#so i had to go to the shop in the freezing cold at 8am

[aces-and-angels]

if you could please write prompt 14 for a female MC (can be rowan) and abel that'd be awesome! congrats on your milestone!!

tysm anon! congrats on being #1 of 3 of what i'm dubbing the impromptu shower series lol.

i wanted to explore a scenario where mc rejects abel at the carnival (dw, there's a happy ending). anyways, enjoy your extra large blurb🖤

14. Showering together; Abel x Rowan (F!MC)- 3.4k words

---

Abel was not a morning person. At least, not at first. Multiple alarms were needed in order for him to wake up in time for Mercedes' soccer practices. And Cesar's baseball games. Even Lola would occasionally need a ride whenever she had a Model UN meeting.

Years of early mornings led to him having quite the caffeine tolerance. One cup of coffee turned to two, and eventually, he would just drink it out of habit rather than to actually cure his drowsiness. However, a cold shower never failed to do the trick. He'd grit his teeth as freezing water pelted down on his bare skin, shocking him back to life.

Whatever works, right?

A cold shower to wake up- to bring him back to reality- to silence those cursed screams from the unknown, the ones that fueled his nightmares. More recently, they were needed to stop himself from thinking of her.

Rowan.

The way her lips were oh so perfectly shaped. How they would look saying his name. How soft they'd feel against his... Cold water could only do so much to keep his thoughts at bay.

~~~

"I-- I just, don't really see you like that."

His heart dropped. "Oh. Not even after... everything?" All those stolen glances. Their first kiss in his apartment. Dancing like idiots under the stars. Holding her close. Falling asleep in her arms.

"Abel..."

"No, it's okay. It's fine. I get it. No need to explain."

He can't look at her. Not now. Not when he feels like he's being ripped apart. His vision blurs with unshed tears. Not here. Not now. The joyful shrieks of children riding the merry-go-round behind them fade, giving way to the pounding in his ears.

Every breath hurts. But eventually, he musters enough strength to push that ache in his chest down. "Want to get a funnel cake?" He does his best to smile. She does the same.

"That sounds like a great idea." The walk to the food stall is quiet. He could get over her. He had to.

~~~

Things were always easier said than done.

It had been four months since everything ended. Without eminent danger occupying his time, teaching at Redwood provided a welcome distraction. Even if being the new hire meant taking all the 8AM lectures. There was enough material in the library to stay busy for hours. Enough to help him forget about her. It nearly worked, until...

"Hey," Rowan waved nervously, holding a duffel bag in her other hand. Abel blinked in shock, his mouth slightly agape.

"Ro? What are you... Why are you..." His thoughts scrambled around in his head. She's not supposed to be here. Is she? Did she come for me? No, that's silly, he reminded himself. Still, his heart skipped a beat when their eyes met. Brown and cyan. The ones he could never forget no matter how hard he tried.

"Long story short- my car broke down. Then I remembered you got a job at Redwood. The mechanic said the campus wasn't too far from the shop, so I walked," she explained.

"Y-you could've called. You didn't need to walk all the way here."

"I would've, but my phone died and I stupidly forgot to pack my charger."

"The shop didn't have a phone?"

"No, they did. But I didn't exactly have your number memorized. Or any number, really," she chuckles sheepishly.

"Heh, right..." Abel bit the inside of his cheek, unsure what to do next. He watches her mouth move as she speaks, but none of the words are registering. Say something, you dork. She's staring at you! Dios, have I been staring? Am I being weird? When did my palms get so swea-

"Uh, Abel?" Rowan waved her hand over his face, breaking him out of his spiral.

"Huh? Sorry, what were you saying?"

"I asked if there were any phone charging stations here," she restated. "I need to look up a place to stay for the night while my car gets fixed."

"You can stay with me." What am I doing?

Her eyes widen. "Really? I don't wanna trouble you."

"I-it's no trouble, I swear. The hotels around here aren't cheap. Besides, friends give each other emergency places for refuge," he reassures. Friends. The word still felt bitter on his tongue.

She searches for something in his face- any sign of hesitation. Finding none, she slumps her shoulders in relief. "Well, thank you. Really. I'll be out of your hair before you know it, promise."

"Right," he mumbles, an uncomfortable feeling settling in his chest. "Follow me. I've got one more lecture to give, but you can wait in my office. I'll come get you when I'm done."

"Actually... could I sit in on your class?"

"You want to sit in on a two hour lecture about the Sioux tribe?" He could barely hide the disbelief in his voice.

"Yeah, why not? I've never taken an archaeology course before... Plus, Jocelyn said you weren't too boring to listen to," she snorts. He can't help but laugh as well.

"What a stellar review," he smirks. His eyes glance down at his wrist watch. "C'mon, we're about to be late for class."

"Aye, aye professor."

The next two hours proved to be one of the toughest lectures Abel's ever had to present. He's spoken at several conferences with distinguished audience members without breaking a sweat. But here he was, stumbling over his words anytime he glanced at Rowan- and his eyes were hellbent on landing right where she was.

Back row, seven seats from the center. It was hard to look at her, yet it seemed impossible to look away. His nerves dried out his mouth despite the many sips of water he'd taken. The bottle he brought was empty before he made it through half his presentation.

"How about a quick break?" Excited murmurs fill the lecture hall at his suggestion. "I'll take that as a yes. We'll pick things back up in ten minutes." Some students left the room, while others chatted with their friends. With the attention off him, he could finally breathe easy.

Standing at the podium proved to be too much to handle. He made his way to his desk, prepared to finish the rest of his lecture from behind his computer monitor. A small shield for his wandering eyes.

"Here," Rowan places a new water bottle on his desk. Abel looks up. Any calmness he felt was gone, replaced with that incessant flutter of his stomach. So much for the shield.

"Oh, um, thank you," he bowed his head slightly, busying his hands by fiddling with the label. "How'd you-"

"You kept stopping yourself from reaching for your bottle during your spiel on the Standing Rock reservation," she answers.

A hint of a smile crept on his face. "You were paying attention?"

"Of course I was," Rowan scoffs, as if it was obvious. "This stuff is fascinating and you do brilliant work, professor."

Abel's cheeks warm, undoubtedly turning red. "You've only seen my work once."

"And it's brilliant. Take the compliment, Abel. False modesty never looked good on you."

"Hey, everything looks good on me," he jokes.

"There he is," she grins. A swarm of students re-enter the room all at once. "Guess that's my cue. Good luck with the rest of the lesson." His eyes linger on her frame as she climbs up the stairs back to her seat. A hush falls throughout his class, all heads now turned in his direction. From her spot, Rowan gives him a thumbs up. Taking a deep breath, he stands and walks towards the podium.

"Now where were we?"

---

Back in his apartment, Abel reheats some leftovers on the stove while Rowan takes a shower upstairs.

This is fine. Totally fine. Just a friend helping out another friend. Nothing more.

Lost in thought, he doesn't notice the sound of the bathroom door opening nor Rowan's footsteps heading towards the kitchen. "Smells good," she comments.

Startled, Abel jumps, dropping the wooden spoon he was using to stir the food. A small, high-pitched shriek escapes his lips. "AH! When did you get there?!"

"Sorry- I forgot that you're easily frightened," she bites her lip, suppressing a smirk.

"I am not-" his protest dies as she gives a pointed look at him, then at the wooden spoon on the ground. "... I'm just not used to having another person here, that's all." He bends down to pick up the spoon and tosses it in the sink.

Still fighting the urge to smile, Rowan simply nods. Instead, she moves to stand next to him. "What'cha making?"

"I'm reheating some chicken stir fry. I made way too much, so I've been stuck eating this for the past few days," he answers, grabbing another spoon from the drawer. "Do you want anything else? I should have enough stuff in my fridge to make something new. Or I could order some takeout?"

"You don't have to do that."

"No, really, I-" his words fall short as he turns, realizing how close they are. Every tiny freckle on her face was crystal clear. The faint scent of her shampoo mixed wonderfully with the air, overwhelming his senses. A loose strand hung awkwardly at her brow and his hand itched to push it aside.

"Abel?" She called out softly, peering up at him.

"Yeah?"

"You okay? You look... spacey."

"Y-yeah," he reassures, snapping his head back towards the stove. "I'm fine. Long day, I guess." His voice lacks any sort of conviction.

Rowan's brows furrow ever so slightly, but she decides not to pry any further. "I hear ya. Teaching. Having your car break down. It all takes a lot out of you."

"It really does," he sighs, unsure if he feels relieved or disappointed. "Anyways, food's ready."

Her face brightens instantly. "One of my favorite set of words."

Her mood is infectious, clearing any lingering awkwardness left between them. "Sit. I'll grab the plates."

"How kind of you," she jests playfully, taking a seat at the dining table. Abel quickly sets the table and scoops a hefty portion onto her plate along with a side of rice. "I think I could cry right now."

He snorts. "Tears of joy, I hope."

"Joy. Merriment. Bliss. You name it. I'm feeling it." Rowan makes quick work of her food. Each bite is followed by a satisfied hum. A quarter of her plate is gone by the time Abel manages to sit down. The corner of his mouth quirks upwards. "Guess I did a good job."

"Fantastic," she corrects him, putting another forkful of rice in her mouth. Following her lead, Abel began eating as well. Somehow, the flavors he'd grown tired of tasting for the past week were now vibrant. As if something breathed new life into the dish. Across the table, Rowan dances happily in her seat.

---

"Absolutely not."

"But-"

"No."

"But Abel-"

"No, you are not sleeping on the couch! What kind of host would I be if I let you do that?"

"What kind of guest would I be if I kicked you out of your own room after coming here unannounced," Rowan counters, just as adamant.

Abel huffs, exasperated. "Well, I only have the one room."

"I'm aware," she drawls.

"And I'm not changing my mind."

"Me either."

He crosses his arms over his chest while she rests her hands on her hips. Both stare the other down, waiting for someone to break. The silence between them is palpable. He squints, his eyes already beginning to burn. Stupid contacts. A shit-eating grin spreads on Rowan's face. Unable to fight the urge any longer, he blinks with a frustrated groan. "Ugh, this is pointless!"

"You're just saying that cause you lost. Have fun in your room," she taunts.

"I will be having fun right here, thank you very much," he protests, taking a seat on the couch.

Rowan gapes at him. "Hey! You can't do that!"

"Yeah I can. This is my apartment."

"Exactly. Your apartment. Your room," she bickers, trying to pull him off the couch. He firmly plants his feet to the floor, not letting her move him an inch.

"You... are... so... stubborn..." she grunts as she futilely pushes against his shoulder with her back. Eventually, she lets out a tired sigh. "Fine. You win."

"Thank you. The blankets-"

"But so do I.''

"Huh?"

"I can't make you leave this couch just as much as you can't make me take your room. So I guess we're both taking the couch tonight," she states matter-of-factly.

"But- you- that's-"

"A great resolution. Thanks Ro. You're welcome, Abel," she finishes for him. "Now- do you wanna keep arguing or do you wanna tell me if you have any more pillows?"

"Side closet. Third shelf. The blankets should also be there," he answers, defeated. This is still fine. Totally fine.

"Great," she beams. It takes little time for them to transform the couch into a makeshift bed. Rowan spreads the sheets over the cushions as Abel folds down the back of the couch. For added legroom, he pushes the footrest to the edge. "See? This looks cozy!"

"You know what else is cozy?"

She smacks his arm. "Quit it. We already agreed on the couch situation."

"Fine. It was worth a shot," he grumbles. Satisfied, Rowan moves to her side, grabbing a knitted blanket from the stack on the floor. She settles into the cushions. Meanwhile, Abel stands, hesitant.

Rowan raises an eyebrow at him. "It's this or that cozy room of yours. C'mon, I don't bite." He gulps. His movements are stiff as he maneuvers his way onto the couch, being extra cautious not to accidentally touch her. He mentally cursed himself as he tried to make himself as small as possible. Why didn't I buy the bigger couch when I had the chance?

Side by side with only a few inches between them, Abel lays very still on his back. "So... did you hear anything back from the car shop?"

"A guy called and said they should be done with the repairs by noon. Thanks for letting me borrow your charger, by the way."

"No problem."

"And for letting me stay here."

He laughs breathlessly. "You don't have to keep thanking me for that."

"Well I'm probably gonna do it at least four more times, so get used to it," she chuckles alongside him. As their laughter dies down, another question pops into his head.

"Hey, Ro?"

She shifts to face him. He stays pointedly still. "Yeah?"

"I didn't ask before but... what are you doing here in California?"

There's a brief pause, as if she's contemplating how to answer. "You could say I was on a business trip."

"A business trip?"

"To Colorado. Ava's coven has a contact there. I drove to buy some stones from them," she elaborates.

"Stones?"

"Right. The stones they have are the ones we use to make charms to ward off corruption. It's the best material that absorbs the Power in its pure form."

"Ah. So you're still at it then? Hunting down horrors?"

She nods. "Some days are better than others. Right now, things have been quiet. But that only lasts for so long. There's always a part of me waiting for shit to go sideways. The only thing I can do is make sure I'm there to fix things."

"And does that make you... happy?"

"I have purpose," she says, resolute. "More than I did when I was hunting them blindly. That's something I can't let go of." She shifts again, causing the cushions to dip beneath him. "What about you? Are you happy here?"

"Course I am," he answers too quickly. "Redwood is amazing. The library is incredible. They have enough funding for any research I want to do. More opportunities, resources. Couldn't be more thrilled."

"Guess that's why it's been so hard to reach you," she mutters. He's surprised by the sadness in her tone.

"The job keeps me busy."

"So busy that you couldn't even say goodbye?" His head whips towards her. There are no tears. Just someone looking for answers. "Jocelyn was the one who told me, y'know. I didn't know you were gone for a whole week."

Guilt floods through him. "I- I just had to leave. I had to."

"Was not talking to me a must too?" Her question is only met with silence. "When I saw you on campus, I thought for sure you would run off in another direction. Instead, you offer up your apartment."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I'm confused! We're friends one day, you leave the next. We don't talk for months, and now I'm here. I thought you hated me," she blurts out.

"I don't hate you," he whispers.

"Then why?"

He averts his gaze, choosing to focus on the ceiling instead. "I don't hate you. But being around you- I couldn't handle it. I needed a fresh start. Somewhere to go so... so I could..."

"So you could what?" The air was thick with tension. Brown and cyan eyes met his, unwavering.

"So I could get over you."

"Oh."

"Yeah." Neither of them know what to say after that. This was a line he never thought he'd cross. Not again. "It didn't work," he laughs dryly, his voice hollow.

"Abel..."

"I tried. I really did. Buried myself in work. I even applied for a research grant. I was doing everything I've always wanted to do, but it still wasn't enough. Then you show up. And even though I've been a mess the whole day, this is the first time I've really felt happy since moving here." He gives her a sad smile. "I know you only-"

"I lied," she cuts him off suddenly.

"What?"

"I lied before. On campus. When I said I didn't call because I didn't remember your number. I knew it. 971-542-3378."

"Um... I forgive you?"

"No, listen to me. I've dialed and deleted that number more times than I can count. I didn't know why you left, but I knew it hurt when you did. I wanted so badly to hate you, but I just missed you instead."

He hung onto her every word. The hope he dared not to breathe life into now flickered inside him. "Just like I did?"

She nods. "Just like you did." The implication was clear.

"But- at the carnival, you said-"

"I didn't think I was ready. You deserve someone who is. I'm not saying it'll be easy. I still can't leave Westchester and I don't expect you to move back, but- mmph-" His lips crash into hers before she can finish.

Her surprise melts away and she leans into him. There's so much he wants to tell her and he does as he moves his mouth in time with hers. I never thought I'd get to do this again.

She gasps, allowing him to slip his tongue inside.

I missed you too.

He tilts his head, deepening their kiss.

I love you.

He moves to cup her cheek, relishing the warmth beneath his fingertips.

I love you.

Their breath becomes one- bodies pressed close enough that she can feel just how fast his heart is racing.

I love you.

---

*one month later*

The morning light peeks through the blinds, casting a soft glow over the abandoned sheets on the bed. A pair of footsteps follow Abel towards the bathroom. He smiles as Rowan wraps her arms around his waist. Through the mirror, he notices her tired eyes, barely open. "You don't have to be up yet," he says softly, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb.

She shakes her head with a yawn, hugging him tighter. "I wanted to see you before you left." He hums contently in response. Her feet drag along the tile as he walks over to the shower. Gently, he pries himself away from her just long enough to strip himself bare. He takes care of her next, adding her clothes to the pile. Together, they step through the shower curtain, returning to each others arms. He laughs as she forces him to bend down so she can lather more shampoo into his hair. It's a morning not unlike the others, only this time, the water runs warm.

---

[survey--s]

629.

1 - When was the last time you spent over $100 in one transaction? What did you buy? I don't remember, honestly. Maybe a beach ride or something like that? Most of my transactions are between £5-75.

2 - Do you sleep with a stuffed animal? Would you judge a grown adult for doing so? Yeah, my stuffed bear and no, of course I wouldn't. I really don't see the issue with having a comfort "item" of sorts.

3 - Would you describe yourself as fashion-conscious, or do you just wear whatever feels comfortable? I wear whatever's comfortable but of course (like everyone) I'm influenced by what's available in the shops or by what I see online.

4 - The last time you got up from where you’re sitting, where did you go and what did you do? Uh well, I only just sat here for the first time since I got up this morning lol. I was on the sofa earlier and got up to give the animals their evening treats, get ready for bed and come upstairs.

5 - Would you rather read an erotic novel or watch an erotic film? Read an erotic novel.

6 - Who taught you how to tell the time on a proper analogue clock? I think it was probably my dad.

7 - What’s your favourite way to make your home smell good? Do you spend a lot of money on making this happen? Scented wax melts and well, I guess so, but when you break it down it probably costs 50p per day which isn't much really. But I buy in bulk maybe 2-3 times a year and spend £50 or so.

8 - How long have you had the computer/tablet you’re currently using? Does it need replacing or upgrading? About four months, so no.

9 - When you’re home alone, do you make sure all your doors are kept locked? The front door locks automatically when you close it, but the back door is always unlocked if we're in the house.

10 - How often do you light candles? Do you just like regular ones or do you prefer scented ones or ones that make pretty patterns when they melt? I light candles everyday as my wax burner runs on those little tea light things.

11 - Are you any good at taking care of plants? I've never tried to.

12 - How many surveys have you taken so far today? Will you take anymore surveys today once you’ve finished this one? This is the second one. I might take a couple more after, it depends how I'm feeling.

13 - What are the main two colours in the room you’re currently in? Did you pick these colours out yourself? Purple and white, and yes. 

14 - What was the last hot drink you consumed? What about cold drink? I had a coffee when I got home from work at lunchtime, and I had a Pepsi Max when I got back from my evening visits/jobs.

15 - Do you have piercings anywhere except your ears? How many and what are they? I have seven piercings in my ears as well as my nose and belly button, but I suspect the latter is closed up now.

16 - Do you prefer taking baths or showers? How come? Showers, but our shower is broken so it's baths for now. 

17 - What time do you need to wake up tomorrow morning? What is it that you have to be up for? 8am and work. I have a cat visit, three dog walks and then an evening cat visit and a horse visit too.

18 - If you work, how often do you get paid? Would you prefer to get paid more or less often? I run my own business and people pay me as/when, really. Mostly it's weekly, but some pay daily or monthly too.

19 - What does your favourite pair of pyjamas look like? Do you wear them to sleep or just to be comfy around the house? I never wear pajamas. I sleep in like, an over-sized t-shirt (plus leggings if it's freezing) and then if I'm just lazing at home I'll wear leggings and a top.

20 - How often do you wake up in the night needing a pee? Once or twice. I can probably count on one hand the amount of times in my life that I've ever slept through the night lol.

21 - What apps do you use the most on your phone? TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and various games.

22 - Do you prefer cats or dogs? Do you own any of either? I love both. I don't feel the need to put myself in either category. We have two cats, a kitten and a dog, yes.

23 - Do you have one of those fridges that has an ice-maker in the front? If not, would you find one useful? No, but I house-sit for work and one of the houses I stay in has one and I use it CONSTANTLY lol.

24 - Do you like wearing hats? What’s your favourite style? No. It's a sensory thing. I hate having my head/ears covered. 25 - If you live in a household with pets, who is responsible for their care - both in terms of finance and the physical tasks involved? That would be me, really. I pay for everything - food, insurance, vet visits, treats, toys, equipment - I walk the dog 5 days a week too but Mike does do weekends. The cats don't need much looking after but I do all the feeding, litter trays etc.

26 - What’s your opinion on leggings as pants? >> I wear leggings as pants all the time? what even is there to say about it <<<Same. I don’t care. <--- exactly.

