#thankfully things seem to be looking up and I’m in better places mentally then before

[hplonesomeart]

Sorry chat I’ve failed at my own mission. Not happening this month but soon enough, just need more time to cook since school is being so difficult currently. How dare Shakespeare try and keep me away from animating crazy T.V blorbo—this ain’t playing fair 😔

[aureum-cordis]

Lost & Found, Part 6

A/N: I’m so sorry for vanishing for so long there! I’m going to try to be more active and definitely won’t just vanish off the face of the Earth again. Chapter 4 certainly gave me some motivation though, thankfully! Other parts here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5!

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He wasn't sure how much time had passed when his eyes opened again, startled awake as he felt you shift in his lap. Your small eyes were still closed and your chest rose and fell with each breath that left your mouth.

As much as he wanted to let you and the others rest for longer, he knew that he couldn’t. In a place like this, anxiety and paranoia was the way you survived.

Gently, he nudged Crafty and Bobby to stir them awake. The bear flinched upon waking, to which he felt guilty for being the cause of, while the unicorn simply stretched as their unconscious state was disturbed. After muttering an apology to both, he turned to look down at you and carefully nudged you with just enough force to wake you.

Your bleary little eyes opened in a panic, clutching onto him tightly and balling your little fists with handfuls of his fur.

He watched as your heart quickened and could see how heavily you started breathing in an instant. “Kid, you’re okay. It’s just us, you’re safe. I promise.” DogDay’s voice was laced with sadness but his tone was strong and in your moment of fright, that was what you concentrated on.

Slowly, as your eyes focused and you were able to realize where you were then your grip lessened substantially but refused to let go. CraftyCorn placed a hoof on your small back, feeling your heart still race due to your moment of panic before.

“Poor thing.” Their voice was somber and sullen, sharing DogDay’s unspoken sorrow at just what you had been through before being found by them.

The red bear was quiet but gently placed a hand on your leg and allowed her eyes to soften for just a moment, trying to spare you from the melancholy air that settled in the room.

After a moment of hesitation, you removed a hand from being bundled up in DogDay’s fur and placed it on the back of Bobby’s hand. Your breathing wasn’t quite back to normal yet but had slowed, a positive sign for all of them. 

The unicorn had stood and walked over to the door, listening quietly for any sounds that might’ve been alarming. Wordlessly, the orange dog made a mental note to thank her for it later.

Allowing you to calm down for a few more minutes, he gently helped you stand before rising himself. He offered a hand down to Bobby BearHug, who accepted it and pulled herself onto her own feet.

With the way your eyes darted between all of them, it was clear that you were confused and didn’t understand why they were all so quiet. The two joined Crafty by the door while you followed closely behind. While staying close to DogDay, you also turned and looked up at Bobby, reaching out a hand.

The red bear seemed puzzled for a moment but met your hand as you held it out to her. Your hand was dwarfed compared to hers, but that only convinced her to be even more ginger with you.

As you squeezed her hand firmly and turned back to look at what Crafty was doing without letting go, she realized that you were holding her hand. At that moment, she felt as if she might’ve wept. From joy, sadness, or a longing for how things once were, she didn’t know.

DogDay was about to speak when he turned around and looked between Bobby and you. For a moment, he lost any semblance of words as he met her gaze. There was a warmth in her eyes, a vibrancy that he was afraid that he would never see again.

There was hope. Not a hope dimmed by falsehoods or built on an unsteady foundation that would topple with the slightest breeze of challenges not yet faced. But a true hope. A hope that there was a chance for a better future.

He cleared his throat for a moment, allowing himself to focus on the situation at hand. While he was welcoming of optimism in the best of times, he knew that he needed to be realistic and not allow his mind to wander to scenarios that might not occur.

Shortly after he had cleared his throat, the others as well as yourself turned to look at him. 

“We should get going, I fear we might be cutting it closer than any of us would like.”

DogDay looked between each of the remaining Smiling Critters and nodded, a certainty in his gaze as he opened the door and waited several long moments. His plush ears shifted in tandem as he pushed the door open further and stepped out into the hall, his form tense and alert as he gestured for the others to follow after him.

You clutched Bobby’s hand as she let you leave the room before she did, but made sure to remain close to you. The air was tense and you could pick that up even without a word being spoken, to say that you were afraid was putting it mildly.

Your other hand grabbed onto the arm of the red bear, wanting her to stay close to you. Crafty had since followed after the others and closed the door of where they had previously been hiding out.

They walked over to you and Bobby, placing a hoofed hand on your shoulder as the two of them essentially hid you while the leader made sure the area was clear. He was nearing the end of the hall by this point, looking over his shoulder at the others every now and then while his senses remained on high alert.

However, when the orange dog stopped suddenly before he had the chance to check the winding wings of the orphanage. His nose caught the scent before he heard a sound, the smell of lavender mingling with horrid chemicals that stuck to the walls like mold.

His fur bristled and immediately he turned to look back at the others that shielded you and the panic etched in his features made his permanent smile falter. The last thing he cared about was drawing attention to himself at this moment, the only thing he cared about was the safety of those that remained under his care.

“Get them out of here, now!” The desperation in his voice rang out in the halls as he shouted back at the others, the sound of large footsteps following the sudden announcement of their position.

Crafty was the one to pick you up in an instant, the tone in DogDay’s voice was enough to send the two of them running. He looked back at you as the others ran, stumbling and trying to not trip down the debris filled hall.

The last thing he saw of you before the three of you was your hand, outstretched to him as a frightened cry left you. It sounded much louder in his ears, a heart wrenching sound really, but he had far bigger issues than the desire to be by your side.

It was exactly why he braced himself as the footsteps grew louder as CatNap rounded the corner, barreling into him in the process as he darted into the hall. The impact sent DogDay stumbling, sliding into a quadrupedal defensive stance as his orange fur bristled and his hackles raised.

“You,” The word sounded almost accusatory as it left the cat’s gaping maw, the red smoke unfurling from his Cheshire grin and creeping slowly across the rotted wooden flooring. The sickeningly broken sound of the cat’s voice matched that of the decayed state of the Playcare, fitting for the one who had once been the attendant.

DogDay remained in his defensive position, snarls leaving him with a ferocity that even he wasn’t aware he possessed. His body was lowered and his ears were as far back as they could go, his tail tucked between his legs as he glared at the purple cat that stood before him.

He was fully prepared to stall for time, to allow for the others to get as far from here as possible. “Do you not see what that thing is doing to your mind?” He growled, eyes watchful of the other’s body language as the words left him.

At any other time, he would’ve never dared to challenge CatNap or the word of his “god” but this wasn’t just any time. The red smoke inched closer, spreading out amongst the floor as the cat took a step toward him and his claws pierced the wooden flooring, a clear sign of his intent. 

The leader flinched, backing away hurriedly but he hadn’t been able to move fast enough, the claws of the cat raking across the right side of his face in his retreat. They left four jagged marks in the flesh across his eye, tearing through fur and drawing blood upon making contact.

DogDay wavered for only a moment, the warm metallic scent of blood rivaling that of the suffocating red smoke as it ran down the side of his face in steady streams. A grunt left him as he shook his head, the crimson liquid falling to the floor as loose orange fur gathered near his forelegs.

His vision was blurred through his injured eye but he had familiarized himself with the building enough to traverse it regardless of his newly garnered setback.

Before CatNap had the chance to land another blow, he flung open a nearby door and hurried in, pulling a nearby locker down to block it to allow for some time to be bought.

His eyes searched the room for anything of use to defend himself, ignoring the toys that remained plastered to the floor in a pile of dried blood or the cribs that were overturned and long since abandoned, he finally found something of use.

Thankfully, it was a larger room and would keep him from getting pinned in a small and confined space. He had taken notice that the hall directly outside of the room he had entered was closed off with a pile of boxes and other miscellaneous junk. 

As CatNap clawed at the door and peered into the room, DogDay knew that he needed to find something to defend himself and fast. The wooden bed frames wouldn’t be effective nor would a crib. Blood still ran down his face and matted his fur from the lacerations caused by the beast that had nearly knocked over his haphazard barricade by this point.

There was an iron radiator in the corner but it was far too close to the door, a growl of frustration left him as his luck was dwindling and he was at a loss. Frantically looking everywhere and shaking his head to try to avoid the red smoke from affecting his mind, it was then that he noticed a metal bed that had been tucked into the far corner of the room.

It was rusting and falling apart but happened to be exactly what he needed. Scrambling over the splintered wood, dismantled toys, and shredded pictures of the children who once inhabited these halls, he reached the frame. Ignoring the fact that one of his hands was slick with his own blood, he grabbed onto a piece of the headboard that had broken over time and pulled.

The metal groaned in protest, creaking heavily but refused to give way immediately. However, he pulled once more, shifting his lower body to allow for him to use more of his weight as he yanked, forcing the bar to snap from its already deteriorating position amongst the others.

At that same moment, the door behind him had fragmented from the force of CatNap’s body slamming against it as the locker fell away helplessly to the floor. DogDay reacted quickly this time, swinging the bar with the full extent of his weight and putting as much force behind it as he could.

The pole made direct contact with the cat’s head and a sickening crunch echoed throughout the room, a heavy thud following shortly after as CatNap collapsed in a heap before the dog’s feet. He knew he wasn’t out of the clear though and didn’t take time to worry about the wellbeing of his assailant. 

The leader stepped over the body of the cat, the blood trailing down his face in steady streams and leaving red droplets in his wake on the rotting flooring. He stumbled slightly, adjusting his hold on the pole to use it as more of a crutch in the moment as he steadied himself.

It was firmly planted on the ground beside him as he scanned the room for anything useful, sticky red tracks already matting his orange fur. He needed to be quick, he knew that. Which was exactly why his attention was focused on finding something to stop the bleeding fast.

Wiping his eye with the back of one of his hands as he desperately tried to stop the blurring of his visions before he finally noticed a piece of fabric. It was just a glimpse, an edge of what seemed to be a bedsheet or a blanket.

It was stuck under a mess of broken beds and toys but it was better than nothing. Still leaning on the metallic piece of what once was a bed now turned crutch, he approached the mess of debris and reached out to grab the corner.

Glancing over at CatNap, who thankfully still seemed to be unresponsive, he set the metal pole down beside him and then lifted some of the larger pieces up to reveal more of the blanket.

It was dirty and covered in stains, several of which were a brownish red color that he had unfortunately become far too familiar with, but it would work for the purpose he needed it for. He realized that it had been white once and was covered in a myriad of paw prints that were all sorts of colors, almost in a sort of rainbow pattern.

A somber realization but a sobering one, he needed to regroup. DogDay wasn’t on his own, he had people depending on him. Crafty, Bobby, and you. This wasn’t the end, certainly not now. 

He tore at the fabric, ripping it into a strip that was thick enough to cover the wound and to tie it as a makeshift wrap. It wasn’t great and certainly wouldn’t be sterile but it was all he had at the moment.

It would have to do, for now. His sun pendant was a firm reminder of his dwindling time, the quiet sounds of protest it made against the metal clasp as it swung from his movements was enough to draw him out of his thoughts.

He wrapped the temporary bandage over his right eye in an attempt to staunch the bleeding before his attention shifted to the next task at hand, getting out of here in one piece.

With the way the floorboards creaked behind him and the presence that he felt approaching, that suddenly seemed like it was going to be a lot more challenging.

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Taglist: @urminebutidontwantyou @rabiddogmax @jelapos @bloobewy @permanently-nothere @chibiduck @dead-sane-stuff

[greensagephase]

For Better or Worse - Part Two

Pairings: Miguel O'Hara x Female!Reader Summary: Overwhelmed, you seek a moment of solitude on your sister's wedding day at the garden, but you can't even have that thanks to your sister's now brother-in-law, Miguel. Word Count: 6.8k Warnings: use of y/n; no name for your sister still (I think we're just going to go with a nickname); some cussing; alcohol consumption; pesky aunts and a divorced man offer unsolicited opinions; some Spanish but translations are provided in text; a bit of arguing; suggestive content, so MDNI, please!; reader is fluent in Spanish; I think that's all A/N: hiiii, finally updating this after two months 🫠 But anyway, I just wanted to give a big thank you to @lauraolar14 for the amazing fanart she made from part 1!! Found here ! Thank you, Lara!! 🥰 Pls go and support her!! Masterlist | Spotify

You down a glass with water and place it on a tray just as a waiter offers you another drink. You politely decline before letting your gaze wander around the elegant venue your sister and Gabriel chose for the reception, thinking how it’s truly beautiful and perfect for the wedding they both envisioned.

Your eyes eventually land on the newlyweds as they dance, a smile tugging at your lips. They’ve been dancing nonstop since their first dance, which means their feet will likely be sore tomorrow. However, by tomorrow afternoon they should be in their honeymoon destination, relaxing from the last couple of days of last minute wedding shenanigans and basking in their newlywed energy.

“Aww, sweetie,” someone says, ripping your attention from your sister and now brother-in-law. It’s one of your aunts. You offer a polite smile as she approaches, your gut warning you about her intentions. “Look at you.”

You raise an eyebrow. “Look at me…?” you state but it sounds more like a question.

“This must be so hard for you,” your aunt says, taking your arm and holding it, with a sad tone that matches the frown on her face.

You hold back from sighing in annoyance, recognizing where this is going. You’ve heard it twice already from two other aunts.

“Not really. I know she’s the baby of the family, but well, we all grow up, right?” you reply, forcing a smile. You hope your words will deter your aunt from explaining what she truly means, but unfortunately for you, it doesn’t.

“Aw, not that, sweetie. I mean, yes, but I was referring to how hard it must be for you as the eldest. Seeing your younger sister get married before you - it must be so hard. You should’ve been married by now, maybe with a little toddler at your side. Instead, you’ve found yourself witnessing your younger sister marry first, and who knows, maybe pregnant in a few months, but cheer up, sweetie. Don’t let this make you feel less, okay? Sometimes… Not everyone has the pleasure of marrying and experiencing motherhood, but that’s alright. I’m sure you have other… things that bring happiness to you, like… your job?” your aunt says, giving your arm what she thinks is a reassuring squeeze, but is rather an uncomfortable one. On top of that, she’s delivering another jab at you she doesn’t even know she’s making. “I’m sure that brings a lot of satisfaction to you.”

“Thank you for your kind words,” you force yourself to say with a fake smile that seems to go past your aunt. You silently pray she leaves you alone and that this is the last time you have to hear the same “comforting” and “reassuring” words for the night. You hope so, or you’ll slap someone. Mentally, of course. You’d never cause any kind of commotion publicly, much less at your sister’s wedding when you care so deeply about her and Gabriel. Besides, that’d give the people a field day and fill their minds with thoughts of you being “jealous” or “resentful” about your sister marrying before you.

Thankfully, your aunt leaves, off to offer more unsolicited advice and words of comfort, probably.

“Mierda [shit],” you sigh just as you hear a man somewhere behind you.

“Ah, Miguel! It’s been so long since I’ve seen you. Working all the time, huh?”

Subtly, you glance behind you at the man’s words. You didn’t even know Miguel was nearby, but now knowing he is, you wonder if he heard your aunt. You hope he didn’t as the last thing you want is Miguel to think you were looking at the newlyweds with jealously and that that was the reason your aunt felt the need to provide those “reassuring” words.

“Yes, yes. I stay busy working,” you hear Miguel reply.

“Good for you. And you’re still single?” the man asks.

“Si. No tengo pareja [Yes. I don’t have a partner],” Miguel replies, a hint of humor in his tone.

“That’s good, that’s good! No plans of marriage in sight for you. It’s better that way. You can spend your money how you want to, no children involved, no woman bothering you about grand gestures, or making you spend money. Enjoy your youth, have your fun. Maybe later on, you can settle down.”

You continue to watch the people on the dance floor, but you can’t help but scoff to yourself at the difference.

Your aunt was just pitying you about not being married and having children, but Miguel is being celebrated for the same thing by this man when he’s a few years older than you. You grab a glass from a waiter’s tray, thanking him. “I need one, or two after the crap I’m hearing,” you murmur to yourself as he walks away.

“You think so?” Miguel asks. “At my age, people think I ought to be married. Maybe with a kid or two.”

“No, no. Trust me, it’s better. That’s why I divorced.”

“I thought it was your wife who divorced you,” Miguel says gently. Despite the gentleness, Miguel’s words tear down the man’s attempt to make it seem like he had been the one to make the decision, and had you been watching Miguel, you would’ve noticed his raised brow to go along with it.

“Ah - well. Yes… But who cares? I’m divorced and free. I’m doing better than I was.” The man laughs. “I’m doing so, so, so great...” he says trailing off before chugging down some alcohol, a sign of a man who is most definitely doing great.

You roll your eyes. God bless that woman, she made the right choice divorcing the idiot behind you.

“Yeah, well…” you hear Miguel start. “I guess marriage is not for everyone. I’m not going to say it’s not for me, though. Who knows? Maybe one day a woman catches my attention.”

“You’ll be a miserable man, trust me. Don’t let any woman lure you into the marriage trap. You’re too young. Enjoy your youth. Go on dates. Have fun, if you know what I mean,” the man says, using a tone that leaves no doubt about what he’s referring to.

You decide you’ve heard enough, so you walk away, glass in hand. You glance at your sister and Gabriel from the sidelines of the dance floor, still dancing and lost in their own little and magical bubble. The sight brings a smile to your face once more before you turn, seeking a moment to yourself.

You step out of the venue, sighing deeply as you walk into a garden area where photos were taken earlier in the day. You briefly recall the photo session and how you were forced to take some photographs with the groom’s best man, who looked equally displeased to stand next to you, the maid of honor. You stood next to each other, stiff as surf boards and hands clasped in front of you with the most serious faces.

“This is the most scoffs, eye rolls, and scowls I’ve ever seen in a photo shoot. C’mon, guys! You’re the maid of honor and the best man. And -” Arturo, the cameraman, paused, walking closer. “Respective eldest siblings to the bride and groom. You should be acting like - a family. Here, let’s just move a little closer,” he said, finding it easier to move you instead of Miguel, and moving you closer to him.

You stiffened even more at that and Miguel scoffed at the way you were acting, like he had some incurable disease.

“You, too, señor [sir]. Please step closer,” Arturo gently demanded.

That earned Arturo a scoff and a glare.

“Yeah, O’Hara. Move closer and stop wasting time,” you added, innocently.

“Thank you, señorita [miss],” Arturo replied happily, believing he had at least turned your attitude around when in reality, you were simply taking the opportunity to poke fun at Miguel. It was the only way to make the photo session bearable.

With an eye roll, Miguel stepped closer until his arm brushed against yours. “Better?” he said through gritted teeth.

“Better,” Arturo confirmed. “Though…” he trailed off, frowning.

“You look like a three-day old piece of bolillo [savory bread in MX + other Latin countries],” you said all too seriously. “Stiff.”

