#the chip in my card is totally worn out but getting a new one / having to update everything will be annoying

[aidenwaites]

Real talk why do card machines make you do a whole stupid song and dance before they'll let you swipe a card that's got a chip in it

[connordavidscamera]

Extra Shot | Connor Brashier

A/n: My precious Rina @goldenflickerx has been attacking me with CONcepts again and I decided that it was time to write one that we’ve talked about. Also, it’s Connor’s birthday, so what better way to kick that off?

Summary: You come into the same cafe at the same time, three times a week and Connor (your barista) has taken a liking to you.

Warnings: fluff, humor

Word count: 2.1k

***

“Hey, wasn’t your shift supposed to end like ten minutes ago?” My coworker, and unfortunate best friend, Sam asks. 

I check the time on the clock again. She was supposed to be here by now, but I guess there’s a lot of traffic. At least, that’s what I’ve heard like six customers complaining about this afternoon. I don’t want to leave until I see her. It’s the best part of my day and if I could just hold off for - 

The bell above the door rings and there she is. I push Sam out of the way and stand at the register to greet her with a bright smile. “Hi, y/n.”

She smiles back at me, and I swear my heart stops when she does. “Hi, Connor,” she says back and oh wow, my name sounds like heaven slipping off her tongue with ease.

“What can I get you today? Vanilla latte, right?” I ask, even though I know her order by heart. “Or are we looking to branch out a little this time?”

She sucks in a breath and looks at the menu, chewing on her bottom lip. “Hmm… I don’t think today will be a something new day. Maybe next time though. Next time you can get me your favorite drink. How about that?”

I nod, grabbing a cup and writing her order on the side. “I think I can’t wait for that.” I tap on the screen, “So that comes out to $4.36.”

She already has her card out, she always does, and inserts it in the chip reader. I watch her perfectly manicured nails tap the counter as she waits. She always has her nails done. Not in those long acrylics that most girls come in with, although I have seen her come in with those a couple times too. But they’re always done, I’ve noticed. “So, how’s your day going today? Busy?”

I shake my head, “Not too bad. It’s been pretty steady. You’re actually my last customer of the day. My shift ends in five minutes.”

“Oh, well lucky me,” she teases, but I know she means it and I have to look away so she can’t tell that I’m blushing.

The machine prompts her to take out her card, and at the same time we go, “No receipt.”

She smiles softly at me and gives me a single nod. “I’ll have your drink right out for you.”

“Thank you, Connor. You’re an angel.”

Now I really can’t fight the blush.

I take extra care making her latte. I’m the only one who makes it. Not because she requests me, but because I won’t let anyone else touch it. She’s my customer and I’m not letting anything get in the way of that.

“Here you go, y/n. Iced vanilla latte. I added an extra shot. Looked like you needed it.”

She smiles brightly at me, “An angel, Connor. I mean it. Thank you.”

I nod, “Of course. I’ll see you next week?”

“Same time,” she nods. “Yes. Have a good weekend.”

“You too,” I say as she turns to leave.

The door barely closes behind her before Sam is right behind me. “You’re drooling,” he says in my ear, causing me to jump.

“What? No, I’m not. Shut up.”

“Bro, you’ve been caught up on that girl since the day she started coming in. Just ask her out already.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, no? So you didn’t just push me out of the way so you could take her order? And you haven’t done it every single time she’s come in since the beginning?”

“Nope,” I shrug, untying my apron.

“Your shift ended almost twenty minutes ago. You were waiting for her.”

“Drop it, Sam. You have no idea what you’re even talking about.”

He holds his hands up in surrender. “Okay. Sure. I’ll leave it alone. But she does have you so fucked.”

I toss my apron at his head. “Fuck off! I’m gone,” I say, clocking out and grabbing my keys from my locker.

He laughs as I walk out of the building. I shake my head as I head to my car. Maybe he isn’t wrong. Okay, no. He isn’t wrong at all. I am completely and totally gone for her and I know next to nothing about her.

I do know this though. Tuesday, the first day she comes in during the week, she almost always gets an extra shot of espresso in her drink. And on Wednesday, she always gets a scone – if we have them, she prefers blueberry, but she’ll settle for any other kind if we’re out. (And when I’m in charge of ordering inventory, I make sure we have enough.) And Thursday is usually a surprise. She flip flops between what she gets on those days. I think she’s just worn out from school or work – I’m not sure which one, if either – at that point that she just comes in for a pick me up.

Little does she know that she’s my pick me up. Every day she comes in, I’m so excited to see her. The first time I saw her? I swear I saw my future walking through that door. She just looked so fucking pretty. And she was so sweet, and she smiled at me like she knew me, like she could see right through me. And not to be dramatic, but I’m pretty sure her smile could light up the night sky if the moon wasn’t out. Actually, it could probably compete with the moon and win. (But again, I’m not being dramatic.)

---

Tuesday is crazy busy. Finals week. It always get s like this, and honestly, I am running around the café like a chicken with my head cut off. People aren’t getting what they ordered, they’re complaining that we’re out of something. Others are complaining that we’re taking our sweet precious time as if their time doesn’t matter – or as if there aren’t fifteen other orders in front of them that we have to take care of before theirs. It’s absolute chaos and I’m so ready for this shift to be over so I can go home and pass the fuck out.

And I swear if one more person complains about the fact that we’re having to use paper straws, I’m going to lose it. I’m in the middle of filling the coffee maker with more grounds when the bell rings above the door and I swear I can feel my heart beating in my eyeballs (although that might be because I added three extra shots to my drink when I took my break).

“Connor,” Sam pats my shoulder. “You take this one.”

“What? No, why? I’m already doing-“

“Y/n’s here,” he says.

I quickly turn to the register and it’s like my whole mood has changed. “Oh, yeah. I got this one.” I set the water down on the counter and run my hand through my hair that’s no doubt a mess at this point. I hope she doesn’t notice. “Hi.”

She sends me a sympathetic smile and that’s how I know I must look as bad as I feel. “Hi, Connor. You doing okay?”

“Better now,” I say matter-of-factly. “I’m glad you’re here. Good to see a friendly face.”

She hums, “Not a lot of nice customers today.”

I chuckle, “Let’s just say drinks have been spilt, names have been called, and my two week notice has been typed up and it’s ready to be sent if one more person complains about us being out chocolate chip cookies.”

She laughs, “Oh no. I’m so sorry.”

I shake my head, “It’s okay. Helping you out has been the highlight of my day.”

“Oh? Well, I am flattered.”

“What am I getting you today?”

“Well, I think we discussed last time, you making me your favorite drink. So I can branch out.”

I nod and smile, grabbing a cup, “Yes. We did. I’ll have it ready for you in a minute.”

“How much?” She asks, ready to insert her card, but I shake my head.

“No charge. It’s on me today.”

“What? No, Connor. I can’t let you do that.”

“No, please. I got it. Especially because I don’t want you paying for something and then you don’t like it? No way. It’s on me.”

“But-“

“Y/n, I’m not taking your money. And if you argue with me, I will put in my two weeks’ notice right now.”

She gasps, “The audacity!”

I laugh, I can’t help it. “Your order will be right out,” I say smugly.

Reluctantly, she puts her card away and moves to the side of the counter to pick up her drink. I’m about to start swirling in the caramel when it all comes out in one big glob and then nothing at all. I groan and look to Sam, “Gotta get more caramel from the back. You good here for a minute?”

“Yeah, got it covered.”

It takes me five minutes to find the caramel because whoever put it away during the morning shift didn’t put it where it was supposed to go. And in these five minutes, I have heard the bell above the door ring six more times and I know Sam can’t handle this on his own. But I finally get it, and promise to rip the morning staff a new one next time I come in. I rush out the back and Sam is working the cash register again, and y/n is standing there at the counter patient as ever.

I breathe a sigh of relief because of course she’s there with a soft smile on her face. I return the sentiment when I catch her eye. Then I’m back to making her drink. Before I hand it to her, I draw a semi-terrifying smiley face on the side of the cup and hand it to her. “I hope you like it. And sorry about that wait. The morning staff is so gonna get it tomorrow.”

She laughs, and I melt. I want to hear that sound for the rest of my life. It’s the most beautiful sound in the world. “Don’t worry about the wait. I’ve got nowhere to be, so I don’t mind the wait. Or the company,” she smiles. “You’re working tomorrow?”

I nod, “Same time.”

“Okay, maybe if it’s not so busy, you can tell me about how it goes with the morning staff.”

I smile, “Yes, I will definitely do that.”

“Okay, well I will leave you to work. Sam looks like he’s about to pull his hair out.”

I look over at my friend who is attempting to make three drinks at a time, which in a rush like this, is only a recipe for disaster. “Yeah, I should help him. I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

She hums, “Yes, you will. Have a good rest of your day, Connor.”

“You too, y/n.”

---

I plop down on my bed, completely exhausted. Besides the drive home, this was the first time I’ve been off my feet since I got to work. I check the time on the clock by my bed and groan. I was supposed to meet a couple of my friends for a drink tonight, but honestly, nothing sounds more unappealing than that right now. So, I shoot a text to Will and tell him I won’t be coming out tonight and then I slowly push myself off the bed.

A shower would be nice. You wouldn’t think being a barista would cause you to sweat so much, btu dear god, when we hit that afternoon rush, it feels like you’re running a marathon. And right now, I just need to get out of these clothes and into bed.

My shower takes longer than usual, not for any particular reason other than I just stood under the water for a good ten minutes before I even thought of grabbing any soap.

I come back into my bedroom to my phone dinging with a message. I assume it’s just Will calling me out for not wanting to go with them tonight, so I ignore it and go to my dresser to get some boxers and a pair of shorts. I’m wringing out the water in my hair (that desperately needs a cut, but I’m far too busy to get one right now) when I go to grab my phone as it dings again.

I have one message from Will, and one from an unknown number. I furrow my brows at that and click on it.

Unknown

Hey! Did your day end up getting better after I left?

That’s weird. I never get random texts like this.

Me

I’m sorry. I think you have the wrong number.

Unknown

Is this Connor?

M

… yeah

Unknown

It’s y/n. Sam gave me your number. Apparently you get mopey when I leave.

So… did it get better? Or were you mopey lol

***

I hope you enjoyed!! Please like, reblog, and leave feedback!!

Permanent tag: @soyalimoncada-blog @magcon7280 @homeofpoetry @fallinallincurls @goldenflickerx  @myyohmyuohmyy @harry-hollands @enchantingbrowneyedgirl @baroness-alison @lostinmendess @linanilssonfurberg @luvluvxx @mariamuses @shawnieeboyy @divinginfearlessly @mendesficsxbombay @shawnsthighs @zaahidahhh @lordescomeback @shawnandconnor @shawnsblue @turtoix @honestlyimstilllivinginthe90s @gangofhoes @verlaneswiftie13

[jeonsjiddies]

and then came you | pjm (m)

summary - Jimin was having a harder time getting over his unrequited love than he’d like to admit. He was desperate to escape the longing in his chest; he was searching for something to make him feel alive again. Jimin was about to give up hope that he’d ever find anything meaningful to cling to again, and then came you. 

rating- explicit 18+

word count-  7551

pairing- jimin x reader

genre- fluff, smut, angst

Warnings - a little angsty/ a little heartbreak at the beginning, some sexual harassment ( from an ex), mentions of cheating, thigh riding, ice play, creampie, multiple orgasms, slight dom!jimin, Oral (female receiving)

a/n - while this story can stand alone, it is based off the 8 letters AU, which can be found here. :) as usual, all the thanks in the world to @sweetnspicy93​ for all your help and thank you for urging me to give 8 letters Jimin his own happy ending. 

Jimin knew it was a bad idea, but he’d done it anyway. He would’ve done anything for the girl with the soft eyes and the bright smile, the girl who was now Namjoon’s. Jimin thought his crush was small enough that he’d be able to assist in making Namjoon jealous and walk away unscathed. At least she would be happy. That would be enough for Jimin. Or so he thought. 

Jimin’s mind wandered back to the way she looked on top of him, grinding her hips into his. His cock stirred at the memory. Of course, it had all been a show, strategically designed to make her roommate and crush jealous. That didn’t stop Jimin’s heart from slipping a beat when her core ground down onto his member. It didn’t stop Jimin from melting when she’d giggled and covered her face to hide it. Jimin knew it wasn’t real, he’d laughed off his boner, but he let himself enjoy the feeling of her skin under his tongue, the soft noises he drew from her which he knew weren’t completely fake. 

He felt empty, lost. Maybe he was being dramatic, but Jimin felt like he needed purpose. He’d feigned happiness when he saw her tucked into Namjoon’s loving embrace, congratulating the new couple as pieces of his heart chipped away and fell into the black hole of his chest. It seemed like his desire to do anything had faded away as quickly as his grasp on her. Now, he moped about his apartment, listening to the dull roar of the rain outside. It had been weeks since Namjoon had finally cracked and claimed her as his own, and Jimin was tired of feeling so… tired, dejected, lonely. 

Jimin decided he needed a change of scenery. The messy apartment with the dingy walls he had been cooped up in for weeks wasn’t doing anything to help him, he needed a fresh start. He didn’t give himself time to think about it, only packed a bag and scurried out the door, through the pouring rain to his car. He didn’t have a real plan, just decided to hit the open road and let his gut guide him until he found a place to explore. He drove through the rain, letting his excitement seep through his bones as he made random turns and took unplanned exits to get to his unknown adventure. 

Jimin drove for a few hours, deciding no matter where he went he wasn’t going to escape the dastardly rain. He took the next exit he saw, something in his chest guiding  him towards the small town it led to. Near the exit he saw a sign illuminated promising a hotel room for only $35 a night. Jimin, having nothing to lose, pulled into the parking lot. Entering the building and shaking the rain from his dripping hair, he looked around to find the front lobby devoid of any life. 

“Hello?” He called out. 

You didn’t hear him enter the building and couldn't see anything past the stack of boxes you were balancing. He didn’t see you coming around the corner. You tripped over a flipped up rug and went tumbling forward, boxes flying out of your hands and landing haphazardly on the tile floor, contents spilling out and rolling in different directions. You would’ve splattered on the floor much like the contents of the boxes had it not been for the beautiful stranger who currently cradled you in his strong arms. Your palms were pressed flat against his chest, and you could feel the toned muscle under your fingertips. Your gaze traveled up his neck and face until your eyes locked with the deep brown pools of his.  Though they were a dark color, they shone with the intensity of the sun, bright and vivid, so beautiful it almost hurt to look at. Your mouth hung open in shock for a moment at how gorgeous this man was before you came to your senses, stumbling back and out of his grip. 

“I am so so sorry! Are you alright?” You questioned, skimming over his body for any obvious signs of injury. You sighed in relief when you found none.

“I’m fine. Are you okay?” He wondered, eyes searching yours. 

“Yes, thanks to you. Thank you. For catching me.” You giggled nervously. 

“It’s not every day a beautiful girl throws herself into my arms. Couldn’t pass up the opportunity.” He winked playfully.

You blushed and looked down to hide it and squeaked in surprise, scrambling to collect the contents of the boxes. Jimin leaned down to help you, collecting items and tucking them safely in the box before lifting it and following you to the counter where the both of you set them down. 

“Thank you, again.” you smiled, taking your place behind the desk. “Were you looking for a room?”

“Yes, please.” he grinned back at you, his tongue darting out to wet his bottom lip. 

Your eyes lingered on the action a little longer than was socially acceptable before you shook yourself back to reality and searched the old, worn down computer system for available rooms.

“Okay, I’ve got a double queen and a single king available. Which would you prefer? They’re both non-smoking rooms.” you smiled politely.

“The single king, it’s only me.” Jimin sighed, his sunshine filled eyes dimming a bit.

“Okay!” you tried not to show your concern, but selected the room and input your employee discount.

“How many nights?” you asked, glancing back up at him.

“Ummm…” he trailed off, looking away as he thought carefully. “Let’s go with seven. For now.” 

“Okay, a one week stay…” your fingers tapped at the keys, and you rung up his total. 

“Okay that will be $187.25. Cash or card?” you smiled sweetly. 

“That doesn’t sound right… it’s for 7 nights right? $35 a night?” he confirmed. 

“I, um, put my employee discount in for you…” you admitted shyly, avoiding his gaze. “It made it $25 a night, plus tax. We’re allowed to give the employee price to friends and family and I was thankful for your help.”

Jimin watched you for a moment, teeth sinking into his bottom lip as he appraised you.

“Thank you. That’s… really sweet. Probably the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.” his voice lowered at the end, as if that part was a secret.

“Well, you helped me. I helped you.” you shrugged, trying to play it off and hoping he wouldn’t notice the blaze in your cheeks.

Your hands brushed when he handed over his card and you audibly gasped at the shockwave that shot through you when his skin met yours. His mouth parted in shock as well and you both locked eyes for a moment. One heartbeat passed. Two. The only sound in the lobby was both of you sucking in shaky breaths. 

You gulped, pulling your hand away and swiping his card through the reader. You handed it and a receipt back to him, careful not to touch him again and smiled the most professional smile you could muster. You reached behind you and pulled the corresponding keycard out of its slot and handed it over as well.

“Room 318. If you need anything, you can call me. The front desk number is 0. I’ll be here until 7am, but if you find that Mina is a little too… blunt?..for your taste, I’m actually right down the hall in 338.” you explained.

You weren’t sure why you told him that, you never offered that information to any other customers. Something about him just pulled you in. You wanted to protect him. You wanted to know what was going on in his mind, what could possibly be dimming those glittering eyes. You were enamoured by him, intrigued, fascinated really. 

“Thank you for the heads up…” he trailed off, eyes scanning your shirt for a name badge.