27 - Have you ever driven in bare feet or do you think that’s too dangerous? Yeah, I used to when I worked a 40 minute drive away. My feet would be so hot and sweaty in shoes that it was uncomfortable (again, sensory issues) so being bare foot was way more comfortable. It's not illegal here either.

28 - Have you ever walked out of a job before? What were the circumstances and did you ever go back? Hmm, not exactly, but I did (twice) hand in my notice and leave. I never went back to either. I left the first one for personal reasons (relationship breakdown) and the second for MH reasons.

29 - Do you collect anything? Are these things worth money or are they practical/sentimental items? Just wax melts - they're just things I like to have, I guess.

30 - Do you have anything hanging from your ceiling apart from lights? No.

[midtown-parker]

I HAD THE WORST POSSIBLE MORNING

[angryschnauzer]

Blackwater Lake - Chapter 3

Summary: There’s a little town high in the mountains where everyone has a secret, and every family has something that makes them unique. In Blackwater Lake those that are outcast by nature come together.

Characters/Pairing:  August Walker x OFC Freya (Forest Nymph) Original Female Character is described as white/pale, short and of small build, hazel eyes, long dark hair.

Warnings (for this chapter); Talk of past abusive relationships, on the run, alcohol consumption, Daddy Kink, DD/LG, Pet names, fingering, oral sex (male receiving), unprotected sex, hyperspermia, cum play, cum feeding, unplanned pregnancy, pregnancy test.

Previous Parts: 

Werewolf!Sy: Moonlight on the Sand  Castle Under The Stars. Werewolf!Sy, Vampire!Walter: Chapter 1 Vampire Walter: Chapter 2

This will be a series of stand alone stories/2 parters, which will revolve around the residents of the town, with some recurring characters. The ‘reader’ for each story will be a ‘new’ reader, so its not the same woman being with all the male characters.

I do not run a tag list, but please follow @angryschnauzerwrites​ and put that blog onto notifications. You’ll then get an alert every time i post something new.

Blackwater Lake - Chapter 3

The blood slowly trickled across the board and off the table, coating the floor before running into the drain. August raised the heavy cleaver, and with one thunderous swipe severed the femur clean in two. The cleaver made a metallic clang that echoed around the stark tile lined room, and wiping his hands on his apron he lifted the product of his work and inspected his efforts closely. A smile spread over his lips as he looked up;

“There we go Mrs Mackenzie, a nice juicy bone for your dog”

The old woman smiled, her purple tinted grey hair in tight curls that barely moved as she nodded;

“Oh yes, that’ll be perfect! My Clarence will love it!”

At that very moment Clarence started yapping outside where he was tied to the specials chalkboard that sat on the sidewalk outside Walkers Meats, 10lbs of teeth, fur and anger wrapped into the body of a small West Highland Terrier;

“I’m sure he will. I’ll wrap it up for you and Freya will finish ringing up your order for you. We’ll get it delivered this afternoon…”

August walked around the counter and set the wrapped bone into the box, nodding to his assistant to finish up the order. She knew that the bone would be free of charge, but that Mrs Mackenzie would insist on tipping and sliding her $10 which August was more than happy for Freya to keep. The slight girl turned and a tiny smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, before she quietly nodded and continued with her duties.

Returning to the butchery area August glanced up and caught sight of his reflection in the painted mirror, the design obscuring the scarring on the side of his face, giving him that moment of relief from those memories of a past long ago, a life he had left behind when he had sought out quiet solitude in the peaceful mountain town of Blackwater Lake. People minded their own business there and didn’t ask questions. If you had a skill that could help others you were welcomed into the community. How August got into the meat business is a story for another day, but as his gaze travelled across the mirror to where Freya was measuring out the wild herb mixes into small mason jars he smiled and remembered instead how she came into his life.

-

Pulling the sign in from the sidewalk August was exhausted. Running a business completely on his own had seemed like a good idea when he’d started, he enjoyed his own company and he distrusted anyone else to do the job to a standard he would approve of. What he hadn’t counted on was the residents of this sleepy little town not only accepting him, but joyous that he was there and wanting to talk endlessly every time they visited his store. Although he was always polite and did his best to end conversations quickly, after eight hours of it he had jaw ache and knew he would need to work well into the night on the new sides of beef that had been delivered that morning if he were to have any stock to sell the next day. He glanced longingly at the small sign that sat propped up in the window; ‘Help Needed - Enquire Within’, yet he hadn’t had any takers in the month the sign had been up. 

The icy winter wind curled at his neck, sending a shiver down his spine as he let out a sigh, heaving the heavy sign into the building so it didn’t blow away in the night as a icy squall blew in from the mountains. As the door slammed shut behind him it echoed a knock around the store, but when it came again he turned and let out a far from masculine yelp; the face of a pale young woman stared back at him like a ghoul in the darkness. Clearing his throat and smoothing down his blue and white striped apron, he approached the door and opened it;

“May I help you Miss?”

She nodded down to the sign;

“Do you still need someone?”

Her teeth were chattering, and it was hardly surprising as she was barely dressed for the weather, the knitted cardigan doing little to ward off the cold wind. August opened the door to allow her to enter, looking down at the top of her head as she slunk past him.

“Let me get a pot of coffee on, you must be freezing”

As he disappeared into the back office he set the pot of coffee on to heat before grabbing an old jacket that was hanging on the back of the door, returning to where his visitor stood in the store a few moments later, handing her the jacket;

“Its cold in here, we can’t have the heat on because of the meat”

Nodding she took the jacket, her teeth still chattering;

“T-t-thanks… its still warmer than outside”

He handed her a mug of steaming coffee;

“Sorry, i don’t have any creamer or sugar…” She wrapped her delicate fingers around the mug using it more for heat than sustenance as he leant back against the counter on the other side of the store; “So… you’re wanting a job? What experience have you got? You worked in retail?”

She shook her head and muttered a quiet no, keeping her eyes averted from him as she spoke;

“But i will try anything… just looking for a new start”

“Are you running from something?” A gentle nod of her head and the way she clutched the mug tighter told August it was a someone not a something; “Look, if you’re willing to learn, work hard and pay attention, i’ll give you a trial. I’ve gotta level with you, you’re the only person who’s shown any interest in the sign, and i’m getting desperate, so if you want you can start tomorrow”

Her head snapped up and for the first time he saw her eyes, deep hazel peering out from behind long strands of dark brown hair;

“Really?”

“Yes. Really” he stated in a matter of fact way; “I’ll need to get your address and details for the wages…”

“Oh… i’m not… i’ve not got anywhere. I guess i’ll find a cheap motel…”

August paused;

“Kid, there’s no motel in town… at least not this time of year. But i might have a solution for you”

Her eyes widened in fear and August realised whatever she was running from had done more damage than she showed;

“No no, not that” he assured her; “There’s a small apartment above the shop - two in fact, i’ve got one and the other i’ve never rented out, never got round to it… its small but completely self contained, your own entrance and everything, completely secure”

Once a few forms had been filled out August had gotten the girl settled in the small studio apartment. He’d shown her how the fold out bed worked, explained that the hot water fed off the furnace for the whole building so she could use as much as she wanted. A couple of minutes after he’d left her in the apartment he knocked at her door, surprised to hear the locks sliding across at first, but then realising she needed to feel safe. When she peered around the door she almost looked surprised to see him there, as if it would be anyone else;

“Umm yeah?”

August handed her a box of things he’d scavenged from his own kitchen;

“Here’s just a few things to see you through the night… I haven’t been grocery shopping in a while, but the bread was in the freezer and it’ll defrost pretty quickly if you put it in the toaster”

He handed the box to Freya, surprised at how smooth but also small her hands were as she took it from him as they brushed against his own. She nodded and smiled;

“Thank you Mr Walker”

“Night. See you bright and early tomorrow morning” 

-

The next morning August woke to an insistent knocking on his door. Grumbling to himself he pulled on his robe and stalked across his small apartment, pulling the door open with a thunderous look on his face, ready to give whatever maniac that was knocking on his door at 5am a piece of his mind;

“WHAT THE… oh… hi…”

Freya was standing on his doormat, a look of shock on her face;

“Hi… i’m ready to start”

“To… start?”

“Work. You said bright and early”

August ran his palm over his face;

“I… When i said…” he let out a long slow breath; “I meant 8am”

“Oh.”

That was a long day, but by lunchtime Freya had mastered the cash desk and had already started to come out of her shell, the locals more than welcoming for the tiny girl with the woodland eyes, and with her help August was able to catch up on his work.

Over the following month her input had helped August expand his products, suggesting a range of seasonings in reusable jars, where if the customer returned the mason jar they’d get a discount off the next one they purchased. He discovered she had this unfathomable knowledge of herbs and plants, but also had this connection with nature he couldn’t quite understand. He’d sometimes catch her staring out of the window at the trees blowing in the wind, as if listening to their songs that were beyond his own ears.

One thing was for sure, there was a sense of magic to her and August thanked the stars above that she walked into his store on that cold winter night.

-

Back in the present August was busy cleaning the cutting table as Freya busied herself with her jars - it was her own little enterprise now and one she was absolutely proud of. He could see that she kept glancing outside, gnawing on her lip;

“Freya, everything ok?”

“Yes Mr Walker. I was just thinking, the next batch wild garlic is ready to be picked, if i collect some this afternoon i can have more chimichurri mixed ready for tomorrow, and that’s when the beef delivery is coming in”

August let out a chuckle;

“How many times do I have to say to call me August…” he met her gaze with a smile; “And yes, that sounds like a brilliant idea. The store’s quiet and i’ll be doing deliveries in a while, so sure, go exploring”

“Thank you Mr Walker”

August rolled his eyes and let out a laugh, watching as she hung up her apron and grabbed her foraging basket, skipping out of the door and towards the creek that fed into the lake a couple of miles away.

-

Three hours later August was driving back along the gravel road that led into town, having made his deliveries. The spring air was damp but warm, rain threatening to spill but the clouds unwilling to release their bounty just yet. Rounding the bend he looked out over the soft marshland, the grass knee high already and he saw a familiar figure stepping through the green undergrowth. With a smile he pulled his SUV to a stop at the side of the road, stepping out of the vehicle he leaned against the door as he watched Freya as she slowly made her way through the field, before she stopped as her attention moved to the treeline. Following her gaze he watched as a bear emerged from the woods and his heart sank. The native wildlife would be coming out of hibernation, and would be grumpy and hungry. He went to shout but a sudden rush of wind silenced his voice, watching as she held her arm out and the grass flattened in front of her as if a wind devil had made its way through. Glancing back to the bear it had stopped in its tracks but was still staring at her, but then started to circle around on the spot before settling down as if for a nap.

August anxiously watched, knowing if Freya ran she could make it to the car as long as the bear was weak, but he didn’t want to risk that it hadn’t had a belly full of salmon yet, so he quickly reached into the vehicle and pulled his unregistered handgun from beneath his seat. Back at the side of the road he raised the firearm at the bear, glancing at Freya who had now spotted him waiting for her. She started to quicken her pace through the grasses, eventually breaking into a run as she neared the embankment of the road. August glanced to where the bear had been and let out a yell as he saw it was starting to approach them;

“Freya, RUN!”

Doing as he instructed she broke into a sprint, her legs carrying her through the grass and up the embankment. Flinging his door open he motioned for her to dive in, her basket being launched into the passenger footwell as she tumbled across the centre console and into the passenger seat, August launching himself into the driver's seat and gunning the engine as he slammed the door shut, the urgent crunch of tyres on loose gravel dulling the sound of the grizzly’s roar as it had caught up, but was now rapidly disappearing into the distance of the rear view mirror.

August only slowed down as he reached the urban centre of Blackwater Lake, Freya’s breathing having finally levelled out as she turned to him;

“So… there’s bears here?”

He slowed the vehicle and pulled to a stop in a parking lot before turning to her;

“Yes. And moose and cougars and mountain lions… hell sometimes I even hear howls in the night so there’s probably something wolfy up in those mountains too… We need to get you better prepared for nature” August paused; “And what was that thing you did with your hand? That made the grass flatten and the bear sit down…”

Freya shrugged;

“I’m not sure… it's just this thing i’ve always been able to do, calm animals down”

“Huh. Didn’t seem to work this time…”

She glanced at him, her eyes wide;

“I think that was because you were there…”

August let out a laugh, before sitting back in his seat;

“Okay, point taken. I need a drink. We’re at Big-G’s, I'll buy you dinner…”

-

August regretted his decision. He hadn’t factored in how slight Freya was in comparison to her ability to consume alcohol, so three drinks later where all he’d had was lite beer, Freya was completely wasted. The giveaway was when she’d fallen asleep on his shoulder whilst he’d been talking to Geralt - the bar owner - and she’d started to drool on his shirt. Geralt had told him to ‘get his girl home’ with a wry laugh, telling August his meal was on the house. Something had stopped August from correcting the ashen haired man, looking down at the imp of the girl leaning on him. 

He’d managed to carry her to his car fairly easily but the journey up the steps at their building had been more of a challenge. He’d managed to get her to wrap her arms around his shoulders, but had been surprised when she’d also wrapped her legs around his waist. Although it meant he could use one arm to hold her up, the feel of her warm body clinging to his sent a rush of heat through his stomach straight to his groin, he was just thankful she was so out of it she didn’t notice the tent in his pants. 

As he juggled his keys he found the spare for her apartment but then thought better of it, unsure how she was when she’d had alcohol, and instead opened his own apartment. Crossing the almost dark room he reached the couch and slowly lowered her down to the cushions, her whimpers of loss as he started to pull away making him pause;

“Mmmm Daddy, you’re so warm…” 

Holding her still a low rumble slowly bubbled through his throat when she nuzzled against his neck;

“Daddy smells so good…” and she pressed a kiss to the stubble on his chin.

August knew she was drunk, probably didn’t even realise it was him, after all who would want someone as broken and scarred as he was, but for that briefest of moment’s he relished her touch and what was going on in her tequila addled mind. He couldn’t help himself and pressed the briefest of kiss to her cheek;

“Time to sleep now little Kitten” he muttered before reluctantly uncoupling himself from her grasp, pulling a blanket over her as she dozed on his couch. Raking his hand down his face he let out a sigh, before grabbing a glass of water and setting it onto the coffee table in front of her. A scribbled note on the back of a flyer explained that she was drunk and he wasn’t sure if she would need his help, and he didn’t want to invade her privacy of her own apartment.

Having poured himself a generous glass of vodka, August withdrew to his own bedroom, silently closing the door before stripping for bed. It was an early night but without the TV to entertain him and no desire to get lost in a book, he settled on top of the covers in just his underwear, sipping at the ice cold liquor as he willed the swelling of his loins to subside. However every time he tried to clear his mind, all he could imagine was Freya. The thought of her small body beneath his, their bodies sweaty and writhing as one. Finally with a curse he gave in to his desires, pulling his underwear down and taking his hard length into his hand, pumping dry to increase the friction as his mind descended further into taboo territory. He imagined it was her hand, calling him Daddy as she asked if she was doing it right, that her perfect lips would duck down and take his bulbous tip into her mouth, her tongue lapping at his slit as her hazel eyes would stare back up at him, wide with innocence. With a strangled cry he came in violent spurts, covering his hand and stomach in ropes of his cum, thoughts of the delicate woman in his lounge lapping at his spent seed prolonging his orgasm until he was aching and empty. With a curse he looked down at the mess he’d made, realising he needed to clean himself up.

-

The quiet click of his front door woke August the next morning, pushing himself up off the pillow as he heard small footsteps down the outside of the building and the quiet beep of his car being unlocked. Wondering what the hell was happening he leapt out of bed and peered out of the window, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw a dishevelled Freya gathering the wild garlic that had been scattered around his inside of his vehicle the day before.

A few minutes later the thud of his keys falling onto his doormat where she’d posted them through the letterbox sounded through his apartment, and when he went to collect them he found a small note with them;

‘Mr Walker, thank you for your help, I hope I didn't make a fool of myself last night. Your car stinks of garlic now, i’m going to walk up the creek and collect some herbs that will help reduce the odour, Freya x’

-

An hour later when she hadn’t returned, August set off towards the creek through the pleasant woodland, the sunlight leaving dappled patches of gold on the forest floor. Coming to the wide bend in the creek where the water was shallow, he saw the swing over the water that someone had put there years ago, mismatched ropes and a wooden seat, and how someone had now woven wildflowers into the ropes, and as he glanced upstream he saw Freya knee deep in the water, a butterfly dancing on her hand.

Something overcame him and he pulled off his boots and socks, rolling up his pants as he stepped out into the water and sat on the swing, silently watching as she charmed nature beyond a simple human’s comprehension, having control of the elements like a forest nymph. August had seen a lot of unusual things in the time he’d lived in Blackwater Lake, he knew those that had something a little special about them gravitated towards the sleepy little mountain town, so as he watched Freya make her way upstream towards him he realised there was magic in the air. Small water spouts rose from the water as she took each step, as if chasing after her touch as she stepped from rock to rock submerged under the water. 

As she approached the shallow bend in the creek she finally looked up and saw August, a smile spreading over her lips;

“Hi”

“Hi”

“Its so pretty here, isn’t it?” she asked wistfully

“Beautiful from where i’m sitting”

She approached where he sat, stopped at arms reach, a hint of blush warming her cheeks;

“I’m sorry if I was inappropriate last night… thank you for taking care of me, i’m not a big drinker”

“You weren’t inappropriate…” he reassured her; “But it's been a while since a beautiful woman called me Daddy… since before… since before i was broken...”

Her gaze moved to the scar on the side of his face, and without a word she stepped forward and pressed her hand to the spidery scarring. In that moment August felt the magic in her touch, prickling at his skin before she nimbly climbed onto his lap, her legs wrapping around his waist and she lowered her lips to his, softly brushing against his as she spoke;

“You’re not broken, no more than I am…”

The kiss was soft and slow, and as her tongue started to gently tease at the seam of his lips she eased her weight completely onto his lap, her core pressing to his, the heat of their growing lust growing like an ember between them. 

Her small tongue licked into his mouth, tasting him as she pressed her body flush to his chest, small whimpers coming from her as his hands splayed over her back and pulled her firmly down onto his growing arousal. When the need for oxygen finally took precedence August’s lips traced a path of kisses down her jaw and neck, her fingers winding through his dark curls as her head fell back to give him better access to the pale expanse of her collarbone;

“Oh Daddy…”

“That’s it my little one, i’m going to treat you so well, my little Kitten…” August’s mustache brushed against her heated skin as he spoke, the gentle sway of the swing letting their bodies move against each other.

Just at that moment an ominous creak sounded above them, drawing their attention up into the tree’s canopy, just in time to see the rope that held the swing up snap, plunging them down into the shallow creekwater below.

With shouts and screams the moment of passion was lost, taken over by the shock of the water hitting their heated skin. August helped Freya up, her dress plastered to her skin in much the same way his shirt was, soaked head to toe he shook the water from his hair;

“Home?”

“Yes Daddy” Freya purred, pulling into his touch as he wrapped an arm around her to help her out of the water.

-

Pushing in the door to his apartment, clothes were being pulled from each other's bodies even as the door was still ajar. As he pulled his shirt off, Freya’s hands were curling into the hair on his chest, an almost feral growl bubbling from her lips as she ran her hands down to his stomach and rested on the buckle of his belt. Catching her hands in his he held them gently, only speaking when she looked up and met his gaze;

“Kitten, I want to be sure you want this… You’re in total control here, you set the boundaries, you say when you need to stop. But if you do want this, i’ll be your Daddy and take care of you like a Princess”

Freya voice shook as she spoke;

“I want this… my last… he wanted to be my Daddy but didn’t treat me right. He took more than I could give…”

August lifted her small hands to his mouth, kissing each fingertip with such great care and tenderness her heart almost melted before she finally spoke again;

“We should really check for leeches”

“WHAT?!”

Freya had never seen anyone strip their clothing off quite as fast as August just had. For a big man - and a pretty tough one at that - the mere thought of little blood suckers had him stripping completely naked in a matter of seconds, Freya pulling her dress off a little slower until she stood in just her simple underwear. August was still patting himself down, turning to look at his behind;

“Am I ok?”

