#sorry for disappearing. was busy with college + i had a writer block

[femd-archive]

BROKEN HEATER

pairing: love and deepspace — xavier/shen xinghui x fem!reader

word counting: 1.3k

content warning: couch sex | slight fingersucking | slight mention of nipple stimulation | vaginal penetration | reader rides xavier

summary: the heater breaks and the house gets very cold. xavier suggests steamy sex to get your bodies heated up.

side note: english is not my first lenguage, so i apologize in advance for any grammar mistakes.

It was yours and Xavier's day off, and to deal with the cold weather that winter brings to Linkon City, you guys decided to pass by your favorite bakery and buy some of your favorite pastries to eat with some hot chocolate at home —your apartment—.

As you enter your apartment, both of you hang your scarfs and jackets side by side on the clothes rack next to the door, and after you take your shoes off, Xavier starts walking towards your kitchen to make the hot chocolate himself, making you panic.

"Xavier" you call him out as you put the bag of pastries down on the kitchen counter and grab his arm. He looks back at you with the most clueless eyes in the world. "I'm gonna take care of the hot chocolate, yeah?" you say along a nervous chuckle. "Meanwhile, could you take care of cutting down the pastries and turn the heater on?"

Xavier looks back at you, a little pout forming on his lips. "But I wanted to make the chocolate" he says, the pout obvious on his voice.

Patting his shoulder, you walk past him to grab a stewpot, along the cocoa powder and the milk. "You can do it next time...while we're at your apartment" you add at the end, not wanting to put your kitchen at risk while Xavier cooks, or attempts to do so.

Resigned, Xavier ends up doing what you asked, always with a pout. After cutting the pastries down and putting the plate on the coffee table on the living room, he next walks towards your heater, trying and failing to turn it on after multiple tries.

As you walk into the livingroom with two mugs of hot chocolate, you find Xavier squating in front of the heater with furrowed eyebrows.

"What's wrong?" leaving the mugs on the coffee table, you approach Xavier and squat next to him.

"I can't seem to get it on" he says, giving the heater a light smack, as if that would fix magically.

You let out a little 'ooh' when you suddenly remember something. "Oh yeah, now I remember that it broke down last week, so it surely it's not gonna work" I give his shoulder another pat. "It's alright, you can borrow a sweater of mine if you're cold" Xavier nods at that and both of you stand up to walk towards the couch to enjoy the hot chocolae with your favorite pastries.

You take a bite of that new pastry the bakery had on stock and you brought to try, and hum at how delicious it actually was. "You should try this one" you tell Xavier as you offer him a bite of the bake good. And how could he say no to you and a pastry?

Leaning in, he takes the bite as he looks up at you with those pretty blue eyes of his, and you feel how his lips brush against your fingers, and by the little smirk on Xavier's face and the way he licks the cream off of the corner of his mouth after pulling away, you know he's doing it on purpose.

"It's delicious" he says with that tender voice of his, his eyes never leaving your face. Was he really talking about the pastry at this point?

The afternoon went by, and the plate that once was full of the pastries and the mugs with hot chocolate were now empty. Now, you and Xavier were cuddled on the couch, a blanket throwed over the both of you as you watched a movie that you find while changing the channels on the TV.

After a while, the lack of the heater started to make a number on the tempeture of the apartment and your own, making you shiver slightly before you could even stop yourself, which obviously didn't go unnoticed by Xavier.

While rubbing his hand up and down your arm, he asks. "Are you cold?" and you know there's no use on lying to him.

"Just a little" you mumble, looking up at him and giving him a slight smile before going back to the movie and to try not to shiver anymore.

After contemplaiting it for a while in silence, Xavier speaks up again. shocking you with his next words. "Then I guess we should fuck to bring the heat back up" as you look up at him again, he smiles down at you like he hadn't just say the most sinful thing in the most calm manner.

After a moment of shock, you speak again. "Are you serious?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" he asks back as he tilts his head like a confused puppy. "What other way we have to not get cold?"

"Uh...socks? Sweaters? Blankets? More hot chocolate?" you listed out, as they were the more obvious things in the world.

Still, Xavier's eyebrows furrowed as he acted like he was thinking it out, before shaking his head.

"Not enough" he hums in a low tone, looking intensely into your eyes.

And before you can even notice, your cozy clothes were already on the floor next to the couch, only your socks remaining in both of you. The sound of the long forgotten movie playing on the background as it mixed with your moans and the way your skins slapped against each other as you ride Xavier like your life depend on it, a thin layer of sweat already appearing on both your bodies.

Xavier's hands wandered aroud your waist before going up your stomach and finally cupping your breasts, his thumbs brushing against your sensitive pecks as he attentively looks at your face as your moan freely and looking beautiful as little drops of sweat rolls from down your temple to your neck.

He thinks you look stunning as you use him to get heat up from the cold.

As your hips soon get tired, you look down at your boyfriend before leaning down to kiss him messily, both your tongues pushing against each other as your hands run against his blond hair, rolling your hips on him as his thick cock swollens even more inside of you.

"Are you not cold anymore?" he ask teasingly against your lips, being really obvious that by the way you're sweating and even your cheeks are rosy that you are, in fact, not cold anymore.

"Mmh, no I'm not...but it seems like you still are,do you wanna do something about it?" you whisper against his lips as well, pecking them and wrapping your arms around his neck.

"Yes" he simply answered in a whispered hoarse tone, wrapping his arms around your waist and starting to thrust his hips upwards, fucking into you.

Xavier's thick cock rub against your velvety walls with a heavy speed, his soft lips leaving kisses down your neck and shoulders as he if wasn't fucking into you like a mad men.

"Fuck..." you moan on the low, feeling the way he hitted all the right spots with each thrust.

Your eyes meet, and your thumb changes from brushing his cheek to slowly shove it in between his lips, which Xavier gladly takes and sucks on it as he diligently keeps on fucking you.

The clock strikes ten at night and the third movie is already playing on the TV when, after several orgasms, you and Xavier finally end up lying exhausted on the couch, skin now sticking stickily against each other, but neither of you care as you cuddle up next to each other.

Xavier holds you close, wrapping his arms around you as he leaves kisses along your face, not caring that it's covered in sweat, but you did.

"I need to take a shower now" you let out with an exhausted sigh.

"I'll join you" without waiting for you to invite him, Xavier had already gotten up from the couch and started walking behind you as you headed to the bathroom, watching you with one of his sweet smiles.

And how could you say no to him when he looks at you like that?

[brrbrina]

lonesome

pairing: joe burrow x oc

warnings: angst!

a/n : sorry it took me so long to write this one, i had the worst writers block, we only have one chapter left, feedback and support is always well received 😊

"All i´m asking you is to be honest for one time in forever, is it really that hard to do?" Aria said with a knot in her throat, she wasn´t completly sure how she ended up in Joe´s place, the same place she once called her home, but there is always something inside her that drags her anywhere near him.

She was looking for a bank receipt of the payment she made when she finally paid off her college debt, she was sure she packed it when she moved to her own apartment, but she couldn´t find it and she thought that it could be at her ex boyfriends house, so she drove all the way there feeling numb.

Parking in the driveway she saw Joe´s car and took a deep breath, still not sure of how he would look at her after the nigth they broke things off. After knocking on the door, a tall blue eyed blonde perked while he opned it.

"Aria... what are you doing here, is everything ok?" He said scratching his head and looking at her not sure on how to approach her.

"Yes, everything is fine, I don´t know where my college payment recepit is and i´ve looked everywhere at home and i couldn´t find it, i thought maybe it was still here in one of your folders" she said looking at him as he looked surprise.

"Yeah sure, um, you can check in the closet maybe it's up there on a blue box, go ahead" He said leading her upstairs to the bedroom they once shared, to Aria´s surprise he still had a lot of things she helped him bought when they moved in together.

Making her way to the closet she realized it was a huge closet, they never really payed attention to that since it was always full, grabing a little stair she always kept there so she could reach above the shelfs, she put the box on the floor and start looking, there were a lot of things there and she didn´t knew where to begin.

Clearing his throat Joe spoke "So...how's your mom and dad,?" Aria turned her head looking at him confused, "Uhm, they´re okay, thanks for asking" she said as she looked back not finding the stupid paper.

"So...""You really don´t have to do small talk, it´s okay it´s not akward" Aria said closing the box after not finding it, resining herself to just go to the bank and pray they could give them a copy.

"It´s okay you can leave it on the floor i´ll put it back up later I was about to..." his phone rang, not allowing him to finish his sentence. "Hi babe, no i´m not busy, what´s up?" He said walking out of the room and Aria was feeling the same way the night they broke up again, and then it hit her, Joe wasn´t in love with her anymore, there was someone else in his life, sleeping on the same bed she used to lay her head and dancing in the kitchen at night, someone wearing his jearsey to his games and kissing him goodnight.

The hard thing about love, in any form it may present to you, if someones falls out of if or they stop loving you, there´s nothing you can do, there´s is nothing in the wprld that could make them want you again, love fades, it just doesn´t disappear overnight, and the heartbroken part of it, is that no matter how much love you have for the other person, the best thing you can do is accept things and move one, no matter how lonesome it migth feel, and how long you would take to put the pieces they broke together again.

Making her way downstairs Joe stopped her “Aria, I know i was an ass by the way I ended things with you, I know no amount of apologies will fix it but I really hope we can stay friends or at least in touch, I owe you al lot and you help me achieve my dreams” Joe stated and Aria had watery eyes looking at him, and that was the first time he felt a little piece of him break inside.

“When did you start seeing her, was it when we were still together, sleeping in the same bed?” Aria said

“What? Aria what are you talking about” Joe said trying to look confused

“All i´m asking you is to be honest for one time in forever, is it really that hard to do?" Aria said with a knot in her throat, “Were you thinking of her when you had your hands around my waist?”

“Did you even gave a fuck about our relationship?” She said looking at him almost crying.

“Of course I did, I told you that multiple times, I didn’t even… I couldn’t” Joe couldn’t find the words to tell her the truth, he wasn’t seeing Ellie when she was still with Aria, and after the breakup he didn’t want to meet anyone but he did, and he feel in love again.

She looked at him as he was struggling to talk, but she couldn’t stand there and watch him try to come up with something, it was too painful and she didn’t want to be there anymore.

Making her way to the door Joe grabbed her arm and hugged her, she didn’t moved, there wasn’t a single thought running across her mind. “I’m really sorry things didn’t work out with us” Joe said mumbling to her hair.

He let her go, and she made her way to the car, she drove home and hope she wouldn’t feel this way forever.

It was around 11:00 pm when she started crying, but it wasn’t a cry because he missed him, it was a crying because he broke her heart worse than anybody had ever done, everyone left, if she fell in love with all her problems will they leave her too?

[slafastri28]

where are youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuyuuuuuuuuu

Lemme address my disappearance.

Im so sorry, Im super busy right now I will probably be more active in the last week of august and first two weeks of september bc thats when everyone leaves and I'm still at home chillin bc i go to school so late. There's just a lot going on and the only down time I get I just play video games or do nothing bc it's exhausting, so I will try to write again when I can but theres just a whole lot of physical and mental drainage right now.

My life rn:

Had strep throat for two weeks

Grad party

Time with my bf - this is taking a lot of my time up

Summer hockey - Drama with my teammates but its whatever idc last game is tonight then im done. Just people don't know how to treat goalies thats all I will say especially when ur the only one who willingly volunteered to play goalie (I LOVE MY GOALIE PARTNER THO LOVE LOVE LOVE HER) but when you are the only goalie on the team for a while and every loss becomes your fault even tho every shot you face is a breakaway and you face so many shots they stop counting and I manage to let in 5-6 goals a game bc no one is playing defense whatever (sorry rant)

Summer college class - also taking up a lot of time

Golfing

Packing and shopping for college

Managing a college hockey team

Performing at a music festival - practices

Other performance and rehearsals for other groups

My friends all kinda left me meaning I have lack of motivation to really do stuff bc sad - main motive for lack of inspo, this is a whole long story but I'll say it anyway: My bf is a year older than all of my friend group and plays hockey, they are not hockey people and they all have some problem that he doesnt do the same thing they do so they kinda exclude him when I host things and it just becomes and awkward situation. A whole thing went down with prom pics bc I left a gc with my toxic ex who is in the friend group who is nothing but mean to me and my bf and no one knows, me leaving that gc caused a whole uproar meaning everyone cancelled prom pics with me and tried to relocate an event I WAS HOSTING. There was a lot of lying and betrayal of trust and even tho they apologized no one will tell me the truth about prom. I then went to a concert with two of my friends in that group and they basically ditched me at the concert and were like whispering about stuff i already knew about and it was just like hurtful. Now they all do stuff without me and post it on Snap and Bereal where they know I can see it and dont even think to invite me. They all ignored me at MY OWN grad party yesterday so yeah whyd you come if it was to not see me (that sounds selfish im sorry) so theres my situation

Writers block 🤪 - trust me ive tried working on prompts you all have sent me and i just cant get started or i do start and its just like he said she said things and it just gets too boring

Sorry this became a little rant but yeah this is where I have disappeared to

Feel free to message me here tho or my insta (same username) if you want to talk about hockey boys or hockey or whatever and maybe even get to know me a little this is a sneak peek into my life 😁

[obxsummer]

Found Family // JJ Maybank

word count: 1.9k

pairing: jj maybank x neutral!reader, platonic!pogues x reader

warnings: mentions and descriptions of anxiety, underage drinking, probably cursing somewhere

summary: despite the constant reassurance that the pogues loved you as a part of their group, you have doubts but they’re quick to prove you wrong whenever they’re given the chance.

request: Hi I’m obsessed w your writing. Request? You’re with JJ and just recently joined the pogues, but your anxiety gets the best of u and you think they don’t like u ( although they love u) so you distance yourself from JJ and the pogues bc you don’t wanna ruin their friendship and it ends super fluffy

a/n: sorry for dipping for so long. major writer’s block has wounded me and i’m trying to recover lol. hopefully requests will be open again soon! thank you all for bearing with me, i appreciate it so much :)

masterlist

ask me anything

--

You groaned as the sunshine hit your eyes. It was way too early in the morning for you to be awake, but your curtains were failing at their job which resulted in your early arising.

“God, I’m buying you better blinds,” A grumpy JJ complained before he hugged you tighter to his chest. “Seriously. That’s two mornings in a row that we’ve been woken up before ten.” His hand was warm on your cheek as he kept you pressed to him, loving every second of the moments you guys could share together.

JJ easily fell back asleep in the silence that followed his statement as you remained in his arms. You had a busy day ahead of you, one filled with forever memories, for sure but it didn’t settle well in your chest.

Your relationship with JJ had started a couple of months ago. Your family had just moved here since your older sister graduated high school and moved on to college. It had been a project in the works for a while and honestly, you were happy with it. You had met JJ soon after in passing on the beach and hit it off really fast. Soon after, he introduced you to his friends, Pope, Kiara, and John B.

They were so nice and welcoming, teasing you and JJ when you got cuddly in front of them, but they had never made you feel out of place. There were moments when JJ would be doing grocery runs with Pope and Kiara and John B would reach out to you to see if you wanted to spend time with them. You had spent a lot of time individually with them, but in the back of your mind, you had this nagging thought that they were just doing to please JJ for the time being and that other things were going on being your back. You had never heard anything bad come from any of the Pogues about your presence, you knew that, it was just your mind taking control of a situation and making it worse for your thoughts.

You were supposed to go with the group today on the boat for a couple of hours and just hang out and you really wanted to go, but you worried you were pulling JJ away from his time with his friends. You never wanted to overstep or upset any of them and at this point, you were running out of ways to ensure that you were keeping the peace.

“What time do we have to go to John B’s?” JJ mumbled against your head, shaking you out of your train of thought. You pushed off his chest to lay next to him as he rubbed his eyes of sleep.

You glanced at the clock on the nightstand next to you. “In an hour.” Swinging your legs off the bed, you grabbed your discarded shorts from the floor and tossed them into your laundry bin

“Ugh!” JJ’s voice echoed around the room as he flung his limbs to various parts of the bed. You hesitated for a moment, almost opening your mouth to explain your predicament and thoughts on the whole Pogue group but you went silent, suddenly out of words. “I’m gonna climb in the shower,” JJ yawned and kissed your forehead before disappearing into the bathroom.

You sighed and rubbed your hands over your face as you thought about what to do. Deciding to push away the negativity, you pulled your swimsuit out of the drawer and quickly changed before second thoughts hit and you decided against it.

The energy on the boat was unmatched as Kie and JJ fought over the music on the speaker. Pope was lounging next to you, a book covering his face from the sun while John B managed the wheel. Your sunglasses were slipping down your nose as you relaxed and let the wind whip around while the sun shone down.

“Whatcha reading?” You nudged Pope slightly with your finger causing him to look back at you and smile.

“Holes. Simple read but I wanted something entertaining and not academically challenging for once,” He explained, “The movie’s on Netflix I think and nobody else will watch it with me so I’m going to have to force you.”

A small smile formed on your face at the request of your presence. “I’d be honored to join you in your movie watching, Pope.”

“Pope!” John B’s shout interrupted your conversation as you both turned to look at the brunette. “I need you to drive while I film a video!”

The boy groaned but got to his feet to please his friends as he left your side. You were quickly joined by Kiara, who handed you a drink as she sat. “Y/N, how you been? We haven’t talked in a while.”