“Y/N. And you?” you offered.

“Jimin.” he beamed at you, causing your heart to skip a beat for probably the 92nd time since you’d laid eyes on him.

“It’s very nice to meet you Jimin. I hope you enjoy your stay.” you told him sincerely.

“I think I will.” he winked, making his way down the hallway towards his room.

*** Jimin couldn’t sleep. He was used to tossing and turning and lying awake until the sun came up, he was no stranger to the way his mind whirled when the silence crept in. He kept himself busy during the day, but when the sun went down, the restlessness set in. Jimin hated the silence. He hated being alone. He glanced at the clock, it was midnight. He sighed and shoved himself out of bed, slipping on his shoes and making his way down to the coffee bar he’d spotted earlier. 

He filled two cups, fixing one the way he liked it and leaving the other black, but grabbing a couple of cream and sugar packets to bring with him. He peered around the corner to see if you were busy before he entered the lobby. You were sat on a stool behind the desk, head leaning on your hand as you struggled to stay awake. Jimin smiled, turning the corner and setting the coffee in front of you.

“Looks like you might need this more than I do.” he grinned, taking a sip of his own. “I wasn’t sure how you liked it so I just brought the extras to you.”

“Oh my gosh. My hero.” you cooed, ripping open the sugar and creamers and dumping them in before taking a sip.

Your head lolled back blissfully and you moaned quietly. Jimin’s eyes widened at the unexpected lewd sound rolling off your pink lips and had to discreetly adjust himself before you noticed the way his sweats got a little tighter. 

“You saved my life. How can I ever repay you?” you giggled. 

“Keep me company? I can’t sleep.” he whined.  

“I’m not going anywhere until 7. You’re welcome to hang out with me here.” you offered.

Jimin hopped up on the desk, swinging his legs back and forth as he peered down at you. You rolled your eyes with a smile.

“Where are you from?” you asked him.

“Just a few hours south of here.” he answered. “I couldn’t get far in the rain.”

“Oh, you aren’t to your destination yet? Why did you book seven days then?” you wondered aloud.

“I didn’t really have a destination in mind. I just wanted to leave for a while. I had nothing holding me there anymore, and I thought a change of scenery would be nice. So I just kinda went where I felt like going and ended up here.” he shrugged.

“Your grand adventure led you to our little town?” you laughed.

“It’s got it’s charms.” he smirked.

You bit your lip and looked down, willing the blush on your cheeks to chill out. Jimin chuckled, the vibrations of his body shaking your desk.

“So what do you plan on doing now that you’re here?” you asked.

“I don’t really have a plan. I just felt kind of suffocated and needed to get out of my dingy apartment and that stupid town.” he left off the part about how SHE was everywhere he went when he did venture outside his apartment, and how every time he saw her hand laced with Namjoons bile rose in his throat.

“Well, on behalf of our tiny town, welcome. I hope you find what you’re searching for.” you smiled.

Jimin stayed perched on your desk for hours, until the sun started streaming through the blinds in the lobby, filling the room with a soft glow. In your opinion, though, the light wafting through the space couldn’t dare compare to the light that came from Jimin. When his head was thrown back and his body shook and his smile reached from ear to ear while giggles and chuckles fell from his pillowy lips, Jimin shone brighter than the sun could ever hope to. 

You both got more comfortable as the night went on, delving into deeper topics, more personal ones. You told each other stories, shared your hopes for the future, It honestly felt like you’d known him your whole life. The conversation flowed easily, there weren’t any awkward pauses or times when neither of you could fill the silence, unsure of what to say. It was easy with Jimin. Being around him made you feel lighter, less broken. Like the light inside of him was seeping out and filling you with hope too. 

You could tell there was something on his mind, something plaguing him. Who else stays up talking to a hotel clerk until the wee hours of the morning? He was running from something when he left without a plan, but he didn’t offer much information on it. Despite the darkness that sometimes threatened to break through his cheery exterior, Jimin was just… bright. It was who he was, a part of him. He was warm, friendly, and welcoming. 

Neither of you had realized the time until the front door of the lobby swung open and Mina shuffled through, her ever-present scowl plastered on her weathered face. She glared at Jimin the moment she saw him. His eyes widened in fear and he slipped his bottom off of the desk, backing away from it. You sent him a look that said ‘I told you so.’

“Shifts over. Go.” she grunted, pointing her disappointed gaze at you.

You nodded quietly, gathering your purse and walking over to Jimin, who was almost cowering in the corner. You nodded for him to follow you out of the lobby and only spoke once you were out of earshot.

“See what I mean?” you giggled.

“She’s terrifying.” he whisper-hissed.

“She’s old and everything hurts. I’d probably be mean if I had to work here at her age too.” you shrugged, “but yeah if you need anything come find me. She definitely didn’t like the way you were sitting on the desk.”

Jimin nodded, covering his mouth as he stifled a yawn. You laughed.

“Did I wear you out talking your ear off?” you teased.

“No, that was the most fun I’ve had in a while to be honest.” he chuckled. 

“Happy to help.” you smiled shyly, pausing in front of his room with him. 

He hovered by the door but made no move to go in. You didn’t make a move to leave either. You both laughed at how ridiculous you were being. You placed your hand on his arm.

“Goodnight Jimin, sleep well.” 

Suddenly, Jimin pulled you towards him, his arms wrapping tightly around your frame, head resting in the crook of your neck. You melted into his embrace, allowing your arms to circle around his body as well. 

“Thank you for keeping me company.” he quietly spoke, warm breath hitting your ear and making you shiver.

“Any time, Jimin.” you answered back just as quietly. 

He pulled back and sent you a smile before he slipped inside his room. You slowly made your way back to yours, every inch of your skin tingling, relishing the way it felt to be held by him, even for just a moment. In the  arms of his stranger was the first time you’d ever felt like you were home. 

You and Jimin had developed a nightly routine. Each night, he’d show up around midnight and perch himself on your desk, gifting you a cup of coffee (which he tailored to your tastes now.) The two of you would talk and laugh and just enjoy each other’s presence throughout the night. Maybe you should’ve gotten bored spending so much time together but you never ran out of things to talk about. 

It felt like he’d always been there and he always would be. Even Mina seemed to get used to seeing Jimin when she arrived. She wasn’t friendly but she’d stopped sending him evil looks, which was quite the compliment from her. You found yourself looking forward to work rather than dreading it.  Your favorite part of each day was the time you got to spend with Jimin. On the 4th night of this routine, Jimin wrapped you up in your nightly hug. You’d be lying to yourself if you said you didn’t wait all night for this part, longing to be wrapped up in his embrace, however fleeting the moment may be. 

That night, Jimin surprised you. When he pulled away from your hug you felt his pillowy soft lips rest upon your cheek in a chaste kiss. The moment was over before you had time to process what was happening and Jimin smiled innocently at you.

“Goodnight, Y/N. Sweet dreams.” 

You stood frozen in place, letting your hand come up to touch your cheek where his lips had just been. His lips were so soft, so plush, and you longed to feel them against your own. Your cheek burned in the best way where the lingering heat from his lips stayed. You couldn’t stop the goofy smile from spreading across your face. 

That was until you rounded the corner to get to your room and walked face first into the chest of the man you despised more than anything else. Your ex boyfriend, Stuart, loomed over your like a predator stalking it’s prey, using his large body mass to trap you against the wall. He reeked of alcohol and you rolled your eyes at the familiar scent. 

“What are you doing here? Get off of me.” You hissed. 

“Awww don’t sound so disappointed, Y/N. Don’t you miss me?” He cooed, one finger sliding it’s way up the side of your face. 

“No.” You spit. “Get the fuck off of me.”

“Come on baby… don’t you want to have a little fun?” He smirked and your stomach threatened to release your midnight snack all over his button up shirt. 

“Let me get one thing through your thick ass skull, I will NEVER touch you again. Do you understand?” You hissed through gritted teeth 

“Don’t be like this. Just unlock the door. We can go in your room and play around like we used to. You used to like it when I showed up like this.”

“That was before I found out you were fucking half the town behind my back.” You threw back at him. “If you think I’ll ever get with you again you’re insane.” 

“Quit playing hard to get and open the fucking door.” He growled. 

“I believe she said no.” 

Your gaze snapped to the voice that had just spoken, your eyes landing on Jimin, who was carrying his ice bucket. His eyes were swimming with concern for you but he stood tall and held his ground, refusing to be intimidated by the giant drunk moron who had you pinned to the wall.

“This isn’t any of your business. Fuck off.” Stuart hissed. 

“Actually it kind of is. You’re sexually harassing my friend.” Jimin spoke evenly, keeping a calm persona. 

“You know this clown?” Stuart asked you. 

“Yeah. He’s my friend.” You shrugged.

“You little slut, you’re letting him hit it aren’t you? Bitching at me for having a little fun but you’ll bust it open for anyone huh?” Stuart goaded you.

“Well Stuart, I don’t really think that’s any of your business.” You growled.

“If you’ll put out for him you better put out for me.” He hissed. 

Jimin’s fist connected with Stuart’s jaw before you could reply or react. Stuart stumbled back in surprise and Jimin took the opportunity to grab your hand and sprint down the hallway with you in tow. A roar of rage sounded from behind the two of you which only fueled your legs to move faster. Nearing a T in the hallway, you made a split second decision to shove Jimin into the supply closet and shut the door.

Stuart wasn’t smart enough, especially while drunk, to think of that as an option and you strained your ears to listen as his footsteps clomped past the storage closet, pausing before retreating down the hallway. You let out a sigh of relief, looking up to meet Jimin’s gaze. It was then that you realized how close you were. Your noses almost touching, you could feel his ragged breaths against your skin. You told yourself it was from the running.

“Are you okay?” He whispered. 

“Yes, thanks to you. You keep rescuing me.” You grinned. 

“Well, call me Prince Charming then.” He laughed quietly. “Do you think he’s gone?” 

“I’m not sure. We should probably wait it out.” You sighed.

“Why don’t you call the police?” Jimin wondered.

“His dads the sheriff. He won’t do anything.” You huffed.

Jimin shifted, trying to maneuver around you to set down the ice bucket he was holding. He opted to place it on the floor, bending down to set it beside the two of you. He misjudged the space between your bodies as he stood up, stumbling forward a little, his face ended up in your cleavage, his lips brushing against your cloth covered nipple. He froze in shock, unable to peel himself from your breast. His breath circled your nub, damp and warm. You let out a breathy moan at the feeling and your eyes immediately widened in panic. 

Jimin straightened his posture, eyes locked on yours and lips parted in amazement. Neither of you spoke or dared to move. You could feel his chest rising and falling rapidly, brushing against your own each time in the cramped space. Jimin could feel his cock stirring to attention in his sweats and decided it was time to check if the coast was clear. He cleared his throat and opened the closet door, slipping his head out and checking both directions.

“I don’t see him anymore.” Jimin told you quietly.

You nodded and followed him towards your room. You paused in front of his, shaking with anxiety when he looked at you in confusion. 

“Jimin… I’m scared. Can I… can I stay with you? I’m worried he’s going to come back and I-“ you rambled bit Jimin put you out of your misery. 

“Of course, come on.” He unlocked the door and ushered you inside. 

You followed him inside, thanking him quietly and following him like a lost puppy to the middle of the room.

“Make yourself comfortable. Do you want me to turn on a movie?” He asked. “Are you hungry or thirsty?”

“I’m okay, but I won’t turn down the movie.” You smiled gratefully. 

Jimin flipped on the tv and sat at the opposite side of the bed, careful to give you room and made sure he was under the covers so you couldn’t see his semi. You got under the blankets too, but still shivered in the cold of his room. 

“Are you still cold? I don’t think I have a clean sweater…” he thought out loud, wracking his brain for ideas. 

“It’s fine! I’ll warm up soon.” You assured him. 

Things shifted back to normal for the most part, but there was a lingering tension in the air neither of you were willing to talk about. You fell into easy conversation about the movie, giggling and poking fun at the plot holes together. You continued to shiver despite your best efforts not to show how cold you were. Jimin sighed. 

“Come here.” He instructed. 

“Hmm?” You questioned. 

“Come over here and let me warm you up, you’re making me feel bad.” Jimin motioned for you to join him on his side of the bed. 

“Really I’m fine-“ you began but the look on Jimin’s face had you obeying his command in an instant, crawling your way over to him and snuggling up beside him as he wrapped an arm around you and pulled the blanket up to cover you both, trapping the heat of both of your bodies. 

The hotel mattress was lumpy and uneven, but you’d never been more comfortable in your life. Jimin’s arm wrapped around your shoulder so it wasn’t sandwiched between the two of you and you molded yourself against his side even closer. Your bodies fit perfectly together and it made your heart beat faster than normal. You only hoped Jimin couldn’t hear it. When the movie ended, Jimin switched off the tv and laid down. You followed suit, pressing your body up against his and resting your head on his shoulder, your hand on his chest.

“Tell me something I don’t already know about you.” you requested, voice soft in an attempt not to disturb the peaceful atmosphere.

“What haven’t I told you yet?” Jimin chuckles to himself. 

“What’s the real reason you’re here?” you pondered, bracing yourself for him to close himself off.

Jimin sighed, and you were about to apologize and change the subject when he nodded, glancing over at you.

“Actually, I was kind of running away. I had this friend, and I liked her but she liked her roommate. He likes her too but wasn’t doing anything about it, so we fake dated to make him jealous. I know it’s immature but he needed a push. I wanted her to be happy but didn’t realize how I’d feel seeing them together all the time. It’s actually kind of nice, I haven’t thought about her in days.” Jimin explained.

“I’m sorry Jimin. You’re a wonderful guy and you deserve someone who appreciates you.” You told him, eyes searching his face. 

“Thank you.” He scrunched his nose up in that cute way that made your heart clench. “Tell me something I don’t know about you.”

You wracked your brain for information you hadn’t already provided to Jimin during your nightly talks. You noticed then that Jimin was shifting beside you, growing antsy with the vulnerability of the conversation, you assumed. In an attempt to lighten the mood, you threw out the first thing you could think of.

“Hmmm… I can touch my nose with my tongue.” you lied with the best straight face you could muster.

“No way. Show me.” Jimin laughed, turning to watch you.

You stuck your tongue out and tried your hardest to push it far enough to touch the tip of your nose, but failed miserably. You refused to give up and kept trying, making silly faces while attempting to reach. Jimin couldn’t control the laughter bubbling from deep in his belly at your ridiculous antics. 

His smile reached both ears, and Jimin watched you make a fool of yourself, realizing that he hadn’t felt so light and carefree in the longest time, even before the incident with Namjoon and his new girlfriend. Something about being near you just made Jimin turn into a version of himself that he actually liked. Being around you made him feel like it might actually be okay. 

The two of you shared hushed whispers for a while, Jimin absentmindedly drawing shapes on the soft flesh of your hand that rest on his chest. The whispers died down and you were left with the quiet humming of the air conditioning kicking on and off periodically and the sound of Jimin’s even breathing. You lifted your head to see if he was asleep and watched his chest move with each inhale. You allowed yourself to study his features up close. You couldn’t help yourself, reaching out and letting your fingers brush against the skin of his jaw, a featherlight touch in the hopes of not waking him. 

Jimin stirred slightly and you held your breath, ceasing all body movements. You watched his eyes flutter before stilling. He snuggled farther into the blanket and sighed happily. You waited a few moments before returning to your exploration. Your fingers danced lightly towards his lips, letting yourself marvel at how full and soft they were. Your thumb brushed against the tender flesh, and Jimin’s tongue darted out to wet them. You removed your fingers from his warm, now wet mouth. 

His eyelashes fanned across his cheeks delicately, and you gently ran a finger along them, watching them flutter under your touch. You sighed, completely in awe of how beautiful the man next to you truly was. He was painfully attractive, that was a given. But he was also smart, funny, kind, open. You found yourself idly wondering how anyone could pass him up, but you were honestly not upset that she had. It was a stupid daydream, you knew that. There was no way he was into you. But you couldn’t stop yourself from imagining what it might be like to show Jimin the kind of love he’d been missing, the kind he was so clearly desperate to find. 

If anyone deserved to feel raw, unconditional love, you had no doubt that Jimin did. He was so sweet and friendly and had so much love to give in return. You wanted to watch those eyes light up, see how brightly he could shine when properly adored. You wanted to be that for him. He shuffled in his sleep, mumbling something under his breath and his arms reached out, seeking your warmth. He brought you flush against him, enveloping you in his warm embrace. You smiled to yourself and carded your fingers through his silky hair. 

You let yourself melt into his hold, feeling welcome and needed and wanted. You began fading in and out of consciousness, the comfort and safety of having Jimin so close putting your mind at ease. You fell asleep to the sound of his strong, steady heartbeat, which sounded a lot like your new favorite song.

You woke up before Jimin, the sunlight finding its way through the thin curtain that covered the large window of his hotel room. You blinked a few times and tried to sit up, but Jimin’s arms instinctively wrapped around you tighter, holding you in place against his firm body. You grinned, snuggling back into his embrace and pressing yourself up against him. That’s when you felt something hard pressing against your backside. You experimentally wiggled your hips against Jimin’s, wondering if it was what you thought it was. His sleepy moan and the friction against your bottom proved your suspicions correct. 

Your eyes widened and you bit your lip as arousal pooled in between your legs. Jimin’s rock hard cock pressed against your backside made your head spin. You attempted to remove yourself from his grasp but that only made him hug you closer, effectively pressing his erection against you more. You whimpered quietly, torn between not disturbing Jimin and relieving the ache between your thighs. You pushed your bottom farther into him, hoping to gain a little friction. Suddenly, his hand gripped down on your hip, stilling your movements. 