Arturo, bless his heart, turned away and attempted to hide his shock.

With a poker face, you turned to look at Miguel and found a scowl, his eyes on you already.

“A three-day old piece of bolillo?” he repeated, annoyance dripping from his mouth. “And what are you? A fresh, sweet, soft piece of cortadillo [a kind of pan dulce; Mexican pastry], I suppose?”

You snorted at that. “I’m flattered you think of me like that. Cortadillo is so good,” you replied, smirking softly.

“Dios mio [my God], I’m just trying to do my job and those two are talking about pan dulce [Mexican pastries],” Arturo complained from somewhere, thinking he was quiet enough that he wasn’t going to be heard, but he was.

Miguel and you stared at each other as the cameraman’s words of frustration rang in your heads. You held each other’s gazes and as much as you both wanted to keep the glares and scowls, Arturo made both of you smile and then burst into quiet laughter.

In the end, Arturo got his opportunity with that moment of laughter and managed to capture the best man and maid of honor smiling in each other’s presence before you both ran off to get other duties done once the photographs were done.

You shake your head from the memory and look up at the garden lights hanging over you, giving the area a whimsical look, before you walk further away from the door and into a less well-lit area.

You sigh deeply again, something you’ve found yourself doing too much lately. The comments from your pesky aunts and the conversation you overheard have caused you some irritation, but it’s not just that. You’ve been trying to ignore a problem that’s been weighting on you all day. You’ve tried not to let it dampen your mood, today being your sister’s wedding, and you had succeeded until now. On a normal day, those conversations with your aunts and the man’s words to Miguel would’ve mattered little to you, but with the big issue in your life right now, they’ve managed to put you in a bad mood.

The big issue?

You were forced to resign from your job two days ago, leaving you unemployed.

It wasn’t anything that you did, but rather what you refused to do that led to the decision. You grimace in disgust just thinking about it all over again. You started working at the company two years ago and everything was great with you rising up the ranks quickly due to your hard work and determination, but as you rose higher and higher, you were warned.

You were told to be cautious of your boss and his wandering hands. You did your best to avoid him on your own and always kept a professional attitude to set clear boundaries. Foolishly, you thought you were safe with two years in and no impropriety on your boss’s side, but you were wrong.

Two days ago, he cornered you in his office to make his move. Of course, you made it known you weren’t interested nor willing to do anything beyond what is professional. Even when you were promised a promotion if you “played” the game, you refused - something that angered your boss. Apparently, the disgusting man believed you’d accept his advances. Despite taking it to HR, nothing was done because of the position and status your boss holds within the company. You knew then that you needed to leave the company, so you did.

You don’t regret it. You’ll never give yourself away like that to some disgusting and horrible man, even if you’re unemployed now.

However, you don’t look forward to job searching and all that it entails. Thinking about it makes you feel stressed and even some anxiety. Then, there’s also the words from your ex-boss, his promise to make it hard for you to find a job within your field.

You wonder. Surely he doesn’t have that much power, right?

You hope not.

You down the rest of the drink, briefly thinking about how you should probably stop drinking by now, but the unexpected change, one you’re carrying on your own because you refused to tell your family about it with the wedding coming up, is weighing heavily on you now.

Your thoughts are interrupted when you hear the door open, follow by footsteps. You recognize it’s not a woman’s, at least you don’t think so since there’s no sounds of heels, but either way, you can’t help but feel annoyed that someone has stepped out and taken your small moment of solitude. You just wanted a moment to yourself, but it seems that whoever stepped out, decided otherwise.

“Ah, you’re here, too?”

Rolling your eyes, you turn to face Miguel O’Hara. Of course, it had to be him of all people.

Miguel stands a few feet from the door, hands inside the pockets of his perfectly tailored pants while staring at you. For some reason, your annoyance grows at the way it hugs him in what women would say the “right way,” which you’re certain many women did comment on tonight, considering you caught many staring at him like he’s a piece of candy. You’re sure many are probably having little fantasies of him now; recalling how tall he is for a Mexican man, his wide shoulders only enhanced by his suit jacket, and the way his hair frames his chiseled face so well like God himself styled it for him.

And if they shook his hand, they may be thinking about how large and warm it was, how it felt against their own.

There may even be some women imagining making their parents suegros [parents-in-laws] and planning some elaborate wedding in their heads, thinking the bride today will be like a sister to them.

“Yes,” you simply reply, turning away again and making it known you don’t wish to talk. He can stay over there, on his own little spot, and let you be over here, unbothered.

“Needed some fresh air?”

Great.

“Yes.”

Miguel snorts, decreasing the distance between you. He’s still not in your space, but he’s significantly closer now. “One-word answers. You must be having a night.”

You don’t reply. Maybe if you don’t he’ll go back inside, but with your luck recently, doubtful.

“Did the comments from your aunts get to you?” he asks suddenly when you say nothing else.

“What comments?”

“You know very well which ones. I happened to be there, you know. When the first aunt went over, the second one, and then, the third and last one.”

You scoff. “Didn’t know you were a chismoso [gossiper; masculine noun].”

Miguel snorts again. “It’s not my fault they talk so loudly and I happened to be there.”

True on the talking too loud, but you still wish he hadn’t heard, just like you wish you hadn’t heard him being celebrated for the same things you were being pitied on.

“Right, and are you here to offer words of comfort, too?” you reply in a snappy tone. “Or, are you out here to celebrate how you were recommended to stay clear from commitment by your friend?”

Miguel scoffs. You really think he’s that kind of man?

“If you heard the conversation, surely you heard what I said,” he replies defensively turning his body to face you now. “I don’t agree with that mindset.”

“You know -” you step back and pinch the bridge of your nose for a second. “I don’t care. Can you just - leave me alone?” you snap, stepping away. You don’t care about the topic anyway, it’s not the reason why you’re truly upset. Miguel O’Hara can do whatever he wants with his life and your aunts can nag and pity you, you don’t care. What you care about is the fact you lost your job the way you did and that now you’re unemployed.

“No,” Miguel says, upset. “I’m not. You seem to think you have me all figured out, don’t you? Just because we’ve never been two to get along. I’m not that kind of man.”

“I don’t care what kind of man you are. This isn’t about you.”

Miguel steps forward, his body brushing against your arm making you turn to face him, too. You glare at him.

“This isn’t about me, but I’m receiving the brunt of your anger.”

“I’m not angry about what you think I am, alright? I could care less what my aunts said, what that man said to you, though it’s unfair, but it’s not what’s on my mind. So, do me a favor and drop it. Leave me alone. You’re not the center of my world,” you reply with a scoff before turning away from him.

“What a shame,” Miguel murmurs following you. He grabs your arm and pulls you back, his hand wrapping around your flesh with enough force to keep you still without hurting you. “¿Que te pasa [what’s the matter]? Why are you so upset if it’s not that, then?”

You tug at your arm, a fruitless attempt to free yourself since Miguel doesn’t let go.

“Answer the question,” he demands, those deep brown eyes looking straight at you.

“It’s none of your business,” you answer, still glaring at Miguel.

He scoffs, holding your gaze as you look at him like he’s the most disgusting thing your eyes could ever lay upon.

“You’re such a fucking brat,” he mumbles, his grip tightening around your arm slightly, tugging you closer to him. With narrowed eyes, he holds your gaze for a few seconds before images of your lips flash in his mind from the dance lessons.

He had never been that close to you before, never held nor touched you.

Miguel had never noticed the way your eyelashes framed your eyes, the shape of your lips, nor had he ever noticed your scent, a mixture of your very own essence and perfume. It’s the kind of scent that makes a man weak in the knees and wish for a closer inhale. No, Miguel had never noticed those things about you and it was to his great annoyance that not only had he noted them, but that those details had also made him feel weird afterwards.

Miguel felt so off that he had to make up the excuse about having a call to make. In reality, all he did was step out and take some fresh air, his mind boggled with the entire situation from the comments the dance instructor made about the two of you being in love and sharing passion to his little stunt after your two left feet comment and your payback, which left an ache on his foot, to the details he had never noticed about you. His mind was boggled and yet, you were the same as always with him; annoyed by, distant from, and uninterested in him.

And for some reason, it bothered him that day.

When he went back inside, he found you on the other side of the dance studio, looking closely at the couple and offering some advice to help them, ignoring his presence. Even when the four of you met up at the parking lot once again after the dance lesson, your attitude was the same. Your sister and Gabriel asked if either of you were interesting in grabbing something to eat, but you declined so fast and stated you had other things to do before the wedding, “maid of honor duties” you called them.

He watched with a scowl as you got in your car and left, only having said bye to the couple while barely giving him a glance of acknowledgement despite the conversation you had just had about making things work for the sake of your sister and Gabriel.

Of course, Miguel declined the invitation, too. He was in no mood to be third wheeling and he did have some things to do for work, so he, too, left with thoughts of your annoying self on his mind.

He eventually placated his thoughts with work, including dealing with his team and the fact that his current assistant put in their four weeks. Thankfully, he still has some time left before his assistant leaves, which he hopes is enough time to find someone to fill in the position. Either way, his work helped him set his thoughts about you aside that day.

Now, Miguel pushes past his thoughts and focuses on you, still holding your arm.

“And what of it?” you reply to his comment about you being a brat, still glaring at him so fiercely and angrily about whatever you’re upset about, proving Miguel you can be such a brat sometimes.

For two seconds Miguel has a thought - bending you over his knee and teaching you a lesson to tame that bratty attitude of yours. Then, his brain betrays him and he imagines what you’d sound like if he did. Would you still be a little brat when his heavy palm makes contact with your rear, or would you whimper and -

“You’re so upset,” Miguel says in an almost breathless way, his mind blanking for a second. “If it’s not your aunts’ comments, then what is it? It must be something of importance, if it has you like this on your sister’s wedding day,” Miguel adds, trying to focus on the moment at hand and not on whatever the hell his brain is going on about. He decides, quickly, that he’s probably had a few too many tequila shots. That’s probably why his brain is acting up. Surely.

“As I said earlier, it’s none of your business,” you reply, once again trying to free your arm, but to no avail. The giant man has you rooted to his side.

“Bullshit,” Miguel replies. His brother married into your family and your sister into his, that makes the two of you something now, doesn’t it? You’re tied for life now, for better or worse, in this way thanks to your siblings. And, the two of you did agree to get along for their sake.

“No te metas en lo que no te importa [don’t get involved in what doesn’t bother you],” you snap. “Mind your business. We may have agreed to be civil, but that doesn’t mean we’ll be besties.”

“As if, princesita [little princess],” Miguel responds with a scoff. “I wouldn’t be able to take your little attitude for two hours, even if I was paid, much less be ‘besties’ with you.”

“We have that in common, at least. I wouldn’t spend a day with you, even for a million dollars,” you reply, even though you could really use a million dollars, especially now.

Miguel smirks, amused by your response, and pulls you closer. “Not even if I paid you two million?”

“Not even five.”

Lies, lies, lies. You wouldn’t be worrying about being unemployed if you had even just one million dollars in the bank right now.

Miguel shrugs. “Maybe it’s too little, they’re little numbers after all,” he replies with a cocky smirk, for some reason bragging about his wealth to you now, something he’s never done before to anyone, but then again, his brain is not working accordingly right now.

Scoffing, you roll your eyes. You know Miguel is a CEO for a company you’ve never bothered to learn the name of, so you’re not surprised he has money, but saying five million dollars is “too little” is aggravating, and kind of shocking.

“Whatever, let go of me. Now,” you demand.

Miguel now scoffs at your demanding tone as if he couldn’t easily throw you over his shoulder and carry you off, or pin you against a wall.

“¿Qué tal si te digo que no? ¿Qué vas a hacer entonces, princesita? [What if I tell you no? What are you doing then, princess?]” Miguel replies, pulling you closer, so much closer his expensive cologne surrounds you.

You breathe it in, subtly of course. It’s rich, warm, and woody mixed in with his own scent. It’s the kind that sends a pool of warmth to your very core if allowed to inhale straight from a man’s neck with your nose pressed to his sensitive and warm flesh. You freeze for a second, the very thought almost makes you grimace, the fact that you’ve thought of such thing with Miguel of all men.

“You’re gonna slam your foot on mine again like the other day?” he asks mockingly, bringing you back to your senses.

“And mess your pretty, expensive shoes?”

Miguel snorts. “I can easily replace them.”

“So, you want me to slam my foot on yours? Is that what you’re saying?” you reply, raising an eyebrow.

Miguel grins, leaning closer, so much closer. He continues to hold your gaze, holding you still.

You scoff, your gaze unwavering.

You’re such a little brat, Miguel thinks again, his hand tightening around your arm just a tad more.

“What? Can’t make up your mind now?” you ask with a smug smile.

He scowls, pulling you so much closer. Your breath fans his face and he finds himself growing still when he feels it against lips especially. He swallows deeply while holding your gaze, your scent filling his nostrils and making him lean almost instinctively.

“You can ruin the shoes, I’ll simply buy new ones. I’ll even get you some pretty heels for your trouble. ¿Trato [Deal]?” he asks quietly, his gaze flickering to your lips for a second.

And God, maybe it really is all the drinks you’ve both had tonight because you lean closer, too.

Suddenly, it feels like two rocks rubbing against each other, a spark of fire made beneath the moonlight.

“¿Que pasa [What’s wrong]? Cat got your tongue?” Miguel whispers with a smirk.

“No. I was just thinking about the color I'd like the heels,” you reply, sarcastically.

“Ah, the color. Don't worry, you can choose whatever color you like. Whatever brand. Saint Laurent, Burberry, Gucci…”

You snort. “Didn't know you were so giving, O’Hara.”

“You don't know me” Miguel replies, tilting his head a little.

You raise an eyebrow, giving him a smirk that makes Miguel's heart skip a beat. He leans slightly closer, further decreasing the distance between your faces.

“I’m a man that likes to give - to provide,” Miguel continues, his hand tightening around your arm, his gaze flickering to your lips once more.

“Ah, interesting. You're the tree that keeps on giving, hm?”

“Such a smartass,” Miguel mumbles, eyes narrowing and meeting yours again. “One of these days that mouth of yours is gonna get you in trouble.”

“I can't wait,” you reply defiantly.

Miguel scowls, your little defiance stirring something in him once more. He huffs, eyes moving to your lips yet again, not thinking straight. All he’s suddenly thinking about is closing the distance and shutting your mouth - with his own. He thinks about his mouth pressed against yours, about slipping his tongue in and swirling it around yours to taste you, to make you whine.

Meanwhile, you look at him, noticing his gaze on your lower face. You find yourself doing the same, your eyes landing on his full lips specifically. You silently wonder, despite yourself, what they’d feel like against yours and against your skin. The thought creates a fluttering feeling inside your chest, one that Miguel shares.

His heart races, his mind clouded with these strange thoughts. Miguel thinks about leaning in all the way and doing it, kissing you once and for all to satisfy a hunger and craving he’s suddenly overwhelmed with.

And he would've, if only the door leading to the garden hadn’t suddenly swung open before you both register voices.

You both pull away instantly, staring at each other like two deer caught in headlights. The realization hits the two of you like a ton of feathers at once, the truth echoing in your heads over and over again.

You were going to kiss.

You were going to kiss.

You were going to kiss.

The only thing that breaks Miguel and you from your shock are the sudden intimate noises, tearing your gazes from each other to see what’s the matter. It’s then that you both see a couple making out against the wall, totally unaware that Miguel and you are there due to the poor lighting.

Seeing the intimacy and hearing their noises of passion is all you need before you walk past Miguel, fleeing the garden area wordlessly to pull yourself together.

Miguel doesn’t try to stop you, not even when you brush past him. He stands there for a second or two before he, too, walks off in the opposite direction, hands clenched.

It’s not until you find yourself utterly alone once more that you stop walking. You stare at the ground, your heart racing while your mind plays the last few minutes over and over again. It makes no sense. There’s no way Miguel was about to kiss you, right? You huff in frustration and begin to pace back and forth, one hand clenched tightly around the glass you brought out with you as you try to make sense of the situation.

“Alcohol,” you say quickly to yourself, nodding. “Too much alcohol. It makes people do stupid things.” You nod once more, slowly calming yourself as you repeat this in your head.

At last, you stop pacing when you find reason for that near mistake.

Alcohol, which messes with your brain. Nothing more.

“Hey!”

Startled, you jump and let out a small gasp before turning. You find your mom, happily smiling.

“Come on! What are you doing out here all alone, mija [my daughter]?”

“Just - taking some fresh air,” you answer, walking over to her.

“Your sister and Gabrielito are about to cut the cake. They were wondering where you were,” your mom informs you, offering her arm to you.

You smile and accept your mom’s arm, embracing her comforting presence as you both head back inside the party.

“They were also looking for Miguel. You haven’t seen him, have you?” your mom asks, nearly making you trip.

“N - No, I haven’t,” you lie, clearing your throat and checking your shoe to pretend something is wrong with it to make up for you nearly tripping. “He’s probably talking with the men. They all seem like big fans of him.”

Your mom smiles, nodding. She hums softly as you both enter the venue again, the kind of hum that only moms can muster when they know something you don’t.

“I’m sure Miguelito is somewhere around here. Maybe he needed some fresh air, too,” your mom continues, patting your forearm as you fully enter the reception room now. “Let’s go get some cake.”

After eating cake and making toasts with your family and the guests, you stick near your parents’ side for the rest of the night, as a distraction to forget what almost happened earlier, until it’s time to see your sister and Gabriel off. You watch next to your parents as the newlyweds walk out of the venue, saying bye to the guests and other family members until it’s the immediate families’ turn at the end.

You hug your sister and Gabriel goodbye when it’s your turn, wishing them a great time and congratulating them yet again.

At last, the couple makes it to the car and gets settled. You smile softly as they wave goodbye one more time before the car departs. Watching the car grow smaller and smaller, the realization that your baby sister is married dawns on you. In the blink of an eye, she grew up and turned into a wonderful young woman. You briefly recall when she was a little girl, when she used to follow you everywhere because she wanted to do everything with you. And now, she’s all grown up and starting a new life with the love of her life.

A few feet away from you, Miguel does the same with a thoughtful expression on his face. He can’t believe Gabriel is now a married man, that he’s all grown up. He sighs, wondering where time went before he turns sideways, finding you staring in the direction of the car. He has no doubt you’re having similar thoughts like his, the two of you being the eldest siblings.

Sensing someone’s gaze, you turn, only to meet Miguel’s eyes. You stare at each other for a few seconds, the moment at the garden flashing through your minds like the highlights of a video with one particular part in replay: that moment when Miguel leaned forward and his gaze fell on your lips before you allowed yourself the same with his.

Your senses, both Miguel’s and yours, are overwhelmed in seconds. You easily recall each other’s scents, the warmth from your bodies, and the angry energy that slowly turned into something different due to the shoe talk before you fell into whatever that was at the end.