“Good,” You exhaled, glancing back as you watched the other three shout and laugh as they filmed. “Just really tired from all the work and running around.”

“Oh, same. We really should do movie night. I’m sure we could have it at my place?” She offered as she perked up slightly at the idea of a chill night in. “I’ll ask my parents. We all could use a night to relax.”

You raised your drink up in response. “Praise, Kiara Carerra for her kind, loving soul.”

She snorted and rolled her eyes at your words. “Don’t even, Y/L/N.”

Before long, JJ was back at your side, his arm resting around your shoulders as you leaned against him. The wind felt warm against your skin as the sun shifted to set, the day slowly coming to a close as you all enjoyed the peace and quiet.

The silence was broken by Kiara’s loud laugh. You looked over to see John B dumping the cooler water down her as Pope filmed the whole scene. JJ split from your side in a second to add to the chaos as you sat and observed. The lingering thoughts seemed to get louder as you felt misplaced in the moment, watching them laugh and smile as if you weren’t even there.

It took a lot of excuses and arguing, but you pulled out of movie night after telling the group you were just tired and wanted to head home. JJ offered to come with but you declined, promising you’d leave the window unlocked for him if he wanted to join afterwards.

The moment you were out of view, the tears started pouring down your cheeks. You were silent, letting out deep breaths as you continued your walk as your thoughts ran wild. You wanted to ask a million questions about if you were doing something wrong, if they’d rather you just leave JJ, but you felt so pathetic to even present the topic to them.

The darkness in your room was comforting as you buried under the covers and wiped your tears away. Your phone sat unplugged amongst the sheets, lingering on a dead battery, but you didn’t even notice. JJ’s goodnight text rang through, along with various ones in the group chat but you were so focused on replaying the day to see where you embarrassed yourself or upset someone or appeared even the slightest bit annoying.

Eventually, you cried yourself to sleep alongside the vibrations of your phone as the Pogues continued to text. JJ slipped through the window sometime early in the morning before locking it behind him as he used his flashlight to navigate the room. He frowned, seeing your abandoned phone and lack of sleeping attire in addition to the tear marks on your cheeks. JJ had never been quick to catch on to situations, but he wasn’t completely oblivious to your anxiety and how bad it would get. You would reassure him to just let it run its course and you’d be back to normal eventually, but he knew that wasn’t the case.

With a small sigh, he plugged your phone in and shed his clothing before crawling under the covers next to you. JJ was silent in his motions, moving slowly so he didn’t wake you. He was worried about why you had been so distant and quiet, but he decided to handle it in the morning and just hold you for now.

--

You were slightly surprised to wake up to sandy blond hair in the morning. Part of you assumed JJ was going to just stay at Kiara’s with everyone but then the other half of your heart soared when you realized he came back to stay with you. JJ’s breathing was slow and steady as you laid there in silence, embracing the moment of peace you had on your hands. You wanted to tell him what was bothering you, but you also didn’t want the Pogues to think JJ was forcing them to put up with you or that you were forcing him to spend time with you when he didn’t want to.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”

You blinked quickly to see JJ’s eyes staring into your own as he watched you with a smile. Your cheeks went warm in embarrassment. You had totally zoned out without your gaze leaving him.

“Sorry, I was-”

“You don’t have to apologize,” He laughed and brushed some hair from your forehead. “It’s okay, baby. I think it’s cute you admire me while I sleep.”

You rolled your eyes and shoved him aside as he continued laughing about the situation at hand. JJ watched after a moment as you remained silent, almost curling back into your walls before he frowned. “Talk to me.”

“Huh?”

He didn't hesitate to throw himself on top of you, an ‘oof’ leaving your lips at the impact. JJ’s hands grasped your cheeks, squeezing them together lovingly as he stared right at you. “You skipped movie night last night, you were crying, didn’t answer our texts, and you’re being super quiet. So, talk to me. What’s going on in that cute head of yours?”

You hesitated in responding, part of you wanting to throw all your congested anxious thoughts onto the table and then the other half of you desired keeping your insecurities deep within.

“How bout this,” JJ began as he grabbed your phone from the bedside table. “I think I have an idea what this is about, but maybe this can help change your mind?”

You were confused by his suggestion but took the phone into your own hands anyway. Since it had been discarded last night, a bunch of messages had come through: some from JJ, others from the group chat, but then individual ones from Kiara.

kie: y/n, i just want you to know how much we love you and appreciate you in our group. you make jj so happy and the chaotic energy would be unbearable if we didn’t have you. i’ll see you tomorrow :)

the pogue lyfe for me:

jb: $10 says y/n is sleeping in jj’s sweatshirt

pope: if it’s not the sweatshirt, it’s the t-shirt

kie: plot twist: it’s jj wearing y/n’s sweatshirt because he’s a simp

baby: you’re not wrong about that kie

A small smile formed on your lips as you read through the remainder of their conversation, mainly the pogues poking fun at JJ for being such a lovesick puppy but then Kiara started defending you in your lack of absence, saying the two of you were perfect for each other and the two boys were just jealous.

“They love you,” JJ reassured as he pressed a kiss to your nose. “Not as much as I love you, of course, but we’ll always be here for you. Each and every one of us, I promise.”

--

masterlist

[satuguro]

tenshi | pt. 2

IN WHICH: tsukishima can’t let go and your sadness turns into anger.

PAIRING: tsukishima kei x ukai!reader, kageyama tobio x ukai!reader

INSPIRED BY: freckles — kevin atwater, hikare are (moonlight) — burnout syndromes

WARNING: angst, cursing

A/N: sorry for taking so long to update! i’ve been having really bad writer’s block :,)

prologue, pt. 1, pt. 2

tsukishima wasn’t sure when it happened.

he always had a gut feeling that he had always felt that way when he looked at you. the feeling of caring so much for one person terrified him. he had never felt like that before— it was new and unexpected.

tsukishima didn’t like new and unexpected. he wasn’t like you, who practically craved the outside world that it was almost annoying.

he had spent countless nights trying to figure out when he realized he loved you.

was it when you gave him a box of dinosaur bandaids that you had stolen from your dad’s store? you given it to him with a smile and a short, “it reminded me of you.”

was it when you let him pick the movie for movie night, but instead of him picking jurassic park, you picked it? “you always pick jurassic park, and you always pick the first one because it’s your favorite,” you had stated with a nonchalant shrug.

or was it when you told him you were leaving? when you muttered out your mom’s plans and tsukishima’s blood ran cold because no, this wasn’t some sick joke. you were leaving and never coming back.

you had told him you were leaving, and all he did was walk away.

“i’ll walk home with the guys tonight!” you sent your dad a bright grin, one he only huffed at as he reluctantly handed the keys to kageyama.

“be safe,” he said sternly. his words would’ve almost come off as cold if you didn’t know your dad well. he was worried, that was all. as he made his way to the door, he paused, not looking over his shoulder as he said, “if you all don’t leave soon y/n won’t treat you to meat buns.” immediately, ukai shut the door behind him.

instantaneously, hinata bound over to you, his arms going up as he jumped around you over and over. you could never get used to the sudden height he gained “y/n teach me more about what you know you never got to—!”

hinata’s loud screaming was interrupted by a volleyball that hit his head.

kageyama, who was practically fuming as he stood behind the middle blocker, barked, “do you want meat buns or not? help us clean, dumbass!”

as the freak duo continued to bicker as they cleaned up, you nudged yachi softly as you watched on in amusement. “it’s good that they haven’t changed,” you commented, and she smiled widely.

“oh yeah, they’re still exactly as before. they just learned more, i guess,” yachi laughed. in front of you, yamaguchi tried to calm the two down, his freckled cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. tsukishima only loomed over them with an unimpressed look on his face. “same thing goes for yama. tsukishima, though...”

“i expected it,” you cut her off, words coming out more forced than you would’ve liked. without missing a beat, you smiled. you didn’t want to tell her that tsukishima was the last thing you wanted to hear about. “we should help out. knowing by dad, he’ll probably purposely close the store if we’re late.”

“they have the best meat buns, trust me!”

akiteru’s cheerful voice made kei let out a disgruntled grunt.

ever since he found out that his brother and his position as an oh-so-great ace, akiteru had ben doing everything to make it up for him. tsukishima’s frown deepened as he reluctantly walked into the store, his eyes set on his sneakers as he slowly followed his brother.

he lied. no amount of meat buns was going to change that fact.

“ukai! two of your best meat buns, please!” akiteru’s grin faltered for a moment as he turned back to kei, but that didn’t change his spirits as he turned to the cashier.

you sat behind the cash register, your fingers reaching up to your mouth and pulling out the red lollipop you were sucking on. it was obvious that you were kei’s age, yet you acted like you owned the shop (and maybe you did).

“my dad says i’m not allowed to get meat from the dish because it’s too hot and i’ll die,” you said pointedly, leaning forward in your plastic chair. you looked at kei with a curious tilt of your head, and kei only stared back.

your hair was pulled back with a thin headband, and he recognized the logo on your beige sweatshirt; a volleyball sweatshirt.

“i didn’t know you had a lil’ brother,” you said with a tilted grin, eyes switching between kei and akiteru. in response, akiteru ruffled kei’s hair, making the boy scowl and try to slap his hand away. you giggled in amusement. “he’s grumpy.”

kei gave you a nasty look. “am not.”

your beaming smile didn’t falter at the glare he gave you. you were perfectly unfazed by it, and to kei’s surprise, you only laughed more. “you’re funny.”

kei’s face bloomed a slight shade of red.

“s’bout time. i was about to close,” your dad sighed as he handed you the packs of meat buns.

you knew that was a lie. he always liked night shifts at the shop.

“even if you did close the shop, i’d feed them,” you hummed, looking behind you. your friends were outside, all standing in front of the glass door of the shop. yachi was laughing with hinata while kageyama sipped his milk peacefully. farther away from them was yamaguchi and tsukishima; the green haired boy was trying to speak to the other, but the blonde was too busy on his phone.

“whatever,” keishin managed a small smile as you turned back to him. “don’t stay out too late.”

“i won’t. thanks, dad.” you gave him a short side hug before you made tour way back outside, blind to the growing smile on your father’s face.

“oh my god, i love you!” hinata took the pack from you and began eating it almost immediately. you scrunched your nose as you saw part of the wrapper disappear in his mouth.

“hinata you ate like half of the paper—!” yachi yelled in panic, her hand smacking hinata’s back as she tried to get him to spit it out.

you turned to kageyama, handing him his meat bun with a close lipped smile. he squished his milk carton with one hand, his free one taking the meat bun from you. “... thank you,” he managed a smile, and you laughed.

it wasn’t as scary as his smile before you left. then again, you never really minded his smile.

you walked over to yamaguchi and tsukishima, both of whom were talking intently between themselves.

“you can’t keep this up— y/n!” yamaguchi’s freckled fave bloomed red as he forced a smile, his expression immediately changing. wordlessly, you handed the meat bun pack to him.

“what’re you guys talking about?” you found yourself asking, eyes daring to meet tsukishima’s for a second before meeting yamaguchi’s once again.

“none of your business, ukai,” tsukishima answered before yamaguchi could. you stiffened at the use of your last name; he never used it before.

“tsukki!” yamaguchi scolded, but you only smiled.

god, tsukishima hated it when you smiled. he hated how his glare, which was supposed to be nasty and full of hatred, would falter at the sight of it.

“it’s whatever,” you shrugged, playing off your feelings, “enjoy, you guys.”

┈┈ 𑁍༅ཾ༚ ┈┈

of course he was the last to leave.

you wanted to curse whatever god was in the skies that made him the last one to leave. the awkwardness hung in the air, and you could’ve easily just chosen to go inside the shop and he could’ve just gone home, but you were both frozen in your spots.

you two were sitting on the curb, making sure that there was a distance between you both. the only light was the flickering street lights and the dim lights of your shop behind you both.

you both could’ve just left. so why didn’t you?

“we haven’t—“

“shut up.”

your mouth shut and your gaze returned to your feet.

why wasn’t he leaving? why weren’t you leaving?

how could he still be so mean? this is kei, but still.

your confusion slowly turned to anger as your fists clenched harder and harder, before you snapped your head towards kei and finally let it out.

“what the hell is your problem?”

to your surprise (and anger), he only shook his head, letting out an incredulous laugh.

“really, ukai? you have no idea?” kei didn’t even look at you as he chuckled, his glasses nearly slipping off his face. “you’re as dumb as you look.”

“i’m not a fucking mind reader, kei,” you seethed in response, your eyes never once leaving his form. all the sadness that he once been caused by him turned into pure rage; his blunt words didn’t help. “so tell me. what is your problem?”

“fuck off,” kei snapped, standing up from his seat and shoving his hands in his pockets. he began to walk away without another word.

“no, tell me.” you stood up after him, your tenacity getting the beat of you as you followed him. “kei—“

“i told you to stop calling me that!” kei turned to you, meeting your eyes for what fet like the first time in forever. he was angry, that much you knew. his brows were knitted together as he looked at you, and his eyes held nothing good behind them. yet, despite all of this, you stepped closer. “leave me alone, ukai.”

“i just—“

“what, you want it to be like old times? you want me to accept you with open arms and a big fucking smile?” kei took a stop closer to you. he saw the way your lip was quivering and how you hid it by pulling it between your teeth. his haze was stone cold, and no matter how much he wanted to say, “i’m sorry for being such an ass,” he did nothing. kei was driven by the hurt you caused him before you left and the pain he went through by keeping his own words to himself. you left.

“leave me alone, ukai. i mean it.”

the first time you argued with tsukishima kei was when you were in middle school.

you had accidentally stepped on his favorite dinosaur figurine when you were dropping off his notebook at his house. in an immature fit of rage, kei told you to get out while he desperately tried to fix it.

his brother gave him that figurine before he left for college. of course it meant a lot to him.

you had come back to next day with a dinosaur plushie that you had bought with all your chore money. you had messily embroidered a small moon on the stuffed t-rex’s chest, and you had shoved it to his chest when he opened the door.

you didn’t like accepting defeat, but this was an exception. “i’m sorry, please accept this as a token of my affection.”

kei remembered that he had responded with a judgmental raise of his brow, but you had cut him off before he could make fun of you.

“i spent all night making that damn moon. accept it or die, kei.”

he walked away again.

you only stood in place, your eyes watching his form leave as you clenched and unclenched your hands. you wanted to scream. you wanted to find a punching bag and punch the living daylights out of it, but all you did was watch him go.

“y/n?”

you tensed up at the voice, and you turned around towards the voice. tobio kageyama stood right behind you, his hand reaching down for the pack of pencils he seemingly forgot before he left. knowing him, that was probably all the pencils he had.

“you’re crying,” the setter said dumbly, standing up at full height as he looked at you with a concerned frown. what else was he supposed to say?

you managed a laugh as you aggressively wiped your tears away. god, you hated crying. “no shit, genius.”

kageyama stepped closer to you as you continued to wipe your eyes. you laughed tearfully once again.

“i don’t even know why i’m crying,” you felt more tears flow down your cheeks as you hurried to wipe them away again. once again, you laughed. “it just keeps coming.”

quietly, kageyama pulled you closer to him, his arms holding you close as you continued to softly cry. your words of, “the tears won’t stop. why isn’t it stopping?” were muffled as you cried into his sweatshirt.

┈┈ 𑁍༅ཾ༚ ┈┈

A/N: again, sorry for the late update! writer’s block sucks ass :(

TAGLIST: @grapesauze , @neijiwave , @whothefuckstolemykeds , @sugakuns , @lexysclubhouse , @bakibakini , @animeanxiety , @kodzu-ken , @ukhyeonn , @sana-li , @differentballooncollection , @thechaosoflonging , @scrappydaisies , @nnessworls , @emogril , @killuaking , @vinnieluv , @kageyamas-whore , @helloshoutohere

prologue, pt. 1, pt. 2

[twisted-imagines]

Hi ! Hope you're well ! Can I have a one shot with a F reader x Floyd. It's the beginning of the school year and Floyd is in a bad mood because the transformation in his Human form make him suffer. The reader notice it and try to help him with a massage to make the pain disappear. Thank you !

Ah, just like me, to struggle with writer's block for a week and then finish it in one evening, haha. I'm truly sorry though, my fishies😔 I hope, some time in the future I'll figure out how to write faster, but not today apparently😀

Please enjoy, since I don't know when the next update will come uwu❤

Giving Floyd Leech a massage🦈

The bells rang marking the start of just another year at Night Raven College. You arrived not long ago, a day before, and were unable to contain your giddiness. Not only you would be able to experience college life again, with all its ups and downs, but also meet your dearest merman, whom you spent most of your summer break with. A week away from him felt like a month, your step sped up more and more as you were already running to the Octavinelle dorm. It was quite a surprise to not have seen him already, Floyd somehow always managed to find his way to you, either to just greet or crush you in a hug, though to him it meant the same.

When the gateway mirror brought you to the dorm, you could see how alive it was. Students from various dorms gathered at Monstro Lounge, running to and fro, some working, while others celebrating before the working days started. You deduced, it would be natural for your boyfriend to help Azul in such a busy day, there was nothing to worry about. But leaving without at least a greeting seemed rude, those months you spent underwater really deepened your bonds with Octavinelle trio, especially with Floyd. One small kiss to his cheek would harm nobody, right? Not like you feared one particular dorm leader's wrath for distracting his employee anyway.