“What are you doing?” He questioned, his morning voice raspy and deep. 

“I...uh….” you gulped, heat flooding to your cheeks at having been caught grinding against him.

You tried to flee, but Jimin’s firm grip on your hip didn’t lessen, his fingers dug into your skin deliciously. 

“It looks like you were grinding your pretty little ass on my cock.” He purred, his hand sliding from your hip to grasp the fleshy globe of your bottom, giving it a rough squeeze. 

“Ah, fuck.” You squeaked out at his possessive actions, you leaned into his touch and brought a chuckle from him. 

“Hmmmm… you like that?” He chuckled, “you like when I touch you?”

“Yes.” You gasped as his hands traveled farther up to cup your breast, giving it a light squeeze. 

“So needy. Why don’t you do something about it?” He prodded. 

Your brain was fuzzy, you weren’t even registering his words. You didn’t think about what you were doing, you just let your body take control as you turned around then swung a leg over his lap and straddled him. Jimin’s words died in his throat and his mouth hung open in shock. You didn’t let yourself think or slow down, knowing you’d chicken out if you did. You pressed your lips to his in a needy kiss, which he reciprocated after he processed that it was happening. 

His hands found purchase in your hair, tugging gently as his tongue explored your mouth. You moaned into his mouth when his free hand pinched and rolled your nipple between his fingers. You began to grind your hips down onto his, delighting in the way his cock felt dragging up and down your clothed folds. Jimin groaned, letting his head fall back and hit the headboard with a quiet thud before he lifted it and grabbed your hips, holding them still.

“Wait, wait.” he panted.

“What’s wrong?” your hips stilled, embarrassment flooding your cheeks.

“It’s uh, been a while, and if you do that I’m going to cum in my pants.” he admitted sheepishly. 

You bit your lip to hide your giggle when an idea flashed in your mind. You moved your hips so you were straddling his thigh rather than his crotch. You began to rock your hips again and Jimin’s eyes darkened as he stared at the spot where your sex met his thigh. 

“Holy shit, you look so sexy right now…” he hummed thoughtfully, his hands coming to rest on your hips again only to grind you down harder on his toned muscle.

The arousal pooling between your legs was soaking through your clothing, and you were certain Jimin would feel it soaking his flimsy sweats soon. You whimpered at the friction on your clit and when Jimin tensed his thigh it sent a wave of pleasure through you.

His fingers found the edge of your shirt and he glanced at your face to make sure it was okay. When you nodded, he lifted it off of your frame and tossed it aside. He licked his lips as he surveyed your skimpy bra. His lips attached themselves to the tops of your breast while his hands slipped behind you to unclasp the fabric preventing him from seeing all of your upper half. The bra fell off your shoulders and Jimin whisked it away, taking a moment to admire your breasts.

“I think I might have died if I didn’t get a chance to have a proper taste of these.” he hummed, eyes flicking up to yours as a smirk graced his lips.

“Fuck, Jimin.” You whimpered pathetically as electricity shot to your core. 

Almost immediately, his lips were on your nipples.His soft, plump lips sucked at your sensitive nub, his teeth gently scraping along the flesh. Your movements on his thigh stuttered, your mind going blank at the shivers coursing through you. His tongue darted out and swirled around your nipple, before he moved his delicious assault to the other breast. This time, he bit down, pulling the nub between his teeth. You yelped, arching your body closer to him as the sinfully pleasurable pain raced through your veins.

Jimin smirked against your skin, biting and soothing it with the flat of his tongue afterwards. He blew cold air against the red marks on your breasts, and you shivered. Your hips picked up speed the closer you got to letting go and Jimin sensed you were near your high. His fingers dipped past the waistband of your pants and panties, and he began rubbing your clit harshly, until you were just about to fly off the edge, then he ripped his hand away and held you still.

“What the fuck?!” you whined.

“You don’t cum until I say you do.” he growled, “you were a very bad girl, rubbing up against me and teasing me, using me for your own pleasure. So fucking sexy.” 

You whined, trying to rock your hips against him once more, but Jimin was stronger than you. He grabbed your waist and flipped you over so he was hovering above you. The tips of his fingers teasing at your waistband. Your breath caught in your throat, the palpable tension growing thicker with each passing moment. He quickly discarded his own shirt, giving you the most glorious view of his toned chest and stomach. 

You made no attempt to disguise the way you ogled him. You licked your lips seductively as your eyes raked over his body, drinking him in. You reached up to let your hands rake down his chest, fingers tracing the lines of his abs and brushing over his nipples on the way down. His body jerked and you smiled to yourself. Your perusal of his body came to rest at the elastic in his sweats.

“Someone’s eager.” Jimin quipped.

“Someone might not be so eager if she’d been allowed to cum.” you huffed, tugging the sweats and boxers down in one smooth  motion. 

Jimin laughed, standing up and kicking the clothing off of his body before crawling back onto the bed.

“Mouthy little slut. Don’t you know only good girls get to cum?” he shot back, pressing you flat against the mattress and kissing down your neck.

You squirmed under his touch while he worked his way down your body, stopping just above your aching sex. He placed a soft kiss to your clothed folds, making your body react and arch closer, seeking relief. He chuckled to himself and shed you of any remaining clothing. The contrast of the cool air meeting your aching heat caused a shiver to rip through your body. Something lit up in Jimin’s eyes and he removed himself from the bed and walked over to the mini fridge, opening the freezer compartment.  You watched curiously as he returned with the small ice bucket he’d filled before finding you last night.

“Feeling thirsty?” you joked. 

Jimin raised an eyebrow, shooting you a half-smile before taking an icecube and running it over your already hard nipple. You cried out, the stark contrast of his warm hands with the freezing cold of the icecube was divine. You watched as it slowly melted, water droplets rolling off your body and falling onto the bed.

“Jimin…” you whimpered.

“Mmm?” he smirked, repeating the action on the other breast.

Your back arched, seeking more from the man above you. He was playing you like an instrument, and he knew all the right notes. You were putty in his hands, and he knew it. It stroked his ego more than you would’ve cared for but at this point you would’ve done anything to get some attention on your sodden pussy.

Jimin popped an icecube in his mouth and moved up to kiss you. It rolled around between your tongues until it melted between your combined heat. Jimin kissed the tip of your nose before moving his face down between your legs. He pressed his tongue flat against your clit, and the coldness from the icecube that he’d just had in his mouth stunned you. He left your clit to tease along your folds, letting his tongue dart experimentally inside your heat. 

You groaned,writhing underneath his ministrations. He flicked the tip of his tongue against your clit quickly, building the heat in your belly as he moved. He slipped two fingers inside you, curling them and hitting that delicious spot with every pump. He paused for a moment, and suddenly there was something very cold and very wet pressing against your walls. 

You gasped, the ice pressing against you as Jimin moved it in and out with his tongue. The melting liquid joined your slick and spilled out of your hole while Jimin flicked his tongue, and the remaining ice against that spot that drove you wild. Once the ice was gone, and you were panting enough for Jimin’s liking, he doubled down on his efforts, tongue pressing against your walls and fingers working beside it while his other hand worked your clit in small, deliberate circles.

Jimin pulled away abruptly, and you nearly began crying as another orgasm slipped away.You groaned in frustration, reaching down to play with your own clit but Jimin caught your wrists and clicked his tongue.

“Nuh uh, darling. What did I say? You don’t cum unless I tell you to.” he purred, licking a bold stripe along the veins in your wrist, which was strangely erotic.  “I want you to beg for it.” 

“What?” you hissed.

“Beg me to cum. Beg for my cock.” he smirked.

You sighed audibly, and Jimin just watched you, the smirk still pasted on his stupidly handsome face.

“Please…” you mumbled.

“I’m sorry, what was that darling?” Jimin chuckled. “I can’t hear you.”

“Please fuck me, Jimin. I need to cum. Please!” you whined, all of your pride flying out the window as your pussy clenched around nothing.

“That’s my good girl.” he cooed.

“Please hurry.” you whined.

“Shit. I don’t… I don’t have a condom.” Jimin realized out loud, shoulders slumping.

“I have an IUD and I’m clean.” you panted, fingers wrapping around his neck and bringing him to meet your lips. “Are you?”

“I’m clean,” he assured.

“Then fuck me.” you whispered, nibbling on his ear.

Jimin wasted no time obliging your request. He lined himself up with your entrance and slid in smoothly, aided by your dripping arousal, courtesy of your two denied orgasms and the skills of his tongue. Jimin bottomed out, both of you emitting a low groan. Jimin wasn’t super long, but his girth more than made up for it, as well as his ability to move his hips in the most delectable ways. He filled you up perfectly, hitting spots inside you that you were unaware even existed. 

“Jimin.” you moaned, clawing at his back as he thrust in and out of you at a painfully slow pace.

“Say it again.” he whispered, hips picking up speed.

“Jimin.” you repeated.

“Louder.” he growled, snapping his hips in and out of you with vigor.

“Fuck! Jimin!” you cried. 

Jimin pounded in and out of you, causing your body to bounce with each movement of his hips. He loved the way your breasts bounced and the way you bit down harshly on your lip, overwhelmed with pleasure. His head fell into your neck as he pistoned his hips against yours, one hand sneaking between your joined bodies to expertly rub at your clit. You could no longer form a coherent sentence,gibberish falling from your lips as the familiar fire built deep inside you. 

“Jimin.” you warned, your cunt clenching around him.

“Are you gonna cum for me? Cum all over my cock? Do it, baby. Cum for me.” he coaxed.

His teeth sinking into your neck was the last push you needed before you were careening off the edge. Your body trembled at the most intense orgasm you’d ever experienced in your life. White dots clouded your vision and you screamed so loud your throat felt raw. Jimin came soon after you, working you both through your shared euphoria. His thrusts slowed and he stilled inside you, breathing as heavy as your own.

“Holy shit.” he groaned, and you could feel his muscles shaking just as much as your own.

He pulled out of you, watching in awe as his cum seeped out of your beaten hole. He slid a finger along your folds, gathering his seed and bringing it up to your lips. You obediently opened your mouth, wrapping your tongue around his fingers and sucking them clean, the taste of your own slick combined with his cum coating your tongue. Jimin shivered at the sight.

“Fuck, you’re perfect.” he sighed breathlessly.

He stood up, walking into the bathroom to dampen a towel with warm water and bring it back to the bed, gently cleaning you up. You bit your lip, suddenly feeling vulnerable under his gaze. He made his way back into the bed, snuggling up next to you and pulling you into his arms. He watched your expressions and you watched him. You both giggled nervously.

“Do you maybe… want to go out sometime?” he asked, teeth raking over his bottom lip nervously.

“I’d like that.” you giggled, hiding your face in his chest.

You both lay there in comfortable silence, holding each other while your breathing returned to normal. You nodded off, spent from the activities of the morning, and it was Jimin’s turn to watch your peaceful face as you slept. His eyes trailed over your features, adoration and a tinge of something more filling him. True, Jimin had arrived in this small town running away from something. He was searching for something to make him feel anything but the jealousy and pain that had settled deep in his chest. Jimin felt like he was running toward something now, a possibility of the two of you. He knew he wasn’t “fixed”, but he felt good with you, whole with you. 

Jimin knew both of you had a lot of learning to do, and a long way to go and a long way to grow, but he couldn’t stop the excitement bubbling in his chest because for the first time in what seemed like forever, Jimin was happy. Truly, unabashedly happy. He’d started this journey of his running. He thought he’d never recover from the darkness that had taken him over. He thought he’d never find joy again. Jimin had gone desperately searching for something to give him hope.

And then came you.

[rhosyn-du]

Never make a mess when a total catastrophe will do - Chapter Nine

Pairings: Jimon, past Clace, background Clizzy, a bunch of other minor background pairings Rating: Explicit Art: @cor321​ Beta: @all-thestories-aretrue​ Tags:  Alternate Universe - College/University, fake dating, oh my god they were roommates, friends with benefits, idiots to lovers, pining, miscommunication, holidays, drinking games, mistletoe, symbolically significant Oreos, domestic fluff, brief mention of past character death, Jace’s self-worth issues deserve their own tag Summary: What do you do when you find out your sister is not only dating your ex and love-of-your-high-school-life but is also bringing her home for Christmas? Bring your annoying, hot, annoyingly-hot roommate as your fake boyfriend to show them you're totally fine with it, obviously! There's no possible way this could backfire. Link: AO3 , Tumblr Master Post

Chapter Nine

Wednesday nights at The Hunter’s Moon weren’t exactly hopping, but the small crowd would do for Jace’s purposes. The atmosphere was familiar, at least, and he wasn’t likely to find better at any of the other bars in town. He’d been on uncertain footing for months, not knowing how to be whatever he and Simon had been. But now, alone, unwanted, and with a soul-deep ache in his chest, he was finally back on familiar ground. This feeling, Jace knew exactly what to do with, and step one was getting very drunk.

He almost hesitated when he saw Maia behind the bar. She must have switched shifts with someone, because she didn’t usually work Wednesdays, and Jace wasn’t prepared for her too-knowing eyes or her pity.

But Maia greeted him with her usual easy smile, so either she didn’t know Simon had moved out, or she didn’t know him half as well as she pretended to.

“Wasn’t expecting to see you here tonight,” she said. “Isn’t tomorrow your god-awful early Latin class?”

Jace shook his head. “That’s Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Can I get a double shot of Stoli?”

Maia’s smile slipped, just a bit, but she nodded and poured his drink. “Starting off strong right out the gate,” she observed. “You want to talk about it?”

“Nope.” Jace tossed back the shot. The heat that followed it down felt less like the usual ripping off an emotional Band-Aid and more like rubbing salt into an open wound. “What I want is another one of those and to find some company for the night.”

Maia paused, bottle in hand. “Okay, no.” She wasn’t even pretending to smile anymore. “I can’t actually stop you from riding whatever self-destructive train you’ve decided to hop on, but I don’t have to enable it, either.”

“You’re a bartender,” Jace said flatly. “It’s your job to pour drinks.”

“I’m your friend, and I’m not pouring you anything else until you tell me why you’re in my bar looking for a drunken hookup instead of at home with your boyfriend.”

“I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“Don’t be obtuse,” Maia told him. “Where’s Simon?”

Jace met her eyes. “Simon left. Can I have my vodka now?”

“What do you mean, ‘he left’? Oh god, did you guys break up?” And there, finally, was the pity he’d been expecting. At least it came with another shot of vodka.

“Can’t break up if you’re not actually dating.” Jace downed his shot. This one didn’t soothe any better, but at least it didn’t make things worse.

Maia gave him a flat look. “You’ve been sleeping together, exclusively, for the past five months.”

“That was just—” He shook his head, trying not to choke on words that he knew were true but still felt like a lie. “Just a couple hookups between friends.”

“Yeah, that’s complete bullshit.” Maia’s tone was so certain. Jace wanted to believe her.

“Don’t know why you’re so surprised. Simon and I hook up with our friends all the time.”

“No,” Maia said slowly. “You hook up with your friends. So does Lily. So do I, sometimes. But Simon?” She gave him a significant look. “Simon doesn’t do casual. He’s just a great guy who stays friends with most of his exes.”

Jace didn’t even try to hide the bitterness in his smile. “Guess I’m an exception to many rules.”

Maia’s voice was soft when she spoke again. “I don’t actually believe you do casual with someone you’ve been pining over for the better part of a year, either.”

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

“Don’t bullshit me. Neither of us was actually drunk enough to have forgotten that conversation.” When Jace didn’t respond, she asked, “Why’d he leave?”

“Because he wants something real,” Jace told her. “And he doesn’t want it with me.”

When Jace met her eyes again, he expected to see pity. What he got was pure skepticism. “He said that?”

“Yep.” He lifted his glass. “Pour me another?”

She pursed her lips, then shook her head. “I’ll bring you beer.”

Jace sighed, but he didn’t argue. Maia was a much better friend than she was a bartender.

“You know,” Maia said when she returned with his beer, “I’ve known Simon a long time, and that really doesn’t sound like something he’d say.”

Jace lifted his glass in a toasting gesture. “Guess I just bring out the best in people.”

She sighed heavily, leaning on the bar. “Look, I wasn’t there, so I don’t know what you guys said, and he’s never actually talked to me about it, so I don’t know for sure whether he feels the same way about you that you do about him, but anyone who’s not a complete idiot can see he cares about you. That’s not something he makes any effort to hide. And Simon would never say something that cruel to someone he cares about. So, whatever he said? I’m pretty sure it’s not what you heard.”

“Did you just call me a complete idiot?” He needed to make a joke out of it because he couldn’t let himself believe what Maia was saying. He didn’t have it in him to hope again.

“Yes.” She nudged his hand with her elbow. “But you really should talk to Simon.”

“Don’t think just because you’re finally dating the woman you’ve been crushing on for ages that makes you some kind of relationship expert.”

“Oh, I don’t,” she assured him. “I just think I’m more of a relationship expert than you.”

Jace silently flipped her off, then pulled out his phone. He stared at it for a long time before finally texting Simon.

Can we talk? Please.

As soon as he hit send, he put his phone face-down on the bar and turned his full attention to drinking his beer. Maia gave him an approving nod before going to help the trio of customers that had just walked up to the bar.

It took Simon almost ten minutes to respond, and Jace wasn’t sure how to take it when he did.

Bat says it’s fine if you come over.

It wasn’t exactly a gilded invitation, and Jace was pretty sure he didn’t want to have whatever conversation he and Simon were going to have with Bat there, but it also wasn’t a no. Jace could live with not a no. He’d have to.

He caught Maia’s eye. “Close me out?”