Freya couldn’t help herself, stepping forwards and taking two handfuls of August’s pert asscheeks, giving them a squeeze before running her palms over the perfectly rounded globes of his buttocks;

“More than ok”

In the following moments August carried her to his small bathroom, turning the shower on before he stepped under the warm jets of water, pulling her with him so he could soap her down. The scent of sandalwood of his soap as he carefully washed every inch of her body was overwhelming, taking care of her to wash any last traces of creek water from her body. He paused as he reached the apex of her thighs, waiting for her agreement which she quickly nodded for him to continue, his large hand sliding between her legs and caressing her lips. His skilled fingers soon sought out her pearl, teasing it gently from its hood before he slid a finger into her waiting heat, a cry falling from her lips which he quickly swallowed with a kiss. His work calloused hands quickly drove her to an orgasm - a first of many - and as she came she called his name, like a prayer on her lips. 

Shutting the water off, August carefully lifted her out of the bath, wrapping a large towel around her before scooping her into his arms and carrying her to his bed. On the messy covers her hair clung to her skin, before he carefully lifted the long tendrils from her chest and was able to take in the sight of her petite naked body laying fresh and prone on his bed. Her hand reached out for him, pulling him close;

“Daddy, I want to feel you…”

August smiled;

“Will you be a good girl for me Kitten? Do you think you can take me? You’re awfully small, and I'm pretty big…”

She sat up, pressing a hand to his chest;

“Can I try? Can I go on top?”

Nodding August lay on the bed, propped up against the pillows, lifting her petite frame on top of him. He watched with pleasure as she wriggled down the bed, her hands gripping his thighs as she settled between his legs. Wrapping her small hands around his generous length she looked up at him as she started to give small licks to his hot flesh, her fingers struggling to encircle his meaty girth. Opening her mouth she took a good three inches between her lips straight away, a litany of curses falling from August’s lips as he felt the hot wet heat of her mouth engulf him. It was better than he could ever had imagined, and he had to grip at the bedsheets to stop himself from cumming at that very moment. Steadying his breathing he let out a low sigh before he reluctantly pulled her off, a trail of spittle hanging between his dick and her mouth;

“But Daddy, I want to taste your cum…”

“I know Kitten, but it's going to be a lot the first time, and I want to see your cunt dripping with me, knowing your tight little pussy is going to overflow with the amount I'm going to pump into you. Now be a good girl and see what you can do, let's make it fit…”

Straddling his thick thighs she positioned herself over his hard shaft, her hand holding him steady as she swiped him through her folds to douse his gnarled girth with her juices, before settling with the tip at her entrance. August ran his hands up and down her arms, comforting her and hoping to get her to relax. He was a patient man but the feel of her soaked flesh pressing against his crown was becoming a struggle not to grab her hips and pull her down until he was balls deep in one swift thrust.

Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, Freya slowly lowered herself onto August’s shaft, going at a pace she could cope with, but the strain of holding back caused perspiration to bead on August’s forehead;

“Doing so well Kitten… I know its a lot, but you can do it… you’re so fucking tight…. Fuck…”

Taking a deep breath Freya finally let herself fall the rest of the way, feeling him part her silken walls until she was settled on his lap. Tears fell from her eyes, tiny diamonds adorning her cheeks at the overwhelming sense of fullness she was experiencing. Seeing these August kissed them away, his praises made her swell with pride as he admitted to her he was struggling not to cum from just the feeling of her tight walls engulfing him. He pushed a hand between their bodies, resting his palm on her stomach;

“Put your hand here… you’re so tiny I can feel myself deep inside you, your little tummy blown out with my dick…”

His thumb crept down and grazed at her pearl, making her cry out before yearning for more. With his ministrations she was soon relaxed enough to start to ride him, her nimble thighs bouncing on his meaty counterparts, feeling the slick push and pull as he filled her whilst she drove them towards their peak. 

Unsurprisingly Freya came first, the overwhelming pleasure that was coursing through her body was all too much to hold back, and she came with a silent scream, her body gripping August so tight it set him off, pushing in so deep he was sure his dick had kissed her cervix, before flooding her with endless ropes of his thick seed, soothing her inner core with his milky gift. Wrapping his arms around her he pulled her to his chest, holding her tight as the floods of emotions surged through her, stroking her back tenderly.

Eventually he carefully lifted her onto the bed, peppering her bare skin with bristly kisses, before parting her thighs and leaning back to admire his handiwork, a thick sheen of white covering her swollen petals. With a single finger he carefully swiped through his mess, before holding it to her mouth;

“Taste Kitten… taste our passion…”

Holding onto his wrist she sucked the digit into her mouth, her tongue tasting their combined essence. When his finger finally dropped from her lips his gaze fell down and hers followed, her eyes going wide when she saw he was hard and ready for more. Laying back she hooked her hands behind her knees and spread herself open for him;

“Daddy, will you fill me up again, please?”

Positioning himself at her cum soaked hole August smiled, a dark hint of lust glinting in his eyes;

“It would be my pleasure Kitten”

-

Three weeks later

Freya chewed nervously on her lip, having circled the isles of the drug store too many times to count now, waiting for a time when there was no-one near what she needed. Finally it was the right moment and she slunk into the isle, grabbing the thin rectangular box before stepping back and bumping into someone, her item tumbling to the floor as a third set of feet appeared;

“Freya! Mrs Syverson! Good Morning!”

It was Sue from the coffee shop, having appeared seemingly out of nowhere just as Mrs Syverson had backed away from the opposite shelf to keep little baby Luna from grabbing the glass bottles of antacid medicine. Mrs Syverson immediately clocked what Freya had been holding;

“Oh Freya, could you just reach those things for me? I can’t reach down with Luna here…”

With shaking hands Freya handed the bag of cotton wool balls and the pregnancy test to the woman only a couple of years her senior, who in turn smiled at Sue as she laughed;

“Sy’s always keeping me on my toes… in more ways than one” She winked before tugging on Freya’s arm; “Sweetie, I need to place an order for a big cookout we have coming up for Sy’s birthday…”

Steering her away from town gossip Sue, Mrs Syverson lowered her voice;

“I’ll meet you outside sweetie, don’t worry about it, i saw you circling the shop”

A few minutes later Mrs Syverson appeared at the door, two drugstore bags in her hand before handing one to Freya;

“My advice, tell August now, do the test together”

“Are you sure? Do you think he’ll be angry?”

“Angry? Hell no, i think it’ll be what he wants, and no matter what the result he’s always had puppy dog eyes for you, we could all tell from the moment you walked into his life”

Peering into the bag Freya saw there was also a bag of Hershey’s kisses;

“You’ll need the sugar, to calm your nerves afterwards”

“Thanks Mrs S… i appreciate it”

“No problem Freya… and i’ll see you tomorrow, i really do need to place that order, but get today over and done with first”

That afternoon Freya and August took the test, then feasted on kisses of every kind.

[lovelylunarwriting]

Jaemin Soulmate!AU

Jaemin has a reputation as a “cool” kind of guy, which is why he wears bracelets to hide the words permanently etched on his left wrist

“Wait- if it’s not butter, then what is it?”

Jisung and Haechan are notorious for giving him shit for having a ‘weird’ soulmate, but Jaemin thinks it’s kind of funny, honestly

Like great question dude but,,, why are you asking me this

Jaemin’s apartment is around the corner from a little family-owned grocery store that he’s frequented since his high school days.

He’s very much a regular, to the point of the owner being like “Jaemin…. Please just work here. You already know where everything is”

To which Jaemin has to respectfully decline, because he wants to focus on his dancing and singing, and working too much would get in the way of practicing.

That, however, does not stop the old man from sending customers with questions to Jaemin whenever he comes in.

Because Jaemin is too polite to be like “uhh I don’t work here, good luck”, he always ends up helping them

But secretly, he doesn’t mind. He thinks that maybe one day, his soulmate will be the next one to ask him a question.

Even after repeated questions about “how much does this cost?”, “when do you guys open tomorrow?”, “when will the next shipment of bok choy be in?”, he still isn’t terribly bothered.

The other employees chastise the boss for sending customers to Jaemin, but the old man is always like “he knows this store better than you all do. That’s why he gets a discount higher than yours”

Employee discount: 15 percent off all merchandise

Na Jaemin discount: 20 percent off all merchandise

It’s an unspoken rule amongst employees that Na Jaemin gets a discount, but they are NEVER to mention it to him! He knows that business has been rough recently and wouldn’t accept the generosity, but the boss thinks Jaemin is too skinny and wants him to be able to afford to eat well.

Now lovely reader, this is where you come in. You recently got a job at this grocery store but you work in the back, so you have never seen the famous “Na Jaemin” that all your fellow employees chat about so frequently.

Coworker #1: “Ugh, he’s like SO dreamy”

Coworker #2: “I know right? He’ll have no trouble becoming an idol at this rate”

Meanwhile you’re like “lol what who? Also where is the printer for printing clearance labels”

You specifically applied for the back of house position because you did not want to talk to people.

It’s not that you’re antisocial by any means- honestly it’s the opposite. It’s just that you have the tendency to say whatever you’re thinking with absolutely no filter.

So in the past when more…. challenging… customers have talked down to you, you gave back the same energy without thinking.

Management was not happy,,, so you were like “mmmm maybe I should just keep to myself and everyone would be happier”

One day though, it seems that you’re shit out of luck.

Your work bestie calls you at 3 in the morning on your day off saying that her kid has a fever and she’s gotta stay home and take care of him.

You have no plans other than generally being a lazy lump at home, and she’s always had your back at work, so you’re like “girl don’t worry about it, I got your shift. I’ll make some chicken noodle soup for him too”

To which she’s like “bitch if I hadn’t found my soulmate already I would’ve snatched you up T-T”

You giggle and tell her to try and get some rest- both her and her kid.

And then sleep another blissful 4 hours before rolling in for the 8am shift.

When you get there, boss man is like “ayeee so you’re covering for her shift which is stocking shelves, are you gonna be okay doing that?”

You: “Ahaha yeah it’ll be fine~ just please don’t send customers to me oh my gosh”

Boss Man: “Don’t worry, I just saw Jaemin walk in. I’ll send them to him”

You: “... who is Jaemin”

Boss Man: “He’s my FAVORITE!! Remember that!”

You: “Oh, okay!! Yes sir!”

You’re like fifteen minutes into your shift and you’re already on edge because all you’ve done so far is dodge all the old ladies who are shopping this early.

No actual products have been put on the shelves yet, or at least not by your hands.

Settling down in the dairy section, you relax a bit and start putting cold products in the cold shelves fixed to the wall.

And of course- things are in the wrong place. Why would anyone put anything back where it belongs?

Picking up a product, you glance at the label out of sheer boredom more than anything.

“Wait- if it’s not butter, then what is it?”, you say to yourself.

Or so you think.

“Yeah, that is like the one question I don’t know how to answer”, you hear a masculine voice say from behind.

You spin around and look up into the man’s face.

And oh boy is that a nice looking face.

“Oh I’m sorry, I- WAIT”, you start, before you realize what he said.

Grabbing his left wrist, you push up the bracelets to reveal what you’d just said. Then you drop his hand out of sudden shyness, and because it’s not cool just to grab people.

“Do… do you mind if I look at your wrist as well?”, he asks quietly.

You roll up your sleeve and present him with your arm. He delicately wraps his fingers around your wrist and flips it over to read the words written”

He drops your wrist and sinks into a squat, flopping his arms over his head and looking at the ground.

“Oh my gosh why did I say something so lame…”

“Umm,,, to be fair,,, I did ask you about butter so by comparison yours isn’t that bad,,,,”, you try to comfort him, and he lifts his head up to meet your gaze.

“You mean that? It wasn’t like the lamest thing you’ve ever heard?”

“Oh I’ve heard much lamer things, don’t worry!”, you say with a cheery smile that contrasts your words entirely.

He stands up again and clasps your hands in his. With a look of determination he looks straight into your soul and asks:

“What time do you get off work?”

You tell him, but let him know that you’ll be busy after work making chicken noodle soup for your coworker and her son.

He’s like “oh you can cook?” and you’re like “lol no but I’m gonna die trying”

He writes his phone number on your arm (next to your soulmate tattoo) and is like “text me when you’re done with work and I’ll swing by and walk you home and maybe I can help you cook”

And quickly clarifies “ONLY IF YOU’RE COMFORTABLE WITH ME IN YOUR HOME, I UNDERSTAND IF BECAUSE WE JUST MET YOU-”

You’re like “dude,,,, it’s fine, we are literally destined to be together. Also if you try anything I’ll just beat you up so it’s chill”

Looking at his watch, he sprints makes a beeline for the checkout counter, going on about he’s gonna be so later and Haechan’s never gonna let it go if he’s late twice in a row, and something else but by that point he’s so far away from the dairy aisle you can only hear muffled sounds where words should be.

The next several hours could not go by ANY SLOWER.

Starting off today, you figured the day would go by quickly because you’d be preoccupied figuring out how to do something new, but now all you can think about is pretty soulmate boy.

And how he never mentioned his name, but to be fair, it was a rather quick exchange.

What feels like centuries later, your shift is coming to a close so you grab the ingredients you the internet tells you you need for the soup and head to your favorite cashier.

Somehow the front of the store is both quiet and abnormally loud for this time of night.

“Jaemin’s been waiting there for fifteen minutes? Do you think he’s waiting for someone?”

“Maybe he needs to talk to the boss? Usually he’d just ask one of us to grab him but he’s just standing outside”

“Ugh it’s so cold, should we tell him to come inside?”

You glance over to the crowd of coworkers towards the entrance and break out into a smile.

“Just keep ringing me up, I’ll be right back!”, you tell the cashier and fast walk past the small crowd.

Peeping your head out the door, you greet him.

“Are you cold? Come inside, I’m almost done”

“Oh okay, should I wait by the door though?”

“No, come with me. I wanna show you off~”, you instruct and he raises an eyebrow, but plays along.

Holding open the door for him, he scuffles his way in and shyly offers his hand.

Gladly, and with a pounding heart, you lock your fingers between his.

“Your hands are freezing, dude”

“Shhh it’s fine. I was trying to be cool, okay”, he jokes with you as you walk back to the register

Ringing up your items, the cashier is looking at you and him with raised eyebrows, and you’re just like “shut up jessica I’ll explain tomorrow”

The two of you walk back to your apartment and spend the rest of the night cooking and talking about everything and nothing.

The more you learn about Jaemin, the more confident you are that the universe got this one right.

Even when most things feel unclear, you know this person is someone you can always rely on.

(also when you bring your sick work bestie the soup, Jaemin insists on tagging along and she’s like “omg Y/N that’s JAEMIN” and you’re like “I KNOW” and he’s like “hi here’s some soup, also why do you know my name”

[seaweedbrain404]

Wolfstar Au: Questions and Confessions (pt 3 of Parties and Morning Regrets)

tw: panic attack

pt 2

pt4

read it on ao3

obligatory tag for @icitlali as you’re pretty much the main reason this fic turned into a series, i hope you enjoy it!

When Remus woke up again, hours later, he noticed three things. 1) there was a blanket over him, 2) Lily was home, he could hear her singing along to music in the kitchen and 3) Sirius was nowhere to be seen.

Just as well, Remus thought as he got up. He felt and heard all of his joints clicking and cracking while he stretched. He wrapped the blanket tightly around himself and waddled into the kitchen.

“Hi” He whispered, despite not having to.

Lily spun around, catching him in a hug. “Feeling better?” she asked, pressing her face against his chest.

“Yeah, sleep is good” Remus nodded as they let go, and Lily went back to cooking.

“I’m making dinner, you were asleep for ages”

“Figured, I’m starved”

“I slept with James”

“James?” The name vaguely rang a bell in Remus’ head but it’s not like he knew a lot of people called James.

“Potter- James Potter, remember?” Lily chewed her bottom lip, “from school?”

“Oh”

James Potter had been best friends with Sirius Black and that was probably the only way Remus knew him. There was also the fact that he had chased after Lily for most of their school days. Most people thought he was a rich, spoiled and arrogant boy but Remus found he never really saw him like that. From their limited interactions, Remus thought James was actually a quite pleasant person, a little big-headed but all round a good bloke.

“Yeah”

“And?” Remus waved his hands around, nearly letting the blanket fall to his feet.

“And… we may have exchanged numbers”

“Lily!”

“What?!”

“You always said you hated him!”

“Well I did… but, he got really fit” Lily admitted, pink dusting her cheeks.

“Fit? you slept with him cause he got fit?”

“Kind of- I mean, we talked at the party and he told me about his work and Remus, he’s a human rights lawyer”

This was an interesting piece of information. Remus didn’t know that James was also a lawyer but he did remember Sirius mentioning something about him the night of the party. Did this mean that maybe Remus was wrong? Maybe Sirius wasn’t working for his father anymore and he was in New York to team up with James. It was unlikely though since he specifically remembered his brain latching onto Sirius saying something along the lines of him doing business for his father. There was always the possibility of Sirius lying. However, Remus felt that was unlikely too. Sirius wasn’t much of a liar unless he had to.

He must’ve been quiet for too long because Lily nudged him gently. “Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah” Remus nodded, “just thinking”

“Bad thinking or good thinking”

Remus shrugged. “Just… thinking”

“Does it have anything to do with you definitely sleeping with your gorgeous ex-boyfriend the other night?”

Remus’ face reddened and he pulled the blanket tighter around himself as if it could shield him from all his problems and worries.

“Ha! I knew it” Lily was practically jumping up and down. “He left his phone number”

Remus groaned. “Throw it away”

“What?”

“Bin it, burn it, I don’t care”

“Remus, you can’t just cut off anyone who makes you feel things” Lily sighed.

“I don’t do that” Lie. He did it all the time.

“Yes you do… remember when you dated Anna? or Frank? or Sam?”

Remus shrugged and made a vague noise. He didn’t like where this was going but Lily carried on.

“You pushed them away as soon as it got too real, as soon as it got serious”

“Well, I just didn’t want to settle down with them”

“And why’s that, my friend?”

“I don’t know… they weren’t right” Remus shrugged again, “who are you? my therapist?”

“I’m your friend, idiot” Lily lightly hit his arm, smiling despite fully reading Remus like today’s paper. “I just think we both know it’s because they weren’t Sirius”

Remus had nothing to say to that. “Just… bin the number, I don’t want to talk to him”

Lily sighed, exasperated. “You don’t have to talk to him but I’m not throwing out his number, just in case”

“I’m not going to call him” He replied, leaning his chin on her shoulder.

“I know, you’re too set on making yourself miserable”

“That’s not true”

“Oh sure”

“I don’t even like him”

“I saw the way he looked at you, clearly he still cares a lot about you and…” she paused, kissing Remus’ forehead before reaching for two plates. “you do too or else you wouldn’t have invited him up earlier”

“I just didn’t want to leave him out in the cold” That’s all there was to it, Remus had told himself earlier. He was tired and leaving Sirius outside, alone in the cold, in a city he probably wasn’t familiar with just seemed like the wrong thing to do.

“Sounds like caring to me” Lily replied in a sing-songy voice.

Remus resorted to sticking his tongue out instead of formulating a response.

Lily passed him a plate filled with pasta and the two brought their food to the sitting room. “Who’s manning the bakery?” Remus asked, suddenly realising that neither one of them had gone to work.

“Marlene and Dorcas, I went in to check when I was picking up Mrs Pettigrew’s shopping” Lily paused for a forkful of pasta before continuing. “She was asking about you”

“Why me?”

“Dunno, she likes you”

Remus raised his eyebrow, changing the channel and ending up on an episode of Doctor Who.

“Yeah, I don’t know why but she said you should drop by soon” Lily added.

“Mmm, I might later”

The two finished their dinner in a comfortable silence, occasionally commenting on what the current Doctor was getting up to. After dinner, Lily showered and Remus finally got the chance to take that bath he had wanted nearly all day. He bid Lily an early goodnight afterwards, seeing as he was up for the morning shift the next day.

Remus didn’t mind working at the bakery, it meant he never had to walk far to get to work or to get home. He wasn’t passionate about it like Lily was though which meant for him, waking up at the arse crack of dawn wasn’t worth it. Still, he got up, feeling a billion times better than the day before, and got dressed. It was 4am when he got there and the only other person with him was Mary McDonald.

Mary was a good friend of Lily’s and just as passionate about making the best baked goods as she was. Their entire staff consisted of five people, usually there were two people there from 4 am up until 4 pm (despite it opening hours being 8am to 3 pm). During busier hours, another person came in from 11 am to 2 pm. It was a small business but it was open every day and sold everything from custom order cakes to bread, rolls and just nearly every other baked good under the sun. Lily was a fair boss and no one had to be in work for 4 am two days in a row since the bakery was so small, they didn’t need more than three people there at the one time. Usually they got by with just the two.

“Morning” Mary rubbed her eyes, turning on the radio when Remus walked in.

“ ‘Ello” He saluted, getting ready to sanitise the kitchen and get the dough prepared for all the baked goods they would be selling that day.