You blink at last and swallow deeply, pushing the memory away. You scoff at yourself, still holding Miguel’s gaze.

Damn alcohol and the things it makes you do and feel. Right?

You finally look away and walk off to meet your parents, not sparing Miguel another glance.

Miguel’s eyes follow you until you disappear from his sight. He runs a hand through his hair with a sigh, frustrated. He doesn’t even know if it’s at you or himself, or both. Or, maybe he’s just exhausted form the wedding planning and the actual wedding activities.

He doesn’t know anymore, just like he doesn’t know what he was thinking back at the garden. He turns away and scowls at himself. Okay, fine. He knew exactly what he was thinking: kissing and tasting you.

“Miguel-”

“What?” Miguel snaps, turning. He clears his throat when he finds Daniel, the man from earlier who was boasting about being divorced and advising Miguel to stay single for a while longer. He sighs and shakes his head. “Forgive me, Daniel. I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

“It’s alright. You’re probably tired from the wedding. These things are always exhausting. I was just going to ask if you are interested in joining me and some of the other guys to a bar. It’s still early,” Daniel says before three other young men reach them.

Knowing the men, Miguel knows what kind of night they hope to have; one with no attachments but filled with carnal pleasure.

Miguel shakes his head. “Thank you for the invitation, but I’m too tired. And besides, I still have to wrap up some things here regarding the venue. You guys have fun.”

The other men boo him and one even dares to call him “old fashioned” since they know Miguel isn’t interested in those type of nights with strangers. They eventually walk away, leaving Miguel alone once more. He shakes his head as he sees them pull out of the parking lot before fishing for his own car keys inside his pockets.

The truth is, Miguel has no tasks related to the venue left. A cleaning crew was hired to take care of everything so neither families would have to worry about it. The food situation was handled and the gifts have been collected to be stored for now until the couple comes back from their honeymoon.

All Miguel needs to do is wish everyone a good night and head home. That’s it. Yet… His thoughts are a storm and you’re at the center of it, the culprit.

His gaze, despite himself, searches for you. He finally spots you several feet away talking with a man, one he doesn’t know personally. Miguel watches the interaction, noticing the closeness and the way you seem at ease with the individual. Hell, you’re even laughing at something the man says.

He looks away when the man places a hand on your forearm while talking, opting to gaze at the venue’s front gardens with trimmed bushes and perfectly aligned flowers.

Miguel suddenly realizes it. He’s stalling, but why? He turns to look your way again, discreetly, and the need to talk to you suddenly hits him. He needs to talk to you about what almost happened at the garden earlier. So, Miguel takes a few steps your way.

As he approaches you, he’s unsure of what he’d even say. I’m sorry for almost kissing you? Miguel cringes internally. Should he even bring it up? Talking about it makes it more real. It means acknowledging that that almost happened between you along with admitting some level of vulnerability, something neither of you have ever shared with each other.

He suddenly finds himself standing next to you and the man, his large strides making the walk a short one. The man stops talking and looks over at him, a look of confusion at Miguel’s sudden appearance. On the other hand, to Miguel’s annoyance, you give him a look of nonchalance.

“Excuse me,” Miguel starts, acknowledging the man. “I’m sorry for interrupting, but I need a word with Ms. Y/N.”

The man nods, looking somewhat disappointed. “I see. I’ll give you two a moment,” the man says despite you beginning to protest.

You watch the man, a son of one of your dad’s friends from work, walk away. Slowly, you turn to face Miguel, keeping a neutral expression. “Yes?”

“We need to talk about what happened,” Miguel says quietly, meeting your gaze.

“What happened?” you reply, raising an eyebrow.

Miguel scoffs, his eyebrows furrowing. “Don’t give me that attitude.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“At the garden,” Miguel continues through gritted teeth in disbelief at your nonchalance.

You hum, tilting your head. “Nothing happened,” you respond.

“Are you kiddi-” Miguel starts but stops, his frustration mounting. He lowers his voice. “Don’t play stupid with me, princesita [little princess]. We both know you’re far from it.”

“You know what I know?” you ask quietly. “There’s nothing to discuss. Don’t make a storm in a glass of water, okay?” With that, you walk around him.

“Where do you think you’re going? We’re not done talking,” Miguel replies, following you.

“As far as I’m concern, we have nothing to talk about. So, I’ll see you around, Mr. O’Hara,” you say, ending the conversation as you head to your car.

“Dammit,” Miguel murmurs, still following you.

You quickly unlock your car and get inside, slamming the door close. You start the car even when you see Miguel standing next to it, trying to talk to you. Sighing, you consider rolling your window down for a few seconds to let him talk, but at the same time you don’t wish to hear him out. A part of you knows that talking about what nearly happened will make it feel important when it’s not. Or, at least you’ve made yourself believe it’s not.

You shift the car’s gear, ready to drive off, but at the last second, you roll your window down. Facing forward and with your foot on the brake, you speak. “We’ve both had drinks. Alcohol makes people do things that they wouldn’t do when they’re fully sober, even with a little bit in their system. There’s nothing to discuss nor explain. Nothing happened and that’s what matters. I’m certainly not making a big deal out of it, nor have I been offended by what nearly happened, so if that’s what you’re trying to do - apologize - save it. Have a good night,” you state firmly before driving off, leaving a frustrated Miguel in the parking lot.

Through your rear view mirror, you look at him one more time. You find him watching you drive off, his arms at his sides in a stance that lets you detect his frustration clearly. At last, you look away, certain you’ve handled the situation accordingly.

Previous Part ⋅ ♡ ─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ── ♡ ⋅ Next Part

A/N: Hiii, I'm sorry for how long it took me to update, but life got crazy in August due to a family member's death and then sickness. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed part 2! When I wrote part 1, I wasn't planning on this being a multiple parts fic, but with writing part 2, I guess I am now.

I'm unsure of how long this will be. Tbh, I'm hoping for it to be short 😭🙏🏼 Like, 10 chapters or so? Maybe less. I need to sit down and plan accordingly! As you can probably guess, this will transition into a CEO!Miguel x Assistant!female reader who are also now connected because of your sister and Gabriel, so I'm just letting you guys know the forced proximity will increase! 🙂‍↕️

Thank you for reading, and I hope you're having a great day/night!!

Alondra❤️

p.s. I have attached my side Spotify account in case you guys are interested in keeping up with the music I listened to while writing this chapter.

for the people that asked me to notify them for part 2: @vera4luv @safixiovi

[arxhslayer]

Kinds of Kisses pt. 2 (Carlisle Cullen x Reader)

Neck kisses

A/N: this fic is inspired by @futuremrsdrcullen's "I'm Always in This Twilight" series. All rights to the Twilight Saga go to Stephanie Meyer. This is also inspired by mushroom ravioli, which I'm having for dinner tonight.

