#that moment when a new guy arrives at school and you hear wedding bells ringing and doves flying

[cocrante]

I have this fantasy of Nico who could be like that kind of guy who makes someone question their own sexuality, like when you're in a bookstore and you see a gothic man with a fishnet shirt and a long black coat, and you start having existential questions and your life collapses in on itself, and you have no more certainty.

That's Nico. Or rather, that's how he would be in a modern au.

And Will starts taking online "am I gay?" tests like we all have did lmao don't come here telling me lies, I know you did it too

[iliumheightnights]

Bird Set Free | Ben Florian x Male Reader

Fandom: Descendants Pairing: Ben Florian x Male Reader Summary: A jealous Audrey comes after Ben’s boyfriend.

A/N: Another co write with my amazingly talented friend @inhumanshadows​. If you haven’t checked them out what are you waiting for!? …

Ben had caught your eye the moment you stepped out of the limbo from the isle.

You were one of the first vk's to arrive in Auradon.

At the time Ben was dating Audrey so you didn't think you had any chance.

That changed after the big turney game when he asked you privately if you wanted to go on a date with him.

That shocked you first off because he was a prince/future king and you were a villain kid.

Secondly you were a guy. You hadn't expected Ben to be into guys.

You said yes of course. Who wouldn't want to go on a date with Ben.

The date went great and you enjoyed it.

During the whole coronation debacle, you helped Mal and them stop Maleficent.

Once everyone was unfrozen, Ben pulled you into a kiss in front of everyone.

That was a surprise to everyone, but who was going to challenge the king and his boyfriend who just stopped maleficent? No one that's who.

While Adam was shocked he wasn't disappointed and Belle was really supportive of you two.

Ben's parents were your biggest supporters. "Love is love."

While the kingdom had accepted you two relatively easy, one person did not. Audrey.

You had a feeling Audrey wouldn’t like it. 

But you figured she wouldn’t be too mad for long.

At least that’s how it seemed. Especially when she left school for a little “wellness retreat.”

Then the mess with Uma happened. 

You knew she spelled Ben and that any actions he made weren’t consciously his own.

The entire cotillion was...intense.

You didn't let Uma use Ben any more than she had.

You quickly pulled Ben in for a kiss and pressed your lips to his.

There was a spark and energy there that you felt every time you kissed.

Pulling back, Ben smiled at you and you could tell it had worked. He wasn't spelled anymore.

Uma and Mal then got into a fight over her spell book.

After everything settled down the two of you enjoyed the rest of your night.

However there was still a part of you that was hurt seeing Ben with someone else even if it wasn't his doing.

Luckily, Ben quickly made sure that YOU were the one for him.

That led to him proposing to you with a promise ring a week later.

...

You said yes to that right away. No way were you letting that pass by you.

Of course, Audrey wasn't happy with that. But who cares, what could she do?

-You didn’t care. You were engaged and had much more pressing matters to attend to.

-Now the whole kingdom was just in your face about really anything and everything.

“when’s the wedding?!”

“How are you adjusting to life as the prince’s boyfriend??”

It was that constantly and it gets old quickly.

So you just focused on Ben and your friends. 

Evie insisted on designing yours and Ben’s wedding outfits. 

“I mean I won’t tell you no Evie.”

You had to remind everyone that it was only a promise ring and not an actual engagement ring. No one seemed to care.

Honestly with you two, it really was more of an engagement ring.

But that was for another day. Today was Jane's birthday.

Ben had some last minute work to finish so you went ahead of him.

"(M/N)! It's good to see you."

"Ben's on his way. He just had to finish something first. He's sorry for being late."

She waved you off. "No worries."

Then someone you hadn't expected showed up.

Audrey.

She was dressed differently and had maleficent staff.

That wasn't good.

Audrey laid her eyes on you and a wicked smile came over her face.

That REALLY wasn't good.

"Jane, go. Run!"

Jane nods and hightails it out of there.

Audrey starts to sing “Happy birthday” as waves of green smoke wash over the party area, all the guests falling into a cursed sleep.

You brace for an inevitable sleep... but it never comes.

Audrey stands before you, smile on her face.

“A sleeping curse is too good and too easy for you. I have other plans.”

She bangs the bottom of the staff on the ground and you’re surrounded by smoke.

Magic flows over you and when it clears... everything is bigger.

“Well aren’t you a pretty bird...” Audrey says before vanishing. 

You run to the edge of the lake and see that she turned you into a raven.

A raven. Of course she turned you into a raven, just like diaval.

Your first instinct is to panic. You're currently a bird when just five seconds ago you were human.

After calming down a bit you realize the next best thing to do is go after Ben.

Ben! If this is what Audrey did to you what would she have done to Ben!?

Without another thought you flap your new wings and try your best to fly.

It's not pretty at first but you figure it out and soon are flying to your future husband.

When you do reach Ben...it's not fun.

Audrey had changed him as well, but instead of a bird he was a beast. Just like his dad.

When you tried talking with him you hoped he would be like how his dad was as a beast...or at least as you had been told.

You figured you'd get to talk with him and figure out a way to stop Audrey.

Ben tried to eat you.

Apparently Audrey's curse made Ben an actual full beast and not just looking like one.

There was only one thing left to do...find help!

Finding help wasn't easy. Everyone was either asleep or turned to stone!

Fairy godmother? Stone. Belle and Adam? Asleep.

Luckily you found Mal and them, along with Uma, Gil and Harry.

Unluckily, they just thought you were a raven.

Harry kept shooing you and threatening to hit you with the hook.

Gil wanted to pet you. So that wasn’t too bad.

And the others either thought you were gross or just a dumb bird. 

Gil proves to have the braincell for the group when he suggested giving whatever made Dude the dog talk to you.

Mal did it to “make the conversation change”

"Finally! I've been trying to get your attention forever!"

They all go wide eyed when you're voice comes out of the bird.

 "Yes it's me. (M/N). Audrey turned me into a raven and I went to find Ben but she changed him into a beast! You gotta help me save Ben!"

 Of course, even though you were a bird, Ben is a king, your boyfriend and a beast right now. You were helping him first.

 "Oh and Gil...can you scratch my head again?"

What? It felt good.

 Then Jay, Harry, Gil and Carlos went with you to find your boyfriend.

You guys find beast ben and slowly try to get his attention.

He turns and stalks towards you all.

He looks as if he’s about to pounce when Jane pops out of the trees and sprays him with water.

Ben roars and stumbles back rubbing his face. He drops his hands and looks relatively normal.

“What did you hit him with, Jane?” Jay asks.

“Enchanted lake water. Breaks most enchantments. Figured it couldn't hurt.”

 You let out a breath you hadn't realized you were holding.

 "Oh thank gods. I was so worried babe."

 Ben froze in place as he saw you talking.

"(M/N)?"

You flew over and landed on his shoulder.

"Hey Ben. Audrey got to me first. Thanks for not eating me earlier."

 Ben would then pet you.

 "I'm glad I didn't. That would be awkward...now how do we change you back? Jane?"

 "I kind of used the last of the water."

You look Ben up and down and he smiles at you.

“Gotta say Ben, I like the fangs and beard. Could be cleaner but...”

“Oh really?” Ben asks.

That when Harry whistles. “Sorry to break up that tender moment... but we have an angry Audrey to pursue...”

"Right! We'll have to figure something out later. I promise! I'll make sure to get you back" Ben said.

You knew he would. Ben always did.

 Returning to Evie's cottage, Uma seemed to be leaving in a mood.

Doug who had been asleep was now awake.

"Wait? How is he awake?"

"True love’s kiss."

You looked at Ben who looked back at you.

 "Why didn't we think of that?!" you said.

Ben rubbed the back of his head with a nervous look.

"Sorry."

“it’s alright. Lots happening. We’ll try later. First we deal with Audrey!”

Cue Audrey sealing you all in the cottage. 

Then mal and Uma break you guys out with some awesome cooperative magic.

You: “Aww you guys are friends again!”

Mal: “I’ll pluck your feathers...”

“Alright! Geez...”

Then everything with Mal came out.

 It made your heart break. Ben,Your boyfriend, your future husband, made a decision with Mal to not bring over any more VK's.

You couldn't believe it. You didn't want to accept it.

"So...you didn't even want to talk to me about this?" You said to him.

"I'm a VK Ben! You're wanting to stop any one else from getting the chance that I did? That's so wrong!"

 Now you really wish you had gotten that kiss earlier...cause this love didn't feel true anymore.

 Uma, Harry and Gil left...and so did you.

"I need to think."

"(M/N) wait!"

Did you leave on Gil’s shoulder, slumped against him? Yes yes you did.

It was all very confusing and pretty shocking.

While you understood where they were coming from... it... it just hurt. 

You all were back at the cottage, checking up on Dizzy and the twins. 

You were glad they weren’t awake to hear about all that. They had enough on their plates.

“So what do we do now?” You ask, walking on a table, everyone seated around it. 

Uma: “Nothing. Let Mal and Ben figure it out... they don’t deserve our help after that stunt.”

"I can't just sit by Uma. I'm mad...but not let Audrey go kind of mad. If anything I want just a bit of revenge."

Uma smirked at that.

"Good to know there's still a VK in there."

You extended your wings and fake bowed.

Eventually you all began heading back to the isle before Mal stopped you begging you all to help her.

"They were turned to stone. (M/N),Ben was turned to stone."

It didn't matter how hurt you were, you still loved Ben.

Without hesitation you hopped off Gil's shoulder and began flying back.

Arriving back at the cottage you saw them, Evie, Dude,Carlos, Jay and Ben...all statues.

You landed on Ben's out stretched stone arm.

"Oh Ben...What do I do?"

You sat there perched on Ben's arm, looking at his frozen face.

You regretted that the last thing you two did was fight.

Hopefully this would be fixed soon and you can apologize.

As if your wishes were answered. Ben and the rest were unfrozen and the people began waking up.

"Ben! Oh gods you're back! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry about how I left."

"(M/N). No I'm sorry. I should have asked you. I'm sorry I didn't."

With that Ben lifted his arm with you on it up and kissed your head.

In an instant you felt yourself changing and growing and soon you were back to being human.

You smiled and pulled Ben into a tight up.

"Forget waiting. Ben, I have no idea what's going to happen but I know I want to be with you. Let's get married."

He didn't disagree and your promise ring was now that engagement ring.

After making sure everyone was alright after everything that transpired you, Ben and Mal got to talking and came to a unanimous decision.

You all agreed it was time to take the barrier down and stop making the children of villains pay for their parents misdeeds.

You worked with the other VKs to make the process as fair and efficient as possible.

Ben pulled you away for a minute to hug you. 

“I know we’re still working on the rest of the VKs but I was thinking we could meet with Evie to talk about wedding stuff?”

“of course... we have a lot to plan... together.”

Evie was excited when you told her.

Ben and you also enjoyed the planning, especially the cake.

Your wedding was going to be amazing.

[wandasallerdyce]

Twilight Time - Steve Harrington

Pairing - Steve Harrington x M! Reader

Fandom - Stranger Things

Requested - yes/no

Warning(s) - one cuss word, all fluff

Notes - ugh, I’m a whore for this man 😩. But n e ways I was listening to Twilight Time earlier and said fuck it I’m writing for my best boi Steve. Also an upload two days in a row?! Woah! (p.s. I haven’t watched ST in a while so sorry if it’s cringe 😗)

(GIF not mine)

Steve was nervous to say the least. In just a few moments, you’d be walking down the makeshift isle the kids had made for your guys’ wedding. When you had told them that you guys were planning to get married in secret due to the law not letting you guys get legally married, they were excited and instantly asked to decorate the small part of the woods were you’d be hosting the wedding. And of course you guys said yes (more like were forced to).

Heavenly shades of night are falling, it's twilight time

When Steve had proposed to you, you guys had gone out to go stargazing. He was fascinated that you knew so much about the stars. He loved how the moonlight fell on your (s/c) face, making it glow beautifully. At this point, Steve was still wondering if he should go along with the plan. He knew both of you guys were young. He was 20 while you were 19. He didn’t want to tie you down to him when you could go to college and succeed in life.

Steve couldn’t help it though. Ever since he first saw you walk in through the doors at school, he was instantly enamored with you. He knew you were the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. When he finally went to talk to you, it was during a party. He was nervous as hell and was barely able to stutter out a “H-Hey I’m Steve. Steve Harrington.” To add on to the awkwardness, he did hand guns after.

You simply giggled and decided to flirt with him a little. “Harrington, huh? Got a nice ring to it. It’d be even nicer if it was next to my name.” You replied with a smirk. He instantly choked on air and went beet red in the face. ‘Smooth. Real smooth’ he instantly thought. He straightened his composure and shirt and replied “would you like to get out of here?” whilst offering you his hand which you instantly held. “Sure, why not?” You said while smiling. Needless to say, you guys ended up having a steamy make out session in his car.

Steve just couldn’t get enough of your lips. They were so plump and soft, unlike any other lips he had ever kissed. If it were even possible, he fell in love with you even more. Eventually, after a few more make out sessions, he had the courage to ask you out on a date, which you instantly agreed to. Ever since then, you’ve both always been together.

When purple colored curtains mark the end of day I'll hear you, my dear, at twilight time

Some nights, Steve would climb up to your window and get in bed with you after a rough day. You’d hear him out and hug him tightly if he starts crying. Steve loves you for that. He loves that he can count on you whenever he needs help.

When he gets the job at Scoops Ahoy, you become a regular and tease Steve, who’s in his uniform. “Look at the cute boy in the sailors outfit!” You say while sighing dreamily. “Stop it!” He replies back, going instantly red. Meanwhile, you compliment Robin’s outfit which got a pout from Steve. “You’re still cute nonetheless, Stevie.” You tell him while giving him a quick kiss which instantly brings a smile to his face. “Exit the break room.” Robin simply replies.

Deep in the dark your kiss will thrill me like days of old Lighting the spark of love that fills me with dreams untold

And here you guys were, looking at the stars together, laying on one of his blankets on top of his car. He turned his body to look at you with you doing the same. “Have I ever told you how much I love you?” He asked, staring at you lovingly. “Nope.” You replied, giggling softly, which earned you a playful eye roll.

“No, but seriously, I really love you. Your beautiful (e/c) eyes, your unique personality, basically, everything about you is amazing. I love you. I love how you listen to all my problems, letting me vent out all my problems, yes, I even loved how you teased me in the sailors outfit and,” he shakily pulls out the ring, which causes you to gasp. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So what do you say, (y/n)? Want to officially- unofficially get married?” He asks, and gulps right after. ‘Maybe I rushed it too fast’ he thinks.