“Sure.” She took his card and scanned it. “Where you headed?”

“Bat’s place. Simon’s staying there.”

He expected at least a little bit of gloating, but all he got was a smile and his card back. “Cool.”

Jace shoved his wallet back in his pocket and stood to put his jacket on. Maia stopped him with a hand on his arm.

“Hey. If this doesn’t go the way you want it to, promise you’ll come back here to say I told you so instead of finding a different bar to drown your sorrows in?”

Jace scoffed. “Like I’d ever pass up a chance to rub it in your face that you were wrong.”

Maia gave his arm an encouraging squeeze before letting go. Jace downed the last of his beer and hoped he wasn’t about to fuck things up even worse.

~~~

“How did my place become the designated space for heartbroken sulking?” Bat asked when he opened his door to find Jace standing there.

“It’s because you have the best couch to crash on and the nicest gaming setup,” Jace told him. “Also because you’re too nice to kick your friends out even when we probably deserve it. Can I come in?”

Bat watched him for a long moment, then stepped back and let the door swing all the way open to allow Jace inside.

“I’m gonna run to the store to pick up some more chips,” Bat announced loudly. “I will be back in half an hour, and if any bodily fluids end up on my couch while I’m gone, you are both permanently banned from my apartment.”

“Dude,” came Simon’s voice from the direction of Bat’s living room.

“Just saying,” Bat said, and then he was closing the door behind him, leaving Jace standing in the entryway.

Jace took a deep breath to steady himself, then a second one before finally forcing himself to walk into the living room.

He found Simon on the couch, feet tucked underneath him like he always sat when he was upset. Simon didn’t look up, instead staring intently at the hole in the knee of his worn Boba Fett pajamas as he poked at the threads.

“Hey,” Jace said.

“Hey.” Simon’s eyes stayed trained on his knee.

Okay. This was fine. Jace could work with this. Probably.

He sat down on the far end of the couch and tried again. “Look, I know I’m shit at apologies, but I can’t even try if I don’t know why you’re pissed at me.”

Simon’s shoulders slumped, and he finally looked at Jace with red-rimmed eyes. “I’m not pissed at you.”

“Really? Because you’re acting kind of pissed at me.”

“I’m not—” Simon made a frustrated sound. “Okay, I’m kind of pissed at you, but I know it’s super unfair, and I’m, you know,” he shrugged, “working through it.”

“And when you’re done working through it, then you’ll come home?” Jace’s question sounded desperate, even to his own ears.

“I think—” Simon went back to studying the hole in his pajamas. “I think I’m going to spend the summer back in New York with my mom. Bat said I can crash on his couch for a couple weeks until finals are over.”

“Simon.” Jace was shaking his head, but Simon just kept right on going.

“I can—I can keep paying my half of rent until you find another roommate.”

“I don’t want another roommate.” I want you. Jace shook the thought away. That could wait. All that right now mattered was keeping Simon from walking out of his life.

“Look,” Jace continued, “I know things are kind of weird between us right now, but you don’t have to leave. We can fix this. We can just—just go back to how things were before, like nothing ever happened, and it’ll be—” It would be agonizing. Jace wasn’t sure he could do it. “It’ll be fine.”

“I can’t just go back to how things were before, Jace.” Simon’s glare was withering. “It’s not that easy.”

Jace ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “I know I fucked up. I shouldn’t have kissed you at Alec’s wedding, but I swear it won’t happen again.”

“You didn’t—Jace, we kissed each other at the wedding.”

Jace glared back, letting anger mask his hurt. “Then what exactly is the problem?” If he didn’t know what he’d done, he couldn’t fix it, and if he couldn’t fix it… “If it’s not about the kiss, then why the hell won’t you just come home?”

“Because I love you, you asshole!”

Simon looked almost as surprised by his own outburst as Jace felt. Jace stared. He couldn’t have heard that right. Because if Simon loved him, then he wouldn’t be glaring at him like he just kicked his favorite puppy. If Simon loved him, he wouldn’t have left.

“I love you,” Simon repeated, calmer now, “and I can’t keep pretending that I don’t.”

“Simon,” Jace croaked. His voice didn’t seem to want to work.

“That’s why I can’t live with you anymore, because I’m never going to be able to get over you if I do.”

“Simon,” Jace tried again, voice stronger now.

“And that wouldn’t be fair to either of us. But I think if I just take some time, and some space, then maybe I can—”

Jace let out a frustrated growl. “Will you please stop talking for five seconds so I can tell you that I love you, too?”

It was Simon’s turn to stare. “You—I don’t understand.”

Jace let out a bark of laughter that was half hysterical, half wonder. “Yeah, this is. It’s a lot.”

“But,” Simon’s voice was soft, vulnerable, “if you love me, then why don’t you want to be with me?”

“Simon,” he reached out to cup Simon’s cheek with his hand, “what could possibly have given you the idea that I don’t want to be with you?”

“You!” Simon’s voice was indignant, but he didn’t pull away, instead leaning into Jace’s touch. “You’ve said it like a million times! That you don’t date. That you’re not a relationship kind of guy.”

“Yeah, because I suck at it.” It wasn’t an easy admission to make, and Jace had to force himself not to cringe away from showing this much vulnerability. But for Simon, he would. “You were right when you said I don’t know how to be bad at things, and I make a terrible boyfriend. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to be yours.”

Simon let out a choked laugh, winding his arms around Jace’s neck. “You were actually a pretty great boyfriend, even when you were just pretending.”

“Simon. I was never pretending.”

Simon made a wounded noise and dragged him the remaining inches between them into a kiss. It was messy and the angle was awkward as hell, but Jace wouldn’t have traded it for anything. He kissed back, putting everything he felt into it. And then Simon was throwing a leg over him to straddle his lap, and the angle—along with everyone else—was so much better.

“Dude, what did I say?”

They broke apart at Bat’s very annoyed question. Jace had been too distracted to even hear the door.

“Technically, we didn’t break your rule.” Simon’s grin was wide and bright and a little dazed as he disentangled himself from Jace. Jace suspected he was wearing a similar expression. “No bodily fluids on your couch.”

“I expect more than a technicality when your fluids are involved,” Bat said flatly. “And I’m happy you guys got your shit together or whatever, but please get the fuck out of my apartment now.”

“I think we were just leaving, anyway,” Jace said.

“Oh yeah,” Simon agreed. “We’ve got some, uh, stuff to take care of back home.”

Jace barely even heard the pained noise Bat made over the sudden burst of joy in his chest at hearing Simon call their apartment “home” again. Grinning like an absolute idiot, he let Simon pull him out the door and down the street toward their apartment. Toward home.

~~~

It took them far longer to get back to the apartment than the distance warranted. Probably because they couldn’t seem to go a full block without kissing, which inevitably led to making out against the nearest wall until one of them remembered that they actually had an apartment with nice features like beds and privacy.

“This is ridiculous,” Jace said half a block down from their building, ignoring the fact that he was the one who had Simon pinned to the neighboring complex’s laundry room wall. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Either kiss me again or get moving,” Simon said, grinding against the thigh Jace had between his legs. “I’d really like to get you naked before I have to leave for morning classes.”

With a put-upon sigh, Jace stepped back. “It’s really annoying when you’re right about things, you know that?”

“I know that you say ‘annoying’ when you mean ‘hot,’” Simon said with a smug grin.

“That is not at all a thing that I do,” Jace lied.

They managed to make it back to the apartment with no more detours and practically fell through the door with how eager they were to get their hands and mouths back on each other.

“Missed this,” Simon said between kisses. “Missed you.”

“It’s been like half a week,” Jace said, like he hadn’t missed Simon like he’d lost a limb, blood loss included. “And you’re the idiot who decided we should break up, so whose fault is that?”

“We weren’t even dating, you dick. I didn’t think you wanted to.” Simon pulled away then, suddenly serious. “You do want to, though, right? You meant it when you said you want to be my boyfriend?”

“I can’t believe I fell in love with someone so dense,” Jace said with an affectionate smile. “Yes, I meant it.”

“Okay,” Simon said, smiling back. “Cool.”

“Now that we’ve got that sorted out,” Jace leaned forward, lips hovering a hairsbreadth away from Simon’s, “can I please take you to bed already?”

Simon kissed him, quick and hard, before grabbing the lapels of his leather jacket and walking backward down the hallway, dragging Jace with him.

“I like it when you say please,” Simon said. “It’s definitely something you should do more often.”

“Yeah?” Jace used the fact that his own hands were free to unbuckle Simon’s belt while they walked. “You gonna make me?”

“I thought that was implied.” Simon pushed the door to Jace’s bedroom open and shoved Jace through it.

Jace took another step back, shrugging out of his jacket and tossing it vaguely in the direction of his desk chair. “You really think you can?”

“I’ve done it before.” Simon followed and slid his hands up beneath Jace’s shirt. “I can remind you how it went if you forgot.”

“Could have been a fluke.” Jace’s words probably would have been more convincing if his entire body hadn’t jolted when Simon’s thumbs very deliberately brushed over his nipples before moving to tug his shirt over his head.

“You’re right,” Simon said as he pulled his own shirt over his head. “We’ll need a bigger data set if we’re going to do a proper statistical analysis.”

“Less math.” Jace pulled open Simon’s fly and reached a hand inside his boxers. “More sex.”

Simon rocked into the touch. “I didn’t hear a ‘please’ in there.”

Jace snorted. “Bite me.”

“I mean, I was going to suck you, but if you’d rather I bite—”

Jace cut him off with a kiss. By the way Simon smiled against his mouth, he thought that might have been exactly the reaction he was going for. Jace couldn’t be annoyed by it, though. Not when Simon was making those soft, eager noises into their kisses while they divested each other of their remaining clothes. Not when every touch, every kiss felt like coming home. Not when they finally tumbled into bed and Simon kissed perfect and so hot and love you into his mouth and skin.

It wasn’t until Simon had him practically writhing with want, lazily fingering him while he traced patterns across Jace’s hipbone with his tongue, that Jace realized he’d meant it about making him say ‘please.’ The realization must have shown on his face because Simon, the utter bastard, winked at him before stroking his finger against Jace’s prostate, just once. It was almost as infuriating as it was hot.

Jace’s resolve not to beg lasted right up until Simon shifted so he could reach Jace’s other hip with his mouth, causing his own cock, hard and leaking, to brush against Jace’s calf. Knowing that Simon was just as turned on as he was, it was too much.

He rocked his hips down as Simon added a second finger, trying desperately to get some pressure where he needed it. The stretch felt good, but it wasn’t anywhere near enough. “Are you waiting for a gilded invitation?”

“You know what I’m waiting for,” Simon said mildly, cheek just barely grazing Jace’s cock as he lowered his head to place an open-mouthed kiss on the seam of Jace’s thigh.

“Fuck, fuck, fine,” Jace panted. “Please.”

Simon didn’t waste any time to gloat, swallowing him down to the root in one smooth motion at the same time that he crooked his fingers to press against Jace’s prostate. Jace let out a strangled sob, fighting to keep his hips still and failing miserably. If Simon’s answering moan was any indication, he didn’t mind in the slightest, so Jace stopped trying, losing himself in the heat of Simon’s mouth, the perfect pressure of his fingers.

He glanced down, needing to see, and was very nearly undone by the sight of Simon’s lips stretched around his cock, the obvious enthusiasm for what he was doing. Simon caught his gaze and swallowed—very deliberately—around the head of his cock. Jace let out a keening noise as his body shook and he spilled his release down Simon’s throat.

Simon kept working him with mouth and fingers until it was just pushing the edges of too much, and then he was crawling up Jace’s body to kiss him, needy and desperate, as he jerked himself off. Jace had just enough presence of mind left to kiss back, to slide one hand between them to join Simon’s on his cock until Simon was shaking apart above him, painting their hands and stomachs with his come.

“See?” Simon said a few minutes later, still half-breathless. “I knew I could get you to say ‘please.’”

“Fuck you,” Jace mumbled without any real heat, too fucked-out to muster a proper comeback.

Simon gave him a crooked grin. “Next time, I should make you ask nicely, though.”

Jace thought he probably shouldn’t be as into that idea as he was, especially since he’d just come, but he absolutely was, his mind spinning out an elaborate vision of what that would be like. Not that he was going to admit it.

“Shut up and cuddle me,” he said instead.

Simon’s answering smirk said he knew exactly what Jace wasn’t saying, but he didn’t argue, curling his body into Jace’s with a contented sigh.

“Hey,” Jace said quietly. “I love you.”

He felt Simon’s smile against his shoulder. “I love you, too.”

Eventually, Jace knew, they would have to move. They were both in desperate need of a shower, and he should probably put something in his body that wasn’t alcoholic if he didn’t want to feel like death in the morning. But for now, he was content to stay like this, wrapped in the arms of the man he loved. And when they did finally make their way out of bed, he’d be fine with that, too, and whatever came after. As long as Simon was beside him.

[cutieodonoghue]

dark gray (epilogue)

summary: Killian Jones operates a lighthouse in the middle of nowhere, preferring a life of isolation, until one day a woman and a baby wash up on his little island and change his life forever.

read it on: ao3, ff.net

and also catch up on Tumblr!

a/n: it seems everyone wants an epilogue! Pretty much all fluff, so if that’s not your thing, I’m not sure how you got here… haha 

Thanks for all of your support again. I really, really appreciate all of your kind words and gestures of kindness. Hope you like this epilogue!

///

“We’ll buy a house in Storybrooke and adopt a dog. We’ll give Henry a few brothers and sisters. Your parents will adore me. And we’ll spend far too much time forgetting that any of this ever happened. But, I do reckon we’ll argue about paint chips while we’re working on remodeling the house. Unfortunately.”

///

Epilogue

SPRING

In early spring, Killian and Emma buy a house a few blocks away from her parents, not wanting to be too far from town, but still needing their own space. 

It’s a beautiful home on the corner, with a huge backyard and a generous floor plan. There are three bedrooms that they can fill with children, or so Killian imagines. 

He learns that Emma really likes big windows to let light in, and he tells her that it makes sense, because since they met, she’d brought a lot of light into his life. She rolls her eyes at him, but he knows she appreciates it.

There isn’t a lot to unpack on the first day, with the sum total of their furniture coming from Emma’s abandoned apartment. They don’t need much. Not yet.

He finds Emma sitting in their bedroom once Henry’s been put to sleep in his own bedroom just up the hall. She seems tired, maybe a little emotionally worn out from everything that happened.

“Hey,” Killian says, sitting beside her. He rubs her lower back, pressing a kiss to her temple. “You alright, love?”

Emma meets his eyes, giving him a small smile. “Yeah. I’m just tired. It was a long day.”

He hums knowingly. They stare at one another for a few moments, silent. Killian finds that he can’t stop grinning. This has been a day he’s looked forward to for a while. The opportunity to live in a beautiful home with his family is beyond exciting.

“We should get married.”

“Married?”

He nods, hoping she knows he’s serious. Killian stands up so he can kneel in front of her. “I love you so much, Emma. I want you to know I’ll always, always be by your side. Will you marry me?”

She tilts her head to the side just slightly. Her eyes become watery and she reaches for his hand to squeeze it. “I can’t argue with that.” 

“Is that a yes?”

Emma laughs a little. “Yes. It is.”

They decide to have their wedding as quickly as they can, not wanting to waste any time. 

The idea both confuses and delights her parents. Mary Margaret immediately wants to help, something Emma is grateful for, and David questions him for about an hour in the privacy of his study about his true intentions.

Over the course of a few far too short weeks, Killian works on fixing a few odds and ends around the house while Emma plans an intimate wedding for them.

He learns her natural routines and schedules. Tries to fit as much time in with her as he can in between work and trying to prepare for both a wedding and a baby.

She introduces him to her friends. Belle the town librarian, Robin and Regina the happily married barkeepers, and Ruby the fashion designer. 

He meets friends of his own at work at the harbor, too. Will, who keeps him on his toes, and Graham who would rather work in the forest. They go for beers on nights when Emma’s friends are over helping with wedding prep.

He can’t help but laugh when they clash heads over paint chips. 

She’s right. Of course she’s right. She always is.

They form traditions out of game nights and group dinners. Their friends watch Henry on occasion, and in turn, Killian offers them free outings on the water on a ship that he helps run as part of his job.

They get married at the end of the spring, under a canopy of flowers and hanging twinkle lights, in Emma’s parent’s backyard. 

Henry wears a little suit to match Killian’s, while Emma makes the most stunning bride in a white dress that flows to the ground. She’s glowing, absolutely radiant, though she worries that her baby bump is too obvious to keep hiding it from everyone.

So, once they say “I do”, and find themselves slow dancing at the party afterward, Killian asks in a low whisper pressed to her ear, “Are you ready to tell Mom and Dad?”

Emma laughs a little, leaning her head back so she can meet his eyes. “You’re going to call them that all the time now, aren’t you?”

“If it will irritate your father, absolutely.”

His wife- his wife!- tilts her head at him, giving him a soft sigh of disapproval. “We should tell them. Mom’s going to flip.”

Mary Margaret does, in fact, flip.

/

SUMMER

The summer brings them a new friend called Wilby, who enjoys bones, licking Henry’s toes, and long walks along the beach. 

Summer brings a nasty sticky heat and messy ice cream cones. Henry’s favorite flavor is chocolate. Emma’s is mint chocolate chip, which she eats by the pint balanced on her pronounced baby bump. 

In the summer, there are fireworks on the Fourth of July, town celebrations, visits to Granny’s Diner for lunch during Emma’s time off work, outings on boats, trips to the beach, and nights spent sitting outside with friends that seem to always be over to visit.