Remus liked working with Mary. She was quiet enough and most of the time the two got to enjoy listening to the radio, singing along to songs or commenting on the news as they worked. He hadn’t even thought about Sirius since the night before and all was going great.

That was until the clock hit 2:15. That was when Remus was working the till and that was when Sirius waltzed into the small establishment. Remus knew it wasn’t a coincidence because Lily’s bakery was small and very very local. There was no way Sirius had just so happened to wander in off the street.

To Remus’ dismay, after Sirius bought an eclair and a cup of coffee, he didn’t leave. Sirius didn’t leave even when he had finished, instead stuck around and ordered another coffee. Who drinks so much coffee, thought Remus, feeling more and more annoyed the more time Sirius spent not leaving. Eventually, it was time for Remus’ break and Mary took over the till.

Remus went out the back, into the alleyway for a cig and a yogurt. Unfortunately, he didn’t get to enjoy much of his lunch break by himself because after he had eaten, and lit the cigarette, someone he didn’t want to see appeared in his line of vision.

“You haven’t called”

Straight to the point then, Remus thought, taking an extra long drag of the cig. “No”

“Why not?” Sirius shoved his hands in his pockets, shifting his weight between his two feet.

“Why is it that you always get to be the one asking questions and pointing out how much I’ve changed?” Remus countered, putting the cigarette out on the ashy tray on the windowsill.

Sirius didn’t say anything so Remus straightened and took a step forward with his hands tucked under his arms, to keep the cold off. The fingerless gloves weren’t much help. “How come you’re New York? Why are you still working for your father’s bloody firm? And why are you so quiet and subdued?”

While all of this was spilling out of Remus, he suddenly found himself right up in Sirius’ face with his breath ghosting his lips. Sirius didn’t back down though as steel grey met blazing amber.

“You never asked” He replied simply.

“Because you never gave me the chance to!” Remus took a step back and one forward again. “I did now so… go on, out with it”

“My father recently branched out to America, New York to be specific and I…. I wanted- no, I needed to get away” Sirius spat out. “I needed to get away from my parents because I had enough of them and everything they stood for and… and I finally stopped being so afraid of them!”

“So why did you go after me then?”

“I didn’t go after you”

“You talked to me at the party and then you showed up at my workplace” Remus reasoned, “I’m so sorry that I misread the fucking signs!”

“You’re the one that invited me up to the flat!”

“Yes, because it was cold out and I didn’t want to be that guy who left someone in a new city out in the freezing fucking cold”

“Really? because you didn’t have a problem making jabs at me and being a cruel bastard”

“Oh I’m the bastard, sure”

“That’s not fair and you know it!”

“Well life isn’t fair either and you don’t get to decide what’s fair and what’s not, so how about you fuck off Sirius”

“No” came Sirius’ sharp reply.

“I beg your pardon?”

“I said no” Sirius’ voice was shaking and Remus hated himself for wanting to comfort him. “No because I’m still in love with you even though you clearly don’t want me to be because you’re acting like a condescending asshole 90% of the time and the other 10 you remind me of the guy I fell for in Year 7”

Remus felt winded. Year 7?? “You- you can’t just drop that on me….” He trailed off, staggering backwards. “I need get back to work”

He turned on his heel and ran a hand through his hair. Sirius said something, shouted Remus’ name maybe but his voice sounded distant and fogged. Somehow he stumbled back into the bakery to see Mary look at him with worried eyes.

“Remus?”

Her voice was distant too and the room was too warm. His lungs wouldn’t fill properly and his head spun. He felt like he was going to pass out and he would’ve literally hit the ground if Mary hadn’t caught him.

She put him in a chair against the wall and grabbed a bottle of water, fusing over him and saying things Remus wasn’t hearing because the sound of his heart racing was far too loud. Yep, this is how I die, he thought, leaning back in the chair and letting his head hit the wall.

Suddenly Mary appeared in front of him again, he could only tell by the hands on his shoulders as his eyes were closed. “Remus? Remus, deep breaths love” when Remus was unresponsive she tried again. “Remus breathe in, 1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. and hold the breath 2... 3.. 4.. 5.. 6.. 7.. and out again, 2… 3… 4… 5… 6… 7… 8…”

This time Remus followed Mary’s lead. They did the breathing exercise a couple more times before Remus felt stable enough to open his eyes again. “What happened?”

“Listen I-“ Remus cut himself off because what did happen. “Thank you, I don’t really- can we not talk about it?”

Mary was kind, there was no denying that. She nodded, despite looking concerned. “Of course, yeah, whatever makes you comfortable”

Mary insisted that Remus stay in the back for the rest of the day and he was happy enough not having to man the till. Sirius had completely disappeared and Remus was too tired to do anything about it. At 3pm, Mary locked up and they set about preparing ingredients and products for the next day, freezing selected stock and cleaning the kitchen.

By the time they had finished Mary was still concerned. “Hey, are you alright now?”

“Mmm, yeah, I’m good” Remus would’ve preferred to face Sirius again and risk another panic attack rather than have to talk to Mary about what happened earlier.

Mary gave him a tight smile and put a hand on his arm. “Mind yourself, yeah?” she gave his arm a light squeeze before the two went their separate ways.

[jawllines]

Please post the dad harry blurb :):):) love u

Y/N is unbelievably frustrated.

So, fucking, frustrated!

The day had been so delightful, one of the best she’s had in a very long time. Harry had invited her to stay the night on Friday which included Teddy being pouty that Harry was getting to spend the night with her but he wasn’t. So they set up shop with a pallet on the floor in his room, and after a few hours of reading books, tickles, giggles and “How many stars are ups in the skies, Daddy?” along with, “Lots, go to bed Teds,” until Teddy’s snores fill the room. Y/N had been close to sleep herself until she gets a poke and a prod on her side by Harry’s hand and when she was reluctant to move from their makeshift bed (she’d found a comfortable spot), he slid his arms beneath her body and carried her to his bed.

By the time they’d gotten to the bed, she was ready for bed, and she tipped her face into his neck while he rubbed her arm. She had decided that she likes sleeping with Harry much more than she likes sleeping by herself, which is a lot to say for a notorious blanket and bed hog like herself. Even when his non-socked feet were freezing cold and touching against her shins until her body heat warmed him, she fell asleep easy.

She’d been aroused from sleep by gentle kisses and a previously sleep puffy eyed Harry in the glittering glow of sun shining through his window. Though she wouldn’t let him infiltrate her mouth with his tongue, “I’ve got mornin’ breath, you heathen,” he merely giggled and patted her bum, pushing a kiss to her temple, “G’na make brekkie, Love. You can sleep for a little while longer.”

Y/N had shaken her head though, kicked her legs from the blanket with a wide-mouthed yawn that switched into a grunting stretch before she rolled out, “Nuh-uh, m’up,” she grumbled, “Lemme pee, and I’ll help.”

They cooked breakfast together – Harry taught her how to make the eggs fluffy and she showed him the best way to bake cinnamon sugar muffins – and around 8AM, he goes up to wake Teddy. When he comes back down, Teddy is clutching the stuffed bear she had bought him at the zoo, eyes still tired but a big smile on his mouth once he realized Y/N’s still there. He gives outstretched arms towards her and Harry indulged him, and passed him to Y/N’s arms, “Good morning, beautiful,” she cooed at him, slipped her finger into his hand and let him hold onto it tightly, “How’d you sleep?”

“Good,” he murmured, “Still sweepy, though.”

After they all ate, Harry got Teddy ready to go to Maisie’s, told her to make herself comfortable and that he would be back shortly. Which was true – Y/N had just barely gotten out of the shower by the time he’d opened the door back up and he had been greeted by her in a towel, about to bend down into her overnight bag. “Oh!” He startled, covering his eyes, “Sorry, Lovie, I should’ve knocked.”

Y/N laughed, “Harry, this is your room, you don’t have to knock,” she told him.

She hadn’t been quite sure how they’d ended up in his bed, or how Harry had begun fingering her open, getting up to three inside of her and he curled and petted at her spot until she was pulsating and cumming over them, but they had. And she had gotten worked up enough that she decided that she wanted him inside of her right then and there, asking for him to please do it, she’d been more than ready, and she thought she was stretched out enough.

But he wouldn’t fit.

Harry had tried, the fat head budding at her hole but after a moment and her feeling a pinch, Harry looks to her with his brows knitted in concentration and concern, “You’re still too tight, baby,” he murmured, “Hold on.” He slipped back down her body, the broad of his tongue licking up her slit, parting her lips around it and he began again, starting with one finger, escalating to two, then three all while he suckled and nipped and lapped at her already swollen clit. Her legs were parted how he parted them, pushing her knees up towards her chest and outward. He scissors his fingers this time and Y/N feels the burn of herself stretching out for his thick digits, but she was too focused on the wet feeling of his tongue to really pay mind to it.

When Harry crawls back up her body again, Y/N makes him flip over so he was propped up on the headboard, straddling his waist how she had been when she’d grinded on him the first time and with a huffed breath, “Lemme try like this,” and he nodded, his big hands flattened out on her hips. His fingers dug into her skin, dipping into the flesh and holding her tight, helping her as she tried to ease down and yet it still hadn’t been enough – trying to lower and her walls just wouldn’t give.

So that’s how she ended up sat back on his thighs, warding away disgruntled tears as she tried to figure out why she was cursed with the tiniest fucking hole in the world, while he rubbed her thighs gently with the pads of his thumbs.

“It’s okay, sweet girl,” he murmurs gently to her, “We can try a different day.”

“I don’t want to try a different day,” she grumbled petulantly, “I want you in me now.”

His cock twitches between them, a little blurt of precum appearing at the slit, and her pout only deepens, “Sorry,” he murmurs sheepishly but Y/N shakes her head, knuckling at her eye in frustration but scooting backward until she wasn’t straddling his lap anymore. She lowers, her breath ghosting warm over his prick, and his hips buck up unintentionally, “You don’t have to –”

“I want to,” she murmurs, stretching her lips over the tip and sucking him down like she’d grown so fond of doing. The way she sees it, is if she can’t cum herself then she wants to make him cum, even if it means stirring an ache in the jaw. His heady taste still makes her dizzy with want and she pulses around nothing, which only serves to remind her of their dilemma and it drags an inadvertent whiny groan around him. Harry’s hand goes to the back of her head, fingers curling up in her hair and giving a soft tug.

“M’sorry baby, but m’g’na cum if you keep that up.”

“Want you to,” she barely murmurs over his cock, dragging the inner portion of her bottom lip against his frenulum, and he throbs against her palm, then another time against her tongue before a throaty mewl leaves him and he’s cumming. One shot leaving him to lay thick on his belly before she has the chance to tuck the tip into her mouth, feeling him spurt and dribble on her tongue. She likes how he tastes, maybe more than she should, swallowing it down and sucking him dry until his thighs twitch and he tugs at her hair again, a little more insistently than last time.

When she withdraws with a pop, licking around her mouth, and crawling back up his body. He gives a disbelieving puff of a laugh, shaking his head, “Christ, I promise I used to be able to last much longer but there’s something about you that just really – really gets me off.”

“Good,” she pushes a kiss to his lips, all bitten swollen and puffy, “It’d be better if I could just – if I could just get you inside me.”

Harry’s hand draws careful, intricate little circles into the soft skin of her back, her breasts pressed to his chest, “How ‘bout this,” he begins, his voice low and the vibrations of it reverberating throughout her whole being, “I’ll run us a bath, yeah? Get you all nice and relaxed – think you’re getting yourself all too worked up and it’s making it harder for it to happen.” He pats at her bum gently, “Then we’ll try again, okay? Just don’t get so hung up on it, s’making you tense.”

“Fine,” she murmurs, pushing herself up from the warmth of his body, “But if this doesn’t work, m’selling my soul off to the devil and maybe he’ll make it happen.”

Harry snorts through a laugh, “Fuck sake,” he shakes his head, “Never know what’s about to leave your mouth.”

                                                            .                             .                               .

Harry’s never felt guilty about having a big cock before.

If anything it had always been a bit of a stroke to the ego when he couldn’t fit inside someone right off; that little gasp when the head slides in and their walls stretch to accommodate his size always made him twitch some inside of them. Having them keen and moan about how full they feel and how big he is and how they would never forget how he felt inside of them because he’s hitting spots that they’ve never felt anyone hit before. It was gratifying and something he reveled in and ultimately what drew him to his end.

But with Y/N – god, he feels like shit. Like absolute shit!

He’d never been with a virgin before, so he wasn’t particularly sure what to do, or how to fit in her, or any of it. It’s why he hadn’t fucked her the first night, determined to do some research on how he could slip inside her easier. He had a ton of strawberry lube in his nightside table though when he suggested it she had been convinced that they wouldn’t need it. He was planning on taking his time properly stretching her out with his fingers, for a good hour at least, and even try with a smaller toy to get her ready for it.

And he has to get her to relax, that’s the most important thing, above all. He can see how tense she is when they try, how much she wants it to work, how nervous she is for her first time, and how frustrated she becomes when he isn’t immediately bucking his hips into her. That’s what makes him feel so bad, is because she’s trying so hard and she hates that it isn’t working. She just wants to make him feel good, she’s said it many times, and if she could feel good at the same time then that would be great but it pisses her off that she can’t get him inside of her. And as precious as it is when she’s all huffs and puffs and pouty (it only makes him want to ravish her more), he just wants her happy. Doesn’t want her to feel incompetent in any way because she isn’t and it makes him feel more like the inept.

So he’s thankful when she agrees to him drawing them both a bath and plans on beginning it in there. Makes it toasty and warm, filled with bubbles, and lowered himself inside the steaming water at first beside her, then he drags her into his lap and leans them both back. They rest for some time, just talking, and he can feel her muscles soothe and her body melt against him, even when his hands travel to the inside of her thighs and he begins running his fingers along the length of them. If anything she hiccups on her words but that’s the extent of it, continuing to tell him about a documentary she’d watch on speckled tree frogs.

It’s only when his hand slips up and over her clit softly, the pads of his fingers pressing over the swell of it, and when she stutters over a sharp inhale, “Shh, shh,” he shushes her, kissing the shell of her ear, rolling the button in small little circles, “Just focus on how it feels, baby. Relax and focus on how good I make you feel.”

She nods and he’s pleasantly surprised to feel her stay all melty and mushy with her back to his chest. The only time she even startles is when he slides his finger into her, but it’s only for a moment. She soon relaxes again, and he speaks in gentle coos and hushed murmurs only to encourage it, “That’s my girl,” he curls it up, petting against the soft little spot inside of her and his cock twitches when she a little whimper leaves her, “Does it feel good?”

“Mhm,” she hums, tilting her head back against his shoulder, the water sloshing some around them, “S’good, s’really good.”

“Yeah?” He withdraws his finger only to push a second and he can already feel her walls giving way much easier to them than they had been, “G’na open you up all nice for me, Pet. You jus’ gotta relax for me and let me stretch you out.” He scissors his fingers open, twisting them a little and his other hand swings around to press to her lower belly, feeling it quiver and tremble beneath his palm. The pure, carnal desire that tickles his own cock, filling back up against her bum but he ignores it in favor of sliding a third finger inside of her, his thumb rubbing her clit side to side. After doing this and eating her out several times before he begins to recognize when she starts to hit her peak, her thighs falling open, her breathing beginning to falter.

Though he doesn’t give into those sweet little whimpers that begin to leave her, instead taking his touch away from her completely, ignoring her small, “No, no, no” ‘s when she realizes what he’s doing. He starts stroking her thighs once more, shushing her again, “It’s okay, it’s okay,” pushing more soft kisses to her ear.

When she’s calmed down completely, he does it again. Gets her just before she tips over and then takes away his hand, lets her wiggle and whine until she calms and he touches her again.

And again.

And again.

He’s done it about six times, when she finally flips around, the water sloshing on the sides of the tub and she’s looking a little wrecked, “Harry,” she asks, “What’re you doing t’a me, huh? Why won’t you let me?”

Harry reaches up, petting her cheek with a sudsy thumb, “Greedy thing,” he tuts his tongue, “C’mon.”

He guides her up and out of the tub, dragging off one of the fluffy towels from the warmer rack and rolling it out for her, tucking it around her body and pecking a kiss to the tip of her nose. Only loosely does he wrap the towel around his waist, his hand to the small of her back ushering her towards the room, instructing her to get on the bed. She listens easy, crawling into the bed and letting the towel slip off of her as she flopped down, flipping over so she faced him and Harry splits her thighs open for her. Her pussy looks swollen and wet, messy with her arousal and it makes his mouth water, as he takes three of his fingers, dragging them down her slit and dipping them inside of her with no resistance.

A smile grows on his lips, curling them upward and watching her thighs squeeze around his hand, “Sweet girl,” he pats her thigh, leaning over to the nightstand and pulling open the drawer reaching in for the little bottle, “Think you’re ready for me, but we’re g’na use some lube just in case – wipe that pout off,” he plucks at her bottom lip, “This will just ensure it.”

He clicks the cap open, drizzling the cool liquid over his cock (that had chubbed up all the way by then) and slicking it up and down. Biting down hard on his bottom lip, he says a short prayer that this will be the time as he takes hold of himself and tips his cock down. The head buds at the hole and his toes curl, taking in a deep breath as he pushes forward and watches as her walls stretch around the tip as he begins to sink in. His mouth is hung open, abdomen clenching, “Oh,” it feels good – so fucking good, and he looks up to Y/N who is looking at him, all moony eyes and he leans forward, lowering so that he’s hovering over her body, pausing with just the tip in. As much as he wanted to sink in deep, she’s more important to him than how pleasantly good this feels, “Are you okay, Love?”

She nods, “Yeah, m’okay,” she laughs a little, squeezing around him and he bites back his own whimper, “You’re inside me.”

“Mhm,” he murmurs, “I’m inside.”

“Good,” she grins, and Harry feels his heart swell in his chest, thumping hard as his own smile drags at his lips, “I’m happy.”

Harry kisses her with every inch of himself, slowly pushing in further and Y/N’s walls are giving, letting him inside. As cheesy as it sounded, he’d never felt this amount of love in his body as he’s been in bed with someone and he’d never been happier. Even as he’s pushed all the way in, feeling her pulsate and squeeze around him – the delightful, wonderful, beautiful feeling of her pussy fluttering around him didn’t compare to how amazing it felt to be doing this when he was so in love with her. He feels so connected to her and he’s so happy that they finally can be intimate in this way.

He parts with a soft smack, “Y/N,” he pushes another kiss to the corner of her mouth, “You feel so good.”

She nods, “You do too –” she responds, “It hurts a bit but not bad…s’like a burny kind of feeling but it’s good – could you…would you move?”

“If it hurts at any point you tell me to stop, okay?” He tells her and she hums her assent, drawing back slow and pushing in at the same pace. It felt so good, so so good, and the soft little whimper she makes when his finger goes to her clit and starts to roll it beneath her fingers once again. She squeezes and flutters and moans – Harry feels like he’s going to blow, the first time he pushes in and his balls thwack against her bum. She’s still tight but not to the point that he thinks it would be hurting her and he stays slow, asking her every so often if she needs him slower but she always shakes her head.

Eventually, her fingers dip into his bicep, “Could you go faster, please?”

Harry nearly cums right there.

She’s wet, soaking his cock because he’s stroking against her bump inside of her with each thrust, and it’s starting to make a squelching noise every time he fucks into her. Y/N’s mewling and keening, legs twitching, and he knows she’s about to cum. So he quickens his thumb and he goes faster, and he feels her gushing around him, her thighs squeezing around him tight as she hits her end.

Harry has to slip out fast after that, almost immediately beginning to cum himself when he runs his hand over his shaft. Thick, hot white ropes, again on her stomach, one even extending to her breast; Harry gives a breathless laugh at the fact that he’d already cum and yet he was nutting off like he’d been weeks without it.

By the time he’s finished, he’s breathing heavy, flopping over her body no matter the mess he’d left atop of her, and she wiggles beneath him, “Harry,” she squeaks, “You’re heavy! And you’re g’na get sticky.”

“If I make you sticky, s’only fair I get sticky too,” he tells her decisively, “Though I do believe we’ll need another shower.”

                                                      .                             .                        .

Y/N’s happy.

And as she’s sitting on the couch, snuggled into Harry’s side, with a fuzzy throw pulled over them, she decides that she’s never been this god damn happy in a very long time.

She’s so, god damn, happy!

[preface2adreamplay]

Under Your Spell (Chapter 29) - South of Her Shoulder

Summary: A Jared Padalecki/ OFC/ Oscar Isaac fiction.

Stef spends a week in NY with a trip down memory lane.

Married Jared! Single Oscar!

Chapter warnings: Angst, fluff, swearing.