“Of course Steve! Yes!” You exclaim, jumping into his lap which earns an oof from Steve. He smiles the biggest smile he’s ever done and slips the ring onto your finger and kisses you deeply. You pull away and look at the ring until you notice the similarity.

“Wait, did you get this from the machine at the store we were at the other day?”

“Yes?” He said, nervously.

“Eh, I love it anyway. It’s perfect.” You said and went back to kissing him.

Here, in the afterglow of day, we keep our rendezvous beneath the blue

Now, here he was, in the present day, at the same spot in the woods where he proposed to you. It had also become the place where you guys would get married unofficially. He was nervous to say the least. He was constantly tapping his foot to the point where Mike slapped him in the arm to stop him. Jonathan was his man of honor. Sure, it was a bit weird but they had become close friends ever since the demogorgon shit ended.

Meanwhile, Robin was your maid of honor. Ever since you walked into Scoops Ahoy for the first time, you instantly became best friends with Robin and saw her as the sister you never had. You guys would constantly team up and annoy Steve together which he would laugh at at first but eventually it got too overwhelming as both of you were good at pranks.

Max walked in with a bell and rang it too many times to count, but got the message through that it was time to start. Steve’s breath hitched as he saw you walk in. You looked so handsome in the white clothes you had picked out and he fell even harder for you. Hopper was walking you down the aisle and would also serve as the officiant. He didn’t even realize you had reached the center and were holding his hands.

He stared into your shining (e/c) eyes while reciting his vows which made him feel lucky as he’d be able to look at them everyday he’d wake up. After reciting your guys’ vows and sharing a kiss, you simply told him, “Guess “Harrington” did make it into my name.” He smiled as he looked at you, reminiscing about your guys’ first conversation.

Here in the sweet and same old way, I fall in love again as I did then

After the ceremony, Steve drove both of you to your guys’ new house. It was small but homey at the same time. When you guys arrived, Steve opened the door for you, picked you up and walked you guys inside. It was beautiful from the inside. You had already bought some furniture to accommodate it to your guys’ liking. Steve set you down and went to turn on the small radio you had sitting on a coffee table. Instantly, Twilight Time by The Platters started playing.

Steve moved closer to you and put a hand on your waist and held the other one, while you placed your free hand on his shoulder. You guys started dancing across the living room, matching the rythym of the song. He would dip you and move you guys across the room. As the song ended, he dipped you one last time, brought you back up and placed a deep kiss on your lips. “I’ll never get tired of this. I love you, (y/n) Harrington.”

“I love you too, Steve Harrington.”

FIN

[namjoonfluff]

The Florist

pairing: Jungkook x Reader

summary: you own a flower shop in London and get to meet lots of interesting customers but none as interesting as Jungkook. 

genre: this is pretty fluffy at the moment - tempted to make it a series if people like it and we might get smut or angst!

word count: 1,900 notes: i haven’t edit yet so if things don’t make sense, feel free to come for me in my asks

When you opened up Buds & Blooms last spring, it was partly because of your love of flowers but also your love of people too. You see, you were surrounded by the same beautiful blossoms every day. However, the individuals who entered the shop were exactly that - individuals. Each one completely unique from the others; with different lives, different problems and different reasons for buying flowers. 

You had Mrs Norris who popped in every Monday to check out the latest bouquets. Her visits were never about purchasing a bunch but indeed, she was lonely. You would often see her leaving her terraced house, waving goodbye to her dog and shuffling across the street to the shop. Your eyes followed her every move; head bowed to the ground as she manoeuvred the cobbled street. The bell would ring to signal her entrance and you acted as if you hadn’t been expecting her arrival for five minutes now. “Hello, dear,” She would whisper softly across the rows and rows of roses and camellias. 

You glanced up from your ribbons and smiled. She didn’t like to start a conversation straight away. Instead, Mrs Norris took a very slow lap around the store before settling upon a bouquet of sunflowers. Her fingers ran across the sunshine petals as she fell into a deep thought. 

“Patrick used to buy me these,” Mrs Norris said to herself, looking sadly at the bright bouquet which sat waiting for her. You would never tell her this but you placed them there purposely. Before Mrs Norris’ husband passed away, he paid you to create her a bouquet every week. Even beyond the grave, he was finding a way to keep their love strong. It was enough to make you believe in soulmates! 

Soon after, Mr James rushed into the store like usual. No matter what day of the week, it was always just before lunchtime when he threw the door open in a hurry. As his face flushed pink and chest heaved, he briskly walked to find the biggest bouquet he could possibly find. Lucky for him, you always had one prepared for his visits. “What is it this time?” You grinned from behind the counter.

“Forgot-” He said breathlessly. “Forgot the pickles and now I’m getting a bollocking!” 

You couldn’t help but giggle at the panic on his face. Anytime Mr James and his wife had a slight disagreement, he would rush out to buy her flowers. It was because of him that the flower shop stayed afloat! He must have purchased about fifty bouquets since his wife got pregnant. He was seriously the best husband though. 

Plenty more customers popped their heads into the store throughout the day. There was Miss Dean - a teacher from the local school who always needed a fresh arrangement for her classroom. You were also visited by Danny Jones, your next door, shop neighbour. He was always dropping by to offer you some of his luxury coffee. It was disgusting though; the bitter type of coffee that just sat in the back of your throat the whole day! With his cup of hell, he also brought an uncomfortable attempt at flirting. “So, do you ever leave this place?” Danny said, leaning up against the counter. Your eyes twitched as you watched him squash the head of a pink rose from one of your wedding displays. It was a shame you had to be polite in front of customers because you could have slapped him so hard in that moment. 

“Well, you know what it’s like running a small business,” You shrugged. “I just wanna keep this place afloat!” He sipped his sludge while raking his eyes up and down your body. It would maybe make sense if you were wearing some kind of body-con, booby dress with heels. Yet, here you were in your favourite pair of mom-jeans and a baggy jumper. “That’s why I have my father involved,” Danny smirks from beyond the cup. “He pays the bills, I just make sure nothing goes wrong!” 

You subtly roll your eyes from behind the vase you were plucking flowers from. How could someone get through life like this? You wondered. But you didn’t really have to think for long. He was lucky enough to have his daddy’s investment. Need more beans imported from Dubai? Get Father on the phone! Someone broke the coffee machine again? Well, looks like Daddy’s going to need the call. You were jealous really! After all, you had saved up the money to buy the shop, scrimped and scraped so you could afford the latest till. You had even dipped into your life savings to buy a new sign for the shop. That’s how much you cared about this place! It frustrated you to see someone have it so easy. 

“Anyway, do you fancy getting a drink with me?” Danny asked. 

“Not if it’s any of that coffee,” You whispered.

“Huh?” He looked up from the flower he had de-petalled just a second ago. You were this close from kicking him out the store! 

“I’m okay,” You said shyly. How are you supposed to reject someone nicely? Someone who always gets their own way? 

“Are you sure?” Danny’s annoying voice peaked again. “Do you really want to be single and selling flowers all your life?” Actually, yes. That sounded like an absolute dream plan right now! No annoying men trying to make you drink their horrible coffee. Maybe you could have a dog like Mrs Norris. Yes, a dog sounded like a great idea - plus, they are much quieter than men anyway! 

“Honestly,” He huffed, bringing you out of the daydream where you’re walking your adorable dachshund around Hyde Park. Fucking idiot! How dare he interrupt you as you and Herbert settle on a park bench for a picnic. “You women confuse me beyond belief,” “You talk about marriage and babies but when a decent guy comes along, you reject him!” 

Afraid he was going to start lecturing you on the benefits of marrying into his family, you made sure to place a pot down on the counter - loudly! That should wake him from his own daydream which probably involved an image of you being his trophy wife, feeding him his exuberant coffee beans. “Sorry, Danny,” You said, looking up at the clock. “I’m closing now!” 

“No worries! Want me to do the tills for you?” He pointed at your cash register. “You want to make sure you’ve counted all your takings correctly!” 

How could someone be so unbearable to be around! 

“No,” You said firmly - or as firm as you could make it sound. “I’m okay!”

Despite his resistance, Danny finally left the shop five minutes before closing, leaving behind his stupid cardboard cup. In frustration, you lobbed it at the wall, hitting the space just below the chalkboard which advertises your prices. That was going to leave a mark but you would deal with it tomorrow. The only thing you need right now is to stick your head in a bunch of peonies! Thankfully, you were the owner of a flower shop and so a bouquet of peonies wasn't far away. 

Sticking your head into the fresh flowers, you inhale their sweet, earthy scent. They act as a reset button, helping you to remember exactly why you love this job. It was your philosophy that flowers could fix anything. Whether it was a petty argument or full-on heartbreak, buying someone flowers was like putting a metaphorical bandaid on their heart. It wouldn’t fix them, of course! However, it helped the healing process feel a little easier. It was just nice to know someone cared enough to send you flowers. It takes the sting out of any sour experiences. It helps to forget just a little! And as a florist, you were so happy to be a part of making people’s lives better. Even if the shop didn’t make you any money, you would still get up every day at five o’clock and create bouquets and arrangements. This was your biggest passion after all! 

“Hello?” A voice enters your ear from across the quiet shop. Shit!

You quickly whip your head around to see a man standing in your door, half smirking and half wondering ‘what the fuck is this girl doing motorboating some flowers!’ Well, at least, you think that must be what’s going through his head. How often do you walk into a shop to see someone with their face buried in flowers. “Sorry, I was just-” You start to explain but you wonder how you’re supposed to explain this to a stranger. Apologies, I just stuck my head in some flowers because this annoying guy keeps hitting on me. It’s not exactly normal person behaviour - the type a complete stranger would understand. “It’s okay,” The man spoke in a soft and calming voice. “I am looking for flowers.” “Well, you have come to the right place,” You gestured to all the flowers around you, which you had yet to stick your face in. “I promise I don’t do that with all the flowers!”

The stranger just laughed and began walking around the shop, admiring all of the flowers you had available at the moment. Completely embarrassed by what just happened, you rushed to the backroom to compose yourself. Oh god, what is my life! Did I really just embarrass myself like in front of some random guy? What must he be thinking right now! Maybe he’s already run out of the store and called the police. Amidst your thoughts, you hear a voice call out saying: “Excuse me!” With the heat from your cheeks slowly dissipating and breath starting to still, you walked back to the front of the shop with confidence. You see the man standing by the bucket of Ranunculus stems, staring down at them intently. 

“How can I help?” You smiled, catching the man’s vibrant smile back at you. Now that you’re in touching distance of the stranger, you realise quite how handsome he was. His warm skin was actually glowing - like he was sweating but it was a beautiful kind of sheen that wasn’t gross at all. As if you had made a complete fool of yourself in front of someone as beautiful as him. What an idiot!

“Can you tell me about these?” He said softly and you nodded. 

“These flowers are called…” As you explained the history of the flower and its meaning, his deep-brown eyes watched you intently. It was almost hard to keep eye contact with him because every time you looked in his direction, his eyes were staring right at you; full of wonder and intrigue. No one had ever looked at you like that. He even smiled and laughed at your little jokes, which definitely no one ever did! Nobody cared about flowers as much as you do to even understand your jokes. “So, these are perfect in bouquet, wreaths and things like table settings,” You finished with a smile as always. However, it didn’t feel forced like it did with other customers.

“Could I get them in a bouquet to collect tomorrow, please?” The man said quietly. “A mixture of colours, please?”

You nodded. “Of course, can I take a name for my book?” 

“It’s Jungkook!” The man smiled as he told you his name. To be honest, you didn’t need to know his name. How could you forget his handsome face after all! You just wanted to know more about him; it was an interesting name - one you definitely would never forget.

[innerpostmentality]

On the 8th day of ficmas…. Loose at Edenbrook a Naughty Elf with a Santa Suit

An Open Heart inspired fiction featuring Ethan Ramsey and (MC) Tia Sheldon Words around 1700 Warnings: this follows Ethan and Tia after my Kinky Cards 2020 submission so it is M- erotica All rights to Pixelberry characters and settings are acknowledged Thanks to emichelle and leelee10898 for organizing this and for their patience with me. 12 Days of Fictmas Tag list

Writers : @texaskitten30 @leelee10898 @emichelle @zaffrenotes @alj4890 @burnsoslow @kat-tia801 @darley1101 @msjr0119 @annekebbphotography @god-save-the-keen @plumeriavibes @ofpixelsandscribbles @camillemontespan @ao719 @cocomaxley @cordoniansgonewild @twinkleallnight @the-soot-sprite @cordoniantrash @axwalker @innerpostmentality @lucy-268 @janezillow @katedrakeohd

Readers : @mom2000aggie @sfb123 @bbrandy2002 @debramcg1106 @desireepow-1986 @speedyoperarascalparty @hopefulmoonobject @drariellevalentine @tornbetween2loves