WC: 533

CW: a tiny bit of swearing & a fair amount of kissing

~~~~~

I had just about finished carefully chopping up the mushrooms for dinner when I heard Carlisle’s car pulling up the driveway. The rush of air behind me that soon followed indicated his presence. The rest of the Cullens were out for various reasons: Alice was with Bella, Edward was probably brooding in the forest, and Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper were out hunting.

“Hello love,” he greeted, wrapping his arms around me from behind, already having changed out of his work clothes. I’m still baffled by just how fast he is. “What are you making?”

Turning to look at him, I responded, “Mushroom ravioli. Bella’s coming over for dinner tonight and I remembered that she likes it. Figured it was my turn to try making Italian cuisine.”

“Is there anything you want help with?” he asked me. I shook my head, and placed a quick peck to his lips before going back to cutting. He hummed behind me, placing a gentle kiss to the crook of my neck as I asked, “So how was your shift at the hospital?”

He sighed, cool breath drifting over my shoulder. “It’s been worse.” “But it’s been better,” I said, filling in what he left unsaid. He nodded, and I gently pulled away to add the rest of the ingredients to the pan on the stove.

Carlisle continued, “We had the usual. Stomach pains, headache, that sort of thing. But there was also a car crash today.”

I made a mental note to call my dad later, and to send some food home with Bella.

“Luckily there were no fatalities, but the drivers involved both got pretty beat up. One of them had a couple passengers too, some kids.”

“Are they all going to be okay?” I asked as I moved back to him, putting my arms around his neck.

“They should all be fine. One of the drivers was rushed in for emergency surgery, and we’re keeping him at the hospital for a few days. But the family was able to be discharged quickly.” He smiled, hugging me back, but his golden eyes betrayed how tired he felt. The bruise-like marks underneath them seemed worse than usual too.

“I can reschedule dinner if you’d like, we can have a quiet night in. Or I can go over to my dad’s house to eat so you can go join Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper.”

Chuckling, he replied, “Don’t reschedule. I’ll go out hunting later tonight, after Bella arrives.” He paused, pulling me closer so that our foreheads rested together. “I just want to be with you right now.” I leaned up to kiss him, but his eyes widened slightly as he turned towards the stove.

“Shit, the ravioli!” I spun to the stove, but Carlisle was already there, turning down the heat. Thankfully nothing was burned too badly, and I started to spoon the filling onto the pasta dough. Carlisle was behind me again, arms around my waist, holding me to him. He rested his chin on my shoulder, occasionally pressing kisses against my shoulder, neck, or jaw.

That’s how we spent the next hour, before cuddling on the couch and watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer until Bella arrived.

[absolute-flaming-trash]

Been a hot minute, my friends, and I'm sorry for that.

This is something that has been sitting in my drafts for a bit and with how long it's been taking me to get other work out, I figured why not even if I'm not fully pleased with it.

I hope you enjoy regardless 💛

Pairing: Yandere!Chrollo x Reader

SFW

Word Count: 910

Warnings: Yandere, Kidnapping, Forced relationship, Murder (mentioned)

Please be nice, I don't write for this man often

“May I ask you something?”

It was a simple question, but one you regretted the moment it left your lips because of how it silenced the room.

Gone was the soft scratching of pen against paper as Chrollo looked toward your seated position, his expression thankfully that of neutrality mixed with a hint of slight intrigue.

You swallowed and looked down at your lap. Better than annoyance, you supposed.

“I just… I can’t stop thinking about it, and I have to ask...” Your fingers picked at the frayed ends of the couch while your graze returned to his. “Why me?”

He arched a brow, amusement creeping into his eyes. “Why you?”

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

“Yes.” You replied with a little more conviction in your own tone this time. “Surely keeping one person alive when the rest were doomed to die is more trouble than it’s worth.”

“Are you saying that you would’ve preferred to have shared the same fate as the rest of your fellow party go-ers?”

Your cringe followed by a beat of silence was more than enough of an answer, but you felt obligated to continue since you were the one who started this conversation in the first place.

“...No.” Your teeth found your bottom lip while you tried to gather your thoughts in a way you hoped would make sense, all while pushing the memory of the fundraiser-turned-bloodbath out of your mind. “I’m saying I don’t understand.”

Chrollo leaned back in his own seat, still looking directly at you. “You’re here to keep the police from doing anything foolish.”

“I know that!” The frustration in your chest made itself known. “But you could have taken anybody. One of the sponsors of the damn thing, or even some other random woman, yet you kept me alive. I want to know your reasoning for it.”

He didn’t seem upset by your outburst, if anything it just served to increase his growing interest in the conversation.

Likely because these were the most words you had ever spoken to him at a given time.

Bastard.

“I liked you.”

Such a simple answer, and one you did not expect from someone who typically played their cards so close to the chest. It threw you off whatever balance you mentally had, and you recovered with a scoff.

“You liked me?”

“Yes.”

A twitch went through your eye when he didn’t expand on that - the sound of pen on paper filling up the room once more. You refused to let the conversation die there.

“I don’t believe you.”

That was a lie, but one you were willing to risk if it meant bringing the topic back to life, and boy did it work.

Not only did he stop writing, he set the pen down on the desk in front of him and turned his whole body to face you. “Oh?”

Shit.

“I mean, I don’t know how you could decide using something like that in a situation that was such a spur of the moment.”

“What makes you think any of what I do is ‘spur of the moment’?”

That made you pause. He had a point there. In the short time that you knew him, he had proved himself to be anything but impulsive…

Your temples throbbed with a quickly encroaching headache.

“If it wasn’t, then what? Your choice was made before the bloodshed started?”

The words were spoken sarcastically, but you had no idea just how right you were until you saw his expression change from amused neutrality to one of…

Come to think of it, you had no idea what to call the look on his face. Admiration came closest to mind, but that didn’t feel right.

“You catch on fast, well done.”

You made a face, not a fan of the condescending tone. “So, what? If I’m not sacrificed to the cops in a hail of bullets, you’re going to keep me as some kind of pet?”

Amusement crept back onto his face. “Is that what you think?”

“If it is, I hope you know I’ll fight that with every fiber in my being.”

He hummed lowly, your promise of violence completely brushed to the side. “As intriguing as the notion is, I have no intention of doing such a thing to you.”

“Then what do you intend to do?”

A small smile appeared on his face, but he didn’t answer, allowing you a moment to draw your own conclusions.

When you did, you frowned.

“Not a chance.”

“Why?”

You gave him an indignant look. “You can’t seriously expect me to willingly be with you after everything that has happened.”

“I don’t, hence your current circumstances.”

Silence filled the air again after that. A nice reminder that whatever outcome you could’ve hoped for during this exchange, you were doomed to lose regardless.

All you could do was shake your head in malcontent and pick at the frayed ends of the couch again, unable to come up with anything further to say.

More amusement flickered across his face. “You do not wish to be my pet, nor to be my lover.” He sat back ever so slightly in his chair. “Tell me then, what do you wish to be?”

“Free.” You replied without a sliver of hesitation, locking eyes again with him once more. “But we both know that will never happen, will it?”

Chrollo threatened to genuinely smile at your answer and he shook his head once.

“No. It won’t.”

© absolute-flaming-trash 2023. Do not repost, modify, copy, or claim.  

[mads-weasley]

15. Simple Curiosities

Hvitserk Ragnarsson x Eira Torsteinsdottir (OFC)

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

Word Count: 1.3k

Quiet chatter filled the longhouse as Ivar's men went about their day, coming and going like nothing was wrong, like the townspeople weren't suffering...like Eira wasn't suffering.

They didn't know, of course. They didn't care. 

Hvitserk sat at the table, leaning back in his chair and sipping his ale as he waited for the servants to bring his food. He could barely wait for the meal. Hunger churned in his stomach endlessly but he decided it was worth it. 

She was worth it.

The last day and a half had been a blur of herbs, teas, and exhaustion. He’d barely left Eira’s side, unwilling to abandon her to her fever's grip. Everything edible in her house had long since been consumed…by him, mostly. He’d thankfully gotten her to eat a few bites of bread at times she was more lucid, knowing the importance of keeping her strength up. Hvitserk had watched her do the same for the sick in the houses they’d visited. 

Now, though, her fever had broken. She’d woken earlier, tired but undeniably herself, reminding him with her teases and snarky jabs. 

Relief had washed over him the second her first quip had left her paled lips.

Hvitserk shook his head, a faint smile tugging at his lips as he stared into his cup. She was something else…that was for sure. A woman unlike anyone he'd ever met, a woman not easily understood. And yet, he was undeniably drawn to her.

He couldn’t ignore the itch to return to her bedside, the feeling unsettling him more than anything.

He glanced up as Freydis approached, one hand lightly resting on her stomach and the other holding a plate of food. Though she hadn’t begun to show, there was a newfound softness in her demeanor that hadn’t been there before. She offered a faint smile, which he returned, then sat across from him, sliding the place across the table. 

“You’re brooding,” she said lightly as she set the plate in front of Hvitserk.

“Thank you. I’m hungry,” Hvitserk replied, straightening slightly. 

She tilted her head. “You look like you’ve been dragged through Hel and back.”

Hvitserk gave a small shrug and a faint smirk, but the truth of her words lingered. He was exhausted…physically, mentally, and, though he wouldn’t admit it, emotionally. “I’ve been busy.”

Freydis raised a brow as she sat across from him, her hands folding neatly over her lap. Her gaze was curious but not prying. “Busy, hm? In the village?”

He didn’t answer right away, just looked down at the plate she’d placed before him. It looked amazing, and smelled even better, its aroma making his stomach growl. “Something like that,” he said quietly.

Before she could respond, a voice broke through the chatter.

“Hello, brother.”

Hvitserk sighed inwardly as his brother approached, his crutch clicking against the floor. Ivar stopped beside the table, his eyes bright with mischief. Freydis shifted slightly, and her neutral expression softened as her gaze met her husband’s.

Ivar grinned behind the rim of his cup. “Did you enjoy your night?” Ivar’s voice was laced with amusement, and something else…skepticism, maybe? His gaze flicked briefly to Freydis before landing back on Hvitserk. “Well, judging by the tired look on your face, I assume the answer is yes?”

Hvitserk’s upper lip twitched as he tried to keep his face neutral, though he really didn’t know what his brother hinted at. “What?”

“You weren’t in your bed last night,” Ivar said, his grin widening. “Unless I’m mistaken.”

Ivar’s meaning suddenly dawned on him: he thought he spent the night with a woman. Although he technically did, it wasn’t in the way his brother thought. Luckily, it seemed Ivar had no idea where or who he was with.

Hvitserk added that to the list of things to thank the gods for…if they were even listening. But he hated the idea of his brother keeping tabs on him, subtly trying to control him, to manipulate him as always.

“And if I wasn’t?” he shot back, unable to keep the half-sneer off his face.

“Easy brother,” Ivar remarked in a rather high-pitched tone, raising his brow as mock surprise flashed across his face. “I was simply curious.”

This was him digging for a response, and he knew it. Ivar wanted something else to hold over his head, something to make Hvitserk do his bidding in the possibility he rebelled against him. It was no surprise he sensed the growing divide between them.

The silence between them was tense but brief, broken by Freydis’s calm voice. “You’ve been gone a lot lately, Hvitserk. Always finding ways to stay busy.”

Hvitserk looked at her and then at Ivar, who was watching him closely, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. “I just needed a break,” he said, his tone deliberately neutral.

Ivar’s smirk grew. “From here? Or from me?”

“Why do-”

“Do not torment him, my love. Can’t you see he’s exhausted?” Freydis interrupted, placing a hand on Ivar’s arm to draw his attention.

“It is what brothers do.” Ivar rolled his eyes but straightened, glancing over at his wife. “But…if you say so, Freydis. I still think there’s a story here.”

“There isn’t,” Hvitserk muttered, focusing on the food before him.

Freydis’s gaze lingered on him for a moment, her blue eyes studying his face. She opened her mouth to speak, but Ivar interrupted her with a small laugh.

“Well,” Ivar said, a touch of mockery still in his tone, “at least you’re finally finding something, or someone, to occupy your time, Hvitserk. It’s about time you did something other than drink and mope around.”

About Margrethe. It went unsaid.

Hvitserk didn’t respond, but his jaw tightened, his lip curling in anger as he tried to control his breathing. The accusation that he had done nothing but wallow and drink after Margrethe's death felt like a slap to his face, especially after he was the one who had her killed.

The silence felt too thick, too suffocating. He could feel the tension building within him, his anger at Ivar's cruel remarks threatening to boil over.

Freydis must have sensed it too, because she quickly turned her attention to Ivar, the hand on his arm tightening. “Ivar, can we go lay down? I am tired.”

That was enough to break his questioning. He helped Freydis up, and they soon disappeared behind the curtain into the family quarters.

Hvitserk sat there in the silence that followed, a deep exhale escaping his lungs as he tried to calm himself. He was angry…furious, even…but more than that, he felt like he was constantly being poked and prodded by Ivar’s words, like a caged wild animal being baited to attack. His words were only meant to rile Hvitserk up, seemingly waiting for some excuse to get rid of him…at least that’s what it felt like.

It worked a lot of the time, but Hvitserk allowed it to push him to action. Not yet.

Although Hvitserk speculated Freydis was the one behind the ‘god’ belief Ivar had adopted, she had her moments of clarity. She wasn’t always the manipulative figure she sometimes seemed to be, though Hvitserk still wasn’t sure how much of her kindness was genuine.

With a final quiet huff, he finally turned his attention to his plate. It didn’t take long for him to devour it, and when he finished, he stood abruptly and made his way to one of the servants. 

“Can you pack some food in a bag for me?” he asked quietly, ensuring no one overheard. 

The servant nodded and disappeared into the kitchen. She returned with a bundle a moment later, which Hvitserk accepted with a brief nod of thanks. He exited the longhouse without another glance toward her, but she watched him go with a curious tilt of her head.

He had someone to get back to.

A/N: message or comment if you want to be added to the tag list! <3

[ncity-agere]

slight tw: mania/bipolar disorder, erratic behavior, light angst, and confusion (i have bp2 so i am used to interactions like this. if you aren’t or are triggered by talk of mental illness in headspace, please proceed with caution or read one of my more lighthearted works <3)

“Where are you, baby?” Caregiver!Jeonghan called out softly, looking around the kitchen for you. It was the last room he’d checked and he guessed that you were playing a game with him -despite not telling him you even started a game of hide-and-seek. Silly baby.

He peeked into the pantry, shaking his head. “Oh, they’re not in there?” Jeonghan clicked his tongue, hearing your giggles as he walked towards the table you were hiding under. “Where could they be? Are you…” Jeonghan crouched down and popped his head under the table, making you squeal. “Under here!”

You giggle and run away before he can grab your arm, socks pattering against the floor softly. Jeonghan chases after you, surprised at how much energy you seemed to have today.

“My clever little one.” Jeonghan smiled, catching up to you and picking you up with a light groan. He sat you on his lap and nuzzled his nose with yours affectionately. “Such a smart baby!”

Your heart fluttered at the praise, hugging your caregiver close. He hums a melody you can’t quite place and rocks you on his lap, laughing softly when you babble a song with the sound of his voice.

Jeonghan stops humming and faces you with a suddenly serious expression. “Angel… have you taken your meds today, little one?” His voice is gentle, rubbing your back while you cuddle.

You suddenly frowned, hiding your face in Jeonghan’s neck. “No.” Your voice is as stern as you can make it, not wanting to waver. You didn’t want to take your stupid meds, you felt better right now anyways. And you knew better than stupid Jeonghan anyways.

Jeonghan purses his lips. It’s never good when you forget your medications… maybe that’s why you’ve been so energetic for the past few days. He wonders how longs it’s been since you took your medicine.

“No? Well, why don’t we get those pills and some food in your tummy, hm?” He asks softly, confused when you shake your head with an angry expression.

“Don’ like Papa. Don’ wan meds.” You scowled, still in Jeonghan’s arms. “Hate meds. Hate Papa.” Your voice was tired and resigned, as if you weren’t even aware of what you were saying.

Jeonghan huffed but tried not to let it get to him. He held you close and nodded, holding you tight in his arms with sleepy eyes, sighing. “That’s… okay. It’s okay to feel icky, it’s okay to not like meds, and it’s okay to not like Papa sometimes.” He nodded, knowing that you didn’t mean what you said.

You screamed into Jeonghan’s shoulder before he could react, not knowing what to do. Papa was so… calm about this. Which was good but also, you wanted a rise out of him. You wanted a reaction.

You didn’t have the words to say. It’s not that you disliked Jeonghan at all -you love him very much and he loves you too- but your brain feels like it’s melting. You feel like everything is moving a little too fast and it’s overwhelming. And sometimes you say things and don’t think about them.

Jeonghan understands that, thankfully. He rocked you in his lap, singing with a low, soothing voice as your muscles relaxed and your discontented babbles quieted down.

“I’m sleepy.” You yawned after a while, feeling your body start to wind itself down. You hadn’t slept quite right in days and your brain seemed determined to stay awake but your body had enough.

“Yeah?” Jeonghan chuckled shallowly, trying not to be bitter about your words earlier. “I’ll bet. I think you need a nap, lovely. Maybe some sleep will do you good?”

“Sleepy.” You repeated, eyes becoming heavier and heavier by the second. He cooed and carried you away to your room, laying you down in your cozy bed among your stuffed animals and fluffy blankets.

He could have a conversation with you about your words later when you were big but for now, he had to put you down for a needed nap. The last thing he needed was a sleep deprived, manic little on his hands who seemed to become more and more irritable as the day went on.

Jeonghan leaned down to tuck you in. You gave him a little kiss on the side of his mouth, missing his cheek a little. He smiles and ruffles your hair, noticing the way your eyes looked glassy and apologetic.

The eventual crash would come soon enough if the medicine didn’t do it’s job in time, of course. That’s the cycle -mania, depression, neutral, again and again. But Jeonghan would be there for you through it, like usual.

“Sleep well, angel.” Jeonghan smiled. You could see the conflicted look in his eyes but didn’t pay it much mind as you slowly fell asleep, body overtaking your very-awake mind.

Unfortunately, sometimes your brain made you feel helplessly confused and icky. Fortunately, Jeonghan always seemed to make you feel better.

A/N: Hi, baby bunnies… I’m having a manic episode right now. This is self-indulgent. I’m trying really hard to work on requests and keep it together but it’s tough, okay?

Please be patient with Bunnie, my mind is soup right now.

[seenoversundown]

The Caravel Tavern Series : Prologue

Warnings: mentions of drinking/alcohol, sibling banter, fluff/wholesome/good vibes.

Word Count: 4.2k

Summary: The opening of Caravel Tavern was a dream come true for Jake. With the help of his best friends and brothers, naturally. In a small city in New England, it's rare to come across new faces. (or even run into some from the past)

A 4 Book interconnected series where they find love in the most unexpected ways. The bar was Jake's dream, but somehow is helping everybody else's dreams come true as well.

Rom-Com • Enemies To Lovers • Love At First Sight • Rekindled High School Sweethearts • Workplace Romance • AU - Boys x OCs

Night Moves - Bob Seger  “When you just don't seem to have as much to lose Strange how the night moves With autumn closin' in”                                               

Two Days until Open 

Flipping the heavy lock and hearing the door chime has become my favorite way to start my day. After six long months of fixing up this place, it’s only days from officially opening. I’ve spent countless hours cleaning it up, with the help of my brothers, obviously. But it has come together and finally feels like mine.

 “Goodmoooooorning!” Josh sings from across the room. 

“Good Morrow!” I can’t help the slight accent that comes along with it. 

Josh has been helping me decorate, thrift, and create things to match the aesthetic here. Deciding to develop a piratical vibe with a touch of retro themes felt right. We’ve spent hours finding the perfect pieces to hang, and thankfully, Josh has a good eye for all that. Red neon signs adorned the walls, with my favorite “Sinners Welcome” sign hanging behind the bar. 

“I think we are getting close to finishing with the decor,” Josh says, turning to make eye contact with me. 

“If you’re happy with it, then I’m happy with it,” I said, smiling back at him. “Just let me know what I can do to help. Otherwise, I’ll be organizing until the cows come home.” 

The door chimes ringing as Sam, our younger brother, walks through the door, Daniel quickly following behind. 

Daniel has practically been part of our family since we were kids, so he is treated like a brother. He and Sam went to school together and instantly attached at the hip, so he was at our house often throughout the years. When the time came, he chose not to go away for college, and I helped him get a job with me at the Shipyard. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a glamorous job, but it’s one of the better-paying options— at least it wasn’t a factory. 

“Okay, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, we come bearing gifts, and by that, I mean, I hope you like these coffees,” Sam announces as he makes his way to the bar, “black– because I texted both of you and neither replied, so it’s your fault.” 

“Some of us have jobs, Sam,” I said back.

Josh pulls out his phone, and I can see him click around for a second, “Oh yeah, there it is.”

Sam abruptly set the coffee on the bar in front of us with a shit-eating grin.

“Mental note, keep coffee creamer,” Josh mumbles and Sam holds a bag out to him before taking a sip.

“I didn’t forget your caramel cold foam whipped cream bullshit that you put in your coffee.”

Josh’s face lights up at the sight, “Wow, you do care about me,” putting on the dramatics per usual, “Also– I better not be Tweedle Dum.”

Sam let out a sinister laugh with an exaggerated shrug, “Guess we’ll never know!”

