get out as he throws his arms up in defeat, unsure of what to do. His feet sweep away a few flowers that have been trampled; their delicate petals breaking off even with a gentle push. He can't stop the tears from falling, all the work he had put into this place has been ruined, and he still couldn’t bring himself to believe it, even though he's in the middle of it all.

"We're not sure why, but what we can say for sure is that your shop has been broken into. Obviously. The door to the office has been practically busted, and the safe is clinging onto its last hinges after they took every last thing in there." Tony tells Bucky, whose fists are clenching by his sides, as he attempts to subdue his anger. The news hits him like a physical blow as Tony's words hang in the air.

They chose his flower shop out of all the places they could rob. Who even breaks into those? They could have gone for the electronics store across the street, but no. They chose to bank on the fact that Bucky was an idiot who doesn't clear out the cash register overnight. Either that, or they were hoping the poppies would get them high.

Tony’s voice was soft as he spoke. "Could we maybe check the camera footage of what happened?" Bucky’s eyes widened as he cursed himself internally for completely forgetting that he had security cameras installed in this store in the first place.

"Y-Yeah, sure," Bucky stammered before leading the way to his torn-up office, where the laptop houses the camera footage and all the other administration. Tony motioned for him to go ahead first. Buckyhesitantly steps foot into his office, which he takes in with a deep breath before leading Tony inside. The damage there isn't as bad, it was mainly the safe that suffered the most harm, but it still pains him to see.

Once Bucky's seated in the chair, he retrieves his laptop, which was safely hidden away in a locked drawer in his desk. As he pulls up the security footage, he can't help but wonder why they didn't bother to look in there, but at the same time he's also relieved that they didn't. While Tony carefully reviews the footage, Bucky leans back into his seat in defeat. Feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on him, as a sniffle escapes, too.

Tony's hand landed gently on Bucky's shoulder, his voice laced with concern as he asked, "Is everything alright, James?" But despite the comforting touch, Bucky couldn't shake his head from side to side in response. His thoughts were clouded and his emotions tangled, making it hard for him to even form a coherent answer.

"I-I'm sorry, it's stupid," Bucky’s voice trembles, almost inaudible as he looks at the screen through blurry eyes, watching his flower shop being ravaged and ruined. His fists are balled in his lap as a wave of complete helplessness washes over him. A sudden sob now rips its way through his chest, the hand on his shoulder the only thing that's keeping him grounded.

"It's not stupid." Bucky’s breathe hitches as Tony crouches down next to him, concern etched on his face before Bucky wipes the tears away frantically, a rare show of vulnerability for a man who hasn't shed a tear in years, and here he is, bawling his eyes out in front of an entire team of cops.

"Your store has just been broken into, and that brings a lot of emotions along. It's not stupid to feel the things you're feeling right now," Tony reassures Bucky with a soothing smile, and he is suddenly all too aware of how Tony's hand is now placed on his knee. Somehow, between the chaos and his blend of emotions, he's also feeling something he hasn't felt in years, too, like a flicker of a small fire inside him reigniting after years of dormancy, stemming from nothing but a simple touch.

"How about this? Can you give me your number when we're done so I can keep you updated about the investigation into your store?" Tony then asks, and Bucky nods as the tears begin to subdue, a faint smile forming on his lips as he does.

"Sounds good," Bucky says softly. True to his word, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a scrap of paper, scribbling down his number and handing it to Tony. In return, Tony fumbles for his own phone and hastily enters Bucky's digits. While all the other people are done with the investigation and have packed up to leave, Tony can't bring himself to go just yet, so instead, he decides to lend a hand to Bucky with the clean-up and boarding up the empty window frames until Bucky can get them replaced by proper glass.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Stark, for everything." Bucky’s voice swelled with gratitude as he gestures with his arms to the now cleaned-up store. But a sinking feeling gnaws at his stomach. The last time he saw his store this barren was when he had first bought it a little over a decade ago, and now he can't help but feel apprehensive about starting all over again.

"Please, forgo the formalites, just call me Tony, and it was an honor to help you, James. Unfortunately, I must return to the precinct to do all the necessary paperwork, but I will keep you updated on the investigation. Good luck with the renovation of the shop,"

"Thank you, and I’ll call you Tony if you call me Bucky," Bucky says with a mischievous glint in his eyes, the corners of his mouth curling up into a playful smirk, which leavesTony blushing and makes him look endearing in the larger man's eyes.

“Good night, Bucky,” Tony says, reluctantly tearing himself away from their banter and leaving both Bucky and the shop behind on his way to do the dreaded paperwork. Meanwhile, Bucky is still standing where the police officer left him, with a large smile etched on his lips as he watches him walk to his vehicle. For the first time in years, Bucky is starting to feel something akin to butterflies in his stomach, and he can only hope Tony feels the same.

It’s been a month since the robbery of Bucky’s flower shop, and today it is time for the grand re-opening. During the entire time he was closed, he has decided to give the entire store a brand new look with the help of his best friend, Steve, as well as other people who have graciously offered their help after finding out what happened. Now, he’s busy in the shop, scurrying to get the last bouquets finished before the official opening in a few hours.

“What do you think of this?” Steve asks Bucky as he just finished setting up the table with an array of colorful pronoun badges that have been created by Bucky’s best friend in preparation to use during the re-opening. As Bucky approaches to stand next to Steve, his eyes glide over the pronouns ‘she/her’, ‘he/him’, ‘they/them’, ‘any pronouns’ and ‘ask me for my pronouns’.

“It's perfect!” A wordless exchange of grins passes between Bucky and Steve as he gives Steve a friendly pat on the back, and Steve responds with an accepting smile.

“Is there anything else I can do before I go home and change?” Steve asks as he peers over at Bucky, who just shakes his head, grateful for Steve's willingness to always lend a hand, before sending him off. As soon as the last bouquet is finished and placed in its vase, Bucky’s phone chimes with a notification, piquing his interest right away.

As soon as he sees who’s on the other end of the line, a large smile lights up on Bucky’s face, together with a faint pink hue painted on his cheeks. It’s from Tony, and he’s eager to read what he has to say. Over the course of the investigation, they’ve been talking more and more often, both about the robbery as well as other topics, which has only served to deepen Bucky’s infatuation for the other man exponentially.

Tony 👮>> Good luck with the grand re-opening tonight, I hope it goes well! I wish I could be there for you, but rest assured: I will be swinging by soon to buy some of the most beautiful flowers Brooklyn has to offer 😉

As Bucky lets the words on his screen sink in, he can’t help but smile like a mad man as his smile seems to grow to an almost unnatural size. The butterflies in his stomach are also going wild, and he can’t wait to see Tony again - but he will have to wait just a few more days in order to do so. He could almost hear his friend's deep voice and see the twinkle in his eye as he sent his well-wishes for the grand re-opening.

Bucky 💐>> Thank you. I wish you could be here tonight, too, but I’ll settle for you buying a bouquet or two once you finally have a day off 🥺

As he typed out his response, Bucky couldn't contain the joy bubbling up inside him—the thought of seeing Tony again after so long made his heart skip a beat. After one last look throughout the store, Bucky lets out a sigh of relief before heading home to prepare for the grand reopening. He takes a quick shower there before changing into a black and yellow outfit.

As he assesses his outfit in the mirror, his eyes glide over his Vibranium arm, and the black and gold of his fake limb are a beautiful complement to his outfit. A few years ago, he wouldn't have dared to walk around without a glove and long sleeves to cover it up. Through extensive therapy, he has learned that it's okay to have the prosthetic arm, and it's just as much a part of him as his flesh limbs.

Before he goes out the door, he brushes through his long locks, ultimately leaving them hanging loose instead of wearing them in his usual tied-back style. As he's walking out of the bathroom, Alpine is lying comfortably on her pillow on Bucky's bed, her soft fur practically glowing as the rays of the evening sun shine down on her.

"I'm leaving, Alp. Will you protect the house when I'm gone?" Bucky asks his cat lovingly as he scratches her behind the ears. She responds by pushing her head against his hand, soft purrs filling the room as she stretches. Bucky can't help but smile at the feline lying comfortably on her pillow as he pulls away, ready to reopen his store.

It's a beautiful summer evening, so Bucky rides his bike there today. This is a perfect way for him to let go of all the nerves that currently swirl through his body. As he drives through the streets of Brooklyn, his mind calms down immensely, and before he knows it, he's at his store, ready for the festivities later.

Bucky barely gets off his bike when the caterer - one of his best friends and the best cook he has ever met - Natasha Romanoff arrives with her team. A smile immediately adorns Bucky's face when he sees the fiery-haired woman clad in nothing but her signature black clothes, making her way over to him as an even larger smile graces her features.

"How're you feeling about tonight?" Natasha asks after enveloping her friend in a hug, now having to crane her neck to make eye contact with him.

Bucky rubs his neck with his large hand as he smiles nervously. "I'm excited but nervous at the same time. For the past ten years, I've been perfecting my store and everything that goes along with that, and it feels like starting all over again - which it is, in a sense. There's still the voice in the back of my head saying it won't be good enough, and people won't come back after seeing how it is now," he admits with a hint of defeat.

Natasha reaches for his hands, clasping them in hers as she squeezes reassuringly. "There's not a single thing you have to worry about, Bucky. Your store has been a neighborhood staple for years; people love visiting you! I know how terrifying it can be to start over, but you will be fine, I know it," she tells him, and Bucky nods.

"You're right, Nat. I needed that a lot," he says before letting his hands fall to his sides again when she lets go. After their conversation, Bucky feels about ten pounds lighter. While Natasha and her team are setting everything up, Bucky suddenly hears a knock on the front door, and he turns around to see his best friend, Steve, and his cat, Alpine. He quickly runs to the door to let them in, and Alpine immediately jumps over to Bucky to get some love from him.

"I can't believe you brought her over! Thank you for this amazing surprise, Steve," Bucky says, smiling at his best friend as he scratches the white feline behind her soft ears.

"Hey, there's no one more important in your life than Alp, so I figured I would bring her along. And you mentioned wanting her to come to the store more often, so she should be here on opening night, don't you think?" Steve says to Bucky as they walk to the table with pronoun badges.

Bucky hadn't noticed until now that Alpine was wearing a small badge with the pronouns "she/her" on it for tonight, and he couldn't help but laugh at the sight of it.

"Thank you, Steve, for everything. Thanks for the help over the past month in making the badges and, of course, for bringing Alpine tonight. Having her here tonight is an absolute must," Bucky responds with a giant smile before getting a cat bed ready, which he didn't think he would need for a little while. She will get a prominent place in the store tonight, as he places the bed on the counter next to the cash register to get all the attention she desires from tonight's guests.

Once everything is set up and ready to go, Bucky also grabs a pronoun badge before clipping it to his shirt and heading for the front door. He looks back to Steve for one more reassuring look, and then he officially turns the key to let all his friends, family, and acquaintances who have RSVP'd.

He's receiving many handshakes, hugs, and congratulations on the flower shop's reopening, and he takes it all in stride even though his heart rate is slowly rising with every person walking through the door. His eyes are looking for Steve, but he's too deep in conversation with some attendees to notice Bucky, so he takes a deep breath to steady himself and get through the remaining line of people.

Eventually, everyone's there, and it's time for Bucky to go and give the speech he prepared; a glass of champagne is ready in his hand, and the entire room is focused on him as he's about to start. But just before he can, the little bell above the door jingles, notifying everyone of one last guest this evening.

Tony Stark.

It's like Bucky's brain completely short circuits for a brief moment as he watches the other man grab a flute of champagne from one of the servers and find a place to listen to Bucky's speech. A small smile graces his face as he looks at Bucky, who can't help but smile as his brain finally catches up with what's happening.

"First off, thank you all for coming tonight to the grand reopening of Bucky's Flower Emporium! The last decade has been an amazing journey, and it all got turned upside down when the store was broken into, but I have taken this chance to create an entirely new experience for everyone," Bucky starts as he gestures into the store.

"After many discussions and considerations, we have created a safe place where people of any skill set can learn how to make their bouquets. There will be workshops for groups of up to 10 people, led by my friend and wonderful florist, Sam Wilson, or myself," he says, and Sam dutifully raises his glass in acknowledgment.

"There will also be opportunities to come by for some coffee, tea, and pastries provided by Thor Odinson, who makes the best pastries in New York! With that, you will be able to buy the amazing artwork on display behind me, made by my best friend, Steve Rogers, who has also designed all the pronoun badges you're wearing."

"And last but not least, Miss Alpine over here will also be in the store more often, so please don't hesitate to come in and give her some love as well - she loves being spoiled with attention!" Bucky jokes, and Alpine meows in response, only emphasizing his point as everyone laughs.

"Once more, thank you all for coming, and don't forget that all the bouquets you see here tonight are half off, so please don't hesitate to bring some home with you!" Bucky finishes his speech with a giant smile, his glass raised in the air before everyone disperses into conversations and looks at the bouquets Bucky has prepared for tonight.

The moment the speech is over, Bucky immediately makes his way over to Tony, who's dressed in a relatively simple outfit—but it's a significant difference from the uniform Bucky is used to seeing him wear. The shirt is open just enough to show off his broad, tattooed chest, and it's hugging him perfectly, just like his pants. The way the fabric spans over his thick thighs has Bucky nearly drooling, and the sight of it is ingrained in his memory forever.

In turn, Tony lets his eyes wander over Bucky's outfit, too, the Vibranium arm not going unnoticed. As he lets his gaze roam freely, he suddenly realizes that Bucky is dressed like one of the flowers in his shop - a sunflower, to be exact - and a small smile appears on his lips as he looks into his piercing blue eyes with his own deep, chocolate brown ones.

"I thought you didn't have time to come over tonight!" Bucky says before spreading his arms for a hug, which Tony happily accepts. Bucky takes a moment to take in his scent, which is musky with a hint of spice, only making the butterflies in his stomach go wilder.

"Well, I figured I'd come over and give you some moral support. It's an important night for you, and I couldn't resist seeing what you've done to the place after the investigation closed a few days ago," he says, and Bucky's practically beaming at his words.