  Tia was looking over the detailed list that Sienna had given her, checking it twice, she grinned and couldn’t keep herself from softly whisper signing “… makin’ a list, checkin’ it twice…. Dum de dum dum.. So naughty, but nice…” She slipped a small neatly wrapped silver brocade package with a tag that read “Merry Christmas Dr. Ramsey From: Your naughty Elf” into the large red shoulder pack that she’d been filling with the small tins of cookies and treats that Sienna had made’ and other small packages for staff and patients who were having to spend this Christmas at Edenbrook.  She pulled her phone out to check the time and frowned, it was later than she thought, and she had missed a call from Rafael who was supposed to be their Santa Claus. She sighed and called him back.  Rafael picked up on the first ring. ”Tia? I’m so sorry. I’ve got a fever.. I thought I’d be better once I got a shower and some coffee but it’s gotten worse. I don’t think I should do this. I don’t want to get anyone sick.”  Tia could hear the congestion and sadness in his voice. “Oh no. I’m so sorry you’re sick, Raphael. I understand. We’ll find someone. Just take care of yourself. Lots of fluids and plenty of rest. Doctors orders! We’re going to have a little New Year get together. You get better and we’ll see you there.”     She looked forlornly at the Santa costume draped over her desk. Then a mischievous grin settled on her face as she pulled out her phone and called Ethan.                  ________________________________ “This is all bass ackwards if you ask me.” Theodore Sheldon kept his dark eyes on the road as he grumbled. “… driving half-way across the country so we can at least meet this guy. AFTER they are already engaged! Two weeks before the wedding!... What if we didn’t want to come for Christmas? Maybe we would have liked to come for Thanksgiving! Maybe we already had plans for Christmas.” Marie’s smile was a soft, private one as she glanced up from her book and over at her handsome, ranting, husband. The years had made him a perfect fit for the term debonair with a kiss of salt and pepper in his hair but only a single streak of white in his immaculately trimmed beard. He was usually very calm and genial perhaps with the exception of any suitors of their only child, Tia. Then all the proud, incredibly protective papa came full to the fore.  “Did we, mi Amor?” “No. But that isn’t the point. He didn’t ask. He should have asked. We should know this man who is taking our Tia. He could be a complete fraud. Some charlatan out to take advantage of her. He’s too old for her. Something is wrong with a man never married and 38 years old. Maybe he is married. Left his wife and their kids in a trailer park in Detroit looking for greener pastures.” “Theo, Stop it!” Marie shut her book app and frowned over at the mature man now pulling a face a five-year old sulking boy would be proud of. “You know better. The moment you got off the phone with Tia when she told us they were engaged you Googled him. You know he’s a renowned doctor.  He’s a good man, Theo. And Tia is in love with him. Be happy for them. You know they were off on vacation when he proposed. And this works perfectly. We’ll get to spend Christmas and New Years and then the wedding the next week with them. It’s a lovely holiday for us the way this is working out.” She reached over and gently stroked his arm. “Te amo, Theo. I’m looking forward to exploring Boston with you mi Amor.” “He should have asked…” he grumbled but patted his wife’s hand on his arm.                        _________________________________ Ethan was reviewing the cases that had come into the ER that morning. Thankfully they were all treat and release. A few minor burns, some cuts that required stitches but not surgery. A kid that swallowed a marble. Another with a broken toe and some pretty bad scrapes who was trying out his new skate board. Slow was always good in the ER. But it was so slow that he was having too much time to be anxious about meeting Tia’s parents later. It was a strange feeling for him, wanting to impress… well anyone besides Tia.   Then his phone rang and he smiled as he answered, “Hello Tia. Have you heard when your parents will be arriving?” “Ah. No. I think this afternoon or evening. But I have a problem I was hoping you might help me with. If you’re not too busy.” “It’s been blessedly slow so far today. I was just reviewing cases. I think I have a bit before the afternoon food poisoning cases start arriving. I’ll join you in a minute.”                     _____________________________      He was wearing fake hair, bells and a fat suit.  Seven years of medical school three years of residency, Published seven times in the American Journal of Medicine. Two text books published on Diagnostic Methodology and the Interpretation of Diagnostic Modeling. He was wearing fake hair, bells, and a fat suit, and a grin as his very naughty elf bounced up to him jingling in her little green velvet elf suit with her peppermint knee sock clad legs, his ring on her finger, and bells bedecking the pointy toes of her green elf shoes struggling to carry a giant red sack that had presents sticking out of the top. “Tia? Put that down and let’s find a cart. I do not want either of us getting a hernia for Christmas. It would definitely interfere with you making this up to me later.” A few minutes later they settled on an empty IV tree as a Santa bag holder and went wheeling the bag through the halls distributing the assortment of goodies to the staff, popping in to occupied rooms and giving patients little gifts that didn’t violate dietary restrictions and brought lots of smiles to faces. As they left the last room Tia grinned and held the small silver box up. “Only one left. Say’s it’s for Dr. Ramsey. I guess we should go to his office and see if he’s there…” Ethan raised a brow and his bright eyes twinkled with amusement. “Lead the way.” Tia smirked and sashayed her way to the elevator. She paused for a moment before hitting the button for the 4th floor. The moment the elevator doors closed Ethan pulled her to him and kissed her. “4th floor is diagnostics not emergency.” He murmured as he let her go and the elevator door opened. Tia sighed and giggled. Then led him down the hall toward her office stopping by the door just before hers. “I think you should open the present now.” Ethan broke the tape seal and opened the box as his gaze held hers. Finally he looked down. There was a note, and a skimpy bit of green lace underwear wrapped around a key. ‘Look what I’m NOT wearing, just for you! Doctor Banerji pulled a few strings and got us adjacent offices!’ He slid the key in the lock and opened the door to the darkened office letting her go in first. Shutting the door behind them he slipped his arms around her as he whispered, “I love you, my naughty elf.” “Ummm… I love you too, Ethan. Thank you for doing this.” She kissed him sweetly then deepened the kiss.

He slid his hands down her back then below her skirt and found her bare bottom. Lifting her she wrapped her legs around him so he could carry her. She giggled softly as he carried her across the room to the desk, kissing her all the way. He set her down on the desk then stepped away and started wrestling his way out of the Santa suit.  “Hurry, Ethan. I need you.” she purred at him in the darkness. “This damn suit is not cooperating.” The fat padding was attached with Velcro to a spandex body suit. He tried taking the spandex off without removing the fat pads first but that wasn’t working so he rolled the spandex back up and started ripping the fat pads off. “I can’t see a damn thing.”  Tia giggled as she heard the rrrrrip, rrrrip of Velcro separating.  A few minutes later his hands cupped her face and he was kissing her again. Her hands explored the warmth of his bare chest and then wandered lower caressing his growing stiffness. His fingers found her wetness a moment later as he slipped one and then a second finger into her, curling them up and stroking across her g spot. He heard her breathing change and soft mewls marked the nearing crest of her passion. His voice was very low, “Lie back Darling. I need to be in you now.” He pulled his fingers from her even as she guided his velvety hardness into her. His arm slipped beneath her to protect her from the edge of the desk as he began to thrust. Ethan knew all the mechanics and still the wonder and marvel of making love to this precious woman shattered him and remade him every time. “Ethan… Ethan… I … “ Her back arched and he felt the storm within her clench around him and he was gone.  “Tia..” He held her to him tightly releasing deeply in her. “I..” They both heard the knock and Sienna’s voice in the hallway. “Tia?”  “I’m not sure exactly where she is, Mr. and Mrs. Sheldon. Maybe she’s down in Dr. Ramsey’s office. Let’s check there. I know they were going to be distributing gifts but I think they already finished.” …….. Merry Christmas!.....

[jeonchan26]

Used To Be (Part 7)

Warnings; Angst, A Little Bit Of Fluff(Maybe) Self-Esteem & swearing. Mental Abuse, Toxic Relationship, Don’t Read If It Might Trigger You.

This Is All Made Up, I Don’t Believe The Boys Would Do Any Of This. Our Boys Are Angels❤️

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Days have passed and Chan’s words kept playing in your mind. “Would he really take your son away? But I thought he didn’t want nothing to do with him, what changed his mind?” You thought. 

Monday came sooner than you could think and you started to get ready for school. You knew you had to tell Jungkook soon about the baby, you were bigger now and you couldn’t hide your baby bump at least if anybody came to a hugging distance they would defiantly feel it. You met Jungkook outside the cafe, he smiled and wave at you. “Hey noona, I got you a hot chocolate since you don’t drink coffee” He said with a smile handing you the drink and giving you a side hug. “Hey thank you! You’re a life savor haha” You told him. As you guys started walking you knew that it was now or never. You had to do it, “Hey Kookie, there’s something I need to tell you and I don’t know how you’re going to react to it.” You stopped walking looking down at your feet. Jungkook looked at you with a worry face, “What’s wrong is everything okay?” He said turning to face you. 

“See the thing is. Before you came Chris and I used to be a couple. But umm he left me for Rachel. Umm things happened and I’m pregnant with his kid” Your voice travel to a soft whisper. When you looked up you saw Jungkook staring at you with a shocked face but then soften after he register what you had said. “Oh wow noona. Umm I really don’t know what to say” he said looking down at his feet. So many emotions were going through his mind, he didn’t know what to feel exactly. “Umm I understand if you don’t want to be friends with me anymore. I’m used to people leaving me already. You wouldn’t be the first” You said with a sigh, you knew it was coming. Why would Jungkook want to be friends with a girl that is pregnant by another guy. “I hope you have a good life and I wish you the best” you told him with a sad voice as you started to walk away from him. 

“Wait noona, no! I still want to be friends. Chris is a jerk for leaving you for someone else. He doesn’t deserve you. You’re an amazing person noona! I’m so happy we became friends this year” Jungkook pulled you back towards him, you gasped at how close your faces were when you looked up at him. “Really? You don’t mind being friends with me, even though I’m pregnant with someone’s else kid?” You asked him, being so close to him was making you feel some sort of way. It felt the same way when Chan touches you, the butterflies in your stomach. “Wait butterflies? Omg my son kicked” you gasp and smiled. “Umm noona did you’re baby just kicked?” Jungkook asked pulling away enough to see your baby bump. “Omg did you feel it too? I thought it was just in my head. My son kicked!” You had a huge smile on your face and you pulled Jungkook in for a hug.

“You’re having a baby boy?” Jungkook asked. “Yea I just found out!” you said pulling away. “I was being serious I’m not going anywhere, you’re stuck with me whether you want me or not! You’re an amazing person and anybody would be stupid to let you go. Come on, we are going to be late for school” Jungkook said holding your hand and pulling you the direction of the school. You were in your own little bubble that you didn’t notice 4 pairs of eyes starting at both you and Jungkook.

Once you arrived at school you felt at ease knowing that Jungkook was by your side the now and you could really use a friend right now, especially with Chan’s threat. You and Jungkook both said your goodbyes and you headed towards your locker, you couldn't believe that your son kicked. Now thinking about it you had to come up with a name for him. You were brought back to reality by your locker slamming shut in front of you, you jumped back in shocked and turn to see Chan, Minho and Jisung next you, Chan glaring at you. “Well well well, look at you all smiley this early. Tell me what has gotten you so happy?” Chan said with a smirk on his face. “N-nothing” you stutter, “(y/n) since when do you stutter?” Minho asked. “I didn’t st-stutter?” damn it whats up with you today. 

“You know a little birdie told me that you and Jungkook were holding hands today in the morning, and get this you told him you were expecting?” Chan said leaning closer to your face. You noticed that the hall was empty, where is everybody? did the bell ring? 

Fingers snap in front of your face, making you jump a little, “Yea so, he has the right to know” you told Chan stepping back a little only to bump into Jisung. “Why does he have to know? are you guys dating? because last time I checked you weren’t allowed to see anybody else because you’re mine” Chan said in a deep but low voice, Jisung was holding you in place so every time Chan got close to you, you couldn’t move. “Chan please just leave me alone?” You begged, tears threatening to fall. “Aww are you going to cry? Do you want me to get Jungkook for you?” Chan smirked, “You don’t have to I’m right here! Let her go man!” You gasped when you saw Jungkook staring daggers at Chan and his friends. 

“Wow, just in time, the knight and shinny armor to appear” Chan laugh. “Listen Jungkook, I don’t want to be rude but this doesn’t concern you” he said again, Minho blocking you from Jungkook’s view. “I don’t care Chan, she is my friend and I don’t like how you and your friends are treating her” Jungkook said coming face to face with Chan. They were both staring daggers at each other, you could literally cut the tension with a knife. You heard Chan chuckle, “Well looks like our conversation will have to wait for another time. Oh i bet you would be invited to the wedding Jungkook?” Chan asked Jungkook and you can hear the smirk in his voice. You haven’t told Jungkook about the wedding, the threat, you didn’t want to at least not yet but know the cat is out of the bag. 

“What the hell you talking about Chan?” Jungkook asked in a low voice but you can hear the anger in it.

“Oh (y/n) didn’t tell you? we are getting married soon. Since you know the baby is mine after all? She didn’t really tell you that? Wow some friend you are. Did you lie and tell him something different. You left me and tried to hide the pregnancy from me. I can’t believe you lied to Jungkook and try to make me look bad. ” Chan turn to give you a fake shocked face. You pulled away from Jisung and try to grab Jungkook’s hand. 

“Wait Jungkook, no that isn’t true” You tried to explain, tears falling down. “You never told me you guys were going to get married, what the hell? You made it seem like he didn’t want nothing to do with you or the baby. Why did you lie to me? Just leave me alone.” Jungkook was upset that you kept that a secret. “No that isn’t the case kookie please let me explain” You tried but Jungkook walked away feeling hurt. 

“Wow (y/n) that was a lot easier than I thought it would be? Haha now you get to see what is like to be worthless, alone and unwanted. But don’t worry baby soon you’ll be living the life that a gold digger deserves but let me tell you it won’t be a happy one” Chan said starting to walk away. You pulled him back and slapped, hard and for a second everything turn red. “Why can’t you just leave me the fuck alone! what do you want from me! I’m not going to marry a sick bastard like you! because of you I just lost the one person that has been by my side since you left me! Why are you allowed to be free and I can’t!!!” You started to hit him on the chest but got pulled back by Minho and Jisung. Chan smirked, “you know why baby! I guess you don’t love our son enough than. I wasn’t joking when I said I will take him away from you once he is born. You better think very carefully, I want an answer by the end of the day got it!” He grabbed your chin and kissed roughly, it was hard to push him away being held back. 

School went painfully slow. Jungkook wasn’t talking to you, pretending you didn’t exist and that hurt. You tried to hold back your tears and held your head up high, but the news of you being pregnant was already spread all over the school. You knew Chan was responsible for it. Everywhere you went all your hear was the hateful comments made towards you.

“What a slut!”

“I can’t believe she thinks she can compare herself like Rachel.”

“Chan is lucky he isn’t with her anymore.”

“Whore, Homewrecker” 

Literally every comment just kept getting worse, you need Jungkook by your side. 

To Kookie; Please let me explain, he lied. I need you Kookie. Please. 

To Kookie; Kookie please talk to me. I know I should’ve of told you but you don’t know the whole story. 

From Kookie; I think it’s best if you stopped talking to me. You lied to me and that to me is a big deal. You lost my trust. Please stop texting me.

You’re heart broke, he really just dropped you like you were nothing. I guess what they say about you was right you aren’t worth it, nobody wants you. The last bell rang and everybody got up and started to leave but not before giving you a glare or saying something mean. You were looking down at your hands with tears falling down. How did your life turn into this? You questioned yourself. You put your hand on your belly, “I love you so much, I promise to protect you and love you for the rest of my life. Please don’t hate me for doing this but its for the best” you told your son. 

Chan and his friends were at the back of the class waiting for your answer. You made your way towards him and stopped to look at Chan. Chan looked annoyed, “Well??” He asked

“I accept. But not because I want too but because my son is my whole world and I don’t want to lose him” you told him. 

You knew that the moment you said yes to him your life was going to get worse. 

[elles-choices]

Chapter 4: Here Comes The Bride (MC x Mr. Sinclaire)

Book: Desire & Decorum

Summary: Their wedding day has arrived. Mr. Sinclaire cannot wait to see his wife to be. Clara cannot wait to become his wife. Will everything go according to plan?

Pairing: Mr. Sincaire x MC (Clara)

Words: about 2650

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Choices by Pixel Berry

Note: This mini series called “Marrying you” is about the final preparations for MC and Mr. Sinclaire’s wedding, their wedding day and night and their honeymoon… I hope you guys enjoy it :) Thank you for stopping by.