Chapter WC: 3,794

Valentines and beyond passed in a blur of wallowing in self pity and a great amount of singing in her ‘home studio’ (the mic set up in the upstairs hallway).

Stef had finished the lyrics and polished off the sound she wanted for almost all of the songs for the new album and she was pretty damn proud of herself. 

March came in and she was ready to get back out into the world, or at least back on a plane to New York. 

Nik and the guys had booked studio time so they were all set to get shit done. They had taken a couple of years break, each of them doing their own thing for a while and honestly, Stef missed them. But, she only realised how much when she walked into their old practice space. 

It’s not like she had abandoned them, but moving to a different country made it a little harder to record and write together as a band, even with the internet. 

Jimmy, the drummer, had done them a solid and completely repainted, put in new carpets and made sure all spiders had been sent on their way.

It felt like a new beginning. 

Jimmy was excitedly tapping on the snare while Stef set up her mic, a magazine article had once described him as ‘the cute one with the floppy hair,’ so that’s what he was referred to by the rest of the band, either cutesy or Flopsy. 

Flopsy was eager to get going. 

So Stef sang her heart out. She had a lot to get off her chest.

***

The day before Oscar’s birthday, Stef was searching through a second hand shop for a gift. There was a framed painting she knew he would love and she had run out of ideas of what to get the man who had everything.

Oscar was out of town but flying back home for his birthday weekend, Stef had planned on wrapping the gift and leaving it in the kitchen for him to find when he came back. 

She had been recording songs for the past four days and though she didn’t want a break, she needed to take one. So here she was, covered in dust, searching through the shelves for the painting. The Kurt Cobain lookalike store owner had waved his hand in this general direction when she asked if it had been sold from the window or if he had just moved it.

Her phone beeped, pulling it from her purse she glanced down at the notification, not sure if she should open it now or leave it til later to read it.

Oh hell, she told herself, just open it.

‘I see you’re recording again, can’t wait to hear it. I hope you’re good.’

No pictures, no gifs, no kisses. Stef took a deep breath, thumb hovering over the tiny letters. It was the first time she had heard from him since that morning he had left. A whole month. 

Fuck it.

‘We are. It’s sounding good, I know you’ll like it.’

She wanted to ask if he was ok but didn’t want to open a dialogue. Imagining a scenario where he would reply and say he missed her and she would weep and declare she missed him too and would go running into his arms. It was a bad idea and she truly didn’t want it to happen. 

Nik had always handled the social media for the band. He had been posting all sorts of shit on every platform for the last couple of days about them being in the studio.

Shoving the phone back into her purse, she searched harder for the painting, moving the canvasses aside noisily while Kurt watched her from behind his desk. 

***

Oscar got home right after Stef had gotten into bed in the spare room. Throwing back the blankets, she slipped out into the hall. He was yawning and rubbing his face as she peeked through the doorway.

‘Hi.’ She whispered.

‘Still up?’ He raised an eyebrow at her.

‘Only just. Almost fell asleep.’

‘Sorry, go back to bed.’ He smiled, she could see he was so tired he could barely stand.

With a slight shake of her head, Stef reached over and helped him out of his jacket, hanging it in the hallway next to her own. 

He ran a hand through his curls, dyed black again for the movie he was working on.

‘Do you want tea?’ Stef was still whispering.

Oscar nodded following her into the kitchen. ‘Hey what’s this?’ He pointed to the neatly wrapped, perfectly rectangular gift on the kitchen island. 

‘Oh, Happy Birthday!’ Stef chirped, checking the clock. It was 2am.

‘It’s not my birthday til I go asleep and wake up.’ Oscar eyed the present, wondering if he was allowed to open it.

‘Then ignore the present til you wake up! It’s only fair.’ Stef poured the boiling water over the dried chamomile flowers, smirking when she heard the rip of the paper behind her. He could never wait. 

‘Wow, Effie this is amazing. I love it. Thank you,’ 

‘You’re welcome,’ placing the steaming cup in front of him she gave him a kiss on his stubbled cheek. 

Oscar put the painting onto the counter top and pulled her into a tight hug. ‘You get the best gifts.’

‘I knew you’d like it. I had to fight some dust bunnies to get it. Worth it though.’

I think I’ll hang that in the bedroom, it’ll look cool there, right?’ He turned his tired eyes to her, she felt herself perk up a little, despite the aching tiredness she felt in her bones.

’Show me in the morning?’ Stef gave him another kiss on the cheek, making for the spare bedroom. 

‘You could help me hang it,’ Oscar replied, watching her walk away.

‘If that’s your attempt at a euphemism, it sucked, but I’ll put that down to you being so tired.’

‘Night Effie.’ He called, as she closed the door behind her.

Next morning she awoke to a tap, tap, tap.

It was 8am, he probably didn’t get much sleep. She made her way to the bathroom. A hot shower was first on the agenda, then maybe yoga. But, she had to be in the studio for a few hours later on, she figured she would take some quality time with the birthday boy afterwards.

‘Hey, check it out.’ Oscar called out. Stef was towel drying her hair when she stepped into the bright and very airy bedroom.

‘Fucking hell, Oscar. Close at least one window?’ Stef felt her nipples stiffen from the cold. Why oh why didn’t she bring the padded sports bra, this lacey number was sexy but not functional. 

If Oscar noticed, he didn’t let on. He was kneeling on his bed, arms out presenting the painting that now hung on the left side of the room. 

Stef tilted her head to the side, hmming loudly. 

‘You don’t like it?’

‘No, I think it looks good I just can’t think straight in this freezing cold room, what is wrong with you!’

‘Air conditioner is a bit broken, I’ll fix it.’ With hammer in hand, he manoeuvred himself off the bed, throwing his free arm around her shoulders. ‘Perfect,’ he grinned, looking at the painting and back to her. 

‘Put a bra on Stef!’ He furrowed his brow and shook his head. 

‘What?’ Stef stammered. ‘Wear some boxers!’ She countered, ‘I can see the outline of your junk in those sweats!’ 

‘It’s my birthday, I can wear what I want.’ He started fiddling with the air conditioning unit. She could hear him cursing before yelling that it was fixed while she put on her boots. Realising she hadn’t checked her phone all morning, she looked around for it.

There were a few messages. A couple from Darius and one from Clare sharing an update on what Brendan was doing while ‘mommy was away making some cash.’ Two were from Jared. 

‘I’ve liked everything you’ve done so far.’

‘Out of interest, are you keeping the bit we recorded?’

Stef sighed, that song had been way to personal for her to put onto the album she was recording with the band. 

‘I’m keeping it for a future release, it’s far too nice a song for this album we are doing now. I hope you don’t mind?’

Jared shot back a message straight away.

‘Naw I don’t mind. I look forward to hearing it whenever you’re ready for the world to hear it.’

Stef plugged her phone in to let it charge. Leaving Jared on read. She was sure he wouldn’t mind, it was easier than a conversation right now, she could always reply later.

Arriving at the studio a little early due to Oscar offering to drive her there, he took a few minutes to catch up with the guys. 

‘Want to hear one of the new songs?’ Flopsy was bouncing on his feet, always so excited.

‘Of course I do!’ Oscar spun on his feet, fixing Stef with a glare. She hadn’t let him hear anything yet. Scrunching up her face, she nodded at Flopsy. Letting people hear her music wasn’t the issue, it was when someone listened to it that she knew so well.

Oscar knew her inside out, would he know who the songs were written about? She watched his face while he listened, grinning from ear to ear when the song finished. ‘I think that is some of the best I’ve heard by you guys. So fucking good.’ He clapped Flopsy on the back and looked to Stef. ‘Your voice is...’

‘Haunting,’ Nik offered.

Oscar nodded, ‘haunting. You’re telling us something here, Effie. I can’t wait to hear the rest of it.’ 

For the rest of the session, Oscar sat on the studio sofa while Stef recorded her vocals. Sipping between takes on her favourite tea, Oscar would give her the thumbs up each time she nodded that she was happy. 

There was just the guitar to lay down before she could sign off and go home. 

‘You happy?’ Oscar looked over at Stef in the car on the way back to his house. 

‘Are YOU? You just spent your entire birthday in the studio.’

‘I’m so happy, it’s been years since we did that.’

‘It’s been years. I thought it was fun.’ Stef sank lower into the seat, wrapping her arms around herself. 

‘The songs are something else. Whatever your muse was, try hold on to it.’

Oscar slowed at a stop sign and grinned. ‘Fancy a trip down memory lane?’

Stef narrowed her eyes, ‘how far down memory lane are you talking?’

Nodding his head down a street to the left, he waggled his eyebrows.

There was no one else on the road, so he did an illegal turn. Fuck it.

He pulled up outside a tall building that was ready to fall down, the condemned sign hung on one chain on the gate. 

‘I’m not fucking surprised it’s condemned, it was falling down when we lived there.’ Stef shuddered looking up at the smashed windows.

It was the first place she and Oscar had lived in after they had Darius. 

‘Yeah, I’m glad we got outta there.’ Rolling up his window as he drove away. ‘Probably the worst place I’ve ever lived.’ 

Stef nodded in agreement, even though she had lived in some crummy places in her lifetime.

‘Where to next?’ 

‘Oh so you wanna go see some shit?’

‘Well, now you started this trip down memory lane, let’s continue!’

Oscar laughed, driving toward their old high school, slowing as he came up to the parking lot. The gate was chained and padlocked. 

‘Don’t even think about jumping that gate.’ Stef warned.

‘Not as young as I used to be.’ Oscar was shifting around looking at the building beyond, ‘if you move your head here, you can see the window of the music classroom. Here look,’ Oscar grabbed for Stef’s arm and pulled her toward him, she stood in front of him, pressed against the gate, nodding while she remembered meeting there for the first time over twenty years ago. 

‘You ever get pissed that we didn’t finish school?’ Oscars breath tickled the back of her neck. Giggling, she ducked away from him. ‘Nah. I have a good life. No regrets, right?’

Oscar didn’t answer. He was still looking around the grounds, reminiscing. 

‘How about you?’ 

‘Sometimes. But I got a good life. I’m not so sad about it.’ Shrugging, he dug his hands into his pockets and made his way back to the car, limping slightly.

‘Your foot still hurting?’ Stef asked, seeing him grin as he got into the car. He shook his head. ‘Nah, I just wanted your sympathy.’ He revved the engine at her as she scrambled to get back into the car. 

‘Don’t leave me out here, it’s scary.’

‘Still afraid of the dark?’

‘Too many scary movies watched that had schools in them, it can’t be helped.’

‘Fancy some food?’

‘Oscar, it’s nearly midnight.’ 

‘My birthday doesn’t end til I go asleep!’ He declared. Stef nodded eagerly, she hadn’t eaten anything but a sandwich at lunch, her stomach had been grumbling. 

***

Tucking her feet under a pillow on the sofa, a beer was passed under her nose. Her stomach was full of good food and she felt sleepy. 

She raised the bottle to his and clinked, toasting to his health and happiness and many more birthdays.

Oscar dropped down heavily next to her, throwing his arm across the back of the chair. 

‘I’m old and tired.’ 

‘Me too,’ Stef tried to hide a yawn.

‘Tell me Effie. Who ended it?’

‘Oh, uhm,’ Stef fiddled with the label on the bottle. ‘I did.’ 

Oscar nodded. ‘I thought you might.’

Stef closed her eyes, laying her head back against his arm. ‘I think everyone knew it had to end.’

‘Are you ok about it?’

Stef sighed loudly, ‘actually, yes. I’m happier now that it’s done.’

She didn’t need to see Oscar to know he was making a face of disbelief. 

‘I am. Long term, I wanted something he couldn’t offer.’

‘Oh-ho, Effie knows what she wants. There’s a surprise.’ He teased.

Stef poked her finger into his ribs, enjoying his reaction. Grabbing at her hand, he held onto it for a moment before letting it fall into her lap. 

‘I’m happy you’re happy.’ He said simply.

‘Thank you, Oscar.’

He nodded and sat quietly for a moment.

‘I got something for you,’ he announced.

‘What? You got me something? But, it’s your birthday.’

He was pulling out his phone, scrolling and fiddling with the volume. 

‘It’s because it’s my birthday that the guys put this together for me. Ready?’

Stef shrugged, smiling at him, wondering what he was up to.

The familiar guitar chords started up, it was a song they had recorded earlier in the week, it was still a little raw, hearing it. Her vocals started in but it wasn’t until the second verse she heard it, the unmistakable sound of Oscar singing behind her own voice. ‘When did you do that?’

‘I was sent the early version and recorded it before you came down to the studio.’

‘You cheeky bastard.’ Stef laughed. ‘I love it, Oscar. Are we using it?’ She was wide eyed, excited. They had never done a duet. The thought had never even occurred to her.

‘If you want. The guys are cool with it.’

She was nodding again, listening to the song. It was perfect. 

‘So it’s ok? You’re happy with it?’ His brown eyes were eagerly searching for the yes he hoped for.

‘Hell yes it’s ok, I’m more than happy Oscar. Well done you for sneaking that by me.’ 

Stef paused, she had leaned in to kiss his cheek. He was looking at her mouth in that way he did, his head tilted to the side.

‘Unless, you wrote it about someone and you don’t want to share the song?’ His soft voice was tender in the absence of music as the song finished, the short space between them closing. 

‘I didn’t write it about him,’ Stef swallowed, shutting her eyes. 

His lips found the side of her mouth, placing a gentle kiss. Stef didn’t pull away, he could see her mouth was open, her eyebrows raised like she was waiting for the kiss.

The kiss that would begin a long night of laying awake alone and heartbroken or the kiss that would bring her back to him, finally. Heart fluttering he leaned in again. It had been so long since she kissed him like this, lips fitting together as they had done so many times before, yet this kiss was new. 

Stef put the beer down on the coffee table, rattling the glass top. ’Sorry,’ she stopped the giggle as it came to the surface. 

Her cheeks were flushed. She was bundled up in her thick hoodie, oversized and too damn heavy for the heat in the room.

Both of them looked at anything but each other, both wanting to break the silence but too sure they would say something stupid.

Stef felt like a teenager again, with Oscar sitting next to her making out and being caught by a sibling who always dashed out to find a parent or yelled about it to everyone in the house.

Oscar wiped his brow with the back of his hand. ‘Fuck, that was...’

‘Nice.’ Stef finished, blushing at him.

’It was nice,’ he agreed, ‘and I wanna do it again.’

‘Ok,’ Stef leaned in to him, his hands running along her neck, cupping her face. 

They smiled into the kisses, tongues brushing, breathing ragged.

Stef had bunched his shirt into her fingers, holding onto him. Eventually the grip got so tight he had to pull away from the kiss to ease her fingers away. ‘Hey, I’m not going anywhere, you can let go.’

It had been a while since he was this close her. He could see the smattering of freckles over her nose and the scar on her forehead from when she ran straight into a fence when she hurtled down a hill when she was 15.

‘Sorry,’ she murmured. ‘I just want to...touch you,’ she admitted, biting her lip.

He nodded, taking her mouth again, his thumbs on either side of her face. 

Her lips were stinging when they came up for air. ‘Your stubble is killing me.’ Stef laughed, touching the tender skin around her mouth with her fingertips.

‘I’ll shave tomorrow,’ Oscar offered before seeing Stef vigorously shaking her head. 

‘What?’ He was grinning now, his eyes lighting up. 

‘Don’t shave, I like the scruff.’ She ran a hand across his cheek. ‘I love the scruff.’

‘Hey, I think we should talk about this.’ Oscar took her hand, kissing her palm and letting it rest against his leg.

‘Oh.’ Stef shifted, ‘you don’t want to...’

‘No, I do. Sorry, I wasn’t even sure if you felt the same as I did about this. I’m not...reading this wrong?’

‘No, Oscar. You’re not making me kiss you. I want to. I’ve wanted you for such a long time.’ 

The confession was enough, he wanted to grab her and kiss her and yell out of the windows that she finally felt the same.

‘Well, thank fuck for that. But...’

‘But?’ Stef deflated a little.

‘But I think, we should slow it down a little. I don’t want to jump in where we left off.’

Stef was nodding, her gaze never leaving his. ‘And I don’t mean from that night after Darius’s party, I mean if we do this, I want to take you out first.’

‘You want to date me!?’ Stef grabbed the beer, throwing back half the bottle on realising how thirsty she was after the make out session.

‘Yeah, I do. I think we should get to know each other as we are now. As adults, not as kids struggling to hold everything together.’

‘Ok,’ Stef wanted to pinch herself, surely she was dreaming. ‘So the Oscar sitting next to me right now, wants to bring me on a date? And after the date?’

‘Maybe another one?’ 

‘Maybe?’ She was trying to tease some assurances from him. 

‘Definitely another, then another.’ 

‘Sounds…quaint.’ 

Oscar rolled his eyes, smiling. Their hands were entwined, neither remembered that happening, but it was all happening.

‘How long have you wanted to date me?’ Stef’s tiredness had ebbed away, she felt like she was flooded with electricity, jolts were keeping her upright and twitchy. 

‘A long time, but honestly, every time I wanted to speak up I knew it wasn’t the right time. You never wanted to entertain any man that wanted into your life. I’d be intensely in love with you every we saw each other and I’d have to...’

‘Pull back and not talk to me for a while?’

‘Yeah...’ Oscar winced. 

‘I thought it was coz I was turning you off.’

’No, the opposite. It’d break my heart every time you acted so normal around me. We were friends and that’s the way it was staying. It seemed.’

Stef felt a stab of guilt. ‘I’ve always wanted you. I was just too proud to let you back in.’ 

‘God, did I waste too much time we could have been together?’ Tears were threatening. Not again, she scolded herself. 

’No time like the present!’ He threw his hands into the air. ‘Forget about it all, Effie. Let me take you out.’

Gathering herself, Stef thought to fix her hair. She hadn’t checked a mirror in a long time. What if she looked like the wreck of the Hesperus??

Seeing Oscar’s hopeful eyes looking back her, it seemed he didn’t care a jot. 

‘Yes, please take me on a date.’ She gushed.

***

Stef was under the blankets in the spare room, tossing every few minutes. It would be reckless to go seek comfort in Oscar’s bed. They had agreed to take things slow, go on a few dates, get to know each other and see where it went.

Fuck it, she thought. It’s not as if they had just met. If he didn’t want her in there with him, he would send her away.

She tip toed down the hall, the icy air hit her legs when she opened his door. The soft knock had woken him, she stood shifting from one foot to the other before he lifted his arm and the blankets with it, inviting her in next to him.

Slipping in next to him, he threw his arm over her and sighed contentedly. She bit her lip to conceal a smile she couldn’t seem to get rid of.

[sarakuper]

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Stop #31, Oct 28-30

The week leading up to this was spent back and forth between Loveland and Denver, connecting with friends, attending appointments (vaccinations and a haircut), and celebrating Sean’s birthday! We celebrated with Taylor and Ej hitting balls at Top Golf and at the movie theater seeing The Joker. It was an excellent movie, by the way. Later in the week and after several hours of Sean working on the truck we finally hit the road again. This time we said goodbye to Taylor and Ej for a much longer period of time than our last goodbye. It won’t be until we are back from Colombia that we will see them again :(

We left Loveland on Sunday morning. After spending a snowy evening in a Walmart parking lot we had a short drive to Albuquerque where we hoped to escape the snow! It was actually quite nice being snowed in the camper, but we are learning that its harder to live in the camper when temps go below freezing. Because of this we cannot hold water in our tanks, making tasks like cooking and cleaning more difficult. We only have a few weeks left, and this is all part of the adventure. But its funny how we thought we had it all figured out in here… until the cold came along!

We had a delicious green chili burger at Blake’s Lotaburger before heading to our campsite where we paid for a full hook up just outside of town and overlooking the Rio Grande and the Sandia mountain range. It looks like fall here, with the leaves still on their trees with bright colors, but it very much feels like winter! We went on a quick 3 mile hike in our winter jackets, beanies, and gloves before cooking dinner at camp. Since winning a few games at the Elser’s last weekend, I’ve gotten some of my confidence back; and so, I challenged Sean to a game of Kaluche. We’ve taken such a long break from the 1-on-1 that I felt ready to go back into it even if I did lose. It’s bound to happen anyway. We played after dinner and I came back and won in round 7 :)

Tuesday morning arrived and Sean attempted waking me around 8am to get our day started, but I was dead asleep as if it was 5am. It wasn’t until 9:30 that I was finally able to get out of bed and get moving! We started the day by going on a short hike to a cave.