"I'm glad you showed up tonight, Tony. It really means a lot," Bucky says before taking him to meet his friends as well as Alpine. The rest of the night goes by quicker than Bucky could have thought, and Alpine loved every attention she got tonight. He also sold out of most of his bouquets, leaving him more than satisfied.

Once everything is cleaned up and Bucky closes the front door behind him, he's relieved that everything has gone well tonight, but Tony's showing up has been the best surprise of the evening.

Since the reopening of Bucky's Flower Emporium, it has been busier than before the faithful night that flipped Bucky's life on its axis. Where he was already doing great before, he's now doing better than he could have ever dreamt. From Sam being there almost daily to host gardening workshops to hiring another worker to keep up with the constant stream of people, Bucky adores every second of it. But what he loves most is Tony coming over when he has the time, and this time, Bucky's been pacing around with something important on his mind.

This morning, Tony texted Bucky to let him know he'd come over today, and ever since then, Bucky's been staring a hole through the front door, his heart pounding with anticipation, impatient to see his crush finally walking through the door. The minutes seemed to drag on forever as he fidgeted behind the counter of the flower shop, unable to focus on anything else but the thought of seeing Tony again, but just as Bucky rings up a customer who has picked out a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers, the little bell chimed merrily, and lays his eyes on Tony, who is walking through the door with a charming smile on his face. Bucky couldn't help but beam back as their eyes met.

Bucky breathed a sigh of relief as the customer’s transaction came to a close, and they cheerily walked out the door, allowing Bucky to welcome Tony and help him pick out a bouquet to bring to the precinct.

"Good morning, Sunflower," Tony says lovingly as he hugs Bucky, which the taller man reciprocates with a warm feeling in his chest, reveling in the feeling of their bodies pressed together. During the reopening, Tony noticed that Bucky had worn shades of marigold, moss, and maroon, mimicking the hues of a sunflower, which became his nickname. Each time Tony playfully refers to him, Bucky can feel his nerves flutter like a caged bird, and the smile on Tony's face reassures him that he's feeling the same thing.

"Good morning, Lieutenant," Bucky replies with a sly wink after pulling away from his embrace, and a bashful flush colored Tony’s cheeks, which he attempts to conceal by inconspicuously turning around and peeking at some of the bouquets that Bucky has meticulously arranged. During all this, Sam shoots occasional glances at them from the corner of his eye with a proud smile as he guides his small group to cut off the stems of the flowers they had chosen.

The next twenty minutes were spent looking at flowers. At the same time, Bucky eagerly talks about their meanings—how dandelions represented reliance, how tulips bloom love—and how he created the intricate yet beautiful-looking arrangements. Tony’s gaze roams over the petals that flaunt their various hues and tones, until he picks out a large bouquet of vivid sunflowers to add a little colour the front desk in the precinct later. While Bucky packs it up for Tony, his nerves start to set in. The clock is ticking, and with each passing second, the window of opportunity to share what's been incessantly plaguing his mind is getting smaller.

Bucky's inner voice urges him on, relentless and insistent. 'Come on, it's now or never,' it seems to say, a constant nagging in his mind. His heart pounds in his chest as he debates whether to take the leap or stay put. The weight of the decision hangs heavy on his shoulders.

Just before he hands Tony the finished bouquet, he blurts out his thoughts, "I-I want to go on a date…with you!" The exclamation swiftly leaves his lips like a hushed whisper, spoken with hesitation.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Bucky couldn't help but feel embarrassed at how he had formulated them. Tony can't help but stand there with raised brows at the boldness that has suddenly come over his friend. A deep red blush appeared on Bucky’s cheeks as his gaze became downcast in embarrassment squeezed his eyes shut, wishing that he could rewind time to take it all back. This wasn't how I planned it to go, oh god, I screwed it up. —he didn't even ask if Tony wanted to go on a date with him, but much to his astonishment and relief, Tony agreed.

"I would love to go on a date with you, Sunflower,’ Tony says with a reassuring smile, “But I'll have to text you about the details later. Unfortunately, I have to leave now, but I'm looking forward to it," Bucky nods as the flush on his cheeks slowly subsides. As Tony walks out the door, Sam can't help but snicker, earning himself a glare from Bucky before he retires to his office to work on some administrative tasks he's been pushing off so he wouldn't miss Tony coming into the store.

True to his word, Tony texts Bucky that same evening with some plans, which he happily agrees to. During the upcoming Saturday, Bucky plans on teaching Tony how to craft a simple bouquet before they head out to dinner and a bar afterward to finish the evening on a high note. Bucky has never said yes to something so quickly, and the anticipation builds as now all he can do is wait until it's finally Saturday, which seems to be an eternity away on the quiet Thursday night he's now enjoying, with Alpine curled up in his lap.

The past few days dragged on way too slowly for Bucky's liking, but it's finally Saturday morning, and Bucky's alarm goes off, notifying him it's time to get up and get ready for his date. He spent the better part of an hour in front of the mirror trying to get his ruffled hair to comply and contemplating his outfit, ultimately deciding on ripped jeans and a striped shirt.

However, before he takes a shower and gets dressed, he takes a moment to cuddle with Alpine as part of their usual morning routine. As he strokes her silvery fur, he shares the details of his day to her, and she's taking in all the affection before usually falling asleep in his arms again. "Are you excited about Steve coming over today, hm? Daddy won't be here to care for you tonight, so he'll be here with you later to cuddle and feed you," he says as he nuzzles into her soft fur, relishing in the slightly ticklish sensation against the skin of his face.

"Daddy's going on a date with Tony. Can you believe it? Because I surely can't either," Bucky continues as she purrs in his arms, his fingers scratching behind her ears, causing them to perk up. He tells her a bit more about everything he has planned, and eventually, she climbs out of his arms to lie on her pillow, allowing Bucky to get ready for said date.

After a quick shower, he slips into the clothes he laid out before fixing his hair, once again opting to leave his hair loose for a change but making sure to bring a hair tie along just in case, as it'll come in handy during the first part of their date: keeping unruly strands out his vision while making a flower arrangement. The rest of the morning seems to pass in a blur of anticipation and excitement, and just after lunch, it's almost time to go when he hears the familiar click of the front door lock turning.

"I'm here, Buck!" Steve yells, his voice echoing throughout his house, and Bucky pokes his head around the corner to greet his best friend while brushing his teeth, not wanting to risk a potential disaster by having bad breath. While Steve makes himself some lunch in Bucky's kitchen, Bucky finishes getting ready.

"Thank you again for taking care of Alp today; it means a lot," Bucky says as he walks into the kitchen. Steve smiles up at his best friend.

"No need to thank me, Buck. You know I will take care of her anytime," Steve reassures him, and he nods, knowing he's correct. There's nothing either wouldn't do for the other, even when they get a call at 3:15AM in the morning. After one last check in the mirror and finicking with his hair, Bucky grabs his keys and wallet before heading out the door and on his way to his date.

As soon as the Uber he ordered arrives, he can feel his nerves running wild. With every passing second, he's getting closer to going on a date with Tony he's been looking forward to for days. They have been texting one another whenever possible for the past few days. Last night, they FaceTimed for about an hour and couldn't stop announcing their excitement for their date.

Much to his surprise, Tony was already waiting in front of Bucky's Flower Emporium. This time—clad in a light outfit that complemented his skin beautifully. His usually messy curls are now styled neatly into a perfect quiff, and his facial hair is trimmed to accentuate his jawline, making him look even more handsome than he already is.

"Hey, Sunflower," Tony whispers as Bucky pulls him into a tight embrace, their bodies fitting together perfectly. Bucky takes in Tony's scent as he nuzzles his face into his shoulder, not wanting to let go. Tony smells of bergamot with a hint of citrus, and Bucky takes a mental note of the scent. Eventually, he has to detach from the embrace, and he quickly retrieves his keys from his pocket so they can head inside.

"The store looks so... different when there's no one inside," Tony remarks, and Bucky nods in response. Suddenly, Bucky's unsure what to say when they're inside, feeling a surge of uncertainty as he can’t help but fidget and wring his fingers nervously as he looks away, suddenly feeling very out of place in the once-familiar environment.

"Hey, it's okay to be nervous; I am too," Tony’s voice was gentle, reassuring. His hand rests on Bucky’s bicep in a comforting gesture, and Bucky can feel the warmth of his touch seeping through his shirt and onto his skin. His gaze meets Tony’s, taking in the lighter specks in his otherwise dark, chocolate-brown eyes.

Bucky shifts nervously, his eyes darting back and forth as he speaks. "You're right, I-I'm sorry. It's just that I haven't been on a proper date in years," Bucky admits, his voice tinged with shyness, and Tony smiles at his answer before nodding.

"That makes two of us. I don't even remember the last time I've been on a date, to be honest, but something about you has changed my mind. I feel so comfortable around you, and I can truly be myself, which I always look for in someone," Tony reaches out to Bucky's hand, and much to his surprise, it's his Vibranium one he's reaching for. Though he doesn't physically feel Tony's touch, he can still feel a soft sensation of pressure while looking at their intertwined hands.

"Thank you for allowing me to be myself, Sunflower. We may not be perfect, but I think that as long as we have one another, we're pretty damn lucky in this world," Tony tells Bucky before squeezing his hand reassuringly and then making their way to the workshop area.

"So, onto flower arrangements..." Tony says with a playful twinkle in his eye as he gestures to the workbench, where an array of colorful petals and green stems lay waiting. Bucky can't help but giggle at the other man's words, a broad smile gracing his features as a hearty laugh escapes his chest. And just like that, they spend the next few hours making flower arrangements together, working side by side, carefully selecting each bloom and arranging them into beautiful bouquets and centerpieces.

With skilled hands, Bucky carefully selected a variety of vibrant, multicolored flowers, and made a beautiful multicolor bouquet that perfectly reflected the sunny weather outside. Meanwhile,Tony opted for a simpler arrangement with dandelion yellow and crisp white blooms. Bucky took the time to explain each step and guide Tony where necessary. They shared jokes and laughter, making the process all the more enjoyable. The fragrant scent of fresh flowers filled the room, adding to the cheerful atmosphere.

Now, they’re standing back as they’re admiring each other’s handiwork, their bodies so close that they’re practically touching. When Bucky’s eye suddenly catches sight of a perfect white rose, lying astray on the bench, he plucks it up before removing most of the stem and turning to Tony, who watches his every move with rapt attention.

With a soft smile, Bucky leans in to gently tuck the flower behind Tony’s ear, the cold metal of his finger tracing a strand of his brunette hair. As he does, Tony lets his eyes slip shut while reveling in the sensation of Bucky’s fingers gliding across his skin. He’s considerably closer to Bucky when he opens them, and both heart rates rapidly pick up as they take in the closeness.

“May I kiss you?” Bucky asks softly.

“What if someone sees?” Tony asks, slightly apprehensively.

“Then they can enjoy a nice view of us kissing, if you ask me,” Bucky responds mischievously, and with those words, Bucky closes the gap between them. Their lips and tongues move together in a passionate dance, and their hands roam freely, tracing along each other’s bodies simultaneously. They take their time exploring one another, but eventually, the need for air becomes greater than the need for each other, and Bucky is the first one to pull away.

“Wow,” he whispers in awe, his gaze fixed on Tony's face as a large smile tugs at the corners of his flushed lips, and Tony nods in agreement with his bottom lip pulled between his teeth. Both their faces are flushed as they take a step back, though they don’t want to be too far away from one another. With quick efficiency, the clean-up is done, and when Bucky turns to Tony to tell him something, he’s surprised by the other man’s lips on his again, which he graciously accepts.

Once they finally manage to pry themselves away from the other person, their hearts racing as they head out to dinner. The evening rushes by in a blur of easy conversation and shared laughter, their hands constantly brushing against each other as if drawn together by an invisible force. The conversations flow naturally between them, and they haven't had this much fun in a long time as they stroll their way to a nearby bar.

The dimly lit bar was bustling with people, their chatter blending together in a dull hum. Tony and Bucky stood side by side at the sleek bar counter, surrounded by shelves of glistening alcohol bottles. The bartender waited patiently for their order, a faint smile on his weathered face.

"What's your drink of choice, Sunflower?" Tony asks as he's standing beside Bucky at the bar, looking up at him while Bucky thinks about what he wants. He settles for a whiskey while Tony goes for an extra dry dirty Martini with extra olives, which makes Bucky chuckle.

"I didn't know you had such an elaborate drink order, Lieutenant," Bucky's playful tone caused a faint blush to rise on Tony's cheeks. He stammers out something about the drink being his favorite, hoping to hide his embarrassment. After a little more teasing banter, both their drinks are ready, and Bucky and Tony find a small empty spot at the bar and settle onto the stools with a sense of relief.

"May I ask what happened to your arm?" Tony asks when they're both settled into their seats, and Bucky briefly hesitates, feeling a familiar knot form in his stomach. He has been expecting this conversation for a while now, knowing it was bound to happen, but he's always a little apprehensive to talk about it, not wanting to shy away from the truth and risk pushing Tony away with his past.

"Uh- y-yeah, of course" Bucky finally managed to say. He shifted his stance, facing Tony fully and trying to relax his tense shoulders.

"Before I became a florist, I had been serving in the military for a little over 15 years as a trauma surgeon. One unfortunate day, our peaceful camp was rocked by a sudden explosion, a bomb was detonated next to our tent, and the shrapnel blew up pretty much all of our tent and the people inside along with it. I was on the far end of the tent when it happened, I wasn't spared from the devastation; shards of sharp shrapnel sliced through my arm, causing such severe damage that it had to be amputated at the shoulder," Bucky somberly recounts to Tony, who listens with rapt attention and empathy for his friend's harrowing experience.

"About a year before I opened the shop, I got the chance to participate in a program that helps veterans who lost their limbs in the line of duty, and I have been lucky enough to have gotten a completely new arm. It's made of Vibranium, and even though I can't physically feel anything with it, it has ultimately pushed me to follow my dream: to use my arm as an outlet to create something beautiful, so I could learn to see the beauty of my arm, too. It’s taught me to see the beauty in my own unique circumstances and embrace them wholeheartedly."