Since Sam got home from college, he’s been helping Josh and myself get everything done for the bar. Often, he’s reluctant or tries to make it seem that way. I can tell that he likes to be a part of everything. He’s been offering to take pictures of the bar. We have all the beer available, so we can post them on our Instagram, which I’m glad he understands is part of the business because I do not. 

“Thank you, Samuel,” I say. “Lucky for you, I always take my coffee black.” 

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

“I think if I have to look at another beer can today,” Sam starts, “I’ll lose my mind completely.” 

I giggle as I continue to track what we have in stock, “The worst is almost over, bud.” 

I’m sure opening the week of Thanksgiving seems like a terrible concept, and, to be frank- it’s overwhelming. I hope the six months of bickering with everybody will prove it was worth it.

“Hey, boss,” Daniel starts, “is there anything else you’d like me to do?”

I’m not exactly proud of how much he startled me. I should be more used to how quiet he is by now, but I don’t think I’ll ever be. 

“Jesus Christ,” I stop to process the question. “No, buddy, you can go home. It’s getting late, and we all probably could stand to get some rest before actually opening.” 

With no hesitation, I hear Sam ask from the other room, “Does that include me also?” 

“Yes, go home!” I shout over to him.

The door chime rings suddenly, causing Josh and me to laugh, walking over to find whatever he is working on. Carefully tapping the frame to ensure it’s centered on the nail, he looks incredibly focused. 

“We can also be done for the night,” I tell him, putting my arm around his shoulders. 

“Well, even better news, that was the last thing I needed to hang.” He says.

“You’ve outdone yourself, really.” I compliment him. 

Patting my hand a few times, he tells me, “Did it up just right, and it’s all for you, brother.”

We stare at each other silently for a second. 

“I’m just elated to see you finally going for your dreams.” 

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Opening Night

The room glows in red from the neon signs we’ve hung, making everything feel real suddenly as I look at the locked door. We decided to open a little later in the day so the ambiance would be there. Also, who opens a bar on their first day at noon? 

“How are you feelin’?” Daniel asked, squeezing my shoulder to wake me up from my nervous state. 

“I’m not well.” 

He laughs at my response. “It’s going to be great, Jake.” 

I spent a moment trying to crack my knuckles before letting out the breath I had been holding. Listening to the quiet, jazzy riff that Sam is playing on the piano, tucked into the corner. 

“You think so?” turning to him for a bit of reassurance.

“Absolutely. I think you’re onto something great, buddy,” he tells me.

My hands shake as I turn the jukebox on for the first official time, hearing the music start playing throughout the bar; we all look at each other for a second with smiles plastered across all our faces. 

“Okay, it’s time,” I say as I turn the deadbolt. Seeing Josh pull the little chain on the ‘Open’ sign in the window makes my heart thump even louder. 

The moment feels like slow motion as the door opens, and it isn’t one of the four of us who have been working here. I had hardly taken two steps back when the chime went off. 

“Oh, sweetheart,” my mom gasps, stepping over the threshold, “This is wonderful.” 

She immediately pulls me into a hug; all my nerves disappeared in a simple gesture. 

“You did the damn thing, now didn’t ya bub?” Dad finally speaks up, giving me his signature side hug. 

Before I knew it, Josh was already toting our parents around the bar, showing them all the decor he was proud of finding. A few customers who weren’t family had started to trickle in and sit at the bar. 

“I actually made Jake meet me after work so he could help me pull this out of the dumpster,” Josh explains, louder than I wished he would. A collective “oooh” followed his statement, realizing that a handful of customers sitting close to the tour were also listening to him now. 

“I painted this for him,” he continues, pointing at his framed artwork. He’s always been artistic; his imagination was incredible.

 A miniature painting of Queen Anne’s Revenge sat in a gold frame. He’s always known that I love everything about pirates and their history. That was one of the first things he made for the bar when I told him I would officially buy it. 

“That’s beautiful,” our mom gasped, leaning in to look at the little details even closer. “You really did that, Sunshine?!” Her voice raises excitedly, causing even more customers to glance over. Covering my mouth with my hand, I try to contain the laugh. Josh really did turn into Mom over the years, huh? 

“You obviously know that Jake loves his pirates,”

“Oh, I sure do,” Mom says, “Remember when he would cry because his favorite pirate ship jammies needed to be washed?” 

“Alright, alright. Mum, we don’t need to bring it up,” I chime in, “ again,” shaking my head at the trip down memory lane.

My dad finally snuck away from the Grand Tour, found a seat at the bar, and started to make conversation with a few people. 

Glancing over to the door as it opens, Old Man Chuck strolls in, immediately making eye contact. He makes his way over to the corner stool at the bar. 

Without asking, I slide a beer over to him.

“Ya did a hell of a job, kid. Place looks wicked good,” he mumbles. 

“Thank you, Sir,” I matched his volume, “that one’s on me.” He gave me a subtle nod. 

Old Man Chuck wasn’t a man of many words, and I respected that. He took a chance to sell me the bar; I’ll always be grateful. It probably helps that I have spent plenty of nights here when he still owned it, but where else am I supposed to go when my apartment is only two floors above?

As the night goes on, people start trickling in. Living in Portland for so long, you realize everyone knows everyone. Considering we were rapidly approaching Thanksgiving, many people were home for the holidays and in need of a break from their families. 

I scan the bar to see if anybody hasn’t been tended to when I see Sam trying his hardest to converse with Chuck, and it’s not working. I walk over, touching his shoulder to get his attention.

“Sammy boy, can you just do a quick round and make sure everyone in the booths is good?” I quickly ask him.

“Aye, aye, Captain.” 

I watch as he makes his way to each table, collecting empty glasses and making occasional small talk with some of the groups.

“Everyone good over here?” I could hear him asking from behind the bar. 

Even though he would complain daily about helping out, I could tell he didn’t mind doing this part as much. I could never say to him because it would go straight to his head, and I’d never hear the end, but I’m incredibly proud of him. Poor kid hasn’t worked a day in his life, and I’ve been putting him through it for the last few months. 

“Oh, you sell things at the farmer’s market too?” he asks. “What’s your Instagram? I’ll follow you real quick!” 

He’s always been comfortable talking to people; he usually seems carefree. I’ve always admired how sure of himself he is. I don’t know if it’s the amount of time he spends outside or that he got a few years away from us, but he’s gotten much more comfortable with himself.

“So.. do you have a boy-“ 

All of that to say, he has absolutely no game with the ladies. 

“Hey bud, I told you to check on everyone,” I glance over at the girl and back at Sam, “not harass them.” 

“Jake, what are you doing?” he spits out, “I’m so sorry- uhh” 

I give him a quick double pat on the back and nod towards the bar. 

“Are you kidding? I was trying to–” Sam continues as I stroll behind the bar. “Do you actually hate me?” 

“You were not about to win her over, Sam,” I laugh. “She’s been making eyes at Daniel all night.” 

I watch him deflate, putting the dirty glasses he brought back in the bin beside me. 

“She doesn’t seem like your type anyway.” 

“And you know what my type is?” He questions with a smug look on his face. 

“She clearly wasn’t feisty enough to put up with your stubborn ass,” I quip back with a smile. 

Unimpressed with my response, he goes back to mingling with customers. I find myself watching him as he makes small talk. 

I probably shouldn’t step in on his attempts at flirting, but I could see that one imploding a little too quickly. 

I don’t have the best of luck with women myself. I haven’t been on a date in God knows how long. The bar has kept me so busy I don’t even consider it. There are too many things I need to think about constantly, and it wouldn’t be fair for me to do that to someone. 

Scanning the room, I notice a couple sitting together in one of the booths, his arm draped over her shoulders. The way she looks at him, gazing at him like he created the moon. Cradling his face with her tiny hand and pressing her lips to his cheek, a smile erupted across his face. Maybe one day.

“Come back to earth, honey,” followed by a few snaps, pull me out of my own world. 

“I’m sorry, Linda,” I laugh, “I’m happy to see you here.” 

Linda Graves, a sweet older lady, will quickly become one of our regulars. She runs a stand at our local farmer’s market and quickly became buddies with Sam. Her husband had recently passed when he first met her, but she was slowly making her way back out into the world. She’s an eccentric girl and, honestly, reminds me of Josh often. 

“Where’s the big guy?” she asks, making her bright red glasses bounce up and down suggestively. 

“You know he has a name–”

“I’m trying to play hard to get Jake. You’re supposed to be my wingman,” she whispers, gently smacking my arm,  “Did I use that right?”

Throwing my head back with a laugh, I said, “Oh god, you’re right!” 

Gesturing to Linda to give me one second, I find the man of her dreams, who is conveniently walking out of the bathroom as I turn into the hall. 

“I have a lovely little lady who would like to see you,” choking back the laugh. 

“Is it who I think it is?” Daniel asks, following me towards the bar, “Ahhh– there she is.”

He’s a good sport about most things, which is a refreshing outlook to have around, considering who my family is. 

“Hi there, beautiful,” he starts, and I watch her melt into a puddle over him. 

“Now, Lin, you know I’m gonna have to check your ID if you want to drink tonight.” He tells her with a little wink. 

“Oh, Danny. You make me feel so young,” Linda tells him. 

“What do you mean, sweetheart? You ARE young,”

“You cut it out now,” She giggles like a schoolgirl, “I look like a bag of bones. I think we both know I’m old.”

“You don’t look a day over 21.” He leans forward, holding himself on the bar. He knows exactly what he’s doing, making his arm muscles flex a little while he listens to her talk. I watch Linda taking little glances at his biceps while he talks. 

I see the towel he has sitting over his shoulder starting to slip, and I lean forward to catch it as it falls. Tossing it back over his shoulder, he gives me a slight nod since he is mid-sentence. 

“Good save,” Linda quips. 

“Thank you, thank you,” I send her a warm smile. 

I turn around immediately, bumping into Josh, his teeth on full display, giggling to himself. I haven’t seen him this happy in a while. 

“Having fun?” I ask. 

“Of course! I’m drunk!”

“I- uh- you’re what?” The panic lacing my voice is intense. 

“Jake,” he says while grabbing my shoulders, “I’m kidding.” 

Dropping my head back in relief that it was a joke, I’m disappointed I fell for it. 

“What a little shit you are,” I can’t help the laugh that escapes me.

“Who are you calling little? I’m five minutes older than you, bub.” He calls back over the music. 

I roll my eyes and walk off. He’ll never let that die. 

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“Excuse me.” 

I turn around to find a petite older lady sitting at the bar.

“Oh, I’m sorry, how are you this evening?” I ask. 

“Well, it’s much better now,” she batted her eyelashes at me. 

“I’m so happy to hear,” I hold in a laugh, “What can I get you to drink?”

“Do you have any Moscato or Rieslings? 

I smile as she asks, “Of course I do. Hang on” 

Turning around to the fridge where we store our white wine, I giggle quietly. 

Looks like I’ve gained my own Linda.  

I grab a glass and turn back to her, setting the glass in front of her. 

“I don’t know if you know this..” I pause, “I’m sorry, I never got your name?” 

“Eleanor”

“Well, Eleanor, I save this specific bottle of Moscato for only the sweetest of girls,” I tell her as I pour the chilled wine into her glass. 

“Oh, you stop,” She bashfully waves her hand toward me. 

I glance at her with a smirk cemented across my face.

“Here you go, darling,” I slide the glass across the bar to her.

I give her a second to take a sip, and I can hear the quiet hum telling me that the wine is what she was hoping for. 

“Actually,” I start, “I’d like to introduce you to someone. I think you would get along a little too well.” 

I look over to Linda, who has taken a break from flirting with Daniel for a moment so he can get some work done. Waving her over, she grabs her bag and downs the rest of her drink before walking around to Miss Eleanor and me. 

“Linda, this is Eleanor.” I introduce them and watch as they start to make small talk. 

I found out that they both are into crafting and that Eleanor has been known to make the vases for the Flower Truck that goes to the Farmer’s Market.  ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

“Where are my boys?” Mom asks loudly. 

Somehow, we all heard her over the chatter of the bar. Sam was already closest to her, so he wrapped her up in a hug first. 

“I’m getting too old to be out this late, Buttercup,” she tells him.

“Ma, it’s only 10 PM,”

“I know, I know,” she says, patting his chest gently. 

Reaching out for Josh, who’s coming in hot for a hug. Wrapping her tightly and rocking her back and forth. 

“I love you,” Josh spoke with an inside voice. Something about our mom brought him down to earth. 

“Oh, I love you so much, Sunshine,” Mom leans back, holding him at arm’s length, “You did a fantastic job decorating.” 

“Thank you, Mama,” he mumbles, pulling her back for another hug. 

“Alright, where’s my extra son?” She looks around for a moment before making eye contact with Daniel. She waves him down, watching the smile creep onto his face as he approaches her. 

“Oh, my sweet little dumpling,” She has always had a soft spot for him, “I would never leave without a big hug from you.” She pulls him into a bear hug, rubbing his back a few times. 

“Missed you so much,” He can’t help the giggle that comes from him at the pet name he gained as a child. 

I stand there watching my brothers both say goodbye to our Dad, giving him quick hugs per usual. Dad was never one for the emotional situations, but he’s loosened up over the years. Looking over at me, he gestures for me to go to him. 

“I know we’ll see you guys in the morning,” he starts, looking down at the floor with his hands tucked in his pockets, “But I just want you to know. I really am proud of you, kid.” 

He looks back up at me, and his eyes look like they’re struggling to fight the emotion. 

“Thank you,” Without a second thought, I wrap my arms around him. 

He pats my back a few times before pulling away from the hug, “I can tell how much this place means to you, and I’m just so happy for you.” 

He points behind me, letting out a small laugh. 

I can hardly turn around before being bombarded by my mother. 

“I’m glad you made it for the opening night,” I whisper. 

“Sweetheart, I wouldn’t miss this,” She whispers back, pressing a few kisses to my cheek, “Can’t tell you enough how proud I am,” 

I place a kiss on the side of her head, “I love you, Mum.”

I let Sam walk our parents out, returning to my place behind the bar. Happily watching Josh mingle with customers, it’s nice to see him existing in an environment that suits him. He just beams when he gets to be social and himself; Josh is much too loud and animated for his current job, and he needs something like this. 

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

“We’ll be back for sure!” rings through the bar as the last patrons walk out. 

Pulling the doors shut and locking us in, I spin on my heels to face Josh, Sam, and Daniel. We all just stare at each other for a few seconds, even though it feels longer, and we cannot contain the laughter of disbelief. We did it… I did it. 

Josh quickly closes the distance between us, pulling me into a hug. Being twins has created a very different bond; he’s my best friend. I don’t think I would have had the courage to purchase the bar if it hadn’t been for him in my ear reminding me that I could do it. 

“I just want you to know that,” Josh starts, “I’m so proud of you, and I will always be here to help you, even if you don’t want to ask for it,” his voice shakes slightly. 

“Thanks, bub. I love you,” squeezing Josh one more time. I hope he knows I’m always ready to do the same for him. 

“I think this calls for celebration, don’t you?” Daniel asks, walking over to us holding beers. 

“Cheers!” I holler, raising my beer for everyone to join. We all share a well-deserved celebratory moment after the last six months. 

I grab a towel from behind the bar, walking back to one of the tables where Sam collects cans and glasses.

“Isn’t this what Dad used to play all the time in the car?” Sam asks while I’m wiping down the table. I listen a little more closely, realizing it’s absolutely one of our dad’s favorite songs. 

“I was a little too tall, could’ve used a few pounds,” 

We sing along as it plays, laughing hard as I whip Sam with the towel. He flips me off before walking away with a few glasses in his other hand. 

We all slowly cleaned and serenaded each other, which made us giggle like a bunch of little kids. 

“Workin’ on our night moves,” 

Josh sings dramatically, holding his half-drunk beer like a microphone. 

“Mmmm, in the sweet summertime”

This time, he leaned over to me so we could sing together, just like we used to as kids in the back seat. 

“We were just young, restless, and bored,” Daniel sings as he walks from the back room. 

Suddenly, the piano starts ringing through the bar, and we all find Sam playing along with the jukebox. I’ll let it slide since he was incredibly helpful today.

“And we'd steal away every chance we could

To the backroom, to the alley or the trusty woods.”

I finish gathering all the trash and tossing the bags near the back door. Josh still plugging away, cleaning all the glasses while serenading us all. 

“And I waited on the thunder,”  I sing, turning to point at Josh, knowing that he will absolutely know what to do next. 

As expected, Josh belts out the line, “Waited on the thunder.” he always had a way of making the entire room laugh. 

“When you just don't seem to have as much to lose.”

I prop open the back door to bring the trash out. A robust and crisp breeze envelopes me. It smells like it could snow.

“Strange how the night moves

With autumn closin' in” 

I take a deep breath. The cold air is refreshing after a long night. After tossing the trash, I walk back inside to the sound of hysterical laughter. The three of them bent over in a fit of giggles as they all yelled the backing vocals. 

“(Night moves) I remember, I remember, I remember, I remember.” 

In the moment, I think to myself, If you can’t beat em, join em. I drape my arm over Josh’s shoulders as I shout with them. Giving him a double pat on his chest as we all laugh together. 

“Alright, boys, let’s go home,” I tell them in my finest English accent. 

I make my way over to the door, holding it open for them to file through. I took one last glance over to make sure we took care of everything.

“I remember, I remember,” I sing under my breath, flipping the lights off.

Caravel Tavern Master Post | Masterlist | Taglist

Sparrow Of The Dawn Chapter One

Book 1 of the series; Sam x Willa (Fem OC)

Taglist:

@gvfsstardust, @peaceloveunitygvf, @myleftsock,@imleavingyoufornewyork,@threadofstars,@mindastreamofcolours,@dont-go-home-without-me,@literal-dead-leaf,@lizzys-sunflower,@ourlovesdesire,@mackalah,@klarxtr, @edgingthedarkness, @i-love-gvf

[gojocumdumpster]

Retsu x Black reader seamstress 2

Idk why i’m so lazy i mentally can’t write my mind is telling me yes and no.

‼️DONT FRET I WILL BE COMING BACK WITH MY BIG ONE DO NOT WORRY‼️

Warnings: None yet..? Flirty

Hope you enjoy… maybe part3??

Retsu x !blackfemalereader

As days passed you couldn’t stop thinking about him, You needed to see him again.

Business was busy as usual fighters coming in from left or right ordering customized clothes but you were waiting for this Mysterious man to suddenly come true. You finished with your last customer as you were closing early, there was boxes you needed to put in the back which was the storage room. You put the boxes up one at a time and they were pretty heavy. Now it was time to count all the boxes and make sure they were in there right places.

Ding!

“Sorry I’m closing!!” you shouted as you counted all the boxes, back turned so you couldn’t see who it was. But the person was still there. Heavy footsteps getting louder and louder as they walked up the the register.

You sighed as you put your clip board down to turn to see who it was.

“I said i’m clos-“

And there he was. That mysterious man you waited to swing by again, “Oh i’m sorry I just really needed to get the hole fixed. I’ll just g-“ You cut him off, “Oh i’m so sorry! If I didn’t know it was you, i wouldn’t had been that rude.” scratching the back of your head. “Oh it’s all good! Is it possible you can fix this suit? I accidentally ripped a whole in it.“ he said laying the black suit you made him weeks ago.

“Oh yeah! That’s the suit I made for you. Did it fit well on you?” you say while examining the rip. “It fit really well it’s better than the other ones normally it would be to big or way to tight but this one was perfect.” you smiles adoring your focused face. “Thank you! Are you going somewhere fancy tonight?” questioning him.

“About that…I was wondering if I could take you out maybe later tonight..?” he says playing with his fingers.

Your eyes opened big as your mouth opened wide (😭) the only thing that could go through your head was. “Wait what?” “Me?” “Why me?” “YASSS!” he chuckles at your face as you snap back into reality. (idk what i’m saying atp..) “W-wait what? I-i mean yea O-of course I would love to.” you fidget with your fingers.

“Alright i’ll see you at 9pm at La Belle Époque. Hope to see you there!” he smiles as he walks out with his fixed suit. All you could do was stare in shock, did this man really ask you out?!? Thankfully you were able to close early at 7:45. It may seem like a lot but in reality it’s not for you, you quickly sweep up the shop finishing up around the place and just like that you speed walked to your car rushing in and slamming the door. (Damn girl💀) It takes about 20mins to get to your apartment it really depends on the traffic.

You made it your 1 bedroom huge apartment as you rushed to quickly shower and do your skin routine. Before you had left the shop you had got this dress that you tailored (hand made idk) couple months back it was a stunning gown typically crafted from luxurious fabrics like silk or satin, with countless shimmering sequins and crystals that catch the light from every angle. The dress features a form-fitting silhouette, flowing gracefully to the floor. It took months but boy was it worth it. You also had expensive heels that went with the dress perfectly, you put on the dress and it hugged your figure the fabric felt like liquid luxury against your skin, caressing every curve with a perfect fit.

You do your makeup it was glittery and had little diamonds on your eyelids. You looked hot, you sprayed on some perfume and gave yourself a good look and took pics and rushed your way out with your purse and phone in it. You made it to your car as you made it to this place you never heard before, “It sounds expensive I wonder if he has good taste.” you say driving. A Couple minutes later you arrived at the place it was very fancy it was huge too, you pulled in the lot and found you a parking spot. Looks like a lot of rich people love this place cause it was a lot of expensive luxurious and sports cars parked everywhere. As you stepped out people where dressed up in dresses and suits, you went inside and it smelled so good and it was just so packed.

“Hello, Welcome to La Belle Époque, will you be dinning privately, bar, table or outdoors?” the hostess said smiling.

“Well do privately.”

A deep voice coming from behind you. “Oh Mr. Kaioh! I see you brought someone with you right this way.” Said the hostess, you quickly looked behind you as you saw the tanned man with a slick braided hairstyle look at you. “After you.” he smiles. He puts his hand on your back guiding you to where the hostess was taking y’all, “Here you guys go! A waitress should be here with you guys shortly” the hostess places the menus down and exits the private room it had big windows and it was beautiful just with 1 table.