But even if you had eagle-like eyesight you probably still wouldn't spot any familiar face in there, everyone was in such high spirits, they didn't even mind other's rather robust cheers or loud shouts. Perhaps, it was the only day in a whole year that Azul would tolerate such "atrocities" going on in his lounge. How grateful would you be if you met at least one of your friends right now.

In such a turmoil you didn't notice when a tall figure appeared before you, an impact from collision knocked the air out of your lungs. It seemed, whatever god heard your wish, they granted it, since the one who you all of sudden crushed into was none other than Jade Leech.

"Oh, I beg your pardon... Wait, [Name]? Ah, I hoped you would come."

It seemed your luck didn't leave you today, which you were thankful for, but upon observing twin's face closer, you couldn't help but frown. At first glance, nothing seemed out of place, Jade was polite and composed like always, but his expression was gloom, lips were straining in a forced smile and the prominent eye bags he sported made it apparent how distraught he really was. You had a feeling you wouldn't like the reason for that.

"Jade, what's about it? Is something up? And where's Floyd? I didn't see him anywhere. Not like it would be an easy task with all those students, heh."

"Yes, everybody is happy to see each other after a long time, but it's very hard to manage Monstro Lounge at times like that, especially since we're currently experiencing a lack of manpower..."

His glowed hand gently took your own, before he tugged you into a direction unknown to you, not sparing another word until you stopped in front of a door. You could recognize the place he led you to as Octavinelle students' rooms, the one you two were standing before was actually Floyd's.

"You see, [Name], after you had left we too started to prepare to go to college, and it included getting potions for transformation, of course. Both mine and Azul's were normal, but Floyd's... Perhaps the wrong ingredients were mixed in. Being in human form causes him pain and he can't revert back to his merman form too."

Jade's composure was slipping, he could no longer hide how worried he was for his brother. He shook his head distressed.

"I did everything I could, but he lashes out even on me now. Maybe being with you will elevate his struggle just a bit. So, stay with him, please? He needs you right now."

"O-of course, I'll do my best, don't worry Jade!"

"Thank you, now if you'll excuse me, there's a lot of work."

Showing you the last pitiful smile, Jade headed back to Monstro Lounge leaving you alone before Floyd's room. Your longing gaze turned to the door. It wasn't how you imagined meeting him. A few deep breaths. You had to stay strong, even if it pained you to know that your loved one was going through such hardships. Rubbing your eyes hard enough to not let the tears form, you braced yourself, before knocking gently on the door and allowing yourself in.

"Damn, Jade, is that you again? I told you, everything is fine so leave me alone!"

Floyd barked those words out not even turning to the door. It would have been exciting to hear his voice after a long while, but you would prefer the setting to be much different than that. He was laying on his stomach, head pressed into the pillow. From time to time a growl or whine would escape him when he tried to shift. Your heart clenched at the sight, less than anything in the world you wanted to see Floyd in pain.

"Floyd, I’m not Jade."

The man reacted instantly, turning his head to you, gaping at you, bloodshot eyes wide open. He stared, unmoving, before he visibly relaxed and a toothy, albeit tired smile showed on his face. You were ready to bet, that you saw his eyes glistening.

"Koebi-chan? Ahaha, my dear koebi-chan came to visit me. Come here, closer. I can't really move right now."

You didn't need much prompting to run to his side and embrace him as gently as you could. With your help, he was able to turn on his back, something so simple causing him to curse and growl in pain. Happiness from finally meeting him and the unfortunate circumstances of your reunion didn't help much with holding back your tears. You let out a small sob, the warmth from his hands on your back was seeping right through your clothes to your heart.

"Eh? Koebi-chan, why are you crying? Don't cry."

"But I missed you. Also, Jade told me what happened to you. Does it hurt much?"

Floyd was stunned, it was too cute for him, who lost all resistance to your charm after a bit of separation. The whole week he spent on the land writhing in pain, he could only think about how much he wanted to see your face once again, to hold your soft, warm body in his hands. A red blush left his cheeks as fast as it came, and soon it was your turn to be surprised by how fast your boyfriend's whole demeanor changed.

"Yes, it hurts like a bitch. Especially where my tail should be. It hurts so much, koebi-chan~ Ugh, I feel nauseous. That's it, I feel like I'm dying, but maybe if [Y/n] kissed it better it would pass? "

Floyd's childish whining elicited a small chuckle out of you. Some things never changed.

"But it must be very serious, will it really help? I don't think so..."

"No no, koebi-chan, it will help. C'mon, here, a kiss~"

Floyd was eagerly pointing to his knee, fully expecting you to comply. And how could you not, you gave a word to take care of your moody boyfriend, didn't you? Chortling, you descended down to lightly peck his right knee earnings a joyous giggle in return. For someone who was bedridden, he was very lively. Another peck and another giggle. You knew how sensitive the merman's legs were, and couldn't help but caress them, especially when it was receiving such a positive reaction. When you ended your treatment you returned to Floyd's eye level only to be met with a lovely sight of your boyfriend blushing and smiling cutely at you.

"So did it help? Were special kisses from Dr.[Y/n] effective?"

"Definitely! But maybe you could do...that thing again? Like pressing on my legs?"

"That thing? You meant massage? Okay, that I can do. Anything for my favorite patient!"

A swift hand intercepted yours before you could move away. There was a dangerous edge to Floyd's words.

"The only one. Koebi-chan, I'm your only one."

That possessive persona didn't go anywhere no matter what, did it? But really, it was Floyd's charm point, and you would lie if you told you didn't learn to love it and to deal with it efficiently.

"Wouldn't have it any other way."

You leaned in to kiss his lips, before focusing on the task at the hand. Starting out slowly, you held one of his feet with your hands and kneeded the sole firmly. Your repeated motions were reflecting on Floyd's changing expressions, an especially painful grimace didn't miss your eye. The smile you adored so much wasn't there anymore, in its stead was a deep frown and sharp teeth piercing delicate skin of his lips. You had half the mind to stop, but when you halted and tried to take your hands away, the man complained and urged you to continue. When Floyd didn’t show much resistance you moved on to his calf, undoing knots or going just a bit harder at places where the muscels felt too tights, while minding that your were applying enough pressure for him to feel it, but without causing any more pain and alternating between harder and lighter strokes.  

It seemed though, that your rather amateur movements proved to be very helpful, much to your delight since less and less you heard displeased grunts and more content whines and sighs.

"You're really good at this, koebi-chan~ You keep squeezing it, but it actually feels less painful, how?"

"It's all the power of love."

Loud laughter resonated through the room, genuine and unbridled like it used to be. Not haunted by pain anymore, Floyd's mind was slowly slipping into unconsciousness, something he couldn't achieve for days on end since he drank that damned potion, his eyes gradually closing and breathing slowing down. He looked peaceful and relaxed and you couldn't be happier observing him. Tugged out of your thoughts, literally, you found yourself in the eel's arm, his limbs wrapping around your form just like he always did when it was time to rest.

"[Y/n] really does love me...I love [Y/n] very much."

Floyd slurred the last confession before he let himself depart to dreamland with you, his savior snuggled right into his side.

"Yes, I do. I love you too Floyd, so please rest and feel better."

Sweet words ensured that he wouldn't miss that smile even in his sleep.

[thebookwormfairy]

Captain the Retired Police Dogs and His Puppies Part 1

Hey guys sorry for not posting for a while, I had major writer's block, but I'm back and the curse is broken with the sequel series of Captain the Retired Police Dog! So get ready for puppy shenanigans!

Masterlist

Marinette didn't know what to do

She knew Captain would want to be in his puppies lives as much as possible

But she couldn't exactly afford plane tickets to Gotham every weekend, and she couldn't exactly explain her suddenly turning up in Gotham if she used Kalki

They're definitely going to have to go to Gotham this summer

Possibly for the whole summer

But then how would she be Ladybug?

All these thoughts and panic swirs around Marinette's head

Damian: Angel?

Damian's voice was able to snap Marinette out of her panic

Marinette: Sorry I got lost in thought. What are we going to do?

Damian: Well if you want you could spend your summer here? I know father would be more than happy to fly you and your parents over. And you could stay at the manor

Marinette: That does sound grea, and I was looking into applying at some colleges in the States, so it would be a good chance to visit some colleges

Damian: Yeah! I hear that Gotham University has a great fashion and business programs

Marinette: Damian Wayne is this your way of saying you want me to stick around?

Damian: Maybe...

As his human continued to talk to her mate over the phone Captain was freaking out

Ace was pregnant

With his pups

He was going to be a dad

Captain was both overjoyed and nervous

On one hand he was going to be a dad

On the other hand his mate and their puppies are going to be half way across the world

How was he going to be part of his puppies' lives when he lived an entire ocean away?

Marinette: I'll talk to my parents and see how soon Captain and I can go back over

That caught Captain's attention

His girl was going to make sure that he got to meet his pups

Captain jumped up and licked Marinette's cheek showing his appreciation and happiness

Not long after Marinette said goodbye to Damian and went down to talk to her parents

She explained everything to them and even said that with her MDC commissions she could buy the ticket to Gotham and back home

Tom and Sabine were a little hesitant to agree to this

They could tell what Marinette and Damian had was special, but they still didn't want to leave Marinette with a family they hadn't met in person before

Sabine: I'll tell you what honey, you can't go in May, but we can close the backery for the first week of June

Tom: We'll go with you to Gotham meet Damian and his family. If we think it's a safe environment and that we can trust his family to keep you safe, we'll let you stay for the rest of the summer

Marinette: Really?!

Sabine: Yes, but only if we think it will be safe for you

Marinette: Of course!

Marinette ran to the stairs to tell Damian and Captain the good news

Of course Damian was ecstatic to hear that Marinette will be able to stay for most of the summer

He gathered his family as soon as possible to tell them the good news and to make sure they didn't embarrass him while the Dupen-Chengs were there or do anything to make them think it was an unsafe environment for Marinette

Damian: That means no swinging from the chandelier, no pulling out weapons, no hiding weapons, absolutely no fighting

Jason: Well that's just boring

Damian: If we want Marinette and Captain to stay then we have to be on our very best behavior

Bruce: Damian's right. If we want them to stay we have to prove that this is a safe place for their daughter. So we listen to Damian

The boys made a big show of groaning, but they all knew they wanted Marinette to stay so they will do as asked

Ace was so happy to hear that Captain would be there for the birth of their puppies

She could already picture their puppies climbing all over her stoik mate

Just the thought of it made her heart flutter

The bat fam spent the rest of the month getting ready for the Dupen-Chengs arrival

Back in Paris things weren't going so well

Even though Lila was in jail and out of their lives the class didn't come to their senses

Most of them still saw Marinette as the embodiment of pure evil

Though she has gotten closer to Alix and Kim even bringing them into her friend group with Kagami and Luka

They spent most of their hangouts at either Kagami or Marinette's homes with Damian making video chats appearances every once in a while to get to know Marinette's friends

Of course Captain was at every event keeping a watchful eye over his girl making sure no one would hurt her

Then sadly Master Fu had to step down from Gaurdian leaving Marinette alone

Chat started to come to more fights after Master Fu disappeared but he did more harm then good

Now more than ever Marinette needed help

She decided that as soon as she could she would find Batman and ask for his and the Justice League's help

She feared that if this continued any longer she will forever be trapped in Paris

Marinette planned out everything in case of of an akuma

She would use the Akuma alert system sync to her phone

As soon as she got an alert she would use Kalki to return to Paris and fight the Akuma with he help of her friends and hopefully some Justice League members

As Marinette packed up the miraculous box and Captain's bandanas she couldn't wait to get on the plane the next day

She couldn't wait to see Damian and be back in his arms

She even couldn't wait to see his family

The next day Marinette, Captain, and their family got on the plane saying goodbye to Paris hopefully for a few months

@felicityroth @northernbluetongue @mystery-5-5 @sidefrienda @tbehartoo @hypnosharkrebeldreamer @sonif50 @t-nikki10 @dawnwave16

[nitannichionne]

Leading Lady, Chapter 1: At First Sight (A Henry Cavill Cast Fic)

Chapter 1

KIKI/KIT POV

"Not....again! Kiki!"

I looked up at my friend Laura Davidson. She was so pretty, Britain was really good for her. She had already adapted a style that turned heads, and if she was quiet, no one would think she was American, especially with that ginger hair and hazel eyes. Me? I was easy to spot as a dark skinned woman, always in form fitting athletic pants and some sort of top because it was comfortable. I hardly ever wore makeup. For what? To clog my pores? I took my mom's advice and left the face paint alone, however Laura was already complaining about the blemishes she had to cover, but it was because she was wearing makeup and ruining her skin before with that stuff when she actually had no blemishes to cover at all. Me? Well, I was used to being overlooked-high school, college...it was okay, I guess. "What, Lala?"

She plopped down on the chair opposite me. I was working on one of my writings, as usual. I had one successful book, and no new bites on my next ones. I had just buried my mother, and Laura suggested a vacation to breathe and banish writer's block. I knew she wanted to go shopping and sightseeing, but I just wanted to relax and try to write. I'd spent enough money, time to try to make some. "I thought you said you'd go shopping with me!"

"I did," I said, still concentrating on my work. "My closet is as full as yours." Why wasn't this coming together? I had outlines, I had my research...something was missing! I closed my laptop, and yanked off my glasses. "I am trying to get things done, here, Lala--!"

"No you're not, you're hiding behind that laptop!" Laura accused, but then her look softened. "It is nice to see you at it again, though."

"Did I or did I not go shopping with you this morning?" I asked. "And we had lunch at the place you picked? You were hitting those boutiques, and I decided to take a break--"

"To work!" She interjected, rolling her eyes.

I looked around. Some people were listening now. I rested my head on my hand, readying for a lecture. "To create."

"How's it going?" she asked. "Your face isn't all lit up and focused like it should be--"

"Have some coffee, Lala." I grumbled. "Or some water--" I offered her my bottled water.

"No, don't think so!" she whispered. "You get up with the chickens to write, then..."

I didn't hear another part of that speech. In fact I barely breathed.

Walking down the street was this absolutely...well...work of art, actually. Tall, dark hair, handsome features, light eyes, broad shoulders...just plain wow. He looked familiar...

"Whoa." Laura's exhale and low whistle snapped me out of my daze, and I began to breathe again. "I've seen him before."

"I know, me too," I whispered, ducking behind my laptop. My glasses slid to the end of my nose, and I pushed them up. "Uh...wait, we saw him on BBC!"

"We did?"

"We fell asleep to the TV last night," I said softly. "and I swear to God I saw him--he was in a movie or a show or something--uh, God, come on, Kiki!" I chastised myself. I was dozing until his face appeared, and then I stayed up all night for the whole mini-series.

"Stop talking to yourself, Kiki!" She reclined in her chair, looking relaxed.

"Murder on the Moors!" I hit my laptop with my fingertips like it was a game show buzzer. He heard the noise, and I gasped. Too loud! I leaned forward and whispered, "He played a--a writer who moved after the death of his wife to try to start writing again. He'd been accused, but was found innocent because her lover killed her." I sighed. "Talk about shades of insanity. He went from rage to depression to being delusional, and then there were murders happening, and he was suspect but they'd been happening before he moved there, so..." He smiled our way. "Oh, my God. He smiled this way." I looked more closely. No, he was smiling at Laura. I exhaled. "Laura, he's looking at you!" It hurt, but I had become used to not getting attention. She was really put together well--a beautiful culmination of Vanity Fair, Marie Claire with a Cosmopolitan flair-size five. Not me. I looked down at my comfortable but nicely fitting wear, size ten. I looked like I was a dancer or personal trainer, a worker of some sort. Laura looked like she was ready for her close up most of the time.

She gasped softly and turned to look at me. "Give me the laptop for a minute."

"For what?" I wasn't ready to give up my cover.

"To look busy, silly!" Laura winked at me, and I grudgingly slid it over. I pulled out a notepad, where most of my stories began before they became digital, and began leafing through story ideas to find an outline to work on. "Well?"

"Definitely watching." I said with a nod.

"Oh God, you said he was who?"

"Uh...Sheridan...the last name is Sheridan."

"Google it!"

I was way ahead of her, tapping away on my cell. "Okay, Zachary Sheridan." I stifled a giggle. "What kind of name is that?"

"No better than Kendra Knight," She said, mentioning my writing pseudonym. "Probably a stage name."

I snorted at her, but then coughed. He was coming this way with his order! He'd caught us watching him so now he was going to give us a better look. I for one appreciated that--

"Excuse me!" Laura called, a lilt in her voice.

Zachary Sheridan turned, flashing a smile I knew was rehearsed, but I enjoyed anyway. "Yes?"

"Aren't you Zachary Sheridan from Moors Murders?"

"Murder on the Moors," he and I corrected her, and we shared a small laugh.

"I saw it too," I nodded. "Very complex character, you were very believable."

He seemed pleased with that. "Thank you."

"Oh, I'm sorry--" She extended her hand. "Laura Davidson."

"Call me Zach," He shook it lightly, and then extended his hand to me.

"Kiki," I said, and averted my eyes as if I had work to do. I gave his hand one quick shake.

"Kiki," he repeated. "What brings you two ladies to Britain?"

"Work and play," Laura said with a ladylike chuckle.

"Well, at least it's both," he nodded, laughing with her.

"Yes, I'm an agent--"

"Oh, I have one--"

"Literary," she said quickly.

"So you promote writers," he said.

"Well, someone has to give you actors something to say," I joked flatly.

"True, very true," he said, raising his eyebrows as he nodded. I averted my eyes again. His gaze was a bit much to take, mostly because I could see the intelligence. Smart good looking guy, that's lethal.