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Chapter 1: The Last Fitting (Marrying You, MC x Mr. Sinclaire)

Chapter 2: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue  (Marrying you, MC x Mr. Sinclaire)

Chapter 3: The “S” Question (Marrying You - MC x Mr. Sinclaire)

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Clara’s life has changed completely since the death of her mother. One moment she was struggling, knowing that she was loosing the most important person in her life and she would be alone in the world; the next, she was being told not only that her father was alive, also that he was an Earl. 

In the same day she left her childhood home to move into Edgewater, she was introduced to him — the man she is a few moments away from marrying. After everything she had gone through with her stepmother, becoming the Countess of Edgewater was the biggest honour she could ever achieve - some thought. To her though, the best was still to come for nothing compares to becoming Mrs. Ernest Sinclaire.

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Clara watches carefully her image in the mirror. Although she had seen herself in her wedding gown before, this Wednesday morning everything looks more magical for her wedding day has finally arrived. 

She hears a knock on the door and soon the Dowager Countess entered her room. „Dear, the carriage is ready to take us to the church“, she inspects Clara’s hair, pulled back into a messy braid embellished with tiny little white jasmine blossoms and secured with Briar’s blue ribbon. She smiles by the sight of Clara, „You are the most beautiful bride I have ever seen, Clara“.

Clara turns to her grandmother and hugs her tightly. „Would you help me with my wedding charms, Lady Grandmother?“, the Dowager Countess looks into her big green eyes and smiles as Clara hands her the diamond bandeau tiara, she giftet her not long ago. 

„The things with tiaras, dear, is that they tend to move around“, she looks in her bag for something, „Ha! Pray, take a seat… your great-grandmother taught me this trick. All you need is a needle and almost invisible treads“, she looks carefully at what she is doing, while Clara wonders if this will really work. „Perfect! Pray, move your head quickly from one side to another“, Clara does as asked and her grandmother smiles satisfied with her work, attaching her veil to her hair. „So, what are the other charms?“.

„Mr. Parsons borrowed me her pearl bracelet, it is beautiful, is it not?“, her grandmother smiles and nods putting it on her delicate wrist. Then, Clara turns to her dressing table, where Mr. Sinclaire’s gift lies waiting for this day, „This one is from Mr. Sinclaire. I have not seen it yet…“, she opens the beautiful wooden case to find a diamond encrusted collier with a huge emerald in the center of the pendant, matching her engagement ring. „Oh, Ernest…“, she smiles touched by how thoughtful he was. 

The Dowager Countess is amazed by the sight of it. „My dear, this collier is beautiful! Mr. Sinclaire has a quite exquisite taste — Well, I should not be surprised since he is marrying my granddaughter“, smiling to Clara, she takes it from its case and gently places it around her granddaughter’s neck, fastening it on the side. „Now all you need is a lucky sixpence in your shoe and we can head to Church.“, she hands it to her granddaughter and they leave her dressing room.

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On Clara’s arrival, she could hear the bells of the church ringing, a sign that the wedding was going to start very soon. She looks at Annabelle, Briar and Miss Sutton, each one wearing white as participants of the bridal party and she smiles with teary eyes „Do not start crying, Clara or you will make us all cry and puffy eyes is not a look we wanna wear today!“, Annabelle hugs her friend, then brushes away a couple of tears from Clara’s face. She gives her a reassuring squeeze of the hand and gives her the bridal bouquet —a mix of wild flowers and white roses; Mr. Sinclaire had picked them from his garden the day prior to the wedding. „Much better…Are you ready?“, Annabelle smiles and Clara nods, leaving the carriage and heading to the vestibule of the church, where Mr. Sinclaire and his groomsmen were waiting.

Mr. Sinclaire seems very tense — he paces from one side to the other looking constantly at his pocket watch. His best friend, James Banks, one of the groomsmen, smiles and lays a hand on his shoulder, „I do not think I have ever seen you this nervous, my friend. I believe there is still time to run away“, he whispers jokingly. Suddenly he looks at the door excited „Or not… Your bride is already here. And may I say, you are a very lucky man, Ernest“. Mr. Sinclaire turns slowly to the doors of the church and as he sees Clara entering, he feels as if his heart stood still for a moment. Their eyes lock and she smiles as he heads to her. He is completely bewitched by her beauty, nervous like a school boy trying to talk for the first time with the girl he fancies.

„I… hmm… There are no words that could describe your beauty today, Lady Clara“, he takes her hand and kisses her knuckles never taking his eyes off her. 

She lowers her glance shyly, „You looking dashing as always, Mr. Sinclaire“. He is wearing a navy blue frock coat with a white waistcoat, a folded cravat and grey trousers. Mr. Sinclaire rises her chin up, so their eyes meet again and tries to lift the veil of her face for a short moment, when he hears the Dowager Countess clearing her throat.

„I believe this is not the proper time for that, Mr. Sinclaire. And if you want to get married today, I recommend you get in line, so the procession can enter the church“, Mr. Sinclaire blushes self-conscious of all eyes looking at him.

He looks at his bride and whispers, „I love you, sweetheart“, before leaving to take his place in line.

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Close friends and a few distant relatives of both parties were already waiting for the ceremony to commence. The first groomsman, his best friend, entered with Annabelle, the first bridesmaid. The  others followed together with flower girls and ring bearer. Mr. Sinclaire walks down the aisle together with the Dowager Countess upon his arm. Clara had decided to do this walk alone as a sign of her grieving -- she was still sad that her parents were not there, however, she could feel their presence somehow and this brought her some comfort. 

Upon her arrival at the altar, she hands Annabelle the bouquet, then, takes her place upon the left of Mr. Sinclaire, in front of Bishop Monroe — her Grandmother standing by her right side. Mr. Sinclaire lifts her veil seeing her clearly for the first time today. He caresses her cheeks with his thumbs quickly, a gesture she really appreciates.

„Dear Beloved, we are gathered here today in the sight of God and in the face of this congregation to witness and celebrate the union of Mr. Ernest Sinclaire and Lady Clara, Countess of Edgewater in holy matrimony. With love and commitment, they have decided to join together as husband and wife. At this moment, I would like to share a passage from the holy book with you: 

‚Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love I am only a resounding gong or clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and can understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have faith, that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I give all I possess to the poor, and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;  does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.’

These two persons present come now to be joined, therefore if any man can show any just cause why they may not lawfully join together, let him now speak or else here after forever hold his peace“, after a long second of silence, Bishop Monroe smiles, „After reviewing that there were no impediment why you may not be lawfully joined together in matrimony, I do now ask: Ernest Alexander wilt thou have this woman to thy wedded wife, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honour and keep her, in sickness, and in health? And forsaking all other, keep thee only to her, so long as you both shall live“.

Mr. Sinclaire looks at Clara and smiles: „I will“.

„Clara Marie, wilt thou have this man to thy wedded husband, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony? Wilt thou love, honour, and keep him, in sickness, and in health? And forsaking all other, keep thee only unto him, so long as you both shall live?“ 

She smiles at Mr. Sinclaire: „I will“

Bishop Monroe looks at the Dowager Countess „Who giveth this woman to be married unto this man?“, and she gives Clara’s hand to him, who hands it to Mr. Sinclaire.

Mr. Sinclaire looks into Claras eyes, smiling and repeats Bishop Monroe words, "I, Ernest Alexander, take thee, Clara Marie, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forth, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness, and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us depart, according to God's holy ordinance: And thereto I plight thee my troth“.

Clara hold his gaze whilst Mr. Sinclaire caresses her knuckles: „I, Clara Marie, take thee, Ernest Alexander, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forth, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness, and in health, to love, and cherish, till death us depart, according to God's holy ordinance: And thereto I give thee my troth“. 

Bishop Monroe blesses the ring -- Mr. Sinclaire takes her hand in his and repeats after the Bishop: „With this ring I thee wed: with my body I thee worship: and with all my worldly goods I thee endow.“, he puts the ring on her finger and kisses it. After a last prayer, the Bishop joining their hands together declaires: „Those whom God hath joined together, let no man put asunder. Forasmuch as Ernest and Clara have consented in holy wedlock, and have witnessed the same before God and this company, and thereto have given and pledged their troth either to other, and have declared the same by giving and receiving of a ring, and by joining of hands: I pronounce that they be man and wife together“. Annabelle hands Clara her wedding bouquet, lifts her gown’s train and Mr. Sinclaire, Clara and two witnesses follows the Bishop to the vestry to enter the marriage lines into the parish register book. 

Mr. Sinclaire signs proudly his name and Clara giggles as she signs her new name for the first time: Clara, Countess of Edgewater, Mrs. Ernest Sinclaire. As they leave the vestry, Mr. Sinclaire escorts Clara outside the Church and into his carriage. 

In the minute their carriage takes off to Edgewater, Mr. Sinclaire sits by Clara’s sides and without any other word he kisses her passionately, something he wished he could have done as soon as he laid eyes on her this morning. His hand cups her face, her hands caressing his strong arms — it was a special kiss, the first as husband and wife. It was fiery and demanding, there was nothing holding Mr. Sinclaire back anymore — she was his and he was hers. His lips leave hers and he looks intensely into her eyes „Mrs. Sinclaire… there is so many things I wish I could have told you this morning, however, the most important of all, I want you to know how blessed I am for having you as my wife. I cannot wait to start my life with you… to tell you everyday how beautiful you are and how I appreciate everything you do. I cannot imagine another day without you by my side, Clara“, before she can say anything he presses his warm lips against hers once again.

——————————

Upon arriving in Edgewater they head to Clara’s room for a moment alone whilst their guests arrive from the church for the traditional wedding breakfast. Clara shuts the door behind her and smiles, „I do not think you have ever been to my chambers, Ernest“, she walks to him and brushes her lips against his cheeks, „Would you please free me from this veil?“, she turnes around allowing him to take a look at it.

„I cannot say I have...“, he does as she asked, then lowers his lips to her neck, kissing his way to her shoulder. His hands pulls her towards him, „You look stunning... I know better than starting something I cannot finish, however, you are irresistible, my Lady“, his hands moving from her waist to her thighs. His touch sends a shiver down her spine.

Clara turns around, she crosses her arms behind his neck and pulls him closer, „You have been able to resist me for the past seven months, what are a few more hours of waiting?“, she caresses his cheeks.

„Eternity…“, he chuckles, „However, we only have a breakfast to attend to, some socialising to do and in the afternoon I will not be going home alone. I will hold on to this thought!“. He kisses her gently „Will you dance with me, love?“, his eyes are sparkling and his smile is broad.

Clara giggles and blushes „Mr. Sinclaire, I thought you hated these kind of activities. Also, there is no music we could dance to“, she lays her head on his chest, her hands holding him.

„I would not say that I hate it, I just do not enjoy it as much as the others. However, I would enjoy it with you… here… right now. We do not need music, we have each other and that is all we need“, he lays his hands protectively around her. She looks up to him and he gazes upon her. For a while, they move their bodies slowly in a rhythm only they know. He twirls her around, dipping her, then he leans forward, staring at her big green eyes. Clara feels her heart skip a beat, her face turning to a light shade of pink as he closes the distance between their lips, kissing her for a second and then pulling her back up. „I would love to forever dance with you, my love, however we should go and celebrate with our guests“, Clara nods and they leave the room.

—————————— 

The weather is so lovely that tables were setup outside. Into the afternoon, after receiving congratulations, having a lavish breakfast with their guests, cutting and boxing the wedding cake for the attendants, Mr. Sinclaire takes Clara to her new home: Ledford Park.

He stands with Clara and Briar in front of Clara’s chambers: „Miss Daly, would you please give me a minute alone with Mrs. Sinclaire?“, Briar nods and Mr. Sinclaire guides Clara into her new room. After shutting the door behind him he holds both of her hands in his: „Before I leave you alone with Miss Daly, is there anything I can do for you? Is there anything you would like to do today? Ride somewhere, for example?“, he kisses one of her hands.

„Thank you, Ernest. However, the weather is changing and it will soon rain. I would rather spend sometime alone with you…“, she blushes looking at the floor.

Mr. Sinclaire smiles and kisses her cheek gently, whispering: „There is nothing else I would rather do, love“, his strong arms surround her into a gentle hug, „I will light the fire in our marital chamber’s fireplace before I go freshen up. This door will take you to our room“, he points to the dark wood door with golden knob behind Clara and kisses her forehead „I love you!“, he heads out throwing one last glance at her before leaving.

--------

Read more: 

Marrying you: Chapter 5: “Ever Thine, Ever Mine” (NSFW — MC x Mr. Sinclaire)

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[seriouslyhooked]

Dear No One (Part 1/3)

Short CS holiday story, broken into three parts, where Emma is unlucky in love and decides that for her Christmas wish she’d like to find the right person for her. In an attempt to write what she wants into existence, Emma writes a letter to the man she wants to find someday and then shenanigans ensue. Rated T/M (basically I haven’t decided yet how smutty it’s getting) and based off of the song ‘Dear No One’ by Tori Kelly. Available on FF here and AO3 here.

A/N: Hey everybody! So this little fic started off as a super fluffy idea I had at the end of the summer. I actually posted about it on tumblr, and a few of you begged me to write it, but I warned you it might be hard. Even then I knew that this was a story I needed a little more time with, and as such, what was once a mixtape contender is now its own separate story. The chapters will be short, but I want to jump back and forth between Emma and Killian’s POVs so I felt separating it out was best. It’s also now taking place during the holidays, because I have Christmas fever and I don’t care who knows it. Anyway, this chapter begins with Emma realizing that her Christmas wish is that she wants to find love. She tries to take a first step to finding it, and it might not go exactly her way... Hope you guys enjoy the fluffy, adorable premise, and thanks, as always, for reading!

“Okay Ruby. You got us all together because you said you had something to share. Then you spend all night deflecting. What gives?”

It was the question on everyone’s mind since they walked into Ruby and Graham’s apartment earlier tonight, and Emma was glad that Elsa had been brave enough to ask it. Ruby had made it clear to each of them that tonight was special and big and important, but when they arrived she never brought up what was actually happening. Instead she’d plied them with wine and food and Christmas cookies, as they gathered together listening to holiday music in the ambiance of her friend’s festively decorated home. But while that was lovely (and much needed after Emma’s grueling work week), it was odd and more than a little suspicious.

“Well, if you insist on knowing…” Ruby allowed her words to trail off as she lifted the fingerless gloves off of her hands. For anyone else the article of clothing would seem ‘extra’ or ridiculous. It wasn’t that cold outside. Okay it was – because New England in winter was brutal – but inside it was nice and toasty. But that was part of Ruby’s style. She was all leather and red and black and wearing biker gloves to a wine night wasn’t unheard of. But when she revealed what lay underneath – a huge and absolutely beautiful diamond ring – her friends all gasped at once.