"Over the years, I have learned to work and create along with it. Instead of fighting it, I’ve embraced it and now I'm not ashamed to show it off anymore. It used to be a big part of my insecurity and low self-esteem, but nowadays, it's just as much a part of me as my other limbs, but the biggest difference is that this one's a different material," Bucky says with a small smile, and Tony nods.

"I'm so glad you've learned to love yourself and the arm because you deserve to be loved. By others, sure, but most of all, you deserve to be loved by yourself," Tony says tenderly as he cradles the metal hand between his own, tracing soothing circles over the cold surface of the metal. Without saying another word, Bucky leans in to capture Tony's lips with his own again as he pours every single emotion he's feeling into it. Tony's breath hitches at the sensation of Bucky's lips on his own once again, but that quickly dissipates as he surrenders to the kiss, savoring every precious moment of it.

"Thank you for saying that, Tony," Bucky whispers as he pulls back, his breath warm against the other man's ear as he whispers his gratitude, looking into the other man's deep, dark brown eyes with an appreciative and adoring look before grabbing his drink and taking a sip, feeling the pleasurable way the liquid burns as it goes down. Tony finishes all of his Martini in one go before he gets up and leans in to whisper something in Bucky's ear that piques his interest.

"Do you want to go back to my place or yours?" he asks, his voice low and inviting, and after a short moment of contemplation, Bucky tells him that it's better to go to Tony's place. After all, Steve is currently at Bucky's apartment to take care of Alpine. Not even ten minutes later, they're in an Uber snuggled together in the backseat, impatiently waiting until they arrive at Tony's apartment, exchanging playful touches and glances while their fingers intertwine.

As soon as the front door clicks shut, Tony’s hands are on Bucky, pressing him back against the sturdy wall before his lips are on Bucky's again. Tony's tongue pushes into Bucky's mouth immediately while Tony's hands open every last button on Bucky's striped shirt. Once the fabric is loose, Tony's hands move up and into Bucky's hair, which he softly tugs before pulling away, allowing himself to take in the look on the larger man's face.

"Let's move this to the bedroom, Sunflower," Tony whispers in a breathy voice as he grabs Bucky's hand and pulls him towards the large bedroom. As he does, Bucky takes in as much of the apartment as possible, but it doesn't last long, as he's quickly pushed onto the bed.

"I think it's about time we get you out of these clothes, don't you think?" Tony asks rhetorically, and before Bucky can even catch up with what's happening, he's stripped almost entirely bare. The only thing that's left is his underwear, which shows the fact that he's getting painfully hard at everything that's happening.

"Fuck," Tony groans as he takes in the sight of the man in front of him. The way his cream-colored skin is such a stark difference against his black and gold arm doesn't go unnoticed by Tony, and he leans over to press a few soft kisses on the scarring surrounding the fake limb.

"So beautiful," Tony whispers as he trails a line of kisses from the shoulder down his body, Tony's hands slowly inching their way up Bucky's thighs to where he needs Tony most of all. Tony maps out Bucky's entire body with his hands and lips, committing every inch of it to memory.

"What should I call you?" Bucky suddenly asks, and for a short moment, Tony's caught off-guard by the question. He didn't give it any thought beforehand, and his mind is coming up completely blank, too.

"What do you think you should call me?" Tony then answers, and Bucky takes a moment to take in his words, letting the words sink in as he's starting to sink into a floaty headspace.

"Officer." A short and simple answer, but one that goes straight to Tony's rapidly hardening cock as it throbs inside his pants. Tony lets out a deep groan at the name, and he practically rips Bucky's underwear off his body, unable to wait any longer to have a taste of him.

"Are you okay with this, Sunflower? Because if you're not, we can stop. We can stop whenever you want, okay?" Tony asks before moving any further, his gaze locked on the man beneath him, and Bucky nods slowly. He hasn't been with anyone in literal years, but his submissive side always bubbles up with minimal effort as he becomes nice and pliant for Tony.

"Good boy," Tony praises Bucky as he grabs the larger man's cock, his hand barely able to wrap around the girth. He works him over slowly as he keeps looking and listening to Bucky to find exactly what he likes. Bucky is like an open book at this point, as moans and groans constantly tumble from his lips.

The moment Tony takes his tip into his mouth, Bucky's hips instantly buck up into Tony's mouth, the pleasure almost being too much for Bucky to be able to handle. As Tony takes more and more of him into his mouth, Bucky can't help but moan louder until it's bordering on pornographic.

"F-fuck, Officer-" Bucky pleads, and Tony pulls off with a loud pop while his hand keeps going. "'M close," Bucky mutters, but he doesn't get his way yet.

"Not yet, Sunflower. I know you're close, but you need to hold out for a little longer, as I haven't done a thorough investigation of your body yet," Tony says seductively, and it hits exactly the way he had hoped. He had a suspicion Bucky had both a kink for Tony's profession and a uniform kink, and his suspicions had been confirmed.

Without warning, he immediately takes Bucky into his mouth again, this time until his nose is touching his pelvis, and he's practically gagging around the larger man's cock. He sounds filthy, but both of them are loving every second of it as Bucky's fists are holding the sheets tightly in order not to cum yet, while his hips buck up, driving his cock even deeper into Tony's throat.

"C-Close!" Bucky exclaims as Tony lets Bucky's balls roll in his hand, squeezing softly before tugging on them. He swallows Bucky down again, this time more easily than before.

"Off—O-Officer," Bucky says with a strained voice as his eyes are locked onto the smaller men between his legs. The sight is one he will never forget. "P-Please, let me c-cum!"

Instead of answering, Tony works Bucky's cock with his hands and mouth until the other man cums with trembling legs and loud, drawn-out moans. It's one of the most intense orgasms Bucky has ever felt, and his brain has gone completely blank at this point, now deep into subspace.

"Good boy, you did so well for me, you follow your Officer's orders so well," Tony praises him as he lets the other man retain his breath, but only briefly. Tony quickly climbs off the bed to strip himself of every last bit of clothing he's wearing, and he reaches over to his nightstand to get a few items: a bottle of lube, a condom, and the Vibranium handcuffs he bought in preparation for exactly this moment.

Once Bucky has come down from his high, Tony climbs over his large body to capture Bucky's lips in a soft kiss, to which Bucky responds instantly as his hands are on Tony within seconds. They take their time exploring each other's mouths, and Bucky moans at the taste of himself on Tony's tongue.

"I need you to sit on your hands and knees for me, Sunflower; been dreaming of what it's like to fuck you completely senseless, so that's exactly what I'll be doing now," he whispers in Bucky's ear, who smiles before moving to sit on his hands and knees. Once Bucky is in position, Tony catches him off-guard by pulling his hands behind his back, which causes his face to be pushed into the sheets, which quickly grow wet from the drool escaping Bucky's slack mouth.

"You're under arrest for being a bad boy," Tony says as he cuffs both of Bucky's hands behind his back, ensuring there's no way he can get out of them without help. Once satisfied, Tony sits back to admire his work with a smile. Seeing Bucky on his knees with his hands behind his back and his face practically pressed into the sheets gives Tony a huge rush of endorphins.

Now, Tony takes his time to work Bucky open with his fingers and mouth, paired with countless moans and whines as he does. Once Bucky is adequately prepped for Tony's huge cock, Tony rips open the condom before rolling it on and covering it with even more lube, ensuring it'll be nice and slick as he fucks Bucky into oblivion in a moment.

"Ready, my beautiful Sunflower?" Tony asks in a loving voice, and Bucky mumbles a soft yes as Tony lines up, eager to work himself into Bucky's willing ass. He takes hold of Bucky's hips as he pushes in, and he's met with the slightest bit of resistance as he does, but Bucky's body accepts him not long after.

"That's it, Sunflower, fuck- you take your Officer's cock so well," Tony groans through gritted teeth, as he's trying his hardest not to cum before he's even thrust into Bucky's welcoming body. The heat of Bucky around his cock is nearly driving him insane as he's holding onto every last bit of his sanity.

"God, you feel so good. You're going to let your Officer fuck some sense into you, huh? Gonna let your Officer fuck you so hard you have no other choice than to be his good boy?" Tony taunts Bucky, and Bucky can't do anything but moan incoherently, much to Tony's pleasure. He's exactly where Tony wants him - blissed out and fucked thoroughly.

With a groan, Tony bottoms out, and one of Tony's hands lets go of Bucky's hip in favor of grabbing the handcuffs, which he pulls on with every thrust, effectively pulling the large man back onto his cock with every deep thrust. It's been a while since Tony has felt this type of pleasure, and he can't get enough of it as he speeds up his thrusts.

"Fucking fuck! You feel so fucking good on my cock, Sunflower, should've fucked you much sooner," Tony says as his orgasm is rapidly approaching. Without warning, Bucky lets out a long, dragged-out moan as he cums again, his seed spurting all over the sheets without even being completely hard yet. It's precisely what pushes Tony over the edge, too.

"Fuck yes, take your Officer's cum! Gonna fill you up until you're leaking with my cum, and then I'm going to fuck it all back in again to make sure you will keep it all in this perfect, tight ass of yours," Tony pants, and he lands a loud smack on Bucky's as he fucks Bucky through their orgasms. When the sensitivity becomes too much, he pulls about before collapsing next to Bucky, who's now facing him after lying down on his side, too.

"You did so well for me, Sunflower. You've been such a good boy for me," Tony whispers as he tucks some loose hair behind Bucky's ear and leans in to place a peck on his nose and lips. Bucky smiles into the soft touches as his eyes slip shut, and he lets Tony take care of him, trusting him to do exactly what needs to be done to prevent a subdrop.

"I'm going to get a washcloth to clean you up and some chocolate and fruits for you to nibble on, okay? I'll be close by the entire time," Tony tells Bucky. Bucky whines softly at the thought of being left alone, but he eventually accepts it. Tony then takes his time to remove the handcuffs, massaging his Bucky's flesh wrist from the strain before grabbing the washcloth, food, and two bottles of water.

"Here I am, Sunflower. I'm right here with you, and I'm not leaving again, I promise," Tony whispers as Bucky clings to him once he's all cleaned up. Tony's seated with his back against the large headboard, and Bucky's seated sideways in his lap as he feeds Bucky the chocolate and fruit and takes bites for himself.

"How're you feeling?" Tony asks after Bucky finishes the last of his water bottle and chocolate, and he's visibly tired.

"Good. Sleepy," he says with droopy eyelids, which makes Tony chuckle. They get comfortable under the comforter, and Bucky immediately pulls Tony against his chest before falling asleep. That night, they have some of the best sleep they've had in a long time, as they're now lying in the arms of someone they have massive feelings for.

The next morning, Tony gets up before Bucky to prepare breakfast, and just when he's about done, Bucky walks into the kitchen wearing the sweatpants and hoodie Tony laid out for him to wear. His hair is messy, and he still looks sleepy, but Tony still thinks he looks beautiful.

"Mornin', Sunflower," Tony says as he watches Bucky sit on one of the stools at the kitchen island. He finishes preparing the food before walking over to the other man, giving Bucky a peck on his lips, and putting a plate with toast, eggs, and bacon in front of him together with a large, steaming cup of black coffee.

"Morning," Bucky says sleepily, and a smile lights up his features as he kisses Tony back. Then, he dives into his food, and Tony takes his place next to him at the kitchen island before eating his breakfast, too.

"So… This is maybe an odd question, but… what are we, exactly?" Bucky asks when they're both finished with breakfast and enjoying some light conversation over a fresh cup of coffee. There's uncertainty laced in Bucky's voice as he brings up the topic on his mind since they went to Tony's apartment last night.

"What do you want us to be?" Tony asks, even though he knows what he wants them to be. However, he doesn't want to push him away, so he's willing to take it at whatever pace Bucky's comfortable with. Bucky smiles at the question before answering - the one Tony secretly hoped for.

"Boyfriends," he answers honestly, and Tony nods in agreement as a large smile adorns his features.

"I want that too, Sunflower; there's nothing that would make me happier than to be your boyfriend," Tony whispers before leaning in and capturing Bucky's lips in a soft, loving kiss that has his heart racing.

Boyfriends. It's a term both of them happily get used to, and they're secretly happy that those idiots broke into Bucky's flower shop because, without them, they wouldn't have found their happily ever after in one another.

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forevfangirlwrites · 2 months ago

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hey! for your how to handle fame series, what if annabeth won an award for one of her performances and she mentions percy in her speech and it’s very fluffy and his reaction goes viral? I’m obsessed with your series btw! (I’ve reread them all so many times and seeing a new update makes me so happy!)

“And, of course, the biggest thank you to my biggest supporter Percy for being my haven through all the moments, big and small.”

The adrenaline running through his body from the initial winning announcement prevents him from registering the words until a few seconds later. It’s a shock and he’s reisters a cameraman getting closer to him but his heart is soaring in his chest and that’s all that matters.

His vision is also getting a little fuzzy and he realizes it’s because there is water in his eyes that in quick succession also make their way onto his cheeks.

Everything feels like a blur so he sits down and attempts to ground himself. It’s harder without her by his side though.

As he waits, his brain starts to actually process what she had said and it occurs to him that maybe she’s giving him too much credit.

He’s a haven?

But it’s the other way around. She’s his haven, his rock, it explains why he’s struggling so much right now without her by his side.

There are people congratulating him and he smiles and nods all the while waiting for his Annabeth to return.

It’s probably not that long, but it feels like forever until she slides into view next to him, taking her seat again. A smile automatically comes to his face as he, openly, stares.

She smiles back and their fingers interlock under the table so everything is right in the world. People at the table turn to talk to her during the break and she responds in stride.

He squeezes her hand and runs his thumb over her knuckles absently as he watches her do her thing. She truly sparkles in the lights which is how he knows she was made for this.

It’s not till the car ride home does he reveal this thought to her though.

She’s leaning against his shoulder, clearly tired from the activities, but she leans back to look at him when he says the words.

“Thank you. But you’re the reason I can continue. You remind me of my dreams when I start to forget them.”

She says it simply like it’s the most obvious thing in the world but it’s far from that to him.

“But how?” His confusion must show because she smiles at him.

“By being you. By holding my hand throughout the night, by cuddling when I have a rough day, by making me smile and laugh. Just…by being who you are.”

And with that final statement she settles back into his chest and wraps an arm around his waist.