We planned on doing a longer hike at the very top of the Sandia mountain range, but immediately after we started hiking we felt the strong wind on top of already cold weather. About 0.01 miles in I had enough, and so we turned around. Rough winds like that take away the joy I usually have from hiking, and so at that point it was no longer worth it (for me). The drive was still lovely :)

Then we drove into town to explore Albuquerque. Sean, being born here, was excited to show me some of his favorite places. We went into cute shops that show off the New Mexican art and style of the city as well as the candy shop that boasts Breaking Bad goodies. We bought cute socks and spent about $11 on some chocolates before heading to Sadie’s for a classic new mexican dinner.

Albuquerque is a lovely place and offers a lot more culture and beauty than I anticipated! Tomorrow we say goodbye to New Mexico and hello to Arizona (again!).

Thanks for reading, love you all.

[expectyaytions]

Power Outage One-Shot

“You’re a blanket hog!”

“Leave me alone and stop being so selfish”

(College AU-ish)

The sound of rain hitting glass lulled Veronica as sat staring out the window waiting for her ride. Ethel was never late, but alas it had been thirty minutes. She hadn’t called or texted. She sipped the remainder of her latte and gathered her items. Slipping her lit anthology into her Louis, along with her notebook and mobile prepared for the walk back to her apartment. She hoped no one else was home. Her roommates were wonderful, but she was sick of seeing them with their significant others. Toni and Cheryl were always on top of each other - touching wherever skin was visible and sometimes where it wasn’t. Betty and Jughead were constantly eye fucking - or actually fucking and Veronica was over losing sleep while their bed squeaked and their moans vibrated throughout the entire apartment. Kevin was probably the only one she’d be able to tolerate tonight - unless of course he was having a grinder “get together.” Everyone on 30 Oak Hill #4 was getting some - except for her. Yes, she was bitter and lonely. The weather only made it worse. Everyone was all snuggled up on the rainy night with their love and she was studying for her Shakespeare midterm. She wanted someone to drink hot cocoa with and quiz her on Hamlet. She shrugged on her raincoat, zipped her purse and pulled her hood up before stepping out into the rain.

She was taken aback by the wind. It whipped the rain into her face, feeling like ice buckets. She grouped her teeth and forced herself again the brutal wind. She was halfway home when the everything went dark. The entire street was pitch black. She froze. Aside from the wind and the rain everything was quiet. She dug in her pockets for her phone to use the flashlight. Slowly she saw yellow glows in windows from candles and flashlights. She made it another block before ducking into an entryway to get out of the storm and check her phone. She was shocked when a figure rushed into the entry. She jumped and let out a squeak.

“Sorry didn’t mean to scare you! Just trying to get home and dry.” He pulled out let’s and flipped for the one he was looking for pushing into the door. “Veronica, right?” She smiled and nodded.

“You’re Jughead’s roommate.”

“Sweet Pea,” he offered. “You waiting for Betty or something?”

“Or something, I was walking home from Java Jane’s when the lights went out. So I’m just taking a minute before heading back into it.” He nodded and headed inside. She checked her phone mentally face palming herself when she realized she didn’t service -duh- the towers were definitely down if the power was. She eyed the sidewalk. Sheets of rain could be heard, but not seen. There weren’t even cars out. She sighed, tucking her phone back into her coat and mentally preparing herself to head back into the night. She stepped down just as the door opened “Veronica! I’m glad you’re still here. Do you want to come up? It’s not safe to be out there right now. You could get hit by a car or mugged or something.” He stood holding a flashlight with the door open.

“That’s okay - I appreciate the offer though.”

“I insist. I have a flashlight and I’m sure Jones has candles stashed in his room somewhere. Just til the rain stops or the lights come on. Whichever happens first.” He smiled and bit his lip nervously. “I gave dry clothes” he tempted. She smiled and nodded, trotting through the door, he used the flashlight to guide them to the third floor.

“Let me get you some dry clothes. I think between Toni and Betty we have a few options.” He handed her the flashlight before grabbing another of the coffee table and heading down the dark hallway. She looked around the apartment -she’d been here a few times with Betty and Toni. The apartment was pretty clean for housing three twenty-one year olds. She figured Betty probably had a hand in that. She didn’t want to sit on the couch on her wet clothes, but she was starting to get a chill.

“Less options than I thought.” His voice made her jump. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s okay, there’s something about the dark I suppose.” She smiled reassuringly as he handed her the clothes. There’s leggings and a T-shirt. I couldn’t find any sweatshirts or something slightly warmer -so I added one of my flannels. If you’re cold, but you don’t have to wear it. It was just in case you were cold, or something.” He trailed off.

“Thank you Sweet Pea. I’m freezing. Where’s your bathroom?”

“First door on the right. Want me to take your coat?” She nodded and slipped out of her black raincoat. She noticed he had changed into black sweatpants and a grey T-shirt with the university crest on the front.

She returned to the living room wearing a pair of black leggings, a white v-neck T-shirt and Sweet Pea’s green and blue plaid flannel. He swallowed at the sight. He’d never seen her dressed so casually. She was always dressed in her skirts and fancy shirts. Even when he’d gone over to their place for Betty’s forced game night. She was wearing a dress. He’d had her eye on her since high school. Her beauty was undeniable, but in high school she’d been dating Archie - totally off limits. Not that he was her type anyway. Southside guys didn’t touch the likes of Veronica Lodge. But he grew to know her through Betty and Toni. When Archie broke up with her over last Christmas break - he knew she took it pretty hard. That’s what Betty, Jughead and Toni all shared anyway. He had cheated on her with some cheerleader from Boston University. He pushed the thought of Archie from his mind and focused on the girl in front of him.

“What were you doing out in this weather?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” She smirked sitting next to him on the couch and curling her feet underneath her.

“I was at work. Ran all the way home. Since Fangs has the car. And you?”

“I had a study date with Ethel, but she never showed. She usually gives me a ride home.”

“What were you studying for?”

“Shakespeare midterm.”

“I can help you if you want?” He offered, biting his lip a little. He knew almost nothing about Shakespeare. She seemed to consider it.

“Okay. The midterm is focused on his tragedies: King Lear, Othello, Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet. I have my study guide in here. Thank god for my waterproof purse.” She dug through her bag pulling out her notebook and folder containing her study materials.

“I thought you were majoring in business. Why are taking a Shakespeare class?”

“It’s for my English Minor.” He nodded in slight amazement as she handed him a blue folder labeled “Shakespeare.”

“If you could just go through the study guide and I’ll use my notebook to answer the question. If there are any I don’t know could you put a star next to it?” She was handing him a pen. He in capped it and put it behind his ear. With each of them holding a flashlight he began with definitions.

A recitation of Hamlet’s soliloquy, twenty definitions, 4 themes, 16 characters detailed, 10 plots explained and two hours later the pair found themselves laughing about the death of Romeo and Juliet. The lights were still off and one of the flashlights had died, but the pair had just scored closer and continued.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this laid back.” She commented.

“I was just thinking the same thing about you.” She gave a small smile.

“So, are you hungry or is it just me?”

“Famished actually.” She groaned.

“Let’s see what’s in our fridge besides beer.” He grabbed her hand to help up and they padded into the kitchen. Their fridge held no surprises.

The bottom shelf was full of beer, two racks on the door held bottles of liquor, while one held miscellaneous condiments. There was a half full gallon of milk and almond milk - which she knew was Fangs’. A few random fruits and veggies and finally a saving grace - sandwich fixings.

“Basically our two options are cereal or sandwiches. What do you think?”

“What kind of cereal do you have?”

“Froot Loops and Apple Jacks and maybe Jughead’s gross shredded wheat with blueberry.”

“Sandwich definitely sandwich.”

“Good choice.” He nodded approvingly “would you like a drink? Beer? I could probably assemble something tasteful with liquor.”

“Beer sounds good.” She smiled as he handed her two Molson Canadian. They made their sandwiches in relative silence, her scoffing at his preference to use mustard instead of mayo on his turkey sandwich. He laughed out loud when she asked if he had lettuce or tomatoes. Finally they sat cross legged on the floor with a scrabble board between them.

“Do you think we’ll have classes tomorrow?” Veronica pondered sipping her beer.

“I hope not, I haven’t done my reading for accounting.” He laughed looking at his letters before adding TIRE to Veronica’s SPRINT.

“Yeah, I haven’t finished my paper for International Business. I can’t wait to graduate. One more semester.”

“Any plans for after college?”

“I want to take a vacation.” She laughed louder than she normally would. “What about you?”

“A job. I’d like to own a shop someday.”

Four hours -11:45, two six packs, a bag of chips and three games of scrabble later Veronica and Sweet Pea were laughing on the coach making fun of Jughead and Betty. Veronica was certainly drunk. She knew because she felt floaty and worry free. She was sure she’d be having as much fun sober with Sweet Pea though. He was funny, kind and unbeatable at scrabble. She yawned in between laughs.

“Are you tired?” He asked, concerned.

“Just a little - I had an 8am this morning.”

“Well, I don’t think you should walk home - you can stay here!” He was excited as a five year old when he said it.

“You could stay in Jug’s room?” He offered. She scrunched her nose. “Yeah, I don’t blame you. Fangs?” She shook her head. “You can sleep on my bed and I’ll stay on the couch.” She bit her lip.

“How about we both stay in your bed?” His smile was wide.

“You wanna cuddle?” She laughed but nodded.

“Do you have a spare toothbrush?” He shrugged, but together they ventured to the bathroom. He dug through drawers, and under the sink before turning up with a spare purple one. “You’re a life saver.”

They brushed their teeth together bumping hips and elbows to annoy the other as they did so. She hadn’t felt this carefree in what seemed like forever; even when it was just her, Betty and Toni lounging in their apartment. Everything still felt calculated. Whereas with Sweet Pea she was just having fun. He lead the way to his bedroom. It was pitch black so there was no way to judge if he was messy or neat, organized or a clutterbug.

“Do you have a side preference he asked?”

“The left.” And she jumped on the bed crawling to far side. She shrugged off the flannel and dove under the covers He smiled and stripped down his boxers and white undershirt. “Please tell me you don’t snore.” She rolled over to face him, propping her head up with her arm.

“I don’t snore.” He assured her matching her position on the bed. “Want to play 20 Questions until we fall asleep?”

“Okay, but I’m going first.” He rolled his eyes and nodded.

“Do you have any siblings?”

“I have 2 sisters.”

“Same question for you.”

“Nope, only child.”

“What’s your favorite color?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Green, obviously.” She rolled her eyes.

“Of course it is.”

“What’s your favorite food?”

“My grandmother’s enchilada soup.”

“What is your first memory?”

“Holding my baby sister in the hospital. I was four. She had on one of those pink hats. And little white mittens. I brought my Elmo stuffed animal to give her. And my dad asked me if I wanted to hold her, and I remember thinking she looked like a doll.”

“That is precious.” She cooed.

“What type of business do you want to own?”

“Wedding planning. I think. Sometimes it changes.”

They continued until they fell asleep. The lack of electric hum forcing silence except for their breathing.

She heard some semblance of sound, grey light filtered through curtains as she tried to turn onto her back. Sweet Pea’s face was tucked into her back and arm thrown over her waist. She gathered it was his alarm going off. She tried to turn it off without waking him up, but as soon as she moved he was already reaching to shut it off.

“You were snuggling me in your sleep.” She teased.

“You’re a blanket hog!” He accused playfully tucking one arm under his head and looking at her

“Leave me alone and stop being so selfish.” He laughed at her and she joined in.

“Classes must be cancelled. There’s still no power and it’s raining.”

“How will we get through without any coffee?” She whined.

“We have Red Bull?”

“It’ll have to do. Fruit Loops and Red Bull What a slice of life.” She shook her head in disbelief. She reached over the side of the bed and put on the flannel - no electric, no heat, no service, no showers. Normally these things would annoy her, but instead she smiled. Sweet Pea was sitting on the edge of the bed, running a hand through his hair. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he stood grabbing her thighs. As they walked down the hallway she shyly kissed his cheek. He turned his head and puckered his lips. She smiled before kissing him. He deposited her on the counter, before turning around and claiming her lips with his. When he pulled away he asked, Fruit Loops? Shredded Wheat? Apple Jacks?”

“Whatever you’re having.” She smiled and reached for his face again, biting her lip and opening her legs to let him stand between them. She had never been so happy to have no power, service or healthy breakfast options in her life.

[theshapeshifter100]

Guess What? I’m Not a Robot Ch5

Summary: Megan gets back from the disastrous meeting, and things get better, then worse. Why is it always worse when interacting with other humans?

Word Count: 2,352

Warnings: Implied anxiety and depression, implied minor panic attack, implied suicidal thoughts, swearing near the end

5.30PM Tuesday 19th October 2038

“Megan! You are back early,” Paul noticed as the door opened. When there was no response he looked out of the kitchen towards the front door, just in time to see Megan slam her bedroom door shut. “Is everything all right?”

Megan’s breath hitched on that question, hand clapping over her mouth. No. No she was not alright. She’d been holding it back the entire journey home, and one question was going to undo it all.

“I’m alright,” she managed to get out. “Everything’s fine.”

There was a pause before Paul responded.

“I have not started on dinner yet. Would you like me to?”

“No, thank you,” Megan wanted to be left alone, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

Tch. Can’t even tell an android, something designed to listen to you, to go away

Mega swung her bag off her back and flung it onto her bed, trying to not make her distress obvious.

“Understood,” there was a soft shuffling sound as Paul went back to the kitchen. Megan let out a sigh and got into her sleeping clothes. It was only just half five, but she just felt so tired.

Yet, she spent hours staring at the dark ceiling, trying to hold herself together.

8AM Wednesday 20th October 2038

She had forgotten to set an alarm, but Paul filled that role by knocking on her door at 8AM.

“Are you awake Megan?”

Megan groaned to herself, rolling over to stare at the ceiling. Awake, yes. Willing to get out of bed? Remained to be seen.

Paul didn’t try to get another response, so Megan continued to stare at the ceiling. There would be messages on her phone from Alex, telling her when the next meeting was. She had to watch livestreams and recordings of lectures, work more on her assignment, and finish that commission.

She didn’t want to do any of it.

She also didn’t want to sleep anymore, so what did she want?

Oh yes, everything to stop. Not, necessarily end. Just stop for a while.

Yeah, except that was never going to happen, now was it?

With a heavy sigh Megan got out of bed and shambled out of the room. The Roomba had been set loose, carefully avoiding all obstacles, and Paul was just, standing there, with a completely blank expression. His LED blinking slowly, like the old buffering symbol.

As Megan closed her door the LED solidified and Paul turned to look at her, smile forming.

“Good morning Megan. Would you like breakfast?”

Given that she hadn’t eaten anything since lunch yesterday, Megan knew what the answer was supposed to be. “Yes please.”

It seemed like Paul’s smile grew wider as he went to get started in the kitchen.

Megan followed him in, watching as he pulled out flour, eggs and milk and started mixing them all together. Making a guess as to what he was doing, Megan began looking through the cupboards for the frying pan.

“Bottom cupboard, two doors left from the sink,” intoned Paul, before his LED blinked yellow and he added. “I assume you were looking for the frying pan.”

“Yeah,” Megan followed his directions and pulled the frying pan, co-incidentally also a hand-me-down from the Beckwith’s when the old one had not been up to the task.

She placed it on the hob and Paul, still mixing, reached to one of the overhead cupboards with one hand and pulled out some oil that had probably been lurking in the back for months. He handed it to Megan, who poured a little into the pan and clumsily swung the pan to spread the oil to the edges before placing it back on the hob.

Expertly Paul took hold of the frying pan and poured batter into it, making sure it got the edges before setting it back down and getting a spatula ready for flipping.

Megan got a plate ready as the pancake cooked, Paul calmly flipping it when it was time. Paul didn’t try to talk, and Megan wasn’t going to start a conversation. This was, nice, peaceful.

It was also a little surprising that he was cooking pancakes the European way, although one of the Beckwiths did come from the UK, so that might be why.

Paul placed the freshly cooked pancake on Megan’s plate and got to cooking another one, and kept going until the jug he was using was empty and there was a 6 high pile of thin pancakes on the plate.

“Sugar?” Paul asked, pre-emptively reaching for the cupboard where he had put the sugar.

“Yes please.”

Paul pulled out a bag of sugar and after a moment of consideration and LED flashing, placed the bag on the small dinner table.

Megan carried the plate over as Paul collected cutlery. Once down she used a teaspoon to sprinkle sugar onto the top pancake, and began to eat.

Paul stood nearby, not in the same standby mode she had seen earlier, but still completely still.

“You can sit down if you want,” Megan half mumbled, feeling a lot better now.

Paul paused for a moment, hovering awkwardly, before pulling out the chair on the other side of the table and sitting in it stiffly.

It took a few more minutes of mental back and forth for Megan to talk again.

“Sorry about last night.”

Paul tilted his head slightly, clearly uncertain as to why she was apologising.

“You were probably preparing to make dinner, and I wasted your time,” that barely scratched the surface of what she was sorry for, but she wasn’t sure how to say the rest of it.

“It’s fine. I had not even started yet. You did not waste my time.”

“O-okay. Good,” Megan got another bite of pancake down.

“So what are your plans for today?”

“Sit at my computer. Work.”

“May I suggest grocery shopping? For exercise as well as buying other supplies which you appear to be lacking.”

Megan felt her mouth twitch in a strange half smile. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

“Your current lifestyle is not healthy, and given your otherwise low maintenance, this seems to be the best way to assist you.”

Megan sighed, better get this over with. She considered giving in and giving Paul her bank details, but that probably wouldn’t deter him.

“Fine. We’ll go when I’m dressed.”

It was tempted after that to just, not get dressed. Although, she didn’t want to deal with Paul potentially asking her about that, so just took her time to get ready.

“It 42 degrees Fahrenheit outside,” Paul said as Megan grabbed her jacket. “You may wish for something warmer.”

“I’ll be fine,” Megan assured, grabbing some plastic bags that were usually left over from takeout.

“Do you not own a thicker jacket?”

“No.”

“I can add that to the shopping list.”

“I don’t have the money for new clothes.”

“If I had known your budget then I would not have made the suggestion. What is the budget?”

Again with android sass. “About, fifteen dollars, or so.”

“Understood.”

The two left the apartment, Megan tapping her pockets every minute or so to definitely make sure that she still had her keys and wallet.

When they left the building the whipped by them, blowing Megan’s red hair across her face. She ignored it in favour of shoving her hands deeper into her coat pocket. Paul hadn’t been wrong; it was freezing! It was only October, why was it so cold?

Paul led the way towards the nearest grocery store, which Megan had never been to in roughly a year of being in the area. She fell into step with the taller android and buried the bottom half of her face in the collar of her jacket, with her shoulders hunched up around her ears.

She’d grown up in suburbia, so the amount of people on the street when she wasn’t catching the bus still caught her off guard.

“Sorry, excuse me,” she muttered into her coat as she tried to dodge everyone. A large chunk of those walking around were androids, so they easily moved out of the way. Humans weren’t quite so good about it, and at one point she walked on the road to avoid bumping into anyone.

Paul quickly realised that Megan wasn’t next to him and stopped, scanning the area as Megan ducked and weaved to get back to him. It wasn’t like he was tallest in the crowd, but he was a decent focal point.

Megan ducked under a pile of boxes an android was carrying and stood next to Paul. Another reason she hated going out, everyone in the city was tall with no concept of personal space.

“Are you okay?” Paul asked.

“Yeah, just, don’t like getting in the way.”

Paul nodded. “Stay close then,” he added, LED flashing yellow for a second before walking again. Despite the obvious difference in stride, Paul kept his pace slow so Megan wouldn’t get caught up in the crowd.

Stupid. You’re a grown adult and need a babysitter to get through a city?

Nineteen is hardly an adult

Old enough to not need an escort

Megan scowled and followed Paul into the warmth of the grocery store.

“Let’s check clearance,” Megan muttered, leading the way this time in the less crowded store. She actually didn’t know where it was, but for now it helped her ego a little bit.

Paul followed her as she found the clearance section, food items covered in little yellow stickers. Mostly tired looking vegetables, microwave meals that would go out of date that day and meat that would have to go in the freezer almost immediately before it spoiled.

Megan scanned it for a moment, realising just out of practice she was at organising meals. Surely she had been better at this when she was a freshmen, right?

“Okay, er. Paul, you’re the food guy, any thoughts?”

Paul’s LED flashed yellow for a few seconds before grabbing some carrots, potatoes and a 500g pack of minced beef.

“I can’t eat all that!” Megan half whispered.

“These will be for multiple meals. If I portion the meat and freeze it individually it will last a lot longer.”

“That, makes sense.”