"Would you ever consider doing covers?" she asked as I sipped water. I almost choked, and covered it by sliding the laptop back over, pretending to frown over something.

"I don't think so," he shrugged. "What bothers me is that I don't know who I would be posing as."

My eyes lifted to him. Now he had my attention. He was looking at Laura, of course, but now I had a chance to look at him.

"I mean, I would think a writer would want to convey as much as possible in the cover, not just slap a snapshot there."

I nodded slowly. I felt like curling up in my chair. I liked his voice. He could read a story to me, anything really. I began to soak him up like a sponge-his thick straight eyebrows, his light eyes, his nose which looked like it might have been fractured at some point, the shoulders...oh, I go all weak on that...and he works out...a lot...a British guy with glutes like that is doing something...oh, great, I missed the conversation!

I almost gasped as they exchanged cards to get in touch with each other. I felt a pang of jealous sadness. I knew he was interested in Laura--what guy wasn't--but this time my reaction left me surprised and a bit shaken. He said his goodbyes, and he was gone.

"Why didn't you say something?"

My head snapped up when Laura hit my arm. "What?"

"Why didn't you say something?" she asked again. "You were definitely into him."

"Sometimes it's nice to appreciate beauty for what it is, not try to capture it, let it go by." I sighed. "He's a rose-beautiful to look at, but painful to hold, I'm sure of it."

"Bullshit," she looked at the card, then fanned herself with it. "He looked sturdier than that."

"Nothing that a pair of soft cuffs wouldn't cure," I joked naughtily, and we both shared a conspiratal laugh as he disappeared from sight.

Laura's eyes went back to the card.

"What?"

She gave me the card. "Happy birthday, Kiki. Use it, keep it, whatever."

I was surprised, but took it greatfully. "You're not--"

"No, I am not one to stand in the way of love," she smiled, collapsing in her chair and putting the back of her hand to her forehead in a melodramatic gesture as she closed her eyes. I shook my head at her when she opened one eye to look at me. "Just remember to do the same for me in Italy."

We both laughed and ordered lunch.

THANKS, LEMME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO BE TAGGED! 

[ardentprose]

Cold Brew - Prologue

This is my attempt at the old coffee shop cliche. I’m warning you now, my writer’s block is strong. But I will tell you this story to the best of my abilities. 

*I don’t own the gifs.

*Dialogue: English will be in standard font while Korean will be italicized.

Yoongi x Reader

Genre: Fluff, Slow-Burnish, Romance

Warnings: Language (if more are found, please message me)

Summary: Going to an American college for music was an opportunity Min Yoongi could not pass up. Despite the comments about his eyes and accent, he’s determined to make it through the semester and prove himself to his parents back home. After an awkward but fateful conversation, Yoongi finds himself crushing hard for a girl he only has so many weeks to confess to. If he will at all.

November

He sits at a table shoved against a wall, his mind concentrated on chasing down the train of thoughts bustling through his mind before it escapes him. His hand scurries across the page, the inevitable pain slowly rising in his wrist as the pen audibly scratches through the journal. Now and then, his left hand brushes the pale hair settling on his eyelashes. The brim of round wire glasses faithfully slides down the smooth bridge of his nose and so his fingers are kept busy with this task as well.

In the past hour, the bell has jingled a hundred times, the voices of patrons intermingling with the whistling espresso machines and clank of the register drawer. It’s background noise easily tuned out, and yet with an uncanny sense, when the bell chimes again announcing a new arrival, Yoongi slams his journal closed, slipping it into the safe cavern of his backpack.

He pulls out his English Composition 101 textbook and the accompanying black spiral notebook to set on the table.

She slides into the chair across from him, her sweet perfume cutting through the ever present aroma of coffee. The soft thud of her messenger bag accompanies her warm tone.

“Yoongi.” His eyes train on his notebook, watching the veins in his hand flicker as he opens the massive textbook to the current chapter. Only after finding the correct page does he looks up at her and her awaiting smile. That brief moment of delay does nothing to prepare his heart as it skips twice, taking in her shining eyes, rosy cheeks, and chapped lips parted for him.

“Hey.” He swallows the strain in his vocal chords, hoping to disguise their fragility with a long sip of his cold brew.

“How are you? Did you get any sleep last night?” She asks as she leans forward and slips out her winter coat. She drapes it over the back of her chair, left in a hoodie dyed the navy blue of the university.

“The same.” He mumbles, licking the aftertaste from his lips and anticipating the crinkle in her brow.

“Yoongi, you have to learn to go to bed! It’s not healthy to skip sleep. One of these days you’re going to collapse from exhaustion.”

“I have...too much work.” He reasons, watching the lavender scarf she claims to have knit herself unravel around her neck. She leans over to stuff it into her bag and then gives him a glare.

“We all have too much work to do, Yoongi. You need to sleep.”

Why does she keep saying my name? He muses, intrigued and yet horrified at the electricity that shoots through him every time he hears her say the familiar syllables.

“And you?” He chides, watching her momentarily cover a cough and then sniff. “You gonna catch a cold.”

“No, I’m not. I was just outside.” She shakes her head, tugging out her own textbook and note-taking utensils.

"Your voice is scratchy. That wouldn’t happen if you drank the warm honey water like I told you to.” Yoongi says.

“Yeah, well...” She sighs, and her eyes flicker to his along with a guilty smile. Despite her age, youth couldn’t prevent the exhausted wrinkles creasing under her eyes.

“Let’s both agree to take better care of ourselves. You go ahead and start, I’m going to order some tea.”

“I got it.” Yoongi says, allowing her to remain in her seat, albeit with a confused expression. He waves his hand above her head, catching the eye of the barista, who nods and disappears behind the kitchen. He returns promptly with a porcelain tea cup on a saucer, setting it down in front of her wide eyes.

“Thank you!” She glances from the barista to Yoongi, blinking several times at the steaming cup of tea.

“Let’s get started.” Yoongi clears his throat, taking another sip, and flipping open his notebook to the next blank page.

She hums, taking a careful sip of the spiced chai she so dearly craves. Soon, they slip into routine silence and time passes as it always does. She explains the English language in a patient voice, sometimes reaching over with her pen to point out a particular word or phrase. He writes it down, taking note of her correction and the way his knuckles burn when she grazes them in proximity. The atmosphere is calm and productive, and Yoongi can’t help but notice the contrast between the silent companionship in the café to the initial meeting they had only a mere three months ago.

September

He had just arrived in America, via a Student Visa and Study Abroad program. Though he had only spent three weeks at most on campus, he quickly realized the color of his skin and the accent of his words was evidence enough to attach numerous stereotypes to his character, most of which he had never heard of before in his life. The American students would clap him on the shoulder in class, asking if he could check their math homework. The teachers would speak to him in a patronizingly slow English, as if he had a mental issue, not a language barrier. A fair share of giggling girls with pretty Asian men tucked into phone cases would ask for his number, but struggle pronouncing his name. The worst of it came from the frat boys who, though having never seen his crotch, assumed it was lacking in comparison to their superior American-made crotches. It was by that time, Yoongi decided that save for the incredible opportunity it was to study music in America, the rest of it could burn in hell.

The only one stopping him from taking the next ticket back to South Korea was his roommate Hoseok, who came over on a dance scholarship the year before. Having acclimated for one year to American college life, Hoseok tried to convince Yoongi on a daily basis that not all Americans were as ignorant as they let on. However, it still took Hoseok disconnecting Yoongi’s laptop from the school Wi-Fi on a particularly climatic night in order to convince him to stay in America - at least until the end of the semester.

That being said, Yoongi had, fair or not, formed a prejudice against American students and avoided them at all costs. Ironically, it was this mindset that caused him to open his mouth, one picnic table away, and comment on some American’s awful pronunciation of his native tongue.

The soon to be victim was sitting at the picnic table next to his sitting with a presumably Korean girl.

“I haven’t gotten it down perfectly, but I definitely know how to have a basic conversation.”

“Really? Show me, show me!” Her loud volume caught Yoongi’s attention, which up until now had been focused on the next four measures under his pencil.

Having forgotten his earbuds in his dorm, he was left with no other choice but to eavesdrop.

“How are you?" The friend immediately asked and Yoongi could hear her smile in the eager question.

“I’m great! How are you?” The American responded.

A frown wrinkles Yoongi’s brow. He understood her words, but the pronunciation was slightly jarring, as if she was talking with rocks in her mouth.

“Very good!” The native encouraged and asked her what her career is, a basic introduction that any stranger would ask.

“College study gift. I’m study music and singer.“ Stumbling and humming her way through the sentence, Yoongi can’t help but snicker, holding his knuckles to his grin.

“Yes!” Expecting a correction, Yoongi scoffs as she ignores the obviously incorrect sentence and encourages her on. 

“Are you kidding me? She sounds like a damn Google translation.” He laughed, resuming his writing with a shake of his head.

“Hey! Who the fuck asked you?!”

Yoongi’s heart jumped into his throat. One moment he was scribbling notes on a composition sheet, chuckling to himself. The next, a furious Korean female was in his face, cursing him out. 

He blinked up at the sudden fire and brimstone before him. Before he fired back a few choice words of his own, he pieced together that his comment had been overheard. 

He glanced at the woman currently sitting at the other table, her tears brimming and her lips tucked in shame. She may not have understood his comment, but clearly, by the tone of his words and the righteous anger of her friend, he had insulted her. She cautiously lifted her eyes to him and Yoongi felt the boulder of remorse hit his stomach.

“Fuck.”

Leave it to him to insult the one American woman who, at the very least, was doing her best to understand his culture, and at the very most, was the prettiest woman he had ever seen.

Without a moment’s hesitation he met the eyes of the furious friend, choosing to deal with her first. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think you could hear me.”

“That doesn’t mean you can insult her! She was trying her best. We weren’t even talking to you.”

“I’m an asshole, okay? I didn’t mean to take it out on her. Can I at least apologize?” Choosing to agree in order to calm her down, Yoongi maintained his calm exterior despite the guilt twisting his stomach into knots.

The friend huffed, tossing her raven hair over her shoulder as she stepped back slightly. Yoongi cleared his throat, ignoring the tremble in his fingertips and shuffled over to the picnic table, sitting down on the opposite bench.

“Hey, I’m...” Doing his best to clearly pronounce his English was just another lash of shame against his burning cheeks.

“I’m very sorry for...my words. I was...idiot. Very big idiot. I...You speak...good Korean. More good than...I speak English...” Stuttering and flitting his eyes around her face, the table, and his shaking hands, Yoongi stumbled through an apology, his voice gruff but his expression sincere.

“It’s alright.” She sighed, swiping under her eyes with the back of her fingers. “I get it. I probably do sound really dumb. But thank you.” 

Her instant compassion tore at Yoongi all the more and he wondered at which point he turned into the monsters that terrorized him all day long.

“I...I help you, if you help me.” He was speaking the words before he could register them. Once they do, a cold terror drained his expression at the same time a large smile warmed her face.

“Really? You’d do that?”

“Hey, what about me?” The two glanced at the Korean friend who sensed the sudden shift in the conversation.

“I need all the help I can find, Eun. You know we hardly have time to meet up as it is. This is the first since two weeks ago I’ve been able to practice with you."

Eun rolls her eyes. “He just insulted you. Don’t trust him so easily.”

Yoongi blinks, lacking the words to defend himself and still processing why he offered his help to a stranger when he hadn’t given the time of day to anyone other than Hoseok - who wore a watch.

Her gaze fell on him now, taking in his features for the first time. Her eyebrows wrinkled. 

“Haven’t I seen you in a class before?”

“I...uh...I take music.”

“Oh, I am too! Music Production with Mrs. Harris, right? You’re the one who plays the piano all the time. I never see anyone with you. Have you made friends here?” Before he has time to think of an answer, she cuts him off. 

“Oh my word - ignore that! That was so rude to ask! I’m so sorry.” 

Again, how could he have insulted the kindest person on campus?

Yoongi licked his lips, shrugging. There weren’t enough English words in his vocabulary to explain the prejudice-driven harassment and bitterness he had experienced since moving here. He never noticed someone so genuine and sweet in that classroom of entitled pricks, himself included as one of them.

“Never mind. All the more reason. It’s a deal, then.” She held out her hand, brimming with a newfound excitement that hadn’t caught onto him yet.

“You’ll fix my pronunciation. I’ll help you pass ESL 101.” She promised as Yoongi slid his palm over hers. The fact she knew he was taking the English as a Second Language course wasn’t a surprise. All exchange students were required to take it and this incident more than warranted her assumption of his class register.

Swallowing thickly he nodded, now finding himself the one put out. Eun rolled her eyes but sat down beside her friend again.

“At least tell each other your names if this is gonna happen.” She exhaled.

Yoongi’s new tutor laughed, and it’s so contagious, he cracked a smile.

“We’re off to a great start, aren’t we?” She giggled, giving him a look that could rival the stars.

Chapter One

[zaffrenotes]

[Blades] Inked

Book: Blades of Light and Shadow, Modern/College AU Players: Mal, MC (Rin), Nia, Tyril Rating/Warnings: G Author’s Note: * All main characters belong to Pixelberry, I’m just borrowing them * OCs are my creation * 31 days of ficlets and one shots using Jasmine’s Situational Summer Prompts – Carnivals * Ugh, sorry this one is so short – left this to the last minute and got a bit of writer’s block * Word Count: +/- 850

Perma/Blades Taglist: @ao719​ @blackcatkita​ @brightpinkpeppercorn​ @desireepow-1986​ @gibbles82​ @innerpostmentality​ @loveellamae​ @smalltalk88​ @thecordoniandiaries​ // @choicesarehard​ @dailydoseofchoices​ @eileendannie​ @liyanin​ @mrsnazariowritesagain​ @omgjasminesimone​ @princess-geek​ @saivilo​ @scgdoeswhat​ @storyofmychoices​ @the-soot-sprite​ @walkerswhiskeygirl​

Mal strolled down campus walk, eyes moving from one booth to another. It was a warm August afternoon, and the annual College Carnival was well underway. It was an event held every year before the official start of the semester, when student groups and local businesses filled tents along some of the main pathways until they reached The Circle, promoting local services, clubs, and everything in between. Several days had passed since Mal ran into Rin at the Beach, and while she dropped by his room a handful of times, all her visits had happened during the day, usually with Nia.

He didn’t mind Nia’s company – she seemed like a sweet girl, if not a little sheltered from living at home while she went to a school closer to home. He could tell that she had an adventurous spirit; if anyone could coax it out of her, Rin was the right person to befriend. He was about to pull away from the foot traffic to look at the tapestry booth when he heard someone call out his name.

“Mal! Mal!” Mal turned his head and noticed Nia waving at him from a booth across the way. He waved back and scanned the crowd separating them for a gap, weaving and dodging his way through other students until he’d made his way to Nia’s booth.

“Enjoying the fair?” He slid his sunglasses up to rest on the top of his head, and gave Nia a friendly smile.

“It’s wonderful! Who knew there were so many different student groups?”

“There’s a little something for everyone.”

“Can you do me a favor? I’ve got to get to a meeting with my new advisor, but I don’t want to leave Rin in case she needs help.”

“Help with what?” Mal looked around the booth they were in, slowly putting pieces together before Nia could respond.

Tables were set up all around them, with members from one of the art clubs, applying temporary tattoos on students. Some were the stick on type, usually pre-printed from members of the art club; others were using paint to swirl colorful vines and tribal designs on shoulders and arms.

“She might need help with her things, or just getting around the rest of the fair. We got henna at one of the other booths,” she replied, holding up her hand to Mal to show off the starry design on the back of her hand. “It’s dry, but we’re not supposed to smear it or wash it off for a couple hours, so it stains the skin underneath.”

“Okay,” Mal hummed back. “So you need me to…?”

“Stay with Rin until they’re done, and help her back into the building, I guess?” Nia gathered up her things into a small knapsack. “She got henna all over her fingers, instead of picking one spot.” Nia’s cheeks began to flush, and she smiled bashfully at him.

Mal grinned softly at her. “I’ve got you covered,” he replied. “Don’t keep your advisor waiting.”

“You’re the best!” Nia started walking off. “I owe you one!”

Mal waved again as Nia disappeared into the throng of people, before turning to look for Rin inside the small tent. His eyes locked in on her long, dark hair as she chatted with the student working on her. “A little bird told me you might want some company,” he hummed into her ear.

Rin turned her head to the side and smiled at him. “Possibly. Depends on the company.”

“And if I were that company?”

She grinned softly at him before averting her eyes, turning back to the work being done on her wrist. “I would be amenable to such an offer.”

The student working on painting the design on her wrist scoffed lightly, and a tendril of his hair fell loose. “You two ought to just find a room,” he mumbled.

“Ty, be nice.” Rin looked at the young man with a look of warning.

“My name is Tyril, not Ty, Rind-“

“Do not use my given name, Tyril,” Rin shot back. The warning in her voice sounded serious, but there was a shy grin across her lips.

“Should I leave and let the two of you find a room instead?” Mal crossed his arms, feeling oddly protective of Rin. He wanted to get her away from Tyril, for no other reason than to have her attention to himself, rather than vying for it from the extremely tall, attractive Art major who had his hand curled around her wrist. He watched as Tyril set down his airbrush and turned her wrist, eyeing the ink, before releasing his grasp on her. “Hey, watch the—”

“Henna, I know, Mal.” Tyril rolled his eyes at Mal and picked up a small container and a brush. After opening the container, Tyril gently tapped the brush in its contents, and tapped it lightly against Rin’s skin onto the paint.