“Holy crap, what a rock!” Emma blurted out, forgetting herself for a moment as she took in the piece of jewelry that had to cost more than she’d make in six months.

“What she said,” Mary Margaret, Belle, and Elsa replied at once, and once their shock wore off all four friends were on their feet and celebrating with Ruby. They were so happy for her and for Graham, and it was truly a magical thing. For Ruby, who was a long-time bachelorette with no intention of tying herself down, this was BIG. It was epic, and it spoke to Ruby’s love for her boyfriend – nay, fiancé – that she was planning to get married and have that typical, happily ever after.

“When did it happen?” Elsa asked at the same time that Belle inquired. “How did he do it?”

“Last night at dinner. One second we’re sharing this to die for tiramisu, I mean like wow wow wow so good, and the next he’s proposing.”

“She would manage to slip a dessert review in even at a time like this,” Emma whispered to Elsa and the two of them laughed together.

“And you’re sure it wasn’t the tiramisu talking?” Belle asked, her tone a bit sheepish. “Not that you don’t love Graham, it’s just…”

“I love dessert more than life itself, I know I know,” Ruby said as she shook her head. “But no it wasn’t that. It was him. I love him, you know? I try to picture what life would be like without him and I can’t. He’s it for me. He’s my person.”

“Heck yes he is!” Mary Margaret said happily, no doubt reveling in the fact that she and her husband David had introduced these two lovebirds a little less than a year ago. “God this is wonderful. There’s so much to plan, so much to do! This is going to be amazing! And to have the proposal at Christmas time? It’s like magic. Real live magic!”

The friends all agreed that this was indeed very special, and the night’s conversation shifted from what it had been before to musings on what Graham and Ruby’s wedding and life together would look like. It would obviously be different than everyone else’s, but the through line that all of the friends had was experience with finding the one. Mary Margaret had David, Belle had her long time boyfriend Will, Elsa had her new beau (who Emma was certain would be a fiancé soon enough) Liam, and the only one who was single and without that kind of experience was Emma. She had never been in love – at least not a love that was made to last forever – and as happy as she was for all of her friends, she couldn’t help the feeling that came later that night when she’d returned to her flat and was alone once more.

It wasn’t jealousy, per se, because jealousy implied something ugly and resentful. What Emma felt was a longing. She wanted something like what all of her friends had found. What they had was love, true love. The kind of love that lasted and thrived. It was a love built on partnership and connection, and it was a beautiful, magical thing. All her life Emma had wondered what such a love would be like and she’d never found it. She’d often believed that was her fate. She was a girl who came from no family. She had started out in this world with nothing and no one, and maybe she was meant to always be that way. Perhaps it was too much to have been blessed with friends who felt like family. Maybe romantic love wasn’t in the cards for her…

‘Emma, that’s just crazy talk and you know it!’

She swore she could hear her friends’ voices all saying that to her as she felt herself falling down the rabbit hole of loneliness and she almost laughed at how deeply they were ingrained in her. They had somehow become the voices in her head, the little bits of conscience that brought her back to reality, and the hopeful part of her heart that did want to imagine that love would find her in the end. Shaking her head at her brain’s antics, Emma responded aloud though she was still by herself.

“I know, I know. I have to believe good things can happen. I got it.”

And she did get it. The problem was Emma didn’t know how to help love find her. She was probably doing this all wrong. She wasn’t exactly an approachable kind of a person, and she definitely wasn’t doing anything to attract a man right now. She was closed off and protective of herself and her boundaries, and as much as that had served her in the past, it was standing in the way of her maybe finding happiness. That was a hard pill to swallow, but it was even harder to imagine what might be a good first step towards changing.

A memory came into her mind at that moment, one from when she was still a young girl in the system. As a kid she’d seen counselor after counselor. Some of them were interested in helping her, while others were bogged down with the masses of other children that they helped. But her last one, the one who saw her as a teen and who fought for her the hardest, helping her get through school, get into college, and start on a path towards a real life, had been adamant that good things came when you wrote your dreams down. Making a plan was all well and fine, but sometimes life and the ways of the world were less defined. Mrs. Hubbard had always told Emma to write what she wanted into existence. It was a way to find the truth of what she wished for, and to get it out there, hopefully helping her move forward.

Though part of her thought this was a little ridiculous, Emma decided she had nothing to lose. She grabbed a pad of paper and a pen, curling up on the couch with a cup of cocoa in hand and she sat there, thinking about what she wanted. Should she write a list of what made the perfect man in her opinion? No, that sounded less personal than she felt was needed in this moment. Emma wasn’t looking for a picture perfect Prince Charming who met all sorts of criteria. She wanted someone to share her life with, someone to lean on, someone to feel connected to. In saying that, she didn’t know exactly what factors or traits would make someone the right fit for her. She had some ideas of course, but it was foolish to think she could have those answers in full. Love had eluded her this long for a reason, so she quickly dropped the idea of a list and moved onto something very different.

“Okay then, I’ll write a letter,” Emma said, happy with the idea until her brow furrowed at an obvious hiccup in this plan. “A letter to who? I can’t exactly write ‘Dear No One.’”

But even as she said the words, her fingers had moved on their own, writing out exactly that. Emma shrugged at it, finding she didn’t hate it as much as she thought she would then continued on, writing comlpletey from the heart.

Dear No one,

We’ve never met before, and honestly I have no idea who you are, what you do, or where you’re from. You are entirely a mystery, but even with that said I know you already. You are the man I could fall in love with, the man who could bring me to a new place, a place I’ve never been before.

Truth be told there are days I think I just don’t need you or the love that you might bring. I like being independent and answering to no one. I like making my own path each and every day. It’s what I know and what I’m used to and I fought so hard and for so long to not just survive, but to thrive. I have made my life up until now. I have built the world I live in and I am damn proud of how far I’ve come from where I started.

But sometimes – honestly more and more often these days – I find myself wishing that you were here. I want someone at my side, someone who cares about me and who wants me just as much as I want him. I want the kind of man who takes my hand wherever we may be and it feels so good that I can’t let go. I want the kind of love that greets you each morning and puts you to bed each night. I want to think of you too much. I want distraction and excitement. I want all sorts of firsts, but most importantly lasts. Because I’m not interested in fleeting or temporary. If I’m going to do love, it’s gotta be all in. I want to be yours and only yours, and I want you to feel the same.

So far this letter has been all about me. I want, I wish, I need… but I know that you have wants and wishes too. If you’re the right man for me, then hopefully I already embody those things, and if I don’t hopefully they’re changes for the better. I’m praying you make me more hopeful, more adventurous, and more willing to take the risk, because loving you – choosing you – will be the greatest risk I’ve ever taken. I’ve never let someone in enough to have that, but I could, for you.

I know that love is never perfect, because life is messy and can’t be controlled. Things won’t always be hearts and rainbows, and I promise that I won’t run. The old me probably would have. At the first sign of trouble I high tail it out. It’s the best way to protect yourself. Staying at a distance and building walls keeps you alive, that’s what life has always taught me. But I will stay for you, to fight for this and for us, no matter what comes.

When we find each other, and I hope it will be soon, I want you to know that I will be ready. But for now, I’m done looking. If we’re meant to be, it’ll happen. We’ll find each other, as all great loves do, and we’ll take it from there, one step at a time.

Take care of yourself in the meantime, and I hope you find reasons to smile and to laugh and to feel happy each and every day. It’s what you deserve.  

Wishing you were here, but waiting until it happens…

Emma

When the letter was written, Emma read it and read it again, finding that she liked everything that she’d crafted on the page. It was honest and truthful, and yes, sappy as could be, but that wasn’t her fault. Of course it was going to be sappy! Emma was hoping for true love – and that kind of love always seemed to be just a little bit cheesy. She smiled in spite of herself, putting the letter on top of a stack of papers and leaving it for now, knowing if it was going to work she had to, at some point, leave it alone.

As she went through the rest of her night, eventually falling asleep, Emma found her dreams continued to build off that letter. That night she knew she had visions of the man she wanted, but come morning it was all just a little vague. Dark hair, piercing eyes, a smile that made her knees weak. These were the things she remembered, but it wasn’t a definite person. At least not yet. Still, this mysterious man, a man who’s face she still hadn’t seen was with her through her whole day. From getting coffee at Belle’s bakery in the morning, to work at the office, and back home again, the feeling of him was still there. And after everything, Emma found herself wanting to reread her letter. She didn’t want to change anything per se, she just wanted to see if it stacked up as well in the morning light… there was just one problem. She couldn’t find it.

“Oh shit,” she said aloud, her nerves starting to fray as she looked at the table where it had been and realized there were no papers there. She ran back through her morning, half remembering her pre-coffee existence and she had a trickling sense of fear. She’d needed the papers underneath the letter for work. Oh God had she really been so stupid? She rummaged through her bag, eventually dumping the whole thing out frantically searching for the letter, but it was gone. Emma prayed that maybe she’d moved it last night, and she searched every room she’d been in, in every nook and cranny. She dug inside the couch, behind the chair, beneath every sheet and pillow on her bed, but nothing. It was gone.

Resigning herself to this cold, terrifying reality, the one that had her letter – her honest but completely embarrassing letter – out somewhere in the world, Emma sat down on the couch and hid her face in her hands, sending up a last resort prayer.

Please don’t let anyone find it! she silently begged, but luckily the universe didn’t hear that request. Instead, it was already on its way to granting Emma her Christmas wish.

Post-Note: So there we have it. Just a cute, quick fluffy chapter that isn’t super original, but packed enough holiday love story promise for my muse. I hope that you guys have enjoyed and I’m eager to see what you think. I’m hoping to get the next chapter posted in about two weeks, and then the last chapter the week after. Hopefully I can manage that since school is starting to wind down for the semester. Anyway thanks for reading and I hope you have a great rest of your weekend!

[new-to-this123]

Flash Through Life With: Montgomery De La Cruz

As per requeseted

Can you do one of Montgomery x reader age up when season 2 never happened and monty asks reader to marry him and whatnot then they have kids and like a really sweet happy ending. Thank you 💓

I Hope you like this.. i really got into it and it took me like 3 days to write. 

Montgomery X Reader

Warning: None

Word count: 2890

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wednesday October 1 2014

Oh my god!!! You will never guess what happened today!!!! I'm no longer single!!!! 15 and I finally have a boyfriend… I hope it lasts forever!!!!

****flashback****

You were standing at your locker putting your books away when you felt a tap on your shoulder. You turned around and saw the face of one of your best friends

“hey handsome” you looking into your best friends big brown eyes

“hello beautiful” he smiled

“Rosies after school? Me you and couple.milkshakes?” he asked

“you know me so well Montgomery!” you smiled

“that's only because I've known you like my whole life!”

You went on with your day going through all your classes. The final bell rang. You were at your locker putting away your books when Monty showed up.

“ready Freddy?” he smiled

“ready” you laughed walking towards his jeep. You sat in Rosies and ordered your milkshakes. You and monty talked about your day until they showed up. As you took a sip of your milkshake monty asked you a question you weren't sure you understood right.

“wanna be a couple?”

“what?” you answered wide eyed

“I like you, I want to be your boyfriend!”

You stared at your best friend now sure how to answer.

“so is that a yes or no?” he asked with a smile

“yes oh my god yes!”

Monty got out the booth and came and sat next to you. He grabbed your chin and lifted your head up and softly kissed your lips.

****end flashback****

Wednesday April 1 2015

OH MY GOD!!!!!! MONTY THE MONTGOMERY DE LA CRUZ TOLD ME HE LOVED ME!!!!! OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!

****Flashback****

Monty was coming over for a sleepover. It wasn't the first time he slept over, but this time was different. You had been dating for six months now and you were ready to lose your virginity to him. When he came over, he had no plans on having sex, since he respected that you wanted to wait. When you told him you were ready he was very nervous. He was gentle and very kind to you. He took it slow and made it feel special. You were how cuddled in bed wrapped up in his arms. He kissed your forehead.

“you know, I've never felt anything like this before. You make me want to be a better person.”

“awe thanks Monty. And ya Im new to these feelings everything is just so new.”

“I love you Y/N”

You smiled “I love you too Monty”

You leaned in and kissed his lips.

****end flashback****

Wednesday June 27 2018

BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!!!!!!!! Four years with my best friend and WERE ENGAGED!!!!!!!!!!! HE ASKED ME AT PROM!!!! how cute is that!!!!!!!

****Flashback****

“honey Monty's here” your mom yelled at you from the bottom of the stairs.

“coming” you yelled walking out of your room in your Cinderella dress. As you got the the top of the stairs you saw your parents talking with monty. Monty looked up and saw you and his jaw dropped.

“wow babe you're beautiful!!” he exclaimed as you walked down the stairs.

“Thank you, you're looking pretty handsome yourself!” you smiled with blushy cheeks.

He put his hands on your waist and pulled you into a kiss.

“you guys are so cute! Let me take a picture” your mom said taking her phone out.

You and monty posed for a good ten minutes in the house, outside, where ever your mom wanted. A limousine drove up and all your friends came out!

“oh my gawd you two are too cute!!!!!!” Jessica yelled getting out the limo.

“everyone get together” your mom yelled holding her phone. You all posed for your mom and headed out to the prom.

You danced and hung out with your friends all night. Parents met up with their children later on in the evening for the banquet supper. After supper, principal Bolan came up on stage to announce the prom king and queen. He said a big speech congratulating all of the seniors.

“and finally the moment you've all been waiting for, for the class of 2018 prom king and queen are

Montgomery De La Cruz and

Y/N Y/L/N”

Everyone cheered and clapped. Your parents got up and started taking pictures of you and monty on stage with your crowns. Monty grabbed the mic from principal Bolan

“hey guys. Thanks for voting us your prom king and queen! Now I know today is suppose to be about all of us and all but there's something I've been wanting to do for a while now. And you all know we've been a couple for the last four years.” the whole crowd started woo-ing and clapping “y/n has made me a better person all around. I mean I've been scouted by the MLB, I graduated and I've managed to keep her happy for 4 years” he turned to face you “I love you so much Y/N and honestly I don't know what Id do without you.” he got down on one knee pulling out a ring and the whole room went silent “will you marry me? And be my forever?”

You looked at him on his knee and started crying. “yes yes YES” you said as he stood up and jumped into his arms!

“and your parents were so in on this” monty laughed as he out the ring on your finger.

****End flashback****

Wednesday July 24 2019

THE MOST MAGICAL DAY OF MY LIFE TOOOOOOODAAAAAAY!!! IM OFFICIALLY MRS. DE LA CRUZ!!!!! AAAAAAHAAH

****flashback****

You were standing in your room looking at yourself.