He sits there trying to process what she’s said, and he’s not sure he has even when they’re home in bed and she’s fast asleep and pressed up against him.

His mind is racing too much to go to sleep so he does the worst possible thing and pulls out his phone to scroll social media. (Which is never a good idea at 1AM but definitely not a good one when you’re dating a celebrity.)

Gifs of his surprised face greet him when he opens twitter and apparently the people are calling it wholesome. (It’s not the most flattering image but whatever.)

He watches himself process her thanks and his jaw definitely did slacken a little and the eyes filled with tears is obvious.

Maybe it is #wholesome and maybe his love for her is showing in ways he’s never really thought about.

And maybe he should give himself a little more credit.

He looks down to see Annabeth sleeping beside him and thinks that she’s the wholesome one.

(But, he supposes as he puts his phone away and settles down beside her, maybe he isn’t too far off either.)

MORE HOW TO HANDLE FAME HEADCONONS LINKED HERE

A/N: Thank you for the cute prompt! I hope you liked how it turned out! Apologies for the delay in my answer too by the way!

#hthf #how to handle fame #percabeth #percy and annabeth #percabeth au #actress annabeth

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bizarrelittlemew · 1 year ago

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IDA do you have any advice or pointers for gif-making? yours are always so high quality with such great colors! i just started trying to make gifs and i feel like I'm constantly struggling with the export settings trying to make it look decent without being a gigantic file 😭

hiii and thank you so much 💗💗💗

I'm not really sure what to say since I've mostly learned by trial and error, so I guess the biggest piece of advice would be practice!!

I'm sure there are loads of gif tutorials out there and I may make my own one day but here are some tips I can give related to quality (I use Photoshop so these are probably specific to that):

The higher quality video you have to begin with, the easier it will be to make the gifs look great. I go for 1080p or higher (if possible)

When you import video frames to layers, be aware of duplicate frames as they will make the gif look choppy, it's a framerate issue - I use a very simple video editing software to cut out the scenes I want to gif, but if you have a more advanced one, you should be able to adjust the framerate so PS won't create duplicate frames. idk I'm not an expert on this exact thing I just delete the duplicates manually

For tumblr posts, the full width is 540px, half is 268px, go for these to avoid tumblr compressing the gifs

I usually set the frame time delay between 0.06-0.09 seconds since always prefer them a bit slower, which allows for seeing more detail. I check the speed by going into File -> Export -> Save for Web (Legacy) and clicking the Preview, because just playing the gif in PS will usually have lag

After wrangling frames, cropping and resizing etc., I convert to video timeline and convert all the frames to one Smart Object before sharpening and coloring. I use Smart Sharpen and Gaussian Blur filters with different settings, making copies of the smart layer and playing around with the opacity settings (I have this process recorded/automated as an action, but often have to adjust afterwards based on the clip). There are many different ways to do this and probably some tutorials too.

As for coloring, I don't use any automated processes, but just play around with adjustment and color fill layers. A gif with my usual sharpening and relatively simple coloring may have layers looking like this:

I think this is where the practice mostly comes in, because you'll discover new things with every gif you make. it's also the most fun part for me :) again, there are a lot of tutorials out there, and some scenes require more adjustments than others (especially dark scenes). really, Selective Color and Curves may be the most important adjustment layers (to me at least lmao)

As for file size, these are my usual export settings:

reducing the number of colors will always reduce the file size, but I'd usually rather trim the length (or split it into two gifs) or the image size (cropping a bit more off the height). Going for 40-80 frames is usually reasonable, and you can do more for very static gifs or smaller image sizes!

I hope some of this is useful, good luck and happy giffing 💗💗💗

#asks #zstraps #ok this got a bit long but I hope you can use some of it!!#giffing #gif making

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queenhawke · 10 months ago

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hey, i'm sorry if this is a weird question, but i'm wondering how you personally make gifsets? i wanted to make some basic ones for a post and i love the ones you make. thank you!!

yeah sure! here's my method:

First things first, I use Photoshop CC (a tooooootally legal version of course. so legal. so not pirated), and idk how to make gifs in other programs so uhhhh find a copy of Photoshop, if you don't have it already. Also I'm assuming you already have the video you want to gif somewhere (also gotten through entirely legal means, of course).

Also it's entirely possible there are better ways to gif, this is just how I do it! Lots of people use actions to streamline their process for instance, but I don't. So. There's that.

Anyway:

Clip the part of the video you want to gif

I personally use Microsoft's in-built program Clipchamp, because it's there and it can handle mkv files and output as mp4, but you can obviously use whatever program you like.

2. Import the video in Photoshop

Use File > Import > Video frames to layers

Select your clip. You now get this screen:

Select the part of the clip you want to turn into a gif. Keep in mind Tumblr's 10mb limit, so don't make the selection too long. If you do want a longer clip, and don't mind the gif looking a little less smooth, you can tick "Limit to every 2 frames" to cut down on the number of frames.

Click OK, and PS will convert the clip into layers. Make sure to have the timeline on (Window > Timeline)

Your workplace should now look like this:

3. Adjust the frame delay

Adjust the time between the frames by selecting all the frames in the timeline and clicking the little arrow in the bottom right of one of the frames.

I tend to set my frame delay to 0,05 seconds, but do whatever you like most!

4. Convert to video timeline

Convert the frame animation to a video timeline by clicking on the hamburger menu in the top right of the timeline and clicking "Convert to video timeline"

5. Convert the layers to a smart object

Select all the layers, right-click and select "Convert to smart object"

Cool, all your layers have now been converted into one video layer. Easier to work with.

6. Cropping

Crop the video to whatever size you want it to be (keeping in mind that 540px is the widest the tumblr dashboard goes). I'll crop this one to 540x350px.

7. Apply adjustment layers

Now apply adjustment layers to colour the gif to your liking (Layer > New Adjustment Layer). You can do this any way you like, but the adjustment layers I tend to use most are Levels, Curves and Vibrance

Here's a before and after.

But again, you can just go ham on this in whatever way you like. Just fuck around with the layers until it looks good to you!

8. Sharpening

Now it's time to sharpen the gif, to make it look extra crisp. Select the video layer and go to Filter > Smart sharpen and just fiddle with the settings until you're happy with it.

9. Text

I'm just gonna assume you know how to add text lmao. But to make that text stand out, go to the layer style by double clicking the layer and selecting Stroke and Drop shadow.

10. Saving

To save your gif, go to File > Export > Save for web (legacy)

Select gif and set the looping options to Forever.

Now, make sure to check whether your gif falls under tumblr's image limit of 10mb. This one is 9mb, so I probably should've cut it down a bit, but I like big gifs, sue me. If you don't want to cut the length of your gif (which you can very easily do with the timeline), you can also cut down on the amount of colours. I wouldn't go below 128 though, that just makes it look ugly lmao. But hey, the option is there.

Anyway, save the gif and you're done! You have made a gif!!

Hope this helps!!

#ask #anonymous

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thirstworldproblemss · 2 years ago

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I posted 3,242 times in 2022

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Blogs I reblogged the most:

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I tagged 3,230 of my posts in 2022

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Longest Tag: 138 characters

#we've not *quite* hit national lampoon levels of ridiculous complications and inconveniences but boy have we come closer than i would like

My Top Posts in 2022:

Anonymous Asked:

I’m seeing your stories again all through my dashboard. People finding out about the underrated Frankie.

It’s been decided. No more catfish. He is now officially known as ………

Frankie “Big Dick” Morales😈😈😈😈

lol🥴🫣

—

Ahahaha... Hell Yeah! 'Big Dick' Morales for the win!! <3

🚁📏🍆

Thank you, love, for the support and for making me laugh!! 😁🥰

Alas, as much as I wish I could take credit for the idea, I definitely was not the first to envision Frankie as a big boy.

Here's some of my other favorite 'BD' Frankie stories:

Coming Home by @astroboots (the first part of her Frankie x reader x Santi Homecoming ‘verse which was the inspiration for In the Still of the Night)

Weeknights by @frannyzooey (this entire series is so, so good, and once things heat up in ch 3: Wednesday it’s hot like fucking FIRE)

Behind the Raindrops by @jazzelsaur (a long, sometimes painful read, but an absolutely fantastic one; there's some exceptionally hot solo action in ch 8.1.1, and then Frankie’s BD officially joins the group chat ‘round about ch 13)

Moving Day by @adverbedly (also Frankie x reader x Santi; possibly the og BD Frankie, or at least the first one I remember reading)

Wild Things by @charnelhouse (charnie has so freakin’ many fantastic fics featuring ‘BD’ Frankie, but I think this one just might be my favorite of hers)

These are just the ones I could remember off the top of my head (well okay, I had to phone a friend because I have the memory of a goldfish--thanks, cici!), but I'm sure I've missed a bunch!

Anyone else have any 'Big Dick' Frankie recs to share? 👀👀

95 notes - Posted November 6, 2022

Anonymous asked:

So happy you extended the deadline for your fanworks celebration! I have to share some of my favorite recent Triple Frontier fanfics! 🤩

✩ Slumber ✩ by @write-and-buried {Frankie}

✩ Bunny Girl ✩ by @laters-gators {Santiago}

✩ The Party ✩ by @juletheghoul {Frankie}

✩ Only Angel ✩ by @j-buchanan {Frankie/reader/Santiago}

✩ Sunshine State ✩ by @brewsterispunkk {Benny}

✩ Double or Nothing ✩ by @supernaturalgirl20 {Frankie}

✩ My Brother's Keeper ✩ by @dieterbravospr {Frankie}

✩ Time Changes ✩ by @tripleissue {Will}

Hope you like them!

→ (See the full post)

122 notes - Posted July 11, 2022

Fic: Not Smart, Very Stupid Games

(Part of @astroboots' Homecoming ‘verse )

Fandom: Triple Frontier Pairing: Santiago Garcia x F reader (x Frankie Morales) Length: 7.5k words Rating: Explicit 🔞 Warnings: This fic contains explicit sexual content including male masturbation, getting caught, orgasm delay/edging (both accidental and intentional), a handjob and some mild fem dom within a poly relationship. Also mentions oral sex, p-in-v sex, m/m/f threesome shenanigans and a homemade sex tape.

Summary: Santiago Garcia is not the most patient man, but that doesn’t mean he can’t learn… right?

Notes: This story takes place in ‘boot’s spectacular Homecoming ‘verse. Her reader is taller than Santiago but should otherwise be a blank slate (please let me know if I botched this). Set at some point after the events of Play stupid games win stupid prices, which are referenced here. You don’t need to read that (or any of HC) to understand this, but why wouldn’t you!? It’s absolutely amazing!

Not Smart, Very Stupid Games

[ twp’s Masterlist | HC Series Masterlist ]

“There is a file in your documents folder named ‘sex tape’,” Santi says into the phone, running a hand over his jaw as he stares at the file in question, “Please tell me that is not our actual sex tape?”

“Of course it is. What else would it be?” you respond distractedly, tone ever-so-slightly indignant in the way that says you don’t see what the problem is.

“You can’t just–” He breaks off, massaging his temples in a futile effort to rub out some of the tension building behind his eyes. “Cariño, that’s a huge security risk. Anyone could just waltz right in and click play.”

He suits actions to words, sliding the pointer over to double click the file. The player opens, and then he’s looking at an image of you climbing into Frankie’s lap.

Shit. He’s going to have to encrypt this.

→ (See the full post)

174 notes - Posted October 4, 2022

Favorite Fanworks Recs

Here’s the final list of all the fic, art, gifs, and more that were recommended for my Show Me the Fanworks! Celebration. In the end you lovely folks recced a truly spectacular 154 of your favorite fanworks from 75 talented creators!

💕 Thank you so much to everyone who participated!! 💕

Here’s a breakdown of fanworks by character:

Din Djarin (The Mandalorian) - 34

Frankie Morales (Triple Frontier) - 25

Javier Peña (Narcos) - 18

Dieter Bravo (The Bubble) - 10

Pero Tovar (The Great Wall) - 10

Marc Spector/Steven Grant/Jake Lockley (Moon Knight) - 10

Ezra (Prospect) - 8

Santiago Garcia (Triple Frontier) - 7

Pedro Pascal - 5

Marcus Pike (The Mentalist) - 4

Javi Gutierrez (TUWoMT) - 4

Miller Brothers: Benny & Will (Triple Frontier) - 4

Dave York (The Equalizer 2) - 3+

Agent Whiskey (Kingsman: TGC) - 3

Marcus Moreno (We Can Be Heroes) - 2

Max Phillips (Bloodsucking Bastards) - 2

Black Krrsantan (The Book of Boba Fett), Pedro Across the Street (Calls), The Thief (Casillero Del Diablo), Oberyn Martell (Game of Thrones), Joel Miller (The Last of Us), Maxwell Lord (Wonder Woman 1984) - 1 each

→ (See the full post)

352 notes - Posted July 11, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Fic: In the Still of the Night

Fandom: Triple Frontier Pairing: Frankie Morales x F reader Length: 8.7k Rating: Explicit like whoa for sex stuff

Warnings: this fic contains explicit sexual content including male masturbation, edging, accidental (and then intentional) voyerism, overstimulation, and unprotected p-in-v sex within an established relationship with some soft femdom and swtichy overtones. May inspire unrealistic expectations.

Summary: Frankie “Big Dick (Bigger Libido)” Morales wakes up in the middle of the night wanting you.

Notes: Please be aware that I’m not even close to joking about this Frankie having a big dick and an even bigger sex drive. I’ve tried to play it straight (and hopefully sexy) for purposes of this fic, but be prepared to suspend your disbelief a little (we’re officially in “refractory period? what refractory period?” land, folks)

—

In the Still of the Night

[ twp’s Masterlist ]

—

It’s the middle of the night when Frankie jolts awake, his pulse thudding away in his ears, arousal clenched like a fist in his gut.

→ (See the full post)

435 notes - Posted September 30, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#oh tumblr #twp's tumbr year in review #2022 year in review #blog statistics #...of course ALL of those 'top 5' are dwarfed by red flags and the other moon knight fics i've cowritten with @astroboots XD

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jeonstellate · 1 year ago

Text

ocean waves & faded dreams — shore ii

agent collins tries her hardest not to obey her programming.