The two left the clearance section, and ended up picking up butter, jelly and cheese. It seemed like there was a lot of food piling up in the basket, which Paul was carrying. He saw her looking at the basket and also looked, LED going yellow as he scanned.

“We are well within the budget,” he assured. “We should be able to get something unhealthy as well.”

“Since when did you promote unhealthiness?”

“I do not. The occasional unhealthy treat is healthy for the mind.”

“Right...” Megan wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Although, she did grab a pack of own brand chocolate bars that were on a half price promotion. She wasn’t sure whether or not she saw Paul nod approvingly or not.

“Anything else?” Megan asked.

“This should be sufficient for now.”

“Okay,” Megan relaxed a little. This hadn’t been so bad so far. Clearly her nerves were just making things seem worse than they are, like always.

The two joined the queue to pay, and got through fairly swiftly. The only issue that came up was when she had to use her card to pay for stuff, but the cashier was an android so didn’t say anything.

Paul bagged the groceries as she paid and took them off the counter when she was done.

“Thanks Paul,” she said, feeling slightly guilty. She’d never considered how heavy that basket must have gotten.

“Why the fuck are you thanking it?”

Megan froze like a deer in the headlights. She forced herself to put her foot in front of the other, one by one. If she didn’t answer they would leave her alone.

“Hey! I asked you a question!”

Shit! No no no no no no no.

Someone, she didn’t know who as her eyes had found the floor, stepped in front of her.

“Why the fuck are you thanking the tin can? It’s doing what it’s supposed to!”

Megan didn’t answer. Her throat closed up and her brain blue screened.

“Are you even listening to me?” they stepped closer and shoved her in the shoulder, making her stumble back into Paul, who didn’t have a free hand.

“I’m going to have to ask you to stop harassing customers,” intoned the cashier android, which just made the angry person scoff.

“And what are you gonna do about it, tin man?” they challenged, and surprisingly, it was Paul who spoke up.

“I can call the police on charges of harassment and assault. There were multiple Closed Circuit television cameras that have captured what you have done and said.”

“You stay out of this!” snarled the aggressor, but they were appearing more nervous. They glanced at where the security cameras where before looking back at Megan, who hadn’t moved. “Whatever. Waste of fucking time.”

There was one last shove before they left, but Paul stood like a rock so Megan wouldn’t stumble, and she still didn’t move.

Her breathing was loud in her ears and her thoughts were frozen and racing all at once. She needed to move, get away from the people, but her feet just weren’t moving.

“Megan,” someone was saying her name.

“Ma’am, you need to move,” someone else, someone she didn’t recognise.

Some gripped her shoulders and gently steered her away from the checkout.

“Ma’am?”

Megan finally moved on her own, looking up to see one of the security androids leaned over to reach her level, LED blinking yellow.

“I’m fine,” the lie slipped out easily, and it was enough to get them to back off.

She was calming down now, and could feel embarrassment wash over her.

“Let’s go home Paul,” she mumbled, and Paul followed as she left the store. The wind blew bitterly still, but Megan found herself not caring, staying as close to Paul as possible as they went back to the apartment.

Ah, it got better, and then it got worse. Not much to say on this one to be honest, a little domestic chapter with some anxiety thrown in, wooo!

Other Options Flowchart

Go back to sleep

Give Paul Megan's bank details and send him shopping

Tags! @septicart-appreciation @nightmarejim

[2018dclrepo]

Day 1 (of 2) at Sea - Wednesday, September 12, 2018

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

View from our Navigator Verandah!

We awoke around 8am after both finally having a strong night’s sleep. (Thank you Dramamine!) Our only choice for breakfast after 9am was Cabanas. Interestingly I wrote myself a note here to “warn” future cruisers about this. As you read in a previous post, Cabanas, especially on the smaller ships is not made to accommodate all the guests. As can be expected on Days at Sea guests sleep later and take a more casual start to the day. (Thus, I was surprised at the limited later offerings.) 

Anyway, as Kara and I both spent our fair share of time pursuing college degrees and now both work in higher education, we are quick learners. Thus, it was the strategy of “divide & conquer”. We first went looking for a rare table to snag so we’d actually have somewhere close to sit and eat! Welcome to the vacation “Aggressive Kara” to snatched a two-top right out from under an older Asian lady and little girl. Vicious!  One of us held the table while the other got food in an orchestrated tag-team effort.

As each day of a cruise passes, we get more relaxed (read: lazy). Thus, neither of us brought our phones (cameras) to breakfast. So you’ll have to imagine the eggs Benedict, fruit, Mickey waffles (covered in strawberries & whipped cream!), banana bread and more!

At 10:30am Kara went to the cooking demonstration of the Wild Mushroom Risotto she had the night before in Palo, while I lounged in the stateroom reading. I placed the first order of my traditional Big Island Cookies from Room Service. However, the service was running late. (We’ve long-believed new servers first begin their training in Room Service.) The cookies were delivered  while we were out. So upon return, I was shocked/stunned/massively disappointed that they were notably smaller, definitely not Big Island! (This is going to require “a letter” to DCL.) Kara blames me for packing so many home in the past, requiring them to cut back for product loss reasons! FYI I only packed a few home, but didn’t even bother freezing them. I just ate them the weekend we returned, as they weren’t worth saving for later. So sad!

At 11:30am we met for to watch Avengers: Infinity War (again) in the on-board Buena Vista movie theatre. (Yes, I know I’d just seen it on the plane, but seeing it again in the theatre, a Disney theatre!, is a different experience! Note: The theatre is usually a little cool, so bring a jacket! This time I was cold enough I almost went back to the room for a blankie!) 

Immediately after the movie we headed down to Crown & Fin for the 2pm presentation of “Innovations: Theme Parks”. These are kind of a mix of seminar & documentary. However, this space was too cold and the presentation too slow, so we headed back to room. (The Navigator Verandah has a compass, barometer, and thermometer in it. This was showing only about 58 degrees, which slowly got to 70 in sun. So of course, I was “freezing”!)

The afternoon was spent lounging, reading and a slight nap before I got motivated to go to the 4pm Pilates in the Fitness Center. While I did this, Kara was on a nearby treadmill. The Pilates “class” had about 6 of us in the middle of the fitness area, which overlooks the front of the ship. Thus, it has incredible views! The class was tougher than I expected in some ways, and a bit easy in other ways. I almost wished I’d stayed on a treadmill next to Kara, as they are my favorite machines. They allow you to set the type of workout, give you a view of a track, mountains, etc., watch entertainment from your mobile device or choose from the onboard TV stations. (Of course this was the time Iron Man 2 - a real fave - was on the Marvel channel and I had to miss it!) FYI the Fitness Center offers machines, free weights, mats, and much more along with ice water, fruit, & towels. Nice!

After our minor “workout” we grabbed a late lunch at the Deck 9 pool quick service of chicken strips, fries, and treats from Cove Cafe.

I don’t know what is in the Chicken Strip breading, but I adore it. Luckily they accommodate the Midwestern need for BBQ sauce as well! This was the first time we’d experience rice krispie treats in Cove Cafe, so that was noted!

It was then time for quick showers while watching end of Avengers: Age of Ultron (YAY!) and all of The Little Mermaid. This all works out, as you have to plug the hairdryers in at the desk area right next to the TV.

Tonight we skipped the main stage show, as it was a guest performer. This is a typical offering of a magic, illusion, ventriloquist, and other entertainment like Stomp, etc. that we just don’t tend to love. So we took our leisurely time noting some features for you - our followers, like the “hand” on the elevator and the detailed directories at every elevator.

You aren’t getting lost with this!

We strolled through the Deck 3 shop again for me to finally buy a new bedazzled DCL top!  This was on our way to the 7:30pm 80s music trivia in Crown & Fin. It was a great place to enjoy a drink, some chips, a game of chess, and the trivia. #multitasking! 

Then it was off to our 8:15pm Pirate Dinner in Animator’s Palate. Today was Pirate Day/Night around the ship with pirate-themed activities, dinner, and special evening offerings. Sadly I didn’t snap a photo of my Pirate Day shirt. I only ever wear it on this day on the ship, as it’s a pink T with magenta sequins outlining the DCL wave logo and a skull & crossbones in silver sequins! :D They encourage Pirate attire, so plan accordingly!

The lighting is themed fairly dark in the restaurant to give a more pirate-y feel and to view the monitors, so apologies for the photos below. 

Tonight’s dinner started with appetizers of Shrimp Cocktail for Kara...

...and the Rock Crab Cake for me.

Kara and I ordered the same entree of the “Treasure of the Seas” highlighted with shrimp & scallops.

As a bonus, they also brought us a plate of the Marinated Caribbean Grouper Filet.

For dessert there was only one option for me: “Bananas in Paradise” - banana bread with hazelnut filling served with a banana spice puree.

While Kara had her usual.

If memory serves, we were not enamored with this meal. At least for me, it was pretty underwhelming to disappointing. I don’t know what it is about Animator’s. It’s an incredible “show” restaurant, but we don’t tend to like any of the menu options it offers. Very strange. 

Dinner ended with the traditional Pirate Parade around the restaurant.

This cruise I was determined to live in the moment and embrace the evening entertainment of the Pirates IN the Caribbean Deck Party & Show followed by the fireworks at sea. (Disney is the only cruise line to offer fireworks at sea!) I’d even learned they changed the evening on-deck dessert reception to a combo of sweet & savory in Cabanas. I was going to do it all!

You can guess where this is heading. We basically did none of this. Knowing how many first-time cruisers were on-board, experience told us the deck party would be a crazy chaos of humanity. The bigger issue was even with my trusty “puffy” jacket the dropping temps and increasing winds would make for a pretty miserably top deck experience for the fireworks. So instead we did what we almost always do and spied a bit of the fireworks from our cozy stateroom. 

Instead of the Cabanas reception, we (I) ordered the Cake of the Day (chocolate mousse) and cookies from Room Service while re-watching Dr. Strange. At this point we accept and have come to terms with our introvert-status (& my intolerance of the “cold”). It’s who we are, so this is how we Disney Cruise! (We also understand others do this very differently!)

Thus, it was off to Sleepy Town after midnight.

Next up: Day at Sea - Round Two!

[juminss-cat]

It may be cold, but you make me feel so warm - Saelie ;)

haPPY BIRTHDAY, NATALIE! Since I can’t give you something in person bc distance sucks wow ew, have this ridiculously fluffy birthday fic! I hope you like it, lovely! I love you lots!

It was cold for March, the weather in Korea still bitter, the sky overcast and clouds heavy, threatening to yield to the water inside them at any moment. The weather outside was made to look even colder by the scene in the kitchen, a warm yellow glow spilling out onto the damp ground, rain droplets shining like diamonds on display. Saeran had been working all morning, rising at dawn despite the sun’s light being smothered by the grey clouds and the freezing temperature of the bunker. He’d had it planned for a month now, the perfect day, the perfect meal, the perfect gifts, all for the perfect woman. So here he was, slaving over the hob, cooking an assortment of foods, occasionally rolling his eyes at his brother’s idle chitchat from where he sat on the kitchen counter.

“You’re not gonna hog her all day, are you?” Saeyoung whined and Saeran snorted, keeping his attention on the mixture in front of him, “Because, like, I have a present for her too, and I’m pretty sure even Vanderwood does. Plus, her cat goes wherever she goes and I really wanna cuddle her,” he finished, hands reaching out in front of him as if Alaska was floating in the air, cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling.

“She’s my girlfriend,” Saeran reasoned and Saeyoung pouted, “I’ll keep her for as long as both she and I want. I’ve had this planned for weeks, and I’m not gonna let my idiot brother fuck it up.”

“You’re so mean to me,” Saeyoung sighed, legs swinging from where they dangled over the counter, “I guess I won’t offer to go out on an early morning ice cream run so you guys can enjoy it with the waffles.”

Saeran smirked, pouring the pancake into the pan and adjusting the heat slightly. “We already have ice cream, Saeyoung, I bought some in preparation, but nice try.” Saeyoung looked at his brother sheepishly and rubbed his neck, a faint blush spreading across his cheeks as he cleared his throat.

“Uh, we did have ice cream,” Saeyoung corrected and Saeran tore his gaze away from the stove to glare at him, jaw clenching. It wasn’t even 8am and already Saeyoung was finding ways to fuck up your day.

“Saeyoung, so help me God, you get your arse down to the shopping market now and get me some ice cream or I will make sure Alaska is never allowed near you ever again,” Saeran said through gritted teeth and Saeyoung’s eyes widened as he hopped off of the counter, saluting before running to put his shoes on.

While the ice cream disaster may have been averted, there was still a fuck ton of work that needed to be done, namely cooking and then arranging the food, the flowers he still had to put in a vase and he wanted to lay the gifts he’d gotten you on the bed so neither of you had to leave it.

It was ten in the morning by the time it was all finished and Saeran thanked god that you slept in today, as it gave him just enough to prepare. He was just bringing through the food, balancing it precariously on a tray, when your eyelids fluttered open, bleary eyes taking in the scene around you through a sleep clouded mind. Alaska shifted at the end of the bed, stretching a paw and yawning, chirping when she saw Saeran.

“Sae?” You call out, voice soft from sleep still and he smiled softly, setting the food carefully down on the bed and walking around to your side. He kneels down and brushed the strands of hair away from your face, eyes drinking in your appearance and memorising every detail, something he’d done multiple times already.

“Happy Birthday, flower,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to your forehead and your smile splits into a grin, your arms reaching up to loop around his neck. He lets you pull him down, his head resting on your chest as your hands carded through his hair, eyes drooping shut, still heavy with sleep. “As much as I could stay here all day, I have managed to somehow prepare a small feast,” he says, stifling a smile and your eyes blinked open, a hand rubbing them as he pulled back.

“You didn’t have to,” you mumble, smiling at him gratefully when he slotted a pillow behind your back, allowing you to sit upright comfortably.

“I wanted to,” He replies simply, settling under the covers once the tray was on your lap and you grinned at the pancakes and waffles, bacon and eggs, tea, juice and every other one of your favourite foods. Alaska had taken to walking up the bed, sniffing the tray with rapt interest and you rolled your eyes, making a mental note to save some food for her.

“I don’t think I can eat all of this,” you tell him, laughing slightly and he blushed, ducking his head.

“I did go a little bit overboard,” he confesses and you shake your head, pressing a kiss to his cheek, admiring the blush that covers them.

“No, it’s perfect,” you tell him sincerely and he beams at you, taking the fork from your hand and feeding you a mouthful. He helps you eat some of it, alternating mouthfuls and you make sure to praise him, to tell him how amazing it all way because it was nothing short of perfect.

In the end, breakfast took around an hour due to the pauses between eating to laugh and make jokes or to exchange kisses that tasted syrupy sweet. Come eleven o’clock, there was a cautious knock on the door and Saeran groaned and rolled his eyes, letting his head roll back against the pillow.

“What part of ‘I’ll call you when I want to see you’ are you not understanding?” Saeran calls out and the door opened, Saeyoung’s head poking around, his eyes shut.

“Y-you are both clothed, right?” He asks and you laugh, pushing the now empty tray of your lap and letting Alaska settle where it was.

“Yes, we’re both clothed,” you tell him and he opens his eyes, a grin on his face.

“Good, because I have quite possibly the best present for you in all the world,” he tells you very seriously and Saeran sighs heavily, shaking his head slightly and you smile at their antics.

“You didn’t have to, Saeyoung,” you tell him and he protests immediately, voice rising in volume until Vanderwood threatens to tase him from the living room.

“Open it!” He exclaims, walking into the room and pushing the box into your hands. You pick it up, confounded as to what it could be. It’s relatively big and, upon closer inspection, you see holes have been poked through the box. You let out a startled yelp when it starts moving and Saeran looks murderous.

“If this is what I think it is I am reporting you to animal protection services immediately,” Saeran threatens and Saeyoung continues grinning, stifling a laugh. You open the box, Alaska sniffing it with rapt attention, and peek inside. It’s not a live cat, which is good, but it is a robotic one, life-sized essentially with white and ginger fur and green eyes.

“Now, if you’re forced to be apart from Saeran for whatever reason, you can have a piece of him with you! It’s programmed to talk in the same way he does, and I kinda maybe might have placed a microphone on his shirt to record his actual voice, so essentially, it’s Saeran minus the, you know, body part.” You end up laughing as you lift it out of the box and Saeran is trying very hard to not hurl the goddamn thing across the room at his brother.

“It’s amazing, thank you!” You tell him and Saeran seems to settle down a bit, relaxing at the knowledge that you at least like it. Alaska jumps off the bed, startled, when the robotic cat moves and Saeyoung reaches out for her, holding her like you showed him and making sure to not ‘abuse’ her in any way.

“Take the cat and go,” Saeran tells him, wrapping an arm around you and tugging you close to his chest. He grins and makes to move off with Alaska when Saeran attempts to call him back.

“The fake cat, Saeyoung, like I’d let you out of my sight with Natalie’s cat,” he yells, having to raise his voice to be heard in the hallway. Saeyoung doesn’t return and Saeran makes a move to get out of bed and get Alaska back, but you pull him back down, laying your head on his chest.

“I trust him. He’s been living with her for months now, and he’s actually a lot better at petting her than he was,” you reason and Saeran nods, pressing a kiss to your head and holding you tightly. He makes an offhand comment about opening your presents and you pout, clutching onto him tighter, content to just lay in bed and cuddle.

“I love you, Natalie,” he murmurs, closing his eyes in contentment, basking in the way you feel laid against him. The weather in Korea may be cold, but you’d never felt warmer.

[letting-them-take-liberties]

Tohoku Adventures: Matsushima, Miyagi

I just couldn’t get enough of Matsushima that I had to go back and visit again, and this time, it was a day-trip.

I have visited some Date Masamune-related sites last November 2017 (something that I seriously need to blog about but I lacked time last year because of personal issues), but Matsushima had been one of those sites I visited in passing, mainly because at that time, I decided to visit at night since they had some night-only events like evening maple leaves viewing and the night cruise around Matsushima Bay.

[Spoiler alert: I was up at Ishinomaki to view the Datemaru replica that day and I lost time to wander around Matsushima because the trains ran on limited hours]

With the weekend of February 10~12 being a 3-day weekend, I decided to go back to Matsushima for a day trip to celebrate.

As always, I ordered my favorite Yonezawa beef kalbi ekiben from Ueno Station for breakfast, as I knew it would be a long day. I took the earliest Shinkansen possible from Ueno so that I would not have any problems with the time. I intended to spend the day mostly in Matsuhima, then make a sidetrip at Shiogama to visit the shrine that was formerly the Date clan’s shrine.

I got to Sendai a few minutes past 8AM, and it was very cold.

As you can see, Date Masamune lives on in Sendai.

The creator of Cyborg 009, Ishinomori Shotaro, was born in Ishinomaki, and has a manga museum in the city. Said museum suffered from damage from the 3/11 tsunami but has reopened after repairs.

I had to change trains from Sendai Station and make my way up to Matsushima, but because I rode the express train, it did not stop at the station that I needed to get off at.

I ended up being stuck in Takagimachi for a little over thirty minutes and tried not to freeze my ass off during Tohoku winter.

[I kept asking myself at this point, “How do these people living here deal with it?!”\

Again, the ad above mentions Date Masamune, as the train station I stopped at was heading for Ishinomaki, which is yet another Date-related area.

As soon as I got to Matsushima, I quickly made my way to Zuiganji, the Date clan’s former temple.

Yet another proof that aside from being a formidable warlord, Date Masamune was a patron of the arts and culture.

The temple had been quiet when I arrived, as it was still very early (around (9:45AM).

Photos were not allowed inside the temple, so it’s best to go there and see for yourself just how fancy the temple is.

After going around the temple, seeing the museum, buying some tea and having my temple stamp book inked, I went to a nearby temple called ‘Entsuin’, a temple dedicated to Date Mitsumune, a grandson of Date Masamune, who died early at the age of 19.

To be honest, the place gave me a bit of an eerie feeling so not much photos, though I was very impressed at the fact that the pond there was nearly frozen solid.

I was freezing, so I was thankful for the tea they offered to the visitors.

Date clan crests (left and middle):

Fun fact: Apparently, Date Masamune’s family has a total 8 clan crests. Those two pictured above are 2 of the 8 that they have.

They say that the temple has a nice rose garden, which should be enough reason for me to visit again in the summer, or even spring.

With that done, I headed back to the main road to visit Godaido, yet another place related to Date Masamune.

[At this point, it is probably obvious just how much I love this man.]

Date clan crest on the roof:

Explanation about Godaido:

At this point, I was getting a bit hungry and started craving for umen (bad idea for a lot of reasons, one of which being umen is definitely not a Matsushima specialty), so I decided to end the hunger pangs by eating zunda mochi.