He pulled your chair out so you can and sat himself down, “It seems that this isn’t your first time coming here?” you curiously say. “Oh yeah me and the owner are good friends so I come here for a drink and maybe some dinner” smiling at you. “Have you been here before?” he asks, “O-oh never been to a place like this before it’s very beautiful and thoughtful of you to choose.” batting your eyelashes at him.

“I’m glad you like it”

The waitress came in taking your drinks and getting your appetizer.” Shortly it came out you guys had ordered wine and calamari. “So what made you want to own your very own shop?” taking a sip of his wine. “Well it’s always been a dream of mine since I was little so I was like why not and I always wanted to make my own clothes like these fashion designers, maybe someday I can get people to model for my clothes.” you state “That would be cool to see your clothes being worn by famous model or even being on a magazine cover or a huge billboard, you can make loads of money and even gain a lot of attention to your shop and possibly buy a bigger one.”

It’s something about him that you liked you just couldn’t figure it out but he was just perfect in your pretty brown eyes. You guys finish up your entrees, he couldn’t stop looking at how beautiful you were. “I just can’t stop staring at you, your really gorgeous…your eyes, lips everything. Never thought I would ever meet someone as Gorgeous as you” blush spreads across his face as he looks at your pretty shy face. “T-thank you, you look really handsome with your hair like that.” you nervously say. He smiles at you standing up to pull your chair back.

“I’ve had such a fun time with you tonight” he says guiding you through the restaurant and out to the parking on the way out you give him your number. He walked you to your car and you turned towards him, “Thank you again for tonight,” you said, your voice filled with warmth and sincerity. “This has been one of the most memorable evenings I’ve ever had. The restaurant was exquisite, and your company made it even more special.” thanking him. “Your welcome and I hope to see you again.” You have him a hug kissing him on the cheek before waving off to him. Not only does he have great taste in food but also in women.

[mysteriouslysaltypoetry]

I Get Cold Easy

Chapter 3

Raph x reader story A/N: Chapter 3 is hereeeee, i actually really liked this one! It's all very soft and sweet. Mikey is my lovely boy and the best dumb of head but big of heart! Hope y'all enjoy! I made a small playlist to go along with this one! Its what i was listening to to help me get the mood of it

Chapter 1/ 2

Raph lost track of the trio a while ago, their bodies disappearing amongst the other people dancing, at least Mikey was there in case anything happened but still, he liked knowing where his people were for his own sake. Vern and Jones were also off god knows where, some girls came to talk to them a few minutes ago and took them to get drinks, they didn’t seem bad but they were definitely a bit too much for his tastes, at least the other too looked entertained enough.

Soon though, he spotted the others coming back after another quick look around, only when he saw them he figured something was obviously off, if the look on (Y/N) wasn’t enough of a sign then April and his brother’s concerned faces were two flashing red warning signs. And it wasn’t only him that noticed it either, Leo straightened his back right as he spotted them, his own eyes scanning their features for anything that could tell him what had happened.

“Guys? What’s with the looks?” Donnie asks when they reach the table, (Y/N) grabs her purse and holds it against her chest with a defeated sigh.

“I just lost my need for a party,” she points to someone in the back and April is quick to pull her into a comforting side hug, kissing her cheek gently.

“You see that guy over there? The one in blue with the pink girl basically draped on top of him? Yeaaah that’s (Y/N)’s now EX boyfriend…”

The three of the turtles hiss in unison ‘Yikes…’ Raph winces at the sight, the fact that a girl like (Y/N) could have something like this happen to her will never not baffle him, that loser just fumbled what seems like a MASSIVE bag, but hey, it sure is not gonna be him who tells him that.

“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that (Y/N), if there is anything we can do?” Leo offers, always the gentleman he thinks with an internal roll of his eyes.

“Thanks, but right now I just want to get out of here and forget this ever happened…” she says rubbing her arms in what Raph can only guess is an attempt at feeling better. Thankfully (or not) his younger brother always seems to have something to say in awkward situations.

“Well then let’s dip! Who cares about this place anyway? It’s super crowded.” He says with a smile, hand on her shoulder.

“Oh! I couldn’t ask that of you guys… you stay and enjoy the rest of the night. I’ll just go home and drown myself in some cake and romcoms.” She tries and chuckles, but it comes out a bit wetter that what was probably intended.

“Are you kidding? I’m going where you go, not leaving you to fend off for yourself after that!” April says immediately, holding her even closer than before.

“Yeah, and it’s not like we would want to stay here when such people are around anyway, not to mention its dangerous for you two to walk alone at night” Adds his brother. Raph nods and gets up, walking over to her.

“Also, yer with us now, shorty. We don’t wanna see you sad, much less sad AND alone.” He says, placing his hand on top of her hands, gently taking her purse and nodding to the entrance. The others nod and they all quickly make their way out, April quickly sending a text to Casey to explain what happened.

“Alright!” Mikey claps his hands, surprising everyone “This night took a wild turn but I know JUST the thing to help you feel better, angelcakes” he pulls (Y/N) to his side and dramatically sticks his hand out as if to make his point more convincing.

“I don’t know, I’m not really up for anything that requires me to use any of my mental capacities Mikey…” she sighs and let’s herself sag against his brother.

“That’s the best part! You shall not have to move a muscle on that big brain of yours!” he chuckles “This is our super secret way of relaxing and getting out of the blues” he adds, and oh, now Raph knows where this is going and so do the other three, it was like their tradition at this point and sure enough, it worked wonders.

“What do you say toooo… some pizza, good music, and city gazing?” Mikey asks in a soft tone, giving her some space to think properly. The others smile encouragingly.

“That… sounds great actually.” She chuckles, looking around them “I could really go for a bite, or five.” She says, making everyone laugh with her.

And so it was decided, they went to their favourite place for pizza (and honestly? It was the best no matter what Casey said about it.) and made their way to April and (Y/N) building. The night breeze got colder and colder as they approached.

“Allllrighty ladies, please be sure to hold onto a designated turtle as well as your belongings, we’re going to the magical place we call: The Roof~” Mikey sing songs, and soon enough Donnie offers April his hand and quickly makes his way up the roof along with Leo.

(Y/N) turns to Raph, holding out her hand with a small smile “The nice fella did say for me to hold onto my belongings, unless of course you would prefer to carry it up there.” She said, her tone already a bit more cheerful then when they were in the club. He laughs and shakes his head, handing her the purse.

“Nah hop in, I’ll make sure the ride up there is smooth and quick.” He says taking her into one of his arms and following his brothers.

They all get to the top and start to settle in, pizza boxes open on the floor, and a comfy silence surrounding them. Taking out his phone and his portable speaker Mikey puts on one his playlists, the air around them is cozy and peaceful. A few minutes later and everyone is talking amongst themselves, Leo is sitting next to Donnie who has April draped across his lap, happily chewing on her slice, Raph himself is sitting crisscross on the floor, with (Y/N) resting her head on his legs and is resting her own on top of Mikey.

“Thanks guys, this means a lot, and it’s infinitely better than what I was planning on doing.” She says, nuzzling closer into his leg, it had been a while Raph thought, since they had had a new friend join their group and since anyone had been as close to them without it being asking questions about their mutation or how it was being vigilantes/ ninjas. ‘This is nice’ runs through his mind as his hand settles on her shoulder, only to notice how absolutely frigid it was.

“Dude… yer freezing! How the hells didn’t ya turn blue yet?” he asks with wide eyes, to which she only shrugs.

“Oh don’t worry about that, I’m always extremely cold. I got used to by now.” She tries and waves him off, shoving some more pizza on her mouth. The red clad turtle shakes his and starts taking off his jacket, dropping it on top of her.

“There, put it on. I ain’t taking no damn popsicle to the hospital today, nor am I taking care of a sick one.” he says while reaching for another slice.

(Y/N) sighs but does as he says nonetheless, safe to say the thing is absolutely gigantic on her but it does the job and she settles back on his leg right after. And that’s how they spend the night, talking and laughing, listening to some good music and looking out at the city, watching the people ad cars pass by.

[ljdoublecc]

The Beast's Treasure

Samon X Reader

Favorite food- (F/F)

Favorite Type- (F/T)

All was quiet in Nanba, nothing was out of place and the whole prison seemed at peace. The guards took this as an opportunity to unwind for the first time in a long time. But our story doesn't involve guards from other buildings. It is centered on you.

You were currently humming to one of your favorite songs while happily working on the documents on your desk. They weren't particularly hard but they were time-consuming, and you were determined to get all the work done on time. Last time you had to eat lunch at your desk and ended up spilling (F/F) on the documents that were on it because of a certain "boar" named Inori.

"Hm, I wonder where that lazy boar is? He promised to help me if I said I'd make dinner tonight?" You questioned in your head at the thought of your brother ditching you again to go take a nap slipped in. "Why does he always leave me alone?" You sighed sadly.

That sadness didn't last long as someone opened the door and walked in causing you to look up from your papers quickly. Your face immediately sprouted a smile at the person you have romantic feelings for stood before your desk, Samon Gokuu.  He looked at you with an irritated face and continued to walk towards his destination. This saddened you, he looked so annoyed but you didn't let that stop you.

"Hey, Samon. How was the meeting?" you politely asked your supervisor as you watched him from your desk. All that was heard was a grumble from the man bending over in order to reach his stash of popsicles in the mini fridge. He didn't really reply leading you to believe that it went south pretty quickly and annoyingly. That could only mean one thing he got into a fight with building 13's supervisor - Hajime Sugoroku. It always upset you to know he got into a fight with the man.

 “I’m assuming the meeting went bad for you to be so upset,” You stated in a matter-in-fact tone only causing the male, who was now enjoying his treat on the comfort of the couch, to nod his head in acknowledgment.

“Yeah” Was all he said before staring into space while eating.

You frowned at this and realized that it was probably not the best move to mention the meeting. Not really being able to help your supervisor was upsetting but there really wasn’t anything you could do for him so you continued to finish the last of your documents.

****Time Skip****

“Yay, I’m finally done!” You exclaimed a little too loud almost waking up the supervisor. The key word is almost but thankfully for you, he was too mentally and physically tired to wake up. 

After your little outburst, you looked at your supervisor to see if you had awakened him but instead saw a cute little sight. Samon with a popsicle stick in just barely hanging off his half-opened mouth, his feet on the couch, one bent and the other straight. His arms folded over his chest as it rose steadily with his breathing.

The sight alone made your cheeks heat up and a big smile to plaster itself on your face. You were content that he trusts you enough to show his weaknesses and to see him so relaxed. It was a nice change from earlier, so as quietly as you could, you got up and walked to the night duty room.

You came back a few seconds later with a blanket, that you intended to place on top of him, and placed it gently on top of him. You then chuckled softly when you saw the stick trying so hard to escape his mouth but somehow failing to do so. You took the stick from his mouth, to throw away, and lastly, you left the room but not before turning off the lights and bid a small goodbye with a smile.

“Guess I better go to the training grounds,  knowing that boar, he probably went somewhere to watch his horse races.” You stated leaning against the door before sighing lightly, “But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

And with that statement, you left with a hum and a small skip to your step, completely oblivious to the person that was listening to your conversation with yourself.

****While Inside of the Room You Left****

“Haha, Definitely hard to believe those two are siblings.” Samon chuckled softly to himself, “Ones cute, smart, caring, hardworking, and respectful. While the others ugly, barely smart enough to be considered ‘human’ and lazy is practically his middle name.”

As he continued to compare the two Hakkai siblings, he unconsciously started blushing and listing the reasons why he fell for you. 

“So, this is what love feels like?” Samon smiled as he stated that, “If that’s so, I like it.”

“Aw, the monkey of Nanba has a crush on the sister of the beast!” Came out a familiarly loud and obnoxious voice that came bursting through the door while turning on the lights. This affectedly made Samon jump high enough to fall off the couch with a very unsatisfying landing on to his back. 

“What the hell, Mitsuru?!” Samon yelled at the cat-like grin that the said male was wearing. “Tch, nevermind that. Why are you here?”

“I came to retrieve the documents that are due today for the warden but,” Mitsuru plastered on his signature smile, “I would never have thought that the monkey would fall for the beast’s treasure!”

Samon turned red knowing he was referring to you after all your brother looked like a beast and he always treated you as if you were treasure, which surprised a lot of people.

“Tch, fine,” Samon turned from the man and walked to his desk to find the documents, “I’ll get you the damn documents so you can leave.”

‘Shit! They’re not here!’ Samon though as he looked frantically around his working area trying to find the reports for the warden. ‘She is going to murder me!’

That is until he looked back to tell Mitsuru he couldn’t find them when something caught his attention. It was a stack of papers that you were working on when he came in, in a neat pile with a (F/T) sticky note on top. He walked over and saw- to his surprise- the documents he was looking for. What was on the sticky note made him fall for you a little more.

‘Hey, I saw that you didn’t finish your reports before the meeting this morning so I took the liberty of finishing them for you. I’m happy I did, after all, you looked like you could’ve used a break after that meeting. Anyway, I hope you got a nice rest, but I suggest you don’t sleep with a popsicle stick in your mouth, it’s a choking hazard, and grab a blanket, we don’t want to hear about our strong supervisor catching a cold now do we! \ (>.<)/’ - (Y/N)

“Wow, looks like the beast’s treasure is trying to lead the monkey in!” Mitsuru states from behind him with another cat-like grin making Samon have a tick mark appear. He pocketed the note and shoved the reports into the idiot’s arms and proceeded to push him out.

“There! You have the reports, now leave!” Samon shoved him out and slammed the door shut. By the end of this encounter, he was as red as the darkest ruby but he didn’t care because he was just happy that you cared enough about him to worry about his health and job. This just gives him more reasons to fight the ‘beast’ in order to gain the ‘treasure’- also known as your heart.

[miscfandomwrites]

Mama Chapter Nine

A/N: SO I WANT SOME THIRST and y’all are gonna get it. Just a small hint: the next few chapters will be more action and angst. As usual, if you want to be on the taglist please let me know. Also, sorry for the half-month hiatus, I’m not doing too well in school and mentally. Working on it.

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Mom! Avenger! Reader

Warnings: Language

Words: 3.4k

Tagging: @tyler-t0t

~~

“I love you Mom!” was Lillith’s only reply as she ran towards the playground, her red backpack bouncing along with her each of her steps. 

I chuckled as she immediately dumped her backpack on the ground and went for the slides. I stood and watched her for a bit, before turning and getting in my jeep. Per Lillith’s request, she wanted to come to school in my old wrangler. That thing was older than me and that was definitely saying something. 

I started it, feeling the entire frame shake as if my jeep was not in fact, a machine but a living breathing beast that had just woken from a ten-thousand year nap. Damn, this thing needed to be fixed. I hummed along to the radio as I drove back to the tower, enjoying the cool fall morning. 

As much as I hated to admit it (I didn’t hate it) I would miss my kid. She was definitely the light of my life these past few years. It’s a wonder that she’s basically a little human and had thoughts and-Wait, I was starting to dissociate. I turned my focus back onto the road, and was delighted to find that I was less than a block away from the tower, instead of halfway to Poland.

I parked and got out, deciding to work in my workshop rather than face my empty floor. After making sure my phone and other miscellaneous belongings were with me, I headed to my main work area.

Dumping my coat and eventually my shirt on the island, I kept going through and loggin my ammunition. Someone had fucked my systems up, and I had been dutifully working on organizing things. The one thing that really fucking pissed me off was the fact that my experimental batches of my 45 ammo were mixed. It seemed like someone just took the trays and dumped them in a spare ammo can. Like seriously? Every batch had different power and some had different primers and oh-was this frustrating!

I decided that it was better to get rid of them than to deal with having ammunition that wouldn’t work out in the field. I’d rather not rest my or anyone else’s life on defective ammunition. 

I kept muttering to myself about how stupid someone had to be to just mix ammunition without looking at labels as I retrived my old 45 from my gun cabiniet and grabbed some empty magazines. 

I’d used the gun range in my workshop before, but I wanted to see what the tower had to offer, after all it was made of steel and glass. In fact, I was surprised I hadn’t seen the tower’s range yet. 

I took out my personal 45 from its place at the small of my back and replaced it with my old one, and started loading the magazines. Bullet after bullet, magazine after magazine. I was roughly halfway through the box when I decided that two guns would be more fun, and I grabbed one of my thigh holsters and slid my personal 45 in. 

As much as I’d like to not fuck with my concleled carry, I had nothing better to do the rest of the day. I was still figuring out some things as far as S.H.I.E.L.D. went to pay me, and was mostly trying to figure out if I’d need an actual job or not. Besides, I had the parts needed to make another 45 on hand.

I finished loading the magazines and counted them as I placed them back in the ammo can. 

“Seventeen? Damn, I thought there’d be more…” I quietly said as I placed the last one in. I grabbed the can and headed to the elevator, where I asked FRIDAY to take me to the range. 

Not even two minutes later I arrived on the sixtieth floor, which only furthered my anxiety. Glass windows surrounded us on all sides (Although they were mirrored so we could see out, but no one could see in) and there were the standard targets and stalls. Thankfully, most of the team was up here anyway. Steve was talking with Sam and Bucky around a table that held various revolvers, and Natasha was showing Wanda how to hold a handgun properly. I headed over to the boys and set my can down on the table before turning towards the rest of the room, trying to figure out how we could shoot in it.

“What’s in the ammo can?” Sam questioned me as he pulled it over to him. He opened the lid and nodded to me. “Looks like you’re gonna have some fun.” 

I only grinned wolfishly in response. “So, the glass windows won’t break if we shoot them?” I asked Bucky. He nodded as he held one of the revolvers on the table, examining it carefully. 

“Good to know.” I replied as I headed to the farthest range away from everyone. I grabbed a pair of headphones as I walked past Natasha and Wanda, and didn’t stop even as the both turned and stared. It’s been too long since I’ve been able to shoot. To feel the recoil. The cold metal of the handle… The smell of gunpowder. Man, I miss it all. 

I set the can down on the shelf next to me in my stall, and sent my first target down the line. I pulled the 45 out of my back holster first, and grabbed a magazine. Muscle memory had me snapping it in place and sending the slide forward. The metallic click brought me back, and I centered my feet and took up my stance. 

I focused down the sight of the gun to the center of the target and took several breaths, focusing my heartrate and my body. I curled my finger on the trigger and the muffled bam! had me already craving the recoil. 

Breath in, pull. Breath out, pull. Breath, pull, breath, pull, breath, pull….

The same pattern had me going through magazine after magazine after magazine. I paid no mind to the burning hot shells as they occasionally hit my arm, nor did I feel anything besides the recoil and the steady calmness that accompanied it. 

It was only until the seventh magazine  in which I stopped and took a breath. I lowered the now-smoking gun and ejected the magazine, and pulled back the slide and set it on the side table. I stood there for a minute or two before deciding to send the target towards me. 

The target was almost torn in half; I had shot at the midsection of the outline and there was just a huge hole, or rather several smaller ones that made the target almost completely obliterated. 

“Jesus Christ, (Y/N)...” Came Steve’s voice from behind me. 

I turned to see everyone just….staring. What, like this chaos wasn't what Natasha and Barnes inflicted upon the enemy every mission?

I shrugged and took the target down, balling it and tossing it into a nearby bin as I grabbed a second one. 

“I think I should reinforce those windows some…” Stark muttered as I loaded a handgun and stacked more magazines next to me. I sent the new target down the line and I repeated the cycle of emptying the magazines. I swear, next time I’m just going to move everything by myself. Although this is fun. 

Everyone eventually went back to what they were doing before, and before long it was only the boys and I on the floor. Eventually even they left for what I was assuming lunch. I finished emptying the magazines and headed back downstairs, gun oil and the scent of gunpowder sticking to me. Either way, I needed to keep myself moving. Pausing gives time for my anxiety to reappear, so it was better that I keep myself busy.

I set the handguns on the reloading bench as a reminder to clean them later, and restacked the ammo can where it belonged. I turned off the lights and headed up to my floor, skipping lunch. Once there, I changed into a pair of black workout pants with a baggy sleeveless shirt and my pair of running shoes.

Grabbing my water bottle and wireless earbuds, I took the elevator down to the gym floor. The gym floor, or, floors rather, were two floors merged together in the middle. All sorts of expensive exercise machines and weight bars, along with punching bags and mats scattered the space. The middle of the floor had ropes that hung from the ceiling of the second floor and had the largest mat. Thankfully we had a multi billionaire that paid for this place, and Stark went all out with it.