⚝༄ platonic!bucky barnes x original character (ft. platonic!tony stark x original character)

⚝༄ depictions of experiencing extreme pain

⚝༄ paragraph format — 1K words

masterlist | ow&fd masterlist

[gif’s full credit belongs solely to its owner]

Agent Collins didn’t want to be around the Avengers any more than she needed to. She simply got better things to do than wait around with them.

Originally, her plan was to just meet the Avengers by the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters once it was time for them to report. Unfortunately, the Avengers didn’t want to risk her running off, so they took her with them instead.

She understood where they were coming from. They did just meet and their first impression of her couldn’t’ve been any more ‘dangerous.’ She did just murder three men without breaking a sweat, after all.

She was the one who requested to be detained while they flew back to Manhattan. When Black Widow asked why, she merely offered a "It’s better that way." No one wanted to force her to explain, so it was just left like that.

It was Iron Man who helped her get settled inside one of the Quinjet’s holding cells. If he noticed that she seemed to know her way around the jet suspiciously well, he didn’t say anything. Rather, he opted to ask what they can refer to her as. She simply answered "Kid" and provided no other alternatives.

Truth be told, Agent Collins was distancing herself because she didn’t know how she’d react to being triggered. S.H.I.E.L.D. spent four years trying to remove her trigger, but all they accomplished so far was delaying her reaction and allowing her to resist for as long as possible.

Frankly, that was already a huge feat since they didn’t even know all her trigger words. Unfortunately though, that meant she was currently suppressing the urge to obey the command to kill everyone else inside the Quinjet.

To her credit, she was resisting better than she thought she would. However, she knew her resistance wasn’t meant to last — especially since it took a lot of her willpower.

Agent Collins was fully set on facing S.H.I.E.L.D. tomorrow at the earliest. Unfortunately, the threat of her other persona was making her think otherwise.

"What’s happening to you?" Iron Man asked when he came to collect her once the Quinjet landed.

In the span of the time it took for the jet to reach their destination, she had crumbled into a vulnerable and shivering version of her dangerous and confident self. Still, she opted to soldier on.

"Can you— Can anyone patch me through S.H.I.E.L.D.?" She tried to keep the shivering under control as she stood up. She inwardly grimaced when her legs almost gave out. "Everything will be explained later, I—"

"We can," Iron Man nonverbally offered her support, but she shook her head, "but maybe you should rest first—"

"I can’t afford that." Agent Collins took a sharp breathe, "This is an emergency."

Agent Collins was at least satisfied that her future Q&A session with the Avengers would be a one-time thing. She wouldn’t need to hold separate meetings: one about her life with HYDRA and another about her life with S.H.I.E.L.D..

Obviously, the Q&A would probably be really lengthy, but it should be fine. At least she wouldn’t need to meet them ever again after.

She was given Iron Man’s phone to borrow once they reached the floor where the other Avengers gathered. They all offered to give her some privacy while she made her call, but she insisted that they couldn’t leave her alone. At least not if they didn’t want any blood to spill.

"Stark," the person at the other end of the line began, unknowingly reminding her of her trigger.

"Alcantara, this Collins calling from Stark’s phone," Agent Collins introduced herself with a strained voice. "Is anyone from Eve’s Poison Apple in the HQ right now?"

"Agent Collins? Are you okay?" Agent Alcantara’s voice immediately overflowed with concern. "Why are you with Stark? You’re not supposed to be—"

Agent Collins almost regretted her choice to put her call on speakers. Unluckily for her, she needed to continue with the speakers on just in case she needed any Avenger to step in and finish the call. "Agent Alcantara, I need to talk to anyone from Eve’s Poison Apple. I don’t have much time."

"Oh, right. I apologize." Agent Alcantara calmed down, much to her relief. She did appreciate her concern, as she spent a lot of time with her both in and out of the headquarters. It was nice to know she actually cared about her but, as she had said, she simply had no time to dwell on it. "I’m transferring you to Hill."

Not a moment later after she expressed her thanks, a new voice resonated from the speakers. "Agent Collins?"

"Agent Hill," there was a breath of relief in her voice. However, she couldn’t let herself relax for long. "I have no time to explain how, but Riptide’s been triggered. I need— I need an antidote."

"What?" Agent Hill sounded in disbelief. She couldn’t blame her for finding her words hard to believe. After all, S.H.I.E.L.D. was yet to hear about a notebook that contained all her trigger words. "Was Riptide given a new mission?"

"Yes." The strain in her voice was becoming more and more evident with each word she spoke. "To kill the three Avengers in the HYDRA base today."

Although her attention was mostly taken up by not letting Phantom Riptide take over and by following her conversation with her superior, Agent Collins still felt the cold that swept over the room.

There was no need for her to look up. She already knew they were looking at her with fear in their eyes.

Thankfully, she didn’t have time to dwell on that, either.

Agent Hill was quiet for a second, before she spoke up once more. "How long ago was the trigger?"

"Roughly two hours ago, I think."

"And how long do you think you can keep resisting?"

"Not long," Agent Collins grimaced at how bitter her words tasted. "Probably thirty minutes at most."

Her superior took another moment to reply, most likely mulling over all the possible courses of action. "We’ll need someone to sedate you while we work on a stronger dose of your medicine."

next shore >

#bucky barnes imagines #bucky barnes scenarios #bucky barnes oneshots #bucky barnes fanfics #bucky barnes fics #bucky barnes #the white wolf #the winter soldier #marvel #mcu #avengers #the white wolf imagines #the winter soldier imagines #marvel imagines #mcu imagines #platonic!bucky barnes x reader #platonic!avengers x reader #marvel x reader #mcu x reader

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rediron4568 · 1 year ago

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a-simple-imagine · 2 years ago

Note

Hey!! I'm happy with you taking your own creative initiative on this :D thank you for what you think about, i hope it wasnt too long or too detailed. Yeah, there are things on here you dont have to include but there are a few things I'd def love to see tho

[ ] The nightmares of her being executed, and then later being forced to watch yn get executed (including the blood landing on her if possible)

[ ] Her and Katherine having the scars on their necks (which you said you agree with the fanon idea)

[ ] Their dynamic if possible, with Anne being extrovert and yn being an introvert.

[ ] Anne seeing the little section dedicated to her at yns place (if that's where they go) including items she gave to yn, probs not noticing it when she first gets there but once she's feeling more like herself

[ ] Her feeling phantom pains on her neck after the nightmare.

[ ] If possible her having the mirror scare with the blood down her neck

[ ] Anne needing to check yns neck to see whether her nightmare was real

[ ] um I just had this thought.... Anne seeing the tower of london at some point and her reacting, (if yn is there that would be great) apparently it's a 46 min walk from there to the vaudeville theatre where six plays :D

Yes of course, it should be in Anne's perspective, and I'll be happy with that :D

And I don't care if this takes a year lol I've always wanted to request from you so the wait will be worth it. Is there any way I could thank you, if you had a kofi account or something?

Let me know what you think when you can

hey pal!! sorry for the delayed response. i’ve been a little busy with work and eurovision.

honestly, the more detailed the request the better. it actually gives me a place to start and progress so i’m grateful the ideas. i’ll try to get most of it in, no need to worry. i just don’t want you to be disappointed if something is missing.

i’m pretty sure it won’t take a year, a couple months at most maybe but i’ll try to get it done as quickly as possible. i have work though and my tech training sessions at least once a week (soon to be more alongside a show we’re working on for july) i’ll try my best is my promise and it’s really sweet that you’ve always wanted to request from me. i’m happy you enjoy my messy fanfiction.

i have a kofi link at the top of each of my fandom masterlists but you really don’t have to pay for it. i don’t expect anything in return, i’m happy to write it regardless.

last question is do you want me to include descriptions of the queens?? i avoided them in my two other stories. i only ask because people see them entirely different depending on what cast they’ve seen so we probably have different pictures of what they look like. the gifs of millie are fun (she is literally so hot in person) but this is who i picture when it comes to miss boleyn…

#xxxtwilightaxelxxx #answered #request #jennifer caldwell is actually so nice in person and very funny

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digiworm · 2 years ago

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hiya this was sorta requested by @bird-of-blinkies so I thought I’d share how I make my blinkies!!

btw I'm autistic so I'm going to make these very comprehensive for folks like me who get lost easily. Under the cut lovelies!

Step 1. Make Your Blinkies!

this seems obvious but you have to start off somewhere! I do mine in IbisPaint, but you can use whatever software you are used to!

ones where your graphic is going to be the background, you need to leave it transparent. if you intend for it to be a floatie, you just need to leave a space for where you intend to put your graphic!

Make all your frames!!

Step 2. Turn Your Base Into a GIF!

I use ezgif (god bless)

First you go to the GIF maker and input all your files.

I recommend numbering these since they are put in alphabetical order, but you can reorder them later.

once you get in you'll be greeted with a page like this:

Here you can change how fast your gif is under delay time. I usually put mine down to 11

after that you just press this!

AND BOOM YOU HAVE YOUR BASE! wasn't too hard, was it?

Step 3. Adding Your Graphic

now this is the tricky part, and where I really struggled for awhile, so I'll try to be as thorough and clear as possible!

First, grab whatever graphic you intend to use.

For this examples, I will be using this:

Next, go to Photopea.

note: i am unsure how to resize shit in photopea and do not intend to learn how to. I simply do this in ezgif with the resize option.

Now open your base file.

It should appear on a screen like this!:

After that, also go ahead and open your graphic the same way!

Once you do that, right click the folder containing the images for your graphic. You will see a "duplicate into..." option near the top.

press on that. It will open up a little menu for you to choose where to duplicate it into. You want to duplicate it into your base.

Select your base and press OK

Once you go back to your base file, you will see that it has duplicated into it.

for ones where it is intended to be the background, you have to move the folder containing the background down below the base.

Next, move your graphic into place!

We're almost done!!

Once you're satisfied with the placement, you need to go up to "layer", go all the way down to "animation", and then select "merge"

this will combine them into one folder

And last, but not least go to "file", go down to "export as", and then select "GIF"

AND BOOM! YOU DID IT! PRESS SAVE AND YOU HAVE YOUR SWAG ASS GIFS TO POST ON TUMBLR DOT COM BABYYYY

Now you too can be a cool kid with no life

I hope this was helpful!!!!!!!!!!!! I have so much fun making blinkies and I love sharing that passion

#blinkies #tutorials #graphics tutorials

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the-little-ewok · 3 years ago

Note

I wish you would write a fic where One of my three favorites from the Star Wars series (Anakin, Luke, Or Poe) Surprises the wife!reader by coming home early without telling them and make it smutty? I just keep thinking of those military reunions on YT

Gif by the beautiful Salome-C More than just "I love you"

Poe Dameron X Wife Reader Rating : 18+ / E (By interacting with this post you confirm you are over 18) Wordcount : 2300 (ish) Warnings : Bit of angst, bit of fluff, bit of smut, brief fingering, unprotected sex Summary: Poe comes home early from a mission and needs you to help him forget, if only for a moment.

A/N : I wrote this from Poe's perspective and I'm sorry it's a little bit sad but its still fluffy! (Also I loved this idea and the lil, make it smutty ;) ) Beta by the lovely mypedrom

—

Poe pauses in the doorway to watch you for a moment, fast asleep on his side of the bed, your arms wrapped around his pillow, the crisp white sheets slipping off your shoulder, allowing your skin to be exposed to the soft moonlight filtering through the window.

His heart flutters at the sight and a warmth blooms in his chest that you're his, that you actually agreed to marry him, that you love him just as much as he loves you. He still can't believe his luck, and if he's honest with himself, he doesn't think he ever will.

Both of you barely had any time to adjust to married life before he'd been called away on another mission. He remembered all too clearly the way you'd smiled and assured him it would be ok, that you had a few days together and that was more than most got. You had assured him there would be time afterwards, to enjoy each other, to settle into married life, to build a home together, to make happy memories. You assured him that you would be alright.

But when he left, the memory he left with was one of you biting back tears, nails digging into your palms, voice trembling with emotion as you shouted to him that he better come home, or you would fly out and kill him yourself. He'd never tell you how much it hurt to see you that way. He'd never tell you the way it carved open his chest and ripped out his heart. To see you sleeping peacefully was a soothing balm to the worry that had pained him far worse than anything the First Order had done.

He sends a silent thank you to the Maker that he made it home to you. Out in the vast emptiness of space, when things had seemed at their worst, when hope was almost lost, and he could have allowed himself to be lost too, he thought of you, and how he would not let that memory be the last he had of you. It had given him the will to fight, to pull back from a stunt that probably would have gotten him killed, it had given him a purpose to come home. He was determined to see you happy again, to see you smile again, and that, is what brought him through. A possibility of more happy memories with you.

And he had made it back, surprisingly in one piece, and a whole week earlier than promised, but somehow still late.

He hadn't warned you that he was coming, unwilling to let you get too excited in case he got delayed, or worse. If you had known, he knew you would have sat up all night, waiting patiently for his ship to appear in the sky. He's glad now, given the hour, that he hadn't mentioned it.

He'd intended to arrive during the afternoon, to surprise you when you least expected it, to watch your eyes light up with excitement, to feel your lips against his when you welcomed him back with kisses that steal his breath. Instead he'd found himself quietly tiptoeing into your room in the early hours of the morning, fumbling in the dim lighting.

Poe sighs, running a hand through his hair, messy and damp from his helmet. He should shower, or at least clean up a little bit before he crawls into bed beside you, but you look so soft, so warm, so inviting after long hours of loneliness, that the thought leaves him almost as soon as it appears.

Right now, he needs you — your arms around him, your lips against his. He needs you to anchor him to the ground and make him forget about the terrors that have invaded his stars.

Carefully quiet, so he doesn't scare you awake, he shrugs off his shirt and pants, kicking them off to the side, where no doubt tomorrow you'll notice them and scold him for leaving things thrown around the room. The thought of your exasperated complaints makes him smile, realising he's even missed that.

He's surprised the dip and creak of the bed doesn't wake you as he kneels at the end, but you don't even stir, you're breathing steady and deep. It almost makes him feel guilty for wanting to wake you, but he knows there's no chance of sleep for him tonight, and the moment he lays down beside you, you'll wake anyway. He might as well make your reunion worth waking for.