Emma’s sitting in the grass with Henry and Mary Margaret, laughing genuinely at her mother while she squeezes their son’s hands. 

Ruby’s running around with Wilby, complaining about how massive the yard is, while Belle and Will sit at the picnic table with Robin, Regina, and a pack of cards.

“So.” Neal says, a gentle unassuming smile on his face, approaching Killian at his spot on the back porch steps. “It’s been a few months. What’s it like, being married?” 

Neal offers him a cold beer. He takes it, shaking his head while he laughs. “Why? Are you thinking of getting married soon?”

Neal sits beside him, sighing as he drapes his arms around his knees at chest level. “Maybe.” He sips his drink. “So what’s it like?”

If he had to define it, he doesn’t think he could. It’s not been without its highs and lows, but for the most part, they’ve enjoyed peace. He thinks they deserve it, after everything that they’ve been through.

Again, Killian shakes his head. He stares at Emma, at the way she throws her head back to laugh at something Ruby says to her. At the soft stray curls of her ponytail. At the gentle swell of her body in the seventh month of pregnancy.

He can tell even from several feet away that she’s glowing. 

“It’s home.”

Neal considers him briefly. He hums into his bottle and has another sip. 

It’s a bit awkward, because he and Neal haven’t shared as much time together as they should. In fact, if he thinks about it, he and Neal hardly know one another. 

All he knows is that Emma and Neal were once in a troubled relationship, and now they were friends. If they could even call it that.

“Thank you.” Neal says with a tiny smile. “For giving her everything she needs. God knows I was never enough for her.”

Killian isn’t sure what to say, so he smiles back before looking ahead again. “How did you meet Emma?”

Neal seems to think about it, maybe searching for a good place to start. He takes a steadying breath to prepare for whatever he’s about to say. 

“I lost my parents growing up. Mom… ran off with another guy and Dad went criminally insane.” He stares down at his beer. “Left me to fend for myself. I met Emma at a gas station in Washington state. She was on the run like me.”

Killian found himself surprised. Knowing what he did about Neal, he hadn’t thought too deeply about his background. It surprised him even more to think that he could understand him. After all, he himself was running from the whole world. For years.

“What were you running from?”

Neal shakes his head. He laughs in spite of himself, a soft chuckle from his nose. “I still don’t know, man.”

He clears his throat and sets the bottle down on the step beside him.

“I was the same way. Running. Hiding.” Killian admits. He shakes his head. “That hole in your chest doesn’t go away, does it? Nothing helps.”

Neal clenches his jaw as he averts his gaze. “No.”

On a soft breath, Killian stands and finds a football in the grass nearby. He kicks it toward Neal to get his attention. 

The last time he’d played football was with Liam, years ago, but it was clear to him that Neal needed something powerful to pull him out of himself. He needed a brother.

“My brother and I used to kick the ball back and forth until the sun went down.” Killian reminisced. He tipped his head back toward the yard. “What do you say?”

Neal offers him a shrug. “I might be rusty… but sure.”

On their way into the yard, Killian stops to help Emma to her feet. She sways into him, caught off balance, and he chuckles, asking, “You okay, love?”

She hums, sighing softly. “Just a little lopsided.” Emma glances past him at Neal, who now has the ball scooped up onto the top of his shoe. “You guys are going to kick the soccer ball around?”

“For just a little while.” Killian says. “Time to finally get some use out of the yard.” He notices her attention rests on the man from her past. “Okay?”

“It’s fine,” she assures him. “I’m glad you’re making friends.”

Later that night, while he and Emma prepare for bed in the bathroom, he lifts his eyebrow at her in the mirror. “Are you sure you’re alright with me befriending Neal?”

Emma stops brushing her teeth to spit into the sink. When she finishes rinsing her mouth, she shrugs. “It’s just a little weird, but it’s fine.”

“Like… how, weird?” Killian wonders. He turns around so he can lean against the bathroom counter with his hand over his opposite wrist.

His wife sighs. She presses her hands to her lower back. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m nervous that now that things are finally kind of normal between us, something will change.”

“So Neal feels weird to you.”

Emma cringes at that. “No. Not really.”

Killian hums. “Did you know that he’s taking online classes? He’s trying to get a degree to teach.”

Her eyes widen in surprise. “No. I didn’t.”

“I think he’s changed. For the better.”

Emma turns to look for something on the counter. “Well, then all the best to you and your new bromance. You have my blessing.”

He rolls his eyes, smiling, and steps away from the sinks so he can kiss her temple. “You don’t have to be okay with it if you’re not.”

“He needs a friend. You’re the best one I can think of around here.”

With a clever little smirk, Killian lifts a brow. “Are you saying I’m your best friend?”

Emma, clearly exhausted, rolls her eyes. Hard. “Killian, I’m carrying your child.”

“And you’re doing it so well, my dear.” Killian offers her a kiss. “I love you. You’re my best friend. In case you were wondering.”

A little blush finds her cheeks and her lashes flutter against her cheeks. “You’re my best friend too.”

/

FALL

Storybrooke in the autumn is gorgeous, and it’s Emma’s very favorite thing. She tells him she loves the way the colors turn the streets burnt orange and red, and even though he’s seen fall before, he swears it’s so much better through her eyes. 

She asks him to take them for a drive through the forest on Sunday afternoons so they can show Henry the colors of the trees while Wilby hangs out the window, tongue wagging in the wind. 

On mildly cold nights, she comes to bed wearing her bright red flannel pajamas and socks, explaining that she’s freezing, but an hour later she’ll change because she’s too hot.

Henry likes the leaves that pile up in their backyard. He really likes the pumpkin bread that Mary Margaret brings over for them to share, and the way David’s pickup truck sounds when it starts.

The autumn is when Emma goes into labor. She grits her teeth and tells him as much while she’s trying to fold laundry one late afternoon. It’s a blur of lights and colors and sounds. A blur of long hours standing and sitting at her side. A blur of emotions when it’s finally time to push. 

Brushing back her sweaty hair from her face, allowing her to squeeze the circulation out of his one and only hand, encouraging her as much as she’ll let him. 

And when it happens, when the first cries break the surface tension, everything else fades away. 

Ten tiny fingers. Ten tiny toes. 

Pointy little ears and soft dark hair. 

Shrieks that turn into gentle whimpers. 

Emma, Emma, Emma.

He kisses her soundly and whispers, “You did it. I’m so proud of you, love.”

She laughs a little, her eyes filled with tears. She’s unable to look away from the newborn on her chest.

“She’s so beautiful.”

“You’re welcome.”

Emma looks up at him with a glare. 

He chuckles. “I’m only teasing. She clearly gets it all from you.”

His heart has never been as full as it is that early autumn morning, standing in a hospital room with his newborn daughter in his arms and his life forever changed.

The town throws an autumn festival, full of games and food along Main Street. There’s a hayride that one of his closest friends, Robin, takes them on free of charge.

There are fewer things he thinks are sweeter than seeing his son in a Halloween costume a few weeks later, dressed up like Peter Pan, except maybe seeing his newborn daughter as Tinkerbell.

For many years on the island, Killian ignored holidays. There was no need to celebrate when it was just him, and even fewer reasons while he wallowed in sorrow and grief. 

There were a lot of reasons to be thankful this Thanksgiving. 

Friends. Family. 

It had been so long since he’d had either, but it felt like he’d known them forever. 

Finally gathered around the dining table, Killian takes a long look around at the faces of his friends and family. 

Emma sits with their daughter in a wrap pressed to her chest, her soft swaths of dark hair peeking out on top, so gentle and sweet. Henry sits between them, happily digging into his meal without any thought. 

“I’d like to make a toast.” Killian says, standing. He clears his throat. “Thank you for being here. It means a lot to Emma and I that you would choose to come to our home and spend today with us. That’s sort of what I’d like to toast, actually, uh… not all of you know this, but for a good portion of my life, I chose to isolate myself. I literally lived on an island. I had nothing to celebrate, and I didn’t want to, either.”

Pausing, he meets Emma’s eyes and returns her smile.

“But this year, I have so much to celebrate. And I want to thank all of you for that. You welcomed me into your community without a second thought. I’m thankful this year for my family.” He looks to his children, then to David and Mary Margaret. He turns to the rest of the table. “And for your friendship. Without it, I would be as lost as I once was.

“So, a toast, to the community we have. And to living a life worth celebrating.”

“Here here!”

/

WINTER

Winter brings him full circle. 

On the first snowfall of the year, Killian wakes to Emma’s excited gasps and her hands on his arm, shaking him awake.

“It’s snowing! Killian, it’s snowing!”

She’s out of bed faster than he can open his eyes all the way, already rushing up the hall to get their son out of his crib. With a small smile, he waits for her to return, both of their children in her arms.

She’s breathless, her hair still a mess from sleep, yet she’s smiling so happily. “Come on, Daddy, we gotta go out and get some of the snow!”

Henry giggles. “Daddy go!”

They work as a team to prepare the children for their first snow of the year, and the moment they step outside, Emma turns to him, absolutely beaming.

It’s been a year. A year since the ocean brought her to him.

He can still remember the day she asked him to take her out into the first snow of the season, her eyes shining just as much as they do now. 

She doesn’t have to say anything for him to know that this is a meaningful day for her. For them.

In one sense, the first snow is a reminder of the beginning of their relationship. The day they’d started to see one another as they truly were.

If there’s anything this year has taught him, there’s a lot to love about learning Emma and Henry in a world far from the chilly, wintery sea.

Henry loves the snow. He catches snowflakes on his mittens and keeps calling out for them to show them. And then there’s footprints in the snow, and tasting snow, and falling in the snow. Crying because the snow is too cold, but laughing the moment he’s safe in Killian’s arms.

And when they go back inside, all Henry wants to do is rush straight back out into it again.

Storybrooke at Christmastime is a feast of colors, foods, and celebration. 

They spend a lot of time with family and friends, gathered together at Granny’s for her special holiday menu. Killian and Emma build a snowman that Henry helps them decorate. Mary Margaret and David help them find the perfect, massive tree that goes in their foyer.

On Christmas morning, well before the children have stirred, his wife finds him sitting in front of the fireplace, lined with stockings, reading a book that he swore he’d read months ago. When he was on the island, he could read several books in one sitting. Now, not so much.

“I have a present for you.” Emma says, wrapping her arms around his neck from behind.

Killian lifts an eyebrow. “It’s not Christmas until the children are up.”

She laughs into his ear and then joins him on the sofa, a wrapped gift in her hands. “I know… just trust me.”

His mind races, unsure of what this secret gift could possibly be that it would require him to just trust her. 

Taking a deep breath, she extends the present toward him. “I’ve been working on this all year.”

He hesitates, his thumb finding the crease in the wrapping paper corner. “Oh, so no pressure, then.” He winks at her, smirking. “I’m sure I’ll love it.”

Quickly, he pulls the paper away from what lies beneath. At first, he isn’t sure what he’s looking at. It’s a hardcover book with the word “Journal” in sprawling cursive on the front.

He flips the book open, curious.

On the first page, there’s a date, a small entry, and a photograph. The date is Christmas Eve, only a year ago, and the entry reads:

Today, you told me that you were home here. This journal is going to be a document of that. 

The photo is of he, Emma, and Henry sitting in their favorite booth at Granny’s. He remembers Mary Margaret insisting that they take a picture on his very first day in town. Now, he’s glad he has it.

While he looked absolutely miserable physically, he can still remember not feeling any pain until he had to lie down to sleep that night. 

He flips the page. Another entry. The following day.

“I don’t think I’m fond of peppermint, Emma.” But you still smelled like peppermint all day today. 

Killian laughs under his breath, smirking at the photo she’d clearly taken of him incognito, biting a candy cane.

He continues to flip through the journal, addicted to seeing Emma’s insights of their experiences.

We argued over paint chips for exactly 3 minutes before you doubled over laughing and let me choose all the right shades of white. Thank you.

A photo of the paint chips in question follows.

Killian continues turning the pages until he finds one day in particular that finally pulls him out of the gift.

Their wedding day.

You smelled like the ocean today.

A photo of he and Henry standing on the beach much later in the night follows. They’re both barefoot, standing in the sea foam. He hadn’t realized she was taking pictures. 

Looking up at Emma, he finds her nervously biting on her lower lip.

“You did this everyday?”

She nods. “Yeah.” He flips the page. “Just like your mom’s journal. Except this one, I hope, gives you different feelings when you look at it.”

Killian hums. “It does.” 

He can’t help but smile, studying a photo of his son kissing Emma’s growing bump just a few months ago. 

“Look at today.”

He does as she asks, flipping all the way to the end of the journal. The final entry is a little bit longer than the others he’s had the time to read.

This year, you: bought a house, got married, got a new job, made a lot of friends, had a baby, adopted a dog, watched a lot of cable TV, celebrated every holiday, loved your kids with everything you had, and spent every day in between making a difference. Thank you for choosing us, Killian.

A photo of him and the children sitting at the breakfast table follows. His baby daughter in one arm, Killian’s singing one of those silly nursery rhymes along with Henry, who sits at the table beside him, beaming brightly with crinkles by his eyes. 

He remembers the giggles, the fit of laughter that came from Henry’s belly, and the way his sticky fingers felt against his cheeks and lips when he leaned in close enough. 

The photo is pure joy. A true encapsulation of the year they’ve shared.

Like before, he isn’t sure how Emma went unnoticed taking this picture, but he’s glad she did. 

“This year was special for a lot of reasons, but the biggest reason is that it was your first year away from the island.” Emma says. “And I wanted to give you something that proved that it was worth it. That proved you were here and it mattered.”

He looks up at her, tears welling in his eyes. He manages to smile softly at her. “Thank you.”

Emma puts her right hand on his face, rubbing her thumb against the apple of his cheek. “I know I’ve said it before, but thank you for being there that day. For me and Henry. This book is proof that we’re here, too.”

Killian turns his head to kiss her palm. He sets the book aside and determinedly lays Emma back on the sofa with his lips pressed to hers. She runs her fingers through his hair as they languidly share a stolen moment, free of distraction and interruption.

Before he can get too carried away, Killian breaks the kiss, pressing his forehead against Emma’s. 

She bites on her lip after her tongue darts out to soothe it, a twinkle in her eye. “What was that for?”

“For giving this year to me.” He looks into her eyes, cocking an eyebrow. “Quite literally.”

She hums sweetly, tugging at his hair. “Here’s to seventy more, my love.”

[jo-kuron]

( LANA CONDOR, CISFEMALE, SHE/HER, VIRGO, 25 ) I just spotted JOSEPHINE KURON at the beach today. Don’t you know them? They live down by the TOWERS and usually hang out with the RICH KIDS cliques. From what I’ve heard, they can be CONTROLLING, but they’re also DETERMINED. I always think of them when i hear JUST LIKE MAGIC by ARIANA GRANDE and tend to associate them with parchment paper on a cookie sheet at 3AM, a worn copy of wuthering heights for annotations, sunglasses covering bags under sleep deprived eyes . ( bree, she.her, 21, est )

HI EVERYONE! So, this is one of my fave muses, Jo. She is an amazing and complex female who will constantly amaze, I PROMISE. This is mostly her backbone, there’s more headcanons to follow!

BASIC CHARACTER QUESTIONS

Full Name: Josephine Avila Kuron

nicknames: Josie, Jojo, Jo, Superstar, Dreamer

date of birth: September 20, 1995

age: Twenty Five

Star Sign: Virgo

Chinese Zodiac: Rat

PHYSICAL / APPEARANCE

hair style? Typically seen with a half-up do.

glasses or contact lenses? Black Tortoise shelled frames from time to time.

scars or birthmarks? a birthmark of a crown sits on the front of her right ankle.

tattoos? A small silhouette of her ex dancing, specifically a jump mid-air.  

physical or mental handicaps? Dyslexia.

type of clothes? Typically in Alternative clothing. Lots of ripped jeans and pleated skirts.

mannerisms? When nervous, Jo will tug at her sleeves or excessively push her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

PERSONALITY

are they more optimistic or pessimistic? Pessimistic now, the past self was optimistic.

are they introverted or extroverted? Introverted Extrovert.

do they ever put on airs? Sometimes, if she feels intimidated.

what bad habits do they have? Nail biting, and joint cracking.

what makes them laugh out loud? Silly dad jokes and situational humor.

how do they display affection? Gifting small items.

how do they want to be seen by others? Strong and put together.

how do they see themselves? Weak and a mess, irredeemable.

strongest character trait? Trusting

weakest character trait? Controlling

how competitive are they? Very, she loves a challenge.

do they make snap judgements or take time to consider? She takes time to consider the majority of the time, but she will make a quick decision from time to time.

PAST AND FUTURE

Jo was a miracle baby, she was her parents fifth time trying for a child. It wasn’t for lack of pregnancy, her mother couldn’t carry all the way through term. After Josephine took her first breath, nearly every breath after that  was in the vicinity of her mother. Although most kid would’ve hated that, Jo found it comforting. She was very nurtured. After her birth, Jo’s mother became a stay at home mom. This often led to her feeling like it would teeter on the side of helicopter parenting from time to time. However, the extra time with her mother led her to find her love of reading and writing.As a child Jo was a huge teacher's pet.  She always loved the idea of learning, no matter who or what was teaching her. Even when she hit the age of nine and learning became hard for her, she still enjoyed someone looking out for her and trying to help her be her best self.

Even though she overcame her disability, she shies away from compliments. She finds herself undeserving of them, and openly welcomes criticism. She knows that she isn’t perfect, but she wants to work on being the best version of herself she could be.

She grew up thinking she was poor, but her parents were actually well off because they never wanted her to grow up thinking that money made anyone better than anyone else.