I started with stretching, then moved to the punching bags for a bit, then decided on pull ups. I haven’t really been able to take time out of my day to work out, rather the afternoons and mornings.

That was the great thing about being my own boss-My company was my own. I did a little bit of everything, or as I liked to refer to it: Freelance Hacker / Creator.

Yup. I checked servers for weak points and helped people create websites and platforms. Hell, I even took down a few...unsavory websites when I could. I had my own hours that I adapted as I needed. Especially with Lillith, it was easy for me to look after her when we were at home. 

Shit, I need to clean up the space. I remembered. I stayed up late last night making a draft of a site for a client….which I had to make a meeting with tomorrow. 

I drifted off into my thoughts as I ran through my cycle of sit ups, push ups, pull ups, and bench presses. Twenty per each set, five per each round. Damn, when was the last time I took a self care day? I let my brain sort out ideas and organize my thoughts for a few more minutes before focusing on what I was doing. I finished two rounds before heading over to the left wall and grabbing a pair of heavy chains.

Natasha and Wanda were sparring, with Natasha pushing Wanda back with offensive moves. Hand-to-hand combat wasn’t Maximoff’s strong point, but after insisting from both Strange and I that there might be a point where she would need to use physical combat despite her showing practically limitless magical abilities, she started. 

First it was with both Strange and I, with my abilities making me a bit more resilient to her magic and Strange being….strange. Then her and Natasha started sparring when my long days turned into longer nights, and I’m fairly certain Barnes is taking some part in the cycle. 

I finally watched Wanda get a solid hit on Nat’s torso in, and the assassin didn’t even flinch as she swept Wanda’s legs out from under her. The redhead was panting heavily, her hair tied back in a short ponytail with some hair framing her face. Wearing a black t-shirt and some black leggings, and black tennis shoes (Not going to lie, black looked really good on her). I tore my gaze away, albeit with some difficulty as I turned the mental list of tasks into a digital one on my phone.

After doing that and sipping some water, I used the hem of my shirt to wipe away the sweat on my forehead. Deciding to forego the shirt entirely I peeled it off and tossed it next to my water bottle. Draping the chains over my shoulders and grabbing the bar, I pulled myself up. 

First few rounds of ten were easy, but the added weight of the chains (about twenty pounds, if the labels were correct for each) soon slowed me down. Which was fine, it had my arms and shoulders using more effort than usual. I looked up and was surprised to see both Natasha and Wanda looking at me. Both girls were by the water fountain, Wanda holding her water bottle and phone, and Natasha sipping hers with a towel over one shoulder. If it wasn’t the fact that they both were working out, I would swear that Natasha’s face was red. I could feel the sweat dripping down my chest and stomach, and was eternally grateful for the serum that kept me at a decent four pack.

I winked, and Natasha choked on her water. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she cleared her throat and headed towards me. Wanda stayed there, and started scrolling on her phone again.

She practically sauntered over, and my face slipped into a grin as she stopped right in front of me. Not bothering to pause, I kept going, making sure to keep my chin above the bar when I went up.

She stopped and crossed her arms, smirking at me. I returned her smirk, along with “Anything I can help you with, Ma’am?”

She grinned, before walking straight in front of me. She stopped, not even a half a foot away as I was about to pull myself up again. She gently ran her fingers along the chain of my dog tags, and tugged them out of my sports bra. I kept them in there so they wouldn’t make noise and so I had them close to my heart. 

There were three tags in all on there, two of them being mine. She held the third up to read it and I stayed still, almost stiff as she smiled softly. It was my wife’s tag. 

She let the tags fall back onto my chest and pulled them straight, and as she let go she gently, almost ghosted, her hand over my stomach. I stiffened more, and then dropped from the bar. She backed away a bit as I took the chains off and returned them to their spot on the wall, then as I wiped away the sweat on my face with my discarded shirt.

“I think….” She started as I opened my water bottle. Facing her, I gestured for her to continue. “That is something that is honorable. There’s no other word to say it, but it is. It’s out of love and respect, yes?” She questioned, pointing to the tags. I nodded, setting my water bottle down.

“Hey, do you want to come pick up Lillith from school with me?” I asked her, throwing my shirt over my shoulder and grabbing my water bottle. I checked the time on my phone and tucked it in my pocket. 

“Sure. Can we get coffee?” She said as she walked besides me to the elevators. I selected both of our designated floors as we got in, and we started chatting about my little human. 

Her floor was first, and with a wave and a “I’ll see you in the garage in fifteen minutes” she got off and headed towards wherever her room was. 

I ran a hand through my hair, tugging it out of its ponytail as the elevator stopped at my floor. Getting off, I headed towards my room. Grabbing a pair of black jeans, a black shirt and some new undergarments, I quickly took a shower. Brushed my hair, teeth, and decided on a bit of eyeliner and mascara for the rest of the day. Pulled on some boots and grabbed my black leather jacket, making sure I had everything I needed for heading out. Finally, I grabbed my silver aviators and headed downstairs, before almost tripping over the shoes that littered the front entryway. Damn, my entire floor needed to be cleaned. 

I met Natasha by my car, wearing a white, loose sleeveless tank top and leggings. Along with sneakers. Her hair was damp and down, and she had a black duffle bag over her shoulder.

“Where are we going?” I questioned as I popped the trunk to the challenger. 

“I was hoping you could take me to my studio, if that’s alright.” she said as she shut the trunk lid with her duffle in it. 

“Yeah, that’s no biggie. Coffee first?” I asked, starting the car. 

“Please.” She sighed as she leaned her head against the seats. I smiled and pulled up to the open street. 

We got our iced coffees and I made sure to get a frappuccino and cookie for Lillith, and I drove towards where Natasha said her studio was. 

“I’ll just be about forty minutes. I need to get some stuff done and it might be a bit.” She said as she leaned in the car door frame, her duffle over one shoulder and a hand on the car door.

“That’s fine. I’m going to go pick up Lillith and then I’ll drive back here. Is that alright?” I asked, looking at the redhead. She smiled and nodded, shutting the car door.

I picked up Lillith from school, who excitedly told me that she made not one, but four new friends in her class. Her happy shriek had me laughing as I gave her the frappuccino and cookie. “I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!” She yelled as she grabbed said drink from my hand. 

“Careful with it please.” I chucked as she quickly sipped on it. She hummed in response, staring out the window.

I shook my head and shifted the car into drive and headed downtown. Not even halfway there, and already….

“Mom I have to go pee” Lillith said, scrunching her nose and the bag the cookie came in.

“Okay. We’re almost there to pick up Natasha and then we can go inside and you can go pee.” I replied as I turned another corner.

I had no idea if her studio had a bathroom, but I had the idea that my toddler couldn’t hold it very long. That girl drank more water than I did, and that was saying something. 

We pulled up and immediately she was getting unbuckled and wiggling her way out of the car. I got out and tucked my keys in my pocket, and helped her out of the car.

I gently kicked the door shut and led Lillith through the doors with a hand on her back, and followed the signs to where the bathroom is. Other than the fact that this place looked completely deserted, it was nice. 

No outstanding decorations, and there was little furniture. An old cork board held flyers and photos of various ballet dancers and activities. I paused at that, remembering what Nat had said that one night.

I dance. 

After having Lillith wash her hands (Which she complained about, but did anyway) we walked around until I found a half wall, half window point.

Lillith was short enough to where she couldn’t see in, but thankfully I wasn’t. It must’ve been a two way mirror, judging by the same pattern around the walls. A set of hip bars in the middle on a hardwood floor, and one of the most beautiful women lightly dancing to music I couldn’t hear.

My grip tightened on Lillith as I took in the sight before me.  Natasha was wearing a black leotard with black tights, and the thing that caught my attention was the shoes. Pink, with the ribbon wrapping around her ankles. The way she moved reminded me of all of the ballet shows I went to in school when I was a kid. There was something majestic about how she moved, how delicate she seemed.

Of course, it was Natasha Romanoff. She may appear delicate, but she’s the complete opposite. 

She turned on her heel and bowed down to the floor, hands barely brushing the wood. She went up, arms gracefully moving out in a way that kept my focus on her. That was, until Lillith yelled at her. 

“HI NATASHA!” She yelled, jumping up and down and aggressively waving at said women. Natasha didn’t start, rather smiled at the small child and waved. 

I facepalmed, dragging my hand down my face as I tried to fight down the flushing of my face.

[envihellbender]

Solarpunk MLM

So I did a sort of… D&D if it was set in a Solarpunk future type world.

Characters: Tegin Riverbelly, Ilam Flinteye

Summary: Hundreds of years ago the rich ate to become immobile beasts whilst the poor starved. Those that survived learned to survive on their guts, and now there are towns, cities, and countries that have created beautiful landscapes on their adipose. Some countries have the mountains of human flesh to work from, some have the swamps of lizardfolk, elven fat is better for performing magic, and tiefling fat tends to house the slums.

—

Tegin’s family had never left Dewwell before their youngest son got a job in the city. His parents lived in the house their grandparents had lived in, and their grandparents had lived in, and so on and so forth. They weren’t convinced that it was a good change even when Tegin said the best place for programmers was in a dry landscape. That was baffling to his father who’d been a fisherman just like his father, and his father, and his father, and so on and so forth. He never understood Tegin’s love for mechanics and computers, most of Dewwell didn’t. That was why he adored Hesshara, an elf dominant city that was raised on elven adipose. There they had learned to use the magic in the ground and the sun from the sky to bring technology back to what it had been before the immobile ancestors began. That was the sort of thing Tegin’s family considered heretical, and that was precisely why he needed to be far, far away from there. It certainly wasn’t an easy move. For one thing in his office he was the only halfling, the workplace like the city was predominantly elven. Prior to him working there the closest they’d had to a halfling employee was a gnome, who he’d had to explain to his manager Lumaris Rivermoon was not the same thing.

Thankfully the people were nice enough, even if they it didn’t occur to them to that Tegin needing several cushions on his chair and a stepladder to get to well, everything, was not making the place an accessible inclusive workspace. After he’d been working there a month and growing used to the conditions he was curious to learn from Lumaris that they had hired another halfling. Tegin had to admit he was quite pleased as well, perhaps now there would be two of them the office might become more accommodating, he thought. So when he came to work the next day, he found that there someone had arrived early and sat on a chair next to his, leaning awkwardly over to his computer as if he was sat on a pile of cushions, Tegin couldn’t stop himself from hurrying over to introduce himself.

When he got there however he stopped in his tracks and looked at the newcomer a little hesitantly. He wasn’t quite what he was expecting, normally halflings were cheerful and difficult to shut up. This one however wore a hoodie that he had pulled down over his eyes, he was tapping away at his phone and nervously looked up when Tegin approached. His eyes widened, his eyes that Tegin was sure had a vertically slit pupil.

“Hey there,” he said nervously putting out a hand to shake a little too quickly. “I’m- I’m Tegin. We haven’t met-”

“Ilam,” he responded tentatively shaking the hand before withdrawing his strangely long fingers with oddly sharp nails. “It’s nice to meet you,” he added hastily.

“Ah- yes,” Tegin said eventually. He realised it wasn’t just his shyness that perturbed him - Ilam was clearly mixed race, a halfling with … something else. Tegin mentally berated himself, how could he be so close minded? He thought. “Well, that’s my work space so… if you need anything,” he smiled. He was happy to see that Ilam hadn’t touched his space at all, something he’d heard from those who didn’t have to stay in the same spot due to their height was a common problem.

Apart from being a little standoffish, never lowering his hood and having a penchant for knee length kilts over his jeans, Ilam seemed perfectly pleasant to work with. He never forced conversation with Tegin, he always said ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’. As nice as it was to have someone like him, it actually was quite anticlimactic for a while.

However, things changed one night when Tegin was working late. In hindsight he thought Ilam mustn’t have realised that the building wasn’t empty. As a result when Tegin left through the back exit into the employees’ garden he saw something that caused him to feel a cold sense of dread through his chest. He felt it even before he knew Ilam’s secret and he couldn’t explain it. He berated himself for a moment when he realised that the silhouette he saw was Ilam. He got closer intending to say hello but for some reason something stopped him. Ilam was leaning against a tree trunk and tapping into his phone, just underneath the solar panel which powered the cell tower and gathered light reflected from the shine of the elven fat that made up their earth.

There was one key difference which meant it took Tegin a moment to recognise him- he didn’t have his hood up. Tegin saw his hair - mohawk with two pointed tufts of hair poking up… except the latter was not hair. They were two rounded pointed ears. He thought it must have been a novelty headband until he saw that Ilam had fur where his ears would normally have been on a humanoid. He saw the black spots on his pale skin going down the sides and back of his neck. He froze and stared, until he saw Ilam looking back at him with wide, horrified eyes. Before Tegin could react, Ilam turned, dropped his phone and ran.

Tegin was surprised at how calm he was about the situation, it was a shock of course but the fact that Ilam fled as well as his behaviour up until now seemed to suggest he wasn’t rabid or aggressive. They were alone, he could’ve turned and attacked Tegin easily. Instead he left. It made sense, why he kept his hood up, why he was reluctant to talk… He was half gnoll. It seemed obvious now, of course they wouldn’t hire him if they knew. Tegin returned to where Ilam had stood and picked up his phone. Well, there was one way to show that he intended to keep his secret.

The next day at work, Tegin arrived early to try and ensure he’d have some quiet time with Ilam. A potential problem struck when Tegin entered the office and saw leaning over Ilam’s desk a lanky, busybody elf. Tegin knew instantly it was their manager Lumaris and also had a good idea on how to deal with him.

“It’s simply that its unprofessional to wear a black hoodie in the work place, never mind with the hood up,” Lumaris said patronisingly, as Tegin approached from behind. The elf wasstanding so close to Ilam that even Tegin could tell he was uncomfortable.

“Erm- I- erm- well-” Ilam stammered, his pale cheeks burning a deep red.

“Excuse me, Sir,” Tegin interrupted, a fake smile plastered on his face. Ilam tensed as Tegin approached clearly expecting the situation to worsen. Lumaris turned surprised, initially looking forwards and then down at the halfling. “Yes, Ilam probably feels a bit awkward explaining but I think he might be a devotee to Urogolan?” Tegin lied, immediately causing Lumaris to tense and widen his eyes in alarm.

“Urogolan?” He responded, a slight stammer to his well spoken and usually smooth voice.

“Oh! Sorry! He’s the halfling God of death and the earth. Devotees usually keep the hair covered in public spaces, it’s seen as extremely offensive to ask someone-” Tegin continued to which Lumaris raised his hands and shook his head.

“Ah! Say no more! I am terribly sorry, Ilam. I- erm- obviously I respect- if you require any days off for religious reasons please- anyway, excuse me,” he spluttered before hurrying to his office. Tegin smiled as Ilam stared at him dumbfounded whilst Tegin looked through his shoulder bag and pulled out Ilam’s phone.

“You dropped this, by the way,” Tegin said putting it in front of him.

“Why- why did you stick up for me?” Ilam said in a small soft voice. Tegin shrugged and made his way to his desk next to Ilam’s. “I don’t… I don’t understand why-”

“Halflings gotta stand together, right?” Tegin said as he turned on his computer.

“But you know-”

“That you have a great mohawk?”

“No…”

“Don’t worry, your mohawk’s safe with me,” he winked before he began his work, a small smile on his lips.

[impulsivemuses]

FUCK IT WE BALL. THE ACCIDENT. THIS WAS AN EXPERT FROM A FANFICTION OF MINE.

“Hey Percy? What do you want for your birthday? It’s coming up soon you know.” She would look up in the mirror to glance up at him while she drives. 

“Oh! Oh! I know, I want a BIIIG bouncy castle. My friends got one before and they said it was the most funnest thing they ever got!” A big bouncy castle huh? She'll have to see. Sometimes they were costly depending on what brand or what size it was. She wasn’t planning on letting him down, however. She decided to take a mental note of that and grins warmly. 

“Alright, I’ll see. I’m sure I can find one that’ll suit our growing boy.” She replies with a laugh and places one hand on the steering wheel with the other on her face. “Anything else, your highness?” She promised herself she would stop teasing him, but he can’t help it. She just needed something to entertain herself as she drove! 

“Uhhh… I wanna have that new big Nerf gun that they always show on the TV. The one’s that always goes PEW PEW PEW PEW!” He angles his arms as if carrying a machine gun and rocking his body back and forth just as if the gun had kickback. Sounded like a messy toy, but that wasn’t expensive either. Lisa takes a mental note. 

“Sure thing, kiddo. Anything else that our little monster desires?” She glanced back up to him in the mirror keeping her attention on him. To be honest? He hasn’t gotten that far in his little list. He doesn’t want too many things since his small little mind didn’t even know what to get from the store. But, he purses his lips lightly in thought. 

“First, I’m not a little monster, meanie!” He’d giggle out and then turns his attention back to the window. The air felt a little different in the car, but he doesn’t think too hard on it. “Uhm.. I dunno. When’s my birthday again?” He asks inquisitively. 

“In a couple weeks, buddy. You’ll be nine years old. Gosh, I can’t believe my little brother isn’t going to be so little anymore!” She wipes a fake tear from her eyes and stopped again. “I’m gonna miss tickling you when you’re older. It won’t have the same effect.” She grinned lightly. 

“Pssh, I’ll still want your tickles! Just… only in the car, okay?” He leaned forward and had the nerve to tickle her back for once. 

“Alright, I’ll keep that in mind. Don’t you dare make me regret it!” She turns backwards and began to ruffle at his light blonde hair. 

“Is mama and dad gonna get me stuff too? They got me some things last time, but they said they kind of forgot.” He said rubbing at his wrists. Lisa knew what he meant and it made her blood boil that they would pay more attention to Lisa instead of their youngest son. Sure, they made sure to gift Percy some things last time, but that ‘we’ve been so busy and forgot’ excuse sounded like bullshit in her view. 

She gripped the steering wheel a little tighter feeling the knuckles of her hands turn white. She made sure to keep the gaze that boiled to irritation and anger towards her parents. 

“They will, I’ll be sure of it that they gift you good this time, Perc. You deserve it every time.” Why did she have to be the one to solely raise Percy while her parents were overflowing themselves with work? They should be making Percy feel like a part of this family, instead, they forgot about him. She bit down the anger that she almost took out on Percy. The last time she did that, she made him feel bad. Lesson god damned learnt. She eases her grip on the steering wheel and turnt to face Percy with a warm smile on her face. 

“Don’t worry kiddo. They love you. They’re just working hard to make sure we got it good, okay?’ She pinched her fingers against his thighs to try to make him feel better. He didn’t seem to response back to that touch, so she did the next best thing is to try to tickle him again. She wanted to see her baby brother smile. Thankfully it started to work as the young boy would begin to squirm in his seat again beginning to giggle profusely from her fingers digging into his sensitive spots as he tries to push her away this time more protesting.

“Stopp, Lisa! I’m trying to be sad!” Lisa would grin and shook her head.

“Not in my car, baby brother. You’re going to be happy whether you like it or not.” She responded with her chuckle lifting his spirits up. He knows that she’s just trying to make him feel better. He’s so glad that he’s got a big sister who really cared about him and loved him. If it’s one thing this family gifted him, it’s her.

That’s it, he’s going to have to get her back from all the tickling and teasing that she’s doing onto him. Once she turns around to continue driving, the eight year old child slowly began to arch his fingers in a curl ready to tickle at her sides that were ripe for the picking! She’s wearing a crop top after all!

The car slowly motions forward into the lane ready to continue driving towards their destination having her back turned. His expression turns mischievous and playful, his teeth gritting together to bring a smile onto his face. Inching closer and closer to her sides, the child would begin to grip his fingers against the sides of Lisa’s sensitive skin. His fingers clutching a little too tightly onto her skin pulled at the skin. His little chuckles of slyness knowing full well he got Lisa RIGHT where he wanted with her. The young boy snorted a few laughs in the process. 

“Let’s see how you like it, Lisa!” He would exclaim out to her tickling at her skin sending a shocked gasp outwards to her not expecting Percy to have retaliated against her with this tactic. Although him doing this to her while she’s trying to drive the car isn’t what she had expected.

“Percy! W-Wait! I’m trying to drive the car you doofus! Sit back in your seat!” She tried to push his fingers away lightly with her elbow, but it wasn’t working clearly. He had planned to make her regret trying to make him smile with all this silliness! His tickling onslaught continued nonetheless and pressed harder and harder into her skin, rubbing back and forth from her sides to her ribs being mindful of her chest. 

“Gonna getcha, gonna getcha! Hee hee hee!” Percy laughs out loud leaning even more forward into his seat to grab at her skin that’s tucked against her crop top. Lisa’s giggling profuse and unable to stop trying to shove him back. 

“Percy, I’m serious! Sit back in your dang seat! I’m trying to focus on the road!” She tries again to lightly push away his fingers more seriously this time although Percy wasn’t giving up by a long shot. If she wanted to see him smile, then him tormenting her would be the sweet, sweet, revenge he’s going to serve hot and warm!”