Taking the edge of the thin sheet, he tugs it gently, slowly allowing it to slip down over your body, exposing more of you to his gaze.

He pauses as you stir, just slightly as the cold air begins to hit your skin, blindly reaching out and tangling your fingers in the sheet, trying to pull it back up. Poe holds it tightly, preventing any movement, and when you frown he gives it another playful tug.

That gets you to stir more, turning in the bed and exposing the full view of your naked form to him. Maker, how he stops himself jumping on you then and there, he doesn't know. If it was any other night he came home to his wife naked, he would have. But he won't rush this. He wants to savour the quiet moment, to drag it out and enjoy every possible second before reality crashes down on you both once more. So, patiently, he tugs the sheet gently out of your grip and off the bed.

Trusting you're well on the way to waking by the way you groan in annoyance, he dips his head and starts to press soft kisses against your leg, working his way up as his hands slide higher to map the soft flesh of your thigh.

He keeps his eyes on your face, watching as your eyes flicker open slowly, as though fighting the urge to drift back to sleep, your gaze glazed and unfocused.

"Poe?" You whisper his name, your voice sleep gravelled, hopeful and scared. He understands your fear. He knows all too well the nightmares that make you worry - one day you'll wake to him, and he won't really be here, he'll be gone forever, stardust scattered through space.

"I'm here," he assures you softly against your flesh, moving his kisses up to your thigh. "You're awake. I'm home."

"Poe," it's less of a question now, and it comes in a more desperately surprised voice as you finally, fully wake. His heart fills with love at the way your hands scramble to touch him, to pull him to sit up, to check him over.

"Hello wife," he smiles playfully, but you miss it, too busy checking over cuts and bruises, new scars, still red and angry, marks of battle that weren't there before. He allows you this, he doesn't wince or pull away from your gentle touches as he might have with others. And when your hands frame his face, he holds your worried gaze steadily.

He takes his own account of you then — the dark circles under your eyes that tell him this is maybe the first time you've slept soundly in weeks, the redness on your bottom lip that tells him you've chewed it more than once in worry, the tears filling your eyes, full of both grateful happiness and concern. Bringing a hand up he cups your cheek gently, brushing his thumb against your skin to wipe away the tear that breaks free to cascade down your cheek.

"Don't cry. I'm here," he whispers softly. "I'm sorry I woke you up."

"What happened out there?" Your scared question brings back a familiar ache in his chest, the echo of memories flashing across his vision. His stomach gives a sickening lunch, and his tongue is suddenly heavy in his mouth, unable to choke out the truth. He'll tell you tomorrow, when the sun has risen on a new day, when the silence that followed yelled call signs isn't so fresh in his mind, when the flashing lights of exploding star fighters behind his closed eyelids are no longer bright enough to blind him.

"I don't want to talk about it," he shakes his head softly, pushing away the thoughts of all that was lost. He won't think about that now. Not yet. No, for now he needs you — the distraction of you, the hope and light of you, to dispel the dark thoughts that churn in his mind.

You nod slowly, understanding him in a way only you can, brushing your thumbs against his skin as you hold his face. The touch of your hands makes his eyes flutter closed for just a moment, safe in your embrace. Your presence alone chases away the shadows that have clouded his every step.

"I missed you," you whisper softly, pressing a sweet kiss to his mouth. When you pull away his mouth chases yours, capturing your lips and kissing you desperately. His hand slides around the side of your neck, holding your lips captive against his as his tongue slips between your teeth. He needs you close to him, he needs all of you, and when he feels you return his kiss with the same intensity, he knows you need him too.

Nothing he could imagine, no memory he could conjure, would ever come anywhere close to the feeling of having your body against his. His lips re-familiarise themselves with yours, drawing soft moans from you as he presses you back to lay down, his body covering yours, slotting himself between your legs. As your hands slide down his chest, your kisses just as desperate and insistent as his, he finally feels some of the tension he's carried drop from his shoulders.

When you pull apart his eyes drink in the view of your body, the familiar stirring of passion only intensifying with each flicker of his gaze across the flesh laid out under him. You truly are the most beautiful thing he has ever seen.

"If I'd known you started sleeping naked, I'd have been back weeks ago," his fingers slide across your flesh as he talks, wandering over the peaks of your breasts and tiptoeing down across your hip, familiarising himself with every curve as though it was the first time all over again.

He kisses the edge of your mouth as you sigh prettily beneath him, before his lips follow the line of your jaw, dipping to press a kiss under your ear and then slowly down your neck, enjoying the soft moan it elicits from you.

"I get hot sometimes,"

"You're hot all the time," he can't help but smile against your skin at your huff of amused laughter.

"You're already getting what you want. No need for the… compliments," the last word is gasped as he sucks a mark against your neck, replacing the one he left you with that's long since faded in his absence.

He allows himself a moment to admire it, letting this tongue sweep across the abused skin, before he brings his lips back to yours, his kiss passionate and needy. His fingers slide between your bodies, dipping down into the apex of your legs, letting out a low groan into your mouth at the wetness already gathered there.

"Someone was having a good dream," he teases, raising an eyebrow. Drawing his fingers up, he circles your clit slowly, reminding himself of all the ways to make your hips arch against him, your breath stutter and gasp. "I hope it was about me?"

"It wasn't," you gasp, your fingers gripping his shoulders as his work against you. Stars, he's missed this — the easy banter, the teasing, the way your eyes twinkle with amusement, the way they go wide, your mouth falling open with a low moan as he slides two fingers into you. This is what he needed, you, just you.

"Because a dream wouldn't compare to having me in reality, right?" He purposely curls his fingers against your walls as you try to speak, cutting your words off into a stuttered moan. You smack his arm in silent protest to his teasing, but he knows you're too distracted by the steady thrust of his fingers to think of anything else to say now.

When you do manage to choke out a word, between the whimpers and moans you shower him with, it's the simple syllable of his name. It's a desperate plea as you cant your hips against his hand, a sweet beg for more as your walls flutter against the press of his fingers.

"Poe," you whimper softly.

He shushes you gently, capturing your lips as he eases his fingers out of you with a slick noise. He can't deny you anything and his fingers are swiftly replaced by his cock, sliding through your wetness, letting out his own shaky breath at the feel of your heat against him.

He presses himself into you slowly, inch by inch, allowing you to adjust after the long absence, dropping his head to your shoulder as he shudders, letting out a low moan as your wet heat engulfs him. As he stills deep inside you, the world outside fades away, the terror and sadness, the hurt and worry. All that remains in his world now are the two of you.

"I love you," you whisper in a soft moan, wrapping your arms around him as you lift your hips to his. He knows your words are never just an "I love you." It's an I love you, I missed you, I'm here for you, we'll get through this. It's always more than just "I love you."

And when he repeats it back, a breathless mantra against your skin as he presses his body close against yours, entwining your fingers, drawing back his hips to slowly rock against yours, his own affirmations are hidden in the spaces between the words.

"I love you, I love you, I love you."

I love you. I missed you. I need you.

----

Taglist reblog to follow

#poe dameron x reader #poe dameron x wife reader #poe dameron x you #poe dameron x f!reader #poe dameron x female reader #poe dameron imagine #poe dameron fanfiction #poe dameron

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lovesicktemple · 2 years ago

Note

Yandere Kokichi with a s/o that can't even look at him because they're scared of him?^^

Hey Anon! Sure thing! Also, I will be delaying some Kokichi requests for a bit. Or Atleast I, will hehe! Let’s see if admin Kaede answers them next.

—————————————

Yandere Kokichi with a terrified S/O.

Source: This cute little gif here!!

Warning, threatening, blackmail

—————————-

❥: You really weren’t the bravest type. If you heard the slightest noise you’d twitch a little. The killing game only made your paranoia worse.

❥: Kokichi..didn’t help at all..

❥: Since you were a scared person, he’d love to just make you jump by randomly coming around corners and jump scaring you.

❥: Everytime he did, you got even more and more paranoid. He was so..annoying..

❥: You started distancing yourself from him, trying your best to stay away from him as much as possible. The creepy faces didn’t exactly help either.

❥:Kokichi git upset! All of it was just for fun! Why were you being such a baby?! If he wanted to interact with you, he needed to be gentle.

❥:You we’re eating breakfast one day and Kokichi tapped you on the shoulder. You looked over and shrieked!

❥:Kokichi tried reassuring you that he didn’t mean any harm. But you shook your head closed your eyes.

❥: “Come on Y/N! I’m not THAAAAAT scary~! Let’s hangout,”

❥: Then, unannounced he ripped you off of the bench and dragged you with him. Despite your protests he was determined to show you he wasn’t that bad! But..he ended up blackmailing you into hanging out with him a bit. Using your secrets as a way to threaten you.

❥: This wasn’t how you wanted to spend your day! Attached to Kokichi, forced to do activities with him. Kokichi really did his best to be gentle with you, but you didn’t enjoy your time with him all that much. He threatened you for gods sake!

❥: At the end of the day, you were still scared of him. So, he turned to you and..swore to protect you? You just walked away but he followed you. I guess his idea of ‘protecting’ you was following you around everywhere. Even inside your dorm! And if you locked the door before he could get in, he’d lock pick it.

❥: He began becoming a headache, but you never had the courage to tell him to buzz off. And he took that as an invitation to be even closer to you! He didn’t stand beside your bed anymore, he slept with you. No matter your protests.

❥: It had gotten out of hand..so, you gathered up your courage and asked one of your classmates to help you keep Kokichi away from you

❥: So, Kokichi resorted to stalking you. The only opportunity he had to be close to you was during nighttime. So he’d lock pick your room and watch you sleep. But..something was missing..your scent ..your touch. He wanted it! But he shouldn’t be demanding! You’re already scared of him so why should he push it?!

❥:..Those thoughts didn’t help. Come on, it’s Kokichi Ouma. I’m pretty sure he’s at war with himself on a daily basis.

❥: So, at nighttime, he decided to go into your room. But through a vent. And because he went through the cleaning supplies, he had found himself some chloroform! It his lucky day. He carefully but it up to your face and let you pass out while dragging you through the vent.

❥: Your class mate knocked on your door the next day, they had expected you to answer but..you were somewhere else. You were in Kokichi’s room. Good thing they’re sound proof! It would’ve been so annoying to hear you call for help. 24/7!

❥: He’s all over you and gave you a pillow to hug to prevent you from becoming too anxious. But, your mouth was taped shut. You were too scared to cry! Kokichi might hurt you! So you stayed quiet and let yourself calm down.

❥: The rest of your days were spent on a search for you. Everytime they questioned Kokichi, he said he had no clue where you went. But that made him a suspect nonetheless. But they could never get to you no matter how much up they tried. Will anybody save you?

——————

I hope you like them!

~Mod Shuichi

#danganronpa #yandere danganronpa #yandere kokichi x reader #v3 kokichi #kokichi x reader #kokichi ouma #danganronpa kokichi #drv3 kokichi #yandere x reader #canon x reader #x reader #yancore #yanderecore #yandere scenarios #danganronpa scenarios #mod shuichi

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from-the-clouds · 3 years ago

Text

Thinking of a Place (Part VII) - Kendall Roy x Reader

gif by @televisionchronicles

Summary: The penultimate chapter.

Words: 6.4k

Warnings: Angst, alcohol consumption, discussions of drug abuse/addiction.

A/N: Massive apologies to everyone for the semi-cliffhanger and then delayed update. Life was very stressful and crazy, and I wrote briefly for another fandom. I had such bad writers block with this part, but I do think it is one of my favorites. Please let me know what you think.

The spires of the cathedral were jagged, jutting straight up and somehow still managing to make the church appear more threatening than the skyscrapers that towered around it. You had to tilt your head back all the way to take it in, dragging your feet up the steps.

“This is gonna be so awful,” a voice sounded behind you, and you paused your slow procession for it to catch up. “Oh, it’s gonna suck so bad.”

Stewy fell into step beside you, glued to his phone and texting frantically, trying to do some business last-minute before it would be taboo. You wanted to laugh, but knew now was not the time. Plus, your stomach was twisting itself in knots, and it might’ve felt nice to relieve some of the tension squirming about.

It only gets worse from here.

“You don’t know the half of it,” you sympathized absentmindedly. It wasn’t too late to back out, was it? You could. All it would take was to turn around, get back in the car and go home, pretend it never happened. It would be better to erase this part of your life and never look back.

Hell, you weren’t even planning to be there, until Stewy guilted you into it. It wasn’t fair.

“We should go to the funeral, right?” he had mused over the phone, catching you after work. “Like, that’s the right thing to do, no?”

You pushed back your cuticles and paused the episode of Shark Tank you had on, stifling a laugh. There was no chance you’d be able to pay attention. “Since when do you care about doing the right thing?”

“I don’t,” he scoffed, offended. “But it might make me look bad…is what I’m saying. I was on the board, I owned all those shares….it’d be bad for business, at least.”

“Yeah,” you paused. “I don’t care if I look bad.”

“Well, yeah, but you still have to go with me,” he said, matter-of-factly.

“Do I?”

“Yeah, I’m not fucking going to this thing alone.”

“Stewy, no…I’m not going.”

“Yes, you are.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Come on, uhhh, let’s see, what dirt could I scrounge up to use as blackmail to make sure you come?” he mused. “Maybe I should hire a PI.”

“Good luck with that,” you laughed, but felt your face fall, something nagging at the back of your mind.

Even though you knew Stewy was joking, you did wonder if it was possible someone could ever find evidence of what had happened between you and Kendall. On your end, there was no paper trail. Perhaps a few spicy texts you’d shared, but even those were vague enough to give you plausible deniability, and you’d never uttered a word about it to anyone. As for him, you had no idea. But it’s not like you were going to try to find out.

“No,” Stewy said, after a pause. “You’re a good person, that’s why you’ll go. I don’t even need to guilt you. You’ll do it to yourself.” “No I won’t!,” you exclaimed in mock indignity. “You don’t know me….”

But you knew Stewy was right. Even before he’d called you, you’d already been considering it. Through all the bullshit, you had spent so many years of your life at Waystar. And it wasn’t just Kendall you’d grown close to. Gerri, Greg, even Shiv at times had all been some sort of friend. You had to show support. This wasn’t just about him.