“mom I'm so nervous” you said

“you'll be fine love.” she replied calmly.

“look at you!!!” Jessica said coming into your room in her bridesmaids dress. “you look like an angel!”

you laughed and finished your makeup.

You could hear the wedding March song play as your bridesmaids made their way down the aisle. It was finally your turn. Arms locked with both your parents, you made your way down the aisle crying happy tears. The minute monty saw you he started crying. You slowly walked up the aisle your dad letting you go In Front of Monty. You both stared at each other crying.

The priest went on with the ceremony talking

“Monty do you take Y/N to be your wife?”

“I do”

“Y/N do you take Monty to be your husband”

“I do”

You both put your rings on each other.

“you may now kiss the bride”

With that Monty wrapped his arms around you and kissed you!

“ITS OFFICIAL!!!! NOW SHES MINE BITCHES” monty yelled as he picked you up.and carried you away.

****end flashback****

Wednesday April 29 2020

After 12 hours of labor our babies have arrived!!! Jefferey Harris De La Cruz, named after my brother and dad and Jeremy Montgomery De La Cruz, because we both loved the name Jeremy and Monty begged to give our son his name.for middle name.

****flashback****

As soon as you guys got back from your honeymoon monty had to return to baseball. It saddened you but you were both enjoying the fact that he had been scouted by the mlb and was given the chance to do what he dreamed of!

You had been feeling nauseous for about two month or so before it clicked that you hadn't had your period in almost two month.

You drove to the store and bought a pregnancy test. It came out positive. You were so excited. You called up Monty.

“hey Mrs. De La Cruz how's it's going?”.your husband laughed

“I have great news for you!”

“so do I!!! We're in town for the next bit.. I'm coming home tonight!!”

“oh my god no way!!! OK well I'll go clean up a bit and make us supper”

”no no no you called to tell me.something”.

“I'll see you tonight and tell you then. I love you”

You cleaned the house up and made Monty's favorite supper, steak and potatoes. You had everything set up and ready to eat when he walked in. You both sat enjoyed your supper. when came time for dessert you had something special for.him. you walked towards him with a.box.

“these are for you babe” you said handing him the box. Opened it and started crying right away. You had made chocolate brownies and In the box you wrote “eat up mommy doesn't wanna be the only one with a belly”.

“oh my god Y/N are you serious??” he asked looking at you, happy tears in his eyes

“yes I am! I'm pregnant”

Monty never missed a doctors appointment. And was always there even if he had to fly from where he was.to fly back that night he never wanted to miss a thing. And when you found out you were having twins he was ecstatic!!!

“twin boys.two mini mes in the house.. You'll never get bored now baby! Running around little Jefferey and Jeremy”

“Jefferey and Jeremy?” you questioned

“well I figured out first son should be named after your brother. And Jeremy just sounds nice with Jeff. So Ya!”

You had tears in your eyes. “you know you're the best right!!!”

“That's not all how.about Jeremy Montgomery!” you looked at him and laughed.

“what??? It's gotta nice ring to it!! Please baby”

“fine fine Jefferey Harris and Jeremy Montgomery!” he picked you up and hugged you tight.

****end falshback****

Wednesday February 17 2021

They say people lose their sex drives once they hit adulthood. I call bullshit. I mean we're still young were both 22 but still. After having the twins Monty had to leave almost right away and didn't come home for close to a month. When he came.home we decided to have sex. Like any couple. And that's how I ended up here again 😂 ten months between having children. Today we welcomed Hannah Y/N De La Cruz.

Wednesday September 3 2025

Today my boys started kindergarten!!! They're getting so old… Oh my god. I cried so hard… still am.

****Flashback****

You were at the store  school supply shopping with the Jefferey and Jeremy. They looked like Montgomery. Spitting image of him. But they were so different. One wanted red everything the other wanted blue everything. If Jefferey chose something Jeremy chose something different. Which made it fun and easy to tell all their things apart. They got home and were so excited.

“daddy”

“daddy guess what colour I am???”

“Hmmm Jeff you're blue and Jeremy you're red.”

The boys looked at each other.

“wow he's good!” Jeff said to Jeremy

The next day you all drove to school that morning to drop them off. You hugged yoir boys goodbye and started to cry as they walked towards the doors.

“oh baby it's OK they'll be fine” Monty said reassuringly

“I'm gonna miss them so much monty” you cried hugging him

“mommy you still have me!!” Hannah smiled showing off her teeth.

“I love you guys!” you said hugging your daughter and husband.

**** end flashback****

Wednesday September 2 2026

Now my house will forever be quiet. And lonesome. My baby girl started school. What will I do with myself now???? In this big house, with no one. 😭😭😭

****flashback****

“Hannah honey let's go school supply shopping for tomorrow.” you yelled up the stairs

“NO I wanna go with daddy!!!!” she was angry.

“Hannah daddy's not home he's working.”

“I want daddy!!!”

“how about I take you and we video chat him after?”

“can we video chat him while we're there?”

“deal now let's go your brothers are already in the car.”

You got the store and video chatted Monty.

Hannah had to have his approval on everything before she could decide if she wanted it. It was so cute. This little one had Monty wrapped around her finger since the day she was born.

Everyone went to bed early that night. When you woke up you could smell food. You panicked and hurried downstairs.

“what's going on” you asked expecting to see your boys getting Into trouble.

“you didn't think I was gonna a miss my princess first day of school did you??” Monty asked as he set the table up for breakfast.

You could hear footsteps running down the stairs.

“DADDY” all three of them yelled as they jumped on Monty.

You all are together as a family and went off to school.

You cried as you said your goodbues to your baby.

“the house is going to be so quiet without her.” you cried as Monty and you made your way back to the car.

“it's OK babe” he said hugging you

“you're never around and the kids are all In school full time.. I'll have the house to myself.. It's so big and quiet.”

“invite Jessica over have Day parties” he laughed.

“I wish I had you” you cried.

Monty hugged you tightly

****end flashback****

Wednesday October 4 2034

What an emotional day!!! My hubby retired from the mlb at 35!!!! He's considered a little old. ��😂 but he played for years!!!! Now I get him all the time In our empty house!!! :)

****Flashback****

“baby I've decided something” Monty said to you making you sit down on your leather couch.

“what?”

“after this season of baseball, I'm gonna retire. Ive been gone for so long, I missed so much of our children's life, I know I can never makeup for it, but I'd like to start making memories with them While I can”

Monty played his season. One of his best seasons yet. And the team through him a huge party. He got a bunch of fan mail begging him not to retire.  But his mind was pretty made up. He even made a public announcement.

“I have chosen to retire from baseball because my children, aged 14 and 13, have gone all their life seeing me only part time. Or watching me on TV. I need to be a constant in their lives. I need to make as many memories as I can with them. And my wife, she needs me. She's been my number one supporter since forever! Now it's my turn to support her. She needs her partner in crime back. She can't parent by herself anymore. I need to be there for my family. And yes baseball will always hold a special place in my heart. I mean both my sons play baseball and they have since they could walk. So I won't be away from it. But I need.to be with my family. Thank you everyone for all your support throughout the years.”

****end flashback****

Wednesday June 23 2038

My boys have graduated!!!!!!! How have the years passed by so fast. It's not fair just yesterday they were little babies and today they are taking their girlfriends to prom. I'm a.crying mess as per usual.

****flashback****

“Jefferey, Jeremy, you're going to be late” Monty yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

“coming” Jefferey yelled

“calm down it's only prom” Jeremy yelled

Both boys walked down the stairs together. Jeff had chosen a black suit and a blue tie. Jeremy had chosen a black suit and a red tie. After all these years they always refused to be identical, they would always wear something in their favorite colour so people could.tell them apart.

Standing in from of you, you look at your two boys who were a mix of your brother and husband. You were so proud of the men they were becoming. They had both been accepted into Harvard for criminal justice.

There girlfriends arrived with their parents.

The couples posed alone and together, before taking off in the limo you and monty had rented for.them.

****end flashback****

WeDnesday june 29 2039

My baby has officially graduated from high school. Want will I do come.september and they're all gone?! My life has always revolved around them… now all I have is.monty… no babies. :(

****flashback****

Hannah walked Down the stairs in your graduation dress. She looked.just like you.

“oh my god. You look just like your mom the day we graduated. You're so beautiful!” Monty said tears in his eyes as he hugged his little.girl.

“oh dad! You're so emotional!!” she laughed

Hannahs girlfriends had all arrived. None of them wanted to go with boys. They wanted to go as best friends. The girls posed for the cameras for at least an hour before heading out for the night.

“I can't believe she's.leaving us for university” Monty said watching the limo drive off.

“she'll be with her brothers she'll be OK.” you laughed.

“three lawyers. How did we.manahe to let that happen?” monty joked.

****emd flashback****

Wednesday January 11 2040

Oh boy we just came.back from our first kidless vacation since our Honeymoon!!!! What a blast we had.. All inclusive for the win. We partied so much, I almost felt like a teenager again. Although monty and I ate pretty sure now that it's just him and I, Well be doing this kinda thing more.often I missed.traveling with him, alone. I think my life is about to take an even better turn!!  And I couldn't be happier.

[rosegardentwilight]

Satisfied Chapter 5: Fundamental Truths

Satisfied Summary: Fate must hate her or her so-called good luck had run out. What other explanation was there to the course of events that would collide with her life that would bring her to Adrien Agreste’s Wedding? Rated: T Pairing(s): Marichat, Adrienette, and Adrien/oc Word count: 3k ish for Chapter 5 Also read on: fanfiction, AO3

[1] [2] [3] [4]

A.n.- Don’t know if anyone is still reading it on here but I figured I would post anyway. Sorry it has taken so long. Everything is kinda crazy at the moment. This chapter is dedicated to whimsolute for being the best temp beta I could ask for.

Chapter 5: Fundamental Truths

Why was she so nervous?

Marinette’s fingers traced the edges of her cup. It wasn’t like this was a date. Adrien hadn’t even waited a week before reaching out about getting coffee. But she couldn’t ignore the way his face lit up when he asked, and despite the butterflies fluttering in her stomach and her chest tightening, she managed to agree.

She had arrived early and scoped out the perfect seat next to the window. If words failed either of them, they could people watch until one of them made an excuse to leave.

The bell above the door chimed, drawing her focus from her mindless sketches in her notebook and her stomach turned at just the sight of the model. He ventured towards the counter and started ordering his coffee, she assumed that he hadn’t seen her. Not that she minded, it gave her more time to collect her thoughts.

Adrien was either oblivious to the flirting of the barista, or he didn't care. When he turned around, he had two coffees in hand and she couldn't help but smile at his thoughtfulness. It only took seconds before his eyes landed on her and he hurried in her direction.

"Marinette, I'm glad you came." His tone slowed to a stop when his eyes landed on the cup that was already sitting in front of her.

"Me too," she managed to reply. The third cup of coffee was placed to the side as he took his seat.

The silence sat between them until Adrien and Marinette’s voices collided in the air in an apology. Adrien's eyebrow rose, as his face contorted to one of confusion. He quickly motioned for her to continue. His eagerness gave her reason to pause, but if she didn’t get this off her chest now, it might haunt her for the next couple weeks.

"I shouldn't have left the club that night,” Marinette confessed, “I know we haven't really seen each other; I think I was just afraid that things changed between us, which is stupid, but when I didn't hear from you once college started, I just naturally assumed..." Marinette finally allowed her voice to fade out from her rambling, slightly embarrassed. She wasn't planning on admitting any of that to Adrien, but now it was too late to take any of it back. Her back slid down a little in her seat, wishing nothing more than to blend in with the floor.

"No, Marinette. I'm the one who has to apologize. There were so many times that I reached for my phone to text you, but everything I wrote was super lame,” He released a small chuckle to himself only for it to fade, and his eyes darkened, and his gaze landed on the table. “Then school got harder, and Dad got more demanding with my model schedule, and time got away from me. It doesn't excuse my behavior, but I'm hoping to make it up to you. Just like old times."

"We did make a good team, didn't we?" Once she had gotten over her stuttering communication issue, she couldn't remember a time where they didn't hang out constantly.

Adrien grew a mischievous grin showcasing his perfect model smile. "Remember when we pulled that prank on Wayhem?"

She didn't know if it was the question or the way he was looking at her, but suddenly her nerves began to die down and allowed her to respond. It hadn’t gone unnoticed by Marinette that their hands were slowly inching across the table over the course of the last hour. She didn’t know when it started, they were just volleying stories of the glory days back and forth. Maybe it was just her body’s way of reacting to her suppressed feelings.

“You were always the charmer in high school,” Marinette mused. This time it was Adrien’s turn to laugh.

“I was the weird boy that always dreamed of getting out of his house, so he could have friends,” Adrien stated. Was he serious? Did he not know how many girls doodled his last name in their notebook?

“Adrien, you had all the girls drooling over you.” A small silence fell between them as his green eyes focused on his coffee.

“Even you?”

“I did.” She took a sip to keep her composure.

“Did?” Adrien’s eyebrows knitted together, pulling his hand back to his side of the table.

“It was just a silly school girl crush.” He let out a polite laugh, but she knew him better than that, all the life in his eyes had died in an instant. She eyed him silently, urging him to share his mind.

“I just wish I would have known. I had the biggest crush on you for most of high school.”

“What?” Marinette thanked her luck that she wasn’t drinking her beverage at that moment, otherwise it would have been sprayed all over the table. “W-what about Ladybug?”

It was no secret among the school of how he felt towards the red-clad superheroine. In fact, Marinette had even considered stopping by Adrien’s room as her alter ego plenty of times in high school, but she always seemed to lose her nerve. It was a gamble to bring up Ladybug, but her curiosity was too great.

“When I was younger, I thought she was my soulmate- my other half- but then things changed. Ladybug will always have a piece of my heart but...” he stopped himself fighting his own blush, “I slowly started to realize that you have always been there for me. You’re creative and gorgeous. I tried to tell you so many times.”

The news hit her like a wall of bricks. Adrien liked her? Her mind tried to comb through the memories to find any hints but came up empty.

“Guess we have rotten timing.” As much as she tried to use her upbeat tone it came out flat.

“Marinette-” Adrien was interrupted by his phone ringing. His eyes jumped down to see his father’s name flashing on the screen. “I have to get this.” Marinette watched as he started to pace- whatever his father was telling him was causing him to stress. After all the years that passed, she still could study his mannerism and facial expressions for a lifetime.

She was deep in concentration about his confession when she looked up and Adrien was standing at his chair, which caused her to jump.

“I hate to do this, but I need to go,” Adrien said.

“Oh.” It was hard to keep the disappointment from her voice, but she still offered her best smile.