“Percy! Stop! Last time!!” She tries to bite down the laughter and turns to face him furrowing her brows. “I’m going to-.” His eyes push past her body and felt his blood instantly run cold at this moment feeling as though that time stopped in just a split second. His hands pulling away from her sides to shake her arm as she got distracted from the drivers seat. 

“LISA LOOK OUT!” Percy instantly noticed a car coming closer and closer to them. A sudden honk would catch the attention of the elder sister turning her head to focus back on the road. Yet, it was too late. Her attempts to swerve the oncoming traffic coming her way was all in vain. The child and the elder sister were helpless to see the larger car smashing into them. Screaming of absolute terror pushed out of the little boy’s lungs and held tightly onto her arm to stabilize himself from flinging everywhere. His body ricocheted back and forth in a violent manner. The child’s head hit all over the place smacking the side of his head against the glass with a crack in the glass. The frontal glass of the car shattered everywhere as the collision head on must’ve also been distracted from the other driver as well.

Lisa’s pained screams lifted the car as she too smashed her head against the car door. Glass billowing everywhere onto the floor and onto her body. Until… Total blackness from either of them.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

It takes about five seconds of the concussion to slowly disappear from the pain he felt everywhere. Glass cut against his skin and ended up in his seat in the back. His head dangling from barely holding it together at this point. A small whine escapes the childs voice as he tried to blink. The honking of the car he’s in woke him up further and further. Airbags puffed up from both sides of the car with Percy on the barely receiving end of one. Percy rubbed his temple with a hiss of pain noticing that he’s got a severe cut on his forehead and his legs from glass that flew everywhere.

“Nnn.. Hurt… it hurts..” He whimpered out, tears slowly squeezing to his eyes as he tries to make sense of what’s going on. His little mind is trying to process it all. They got into an accident, right? The eight-year-old boy would unbuckle himself with the honking still continuing. The car itself left a massive dent into the side of it’s frame both from his side of his car and from the side of Lisa who was laying down on to car bag knocked out most likely. 

The seat unbuckles as he leaned forward groaning in pain from the slice on his leg that’s pooling blood down his leg. His eyes focus on the messy and bloodied hair of Lisa coating the airbag in red. His eyes scan from the airbag to her head. She’s alright, right? She’s just hurt like him! Percy would feel the air change in an instant. Hot, humid air mixed together with the smell of sweat and blood. It.. it can’t have been that long right? Cars were parked and not moving. As if time itself was standing still purposefully now. His dark green eyes focus on his older sister. 

“Lisa…? Lisa! Wake up! You’re hurt!” The boy tries to shake her at this point, huffing and puffing from out of breath as if the impact of the car had taken the wind out of his body. 

His hands grip against the front seat of the car and stood up fully noticing the wreckage they were in. His hands shakily look over to the car that had totaled them. Strange thing was, there was nobody in the other car. As if a ghost had been driving the car entirely. His panting grew huskier and forced as he tries to shake Lisa again to wake her up. No response. What… why wasn’t she responding?! Lisa, dammit! Wake up! They needed to call mama and daddy to fix the accident! To call someone for help! Wait, why call them when he could call the paramedics himself? 

His hands would look around her bag that was strewn across the floor along with the glass, where her phone is conveniently next to his feet on the floor. It wasn’t damaged. Good! That meant he could fully help her! The child would open the phone with no pass lock, which was another strange thing because her phone is ALWAYS passcode locked. Maybe the chip that handled the passcode was damaged? Whatever. The child would pick up the phone in his hands fumbling his fingers to access the phone list. Okay… dial what his sister told him if anything like this happened.

“9-...1…1..” He muttered. He placed the phone to his ear letting the phone ring a few times. He’s desperate. Pick up! Someone! The little boy felt tears welling down his face realizing no one is going to help him. “Come on! Please! Someone!” He cries out until a voicemail would play on the other end.

“We’re sorry. We cannot forward your call at this moment. If you are in danger, please remember!

T H I S I S A L L Y O U R F A U L T P E R C Y . “

What… what the fuck!? Percy pulls away in shock at the response from the 911 operator and throws the phone onto the ground in a angered and upset manner letting it crack on the ground returning his gaze back to the bloodied adult in front of him shakily bringing his hands to her head to try to pull her head up from the car bag. The sight of it all made his hands shake and lip quiver. 

Her head is covered in red due to the fact her throat got cut by the glass that thrusted out of the car window next to her. She.. she can’t be.. She’s just unconscious! She’s hurt! “L-Lisa..? Lisa! Wake up! Please wake up! We were gonna go get a bouncy house… we were gonna go to your favorite songs! WAKE UP! LISA!” He screamed out as loud as he could as if thinking that would help his case in the slightest. Shuddered breaths creep their way into his panicked voice as tears flowed freely realizing what just happened. Lisa… Lisa can’t be. She’s.. She’s.. Gone. His sobbing loudly now as he clutched to the lifeless body of his older sister.

“LISAAAAAA!!!”

[harper-collins]

An Afternoon Alone

The Twins, The Triangle And The Magic oneshot!

Fluffy, a slight bit of angst and a small piece.

Set at the beginning of Year 5

The hustle and bustle of the house was getting a bit irritating, and although Dipper was pleased they didn’t have to stay at the Leaky Cauldron again, he did want to get out of the stuffy environment. Thankfully, he had just the right person to do that with. The brunette turned to look at a mirror to slick his hair back the way he used to. He knew the London weather would probably mess it up when he left the building, but he couldn’t help it.

A noise was made from behind Dipper, which made him jump, causing him to turn and see the almost adultified Bill Cipher in his complete form. He looked a lot more humane nowadays; he’d lost his edge, and although he wasn’t softer, he felt nicer to look at due to the organic way that he presented himself. He was still wearing fancy clothing outside of Hogwarts, but the blonde had grown and developed his human form so that Dipper couldn’t help but feel attracted to him all over again.

“I do feel a little bad about leaving Shooting Star with the grief she’s feeling right now, but I think it’s time that we let you walk around without her,” Bill grimly replied, moving towards the door. Dipper kept his eyes away from the blonde as he opened the door. “I feel the same way, but I just can’t sit next to her all the time. I can’t stay in the house either; it’s suffocating with grief,” Dipper replied, watching Bill shut the door to Grimmauld Place.

Dipper briefly reviewed what the demon had said before frowning and looking up at him. “Hey, I can leave the house by myself just fine!” he sharply replied, giving the other an angry push. Bill cackled for a moment before coming to his senses. “Still, Pinetree, I’m not letting you wander the streets of London without me. Voldemort is back, and even if we are trying to kill him, it’s probably a good idea to just be safe and protect ourselves by running away for the time being,” he murmured back, raising an eyebrow at the brunette. Dipper couldn’t tell whether the other eyebrow was raised, which made things slightly tricky.

“I’m not a child, Bill. I know how to handle myself,” he turned to look at the demon with a darkened expression, but Bill was merely shaking his head at Dipper. “You may be an adult mentally, Pinetree, but you are no match against an all-powerful wizard that even Dumbledore’s nervous about facing,” Bill chirped, walking towards a van selling food. Dipper blinked a couple of times, staring at the other. “Dumbledore’s nervous about facing Voldemort?” He repeated back.

“What?”

“What?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Bill carefully replied, a slight twinkle in his eye as he spoke. Dipper grumbled quietly; of course, the other was still keeping secrets. When wasn’t he? He moved on regardless, and the two approached the food van. Dipper let the demon pick an assortment of foods for them to share between the two of them. It was costly, but Bill didn’t seem to care about the prospect of money—only gold.

They continued walking into a small park they’d found nearby and frequented throughout the summer, regardless of the year. They sat down, opened their respective packets of food, and began to take in the summer atmosphere—while it lasted. Being in London was better than living in most of the UK, but it still got rainy. They took their time eating, which was the only logical thing to do when you had clear air. Or, at least, as straightforward as you could get in this day and age.

Dipper turned towards his partner and warily began to take in everything about him, all the details. First, there was his calm, relaxed expression as he ate. He seemed to enjoy their little trip, probably thinking about how they could blag it later. After all, no one knew about Bill yet. They just thought he was very weird. Despite his facial expression being quite relaxed, his body was less so. It was tense as he tightly held the sandwich in his hand. The other was holding his head as he awkwardly sprawled across his part of the bench, facing Dipper. The brunette could still tell that there was something wrong with the demon.

A thought then occurred to him. He had witnessed the death of Cedric Diggory just as much as Harry had. Yet… He wasn’t nearly as traumatised as an average individual. Although it felt pointless to point out that Bill wasn’t your standard individual, it felt like the other should still react. It wasn’t like he was soulless or anything. The brunette hesitated momentarily. Was he going to bring this up? Especially when they’d left the house to escape this exact subject.

Maybe… Maybe it was a better idea to ask later. As Dipper nodded to himself a little, moving without thinking, he looked back to the demon who was watching him with a quirked expression. He was intrigued, confused, yet interested. Dipper tried not to pay attention to his stare as he glanced away to stare at the trees further away from them, and Bill only chuckled slightly at the movement. Dipper tried to refrain from looking back at him, but the soft feeling of another’s skin touching his face made him look back at Bill, who gave him an empathetic expression.

Dipper moved back towards Bill, who kept his hand trailing across the other’s cheek, letting it slowly roam around the other’s face as if trying to memorise the other’s features. Dipper let it happen for about a minute before he put his hand on the other. Bill, who had gone dazed as he memorised Dipper’s features, jumped a little at the touch before relaxing and giving the grin he always gave. He took his hand off the other’s face. The brunette caught his hand before it dropped adequately.

“Your smile,” Dipper murmured to the other. “I want to see it.”

Bill smirked, not giving the response that the brunette had been wanting. Dipper only rolled his eyes at the display. “You know that’s not what I meant,” he pressed, watching the other’s expression as Dipper tightened his hand on the blonde. “I know, but you’re not getting me that easily, Pinetree,” he teased, tightening his hand around the other. The young male turned away, huffing and taking his hand back. The other’s grip had been getting too tight anyway.

“Awwww, c’mon Pinetree! Are you being a wimp?” He teased lightly. However, Dipper could only scoff and stand up, not disputing it and not saying anything to protect himself. Bill cackled as he followed the brunette’s train of thought before observing him. His expression had grown misty as if he could tell something was wrong. “It… It might be a good idea for us to head back now,” Dipper mumbled, glancing at the demon sharply.

Bill hummed for a moment before returning to the direction of Grimmauld Place. “Maybe… But there is something I’d like to talk to you about later,” the demon replied, retaking the other’s hand as he began to walk. Dipper didn’t say anything in reply to this. He just let himself be dragged with Bill. It was slowly getting cloudy as they trekked back to their temporary home.

With the world becoming the way it was, Dipper couldn’t help but feel that the weather was beginning to reflect the moody and scary place it was becoming. Hopefully, it wouldn’t take too much longer until they could finally get home. It was an unrealistic, wishful thought, but better than nothing. The two walked back reasonably quickly, and in a few minutes, they found themselves back in the dark and saddened environment. The two quietly went back inside, awaiting their fate for the evening.

[winter-cheshire-writings]

Echoes and Experiments: Chapter 5

When Albedo returned, Mieko looked drained and pale. She obviously hadn't been sleeping either. He indulged Koyuki's curiosity for a bit, answering her questions while Mieko brewed more tea. He felt extremely concerned for his partner, knowing that it had only been 2 days. When Yuma came to get his daughter, Albedo went to check on Mieko. “Mie, what's wrong?” He asked, noting her shaking.

“Nothing-”

“Mieko.” He made her turn around and put his hands on either side of her, pressing her back against the counter. “Please. Don't hold it back. It's clearly bothering you.”

“I… I’m sorry.” She let out a sob, laying her head on Albedo's shoulder. “I'm sorry…”

“What are you sorry for?” He asked, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her to him. He let her calm down before he asked again. “Mie, what are you sorry for?”

“I… It's been so long since Yuki died, why can't I just make it stop hurting?” She managed, clearly distraught. “Albedo, I can't make it stop…”

“No one would expect you to do that, Mie.” He said, soothing her as well as he could before having her sit while he cooked dinner. As he placed the plates of Sunshine Sprat on the table, she looked up. “Are you feeling better now?”

“Not quite.” She said softly. “But I missed you.” she smiled up at him before he took his seat.

“I missed you as well.” he did his best to keep the dinner conversation light, knowing she was currently thinking too hard. After they ate, he had her go to bathe and relax a bit, doing the dishes for her. It was painfully obvious that Mie was suffering, seeing Koyuki and mentally apologizing the whole time to her dead friend. He sighed to himself, wondering what to do. How could he assist her? His chest felt tight when she cried and was upset like this. But this was something Mieko had to resolve herself. It wasn't as though he could use Alchemy to help her. As he contemplated these things, he felt a hand on his shoulder. “Do you feel better, Mie?”

“I do.” She said, hugging onto him, seeming much less tense. He took her hand and smiled over his shoulder at her, letting her press her nose against his cheek. “Thank you, Albedo.”

“You're welcome. You should get to sleep soon.” He added. “You're taking Koyuki yo study the flowers tomorrow, right?”

“Yes.” She smiled. “Hopefully the air and the work will help.”

“I hope so as well. Where will you two be going?”

“It will likely be around The Whispering Woods and Starfell Lake… Thankfully the concentration of monsters is lower around there.”

“Oh? What a coincidence. I have to head that way tomorrow afternoon for some work. Shall I meet you for lunch?” He asked, Mieko chuckling at him.

“If you like.” She said. They planned on a place to meet before Mieko went to lay down, Albedo staying with her for a little while. She went to bed smiling, and once she was asleep, he tucked hernin andnpwt her head, staring at her for a while.

-

The next morning after Albedo left, Mieko took Koyuki out with a promise to bring her home before thensun started to go down. They spent the morning observing and sketching flowers, Koyuki trying her best to mimic Mieko's work. It was a good day for them both. They began to head to the spot where Albedo was going to meet them for lunch when Mieko got a bad feeling. She glanced around, seeing something barreling their way. She whipped around and met the flaming club of a hilichurl with her polearm. “Damn it, Koyuki, move back! Go to the trees!”

“Y-Yes, Miss Mie!” Koyuki ran to the tree line to hide, Mieko throwing the hilichirl back before blocking another. There were 4 of them, and something large and looming heading for them.

“A mitachurl too? Crap.” She bit her cheek. Mieko did her best to keep them away from Koyuki, bit one of the hilichurls got past her. “Koyuki, climb the tree!” She called, the young girl scramblung up the tree. The hilichurl that had gone after her stomped the light blue ribbon thay had fallen from Koyuki’shair, trying to get at her by clawing at the tree. Mieko managed to throw The remaining two hilichurls off of her and hurried to dispatch the one trying to get to Koyuki. “Stay there. I'll take care of the rest of the monsters.” She reassured the girl.

“Y-Yes, Miss Mie.” Koyuki nodded, Mieko going back to fighting. As the mitachurl slammed its axe down on her, she managed to move away, but then she saw it. An Abyss Mage And 2 more mitachurls coming their way. “Shit… Really?” She wasn't going yo be able to take all 3 out at once. “Alright, Snow… Time To put Albedo's training to the test.” She took her stance infront of the approaching enemy, prepared to fight as hard as she could against them. She had to protect Koyuki. She began her attack, doing alright against them until the Abyss Mage summoned it's flame spewing dragon heads to surround Mieko.

“Miss Mie!!” Mieko was certain she was done for in that instant, but strangely she felt movement beneath her. She looked down as a flower-shaped platform lifted her above the flames, even the Abyss Mage looking surprised. She smiled though, seeing one of the mitachurls stumbling as it was pushed back, a flash of white rushing out from beheath her. “Mister Albedo!”

“Thank you, my dear. Now this will be much easier.” She smiled, adjusting her weapon in her hand before jumping down on top of the Abyss Mage, utilizing her vision to whittle down the shield in front of her. The two fought off the Abyss Mage and the remaining mitachurls before retrieving Koyuki from the tree. “Koyuki, are you okay?” Mieko asjed as the girl started to cry. “Whats wrong?”

“I…” She sobbed, trying to rub away her tears. “I ruined Aunty Yuki's ribbon!” She cried, which surprised Mieko. “Papa daid not to lose it cause it was special!” She sobbed. Mieko, with no hesitation, untied the red ribbon from her own hair that Yuki had gifted her so many years prior.

“Don’t cry, little one.” She smiled, petting Koyuki’s head before she tied the new bow into place where the light blue ribbon had been. “Your Aunt would never want you to cry over a ribbon. You can have this one. Your aunt gifted me that when we were around your age.”

“She… did…?”

“Yes, she did. She would also have been very glad that you were safe, and given you all the ribbons you wanted to replace the old one. But, since she isn't with us, I hope this will be a suitable substitute.” Koyuki managed to stop crying as Mieko continued to pet her head. “Now, let's go back and get you home safe. I think from now on, we'll need to have you just staynin Mondstat for the apprenticeship. At least until you're older, or if we have more company.”

“Y-Yes Miss Mie… Thank you for protecting me.”

-

Albedo escorted them back to Koyuki’s house before he took Mieko to her workshop so she could rest, knowing that ribbon was all she had left of Yuki.

“Will you be alright?” he asked her as he boiled some water.

“Not as alright as I always pretend to be.” She replies to him from her seat.

“Well, thank you for your honesty.” He replied simply.

“Can we make coffee instead of tea? I should probably stay awake.”

“We can.” he smiled, grabbing the coffee instead of the tea. Albedo remained quiet for a while, and once the coffee was ready, he sat with her on the couch. He brushed out her braid with his hand, smiling as she leaned into his touch once he was done, cupping her cheek.

“Get some rest. I'll return later, there's something I want to give you.”

“Give me…?” She asked. Her stomach growled, and her cheeks colored. “Oh… I forgot to eat…”

“It's alright. I'll bring you some food too.” He smiled. “So close your eyes for a bit. I'll be back shortly.” He left her with a kiss to the top of her head, Mieko sinking into her seat once she was alone. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

“Yuki. Are you proud of me?”

-

Upon Albedo's return, he had a dark blue ribbon in hand, along with food from Good Hunter. The ribbon was accented with the same motifs he had on his coat. “You may find this a bit much, but perhaps… You could wear this instead?” He handed her the ribbon after placing the food down on the table. He stood in front of her, not wanting to push her too far. Not when she was this fragile. “I know emotionally it's not nearly so precious to you, however-” Mieko wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him to her, burying her face against his chest. “Mie…?” he asked, bracing himself on the back of the couch, kneeling over her lap now.

“It's more precious than you could ever know… Thank you, Albedo.” She managed to say, tears forming again. He smiled and moved to sit in her lap, allowing her to hold him. He let himself relax, leaning into her arms. Albedo played quietly with her hair for a while, just enjoying being close to her before speaking.

“Would you like me to put it into your hair for you?” he asked.

“Yes, please.”

-

The following week, she had changed her entire look to match Albedo’s ribbon. When he got a closer look, he saw many little motifs that matched the ones he wore, making him smile. He liked it when they matched, perhaps a bit too much. He was most amused by the armband motifs on her leggings and shirt cuffs. She really studied his attire for this. Not to mention, this new outfit seemed to give her confidence that made her seem happier. He supposed that he should maybe give her gifts she could use like this more often. And perhaps see if she would make herself match him more.

“A good experiment.” He mused to himself.

-

Albedo walked over to her when she came to visit him up on Dragonspine one day, picking her up and making her squeak In surprise.

“A-Albedo? What is it?” She asked, Albedo smiling at how red her cheeks were.

“Nothing in particular. I just wanted to show you some appreciation. For the outfit you made to accompany my gift.”

“I can walk though…? You don't have to pick me up.”

“Mm, call it a countermeasure.”

“A countermeasure to what exactly?”

“To the feigned resistance and embarrassment in reaction to what I'm about to do to you.” he smiled, Mieko's face getting even redder. “I can't begin to tell you how much I wanted to do this when we were in Mondstadt when I saw you wearing this outfit. But I resisted to avoid you panicking.” he chuckled as he carried her into his camp. “So now that we're alone… Will you let me, Mie?”

“L-Let you??? Let you do what, Albedo???” She asked.

“Oh, I see. Feigned ignorance as well.” he nodded. “I will have to take more notes.” he smiled up at her, putting her down on his desk and leaning in close to her.

“Mie… I wish to do more than just cuddling tonight. If you would prefer I elaborate, I will do so. But the last time I said the word ‘fornicate’ you-” he stopped when her hand covered his mouth.

“I get it, I get It.” she said, her hand shaking a little and her cheeks as red as Albedo had ever seen them. “Enough already, Albedo… You promised, as a part of the agreement. No toying with my heart.”

“Oh, does it seem like that's what I'm doing? Forgive me. I thought this was called flirting. Is my research incorrect?” Albedo asked as she withdrew her hand.

“It isn't wrong, but… You're also a lot more straightforward about it… Too honest.” She added.

“Oh… But you like honesty, yes?”

“I do. Very much so.”

“Then, Mie. I want you.” he felt his own cheeks flush a bit pink at his statement. “Will you allow for that…?” Mieko smiled softly, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

“Archons, you're being cute again. You know what that does for me.” She leaned in a little and chuckled. “If that's what you want, Albedo. Anything for you.”