“But… “ For all you knew, it might be crowded enough that you didn’t even have to speak to Kendall. Maybe, if you were really lucky, he wouldn’t be there. You weren’t sure what terms he was on with Logan, anyways. You knew it was the right thing to do.

“....yeah, I guess I should go,” you added.

So you went to the funeral, filing into the church alongside Stewy Hosseini of all people. You were ultimately glad you weren’t alone, just because you would’ve felt incredibly uncomfortable. You still did, of course. But you already couldn’t imagine anything worse than this.

The sound of chanting – coming from the small group of protestors outside – reached your ears from the back of the church where you sat, with your eyes cast down. There weren’t as many people in attendance as you were expecting, though there were still probably hundreds, a fair amount of them journalists, some of them there for the story, others to pay their respects – which was rather laughable if you thought about it. But besides all the suits and ties, and old white men with haggard faces, it still felt like there weren’t that many. A man like Logan Roy didn’t seem to keep friends, unless they were good for business. And even then, you’d seen how disposable members of his inner circle could be.

The service was long, and felt like it lasted forever. Maybe it was just your nerves, you couldn’t stop fidgeting next to Stewy, who gave you a couple of side-eyed glares while you nibbled on your cuticles and twisted one of the rings on your fingers, crossing and uncrossing your legs.

Marcia, Shiv, Roman, and Connor all spoke, but not Kendall. In fact, you were beginning to think he wasn’t even there, felt the persistent pinch between your shoulder blades begin to release, especially once the service wrapped up, and the priest announced that the burial was closed to immediate family only.

It made you feel a little more relaxed. Just an hour – give or take – and you could go home, know you weren’t a heartless monster who wouldn’t show up, and not have to live with anymore guilt. You were almost in the clear.

“Shall we pay our respects?” asked Stewy, standing up from his spot.

“Probably,” you said, lining up behind the long processional that fed towards the altar where the family sat.

Stewy didn’t say anything for awhile, hands in the pockets of his impeccably tailored suit. You were grateful for the silence, especially when he opened his mouth and spoke again.

“I bet Ken will be so happy to see you after all this time,” he eyed you carefully with a devilish twinkle in his eyes, gauging your reaction.

You pressed your lips together. Narrowed your eyes. I know what you’re doing.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” you kept it playful.

“Well, you know…he always had a thing for you. He never would admit it to me but….I just knew it.”

You feigned surprise, before shrugging and shaking your head. “I don’t know about that. And if how he treated me is how he treats people he likes? Then I’d want no part in it.”

Stewy had been given a very vague explanation of your reasons for leaving Waystar, the headline being that Kendall had offended you one-to-many times – which wasn’t exactly a lie.

“That’s his modus operandi,” Stewy said. “Fuck people over until they leave. It’s almost like he wants it to happen.”

Stewy had known Kendall since childhood, he knew him better than you did, in a lot of ways. Still, you wished what he was saying wasn’t true.

“Yeah,” you shook your head. “I don’t know.”

After that, Stewy let it go, thank god. For the rest of the time spent waiting, he chatted with you idly, sneakily hiding behind you to use his phone and send emails. You started to zone out as he droned to you about various topics – why NFTs were the future of currency and how you needed to buy one, some club he was investing in that sold magic mushroom infused cocktails, and his upcoming trip to Dubai. Despite the subject matter, you were thankful to have him as a distraction as the number of people in the church dwindled.

And then you saw him.

The man standing next to Shiv with his hands buried in the pockets of his suit, crisp and unwrinkled. You had actually noticed him already, but didn’t even recognize him at first. Kendall.

He looked exhausted, utterly spent, eyes flickering down as he shrugged his arm forward to shake someone’s hand. And although you weren’t surprised to see him in such a state considering the circumstances, that wasn’t why you didn’t recognize him right away.

He looked….good. Healthy, even. His skin was practically glowing, his hair had grown out, speckled with far more gray than you remembered. Perhaps he’d been dyeing it all this time. It didn’t matter, because it suited him. Fuck. You were still attracted to him, which didn’t bode well. You supposed you always would be, though, whether he was a coked-out mess or a put-together, confident and powerful man. The appeal would never leave you. But it wasn’t like you still had feelings for him, or anything.

Kendall glanced around the room, as the person he had been talking to moved on, scanning diligently. And even though you tried to angle yourself behind Stewy, to remain out of sight, you weren’t fast enough. It was too late. When he saw you, he did a double-take. Then, he was locked in.

Oh, great. You weren’t sure if you thought it, or you muttered it under your breath.

Against your better judgment, you met his gaze. Something fluttered in your stomach. Kendall tilted his head, and you were a little surprised by the tenderness written on his features, warmth in his eyes, like he was only seeing you. Like you both knew something no one else in the room did. You found yourself lingering there, just for a moment longer than you should have.

The only thing that pulled you away was someone shaking you, tapping you relentlessly, saying your name. Finally, you turned away from Kendall, somewhat thankful. You still snuck one final glance over your shoulder, to find that he had also been pulled away.

“Greg!” you exclaimed when you saw who it was that had stolen your attention.

“Hey,” Towering over you, he grinned widely. “S-so good to see you.”

“You too!”

Considering he was on Logan’s side of the deal with Gojo, you hadn’t technically been allowed to talk to him. But that didn’t matter anymore. Now, he was one of the bigwigs at Waystar, carrying himself with more confidence than you thought possible. Even then, he was still just as gangly, offering you the most awkward side-hug you’d encountered. “How are you?”

“Good,” you embraced him in return. “I’m so sorry about your uncle.”

“It’s like, you know….it’s one of those things that happen, I guess,” he said, tucking a stray piece of hair behind his ear. He didn’t seem that upset. “It’s good to see you.”

Before being pulled in different directions, you and Greg had been quite close. He was your go-to person to share a joint with during an excruciating networking event; and you, him, and Jess pretty much had therapy sessions commiserating about your nearly-insufferable bosses. Yet, you all stuck around.

“Good to see you too.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Stewy raise his hand to wave at someone across the room, phone to his ear, and he stepped away and out of your periphery. You assumed it would be the last time you’d see him that day. So much for having company.

“So like, what are you doing now, like, work-wise?” Greg asked.

“Well, you know I’m-”

“Greg, come on, we’re going now-” the click of heels on the hardwood, accompanied by a familiar voice was a dead giveaway. Shiv. Her face lit up when she saw you, her three brothers trailing behind. The line had scattered before you could even get to them.

“Oh my god,” Shiv surprised you with a rare hug. “It’s so good to see you.”

“You too, I’m so sorry about your dad,” you said as she released you.

“Yeah well, you know,” Shiv shrugged, dropping her hand. “I’m surprised you’re here. How have you been?”

“I’m good. Are you still working at-”

“I thought we had like, 20 minutes?” Greg interrupted, leaning to whisper in her ear.

“Uh, yeah. I said that 30 minutes ago,” Shiv answered, pulling her phone out to look at it. “Can you go find Tom? I’ve tried calling him and he’s not picking up.” She turned her attention back to you.

“I’m so sorry, we have to get going, this day has been so-”

“Don’t apologize, I get it,” you shook your head. You’d been to your own fathers funeral, and even though Logan was a different type of parent, you couldn’t imagine how stressful this was for any of his children.

“Thank you for understanding. Hey!” she said, like she’d forgotten something. “You’re coming to Ken’s after this, right? You should be there.”

You meant to object to Shiv’s request politely, but before you could, you were interrupted.

“Oh there she is, the girl who fucking ghosted us all,” Roman jutted in, words rather harsh, even though there was a dark smile on his face and he was shaking your shoulders. Shiv had turned away and was whispering to Greg. “Nice of you to show up.”

“Rome, I don’t think that’s helpful-” a familiar deep timbre was in your ear and your eyes flickered over just as Kendall stepped between you and his younger brother. He peered at you cautiously as Roman lost interest in offering any more verbal harassment, turning to throw a snarky remark at Connor and Willa instead.

“Hey,” Kendall said, much of the chatter and chaos around you fading. “Thanks for coming.”

“Of course,” you said, not sure what to do. Hug him? Shake his hand? It concerned you that immediately, your first instinct was to comfort him. But the more conscious part of your brain recoiled at the thought. Do something. Say something. You were frozen, until finally, you remembered your funeral etiquette. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“Yeah,” he answered, nodding. “Yeah, thank you, it’s uh…it’s pretty tough.”

You nodded, inhaling through your nose as you shifted your weight, and Kendall’s gaze flickered downward, both of you holding for a clumsy silence.

“It’s uh,” Kendall cleared his throat. “It’s good to see you, though.”

You swallowed hard, feigning indifference. “Yeah, it’s been awhile.”

“Ken, come on, or we’ll leave without you,” Shiv was backing away. Roman, Greg, and a slew of others hovering around.

“Okay, okay,” he stepped away. “Listen I gotta get to the burial but uh, I uh….you know we’re uh, having some people over at my place after - mostly Waystar people…. just, you know, for food and….” he trailed off. “Closer family and friends…..you should come. You were a big part of it all.”

“Yeah, don’t know about that.” A big part of it all? He was playing you. You wanted to make an excuse. Some reason you couldn’t make it. You were drawing a blank. No was a complete sentence, but that simple syllable lay dead on your tongue.

“It’s the truth,” Kendall insisted earnestly. “You should be there, really.”

“Uhh, okay, I guess…” you forced your lips to form a tight-lipped, reluctant smile.

“Okay,” Relief washed over his features and he stepped away. “Okay, I’ll uh, I’ll see you there.”

You turned your back to him, tilted your head back to groan, and stared at a long-haired man in the stained glass window.

Why?

— — — — —

Being back in Kendall’s apartment felt…strange. On one hand, you no longer belonged. It had been ages. It was unfamiliar, cold. Like a museum. On the other hand, it was as though no time had passed. Warmth still lingered in the space, and your eyes were inexplicably drawn to places they shouldn’t have been – the couch where he had first kissed you, the wall he’d pinned you against in the hallway. You were just lucky you didn’t have to go into his bedroom, for whatever reason.

So you spent much of your time hovering around Gerri, who you’d lost touch with – mostly after Kendall tried to sabotage his father – but that grudge had come and gone. During your years at Waystar, she’d become something of a mentor to you, and the closest thing you had to a mother besides…well, your own mother, who you only considered your mother because it was the objective truth.

But more importantly, you could always rely on her if you needed to talk shit. Over the years, that was the kind of trust you didn’t earn with just anyone, but you had a mutual understanding. What you said to each other never left the room you were in, and you always had to keep any insider information to yourself.

And at the party, Gerri did a good job of keeping you included in conversations so you weren’t forced to talk to anyone you didn’t want to – which was pretty much only one person. She spent most of the time filling you in on what had happened in and outside of the business since you’d left it, much to your dismay. Your morbid curiosity, however, was very encouraged by the information.

“Did you hear that Rava is remarrying?” Gerri asked you, under her breath as you sat next to her, nursing a bourbon and nibbling on amuse bouche.

“No, I didn’t,” you said, raising an eyebrow, though it wasn’t exactly a surprise. You wondered how Kendall handled the news, then pushed the thought aside.

“Really?” Gerri sipped on her martini. “Wow, you really did cut ties,” she said, giving you a side-eye, while still scanning the room, settling back to make sure she had noted everyone in the space and where exactly they were. She was and had always been, by far, the most capable person you’d ever known. “I thought you and Ken kept in touch.”

You snorted, scowling, and glanced over at Gerri, who was studying you carefully. “I haven’t seen or talked to him since I left.” Of course, you’d never tell Gerri the extent of your history with Ken.

Your acting must have paid off, because she moved on without issue. “That one,” Gerri gestured to Roman, who was downing a glass of champagne. “Lord only knows what will happen with that one now that Logan’s gone.”

You smirked, as your gaze flickered between her and Roman, recalling a rumor you’d heard. It was too preposterous to ever be true, and far too sordid to even jokingly bring up to her. “Yeah, who knows…”

She gave a dry laugh in response. Then sighed. “I should probably stop being so antisocial,” Gerri said, uncrossing her legs.

You nodded in agreement, standing up along with her, making your way to get another bourbon – which was the only thing keeping you remotely relaxed.

“Hey,” you felt a hand on your arm just as you took the first sip, and turned around to find Shiv with a champagne flute in her hand. “I hate to do this, but can you help me find Ken? We’re supposed to do a toast, and he basically like, vanished.”

“Shiv, I-” you began to object.

“Please?” she pressed, pouting slightly. You supposed that this wasn’t about you, at all. That she was mourning her father and you could stop being so selfish.

“Yeah, I can-”

“Whaddup sluts?” Roman injected.

Shiv’s eyes widened in a mortified expression. “Rome, can’t you at least pretend to be upset?”

“Eh, well, that’s always been Ken’s job,” he put his hand on his hip, pressing them forward and peering around the room. “Speaking of which, where is he? Sulking because he didn’t go before dad?”

“Roman,” Shiv warned, then glanced all around her nervously for anyone within earshot.

“What? Stop that, you know it was almost him just a few months ago,” he rolled his eyes.

His words took a second to land.

“Wait, what happened?” you blurted before Shiv could even scold him.

“Oh, you didn’t hear?” Roman grinned, absolutely diabolical.

Shiv flipped her hair and leaned forward, hissing at him. “Now is not the time to-”

“No, no it’s fine,” Roman said, coughing after he took an overzealous sip of champagne. “I’ll just repress the traumatic memory of finding my big brother unconscious on his bathroom floor, it’s fine-”

“Roman-”

“Hey, what did he do to you anyways?” Roman turned to you, standing wide eyed and shocked at his callousness, bits and pieces of a horrific story coming together in your mind with each careless toss of words in your direction. “Because he didn’t tell us shit. It had to be pretty fucking bad, though.”

You shrugged, trying to remain nonchalant. “I can’t even remember.”

“Bullshit, come on, what really happened? It fucked him up, like, so good.”

You couldn’t answer. God, you’d really lost your ability to deal with these kinds of people, to stay stoned-faced and unfeeling while horrible things were being said straight to your face. And Roman, of all of them, was probably the most harmless. It wasn’t that you didn’t like him. He was just an….acquired taste. A lot more bitter than you remembered.