But before that, I decided to do some shopping and got myself a piggy bank:

Again, three of the eight clan crests are shown on the piggy bank, which I think is so cool.

Near the souvenir shop was a ‘Date cafe’, which I heard served parfaits. Nevertheless, I went inside and got zunda mochi, as they have it on the menu.

Admittedly, this is the best zunda mochi I have ever eaten.

With no umen in sight, as Matsushima’s specialty is seafood, I decided to eat a poor substitute of umen, which happened to be udon.

I changed my mind, however, when I decided to yolo and order gyuutan, a Sendai specialty. For once, I enjoyed it, as it was very tender.

I decided to go back to the dessert place to have my parfait, and decided to get the Bontenmaru parfait, as I was in no mood to eat the Date Masamune parfait, nor did I have the stomach for the Sengoku parfair (the one on the left).

I finished eating the parfait in record time, and headed off to check out the souvenir shops.

Date-gumi swords (Shokudaikiri Mitsutada, Ookurikara, Tsurumaru Kuninaga)

Zunda jam/spread

Sendai Date Masamune Cookie [The horse taking a break is hilarious]

Sendai has strawberries too!

The shopping got me hungry again so I had zunda parfait next door:

By this point, I was simply killing time until the ferry ride from Matsushima to Shiogama at 3PM. Had a quick chat with the lady at the ticket booth, as she was supposedly impressed that I knew how to fill up forms in Japanese (I booked my ticket online). I’m guessing that Matsushima doesn’t have much foreign tourists, which, I think, is an oddity from the Japanese’s point of view, as most places up north that are not skiing places are not visited by foreigners frequently. Admittedly, I only decided to go around Tohoku because going to the west (Osaka, Kyoto) is too expensive for a foreign resident in terms of traveling via Shinkansen. Nevertheless, I love Sendai and Miyagi so much because of Date Masamune, and it makes me happy that I can at least visit the city frequently.

After being handed my ticket, I was given a map.

Pro-tip: Kanrantei is also a Date Masamune-related place.

Once the ship arrived, it was off to Shiogama.

By 3:50PM, we’ve arrived safely at Shiogama.

From here, it was a twenty minute walk to the shrine that I visited last November 2017, which also happened to be a lucky find at that time, as it was a shrine related [yet again!] to Date Masamune.

The approach from Hon-Shiogama Station was better than Shiogama Station, mainly because of this:

Last November, I went for the 202 steps and nearly killed my legs in the process (long story short: was walking around the whole day and walking up 202 steps = recipe for pain and suffering). This time around, I went for the East Approach. As advertised, it was gentle enough for me.

Again, the emphasis of this place being related to Date Masamune:

As this year is the Year of the Dog, they’ve set up the ema (wooden plaque) by the shrine entrance:

And because the shrine is called ‘Shiogama’, there’s salt next to the dog.

More Date culture info:

Photo of the shrine in winter:

202 steps down:

With that, I headed back to Hon-Shiogama Station.

On my way to the shrine, I saw a marker regarding how high the water was during the 3/11 tsunami:

While the town is back to normal, I am still hoping that many tourists will come by and visit.

Because Shiogama Shrine is nearby, there was another ema by the station:

As with everything in Japan, the town just had to have cute mascots:

Got back to Sendai in 45 minutes and did some shopping. Before I got back to the station, I made a sidetrip to eat taiyaki, but not just any taiyaki...

It had to be zunda mochi taiyaki.

Since the gateau caramel was sold for a limited period, I ended up buying one as well:

Personally, I think nothing beats the zunda mochi taiyaki.

With the snacking done, I was so ready to go back to Tokyo, only to start craving for umen... AGAIN.

In my desperation to have some umen, I began planning for my trip the next day, which would involve going to Shiroishi, and I am not particularly excited to make a trip there just to eat umen. I have nothing again Shiroishi, but the place was simply too quiet for my liking, and I have already visited Shiroishi Castle last November.

Luckily, one of the shops in Sendai Station had umen on their menu, and I happily ordered the ‘Masamune Umen’.

They sell the cold variety, but I ended up eating the warm variety, as I was still freezing.

With my dinner done, I bought my ticket back to Tokyo and did some last minute shopping.

To my surprise, Sendai has began selling kinako mochi!

Bought a box just to see if it’s better than Yamanashi’s Shingen mochi, or even the sweets shop near my workplace.

With that, I went back to Tokyo, feeling better than ever.

I haven’t been myself since last year, proof of which would be my lack of any writing updates. I’m slowly getting better though, and I’m hoping that my sudden decision to travel up to Miyagi to have fun would be the start of my recovery.

Up next: Shinshu Adventures: Ueda, Nagano.

[blaindersonkummel]

Klaine Fic: A Very Un-Merry Birthday

Written for Days 8, 9, 10, 11 AND 12 of Klaine Advent 2017

Author’s Note: I’m back! After missing 4 days of Klaine Advent whilst I was away over the weekend, today I’m combining all 5 prompts - even if the references are just blink-and-you-miss-it moments. At least I’m consistent! Prompt Words: Health, Inch, Judgement, Key, Limited

Summary: Inspired by a 2 and a half year old tweet by nerdevon I’ve had saved as a fic idea for AGES (spoiler at link). Blaine’s birthday should be a happy occasion - but not when all his family and friends forget about it.

Word Count: 2500 - Read on AO3.

It was a freezing cold February morning and Blaine couldn’t feel his toes. He was bundled up in bed with numerous blankets and pillows, but he just could not get warm. At 8am, he woke up groggily to his alarm and, without even opening his eyes, reached behind him for that extra body heat in the form of his toasty husband. Except instead he found a cold, empty spot. Kurt wasn’t there.

Confused and half asleep, Blaine activated his phone to find a calendar notification.

“Happy birthday, Blaine.” it said.

Oh yeah, that was today. Rolling over, he was faced with that empty spot and no human furnace in the form of his husband. That was odd. Kurt was much more prone to sleeping in for as long as possible.

Kurt usually loved birthdays. After his mother’s death, celebrating another year around the sun was something he and his dad both cherished. After all, it was a celebration that their loved ones still had their health.

Yet, here Blaine was, feeling particularly unloved as his husband wasn’t there with his usual birthday kiss and cup of coffee. Instead, in his place was a note left on his pillow.

Blinking the sleep from his eyes, and reaching over for the paper, Blaine smiled to himself as he unfolded the note. Blaine’s mind ran away with him as he made his guesses about Kurt’s mysterious message; Could it be the first clue in a birthday treasure hunt? Maybe it was to ask him to come to the kitchen where a birthday banquet would await him?

What Blaine wasn’t expecting, however, was this.

B,

Got called in to work early today to help with an emergency! Didn’t want to wake you so just thought I’d sneak out and let you sleep. I left you a bagel in the kitchen – the cream cheese is in the fridge door.

See you when I get back from work.

K xx

Blaine was… confused. For a second, he just stared at the paper in his hands, as if looking at it would change the words somehow. He flipped it over – there was nothing else there. He reread it again. And again. But still, the message was the same: Kurt definitely wasn’t waiting in the kitchen with a breakfast buffet. Kurt had forgotten Blaine’s birthday.

~

As Blaine got himself ready for class that morning, he found himself in a bit of a daze. Usually, with something as personally heart-breaking as his husband forgetting his birthday, Blaine would be a total mess. Instead, he seemed to go through the motions this morning – showering, dressing, and packing up the bagel Kurt left to eat on the way to class. He was so shocked by the note, he didn’t give himself a second to really register how he was feeling.

It wasn’t until he got to class that it really hit him. Literally.

“Hey, killer! Happy birthday!” with this greeting, he received a punch in the arm so forceful, it knocked the wind from him a little. His friend Janine from his class was then enveloping him in a hug and pulling back before he knew what happened.

“Oh! Oh, right. Errr thanks, Janine!” he said, trying to painfully plaster a smile on his face. “How- how did you know, though?”

Janine looked at him like he’d grown another head.

“Duh! Facebook, silly!” she punched him in the arm again, this time with a laugh.

Blaine loved having Janine as a friend but one day he would have to put a stop to that shoulder punch thing.

“Yeah, of course,” he shrugged, “silly me!”

She looked at him a bit funny then, cocking her head to the side and surveying him.

“Are you okay, Blaine? You’re not having some sort of quarter-life crisis right now, are you?”

Blaine tried to school his expression back to normal as he laughed her off again.

“What?! No! No, of course not!” he supplied overenthusiastically, “I guess it must just be from all the celebrations this morning.”

“Ooooh, Blainers,” she teased, a massive smirk on her face. “I thought I saw you walking a little funny on the way in here! Well, I at least hope Kurt gave you one hell of a celebration this morning. Eight inches of celebration!”

She laughed loudly at her own joke, throwing her head back. Yeah, if there was something else Blaine would change about Janine, it would be her filter.

He was about to respond to her remark (and maybe actually divulge the truth about Kurt forgetting his birthday) when their professor entered the room, calling for everyone to take their seats. When they were seated and had their notepads out, Blaine opened his mouth to respond, before being shushed by Janine and having her point to the lecturer at the front with a wink.

Today was going to be painful.

~

As could be expected by a day that began with his husband forgetting his birthday, the rest of Blaine’s day went just as horribly wrong.

He tried calling his mother, whom he hadn’t heard a word from yet, only to be greeted by a voicemail message telling him the cell phone was turned off. He then tried Cooper and got the exact same response. Sighing in frustration, he pocketed his phone and walked away from the building he’d just had class in.

A few days beforehand, Blaine had arranged to have a birthday lunch with Elliott at the NYU campus Starbucks. He made his way over there and went to grab a table, where he waited. And he waited. Blaine then went up to buy his third coffee. And he waited.

“Where are you, Elliott?” Blaine muttered to himself, throwing back the dregs of his last drink before checking his phone one more time to see if Elliott had messaged him.

In the bottom of his bag, Blaine had a birthday coupon he was planning to use this lunch time. Only now, without someone with him, and three coffees in, he wasn’t sure he could stand the looks of judgement from the other customers if he were to go claim his free birthday cupcake from the counter.

Just as he was about to cut his losses, a message chimed on his phone.

From: Starchild To: Blaine

Oh my god. B, I’m so sorry! Got completely caught up in a project and totally lost track of time. I’m afraid I’m going to have to take a rain check today, I have class in 20 minutes :( We’ll reschedule soon, I promise <3

For yet another time today, Blaine felt his heart break. That was now four people he cared about, all forgetting him on his birthday.

Screw this he thought to himself, as he made his way to the counter, cupcake coupon in hand.

~

When he was feeling this depressed, there were usually only two people he could guarantee would be there to pull him back from the brink. However, one of those people had left Blaine a note this morning which started this feeling in the first place. The other person, Blaine hoped would just pick up the phone.

“Pleeeease,” Blaine muttered to himself, sitting on the steps outside the school’s entrance, scarf wrapped tight around his neck and fingerless gloves doing little to stop the cold biting his hands. “Come on, pick up.”

Blaine was now chewing on his nails when the dial tone stopped and a gruff voice sounded from the other end, sounding somewhat startled.

“He-hey, Blaine!” Burt Hummel answered jovially, if a little stilted. Blaine was so happy he could cry right now. Finally, someone besides Janine would acknowledge him today.

“Hi, Dad,” Blaine answered back, his voice sounding a little choked now. Of course, Burt Hummel was sharp as a tack to these things.

“Blaine, is something wrong?” he sounded a little panicked now, and suddenly Blaine felt like this was a stupid idea. Why had he gone running to Burt with this when he knew how stressed that would make his father-in-law? He didn’t want to be the cause of Burt having another damn heart attack, all because Blaine hadn’t had a few happy birthday greetings today.

Blaine swallowed thickly and was quick to reassure him, “No dad, I- I’m fine. I just wanted to speak to you.”

Blaine was now listening intently as there seemed to be muffled noises coming from the other end, as if Burt were covering the receiver with his hand or something. In fact, Blaine was sure he could hear voices.

“Burt? Are you there?”

“Oh, err, look Blaine, I’m sorry. I’m just in the repair shop. I’ve got one of the guys asking me about spark plugs. I’ve got to go, Blaine. Sorry! Call me if you need me.”

Blaine opened his mouth in shock, ready to respond to Burt’s abrupt conversation finisher, when the line went dead. Moving the device from his ear, Blaine now cradled his phone in his hands, looking down at it as though it would suddenly ring out his alarm clock and Blaine would wake up from a crappy dream and realise his birthday hadn’t even started yet. But it didn’t ring. Instead, a single tear splashed on to the screen, before Blaine wiped his eyes, pocketed his phone, and stood up from the steps to make the long commute home.

~

Blaine trudged up the stairs, one by one, very slowly, as though his body didn’t have the energy to care about anything today. It had been the absolute day from hell. He didn’t even know how he would respond when Kurt got back from work tonight and inevitably acted like he hadn’t just completely missed Blaine’s big day. He certainly didn’t want it to end in a fight.

Making his way to their front door, he pinched the bridge of his nose to alleviate the headache he’d been feeling all day from the stress of holding back his horrible mood. He paused for a second, before putting his key in the door and turning the lock.

Before he could even make his way across the threshold, he was instantly bombarded with an explosion of light, noise, and colour.

“SURPRISE!”

Blaine’s hand flew to his chest, covering his heart from the sudden attack he was sure he was experiencing as he recoiled from the barrage of senses. There, in front of him, stood a crowd of people, all looking at him with smiles on their faces, holding balloons, empty party poppers, blowers, and streamers. At the front of them all was Kurt, arms in the air.

There was a moment of laughter and applause from the group as Blaine suddenly seemed to catch on and his hand now moved to his mouth. When the laughter died down and everyone looked expectantly at him, Blaine suddenly only had one reaction.

There, in front of everyone, he burst into sobs. Some of the people started laughing again then, thinking he was overwhelmed and so happy with the surprise. But when Blaine looked at Kurt however, Kurt instantly knew something was wrong.

Springing into action, Kurt moved like a bullet towards Blaine, who still had one hand on the doorknob and the other covering his loud wails. Kurt moved in close to Blaine’s line of sight and put his hands either side of his husband’s face.

“Blaine, baby, what’s wrong?” Kurt looked as though he didn’t know whether to laugh or panic at this point.

Blaine managed to even his breathing a little more, but still he stuttered as he tried to get out his words through the convulsive sobs.

“I- I- I thought y-you’d all f- for- forgotten,” he cried.

The look on Kurt’s face was so distraught, Blaine immediately felt bad for putting it there.

“Forgot-? Of course we wouldn’t forget, sweetheart!” Kurt responded, with everyone else in the room suddenly cottoning on to why Blaine was crying messily in front of everyone.

Kurt grabbed him by the shoulders then and pulled his body as close to his own as possible in a crushing hug, one hand moving to play with the hair on Blaine’s neck as he whispered in his ear, instantly calming his husband.

“I’m… I’m sorry, baby. I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean for it to backfire like this. I just wanted to keep everything a surprise.”

Blaine now found himself looking over Kurt’s shoulder at the dozens of people gathered in front of him. He practically gasped aloud as he only now realised who was there.

“My mom… and Cooper? And your dad? Carole?”

Kurt pulled away from the hug then and held Blaine at arm’s length to look at the pure shock and awe which had now replaced the tears on his face. Blaine looked from the crowd, to Kurt, everything suddenly clicking into place.

“I can’t bel- Kurt!” Blaine suddenly laughed, tears springing back to his eyes again – only this time everyone could see they were happy tears, his hand covering his mouth again to hide to enormous smile which was about to take over his face.

“Happy birthday, son,” Burt said, stepping forward and wrapping Blaine in his own hug as they clung to one another, Blaine’s tears flowing freely again now.

~

“So, let me get this straight,” Blaine mused, perched in Kurt’s lap on their living room sofa, a mojito in his hand and his other arm holding onto Kurt for balance.

Their friends and family were now in full party mode; Burt and Pam were chatting nearby as Elliott and Janine compared tattoos and Cooper was caught in the middle of a diva off between Rachel and Tina on the karaoke machine.

“Okay, go on,” Kurt rolled his eyes, a playful smile over his husband having to dissect everything about his surprise.

“So, you weren’t really at work today? Just at Rachel and Jesse’s place, picking up the decorations?”

“Correct.”

“My mom and Cooper were flying in this morning and that’s why both of their phones were off?”

“Also true.”

“Elliott was helping you to decorate our place and he genuinely just forgot to tell me he couldn’t make it to lunch today?”

“Yeah, I’ll have words with him about that one.”

“And your dad had to hang up because he was worried I heard people arriving at our place?”

“Yep.”

“Damn,” Blaine ended his trail of thought here, unsure how to proceed, so he took another sip of mojito until it came to him.

“Okay, so I have one more question.”

Kurt smiled up at his husband who was getting steadily more tipsy and relaxed after the day’s events and he leant in to kiss the corner of his mouth.

“Okay, shoot.”

“Considering all the trauma I’ve gone through today,” he tried to look pouty and serious here, but just looked ridiculous, “how many birthday bumps do I get tonight?”

Blaine asked the question coyly, drawing his straw to his lips as he caught it with his tongue, before sucking it into his mouth. Kurt couldn’t help his loud and abrupt laugh as Blaine’s question caught him completely off guard and he tried to keep a straight face when people turned to see what the noise was.

“Oh honey,” Kurt said, steadying his husband on his lap and giving him a sly smile, “I don’t think that number is limited.”

[megancoxmusic]

I’ve been thinking so much about the beginning of my journey 1 year ago, struggling to find a way to describe how terrifying and exhilarating it felt to take the leap.  So I thought, what better way than to my own words?  

This time travel brought to you from the Diary of J Wiggles: 

April 5, 2017

Day 1  11.6 miles Stover Creek Shelter Weather - rain and thunderstorms all day - 60 degrees Emotions - positive, excited, hopeful Difficulty - 6/10

Today has been quite an adventure.  It started raining at about 8am and rained on and off all day.  It’s a bit chilly.  We got SOAKED through and through.  Glad my sleeping stuff stayed dry inside of my bag.  Sleeping in the shelter tonight - upper level is pretty warm and protected from the wind.  I’ve never slept in a shelter so it’ll be interesting.  Hope I sleep okay.  I had moments of extreme hope and positivity today, also moments of reality sinking in and trying not to think too much about HOW I’ll keep doing this day in and day out.  Just gonna take it one day at a time.  I’m SO glad Jake is here with me today and for the next few days. He helped me feel confident, safe, comfortable.  We also ROCKED it on the trail.  We planned on only going the 8.8 to Springer and then 0.2 to the shelter after that - but we were feeling strong and kept going.  The rumors were that the approach trail was super hard, but compared to hiking in NY it was fine.  And I wasn’t blaze hunting all day which is nice.  Easy to follow the footpath.  It’s supposed to dry out tomorrow and be warm the day after that.  Can’t wait to dry out my shoes and socks and get warmer!!  Also can’t wait to eat all the food in my bag cause it’s WAY too heavy.  15 lbs turned into 30 with food and water. Sheesh!  Anyhow, a super strong first day, and hopefully on to more summer-like weather in the coming days.

A year later, it’s amazing to read the tone of this entry.  So matter-of-fact, but also still so unsure.  Beautifully naive, especially in hoping the weather would turn so soon.  Ha!

Here are the other things I remember about my first day on Trail:

It rained. Like, a lot.

Freaking out about hearing tornado warnings in the van on the way to Amicalola Falls

Signing the register at Amicalola and writing “Thru-Hiker” for the first time, feeling like a total sham

Thinking “Fake it till you make it ...”

Seeing rhododendrons for the first time and thinking they were magical but not knowing the name of the plant

Hilariously changing into dry clothes for 10 minutes while eating a snack, deciding to hike on, and changing back into my cold wet clothes ... experiencing that excruciating sensation for the first time ... IT IS ACTUALLY THE WORST

Being actively afraid that a bear would show up

Watching people build a campfire and feeling like a total sham

Hearing the seasoned hikers talk shop at the shelter, feeling like a total sham

The temperature dropping overnight to a balmy just-above-freezing, thinking WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING, feeling like a total sham

To my Tramily, I hope you are all doing well this Spring, which shall henceforth be called “Season of Extreme Nostalgia and Reflection” To the current Thru Hikers just beginning your journeys, keep your chin up!  This Spring has been ROUGH, but remember, it will get better.  And then it will get worse.  And then it’ll get better again.  And then it’ll get worse again.  Rinse, repeat.  You got this.

To my friends and family, thank you as always for witnessing this journey and being so supportive.  I couldn’t have done it (and couldn’t keep doing it) without you.

Peace, Love. J Wiggz