“I’m really don’t want to go.” His hands gripped the chair tighter and his eyes fell to the floor.

“Your father needs you. I understand completely.”

“Rain check?” Her mouth grew dry, so she nodded in response. He grabbed his things and hurried out the door.

* There was a new-found confidence running through her veins after her cafe meet-up with Adrien. She could take on the world right now, or at least be able to tell Amelie how she really felt about the blonde. The consequences would be messy, but at least she wouldn't feel whatever it was that she felt when she saw the two of them together.

She never kept secrets from her roommate, besides the one where she was Ladybug- that was better off untold. Not that she didn't want to expose Amelie to that part of her, but she had never shown a real interest. Every time Marinette had brought Ladybug, Chat Noir, or the Akuma attack to the forefront of their conversation, it would always get derailed. This time she hoped that her lucky charm bracelet would give her the extra boost that she needed.

Adrien had no idea how much those beads would come to mean to her. They were always on her when it came to big decisions, and she had a mini panic attack when she had lost the bracelet for a week during her high school years.

High School.

Adrien's words echoed in her mind and everything started to blur once more. How could she not notice that he had a crush on her? Weren't they supposed to be too obvious that you couldn't miss it? There were so many instances where he had looked at her as if he knew.

“Mar-Mar, is that you? Where did you go?” Amelie called out as Marinette stepped into the apartment. She hadn’t expected the red head girl to be there, she had to come up with an answer quick.

“I went to get some coffee with an old friend.” It was a partial truth, she just omitted who the friend was.

“Oh?” Amelie’s eyes lit up as she took a break from blowing her nails dry. “Is he cute?”

‘More than you can imagine.’ Her mind retorted dryly.

“Amelie, I have to tell you something.” Her lack of answer was lost when her roommate released an excited shriek.

“Guess who finally agreed to escape for a weekend to my parent’s summer home.” Marinette’s heart sunk inside her chest, all the confidence in her was gone. Now she knew she was imagining things this morning, they were only friends, she had to keep reminding herself of that.

“Adrien was the best mistake that’s ever happened, and that includes ordering that wrong material for the dress I made for my midterm project.” The word caught the Marinette’s interest.

“Mistake?” She parroted. Adrien Agreste had been referred to as many things, but a mistake was not one of them.

“I have a confession to make.” She didn’t waste a second taking the seat next to Amelie. “The night we met him at the club, I thought you were lying…about having feelings for Adrien.”

Instantly, Marinette felt her whole body tighten. Maybe she had gone on a little excessively when they first met, but she had never mentioned a name. The fact that she pieced together Adrien was the guy from her story in a matter of seconds left other questions unanswered.

“Then why…”

“Did I ask him out?” Amelie finished for her with a small smile. “I thought that if I put you in a position where you would want to speak out, it would force you to address your feelings. But you didn’t, and I’ll admit that I read you wrong. Then the more that I spent time with him, I realized how much I liked him. He’s so down to earth, funny, and when I look into those eyes I feel so …” Amelie trailed off dreamily much like a younger Marinette did when she was 14.

Marinette on the other hand was trying not to become sick. Her roommate had only pursued him to push her towards him? She could have spoken up and Amelie would have stepped back and then Adrien and her could have been together?

“But what did you want to tell me?” Amelie asked. There was only a list of things that Marinette could not tell her roommate at the moment. The top two were that she had went to get coffee that morning with Adrien and that she was sure that she was still in love with him.

She was trapped. "I-I" Her mind raced for something, anything to say but she just kept drawing a blank. At this point, she would be content bringing up something as mundane as the weather. A weird look from Amelie was better than whatever she was feeling right now.

Suddenly there was a loud boom that shook the apartment. Within seconds an automated message started playing on their television that Paris was under attack. It stated that everyone needed to remain calm and get to a safe spot until Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Rena Rouge could take down the akuma. Marinette jumped out of her seat and raced to the window. There was a small billow of smoke that clouded the air right by the bridge next to the Eiffel Tower. Marinette's heart rate sped up, she needed to go. Paris was in danger, and she would have people counting on her. She couldn't let them down. The conversation would just have to take place at a different point in time if she ever regained the courage to bring up the subject again.

"You know what I realized, I have an appointment with Mrs. Saint Clare. I had questions about the final project before it's due next week." Marinette was proud that she had come up with a plethora of excuses when she needed to transform, she credited all the years of time to think.

"You're going out there now, while Paris is under attack? Stay here Mari till the police handle everything. Mrs. Saint Clare will understand." It was touching to see how much she cared, but Chat Noir and Rena Rouge would be waiting for her already.

"I'll be fine; it sounded like it was on the other end of town. Besides, any minute Chat Noir, Rena Rouge, and Ladybug will be jumping in to fight whatever is out there. I'm sure this whole thing will be over by the time I reach school." She didn't wait for any more objections and bustled out the door. Tikki flew out of her hiding spot from her pocket.

"That could have gone better." Marinette's eyes narrowed, choosing to ignore her Kwami's words. There was a more important task at hand, none of which related to telling her roommate that she was in love with her boyfriend.

"Tikki, spots on." “Ladybug, wait up.” Marinette released a sigh allowing her best friend to catch up with her. When she had given Alya the Fox miraculous in the first place, she thought it was a good idea in the moment. But when Rena Rouge had returned, this time because of Master Fu, it had changed everything.

The first couple months were hard, she felt guilty. She knew Rena Rouge’s identity and there was no getting around it, she even almost yelled Alya’s name a couple times. So, she did the only thing that made sense at the time, she told Alya who she was.  Meanwhile, in the back of her mind, she knew (even though he didn’t bring it up) that Chat was patiently waiting for when his Lady deemed it the right time. Alya had kept her secret faithfully for the last three years, and Marinette had to admit it brought them closer than they already were.

“We don’t have much time before we turn back.” It was a weak excuse at best, but all she wanted to do was go back to her room, so the only thing she had to think about was designs and fabric.

“Forget the Miraculouses. I spotted that something was wrong from when you arrived. Talk to me.” Sometimes it was scary how Alya could read her. She looked around to check if her Kitty had followed them. He would just use the information to tease her further.

“Did you know about Adrien’s crush on me back in high school?” Her best friend’s eyes widen, giving Marinette the answer she wanted.

“I’m going to hurt that boy the next time I see him.”

“Don’t.” The last thing she needed was Alya to go into her protective mode, it would only draw more attention to her feelings. “It’s...ok.” The lie slipped from her lips so easily. Something seemed to click on Alya’s mind probing more questions.

“When did he tell you this?” She rested her hand on her hip at the shift of information.

“We got coffee this morning.” Marinette tried to reply as casually as possible. If she was able to convince her that it was not a big deal, then maybe they would drop the subject. Alya instead crossed her arms over her chest.

“And what does his girlfriend think about that?”

“Ecstatic. They’re going away for a weekend to her parent’s summer home,” she mumbled bitterly. She chose not to tell her about the rest of her conversation with the redhead, Alya already disliked the girl for obvious reasons.

“This is a terrible idea.”

"I know, isn't it too early in their relationship for a weekend trip?" Her contribution earned a glare.

"That wasn't what I was talking about. As much as I hate to say it, you either need to stand up and tell Amelie how you feel, or you need to stay away from Adrien. This is going to hurt you in the end if you don't." Stay away from Adrien, the thought caused goosebumps to form underneath her suit.

"But he's my"- Marinette only managed to get a few words out before Alya cut her off.

"Can you look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't have any feelings for him?" Marinette's shoulder slouched in defeat, even if she attempted to deny the fact, it wouldn't be convincing enough. Alya reached out and rested her hand on her friend's shoulder. "He's still your statue to your compass, Marinette. Until something changes, I would attempt to move on." The moment was broken by their Miraculouses beeping again.

"Thanks, Alya." There wasn't much else she could say, and as much as she hated to admit it, her best friend was right.

When it came to decision making regarding the blonde there was hardly much thought process behind it. She glanced up at an old billboard for the "Spring Edition Adrien cologne" and sighed. How one boy could make her so confused was beyond her. But for the sake of Alya and Amelie's happiness, she would attempt to move on.

[pllsetskyonice]

Rosa ‘Victor Nikiforov’

Christophe Giacometti/Victor Nikiforov

2,783 words

Chris grows roses, but none of them are as beautiful as the guy who's just moved in next door.

AO3 link

For @giacometti-week Day 1: Roses

Chris’ grandparents have a garden that’s full of roses. As soon as summer starts, the garden turns into a sea of pinks and reds and oranges and whites, beautiful blooms that fill the air with the delicate scent of rose. Chris likes to sit on the bench at the end of the garden and spend hours simply looking at them all, the dozens of varieties of a single flower, no two of which are completely the same.

“I grow them for your grandmother,” his grandfather says one afternoon when Chris has spent most of the day going around the garden sniffing each individual rose to see if he can pick out the subtle differences in each scent. “She loves them. Such beautiful flowers, but at the same time, dangerous. You must be careful with them, Christophe. The petals are pretty but the thorns are not.”

-

When he isn’t at school, Chris makes the effort to go over and visit his grandparents as much as he can. As the years go by and his grandparents get older, the garden isn’t quite as beautiful as it used to be. Weeds begin to grow in between the roses as his grandfather complains about a stiff back and not being able to move like he used to.

Chris gets there one day to find a number of rose plants potted up by the back door. He looks down the garden and sees gaps where the plants used to be, and it’s like the rose that is his grandparents’ life is wilting and beginning to lose its petals.

“They’re for you,” his grandfather explains when he’s hobbled to answer the door, pointing at the plants with his stick. “It’s time for you to start a garden of your own.”

-

His grandparents die within two months of each other. His grandmother, his father says, died of old age. His grandfather, however, died of a broken heart and knowing that he had no one to grow roses for anymore.

Chris is left the roses and his grandfather’s gardening tools. Slowly, he starts transferring the plants to his own garden, which is big enough to home all of his grandparents’ roses and then some. His collection grows and grows and grows some more, Chris even experimenting with breeding roses of his own. He’s fascinated by the pollination process and how he never truly knows how a new rose is going to look until it starts blooming.

He starts a florist shop and quickly becomes known for his work, people flocking from all over the county for bouquets for loved ones and to ask him to do the flowers for their weddings. Although the florists is his work, his roses are his passion, and despite being incredibly similar, the two never really mix.

Victor Nikiforov moves in next door one summer with a dog that Chris thinks just looks like a ball of fluff with legs when he first sees it and a cabinet full of trophies from dance competitions. Chris often sees him when he’s out in his front garden tending to his plants and Victor is taking the dog out for a walk, and they’ll both stop and make small talk for a while before going back to their lives.

“Do you ever think about selling them?” Victor asks one evening when Chris is setting the sprinkler up in the front garden because it’s been a really dry day. “Your roses, I mean. Everyone talks about how beautiful they are. Emil who runs the corner shop said you even breed your own.”

“Sometimes,” Chris says. “And I’ve thought about selling them before, but I’ve always been too busy with the florists to do anything about it.”

“It’s such a shame,” Victor says. “Maybe you could incorporate the two somehow? Those roses deserve to see more than your back garden, Chris.”

“I’ll think about it,” Chris replies, walking over to the wall to turn the tap on. The sprinkler starts, and the dog, which has spent the past few minutes sitting patiently at Victor’s feet, takes the opportunity to run into the water, jumping up and down.

“Makkachin, no!” Victor yells as the dog continues to run through the streams of water. “I’m so sorry –”

“It’s okay,” Chris says, laughing. “It’s okay, Victor.”

-

Chris starts by taking a few buckets of roses to his shop, putting some of them in bunches and some of them into bouquets. Everyone loves them, people commenting on how well they last, on the scents, on how much they loved the flowers in general. They’re the talk of the town, his friends even coming into the shop to ask if he really did actually start selling his own roses.

“I’ve been telling you to do this for years,” Emil says one afternoon when he pops in for a few minutes before his shift at the corner shop starts. He joins Chris in the back room where he’s putting together bridal bouquets and button holes for a wedding on Saturday, buckets upon buckets of white flowers and greenery surrounding them. “Yet it takes the arrival of the ex-ballet dancer with a poodle to move in next door and tell you to do it for it to actually happen?”

“It seemed like the right time,” Chris mumbles as he reaches for another carnation.

“Yeah, right,” Emil scoffs. “Right time to try and get into his pants, more like. Whatever, I’m going to be late. See you later!”

As Emil leaves, Chris’ gaze falls onto a bunch of dark pink roses sitting in the corner, which he’s planning to give to Victor as a sign of thanks. This isn’t about trying to get into his pants: it’s so much more than that.

-

Thanks for the roses! They’re beautiful!

Chris wake up to the text from an unknown number, sent just minutes before his alarm went off.

It’s Victor by the way another text follows. Emil gave me your number. I hope that’s okay

It’s more than okay Chris texts back, saving the number into his phone as “Victor” followed by a rose emoji. I’m glad you liked them!

-

Victor soon becomes a regular customer at Chris’ shop. Well, customer is perhaps the wrong word, because he never buys anything, just sits there and chats to Chris for hours on end. They talk about everything and nothing, from the weather to how the shop is doing, from stories about Chris’ grandparents and their garden full of roses to stories about Victor’s career as a ballet dancer – they talk and talk and talk some more, quickly forming a friendship that Chris feels will last a lifetime.

“You know, you’re in here so often I might as well start paying you,” Chris says one afternoon when Victor has managed to help an old lady select a bouquet out for her granddaughter’s birthday and figured out how to work the till. “Have you worked in retail before?”

Victor nods. “I worked in department stores before I started dancing full time,” he says. “Why, you need someone?”

“Yeah, actually,” Chris replies. “My last part time staff member was a moody teenager who snapped at all the customers and spent most of his time snapchatting and texting his boyfriend when I thought I wasn’t looking. I’ve got people that help with the big events and Georgi runs the shop on Mondays and whenever I’m out doing a wedding or whatever, but apart from that, it’s just me. So I could definitely do with someone to help out.”

“Great!” Victor grins. “When do I start?”

-

Chris gets to work on Tuesday to find Victor already there, standing outside the shop and tying his hair up, using the glass window at the front as a mirror.

“Morning,” Victor mumbles through a mouthful of bobby pins. “I'm not late, am I?”

“You got here before me,” Chris replies, taking the keys out of his jacket pocket and opening the front door to the shop. The bell tinkles as they walk inside and make their way through to the back, where Chris puts the lights on, the strip light in the back room flickering as it slowly comes to life.

“So, boss, what are we doing today?” Victor asks, jumping up to sit on the big table in the middle of the room, swinging his legs off the edge. “Anything fun?”