All she wanted was to get into college to make her parents proud of her. Yes, she could’ve done anything and got their approval, but she wanted their approval to mean something. So she worked as hard as she could to get into the top education program in the nation. She wanted to pay the experience she had in school forward. She was on her way home to tell her parents that she had did something that would actually make them proud, her mother called her and told her the terrible news. Her father had a heart attack and didn’t make it to the hospital. She was ready to drop all of her plans to be with her mother and just do school at a local college. However, once her mother found out that she had gotten the scholarship she worked so hard for, her mother demanded that she went to Yates. That’s how she ended up on the green slopes of campus her freshman year of college.

TL;DR: JO WAS A MIRACLE BABY THAT WANTED TO BE A TEACHER HER WHOLE LIFE. SHE ALMOST DIDN’T GO TO COLLEGE BECAUSE SHE WANTED TO TAKE CARE OF HER MOTHER AFTER HER FATHER’S DEATH BUT HER MOM WOULDN’T LET HER GIVE UP ON ONE OF HER DREAMS.

LOVE

do they believe in love at first sight? Yes.

are they in a relationship? No.

how do they behave in a relationship? She likes to keep everyone at a distance except her significant other. She treats them like her best friend, and more often than not they are. She loves to have a friendly relationship so she doesn’t feel like she’s a totally different person in love.

has your character ever been in love? Yes.

have they ever had their heart broken? Yes.

what is their sexual orientation? Bisexual.

FAVOURITES

what is their favourite animal? Koala

what place would they most like to visit? Pasadena, California

what is the most beautiful thing they’ve ever seen? The sunset in New York City. Her ex-boyfriend

what is their favourite song? Heebiejeebies by Amine

music, art, reading preferred? She prefers YA novels, loves Musicals, and isn’t the biggest fan of literal art. She just likes to look at pretty things.

what is their favourite color? She loved the color black for the longest, but now her favorite color is a sky blue.

favourite food: She loves all types of Italian food.

what is their favourite day of the week? Tuesday.

POSSESSIONS

what is in their fridge: She always keeps Apple juice and water bottles in her fridge to drink and enough random snacks to make it look healthy even though she has a stash of chips in the pantry

what is on their bedside table? She keeps a candle and wireless phone charger that looks like a glowing rune when her phone is charging.

what is in their car? She always keeps back ups to all of her bathroom items in her trunk. If you think about it, she has it in there. In her center console she keeps napkins, a reusable straw set, and a few pairs of chopsticks. In her glove compartment she has an extensive rotating collection of cds. She likes the nostalgic feeling.

what is in their purse? She keeps her debit cards, an old photo of her ex, a packet of tissues, headphones, an emergency twenty dollar bill, and a few packs of salt and pepper in a small pouch.

what is in their pockets? Her phone or her headphones

what is their most treasured possession? Her locket.

DAILY LIFE

what are their eating habits? Typically whatever is easily accessed. If it takes longer than an hour to cook, she probably won’t make it.

are they minimalist or a clutter hoarder? She would like to believe she’s a minimalist, but her closet would say otherwise.

what do they do first thing on a weekday morning? Make a cup of coffee and read a book on her kindle.

what do they do on a sunday afternoon? Yoga while their roommate watches.

what do they do on a friday night? Either hangout with her friends or play board games while getting drunk with her roommate.

what is the soft drink of choice? Dr. Pepper

what is their alcoholic drink of choice? Tito’s and crystal light. Old Fashioned

what does she do for work? An English Teacher to GED students. A Cam Girl.

[tiliamericana]

Muay Thai: 1.03

Read from start | Read Ahead | Home Site

The florist down the street was a peaceful place, even if walking in the front door was a little like being punched in the nose. They had a scent pump hidden in a hanging pot by the front door—Nairi wasn’t entirely certain why they needed to spray heavy fragrance oils inside a place filled with flowers, but she’d never managed a flower shop herself. Maybe they were trying to hook pedestrians.

The college kid manning the counter waved in recognition, already turning to fetch her order from the shelf. “Back again?” he said cheerfully as she approached, setting her wrapped cuttings on the counter. “I shouldn’t really discourage repeat patronage, but you know these suckers are pretty easy to grow yourself, right?”

Nairi shrugged, handing her card over as he rung up her order. “I’m pretty bad at keeping plants alive.”

He gave her a rueful grin as he handed her the chip reader to finish the transaction. “I get that—I used to kill cactuses before I started working here. The nurseries we order from have some pretty fierce gardeners on staff though, got me sorted very quickly.”

“Mhm.”

He nodded and kept talking despite her disinterest. The Thursday morning flower rush clearly didn’t provide enough opportunities for socialization. “Yeah, they’re all local places who go all in on small seasonal batches and heritage seeds. The bigger commercial suppliers don’t really have the same kind of knowledge base, it’s very cool.”

Nairi gave him a polite smile as she pocketed her card and picked up the greenery. “I’ll take your word for it.”

“Have a great day!” he called out as she left through the flowers. She sneezed when she stepped into the fresh air outside and rubbed at her nose. Hopefully orchids would go out of fashion soon; she was rapidly coming to hate the smell.

It was a nice day, and she lingered for a moment before heading back inside the dojo. Sun streamed across the front room and she hesitated before leaving the door unlocked. She was close to her opening time anyway and if someone came in early the bell would ring. She tucked her wallet and keys into the desk drawer with the lock and crossed to the back room, leaving that door open behind her.

The second room had a viewing gallery rather than floor markings, and it was raised off the ground as a little balconette. It ran the length of the back wall with a built-in bench and was accessible by a stained wood step ladder; a very pretty feature, the real estate agent had said. Nairi had set her shrine at the far end of the balcony, on a little nook inset to the wall. It had had dividing shelves installed, probably for bags or shoes, but she’d pulled them out to make room.

She’d cleaned her vase that morning to replace the plants, filling it with clean water before she left. The kid at the florist’s hadn’t really reacted when she’d placed her weekly order for just green plants rather than anything with flowers, but she supposed she didn’t actually know what was considered ‘odd’ to buy from a florist.  

Everything else was set up, so she lit the incense and knelt.

A few minutes later the bell rang. Nairi stared at the shrine in front of her for a few moments, then blinked and climbed to her feet. Halfway down the ladder someone called out her name, and her confusion only rose as she stepped onto the mats and crossed back to the front room.

The hooker from the night before, Cherry, was standing in the doorway. She was still half outside, door propped open with her hip, one hand behind her in the sunlight with a lit cigarette smoldering in her fingers. Her other hand was a bit closer to her body, probably to balance the cardboard tray with two coffee cups in it. Her expression brightened when she made eye contact with Nairi, and she smiled. “Oh, there you are! Wasn’t sure I had the right place.”

Nairi stared at her blankly. In the daylight Cherry looked like almost an entirely different person—slinky dress and soft make up gone, traded for faded and worn cutoffs and tank top with half laced docs. Her bare arms had tattoos of fire circling her wrists, tongues of flame licking up to her elbows and her clean face was rounder and freckled.

“Why are you here?” said Nairi blankly, staring at her.

Cherry grinned, juggling the cups between her elbow and shoulder very carefully. “You saved my ass and bought me dinner. I’ve been on dates that aren’t that nice, babe, I wanted to say thanks.”

She dropped the cigarette on the concrete and crushed it under the toe of her boot before stepping inside properly. The bell jingled again as the door swung shut behind her, and she blinked to adjust to the light inside before taking the few steps to close the distance between her and Nairi.

“I wasn’t sure what you liked,” she said, tugging one of the cups out of the tray and offering it to Nairi, “so I just picked the most inoffensive thing I could think of.”

Nairi took the cup after a moment and had a quick sip. Foamy, bitter coffee filled her mouth and she tried not to grimace as she swallowed. “Thanks.”

The corner of Cherry’s mouth twitched. “Not a latte kind of girl?”

Nairi winced. “I don’t drink coffee,” she admitted, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. “Sorry, it was really nice of you.”

“Can’t win ‘em all,” said Cherry, still smiling at her as she plucked the cup out of Nairi’s hand. “Do you like mochas, or teas or something?”

“Uh, I mean, tea usually, I don’t—caffeine gives me headaches—”

“Do you have some time before you open this place up?” asked Cherry, gesturing around the dojo.

“I guess, yeah, I scheduled for twelve, but no one shows up for—”

“Great!” said Cherry brightly. “C’mon, I don’t know how fancy Starbucks gets, but there’s this little posh place on the corner that looks like they’ll sneer at you for using teabags, lemme get you a pot?”

Nairi glanced at the clock over her door. There were fifteen minutes til she was scheduled to open, but, well, no one had booked or called about the noon session. “Okay,” she said after a moment.

Cherry grinned, raising the second coffee to her lips and sculling it in long gulps as Nairi slipped her shoes on. She dropped the coffee cups in Nairi’s wastepaper basket and reached out, grabbing Nairi by the wrist to tug her onto the street outside. Nairi took a second to lock up with the chain while Cherry tapped a toe impatiently, and when she turned back Cherry was watching her curiously.

“You have a problem with break ins?” she asked as Nairi stepped back next to her.

“No,” said Nairi, glancing at her. “Why do you ask?”

Cherry shrugged, hooking her hands into the back pockets of her shorts as they walked. “Heavy duty locks for this part of town, s’all. Though, I’ve lived in some pretty interesting places, and then college towns like, totally fuck with your perception of that stuff, so I’m probably not the best judge of what’s like, a ‘good area’ or whatever.”

Nairi hummed noncommittedly, keeping her gaze ahead of her. She could feel Cherry’s eyes on the side of her face and tried not to think too hard about what it was she was seeing.

The café Cherry took her to was on the other end of the street to Nairi’s building, and it was small and picturesque. It had low armchairs and beanbags dotted around the open air front space, and as it transitioned into the café proper the walls were lined with tall shelves sporting thick, coffee-table books and lush, overflowing ferns. Low chatter and the steaming of coffee machines filled the sparsely occupied room.

Cherry went straight for the counter, tugging Nairi along with her. “Hey there!” she said in a friendly tone, flashing a bright smile at the bearded young man behind the counter. “Do you guys have any like, fun teas?”

He nodded, leaning over the counter to point at the chalkboard wall with the marker he’d been turning over in his hands. “Sure do. We’ve got all of these guys, plus, you know, like English Breakfast and stuff. The Sinnamon’s new, and Rose and Shine is very popular with soda and ice as a morning mocktail.”

The other teas on the menu were called things like ‘Rooid Boi’, ‘Lemon Aid’, ‘Raspberry Remnant’, and ‘Tea Thyme’ with the ingredients listed in a nigh incomprehensible chalked cursive. Nairi stared at them blankly.

Cherry squinted at them, mouth open slightly. “….Did you just forget to write the raspberry in on that one?” she asked, pointing at ‘Raspberry Remnant’.

“It used to have raspberry leaves in the blend, but we had some issues. We liked the name, so we kept it,” he said, shrugging.

Nairi ignored the wall and turned to address the guy instead. “Do you have anything with oolong?” she tried.

He nodded, pointing at a couple of the marked teas again. “Yeah, the Roasty Posie is oolong with mixed floral overtones, and Save the Teas uses an oolong base as well. If you’re looking for a gentler caffeine experience, then Rose and Shine uses white tea.” He grinned, leaning on the counter with his elbows. “Also, we do a uh, ‘house special’ with the Serenity Chill where we add booster shots of oolong and white tea—we call it ‘Aunt Mableton’s Icicle Situation’ after our manager’s cat.”

“Good to know,” said Nairi after a moment. “I’ll have a pot of Save the Teas, I guess?”

“Sure,” he said, leaning back and pulling the cap off the marker to write it down directly on the polished steel countertop. “Can I grab anything else for you ladies?”

“Can I grab an iced mocha,” said Cherry, turning her head and pointing at the glass case. “And like… one each of the fruit muffins?”

He nodded, adding them down as Nairi tugged out her wallet to pay. Cherry smacked her hand away and handed the guy some cash in exchange for the little table number, giving Nairi a wry grin. She stuffed the change into the tip jar and tugged Nairi over to a tall table by a bookshelf.

“You didn’t have to,” said Nairi as she shifted to take a stool on the far side so that the wall was behind her.

Cherry shrugged, dropping her wallet and phone on the tabletop before sitting across from her, kicking her booted feet back up onto the stool’s brace bar. “It’d be a pretty shitty way to pay you back for dinner, making you put out for brunch as well,” she said, poking her tongue out at Nairi.

Nairi wasn’t sure what to say to that and she fiddled with a loose thread in her cuff for several long moments. Eventually it got too awkward for her to bear, and she shifted. “Makes sense.”

“Aren’t you hot in that?” asked Cherry, crossing her arms on the table in front of her. Weirdly enough the only jewellery she was wearing was a small gold cross on a chain, no rings or bracelets. If Nairi had taken a second to think about how Cherry would dress off the job, this wouldn’t have been it.

She shrugged instead of answering the question.

“No, seriously,” said Cherry, her grin twitching a little at the corners. “I know it’s still a bit windy after midnight, but it’s still July, it’s like a hundred degrees out right now! How are you in long sleeves?”

“I just prefer it,” said Nairi, shrugging again. She felt an itch in the middle of her back, right between her shoulders, the way she did when someone was staring at her. There was only wall there. She resisted the urge to turn around and check anyway. “It’s light, you know, whatever.”

Cherry looked like she was going to push a little harder, but thankfully their food arrived and cut her off. Did it still count as brunch when it was nearly noon already? Either way, Cherry was thoroughly distracted, smiling sunnily at the cheerful girl with dreads and facial piercings who set their order across the table. Nairi had been given two glasses; both thick and squat, one filled with ice in deference to the weather.

Cherry sliced open one of the muffins, blueberry, and picked up the butter dish, waggling her eyebrows at Nairi over the mason jar that contained her iced mocha. “This place is a little… more than I was expecting.”

“It’s very… lush,” said Nairi, flicking her eyes to one side to give a hanging fern a deliberate look.

Cherry stifled an ugly snort, her head ducking as she pushed the muffins towards Nairi. “At least it’s interesting,” she said, hooking a hand around her jar of coffee. “Come on, tell me how the hippie tea is.”

Nairi poured a small cup of it out and took a careful sip, raising an eyebrow. “Organic,” she said. It actually wasn’t bad; a little woody and over steeped, but she was used to that at least.

Cherry took a long sip through her straw, eyebrow arched in return as she looked at Nairi through her eyelashes, then grimaced, leaning back. “Oh, that’s soy milk and straight cacao, I think this might be a vegan place.”

“Good to know,” said Nairi, smiling a little without thinking about it as Cherry picked up her half of the blueberry muffin.

“Are you vegan?” asked Cherry, tearing the muffin into chunks. “Or do you just like veggies for tempura?”

“Just vegetarian,” said Nairi, drinking more tea. “Don’t like meat. Milk and stuff is fine.”

“Don’t like violence against animals but you’re perfectly happy doling out a little of your own in the dark of the night?” teased Cherry, washing down her bites with more mocha.

“I have the black belts, I may as well put them to good use,” said Nairi with another awkward shrug, wishing she could get comfortable.

“’Belts’, huh? You know other stuff, not just Judo?”

Nairi hummed. “Krav Maga and Muay Thai as well. Belts or rankings and colours aren’t universal in different arts, but more people know what they generally mean, so, you know. My Muay school used armbands.”

Cherry nodded, one of her legs kicking the air under her stool. “Yeah? Do you teach those too or just Judo?”

“All three. I only have real students for Judo, though.”

“What makes someone a real student?”

“Showing up?”

Cherry snorted again, her hand flying to her mouth but not quite managing to hide her grin. “You don’t pull your punches anywhere, do you?”

Nairi shrugged again, not really sure how to take that.

Cherry seemed to find it an acceptable response anyway, openly watching Nairi with a fascinated expression. “Can I ask you something weird?”

“Sure,” said Nairi. It wasn’t like she could get more uncomfortable.

“So, like, ‘Nairi’ isn’t a super common name, and you seem proficient and reasonably scary,” said Cherry, peeling the paper away from another muffin as she watched Nairi indirectly. “And like, I keep my ears to the ground you know—or, well, fuck, okay, I occasionally end up in bed or working with people who have, uh, other hobbies cops might be interested in—”

Nairi wasn’t a hundred percent certain where she was going with this, but she tensed regardless, her expression relaxing into cool neutral.

If Cherry noticed, it didn’t stop her. “—Anyway, you wouldn’t happen to be the same Nairi who scared off the guys making meth a couple of blocks from here, would you?”

…Well, that wasn’t good, but it was leagues away from the worst thing she could have said. “I think I had a conversation with them,” she said politely, eyes flicking down to watch Cherry’s hands on the tabletop. She took a moment to consider and then added: “Sorry if that’s made one of your… ‘hobbies’ more difficult for you.”

Cherry snorted again and shook her head, looking distinctly unbothered. “Nah, not for me. I have a hard enough time making rent without that shit.”

She was still smiling.

Cherry swallowed her muffin and took a more gratuitous sip of her mocha, shifting how she was leaning on the table and looking up at Nairi properly again. “So you’re like, new in town right? Don’t know a lot of people yet?”

“What gave me away?” said Nairi, blinking at her.

“Just a feeling,” said Cherry, her cheeks dimpling as she polished off her drink. She climbed to her feet, tucking her wallet away, but flipping open her phone. “Do you wanna do this again some time? Like, I mean, tomorrow even if you want. I can come by earlier so we don’t run up against your opening, or we could grab food after you close for the day?”

“I—sure?” said Nairi, her mouth answering for her while she tried to process the abrupt change of gears. “I mean, what?”