Mal grinned as Tyril applied a layer of glitter to Rin’s tattoo before peeling away the stencil, revealing a tiny creature. “Well would you look at that,” he smirked. “A kit.”

[theincompetentgenius]

Drops of the Ocean (Sirius x Reader)

@aoryuucchi: MC is really sad because, even when she knows that Sirius doesn't pay her attention because he has work to do, she feels lonely and unloved. Sirius realizes it and reassures her that he loves her very much. A lot of fluff~

Hey, sorry for the wait! I’ve been busy with holiday and getting ready for college (wish me luck!) with a bit of writer’s block, but I’m back. Also, I gave this story an alternate ending because I really liked it??? But it’s super angsty so PLEASE SKIP IT IF YOU DON’T WANT TO READ IT (It will be tagged, so don’t worry-- the true ending is a very fluffy ending). Also, it might have been too cheesy, so sorry in advance (fluff is my weaker spot)!

Title: Drops of the Ocean

Fandom: Ikemen Revolution

Pairing: Sirius x Reader

Word Count: 1660 (+255 for the alternate ending)

The pebble rippled across the pond. I threw another rock, hoping it would skip farther than the last. However, the rock fell from my hand a second too early and fell in the water, swallowed by the surrounding water.  

I sat down with an irritated sigh. Throwing rocks in the pond had become my past-time since Sirius was swept away with his work. An uprising in the southern sector of the Black Territories had led to severe riots and strikes, leaving Sirius to handle the mess created by irresponsible cooperation. Weeks of paperwork, negotiating, and planning had passed. The only time I saw Sirius was when he returned from his outside duties. It lasted for five minutes. 

Part of me felt foolish. Sirius had to deal with pressing issues that needed his complete attention. He had real problems while I was whining about the lack of attention. It was childish. I wanted nothing more than these feelings to dissipate, but a dumbbell weighed over my chest. Everyone thought I was understanding about the entire situation, but it became a facade. Time separated us, leaving my patience on a tight-rope.   

My hand patted the ground for another pebble. Instead, it was greeted with grainy, crunchy sand. I sifted for more stones, but the sand was bruised with uneven, empty pockets. Those were probably the homes of the rocks that I chucked into the pond earlier. With nothing to throw, my time at the pond felt pointless. 

I got up and dusted the sand off my dress. As I made my way to the Black Army, I heard galloping hooves in the background. Someone shouted my name. I turned around and saw Sirius waving at me. Although I wanted to run, my feet stood in place and I waved back with a thin smile. 

Once Sirius mounted off his horse, he rushed to me. It took a few seconds to pull my feet out of the ground, but my eagerness overtook my stubbornness. It felt a little cheesy, but my chest grew tight as I ran towards him. It was a rare opportunity to see him outside of his work and I couldn’t let this opportunity slide. He grabbed me by the waist and lifted me into the sky. I placed laughed as he twirled me around, my loneliness drifting along with the cloud beside me. Sirius placed me down and I enveloped him in a hug. We held each other in silence.

He released me and we plopped on the grass behind the sand. Sirius placed his hand over mine as we watched the water glimmer against the sun. Although the quietness was soothing, there were so many things I wanted to say. Yet I didn’t want to be a burden.

“Is something wrong?” Sirius tilts his head, meeting my eyes.

“No.” I look away.

“You can tell me anything. If it’s something important, I want to help you.”

Was it something important? The longer I thought about it, the more tears I felt pool around my eyes. This entire problem was completely one-sided and frugal. Why did I have to over-complicate the situation? Sirius wasn’t intentionally trying to hurt me. He was simply side-tracked.

I shook my head, but the evidence was stacked against me. My eyes were brimming with water. I tried to brush them away, but a few tears rolled down my cheek. Sirius took his thumb and wiped them from my face. 

“I’m sorry,” I gasped. “It’s just that we-”

“Haven’t seen each other in forever,” Sirius completed my sentence. His eyes flashed with guilt as he realized what I was trying to say.

Sirius gave the first of his many apologies. “I had no idea that my absence was affecting you.” 

“No, no. I was being overdramatic for no reason. You’re busy.”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t spend time with you,” Sirius got up and lent his hand out to me. “You have to let me make up for this mistake.”

I took his hand and we began chatting about all the times we had missed. He told me about a harvesting festival his men had come across, where he nearly burned his tongue from eating their spicy meat. In return, I told him about the time Fenrir and I nearly burned down Luka’s kitchen while trying to make Seth an edible birthday cake. The color nearly drained from Sirius’s face and I assured him that I avoided the fire with my quick wits and fire extinguishing skills. He didn’t feel any better.

He ran to the edge of the shore and I followed behind him. I wasn’t sure what he had in mind, but Sirius only grew closer to the water. Soon, the water crashed against the heels of his boots. I inched closer to the shore, but the moment my toes collided with the sea foam, I ran back. Sirius’s left foot was on the sand while the waves brushed against his right foot. He beckoned for me to come over, but I couldn’t move. The water was too cold and I didn’t know how to swim;  I had no intention of drowning. He assured me that everything will be fine and he would be beside me in case a dangerous situation unfolds, but I simply stared at the lingering sea foam. After a few moments of mental debating, Sirius steps out of the water and held his hand towards me. I tiptoed towards the waves once more, feeling creases forming against my brow. The tide rushed to me, drawing past its previous shoreline but I sped ahead and remained untouched by the water. As if being scolded by the ocean, my feet were trapped within the sand and my hands were folded behind my back.

Before taking another step, Sirius stopped and turned to me. “If you don’t want to go any further, then that’s fine. I know you’re scared of deep water, so we can do something else. I don’t have anything else to do today and we can always explore around the nearby town.”

I shook my head. Sirius and I were spending time together by the pond (which now seemed more like a beach) with no distractions. While we could go somewhere else, I was oddly enjoying the entire thing: scaring the living out of myself while having Sirius guide me through the not-so-turbulent waters. Also, I felt slightly guilty that he had to give up the rest of his day for me. I didn’t want to cause any additional trouble for him.

“No, I don’t mind. In fact, you can help me overcome my fear of deep waters. Consider it a very important task that you must accomplish today!” “On whose orders?” He raised an eyebrow. I crossed my arms and thought for a moment. “Um………” “We’ll say that’s a direct order from the queen,” He laughed and patted my head.  “Wouldn’t that be on your orders then?” “Although I’m the Queen of Spades, you’re the queen of my life.”

I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and pointed towards the water. “Onwards then!”

“Alright milady,” Sirius bowed. 

I laughed and gave him a curtsy in return. “As long as I don’t have to swim, I’ll be alright.”

“You don’t need to swim. Just stand beside me and hold my hand,” He winked. I nodded and strolled towards the shoreline. The ominous blue of the ocean faded from my sight as my eyes were focused on Sirius and his radiant smile against the glimmering sunlight. His purple eyes held a warmth that gravitated me closer towards him. As I stepped in his direction, he took an additional ten steps forward-- closing the distance between us. The knot in my chest slowly disappeared.

 My feet had reached the wet sand. It curled around my toes and cling to my skin like the last grains of rice in a finished bowl. Sirius hopped out of the water and took off his boots. He rolled the sleeves of his pants, and with my permission, pinned the hem of my dress towards my knees with a spare pin in his pocket. He took my hand in his. Soft but firm.

“Are you ready?”

I didn’t respond but gave him a smile. With a tight grip on his hands, I slide towards the ocean with my left foot. “This is not so bad.”

Sirius laughed. “Compared to the shenanigans that Fenrir pulls, this is heaven.”

“He’s not as crazy as everyone paints him to be. In fact, you can hold a stable conversation with him for an entire minute if you really try.” I glided against the wet sand and my feet touched the water. My knuckles turned white and Sirius wrapped his arm around me. 

“Looks like you’ve accomplished something that will take me years to understand.”  He said. We took another step together, the water rushing past our feet. I put my hands on his chest for extra support. The two of us watched the waves crash against each other, huddled against each other. Flocks of birds flew over our heads and Sirius labeled each bird as a person in the black army. I pointed to mushroom-shaped cloud behind them, but Sirius thought the clouds looked like sunflowers. Maybe he was getting old. 

“Don’t be silly,” I stretched to reach his forehead and brush the idle strands from his face. Maybe that would give him a better view of the clouds. However, I use too much force with no support to push myself towards his tall structure. A strong wave knocks me over, drenching me in saltwater. Sirius grabbed my hand, steering me towards him, and I landed on his lap. For a second, I simply blinked. I looked up and our eyes meet. Laughter bubbled in my stomach as the two of us laughed over my klutziness. It was embarrassing, but I was with Sirius. That’s all that mattered.

A/N: Alright! I hope you enjoyed that. It was difficult because everything I touch turns into angst. In fact, I might have gotten carried away and might have created an alternate ending that’s not so sweet and happy? If you’re interested, keep reading. If not, just skip this.

TW: Drowning

We spent the right of the time in the water. One splash turned into an entire water fight and we were completely soaked. It was a matter of time before the sun had set and the sky had grown black. Sirius realized that we couldn’t walk around in wet clothes, so he went to fetch some outfits from the nearest clothing store. He insisted that I went with him, but I wanted to spend a little more time in the water. Although he was worried, I assured him that I could handle it on my own. With much reluctance and sneezing from my end, Sirius scouted for dry clothes.

I stared into the blue. It was calling for me, wish for my presence. I walk over to the waves, closing my eyes as the waves wash over me. It was a small bath.

A sudden wave knocked me over. My arms falter from the weight and my mind is filled with sheer horror. I stumble from the fall, trying to grab something for support. Tension seared through my arms as I struggled to keep them out for an imaginary hand, pulling me out of this monster. My body submerged into the water. My eyes widened with fear and I flailed my arms. My feet kicked out, trying to propel herself towards the land but the force of the tide pulled me back. I continued to thrash and scream. The water entered my mouth, silencing me.

The water rushed against my feet at a steady rhythm.

[kpopersanonymous]

Be Still My Heart -part 2-

Pairing: Wonho x Reader

Genre: Soulmate!AU, Fluff

Warnings: None

Word Count: 2k

Read part one here!!

A/N: Tempted to just call this chapter “Surprise!” bc of how many times I used the word surprise lol. Also yes, I have just made another part... which means there will be other parts. Hopefully they won’t take as long as this one but I can’t make any promises bc writer’s block is a bitch and also I procrastinate. Anyways, enjoy!!

You were standing on a bridge, looking down below at the river underneath you, waiting for Hoseok to arrive. A family of ducks caught your eye and you watched them play in the water for a bit. You soon felt a pair of warm arms wrap around you, hugging you tightly while a pair of lips kissed you on the top of your head. 

“I’m glad you came,” said the voice behind you. Turning around, you locked eyes with Hoseok and it made your heart ache with love. 

“You said you had something important to tell me. What is it?” you asked. 

“Right,” he said, his voice shaking. “It is important... because I can’t keep this secret from you any longer. This might risk our friendship but it’s a risk I have to take.” He averted eye-contact and took your hands in his. 

Your heart began to race. Is he going to say what I think he is?

“I love you Y/N. I’ve loved you for a long time and I’ve never stopped loving you. There’s a deep connection between us that we both can’t deny. I want to deepen that connection with you even further, if you feel the same way,” he looked up at you with hope in his eyes.

You felt your lips grow into a big smile. Before you could stop yourself you got up on your tiptoes, arched your head back and kissed his lips softly. It took a second for him to recover from the shock but afterwards Hoseok pulled you closer to him, making the kiss deeper and full of passion. 

When you two finally parted, you said breathlessly, “I’ve loved you ever since I could remember. I couldn’t think of anyone more perfect to be in a relationship with than you. I had always hoped you felt the same.”

Hoseok gave you a big smile, twirled a strand of your hair between his fingers and said, “I don’t think we put enough oil in.”

“Huh?” you asked in confusion, cocking your head to the side.

“The eggs are going to burn! What should we do?” he asked with a wide grin. 

The world started to fade and turn dark around you. Hoseok started to disappear from out of your fingertips and you were met with darkness and the smell of... eggs?

You heard muffled footsteps and hushed whispers coming from somewhere near you. You felt your eyes flutter open as they were met with gentle rays of sunshine. Confusion filled you as you didn’t recognize the room you were in until you remembered last night, when Hoseok picked you up from the airport and let you sleep over in Monsta X’s dorm. An image of Hoseok cuddling you raced through your mind and gave you butterflies. 

It slowly dawned on you that you had dreamt everything after that. There had been no confession nor were you and Hoseok going to deepen your connection. The thought made your heart drop. 

You got up off of the pillow and blanket covered floor and stretched. Your muscles still ached from your long flight to Korea. You asked yourself how Hoseok gets through all those flights he takes. 

You turn yourself in the direction of the distressful noises of Hoseok were coming from. Nearing the door, you heard another voice speak. “It’ll be fine Hoseok... scrambled eggs are good too, right? And they’re not that burnt. We can easily pick out the charred parts.”

Hoseok gave a low groan. “We can’t even cook eggs right. Kihyun makes everything look so easy... Do you think it’s too late to go to the store and surprise Y/N with donuts?”

“I’ll go check!” the voice answered cheerily. Before you could do anything, the door to the kitchen opened and you were greeted by Minhyuk, one of Hoseok’s groupmates. The thin, blond-haired boy yelled in shock, causing you and Hoseok to do the same, him dropping the pan of eggs in the process. 

“Umm...” Minhyuk looked between you and Hoseok. “Surprise!” he said, waving his hands in the air. He stepped towards you and held out his hand, which you took and started shaking. “I’m Minhyuk, by the way. You probably know that already though, Hoseok told me you’re a fan of our group. He’s told me a lot about you, actually. And you’re a lot prettier than the pictures he’s showed me. I should probably stop rambling before I say something stupid.” He flashed you a wide grin, releasing your hand. 

You gave him a shy smile in return and turned your attention to Hoseok, who was staring at you from across the room, his cheeks flushed. He looked down at the eggs, now scrambled across the floor and sighed. “This was supposed to be an omelette,” he said, waving his hand around the mess. 

“And now it’s turned into a surprise donut and coffee run!” Minhyuk interrupted. He stepped around you to get his coat and wallet. “What do you normally drink Y/N?” he asked at the door.

“Um.. Americano, regular, no sugar,” you said. He grinned once again and headed out the door, leaving you and Hoseok all alone. You walked into the kitchen as Hoseok began picking up the eggs off of the floor and sat down at the table. 

He avoided eye contact and worked in silence as you began to wonder if everything that happened last night had been a dream. Maybe you had been so sleep deprived that you had imagined the way his hugs lasted a little longer than they should have, or the way his ears turned red whenever he looked at you, or how he lightly caressed you when he touched you. You were pulled out of your ponderings by the sound of him clearing his throat.

“I... I’m sorry. I wanted to surprise you, make your first official day back in Seoul something great. And now I’ve ruined the surprise and breakfast.” He pouted, not looking up from the floor.

“It’s still a nice gesture,” you said. “Plus, you’ve already given me a great first night in Seoul, if that’s any consolation. The city at night, the fairy lights, falling asleep mid-cuddle.... Amazing,” you smiled.

This seemed to lighten Hoseok’s mood. He lifted up his head and met your eyes. He grinned in return. “You were out like a light. You didn’t even make it ten seconds into the video. Are you sure you were aware of us cuddling?” he teased. 

“I know a good cuddle when I see one, and that, my friend, was a good cuddle,” you said, making the two of you chuckle. 

Although the two of you were able to have the same light-hearted conversations you always had, you felt a sort of tension in the air. Hoseok gathered up the rest of the mess and threw it away. He then sat down in the seat next to you, giving you a small smile and began dwindling his thumbs. 

You knew you had to say something, the silence in the room was becoming too unbearable. “So, you know how to cook now?” you asked the first question that popped in your head. 

“Umm,” he chuckled, rubbing his neck. “Not really. I can heat up ramen and make like protein shakes but the one who mainly does the cooking here is Kihyun. I asked him to teach me how to make an omelette for you but... it’s a lot harder than it looks, you know?”

You nodded. “And yet you don’t let him oversee this surprise-breakfast-making for me? Where are the others, anyway? Are they just never home?” you asked. 

“He was busy, he had some things to take care of. And I thought Minhyuk could handle things too, and I’m not just saying that because he was the only one I could get to help me.... Okay no he was my only choice,” he admitted sheepishly, making you laugh. 

“As for the others, they’re all out,” he continued. “Working on that surprise I was talking about. And believe me, it was extremely difficult getting them all to leave the dorm last night.”

“What exactly is this surprise?” you asked, fluttering your lashes at him. 

“Oh no, I’m not telling you that. I have to keep some things to myself. I can’t have you knowing everything,” he winked. 

You smiled at him wickedly. “Don’t be like that Hoseok,” you began, inching your body toward him. “You know I have ways to make you talk,” you whispered, your faces centimeters apart. 

He gulped hard in response and you waited a moment before tickling his sides. He burst out in laughter, trying to block your hands from the sensitive spots you knew so well. Eventually he tackled you to the ground, the two of you a giggling mess. He pinned your hands above your head to protect his sides as he laid on top of you, the two of you catching your breath. 