“Come on, tell us, I’m dying to know.” Shiv had quieted, looking on.

Finally, finally, that old fire in you lit up – just enough for you to press your lips together in a coy smile as you raised your hands. “I’ve signed too many NDA’s Rome, I can’t answer that.”

Roman rolled his eyes. “Ugh, whatever, you….so fucking cryptic, too good for us, now?”

“Fuck off,” you rolled your eyes, shoving him playfully. “I’ll find Kendall,” you nodded at Shiv.

It was a little concerning to know that he hadn’t changed in the slightest since you’d last spoken, you thought somewhere along the way he might try to be….or get better. But they were Roys. None of them would ever really thrive.

After doing a turn about the apartment and being unable to find him anywhere, you finally decided to try his office, figuring he might be in one of the more closed off areas of the space. Shiv putting you up to this seemed like a sick joke, but thanks to Roman’s big mouth you got the impression that neither of them actually knew anything, which made this whole situation less humiliating.

The office door was ajar, which meant that he probably wasn’t inside if all he wanted were a few moments of privacy. You poked your head inside and saw nothing at first glance, until your eyes caught a small form hunched in the corner of the room.

Sat with his knees to his chest, folded in a ball, head parallel with the ground, he was a sight.

“Hey,” you said softly.

One of his palms swiped his nose as he glanced over at you. “Oh, hey,” he answered, staring back at the floor, snorting and shaking his head. He’d been crying. He didn’t want you, or anybody to see it. Curled up and isolated, ashamed and vulnerable, a boy hiding his tears from a world and from a father that might see it and call him what he knew he was: weak.

And you might’ve told him to go find Shiv and then leave him there alone like that.

But you didn’t.

Instead, you stepped into the room, closing the door behind you. “Shiv sent me to come find you. Something about a toast….?”

“Oh yeah,” he grunted. “Yeah….I should probably get back out there.”

“You should take a second, if you need one.”

He didn't turn, didn't acknowledge you, just studied the polished marble floors. And you were bracing yourself against the wall so you could slide to sit next to him, crossing your legs when you were on the ground, back against the wall. Kendall’s shoulders sagged.

It felt like ages that you sat next to him, huddled like that, steeping in the tension, in the sorrow melting off of him.

“Is it bad that I feel kind of relieved?” he asked after a while, unmoving.

You snorted, remembering the first time Logan had ever yelled at you to fuck off, and then also a game he’d made up at a corporate retreat called Boar on the Floor. Both incidents had been mildly traumatizing, but were isolated. What it felt like to live through a lifetime of that type of humiliation and cruelty, you couldn’t imagine. “Not at all.”

"I-I’m relieved….” He reiterated. “....and I feel so fucking guilty.”

You inhaled, stared at whatever he was staring at, the wheels of his desk chair.

“He didn’t want me to speak at his memorial. His own son. All I did was let him down. I could’ve been….I could’ve been better.”

The words he spoke had a visceral reaction, you were suddenly queasy. And keeping your mouth shut only made it worse, holding back would’ve been more agonizing. “That’s not true, Kendall,” you shook your head. “He was impossible to please. People like him…they don’t change. You’d be setting yourself up to get hurt”

“Uh-huh.” Kendall’s eyes were on you, burning a hole in the side of your face, so uncomfortable and distracting that you gave in to it and stole him a glance. His expression was written with concern. Is that why you left? He had more of his father in him than he’d ever be willing to admit, a poison that was ever-spreading despite his desperation to purge himself of all that evil. And he couldn’t be sure he was capable of that.

“Thanks again for coming.”

“Oh, you know,” you shrugged. “Figured I should.”

“It means a lot.”

“Yeah.”

A bandaid had to be ripped off, one that covered a wound so deep it might start bleeding and never stop. It was better to be left covered up.

He saved you the trouble. “So uh…what have you been getting into?”

“I work at an ad firm,” you said. “In house legal services.”

He nodded, a smile quivering at the corner of his mouth. “That sounds perfect for you.”

“Yeah, it definitely fits.”

“They probably love you there, I bet.”

You scoffed. “I don’t know about that….but, yeah…it’s….you know, it’s good. I’m….happy.”

He was gazing at you wistfully. Gentle, but still so sad. He was missing out. So many things that had happened over the past year, and he hadn’t been there to see any of it. He was mourning all the time lost. But he didn’t deserve your time. “I’m glad you’re happy.”

You turned away from the intensity of his expression. It would all come crumbling down around you. All you were supposed to do was retrieve him, and instead you were sitting next to him on the floor, letting him chat you up, and getting dust all over funeral dress. Things were clearly already crumbling.

“You know, everyone’s probably wondering…” you began.

“Yeah, you’re right. We should go.” Kendall pushed himself to his feet in record speed, turning to offer you his hand, so close to your face that refusing it would’ve been rude, like that was his plan all along. And you took it, as lightly as you could.

The skirt of your dress that had ridden up, and you tugged it back into place while Kendall smoothed down the lapels of his suit. “Did it get wrinkled?” he asked you, and you sized him up, frowning when you noticed some dust on the collar.

“Here,” you stepped towards him, into his space, using your hand to wipe away the lint, looking down at his chest. “And uh….your tie is…” You reached out to tuck it back in his jacket, fingers lingering a little too long when you caught a whiff of his cologne. It had taken nearly all day to get used to being back with these people, but five minutes with Kendall and you were already reverting back to old habits. “There.”

When you stepped away and looked at Kendall, that dejected look on his face had returned, and his eyes were searching yours desperately. It hurt. You could see all the regret in his features, all the things he wanted to say but wasn’t. His eyes were trying to find something to hold onto in your own, to cling to something so he wasn’t swallowed entirely by grief.

You looked at the floor. There wasn’t anyone strong enough to confront that look. At some point, you thought you could. Not anymore. He wasn’t any of your business.

When you glanced back over at him, he’d sunk his gaze to the ground, was shrinking before you.

You would tell yourself you didn’t know what compelled you to embrace him. That your hand rose to his shoulder, on its own accord, and the words you spoke couldn’t have been from your mouth.

“Hey. It’ll be alright.”

Kendall stiffened at first, the surprise at your actions jolting through his body, as you closed the space between you and laid your arms around his torso. He was warm, he smelled like you always remembered – expensive cologne, cigarettes, laundry detergent. But the way he melted into you when he realized – oh. It was almost euphoric. His arms wound around your waist, his fingers kneaded into the fabric of your black dress. The shuddery inhale he took when his face pressed against your neck made you shiver.

It shouldn’t have excited you that much, to be so close to him again. But it did. It satiated something deep-seated within that you couldn’t seem to control today.

Kendall choked in a whimper, sounding half relieved, half in pain. “Fuck,” he murmured. “I’m so sorry. So so sorry,” he sobbed, as you both clutched at each other desperately.

Tears pricked at the back of your eyes, and you struggled to keep from crying for the first time that day. One of his hands rubbed your back an attempt to comfort you, even as he fell apart. The purchase of his hands was so sturdy….but brittle. Under any more pressure he might break.

“I know,” you answered, barely above a squeak. You couldn’t trust yourself to be any louder without crying, and Romans words from earlier were filtering back into your mind. Shifting your hand to the back of his neck, you drew him even closer. “I was worried about you. ”

“I’m okay,” he said softly.

He held you, unwavering, for an undetermined amount of time. It had to end, and it did, when you both slowly unwound from each other, swiping underneath your eyes. But his hand lingered on your waist as you walked out of the office.

Kendall stayed close to you for the rest of evening, joining in on conversations near yours, standing next to you during whatever toasts were being made. You even stood chatting to Sophie and Iverson about school while he looked on. But as things began to wind down, he disappeared again, and you started to do your rounds saying goodbye. You’d spent enough time back in this world, and didn’t need to stay.

It was your chance to slip away. And you thought it would go unnoticed, that maybe you could vanish and no one would see it happen. You had your hand on the doorknob when you heard the clip of dress shoes on the marble floor. The footsteps halted behind you, and there was a hand on your shoulder.

“Please don’t go.”

“Kendall, you should be with your family,” you turned around to face him.

“They’re going to leave,” he said, hand moving down to wrap around your bicep. “I want…can you be with me? Just a little longer.”

You felt your posture slump. He was your biggest weakness, the sorest nerve inside you. Did he know it? He had to. If that was true, you could write him off as the monster you’d tried to convince yourself he was. But maybe it wasn’t so sinister. Was Kendall capable of that? For some reason, even after all he’d put you through, you didn’t think so. You were going to give in to him, like you always did. You’d held out for so long this time.

“Okay,” you said, letting his hand trail down your arm before it dropped at his side.

“Thank you,” he said, eyes searching yours in earnest as you followed him back down the hallway.

The party, if that was what you could even call it, ended within the hour. Everyone trickled out, even Shiv and Roman, the mess cleaned up by the event staff. And you and Kendall were left alone.

This could be a recipe for disaster, you thought. Or it could be exactly what you knew it was.

“Will you uh, sit outside with me while I…have a cigarette?” he asked, after you’d spent a fair amount of time sitting rigidly on the couch in front of him.

Nodding your head, you followed him outside, crossing your arms and keeping your distance from the edge of the balcony. The lights from the city shrouded any stars in the sky, and instead created their own constellations – the glow of windows stretching out endlessly across the skyline. And the distant sounds of sirens and car horns were far enough away to be an ambiance. It was….peaceful, even with Kendall there.

But, determined to not make it so, Kendall held a cigarette between his lips, leaning over the glass railing, head hanging out over the open air. Air, so much air and absolutely nothing between him and the ground below. Standing in his living room looking out the window was different than being in the open like this. You didn’t feel nearly as safe.

“Be careful,” you blurted, reaching out to clasp a hand around his bicep.

Kendall chuckled just a little, pulling the cigarette from between his lips. “Don’t worry,” he said, but he did step away, and then closer to you. Fuck. That’s not what you had meant to happen. He really did look good, all emotional turmoil aside. Especially the grey hair, it was doing something for you, and you really hadn't expected to feel so drawn to him.

You swallowed hard and nodded, satisfied that he wasn’t – on accident or on purpose – going to topple over the edge. Backing away, you sat on the couch, trying not to shiver from the chill of the evening.

“Want one?” Kendall asked as he sat down next to you, offering you his pack of American Spirits. You accepted. You weren’t much of a cigarette smoker, but maybe it’d do something about the incessant panic nipping the back of your head. Placing it between your lips, Kendall leaned in to light it for you.

“Are you working anywhere right now?” you asked, exhaling a cloud of smoke. It seemed harmless enough a question, but something to break the uncomfortable silence. Sterile, as if you two were at a networking event.

“Uh–huh,” Kendall lit his own cigarette. “Well, I uh….I’ve got a few things going on but uh…mostly I’m just…figuring it out.”

“I’ve been there.”

He winced when you said it, and looked at his feet. “Yeah, uh….I-I know.”

You didn’t answer. You chewed on your bottom lip and took another drag.

“I uh…” Kendall spoke again. “A few months back I wrote you a letter. Did you….did you get it?”

“Yeah I did…” You took a deep breath. “I read it.”

Kendall nodded, stared at his dress shoes, hunched over in his white shirt – the suit jacket and tie long since abandoned. “I uh….I hurt a lot of people…” he said, lifting his head, turning to face you. “I’m really trying to be better now.”

“Uh-huh,” You couldn’t help but keep the sarcasm from leaking into your tone. If it was months ago you would’ve given him a piece of your mind. But you had healed….for the most part.

“I’ve been sober for six months,” he said.

That softened you. “That’s great, Ken.”

He gave you a small and bashful smile, looking out at the horizon. The quiet no longer felt as heavy. Kendall straightened up.

“You look great, by the way,” he said, looking up at you from over his shoulder.

You bit your lower lip to keep from smiling, but you couldn’t really stop it. “Uh-huh,” you answered. “Well….you do too.” It was the truth. And you weren’t one to lie.

“Uh-huh. Thanks,” he smirked and looked back at the horizon, taking another drag.

You stayed with him a little longer, but when the dress you wore had you shivering on his porch, you decided it was time to go. Kendall protested, of course, offering to let you borrow a sweatshirt, saying you could sleep in one of his guest rooms, or at the very least call a car to take you home. But you refused all of it.

You were on your way out when he stopped you, your name on his lips, the warmth of his hand around your wrist, penetrative stare all-encompassing and halting you entirely.

“I think about you all the time, you know that?” he asked. “Every day. You were so good to me.”

His words made you shiver, or maybe it was left over from being outside in the cold. Either way, you were feeling a little overwhelmed, a bitter taste on your tongue despite the sweetness of his words. You wanted to believe him, to trust him so badly. Wanted to tell him so many things.

You just nodded in response.

“Can we….I-I want to see you again…” he said softly. “It doesn’t have to be anything, I just…I really missed you.”

It looked like he was going to cry again, standing so close you could see the shine lying dormant in his eyes. “I want to be able to talk to you again, at least. Is that…is that okay?”

You looked at the floor. You knew the best thing to do for yourself was to close this chapter of your life. It seemed like loving him would only ever end in heartbreak. But he was impossible, he was inevitable.

“Yeah, let’s just…” Take it slow. “Yeah, that’s okay.”

Relief washed over him, his face relaxing and a small smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. “Of course.”

He pulled you into another hug. “Thank you,” he murmured. He felt so warm and safe, and every bone in your body betrayed you as you surrendered to his touch.

“I missed you too,” you whispered, and kind of hoped he didn’t hear it. But he must have, holding you closer, pressing his lips into your hair, then your temple. After a little more time spent wrapped in his arms, you pulled away and then slipped out the door.

You would regret this, you thought. But you were going to do it anyways.

Part VIII

#if you're reading this please come into my inbox and ask me to share the photo i envisioned while writing about grey-haired ken because....#its something i think all kendall enjoyers need to see #kendall roy #kendall roy x reader #succession #succession writing #kengirls come get yall juice #stewy hosseini #shiv roy #logan roy #roman x reader #gerri kellman #greg hirsch #kendall roy x you #kendall roy angst

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