“Catching up, getting to know each other, being friendly?” said Cherry brightly, shifting a little closer to Nairi. “You’ve got your dojo to open today and I need to clock some time at my day job, but I’d love to get to know you better, show you round town, introduce to some friends, even?”

Nairi only just managed to swallow the ‘Why?’ that was about to trip off her tongue. “Okay,” she said slowly. “I’d uh, yeah I’d like that?”

“Great!” said Cherry, holding out her phone with the screen open to a ‘new contact’ entry. “What’s your number?”

[lucidpantone]

Visitations Preview Chap 5: The Finale

**Go and grab your tissue box. You’ll really need to stop being so emosh. @cph-dreaming @fehmyn @hopetofantasy @cleocc @msmesasha​. If I forgot to tag you am sorry. It’s only one memory and that's all you're getting.**

Disclaimer: Same rules apply.

Italics is the past. If not, it's August 15th at any point in the day I chose to drop you into.

“Just one?” 

“Yeah” Robbe responded, acknowledging the cashier.

“To Amsterdam?”

Robbe nodded.

“1st or 2nd class?”

“1st please.”

“That will be €54”

Robbe shoots the cashier a nondescript smile as he sticks his credit card into the card reader and enters his pin to complete the transaction. The cashier hands him over the purchase receipt and signals for the next customer to proceed. Robbe begins to walk away and clumsily walks back a couple of steps and asks “In what direction is platform 3?”. The cashier signals towards the left hand side exit of the post office. Robbe sees the platform in the distance as he exits the store and runs towards it with a couple of minutes to spare before departure. He makes it in just the nick of time and settles into a window seat, anxious to reach his final destination.

The nostalgia of his final stop always caught Robbe off guard. Every time he came back here whether on his own, or with him, everything seemed to have stayed exactly the same since the first time. This place was a strange kinda of place wrapped up in its own personal deja-vu. Housing an unknown poltergeist where earthlingly oddities roamed and mother nature dared to roll around with the solar flares of the sun between her legs. A consequence of all the zygotes that got produced here seasonally. Robbe really didn’t care though, he loved it here, he always found himself here. There was something about this place; rudimentary in its makeup at best but possessing a sense of serenity,  with a dose of mystery, even some romance, a portal to another universe. This place always felt like home. Robbe would visit old haunts, walk the dunes of time, revel in the taste of sodium in the air. He’d hit up familiar store stalls, check out the best vantage points but eventually he’d always find himself back at their old place.

It was restaurant style. Not the fancy type made out of linen.It was white with miniature clams embossed atop, 2ply, 15 inches across but folded down the middle, then folded into 4’s and then once more to emulate the size of a standard envelope. Robbe had seen them in different colors but most people in the world only saw them in that pearl white that the standard restaurant napkins were made of. He just stared into the pattern recalling the day when this senseless artifact became an urn that stored the ashes of his love story.

“This is so stupid, I mean it's basically a pipe dream. It’s never gonna happen.” Sander told Robbe as he pulled out a marker from his back pocket.

“Come on just do it for me.” Robbe begged. Sander chuckled because he knew once Robbe made a request he was going to appease it.

“Okay…. So my dream tattoo shop would look something like this.”  Sander drew out three squares lined up horizontally next to each other like carriages on a train atop the restaurant napkin.

“So the whole concept would be based on the idea that it wouldn't even look like a tattoo shop but a gallery space. Operationally it would be a place of business but functionally it would double up as a tattoo shop/community art space. You know people always associate tattoo shops as these dark and dengy out posts but when you’d walk into mine you’d be flushed with a burst of light making the whole place feel airy. Like a sense of wholeness or something.”

Robbe found Sander’s light up smile endearing as he walked through his imaginary tattoo shop schematic. Robbe rubbed the top of Sander’s hand with his thumb encouraging Sander to continue explaining his future’s prospects.

“I love the way you think baby. You're always so thoughtful and creative.”

“Like I said it's never going to happen but you never know right….life is full of surprises.” Sander was downplaying how much he wanted this future to become a reality.

“No no no. Don’t say it’s never going to happen. We’ll find a way to make it happen.”

“Oh are you going to learn how to tattoo now?” Sander gave Robbe a cheeky grin because Robbe couldn’t even draw a rectangle correctly. Well at least not yet...

“No but I’ll find a way to chip in. I could run the reception or something.” Robbe knew that wouldn’t be much help but that's the best his nineteen year old self could come up with at the time.

“Promise we’ll find a way to make it happen?” Robbe always did this to Sander. Whenever Sander lacked belief in himself Robbe would make him promise on whatever desire he was discounting.

“Only if you promise we’ll do it together?”

“Deal, I mean that’s not a hard request. You know I always keep my promises.”

Robbe and Sander both giggled because both of them knew that Robbe’s promises never faltered. Robbe was the most reliable person Sander knew. Sander couldn’t help but indulge Robbe’s interest in their never gonna happen future.

“Anyways I’m thinking the color scheme would go something like white in the gallery, black in the tattoo shop and then maybe an entry to a garden or patio area.”

Sander rambled on and on about how eventually the gallery space could host events or have fun community sessions. He could teach art to youths since he knew how much art had helped him when he was younger. He had completely mapped out the potential of a place like this and the excitement in his voice was insatiable to say the least.

Robbe loved hearing the sound of Sander’s voice in this particular amped up pitch. It was so tranquil and soothing to him.

“Excuse me, do you need this? It was stuck in between the euros on top of your bill.”

Robbe looked up from the napkin and took inventory of his surroundings. He had got lost in his own memories again. It was becoming a frequent occurrence as of late. He looked up at the waitress who was attempting to hand him over a waxy piece of textured paper. He thanked her and took hold of it.

It was the post office receipt.

Robbe had almost totally forgotten about the dread of having to text Luc to let him know he had mailed back his stuff today. Specifically his GIRL brand skateboard that he adored so much. They hadn’t spoken since their break up but as Robbe went to grab his phone to text Luc he saw a text from Kes.

“Sorry, this is awkward but Luc asked me to ask you if you mailed back his stuff yet?”

        - Kes

“I did it today. It should get to him in 3-5 days. I mailed it 1st class.”

“Umm how’s he doing? Has he said anything to you?”

        - Robbe

“Look, That's my best friend.I don’t want to get involved. All he said to me was that you weren’t ready to invest in love….”

       - Kes

Luc always had a way with words. Always knew how to make Robbe feel guiltier than he already felt. Luc was as blunt as a knife's edge so when he stabbed you he made sure it was torturous and never swift.

As the waitress laid down Robbe’s change from his paid bill he took one final glance over to the broken down booth that he and Sander used to call “their spot”. It stung seeing it empty but he still smiled at the memory of his younger self sneaking the diagram that Sander had penned atop the napkin into his brown jacket. Not knowing then that eventually he’d get to remind an older Sander that sometimes dreams do come true.

The walk back to the house on the beach was refreshing. A light zephyr surged around the pier’s promenade creating an idyllic breeze that seemed to galvanize the local pelican community into flight. The whole ambiance of this beachy hideaway gave Robbe a much needed reprieve from the conflict ensuing in his mind. A litany of doubtful thoughts with no real answers. Continued avoidance was working so far in his favor but Robbe knew that Sander’s patience would wear.

They hadn’t spoken much since the break up. Sander had stuck around for a few days after the initial night to keep Robbe company but the whole ordeal lacked morality. They'd lay in bed together watching TV while Sander just held Robbe tightly. Practically bruising Robbe’s arms. Every few hours Robbe would be stricken with a wave of guilt over what he had done to Luc and he’d need Sander to fuck it out of him. The situation was dire and the irrational had somehow become the rational. Robbe needed to get his shit together and stop his dopesick lifestyle. Sander could not become the dragon he needed to chase to stop the withdrawals. He didn’t deserve that. Robbe had done what he had done and he needed to learn to live with it.

He did eventually kick Sander out after 4 days of this delirium stating that he needed time and space and he just needed Sander to respect that for now. He also called his boss explaining the situation and begging him to forget his resignation. Robbe was lucky that the firm was understaffed and had just signed on new business because otherwise Thibaut would have never agreed to it. At least that was one crisis averted, his apartment on the other hand was in shambles. Everything was in packing boxes and everything needed to be rehoused which was a painstaking process but he did it. It took him a couple of weeks but he did eventually put the pieces of his life back together. Finally waking up one morning after a three week haze with an impulsive craving to head to the house on the beach. Robbe wasn’t sure why he needed to go there, he just knew that it was calling and thus why he now found himself wandering down the promenade on his lonesome. A sherbet sky as his backdrop.

Robbe welcomed the change of scenery of his beachy escape. A part of him loathed his apartment now it was covered in a slime of memories he could not scrub away. Though the house on the beach was nothing more than some worn down furniture he welcomed the opportunity to grab his guitar and lay out on the garden bench outside his room and just strum the night away. It was that time of the day anyways. Sander and Robbe barely spoke or texted during this reflective period but they did communicate in the best way they knew how. See these siloed lovers had their own traditions. Sander had established it but Robbe had developed it. When either one of them didn't feel like talking, usually Sander they communicate in their most comfortable non-verbal formats. For Sander this was his usual set of drawings and for Robbe it was always his guitar. So keeping in line with their usual pattern Sander would text Robbe pictures of his drawings daily and Robbe would return to sender a voice clip of whatever chorus he had strummed together for the day. So that was what he was in the middle of doing when he saw it.

Robbe looked out onto the rainbow sherbet sky; it was an apparition in the distance. He blinked to make sure it wasn't an illusion then a second time for confirmation but it wasn’t a trick of the mind. A figure began to materialize over the sand dunes in an all black attire sporting some laced up Doc Marten’s.

Robbe’s body tensed up. How could it even be possible that he was here too... but as soon as the affliction of concern took over him it quickly dematerialized as the apparition in the distance came into focus and took on corporeal form. Robbe definitely didn’t know her but he couldn't stop observing her. She had a juggernaut presence, he was in awe, curious too but more so because she felt so familiar. Her lavender pinkish locks stood out; they helped frame her face with a dose of softness which was in opposition with the rest of her appearance.

She made a b-line towards Robbe’s direction approaching him with haste. She passed the candy strip ballards and walked onto the wooden planked walkway that paved the entrance of the house on the beach. She stopped at the teal colored Kalise cooler. She opened it and evaluated whatever she found inside and walked right over to the wooden garden bench where Robbe sat legs up strumming his guitar. Robbe shifted his focus downward in an attempt to avoid her gaze.

“Are you the manager here?”

Robbe looked at her completely bewildered recalling the previous time he was asked that same question. Before he had time to think of a cheeky retort she interjected into his thoughts.

“I just wanted to pay for a beer from the cooler”

Robbe kicked his legs off the bench and sat up.

“Oh those are mine actually but feel free to grab one. Free of charge of course”

Robbe shot her a wink.

She was pretty, he thought. Robbe had to double check his senses for a moment. He had never been drawn to a woman like this before. He took a moment to evaluate his entire life choices but it definitely wasn’t that. It wasn’t that kind of connection but there was something about her. It's like his body was reacting to some strange paradox in the universe that had hashed out this otherworldly eidolon sitting in front of him.

“Ummm do I have something on my face or something?” She asked as she brought the rim of the bottle to her lips.

“No…” Robbe replied with a hint of embarrassment in his voice.

“Ok so what are you staring at?”

“Shit sorry, you just seem so familiar. Am just trying to put my finger on where I may have seen you before. Are you from around here?”

“Do I sound like I am from around here?” She slapped back with a hint of sarcasm.

Robbe felt like an idiot as soon as the sentence left his mouth. She clearly had a heavy accent and she definitely wasn’t from around here. Her dutch was terrible but conversational. Her whole vibe screamed from somewhere south.

“So whose heart did you break?”

“What?” Robbe scoffed in disbelief. The reminder of guilt sinking him back into his seat.

“Come on..a pretty boy like you strumming his guitar with this as his backdrop” She pointed out to the sherbet bleeding sky; currently highlighting a color mixture of tangerine and cadmium rouge.

“A bit cliche don’t you think?”

“How’d you know I broke someone’s heart and they didn’t break mine?”

“With a face like that. You’re definitely the culprit.” Robbe was blushing but he didn’t disagree; he just stretched out the bottom half of his jaw in a slight twitch.

“Come on I can smell the guilt coming off you? Trust me I should know, it’s my favourite scent.” The pretty girl shot him an eyebrow raise to check Robbe’s temperature. Making sure she hadn’t offended him.

“I don’t even know you….”

“That’s the best part. You can tell me everything and I’ll be honest with you”

At first this sounded ludicrous but then again Robbe hadn’t told anyone the events that had actually occurred that had caused his downward spiral. He was deeply ashamed of how he handled everything and couldn’t bear to see the judgement across Jens or Lia’s face.

“I am Robbe, perpetual dumpster fire of a person. What’s your name?”

The pixie doll apparition shot her focus downward and whispered out, “Whatever you want it to be Robbe?”

“Pick a name for me?”

Why all the mystery? Robbe thought to himself. A didactic approach, Robbe could recognize a fellow strategist when he encountered one.

“No no no, you don’t get to do that. I can’t be the only one telling my secrets.”

She scoffed.

“Fine fine. Call me C.J.”

Robbe pulled a face, “That is not your real name.”

“You said you wanted a name, you never said anything about it being my real name. Take it or leave it.”

God she really did remind him of someone.

“Ok Robbe, I kept my end of the bargain. So tell me your secrets.”

Robbe rolled his eyes at her. There was something about her that was positively unbearable but also highly comforting.

“I recently broke up with my boyfriend…..” Robbe murmured out. She waved her hand in a circular motion indicating to Robbe that she wanted more details and to keep going.

“Because I think i'm still in love with my ex….”

“You think? Or you know?” C.J. questioned.

Robbe put his guitar down on the side of the bench and buried his face in his hands as a display of his frustration.

“I gather that means you know.”

C.J. pivoted her entire body towards his and scooted over rubbing Robbe’s shoulder very lightly. A strangely intimate gesture to exchange between strangers.

“It’s okay, I mean it's not, but you know what I mean.” C.J. attempted to quell Robbe’s worries.

“Ok your gonna need another beer so you can tell me what happened.”

C.J. got up and scurried to the Kalise cooler and hurried back with a beer in hand.

Robbe took a large gulp as soon as she put it in his grip.

“I slept with my ex-boyfriend as soon as me and my new boyfriend broke up”

C.J. shocked her head back and forth as a sign of some weird understanding.

“How long after the break up?”

Robbe buried his face back into his hands. He didn’t want to look at her reaction.

“Like an hour…..”

Robbe clearly heard her shocked snort which was preceded by heavy coughing.

“Sorry, choked on my beer there for a second. An hour? How? Did you drive a ferrari to his house?” She was definitely mocking him now.

“No he was waiting on my doorstep?”

“You got him delivered? His not takeout Robbe.”

“But I gotta admit you Belgians are impressive. We don’t have those types of delivery services from where I'm from. At best you can get a lukewarm pizza to your doorstep.”

Robbe looked at C.J. who was clearly trying to ease the tension and crack a joke. Robbe felt a genuine smile come across his face. He’d been struggling to get one of those to appear as of late.

“Look, I am not gonna sugar coat it. You're a real life asshole.”

“Excuse me?” Robbe responded a bit offended.

“Yeah I mean who breaks up with their boyfriend and has their ex delivered to them within an hour? Kinda of an asshole thing to do.”

“You know what, I don’t need to explain myself to you.” Robbe’s tone had hardened.

“You don’t, but you want to, right? I know because I've been there. Am the biggest asshole I know.”

“So here we are two of the biggest assholes drinking a beer together. Cheers!”

C.J. tapped her beer onto Robbe’s.

Though his instinct was too feel offended by the words coming out of C.J.’s mouth his heart and his head felt a bit of relief finally letting it all out. No matter how ugly his truths sounded out loud.

“Have you ever done something like that yourself?” Robbe questioned C.J. hoping for a bit of camaraderie.

“Not something like that but I’ve put my girlfriend through some serious bullshit. Why do you think I'm in some foreign country driving towards home?”

C.J. pointed at herself, “Total asshole remember”.

“Look Robbe when you're young, a teenager even. You can make mistakes like that and people give you the benefit of the doubt but when you're older everything counts. It's harsh but true.If you keep messing up at our age you become a pariah, a write off, beyond repair, ready to be put out to pasture.”

“But at the same time life’s complicated. People are complicated. Your love story sounds complicated. So ask yourself this, would he really stick by you through the good times, the bad and the motherfucking worse? Because everyone swears they would but in reality that’s not really true. They have no idea how bad it can really get. How bad you can really get. So I’d ask yourself this, would he fight for you? No matter the outcome?”

Robbe just stared at her. He kept wanting to say something but he couldn't seem to construct a sentence. Then it clicked like osmosis.

“You remind me of him, you know. The way you talk. Your whole vibe.” Robbe did a wax on/wax off gestures in C.J.’s direction.

“Who knows..maybe we’re the same person. Do you believe in parallel universes?”

Robbe's head violently spun around. A tidal wave of deja-vu was submerging him. He just nodded in confirmation. Robbe was definitely a believer of parallel universes.

“Yeah I thought so. Kindred spirits and all. We tend to find each other.”

Robbe knew what she meant. It was weird but somehow he felt like they had been here before.

Robbe and C.J. just sat there in silence for a while watching the colors of tangerine and cadmium rouge disappear into midnight hues. Robbe occasionally strumming some chord changes into the air. C.J. humming out some impromptu melodies both go them going back and forth discussing guitar legends that one another should check out. Until it was time for their rendezvous to end.

“I should go. I have a long drive ahead of me tomorrow.”