The weight of his body and the way his breath hit your skin made your head spin and blood rush to your cheeks. In return, his cheeks turned red as well, his breath slowing down as he stared deeply into your eyes. You didn’t turn away and even if you could’ve, you still wouldn’t have. This was a now or never moment, and you knew that. You wanted to know, you had to know, if he had the same feelings for you as you did for him.

He rested his head against your forehead, continuing to stare into your eyes. He stroked the tip of your nose with his while his fingers intertwined with yours. His breath was hot against your skin and his lips were so close to yours that you could just barely touch them. You felt as though your heart was about to leap out of your chest. 

Just as he was about to close the distance, you heard a voice speak up. “Am I interrupting something?” you heard Minhyuk ask. Your breath caught in your throat as Hoseok scrambled up, pulling you up in the process. A knowing smirk was painted on Minhyuk’s face as he held up the box of donuts and coffees. 

You all gathered around the table, Minhyuk removing the tension from the room by asking you questions about yourself, your hobbies and college while you ate. All the while, Hoseok watched you in silence, his head in a daze at what just happened. He thought about how your heart pounded against his chest, how you had met his gaze with longing, how wonderfully soft your lips had felt in that split second before he had to turn away. 

After you were finished, Minhyuk told you it was time for your surprise and that you had to get dressed. You would have been more curious as to what the surprise might be if your thoughts wouldn’t be replaying that intimate moment with Hoseok over and over again. You wouldn’t stop thinking about it even after you were dressed and refreshed and got into the back of Hoseok’s car. 

You didn’t mind not sitting next to him, you needed some space between the two of you. Although your body craved exactly the opposite. Your head was busy dealing with a parade of What Ifs. What if he loved you back? What if you got together and things turned sour? What if your friendship would never be the same? What if this was all a big mistake?

It didn’t take long to get to your destination because you were soon knocked out of your thoughts by Hoseok’s voice. 

“We’re here,” he smiled widely. You got out of the car and wondered where “here” is. You looked around and saw a nice neighborhood, similar to that of where Monsta X’s dorm was located. You were standing in front of a small apartment complex, a few cherry trees decorating the entrance. Hoseok’s breath tickled your ear, making your insides feel warm and fuzzy, as he whispered in your ear, “Surprise.”

[emospritelet]

Yes, I know it's been two years, I suck.

If anyone still remembers this fic, here's an update.  I've written beyond this chapter, so I'm hoping it won't take too long to finish.  Last time, Belle and Gold parted so she could go off to college and he could continue selling his body.  We fast forward two years (I'd like to say that's the reason for the two year hiatus but that would be a lie.  The truth is writer's block is a bitch and I'm easily distracted).  Cover art by @evilsnowswan

[AO3 link]

Lying on her front on top of her bed, feet kicked up behind her, Belle turned the page of her book.  She had been trying to lose herself in its words for the past hour, without much success: guilt gnawing at her over reading something frivolous that wasn’t on her list for class.  It was early May, and finals were due to start the following week. She wasn’t too worried about them; she had put the study in, but she was tired after another semester of hard study and grabbing hours as a waitress whenever she could.  She had managed to find a couple of part-time jobs in local diners, and had worked more hours than she had bargained for when she first arrived in Boston. College life had many wonderful positives, but the reality of her mounting student debt left her with an ever-present anxiety that was hard to shake.  Hence the waitressing.

The sound of the apartment door opening made her look up, and she smiled as Ruby put her head around the bedroom door, dark ponytail swinging.

“Pizza tonight?” she asked, and Belle wrinkled her nose.

“Do you mind?” she asked.  “I know we said we’d start eating more healthy stuff, but I’m exhausted.”

“Cheese, bread and prosciutto have to be three of the food groups,” said Ruby.  “We can add in wine. That was fruit once, right?”

Belle giggled.

“Okay, I’m convinced.  Call it in whenever you like.”

“I’ll do it now.  Want to watch a movie later?”

“As long as it’s not something terrible, sure.”

“Come on, the terrible ones are fun!”

Ruby disappeared, and after a moment Belle heard her speaking on the phone, ordering the pizza.  She soon returned, minus her jacket, hair free of its ponytail.

“So.”  Ruby flopped onto the bed beside her and winked.  “Tomorrow you’re officially in your twenties. Does Will have anything special planned?”

“I doubt it,” said Belle, turning the page of her book.  “We broke up.”

Ruby blinked.

“What?  Since when?”

“Since I decided to stop kidding myself.  Namely last night.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

Belle closed the book, tossing it aside and rolling onto her back.

“I don’t know,” she sighed.  “He’s a nice guy, and I know you like him.”

“Screw that,” said Ruby fiercely.  “You’re my best friend! Of course I’ll support you over him!  What did he do?”

“Nothing,” said Belle wearily.  “It’s not him, it’s me.”

“Is that what you told him?” Ruby winced.  “Ouch.”

“I know, I know…”  Belle ran her hands over her face.  “It’s a terrible cliché, but it was never gonna work out, I was kidding myself.  To be honest, he hasn’t gotten over his ex. I told him to follow her to Europe. I think he might.”

“Wow.”  Ruby shook her head.  “So why did you say it was you, not him?”

“Because…”  Belle screwed up her nose.  “I never really tried, you know?”

“Not much point if he’s still pining after Anastasia.”

“Yeah,” said Belle gloomily.  “Still, I think maybe we made each other feel better for awhile.  He made me laugh, at least.”

“Well, that’s important,” said Ruby sagely.

“And I could talk to him,” added Belle.  “Not about anything that mattered, not like I can with you, but at least he listened.  More than most guys do.”

Ruby sniffed.  “Tell me about it.”

“But,” Belle went on, “I should still never have dated him.  I knew it was hopeless. All we did was go and see stupid movies and talk about crap.  Like that was ever gonna help him get over her!”

“Probably better than my way of dealing with a bad break-up,” offered Ruby, and Belle grinned.

“Come on, drunken one-nighters are a rite of passage for all college students.”

“You must have missed that memo.”

“Yeah.”  Belle pulled a face.  “Not really my scene.”

Ruby sighed, settling back against the blankets and eyeing Belle thoughtfully.

“You’ve never really gotten over that first guy, have you?” she said frankly, and Belle shifted uncomfortably.

“I didn’t say that.”

Ruby threw up a hand in exasperation.

“Belle, you can’t keep thinking about him!” she protested.  “The guy was a prostitute, it’s not like you know him!  However great he was, however attentive he was, you paid him to be that way!  It was all an act! You do know that, right?”

“Of course,” lied Belle.  “I wasn’t even thinking about him, anyway.”

“I’m not stupid, you know.”

“I wasn’t!” she insisted.  “At least - at least not much.”

“Great sex does not make a great relationship,” Ruby reminded her sternly.  “Look at me! A whirlwind romance with what I thought was the person of my dreams, and three months later I’m single and miserable and wondering what the hell I did wrong!”

Belle reached out to grasp her hand and squeeze.

“You’ll meet someone new,” she said.  “We - we both will. Eventually.”

“I know,” sighed Ruby.  “Doesn’t stop it sucking while we wait, huh?”

“Means we concentrate in class more, though.”

“Well, that’s true.  Every cloud, and all that.”

“You ready for finals?”

“As I’ll ever be.”  Ruby pulled a face. “I think it’ll be okay.  I haven’t screwed up in the lab in weeks. I have to ace these finals, there’s no way I want to have to take summer classes.”

“Yeah, I really need to work as much as I can, get some of this debt paid down.”

“Your dad never did come up with a surprise wad of cash, huh?” said Ruby, looking aggrieved on her behalf.

“I never expected him to, not really,” sighed Belle.  “It’s cool. I’ll have paid it off by the time I’m like forty-five or something.”

They shared a grin, and Ruby pushed up on her elbows, fixing Belle with a firm stare.

“Okay,” she said resolutely.  “Since we’re young, free and single, I say we celebrate your birthday together.  That means a prosecco brunch with all the sugar you can eat, followed by mani-pedis and a trip to Wonderland to get the one thing every girl needs.”

“What’s that?” asked Belle suspiciously, and Ruby grinned.

“A decent vibrator.”

x

Gold ran a hand through his newly-cropped hair and rolled his shoulders, the interior of Wonderland a little warm for the three-piece suit he was wearing. He wasn’t sure why he had decided to don the thing for his final visit to Blue Star, but it had seemed appropriate.  He had said his goodbyes to his colleagues, shaken hands and kissed cheeks, all wrapped in the armour of blue silk and fine black wool.  Having agreed to accompany Jefferson to Wonderland for the purchase of some tools of the trade, he was looking forward to leaving the place empty-handed for a change.  Then he could go back to his hotel room, take off the suit for the last time, and turn the final page on that chapter of his life.  He couldn’t say he would be sorry to do it, however reluctant Miss Blue was to lose him as an escort.

“What do you think of these?  Pretty, huh?”

Jefferson handed him a set of butt plugs in iridescent colours, and Gold raised an eyebrow.

“Does it really matter what colour they are, considering where they’re going?”

“Wow,” remarked Jefferson.  “You really are off the clock, huh?  Come on, give me your expert opinion while you can.”

“I’d be worried about the coating coming off,” said Gold.  “Stick with the silicone ones.”

“You’re probably right.”

“What about leather cuffs?” said Gold, pointing.  “You said you needed some new ones.”

“Oh yeah, thanks for the reminder.”

Jefferson went off to browse, and Gold fidgeted, fingertips toying with his hair again.  It was taking a little time to get used to. The short length made the silver in it more visible, and it was strange not to have it hanging around his face, but the haircut felt right, too.  Another break with the past.

“Since you’re staying in Boston, why don’t you come to dinner tonight?” said Jefferson, as he looked through the selection of cuffs and straps.  “Graham’s making tacos. They’re pretty good, if you add extra hot sauce. I can promise some decent tequila, too.”

“Sounds good.”

“Come over at seven, then.  You can meet our new cat, she’s adorable.”

Gold smiled.  He had thought about getting a cat himself, now that he would spending more time in Storybrooke.  It would be nice to have some company in the evenings. Of a different sort than he was used to.

“I’ll be there.”

Jefferson soon found what he was looking for, and paid for his choices, dropping everything into one of the recognisable turquoise bags and winking at Alice, the assistant.

“You sure you don’t want anything?” he asked, as he and Gold headed for the exit.

“Why would I?”

“Well, you never know,” said Jefferson.  “Long winter nights, up in Maine, all by yourself in that big old house...  A guy could get lonely.”

“I’m fine, thank you,” said Gold, and raised an eyebrow.  “What are you expecting me to get, a bloody sex doll?”

Jefferson snickered.

“No!  I just meant you should be prepared, just in case someone special wanders into your life.  You have great skills, or so it’s rumoured. Be a shame to let ‘em go stale.”

“I’ll have more than enough to keep me busy, I assure you.”

“You should start getting out a bit more,” said Jefferson.  “You know what they say, all work and no play—”

“—means I can pay the bills and get to class on time,” finished Gold, and Jefferson rolled his eyes with a dramatic sigh.

“Well, if nothing else, when you eventually decide to let someone in enough to have an actual relationship, the sex will be awesome!”

“Thank you for that ringing endorsement,” said Gold dryly.  “I have a feeling it takes more than a bag of tricks to make a relationship work.  You’re lucky you and Graham know all one another’s secrets.”

“You need someone you can be honest with from the start,” said Jefferson. “Given how we met, that was never an issue.”

“Well, that’s unlikely to happen in my case, hmm?”

He grasped the door handle, pulling it open, and two young women almost fell in from the street in a mass of dark hair and jumbled colours.  He took a step back, opening his mouth to apologise, and whatever he had planned to say died on his lips as the first woman swept back her hair and looked up.

“Belle!” he breathed.

She stared at him, her eyes widening, a blush rising in her cheeks.  Dear God, she was beautiful!  Perfection. Small and slender and clad in a pale blue jacket and what looked like a yellow dress over wedge-heeled sandals, a blue beret pulled down over her chestnut curls.  Her lips were full and red, parted in shock, and he remembered with painful clarity exactly how she tasted. In every way.

“Alistair,” she whispered.

He swallowed hard, taking a step back as he noticed Ruby Lucas behind her.

“I - Miss French!” he managed.  “Miss Lucas. How - how lovely to see you. How are you both?”

“Fine,” said Ruby cheerfully.  “We’re just having a girly shopping day for Belle’s birthday, hence the trip to this place.”

Two years today.  It’s two years today since we—

“Right,” he said.  “Uh - happy birthday, Miss French.”

Belle didn’t answer, and was blushing, teeth worrying her lower lip.  She had dropped her gaze, fingers dancing along the brown leather strap of the purse over her shoulder.  He pulled his eyes away.

“Fancy seeing you here, Mr Gold,” added Ruby.  “With your - friend.”

“Yes, well, we were just - I was just—” he floundered.

“Regular shopping trip,” said Jefferson, holding up the bag.  “We spend a fortune in this place, but it’s worth every cent.”

Ruby smirked, and turned back to Gold, gesturing up and down.

“That’s a new look for you,” she observed.  “Like the suit. Love the hair.”

“Thank you,” said Gold numbly.  

“You girls should check out the White Rabbit range,” said Jefferson helpfully. “Hits the spot others can’t quite reach, if you take my meaning. Alice will steer you right, just tell her I sent you.”

Belle closed her eyes with an expression suggesting she was enduring physical pain, and Gold desperately tried to steer the conversation onto a more appropriate topic.

“I - ah - I had forgotten you were both headed to Boston,” he said.  “Are you enjoying college?”

“I - yes,” said Belle, still blushing.  “Yes, thank you.”

“We have a place together, a couple of blocks away,” put in Ruby.  “Studying hard, you’ll be pleased to know.”

“Good.”  His power of speech appeared to have deserted him.  “That’s - I’m very glad to hear it. Take care, both of you.”

He stepped to the right, and Belle stepped in front of him.  There was an awkward moment that seemed to last an eternity, in which they sidestepped to try to get past one another, murmuring apologies as they each stepped in the same direction.  Eventually he managed to escape with the help of Jefferson’s firm hand steering him by the shoulder. He left the store without seeing anything, and without looking back, dimly aware that Jefferson was following him.  His heart was racing, and he took a couple of deep breaths before he was able to focus on anything. The sun was very bright, and he fumbled for his sunglasses, almost sighing with relief as he slipped them on and cut the glare.

“Friends of yours?” asked Jefferson, and Gold sighed.

“Two ex-students from my high school,” he said tersely.  “I think we could have done without the vibrator recommendations, to be honest.”

“Oops,” said Jefferson, not sounding remotely contrite.

“Indeed.”  Gold ran a hand over his face.  “Of all the places to bump into those two…”

“Don’t worry, they didn’t hear us talking about anything they shouldn’t.”

“Right,” said Gold vaguely.

“You okay?” asked Jefferson.  “Sometimes it’s weird when your two lives collide, you know?”

“Oh, I’m well aware,” said Gold quietly.  “I’m fine, really.”

“Good.”

Jefferson leaned in, kissed his cheek and stepped back, the turquoise bag crackling against his leg.

“I’ll see you tonight,” he announced, waving a finger.  “Seven o’clock! Don’t forget!”

“I’ll be there,” promised Gold, and Jefferson grinned and turned on his toes, sauntering off down the street with the bag swinging from his hand.

Gold watched him go with half an eye, his mind full of Belle.  She lived nearby, with Ruby. How had he not seen her before? Admittedly he wasn’t in Boston much these days, and would be there even less now that he had given up escorting.  He sent up heartfelt thanks that he had never seen her while working his second job. God, she was as beautiful as ever. Beautiful and just as hopelessly out of reach. He blinked hard, shaking his head.

“Penny for ‘em.”

Another familiar voice made him jump, and he turned with a smile.

“Neal,” he said warmly, reaching out to pull his son into a hug.  Neal hugged him back, grinning, a small backpack looped over one shoulder.

“What are you doing here, Dad?” he asked.  “Are you staying in Boston?”

“Only a couple of nights,” said Gold.  “I was doing some shopping and finishing up a few business matters, that’s all.”

“Yeah?  Who was that?”

“What?”  Gold panicked for a moment before realising who Neal meant.  “Oh that - that was Jefferson. He’s - a friend.”

“Oh.  Okay, cool.”  Neal looked him over.  “You look great! What’s with the suit?”

“Oh.”  Gold looked down at himself.  “Yes. Well. I - uh - thought I’d try a different look.  I’m not sure it’s really me.”

“That’s a hell of a different look,” observed Neal.  “And you cut your hair!”

“I - yes.”  Gold ran his fingers through the short strands.  “Don’t you like it?”

“It looks great,” said Neal.  “Although I kinda miss the - floof.”

“Floof?” said Gold flatly.  “Whatever that is, I’m almost certain I never had any.”

“Have it your way,” said Neal, with a grin.  He put a hand on Gold’s shoulder. “You look good, but I gotta say you look tired.  Emma always says you work too hard.”

“Well…”  Gold shrugged awkwardly.  “Not been getting much sleep.”

“Don’t tell me you’re still working yourself into the ground for us,” warned Neal. “You don’t need to, I’m serious! I’m making good money now. No killing yourself with school and tutoring, okay?”

Gold smiled.

“You can tell Emma that I’m no longer working two jobs,” he said.  “Which means I’ll have a little more time on my hands to spend with you.”

“Good.  In that case, why don’t you come over tonight?” he asked.  “Emma was gonna do steak, but I’m sure we could use ‘em to rustle up something for the three of us.”

“Oh, I - I can’t, I already have an appointment,” said Gold hastily.