“Got an arrangement to do for the top of a coffin that's got to be at the undertaker's by this afternoon,” Chris replies as he checks the calendar that's hung up above the desk in the corner. “Apart from that, there's just the usual bouquets to do for the shop and dealing with customers that come in or ring up.”

“Sounds good,” Victor says. “What can I help with first?”

-

Victor soon settles into working at the shop, Chris finding himself having to give Victor less and less instructions by the day. Before Chris knows where he is, three months have gone by, and Victor fits into his life he was always there.

Every so often, Chris gives Victor roses. Cream, green, peach, yellow, pink, white, novelty roses that fade from one colour at the start of the petals to another at the tip. This week, the roses are a salmon colour that Chris leaves on the workbench for Victor to find when he next to goes into the back room for something.

Chris is sitting at the till, flicking through a floristry magazine whilst the shop is empty when he hears a screech coming from the back room, and Victor rushes out, clutching the bouquet of roses, a blush spreading across his cheeks. “I did some Googling the other day,” Victor says, placing the roses down on the counter. “They’re supposed to mean something, right? All the different colours?”

Chris closes his magazine and tucks it in the gap between the till and the wall. “Yes, so they say.”

“And the salmon roses, they’re supposed to mean desire, right?”

Chris looks Victor straight in the eye. “Yes,” he says. “Desire.”

Victor swallows and looks down at the floor, wringing his hands behind his back. After a moment, he regains his composure and looks up at Chris, again looking him straight in the eye. “What would you say if I said I wanted to give you salmon coloured roses too?”

“I would say we’re closing early,” Chris replies with a smirk, leaning forward over the counter towards Victor with his chin in one hand. “Does that sound okay to you?”

“That sounds perfect,” Victor says, crossing the shop to lock the door and flick the sign to ‘closed’. On the way back over to the counter, he reaches up and pulls his hair out of its usual ponytail, running his fingers through it to fluff it out a little. He’s so beautiful, Chris thinks as Victor hops up onto the counter, pulling Chris towards him and pressing their lips together. So beautiful, as Chris deepens the kiss and wraps his arms around Victor’s waist.

So beautiful.

-

“Took you long enough,” Emil mutters later that evening when they’re in the corner shop picking up a few things for dinner. They’re holding hands as Chris places the basket down on the counter, and it’s something that Emil spots straight away as he starts scanning their items. “Twenty-two thirty-seven.”

-

The shed at the bottom of Chris’ garden is where he breeds new varieties of roses. His and Victor’s three year anniversary is coming up, and he’s been working on something special for a while now. It’s taken a while, but he’s finally got the rose to a place where he’s happy with it.

It’s Victor’s rose.

It’s by the far his favourite rose he’s ever produced. It’s a really pale lilac colour, so pale that if you get it in the right light it looks silver. It took a lot of trial and error to get the rose how he wanted to look, but it’s done now, and it goes beautifully with the engagement ring that’s sitting in its box on the workbench, the lid open and the diamonds glittering in the late afternoon sun streaming in through the window.

Victor is out, closing up the shop and making sure all the arrangements are ready for collection by the undertakers tomorrow. He’ll be back in about an hour or so, and Chris has every minute from now until then planned.

He selects the best twelve roses, removes the thorns, and wraps them up in some of the wrappings he’d snuck home from the florists last week. He’s going to take the rest of the roses apart so he’s got just their petals left and spread them across the carpet in a trail leading up to their bedroom, where Chris is going to be waiting with the engagement ring.

Once he’s finished in the shed, he takes what he needs back over the house and starts setting up everything there, putting some romantic music on the sound system and preparing a few bits for their dinner. At quarter to six, Chris gets a text from Victor that reads Be home in fifteen minutes! Xx and he starts scattering the rose petals from the front door to the bedroom and lighting a few candles along the way. He leaves the bouquet of roses at the top of stairs and then goes through to the bedroom with the ring box held tightly in his hand, and waits.

He faintly hears the clicking of the lock in the front door and a gasp. “Chris?” Victor calls. “Chris?”

He hears Victor starting to walk along the hall and up the stairs, his steps quickening once he’s at the top of the stairs and has picked up the bouquet of roses. “Chris?” Victor calls out again as he nears the bedroom door. Chris keeps quiet and lowers himself onto one knee so he’s ready for when Victor opens the door. He sees the door handle move down and he takes a deep breath as the door starts to open.

“Oh my god, Chris,” Victor says once the door is fully open and he can see Chris there at the foot of the bed down on one knee with the ring box held out in front of him. Tears start to well in Victor’s eyes, and he brushes them away with the hand that’s not holding onto the bunch of roses. “Chris –”

“Victor, will you marry me?” Chris asks, trying to keep his voice even, but it doesn’t really work because he’s feeling so many different emotions right now and even though Victor’s crying it seems like they’re happy tears. “Will you marry me?”

“Yes!” Victor says, running forward towards Chris, jumping into his arms. “Oh my god, yes, I’ll marry you!”

They’re both crying as Chris slips the ring onto Victor’s finger. Although he doubts Victor has noticed, the ring has roses engraved on the inside of it, a small touch that means a whole lot more to Chris. He’s been saving for the ring for ages, from the coppers that accumulate in loose change to clients from weddings handing him a wad of cash and telling him to ‘keep the change’. It’s perfect, and it looks even more perfect now that it’s on Victor’s finger.

“The roses,” Victor says after the ring is on his finger, “what variety are they? I’ve never seen them before. They’re so beautiful.”

“They’re yours,” Chris replies. At the confused look on Victor’s face, he adds, “They’re a new variety. I’ve been perfecting it for years now, and I finally got there. I bred them for you, Victor.”

“Me?” Victor asks, tears welling in his eyes again. “Really? What are they called?”

“Rosa ‘Victor Nikiforov’.”

Victor is crying again, tears splashing onto the bunch of roses he’s holding, the petals looking like they’re covered in early morning dew. “Oh my god, Chris,” he says. “I love them so much. I love you, Chris, I love you I love you I love you –”

“I love you too, Victor,” Chris says, pulling Victor into a hug, being careful not to damage the roses. “I love you too.”

-

At their wedding, Victor’s roses are in the flower arrangements, the bouquets, the button holes and the centre pieces for the tables. Everyone comments on them, how beautiful they are, and several people ask if they’re ever going to be available to buy.

“Sorry,” Chris tells them. “This one is just for us.”

Rosa ‘Victor Nikiforov’ lives on in its own special way. The rose from Chris’ button hole is pressed and put in their wedding album, where it stays, preserved for many years to come.

[alittlecstaticxilophone]

They will be

My third story in OlderRFA series, its my first time writing a MCx JAehee so I hope it came out fine.

Hope you enjoy this

The soft tune of La vie en rose was playing at the café while Jaehee and MC served the people who was waiting for their morning coffee to carry on with their days in a loving peaceful way.

-Have a nice day! - MC said when the last one of the morning round of clients left the establishment a few minutes after nine. When the door closed behind the woman they let out a sigh of relief before beginning to prepare their own cups of coffee to have their breakfast.

They sat on two of the chairs that had been either changed or fixed over the course of the years. Some of the ones they called “The original mob” still remained giving them a nostalgic feeling to accompany their usual morning routine.

They remembered some of the first clients they got when they just began, it was curious how the time went by and now they gave their morning energy boost to their sons, daughters or grandkids.

-Jaehee- MC called taking the other woman away from her thoughts,

-Yes, MC- Jaehee responded taking a sip from her cup of black coffee like she drank every Tuesday, MC moved her fingers over the table tapping it slowly trying to be careful about the words she was about to say

-Have you ever thought about the future?- MC spoke nervous waiting for a reaction, Jaehee raised an eyebrow in curiosity at the other woman’s comment

-What do you mean MC?-                                                  

-Well, you are sixty four and I’m sixty-three, we’ll need help eventually with serving the clients and think about what will happen to the restaurant when we’re gone- MC muttered, Jaehee began to play with the ring around her finger listening to some Ed Sheeran tune.

-Oh, that- Jaehee said, the thought had crossed her mind many times when she was years younger but it had faded away as the years passed by when the anxiety and the thrill of having a personal business went away–I had thought about doing job interviews to see how it goes- Jaehee admitted, as their business grew the need of help became more and more obvious.

-Are you sure about it?-MC questioned, even if she was the one suggesting the idea in the first place she knew how important the place was for Jaehee and her, that’s why it would feel like a waste to let it get away under their hands.

-It sounds like a good idea, and if we teach them properly they could keep this place going for many years- Jaehee smiled finishing her breakfast

-Good, I’ll go and put the announcement on the internet, we can even make a sign on the entrance- MC said giving Jaehee a peck on the cheek before leaving to her computer to put the announcement online citing them for an interview in a week from the moment the add was uploaded.

The week arrived earlier than they had hoped and unfortunately and luckily at the same time arrived more people than they had hoped making them close the restaurant so they could attend all of them. Giving each other a good luck kiss they opened the door organizing the appliers so they could be properly interviewed.

After the thirtieth and fortunately last interview the weight of being tired began to felt over their shoulders. They were aware they had to choose someone but none of the interviewed felt right, or the kind of person they would like to give what had costed them so much to have. They had seen families practically grow in there it would be unthinkable to give that to just anyone.

They could remember when teenage boy came for his early cup in the morning they opened and became a regular afterwards, they saw him fidgeting nervously at his first date with a girl he met and be more nervous when he proposed to her, and every time he came in the morning he spoke of how lucky he was of having found someone like her. They even invited Jaehee and MC to the wedding and they saw when their kids bought their first coffee. How to find someone who could also appreciate these memories?

-Hello Jaehee and MC!- a voice rang after the door’s bell sounded, they could easily identify the voice as Nari, Yoosung’s oldest granddaughter a sweet seventeen years old girl.

-Hello Nari- Both MC’s and Jaehee’s voices greeted back at the teenager who got closer to the counter observing how both woman reviewed papers over and over.

-What are you two up to?- she leaned over the counter trying to get a better hold of what both women were doing, MC took the paper’s from her and Jaehee’s hands and placed them on a shelve laughing at how Nari pouted when she saw her entertainment taken away.

-Looking out for help- Jaehee said rubbing the edge of her nose, thinking about how so far none of the applicants felt right, they surely appeared to be nice people but Jaehee didn’t feel like she wanted to leave her business, the one that was one her sources of happiness for years to any of them.

-Cool, are you paying them?- The girl asked, MC walked towards her handling her the usual cup of cold coffee.

-Of course- MC answered giving Nari the cup.

-Then can I apply? My mom keeps saying that I need to get a job to learn about responsibility- Nari asked taking a sip from the coffee with a smile.

-Do you know anything about coffee?- Jaehee asked, the teenagers they had received were in the majority looking for an old school environment to take selfies at rather than caring about the process of the fabrication or how the coffee arrived at their hands

-I’m in the coffee club at school, when I heard grandpa was in one I decided to give it a shot and I ended up loving it. I even learnt how to decorate the top of the cups and not to brag, but my cappuccinos are everyone’s favorites- Narrated Nari enthusiastic,

-Do you like dealing with people?- MC asked, Jaehee side smiled at her knowing what her wife was planning to do.

-I love people! –

-How would you deal with a rude costumer?- Jaehee ventured, Nari pressed a finger against her chin.

-I would ask him why is he so upset and try to reason with them, if they are right I would apologize and offer him a free muffin or something, if they are wrong I would kindly ask them to calm down if even then they don’t calm I would kindly yell them to go the fuck out of here- Nari explained.

-Why do you want to work here?- MC asked, Jaehee always paid special attention to this question, it was the last one they asked and the most important, the other questions could easily be practiced prior to the interview, this one however often puzzled the people because of the nature of it.

-Well first of all my mom wants me to get a job so I can learn about responsibility and paying for my own stuff. So I figured, if I was going to work it better be doing something you love with people you love as family, working here would be great, you could even tell me about my grandpa’s younger days and share some of your older woman’s mystic wisdom with me your young and innocent apprentice- Nari explained a smile across her face letting the taste and the coldness of the coffee sit on her lips.

Jaehee an MC smiled to the other knowingly, this was the sense of familiarity they were looking for, someone who could probably grow to love the establishment as much as they do.

-You can begin tomorrow at three, make sure you won’t be late we still have to teach you how to use the machines- Nari’s face illuminated with a smile before jumping over the counter to hug both women grateful for the opportunity

-Thank you! I will be here as early as possible! I have to leave now, very important project for tomorrow, wish me luck!- Nari screamed walking out of the door not waiting for it to shut behind her.

Jaehee and MC walked inside the Cafe surprised how after their departure Nari began extending the working hours now closing at ten P.M. instead of seven like they used to do. The place remained almost in the same state they had left it, the furniture was relocated to accommodate a stage in the corner of it were Hyeon was singing. MC harbored a smile on her lips; Jaehee however, looked at her surroundings with slight surprise hearing Zen’s grandson voice in the background.

-Come in!- Invited Nari cheerful guiding them to what used to be their favorite spot, now it was almost first row to Hyeon’s presentation. His grandpa’s connections should have been enough to place the talented boy in a famous company; he had declined claiming he was fine with being low-key.

-I was nervous about the change but I hope you like it, I figured people would like some music live to go along with his coffee- She signaled at Hyeon who threw a smile at her making a blush grow in her cheeks.

-I love it!- MC cheered, turning her eyes to Jaehee how was frowning a bit

-Well, it certainly its different- Jaehee commented, Nari was taken aback by the comment, she wasn’t expecting she would love it but neither that she would dislike it. –But it’s not bad, I was wondering how we didn’t think of this before. You are doing a really good job Nari- She congratulated hearing MC sigh in relief, Nari cheered excited serving a cup of Coffee and milk to MC and a cappuccino to Jaehee parting quickly to serve a group of office workers who had just arrived.

Jaehee and MC began to talk about what they were going to do, trying to settle in traveling to somewhere new, or simply rest, or adopt one of those hairless cats and scare the kids in the neighborhood disguising as grumpy old ladies.

-Are they going to be alright?- MC asked looking between Hyeon who was singing an acoustic version from a rock song and Nari who was serving some costumers with a smile on her face looking at Hyeon at the corner of her eye when the boy was too into the song to notice.

-You won’t believe what I saw the other day- began to narrate Nari dragging a chair to sit next to Jaehee and MC –The other day a guy asked Hyeon to sing Sinners of Lauren A-something, and when he did this dude legit got on his knees and asked this other guy to marry him, and he said yes! They both were happy crying I gave each a free piece of cake and they were really happy!- Nari narrated, her eyes shining in excitement.

Jaehee grabbed MC’s hand with hers and smiled softly looking her lovingly into her eyes

-They will be-She said leaning her head in MC’s shoulder making MC smiled in response.