Neal glanced down the street.

“Okay,” he said lightly.  “Tomorrow, then?”

“Tomorrow would be great,” said Gold, with a smile.  “I’ll bring a bottle of something. What time?”

“Come over whenever you like, Emma’s in all day.  I should get back around six.” Neal glanced at his watch.  “Look, I’d better go, I only came out to grab some lunch. Couldn’t face the cafeteria mac and cheese.  See you tomorrow?”

“See you then.”

Gold hugged him again before Neal hurried off down the street, and he glanced after him with a tiny smile on his face.  It was going to be good to be able to spend more time with his family. It would all have been worth it to give them that good start in life, the start he had never had.  Time to make the most of it, and put the past behind him.

x

As the time approached seven, he knocked firmly on the door of the apartment Jefferson and Graham shared.  They had moved in together six months earlier, and he had been over a few times for dinner when he had been in town, but not since they had adopted a cat.  Jefferson answered the door with his usual enthusiasm, taking the bottle of wine Gold held out and exclaiming over it before ushering him inside. The walls had been painted a warm coffee colour, the couch dark brown leather with a paisley throw and cushions in cream, brown and olive green.  There was a savoury smell of garlic and spices coming from the kitchen, and Gold sniffed appreciatively.

“Graham’s in the kitchen,” said Jefferson.  “He thinks ten minutes until dinner, so what do you say I open the wine?”

“Sounds good.”  Gold looked around.  “The place looks great.”

“Thanks.  We nearly got into a pillow fight over the colour scheme.”

"Spare me the details," said Gold, with a grin.  “So, where’s your cat?”

“Oh!  Let me get her!”

Jefferson put down the bottle and hurried off, returning with a long-haired white cat with black and ginger patches on her head and back.  He held her up high, as though presenting her for inspection by the cat gods.

“I invite you to humbly prostrate yourself at the feet of Her Royal Highness, Princess Petunia Puffball!” he announced.  “Puff for short.”

Puff looked decidedly unimpressed at being picked up, and glowered at Gold as though it was his fault, so he elected not to pet her just yet.  Jefferson kissed her head, which she endured with a look of disdain, and then put her down on the couch. Gold held out a hand, and she sniffed at his fingers cautiously before butting her head against them and beginning to purr.  He scratched her ears, making her fluffy tail rise up and curl over.

“I knew she’d like you!” declared Jefferson, and clapped him on the shoulder. “Come on through to the kitchen. You want some of this wine?”

“Please.”

“Just give me a second.”

Gold gave Puff a final pet, and followed Jefferson through to the kitchen, where Graham was chopping tomatoes with his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows.  He smiled, setting down his knife to give Gold a quick hug.

“Have a seat,” he said.  “Dinner won’t be long, I’m just making the salad.”

Gold took a chair, glancing around the kitchen.  The walls were painted a warm terracotta colour, turquoise shelves housing recipe books, brightly-coloured pottery and assorted houseplants.

“You’ve redecorated in here too,” he observed.  “It’s nice.”

“We thought we’d try for something warm and cosy,” said Jefferson.  “It’ll be nice when this place is two feet deep in snow.”

“Yes, it reminds me that I really need to repaint the porch at home.”

Jefferson set a glass of wine in front of him, and Gold nodded his thanks, taking a sip.

“So,” said Graham, returning to his chopping.  “No more Blue Star. How does it feel?”

“Not sure it’s sunk in yet,” he admitted.  “I’ll have to find something to keep myself busy with in the evenings.”

“Any thoughts?”

“Nothing specific.”  Gold took another drink.  “The house could use some work; I’ve been neglecting it for the past few years.  So there’s that.”

“Maybe you’ll meet someone,” suggested Graham, and Gold pulled a face.

“Unless Storybrooke has new residents I’m unaware of, doubtful.”

“There’s always online dating.”

“No thanks,” said Gold, pulling a face.  “I imagine that ‘I just stopped working as a prostitute’ is something of a conversation killer with the average woman.”

“How you chose to earn a living is no one’s business,” Jefferson reminded him.

“I know,” sighed Gold.  “But it’s something fairly momentous and I wouldn’t feel right keeping it to myself.”

“No one’s saying you have to give your life story on a first date.”

“I know,” he said again.  “But I could probably do with some time to myself, anyway.”

“Well, you know you’re always welcome here,” said Graham.  “If you ever need to get away from small town life, just call.”

“Thanks,” said Gold.  “But I think I’m actually looking forward to getting back into small town life, if only because the neighbours will stop speculating about where it is I go in the evenings.  Plus it’ll be good to get a full eight hours of sleep every night, for a change.”

“Well, we support you,” announced Jefferson, raising his glass.  “And someday we’ll drive up to that small town of yours and you can take us out and show us the sights!”

“That should take all of ten minutes,” said Gold wryly.  “Nothing ever changes in Storybrooke.”

“To boredom, nosy neighbours and a regular sleep schedule!”

They clinked glasses, Gold grinning as he did it.

x

Belle locked the apartment door, grasping her case in one hand as she shoved the keys into her purse.  Finals were over, and she could feel the stress of late-night studying starting to leave her body, her muscles aching a little, heavy and tired.  She was pleased to be done with study, and to be heading home for the summer, but there was an underlying nervousness there, a low-level twinge in her gut that she was trying to ignore.  It had nothing to do with the stress of exams, of that she was well aware.

She followed Ruby downstairs to where the car was parked in the May sunshine, throwing her case into the trunk and sliding into the passenger seat.  Ruby grinned widely, large sunglasses hiding most of her face.

“Next stop, Storybrooke!” she sang, and pulled away into the steady stream of cars heading north.

They were quiet as they drove out of the city, Ruby concentrating on the road ahead, and singing snatches of a song on the radio.  Before too long, they reached I-95, and Ruby settled back in her seat, fingers tapping on the wheel as she picked up the pace. She glanced across at Belle.

“Want to hit The Rabbit Hole tonight?” she asked.  “Could be fun to see who’s still around.  I bet it’s just as crappy as when we left, but there might be some new blood in there.”

“I should probably spend some time with Dad,” said Belle.  “I’m guessing Granny will be expecting you to spend at least the first couple of nights at home.”

Ruby grumbled, but nodded reluctantly.

“Your dad gonna give you some work?” she asked, and Belle wrinkled her nose.

“What he can,” she said.  “He said the shop wasn’t too busy right now, though.  You think I could get some diner shifts?”

“Already cleared it with Granny,” said Ruby, glancing in her mirror before overtaking the car ahead.  “We probably won’t be working the same shifts, but at least it’s something.”

“Every little helps,” agreed Belle.  “Assuming we didn’t flunk the finals, of course.”

Ruby sputtered in derision.

“Come on girl, we worked our pert little asses off for those exams,” she declared.  “Think positive! No class until September! We have three months to have some fun and earn some cash before we head back there.  And I intend to make the most of it!”

“Okay.”  Belle grinned as she sat back.  “I’m in. Positive outlook, here I come.”

“That’s the spirit.”

x

Storybrooke seemed smaller.

It was the first time that she had really noticed since leaving, and Belle wasn’t sure whether it was a good thing or not.  It showed that she had grown as a person; it would be ludicrous to expect two years of college not to have had some effect on her, after all.  She didn’t want to lose sight of her home, though.  She didn’t want to think she could never come back.

Ruby had dropped her at her dad’s place, along with her bags, and she had spent half an hour or so putting away her things in the battered old wardrobe in her room.  The house was silent; her father would not be home until around six, which was around an hour away. She decided to make a start on dinner, and hunted through the fridge to find something to throw together.  Moe French was never the best at eating vegetables, but she found mushrooms, onions and garlic, and so she decided on pasta.

She was reading a book, leaning against the kitchen counter and keeping one eye on the bubbling sauce, when the sound of the front door made her glance up.  Moe beamed when she saw her through the open kitchen door, and she set down the book and ran to hug him.

“I thought you were coming tomorrow!” he complained, almost squeezing the breath from her.

“I told you it was today,” she chided.  “More than once!”

“My brain’s turned to shit,” he grumbled.  “How’d the exams go?”

“Ruby tells me we smashed it, so I’m following her lead,” said Belle, in a dry tone.  “They were fine, I think. How are you?”

“Oh, okay love, okay.  Shop’s - well, we’re getting by.  The Nolans had another kid, so that meant a lot of orders.  And Ashley Boyd got married, so that was a good week. Getting by, getting by.”

“Doesn’t sound as though you have much need of an extra pair of hands,” she observed, and he shook his head.

“A couple of hours a day, to make deliveries and help out with the flower orders, that’s it,” he said.  “Sorry, love.”

“It’s cool, Granny gave me some hours at the diner.”  Belle turned to the sauce, snatching up a spoon and stirring it.  “You hungry?”

“I could eat a dead bear, I’m bloody starving.”

“Go wash up then, I’ll cook the pasta.”

They ate in comfortable silence, Moe praising the creamy mushroom sauce, and Belle watched in some amusement as he cleared his plate and looked hopefully around for more.

“That’s it,” she said, taking his plate and stacking it atop her own.  “You want anything else?”

“Better not.”  He patted his belly.  “That was great, love.”

“What do you want to do tonight?” she asked, and he looked uneasy.

“Uh - you know I said I wasn’t expecting you until tomorrow?”

“Don’t tell me,” said Belle.  “Poker night.”

“I can cancel,” said Moe hastily, but she shook her head.

“Don’t bother.  You go and have a good time.  I can keep myself amused for one night.”

“You sure?”

Belle smiled.

“Absolutely.”

x

Gold finished cleaning up the kitchen, a glass of wine on the table behind him as he wiped down the counters.  He rinsed the dishcloth, humming along to the music coming from the lounge. A soft, Baroque piece, soothing strings and harpsichord.  Wiping his hands on the dish towel, he turned back for his wine, taking a sip as he wandered through to the lounge. It was strange not to have to plan for two or three nights out, and he was already enjoying the extra sleep.  Though losing the extra money was less welcome. Worth it, he decided. Worth it to start getting your bloody self-respect back.

The first few days back in Storybrooke had left him feeling a little out of sorts, restless and jittery due to the extra time on his hands, pacing the kitchen over and over with a glass of wine in one hand as he tried to burn off excess energy.  After the first weekend where he had felt as though he was going quietly mad, he had embarked on a thorough clean of the house, taking the opportunity to go through old paperwork and burn it, cleaning out the attic, and scrubbing the kitchen until it shone.  He had planned to work on the garden next, although that needed little attention, as Anton came to tend it once a week. Perhaps a couple of days out at the cabin instead, reading and relaxing. At least he still had class to prepare for, so he wasn’t entirely without purpose, but he would need a serious distraction to get through the long summer break.  

A hurried knock at the door made him frown, and for a moment he stood still, eerie fingertips caressing the nape of his neck and sending shivers down his spine.  Goosebumps rippled over his skin, spreading down from his shoulders, and he told himself to get a bloody grip, surprised at his own nervousness. He wasn’t expecting anyone, and he wasn’t sure why an unexpected knock would make him anxious.  Perhaps one of the neighbours needed help with something. Setting down his glass, he went to the door, the vague side outline of a diminutive figure visible through the rippled glass panels. Gold licked his lips, his breath held tight, a ball of iron in his chest.  His heart was thudding, his pulse throbbing in his ears, and he reached out with a shaking hand, skin tingling as his fingers closed around the cool brass handle.

The evening sun was setting, the sky a pale lilac fading into peach tones at the horizon, thin knotted ropes of grey cloud outlined in coral.  Belle stood on his porch, bouncing on her toes, chest heaving a little as though she had been running, dark curls glinting with reddish highlights from the sunset.  Her pale skin was tinged apricot, warm and inviting, and she inhaled sharply, raising her chin.

“Hey,” she said abruptly.

He could feel emotion stir deep within him, a rising tide threatening to engulf him and sweep him away.  Her eyes were shining, fixed on his, soft lips open and moist, and it was as though they had parted only yesterday.  He smiled.

“Hey.”

[gearlooses]

@nightshine629 I'm your secret Santa! Sorry it's so late, writers block hit and I've been sort of busy. But it's done now! You said your favorite character was Donald, so have some Donald-centric fic! Hope you like it and happy holidays! @ducktalessecretsanta2018

--

When you’re eleven, you get a guitar for Christmas.

It’s bright red, electric, and from your uncle Scrooge. Your parents are more concerned with the crossbow he got Della, leaving you to fumble with frets and chords without an audience.

“Do you even know how to play that thing?” Della asks later that night after your parents have gone to bed. She's absentmindedly playing with her crossbow like it was a toy instead of the deadly weapon it is.

“Duh,” you snipe. You really only know one chord, and you can barely strum without dropping your pick, but whatever. It still counts as knowing how to play.

“Whatever you say, dork,” she says, clearly not falling for your less-than-believable lie. She nudges your shoulder as she leaves the room. “Merry Christmas"

“Merry Christmas"

_

“Well, that was weird,” Della says, which may just be the understatement of the century.

You’re thirteen now and you just fought a wendigo, who turned into some kind of little green bug man, with your future relative, “”Bluey""

“Who do you think he was anyway?” Della asks as the two of you make your way into the mansion. “Great-great nephew? Third cousin? Creepily devoted family friend?”

“I bet he was your grandkid or something. Did you see how obsessed he was with finding you?”

“Maybe he's your kid and he wanted to meet me because he knows how cool I am compared to you.”

“Wh—I’m cool! I’m in a band!” You protest.

“A band you made up. With a guitar that's broken now.”

Your face falls at the mention of your poor guitar's fate.

Della notices and tries to cheer you up “But I’m sure you can get a new one! We can bother Uncle Scrooge until he gets you another one!”

Even though you want to keep mourning your guitar, her plan makes you crack a reluctant grin.

--

After that, Christmas becomes you and Della's thing.

It’s impromptu snowball fights and Della making elaborate schemes to figure out what you bought her. It's hot chocolate just hot enough to burn your tongue and you always wearing that bright green snowman sweater Della bought you (it'd been way too big when Della gave it to you, but with every passing year it fits just a little better)

Even after the two of you leave for college and flight school respectively, you still make plans to meet up every year for Christmas. You tell her about Jose and Panchito and all your band stories, and in return she recounts her solo adventures and everything about flight school.

When you start adventuring with Scrooge more often, you see each other all the time, but Christmas is still special. Everything is great.

And then it isn't.

Because then the Spear of Selene happens and you can't tell who you’re more angry at; Della for taking the rocket or Scrooge for building it, but you don’t even have time to dwell on it because you have Della's boys to raise.

You fumble through parenting books, sing croaking lullabies when they cry and try to be the best uncle for them since their mother is dead missing. (You refuse to believe she’s dead. Not yet.)

You've been so busy juggling the boys and your latest job that when that specific date comes to be, you hardly notice it.

You're rocking Dewey, desperately trying to coax him into a nap, when the calendar hanging the houseboat wall catches your eye. You pause, the realization of the date hitting you like a truck.

You’re 23 and it's your first Christmas without your sister.

--

You desperately put that thought out of your mind and focus on raising the boys to the best of your abilities.

You make it through one year, and then five, and then you realize you’re pretty good at this parenting thing.

(Somewhere along the way, they stop being “her" boys and you think of them as entirely yours)

Jobs are difficult to come by and even harder to keep, with your temper and bad luck, so money is always a little scarce.

But you manage to always save up enough for the boys. Enough to enroll them in Junior Woodchucks (and, later, just Huey when Dewey and Louie drop out). Enough to get Louie a phone (that was a little costly, but Louie seems to love the thing, so to you it’s money well spent)

But, the day comes when you finally have to meet Scrooge again. You reluctantly leave the boys in his care, and that snowballs into you moving in somewhat permanently.

(It was supposed to be short-term basis, but with every passing day and adventure with Scrooge, you know it’ll be that much harder for the boys to leave)

After you fight Magica in the Money Bin, you realize that you could never tear the boys from their family.

Christmas rolls around again, and unsurprisingly for your family, it’s pretty chaotic.

Launchpad is playing the piano, awkwardly mangling Christmas carols in a way you know you'll never be able to get out of your head. Beakley is in the corner of the room, talking to the Ghost of Christmas Future. Flirting, maybe? You don’t know and frankly, you don’t think you want to. Louie has already opened all his presents and is methodically inspecting each one. Huey and Webby are re-decorating the Christmas tree for what must be the third time, Huey reading from his guidebook while Webby incorporates more martial arts moves into it than strictly necessary. Dewey had disappeared for a little bit (and, remembering your wendigo fight so many years ago, you have a pretty good idea of where he went), but now he's excitedly reenacting some sort of battle for the Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present, using a candy cane as a sword.

You lean back against the wall and smile contentedly.

[lunaofthevalley]

The Letter

Sebastian Stan x Reader.

Plot: You're leaving behind your life in New York to go to Austria, and that means leaving him behind as well. But you couldn't leave with certain things left unsaid, so you wrote them down.

Request: @hadesgirl1015

Warnings: none

Note: I'm backkkkkkk wooooooo. Finally got out of that writers block.

The world seemed to be nonexistent to you at that moment. The only things you were really registering were the soft sounds of the raindrops hitting the pavement outside and the pieces of paper before you on which black ink seemed to be scribbled across like a never ending flurry of emotions.

And that's exactly what it was.

You sat unmoving, just looking across the now empty loft, a place which before used to have color and warmth, now only seemed bland and empty.

It's pretty amazing how a place filled with memories and stories can be stripped of that in a blink of an eye.

A knock suddenly sounded on the door, and that's what made you snap out of whatever mood you were in and back into the real world.

Before you went to open the door you quickly shoved the inked paper into an envelope and quickly wrote the name of the person to whom it was addressed on the front. You then shoved the envelope in your purse, going to grab your luggage before walking to the door.

Opening it up you were met with the cool breeze of the hallway, but also with blue stormy eyes that seemed to match the weather outside.

"You ready?" He asked in a soft tone.

You could only reply with a nod, taking one last glance at what had been your home for the last few years, before walking out and closing the door, leaving behind the first of three things you didn't want to.

Sebastian let out a deep sigh, before helping you with your luggage and walking towards the elevator. As you waited neither of you said a thing. It wasn't needed. You had known each other so long that sometimes long silences said more than what a full conversation would. You were that comfortable with one another, and it was something you would miss terribly.

Before you knew it you were already on the ground floor, walking towards Sebastian's car. He had offered to drive you to the airport, knowing that you, when moments like these came about, disconnected yourself from your surroundings, becoming more like an empty vessel, unlike your usual go happy, cheery self.

Things seemed to go by in a blur, as if your life was suddenly in fast forward. One moment your loading your things into the car and taking one last look at your home, and then your suddenly driving through the busy streets of New York City, the buildings going by in a blur, blurrier than usual thanks to the droplets of water that glided against the window.

You still really had no idea how the decision had come about. One day your happy, enjoying the hustle and bustle of New York City, the chaos and fast life it brought with it, and suddenly you dont want that anymore, opting to move somewhere else, far away, almost as if you were running away from something, which in a way, you were.

You couldn't choose at first. You didn't want to live in a big city anymore, you wanted to experience something different, the countryside maybe? A small town a couple of hours outside a city? You ended up choosing to go to Austria, a nice little picturesque town by the mountains, a place which seemed frozen in time, something so completely different to the place you were running away from.

Soft tunes played lowly on the radio, blending with the soft sounds of the falling water. You didn't remember the name of the song playing, but you knew it was one that sounded often, which is why, from now on, every time you heard it you would remember this moment, crossing the bridge, leaving Manhattan, leaving behind the second thing you truly didn't want to.

As every second passed, you got closer to the airport, meaning you were just a minute closer to saying goodbye to a very important part of your life. Your heart started to pick up, getting faster every minute that passed. Your stomach started feeling funny, like it would usually feel before you went to do a presentation in college or when you got up to sing at a karaoke bar while still being sober.

The scenery blended together and soon enough you were parked right outside the airport. Sebastian and you sat silent, unmoving, both enclosed inside the safe space of his jaguar.

He was the first to break the silence. "You have everything?"

You nodded, "Pretty sure I do. If I did forget anything at all you can always send it through the mail."

He let out a soft chuckle, "That I can do, I guess."

Things went back to being silent. It was comfortable though. Some people didn't like it when things were that way, no words being spoken, but for you and him, it was welcomed.

After a few minutes had passed you turned back to face him. "Seb…I think it's best if I go in alone."

He turned his head to you quickly, his mouth opened slightly as if he was going to say something, but no sound came out.

"It's just…it's difficult enough already, and if you go in with me I'll be more of a mess than I'll be now. So please let me do this alone." You explained, "look, I know you probably think it's a dumb idea, since I won't be seeing you in god knows how long, but I think it's the best thing to do."

After a couple seconds Sebastian only nodded, knowing that you had already made up your mind on the matter, and that no matter what argument he used, you wouldn't be changing it.

"…at least let me help you unload your bags."

"Yeah, that'd be great."

Both of you got out of the car, Sebastian going towards the trunk, while you went to get a cart to help you move your things towards baggage registration. Once everything was loaded securely to the cart you turned to Sebastian, not wasting one more moment before engulfing him as close as you could.

He hugged you back, lifting you slightly of the ground, making you stand on your toes, his arms securely around your waist, while yours were around his neck. Your emotions started getting the best of you, making some tears escape your eyes. You could feel Sebastian become emotional too, feeling a wetness on your shoulders that you knew didn't come from the sky.

You both separated after a while, both with red, puffy eyes and slightly runny noses.

"God I'll miss you so much. Why do you have to leave New York?" Why do you have to leave me, Sebastian expressed, although that last statement was only thought.

You sighed, "I don't know Seb, I can't give you a specific reason. I just know it's something I need to do. But hey, I'll come visit, and I'm sure you'll go visit me after some time, maybe your work will take you there, then we can live out our childhood dream of singing the sound of music on a hillside," Seb let out a laugh at that, remember ing it was something you had talked about during middle school when you were set to perform the musical. "I need time away, just for a little while. You're not completely losing me, okay."

He could only respond with a nod.

"I have to go now…"

"I know. Send me a text when you're on the plane, and if you can't, just call when you land."

"Will do Seb," you were about to leave when you remembered the envelope in your bag. You took it out and held it out to him, "I…um…I wrote this for you, but please read it when you get back home."

Seb nodded as he took the letter, "So this is it then?"

"Yeah, it is."

"See you later Y/N."

You smiled before softly replying, "Catch you later, Stan."

_________________________

It had been around 25 minutes since you had disappeared through the automatic doors of the airport entrance, and Sebastian remained sat in his car, staring off at nothing while thinking of everything.

You had told him not to read the letter, but he needed to know what the contents of that envelope were, so against his better judgment he opened it and took out the frail pieces of paper that contained all your thoughts and feelings.

Hey Seb,

I hope you listened to me when I told you to read this at home. But I know you, so you're either still parked outside the airport, or you stopped at some point between Manhattan and JFK to read it because curiosity got the better of you.

For you're sake I hope it's the second.

To be honest with you, I don't really know why I'm writing this. Maybe it's to help me feel better about myself? Or maybe it's just an easier way to say things without truly saying them, if you get what I mean.

I guess it's easier to write what you feel and have someone read it, instead of actually having to say it out loud and be met with their either negative or positive response. So I think I just answered my own question.

I'm writing this so I don't have to say it to you, because god it frightens me so much what you might think, how you might react.

There's so many different outcomes to you reading this, you might hate me, you might think I'm strange, you might think it's good riddance, or maybe, just maybe, you might feel the same and kind of still hate me for what I did.

And by what I did I mean, write this letter and give it to you right before I board a plane to Austria.

And what I mean by you feeling all those posible emotions is because I, Y/N Y/L/N am complete and utterly in love with you Sebastian Stan, I have been for years now. I just never had the courage to actually tell you.I was afraid of what would happen if I did.

You have your career and you're loved by so many and you could be with whoever you wanted to, which you have been, that's another reason why I didn't tell you, I felt like I could never live up to be what would be expected of me if I were to be with you.

But never mind that now.

I know it's selfish of me to do this. Specially now, considering the circumstances. You've probably figured it out by this point, that you were one of the reasons as to why I left. And I'm so, so sorry for putting you in this position.

I've had to leave behind the three things I treasured most in this world. My small loft in Soho, where so many great moments were lived. New York City, my home, the one place I can always count on. And you Sebastian, the person I love most in this world.

I know this letter might change things for us in the future, our friendship might not be what it used to be. But I don't regret for one moment writing this letter. I couldn't leave without telling you-or well writing it to you.

Again, I so sorry for doing this to you. I love you.

Y/N

Sebastián didn't know what to do, so he did what his instinct told him to, and that was get out of the car and run to you. Your flight left at 6:00, it was currently 5:29, if he ran fast enough he could make it. But first he had to figure out what gate you would be at.

He ran as fast as he could, running in between people, trying not to bump into them, stopping every now and again to ask where your gate was.

It was 5:56 by the time he had gotten to the gate, and he looked around but he didn't see you anywhere.

He ran up to a woman who sat behind the desk were the entrance to your plane was.

"Excuse me ma'am, is this the gate for flight 482 to Vienna?" He asked rapidly.

The woman gave him a fake smile, "It is. But I'm afraid the plane has already left. It's on the tarmac already. Were you a passenger of the flight?"

Sebastian's shoulders dropped. He had been too late. If he had only read the letter 10 minutes earlier you might not have gotten on that plane. But you were gone now. And so was his chance to tell you he loved you.

"No, it's just. I had something to tell someone."

PERMANENT TAG LIST: @sighspidey // @crist1216 // @Callmebucky-doll // @horrsegal

[girls-scenarios]

No More Boring Nights

Idol: Sowon (Gfriend)

Prompt: Can I request a Sowon scenario where you work at the library and she often comes in at late hours to get snacks?

Writer: Admin Kiwi

A/N: So, where I live, the only libraries that stay open that late and have snacks inside are campus libraries, so I’m guessing this is kind of a college au? It’s mostly centered around the library though. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!

With a sigh, you sat back down into your chair behind the main desk of the library, staring down at the clock sat beside your computer. The sun had long past disappeared, and the library was silent. There had been a group of boys frantically looking for something to do their group project on, but they’d just left, plunging you into the silence again.

Usually, working at the library wasn’t that bad. You liked books, and it was usually a nice, quiet place to get work done and none of the students and families that came in ever gave you any headaches. Still, the night shift was killer. Because the library was on campus, it stayed open late into the night for students who desperately needed to study, but rarely was it busy. The only time there were more than a few groups of people in the large library was around midterms and finals, but midterms had just passed and nobody started studying for finals this early, so the library was pretty much empty.

“I’m gonna take a break to eat,” your coworker Yerin said, standing up and stretching her arms over her head. “Not that you’ll really need me down here.” You shook your head, spinning in your chair idly. You and Yerin were the only people working at this time of the night other than the security guard, wherever he was, but you knew you wouldn’t be needing her.

“Have fun,” you said, giving her a smile. She smiled back and slipped out from behind the desk, heading back towards the break room and leaving you alone at the front desk. With another sigh, you rolled closer to the desk and picked up one of your pens, looking down at your computer as you fiddled with it. There wasn’t really anyone in the bottom half of the library, since most of it was just vending machines and computer labs, so you decided to turn on some music, letting it play softly through the speakers. Tapping along to the beat, you zoned out, wondering how slow the hours would drag by tonight.

You were knocked out of your thoughts by the sound of the library doors opening. Raising your eyebrows, you looked up to see a familiar girl walking inside, tucking her hair back behind her ears as she looked around. You knew who she was, if only by sight and not by name. She tended to come by the library late at night, sometimes with her friends to study but usually just to get snacks. You figured that she lived nearby to come to the library instead of walking the few extra blocks to the gas station at the end of campus, where the snacks were arguably cheaper.

She had earbuds in, and you figured she probably wouldn’t need anything else from you, so you looked back down at your desk, tapping the pen along to the slow beat playing over the speakers. Something by Khalid, you were sure, but you didn’t know who was on the track with him. As you leaned forward, turning on your computer to search for the song, you heard footsteps approaching the desk and looked up to see the girl from early.

“Hello, how can I help you?” She gave you a small, sweet smile as she pulled the earbuds out of her ears.

“Sorry to bother you, it seems like one of your vending machines isn’t working and I thought you should know.” You raised your eyebrows and looked over at the corner full of vending machines.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Which one is it? I’ll write it down for maintenance to check tomorrow. Did it eat your money?” The girl shook her head and pointed out the vending machine as you pulled out a sticky note.

“No, it just spit it back out at me. I guess I got lucky.” You smiled and nodded your head as you wrote down the note.

“No kidding, those things can be finicky sometimes. Thank you for letting me know.”

“No problem,” she said, and then her eyes flitted to the empty seat next to you. “Is Yerin working tonight?” You looked at the seat that your coworker would usually be sitting in and raised your eyebrows.

“Oh, she is, but she just went on break. Are you a friend of hers?” The girl nodded.

“Yeah, I wanted to see if she had notes for a certain class but it’s okay, I’ll see her tomorrow morning.”

“Would you like me to pass the message to her?” The girl gave you a bright smile.

“I’d appreciate that, actually. My name is Sowon, by the way. Just let her know that I was looking for my notes and she’ll know what you mean.” You pulled out another sticky note and jotted it down.

“No problem. It’s nice to meet you, Sowon.”

“What’s your name?” You looked up, a bit surprised that she cared to ask. But maybe she wanted to confirm with Yerin tomorrow?

“I’m (Y/N),” you said, pointing to your name tag. Sowon grinned sheepishly.

“Oh, I didn’t see the name tag.”

“It’s okay, a lot of people miss it,” you said, waving a hand. “Is there anything else I can help you with?” She shook her head and stood up straight, shifting the snacks in her arms.

“Nope, that was all. It was nice meeting you, (Y/N). See you around!” She gave you a little wave that you returned, and then turned around and headed for the doors, putting the earbuds back into her ears. You watched her go, a little bit mesmerized by how elegant she looked even in such casual clothes, before shaking yourself and looking down at the sticky notes on your desk.

“Yo, what did I miss?” You looked up at Yerin and then back at the door. Sowon had disappeared by then, so you handed over the sticky note.

“You just missed your friend by like, a minute. She needed notes from you.”

“Oh, Sowon? She could literally just text me, why is she like this,” Yerin said, shaking her head as she looked down at the note. “Loose one thing of notes and she acts like she has to get everyone to hold you accountable.”

“Looks like you have to return these ones,” you said, wiggling your eyebrows. Yerin made a face and you and kicked at your chair.

“Oh, shut up.” 

-

It only took another night for you to see her again. Once again, you were on the night shift, tapping along to some soft song playing over the speakers with the security guard probably napping in his office and Yerin taking a lunch in the back. When the doors opened at about the same time as the night before, you raised your eyebrows. There she was again, but this time without earbuds, and she gave you a little wave that made you feel a certain way as she headed towards the vending machines.

Shaking yourself, you took a sip of your water, wondering if there was something you could do to distract yourself from whatever that had been. But of course there wasn’t, because it was the night shift, and you’d already completed everything that needed to be done.

“Another long night?” She was standing at the desk, smiling down at you, and you couldn’t help but to smile back.

“As usual. Is the vending machine working again? The maintenance guy should have fixed it today.” She shrugged, leaning her elbows on the counter.

“I’m not sure. I didn’t feel like trying my luck on it again tonight.” It made you laugh, and there was a little sparkle in her eyes when you did. Suddenly, the night shift didn’t seem quite so boring.

When she left, walking away with another little wave, Yerin joined you again at the desk, watching Sowon open the door.

“Wow, she came up to talk to you again tonight? I already gave her the notes.”

“She just wanted to talk,” you said, shrugging your shoulders. Yerin gave you a look and leaned back in her chair, but said nothing, instead pulling out her phone from her pocket and typing away.

-

Soon enough, you were expecting Sowon to come over and talk to you. Night after night, she got her snacks and then wandered up to the desk to talk. Sometimes it was just you, sometimes it was you and Yerin, and sometimes it was your other coworker Jinyoung who would begin to feel awkward and disappear to put away books or something. Either way, every night she’d come up to talk to you with her sweet smile, making your night shift bearable. So bearable, in fact, that you didn’t even feel annoyed to have been switched to the night shift.

It was another one of those nights. Yerin had wandered off somewhere, probably to go try and finish some last minute essay, and you were left alone at the desk again. A group of students had approached you for help on a project for a few moments before, but now they were huddled in the far corner over their laptops, and your night was back to being quiet. When the door opened, you immediately smiled, not even having to look up to know who it was.

Sowon gave you a smile from the door as she ducked towards the vending machines again, and you shook your head, smiling down at the flower you’d been doodling. You really didn’t know how she managed to survive on vending machine snacks. Not to mention the price of them.

“It’s a donuts night?” You asked as she walked up to the counter, a package of mini donuts in her hands. She shrugged her shoulders and leaned on the counter like she always did, giving you a grin.

“Doesn’t it feel like a donuts night to you too?”

“If you say so. You’re going to go broke buying all this vending machine food.” She shrugged her shoulders again and opened the package.

“Hey, if it means I get to see you.” You felt your face heating up, and her cheeks were pink too, a sheepish smile on her lips. “Sorry, that was cheesy.”

“No, I liked it,” you said, feeling butterflies to back flips inside your stomach. She raised her eyebrows, donuts forgotten.

“You like me?”

“Maybe.” She pouted at you, and you laughed quietly, putting your hand over your mouth. “Okay, okay, I like you.” It felt weird to say it so casually, but she gave you another smile and you really couldn’t resist her.

“Can I have your number?” Her cheeks were still pink as she pulled out her phone, and you nodded, taking it from her gently and keying in your number. You’d been hoping for her to ask for nights now, and you felt giddy just thinking about it as you handed her phone back. She smiled looking down at the screen before she slipped it back into her pocket.

“Do you have any more questions, ma’am,” you asked, jokingly putting on your customer service voice, and she seemed to think for a moment before biting her lip.

“Would you date me?” The question caught you off guard, and you could feel your face heat up as the butterflies went crazy. But still, you grinned, putting your hand over your mouth.

“For real?”

“For real.”

“Then yeah, Sowon. I’ll date you.” Her face was flushed too, and for a moment, the two of you just smiled at each other, close in the silence of the library.

“Oh my god, finally you two.” The moment shattered as Yerin flopped into her seat, shaking her head. “I’ve been texting Sowon to ask you out for ages.”

“Yerin, don’t expose me like that!”

“What, it’s true!” You couldn’t help but to burst into laughter, probably annoying the students huddled in the far corner. But you couldn’t help it. Not when your nights had suddenly got much less boring.