Robbe frowned a little disappointed. He didn’t want her to leave.

C.J. noticed and pouted in response. Both man and woman giggled into the breezy night. Before C.J. stood up she left Robbe with a nugget of truth as she drank the dregs of what was left of her last beer. Wiping her mouth down on her long sleeve shirt as she finished her drink.

“Robbe……” She sounded somber.

“The world never wanted people like you and I to be lovers. They bullied us into becoming fighters and we’ve been trying to get back to loving ever since. Just look at our past”

“My advice, look out for the small stuff. Signs. You can build a foundation off those. If you’re willing...”

C.J. began to get up from the bench.

“You’ll be fine either way Robbe but if you do have someone worth fighting for I try to protect that from the world. Remember through the good, the bad and the mother fucking worse. No matter the outcome.”

Her words struck a chord in Robbe.

“Promise me if you find that. That you’ll jump?”

C.J.’s dark brown eyes felt like they were pinning down Robbe’s soul down. Holding him to some unknown truth but he couldn’t say no to her.

“I promise” Robbe affirmed.

C.J. smiled and quickly broke the seriousness of the entire exchange.

“Right time to go. This was great. Best one night stand of my life. I didn’t even have to put out.”

“Are you ever just normal?” Robbe teased.

“What’s so great about being normal… am an enigma Robbe.” C.J. began to walk down the wooden sandy planks when Robbe shouted out to her.

“Hey, How do I find you again?”

“You don’t Robbe. This was just a random anomaly. We were never meant to meet in the first place.”

Though normally this would seem like a brush off. Robbe somehow understood the dyadic transaction that had just occurred.

“I guess we’ll meet again in another universe?” He let out.

C.J. stopped dead in her tracks.

She twirled back around, her entire self looking back at Robbe and said.

“I’ll be waiting for you.”

[uzumaki-rebellion]

“Stark’s New Intern” Chp. 12

Summary: Erik finally gets what he wants...

"You bitches ugly and dusty and none of y'all matter Money all on me, I'm feeling real flattered Walk in this bitch, straight drippin' like I was tryna get to the toilet,

but I couldn't hold bladder First class only when I'm not on the jet All the white folks keep breakin' they neck They tryna see if I'm black and a threat,

but I'm covered in green, they like "Look it's Shrek!" Bankteller sayin' my shit froze (How?)

Pockets thick as hell like Lizzo (Wow) Mukbang the beat like Trish, hoe (Damn) If you piss me off, it's a shit show 'Cause I'mma do some shit that you can't believe

Smack a bitch into Christmas Eve (Uh-huh)…"

cupcakKe—"Grilling Niggas"

Prince Francesco of Monaco stared at Prince Erik of Wakanda by way of Oakland with a glare so hot, the entire room could feel the angry heat wafting off of him. Erik pushed a cool half a million worth of chips into the center of the table and waited for the perturbed man sitting across from him to put up or fold.

Tony had a hand gripped to his face and his other hand around his stomach. Four hours of card playing had come down to this moment. Two final players facing off. Tension was heavy like wet cement bags on Erik's chest even though he felt confident that the other Prince was bluffing.

Erik had been grilling these fools the entire time he was there. He felt a little cocky about it too.

"Sun is about to come up, bruh," Erik teased.

Tony's top lip teased up into a smirk and the other men watching kept quiet. The final pot was ten million dollars in total.

Francesco grumbled and when Erik thought he would fold, the man called him out and pushed even more chips to the center. Erik spread his cards out on the table.

"Fuck," was all Francesco could say as his sorry hand was revealed.

A couple of the spectators clapped and Tony walked over and slapped his hand on Erik's back.

"Be gracious," Tony whispered to him and Erik stood up from his seat to shake out his stiff legs.

"Here ya go, big winner," Delores said handing him a shot of tequila.

Erik downed it before Tony could say anything.

The dealer collected all the chips and a silver-haired Asian woman who sat to the side quietly observing the entire time Erik was there, pulled out a chrome laptop. Tony and Francesco each handed the woman blank black cards and she swiped them on an attachment hooked to the laptop.

"Exchange complete," she said handing the cards back to the men.

Tony's eyes took in the room.

"I thank you for this evening Francesco….gentlemen until next time—"

"Wait…wait…I demand a rematch. Bring this young man to Monaco."

Francesco’s face looked pleasant enough, but his tone was serious.

"That can be arranged, but we need to get going. Night."

Erik watched Tony put on his blazer and button it up. He slid on a pair of shades and Erik followed him out to an awaiting town car.

When the driver pulled away from the museum, Tony let out a relieved sigh.

"Holy shit, Stevens. I thought I was going to shit a brick those last few hands. You played Francesco like a goddamned cello."

"He's a pro—"

"But he met his match. For years I've been wanting to beat that spoiled imp, but he always comes out on top most games. I've been lucky a couple of times, but to see him shut down like that…fucking golden. Good job, kiddo. I owe you."

"A trip to Monaco—"

"To work…and maybe a little bit of play if you do well at the Expo. You ready to work?"

"I think I'm ready. How bad can it be with a bunch of little kids?"

"Oh jeez, they are going to eat you up."

Tony smiled and leaned back in his seat.

"Thanks for coming when I called. You saved me the ass beating of the year."

"Do I get a cut?"

"I'll think about it."

"You trippin', I should get half."

"You played with my money—"

"But I won money with that money."

"I'll think about fair compensation—"

"Betta have a lot of zero's with it."

"You hungry? We can stop at an all-night spot I know."

"Nah, got somewhere to be."

Tony glanced at his platinum watch.

"Really? Where?"

"That's my business," Erik said. He couldn't keep the grin off of his face thinking about Athena.

"Oh…I see. A date."

"Somethin' like that."

They pulled in front of a brand-new skyscraper and the driver opened Tony's door.

"Have fun on your date."

Erik stared up at the building.

"My East Coast digs. Have your presentation and schedule mock-up ready by Thursday."

Erik nodded and Tony walked to his New York penthouse.

The driver dropped Erik off at the hotel and he rode the elevator marveling at the amount of money he was able to play with just on the whim of rich white men, who wouldn't blink if they never saw it again. The re-match Francesco wanted was pure ego.

Erik slipped into his suite, showered, and shaved quickly then checked the time. Six in the morning. He changed into soft white linen slacks and a creamy purple Brunelli Cucinelli cashmere sweater. Slipping on dark tan dock loafers, he felt relaxed enough to appear casual, even with his pocket stuffed with condoms. They had all day to lounge, and he made sure to have enough rubbers to keep Athena in her bed until it grew dark again.

Sauntering over to her room, Erik smelled good, looked, good, and felt good enough to rock Athena's world. The anticipation was bubbling inside of him like tea on tap about to whistle.

Knocking on her door softly, he waited for her to answer, and for a slight moment, he did worry that she had changed her mind when she didn't answer. If she had changed her mind, Athena was the type to text him and let him know early on.

When she opened the door in a silk half robe, all that deep cleavage teasing him, he felt his dick wake up a little bit, and he flashed her all his big white teeth. He tried to step into her room, but she blocked access. He frowned.

"You got somebody else in there?"

The rumble in his voice caught her attention and she bit her lip all sexy and that ticked him off. All that teasing talk and she had some other dude up in her room and didn't text a nigga? Fuck that. Erik skimmed past her. The thick hotel room curtains were drawn closed, so the room was still dark. The tv was on. One queen bed was disheveled and empty, but the other bed—

"Hey, Erik!"

The bubbly face of Maria greeted him. She wore a t-shirt and probably her favorite Winnie-The-Pooh pajama bottoms she wore at their apartment back in Los Angeles under the bed covers. Erik glanced back at Athena. She shrugged and closed the door.

"Maria and I had a little serious girl talk last night, and watched a little tv."

Athena climbed onto the bed she was using and Erik just stood in the room like a big dummy.

"You're up early," Maria said eyeing his clothes, "we have snacks if you want some. I was going to order room service for pancakes. You guys want pancakes?"

"Um...Athena?"

Erik held up his hands.

Maria's cell phone rang. She answered it.

"What are we doing?" he asked.

"She's just going to hang out for a bit. She had a bad time with you-know-who again. Not sex, just…awkward closure…I'm letting her hang out for a bit. She'll leave soon enough, just be cool, okay? It was pretty rough for her."

"Let's go to my room then."

"Climb in."

"I want to be alone with you—"

"You will be. Erik, we have all day and night. Be a friend, please? She's vulnerable right now."

"She has Giselle for that—"

"I'm not going to kick her out—"

"I'll do it then—"

Athena grabbed his arm and pulled him onto her bed.

"Kick your shoes off and relax."

Erik used his toes to release his shoes from his feet slowly and he climbed on top of the bed covers. He leaned his back against the headboard. Maria chattered and it only took Erik a few seconds to realize she was talking to Giselle. Erik held his forehead with his hand waiting for Maria to finish.

"How was the thing with Stark?"

"Good. It was a private poker game."

"Really? Why did he need you?"

"I played for him. He bankrolled me with some high rollers and I kicked butt."

"Serious? How much?"

Erik whispered in her ear. Her eyes grew big.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

He shook his head.

"Keep that to yourself. I'm tryna get a players fee from him."

His eyes drifted from hers down to the top of her robe. Her heavy breasts strained against the silk. He rested a hand on one breast and squeezed softly. Her eyes darted over to Maria.

"You can wait," Athena said. But she didn't move his hand.

Eventually, Maria got off her cell, but then the next thing Erik knew, she and Athena got caught up in a show about young fashion designers competing for runway shows and the time ticked on for two hours as the two women cackled about clothes and yelled at the t.v.

Athena ordered room service for everyone and they all ate pancakes and omelets with crispy bacon and Erik turned grumpy when the women got caught up in another reality tv show. Athena patted his head and pulled back the covers for him to cuddle under with her. Maria saw the action but said nothing about it as she snacked on more bacon.

Wrapping his arm around Athena's waist, Erik closed his eyes and rested his head on a pillow, allowing his body to savor the warmth of Athena and the sweet cloying smell of her skin.

Even with the sun up outside, the room remained quite dark with the curtains still shut, and he found himself drifting in and out of sleep. The third time he woke up from a short two-minute cat nap, he found himself getting warm and pulled off his socks and then his slacks.

"What are you doing?" Athena said glancing over at Maria who was focused on the tv.

"I'm hot with these clothes on."

He pulled the sweater over his head and Athena's eyes scanned his chest with hunger in her eyes.

"I'm keeping my boxers on."

She rolled her eyes.

"Had I known this was going to turn into a slumber party I woulda worn sweats," he grumbled.

He curled around her body again and let his arm brush against her breasts. He could feel her softness better and his dick chubbed up by being pressed into her backside.

"You making me hard," he whispered in her ear.

"I haven't even done anything," she whispered back.

"You ain't gotta do nothing but back that ass against me. Witcho fine ass."

She giggled and rubbed her hand on his arm.

Erik pressed his lips on the back of her neck and then kissed her earlobes.

"Don't…."

Athena's protests were weak and she pressed her thick cheeks back into him.

Erik slipped a hand inside her robe and it fell open easily as he caressed her breasts under the covers. Athena turned her head back toward him and he snagged a hold of her lips. Soft tongue kissing kept them quiet as the tv rattled on.

"Erik, stop, wait until she leaves…."

He pulled off his boxers and pushed up Athena's robe. All he felt was a short satin nightgown under the robe and no panties. He let his fingers drag lightly along her shaved vulva and she bit her bottom lip to keep quiet.

"She's been here four hours since I came in. I'm here to collect what you promised. If you won't go to my room, and you just letting her linger, I'm getting something right now."

Athena pressed into his erection.

"You feel all that big dick, huh?"

He plucked at her nipples and they hardened fast for him. His eyes were glued to them and when he lifted up one heavy breast, Athena reached back and gripped his dick. He fingered her clit and she shoved her face into her pillow to stifle a moan.

He teased her bud until she was squirming hard against his length. He tried to keep his voice quiet too as her ass cradled his erection and milked pre-cum from him. Both of them found their eyes darting over to look at Maria. Her back was to them because the large screen tv was hanging over the wall of the small living room area.

Erik kissed Athena again, forcing her to turn her head toward him as he tongued her down with slow wet kisses. He felt like his dick got harder trying to sneak pleasure with someone else in the room. Athena's pussy was sopping wet. The thrill of being caught probably turning her on too. An entire half-hour episode of a show played on tv as they reveled in kissing long and deep. Erik stopped kissing her when she opened up her robe and let her breasts fall out of the nightgown. He felt his manhood twitch just from looking at the overabundance displayed before him. Her eyes were glassy and her lips looked swollen from his mouth ravishing hers.

Erik reached for his pants that were folded at the end of the bed and dug in the pockets. Pulling out two condoms he stuck one under the pillow and unwrapped the other.

"We can't," Athena whispered.

Erik pulled the covers over Athena's chest and leaned back nonchalantly.

"Hey turn that up," Erik called to Maria.

"It's already kinda loud," Maria said looking over at him.

"Just a little bit," he said.

The remote was by her side, so Maria turned it up two volume levels.

Erik slid the condom down on his length and squeezed his balls.

Athena was still hesitant, but that didn't stop her from turning to her side and allowing him to line his dick up with her gaping slit. Erik looked at her opening and held in a heavy groan that wanted to fall out of his mouth. He pushed in and Athena slammed a hand over her mouth and shoved her face into her pillow.

"Told ya," he whispered, "I'm bout to get up in them guts."

Erik kept his thrusts slow, hard, and deep.

Her pussy was snug around his thickness and when she looked back at him with her lips parted and her eyes pleading with him to keep going slow, he found his own mouth going lax and hard exhales falling from his lips without any control from him. Soft rocking motions kept them content, and this woman's pussy gave Erik more nasty thoughts of what he would do to her when they were actually alone.

He pulled away from her when Maria jumped off her bed and padded into the bathroom. The bathroom fan was loud and Erik took advantage of the noise and Maria's absence in the room to start pummeling Athena's pussy. He gripped her leg and lifted it up, pushing away the covers.

"She's going to come back out!" Athena cried out.

Athena wiggled and slammed her ass back into him, but the thrill of discovery was tinged in her voice. She was turned on with the idea of being caught.

Erik slammed into her and her eyes shut tight.

"Fuck, Erik!"

They heard the toilet flush and then running water.

It was now or never.

He pulled Athena on top of him. He wanted to see those huge tits bounce. She leaned forward and not only did they bounce, but they smacked against each other loudly.

"Fuuckkk, baby…I'm cumming in your pussy!" Erik shouted.

Thrusting his hips up hard, the heavy spurts from his dick into the condom had his eyes rolling back as Athena muffled her own orgasm.

She scrambled off of him and dived back under the covers as Maria strolled casually back into the room and flopped back on her bed.

Erik felt Athena's body shaking with laughter as she covered her mouth. Erik burst out laughing and pulled the covers over his chest.

"What's so funny?" Maria asked, glancing over her shoulder, completely oblivious.

Erik fell out again as his penis grew flaccid.

"You, you're funny," he quipped.

Maria rolled her eyes and turned the tv channel.

Chapter 13 HERE

###

Tag List:

@fd-writes​ @soufcakmistress  @cherrystainedlipsbaby @tclaybon  @thadelightfulone

@allhailqueennel @bartierbakarimobisson @cpwtwot @shookmcgookqueen @yoyolovesbucky

@raysunshine78 @the-illllest @terrablaze514  @l-auteuse @amirra88 @jimizwidow @janelledarling

@chaneajoyyy @sweetestdream92 @purple-apricots @blackpinup22 @hennessystevens-udaku

@scrumptiouslytenaciouscrusade @bugngiz @stariamrry  @honeytoffee @meilintheempressofdreams

@tyees @eye-raq @writerbee-ffs @chocolatedream30 @childishgambinaa @mygirlrenee @nahimjustfeelingit-writes​

[ratedbangtann]

✧˚₊‧ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬 - 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞 ✧˚₊‧ 𝙄 𝙒𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙄𝙩 𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝘽𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙢𝙖𝙨 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙙𝙖𝙮… || 𝙊𝙏7

‪𝙹𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚏𝚊𝚛 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚏𝚊𝚛? 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚝𝚜? 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚢𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖…‬ Pairing: OT7 x reader (incl. m+m and m+f) Word count: 6.2 Warnings: smut. teasing, voyeurism, exhibitionism, spanking, submission, dominance, begging, m+m, m+f, oral (m+f receiving), praise kink, talk of sexual orientations. 

Song: I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday by Wizzard ✧˚₊‧

“Jin… I think you’ve killed me,” you groaned, leaning back into the couch cradling your bloated tummy. “I don’t think I’ve eaten that much in my life.”

“I feel more stuffed than the turkey…” Taehyung grumbled next to you, snuggling into your shoulder and clinging to your arm like a baby monkey to its’ mother. You lay your head atop of his, closing your eyes.

“Death by turkey; not the worst way to go,” Jin laughed from the armchair across from you.

Like a young puppy with too much energy and enthusiasm, Jungkook was still bouncing around the group, who were all laying very still to keep their food down.

“What are we gonna do now?” he asked, not satisfied with simply letting his dinner settle. The boy ate like he’d been starved for weeks; you had no idea where he put it, but he wasn’t feeling quite so lethargic as the rest of you.

“Nothing, Jungkook. Sit your ass down,” Yoongi groaned, splayed on the floor between your feet.

“Hyunggiiieee, I wanna do something!” Jungkook groaned. “A game? Something fun. Come ooonnnn…” he wouldn’t stop, tugging on Yoongi’s arm.

“Someone sedate him!” Yoongi cried. You had to stifle a giggle; this was so ridiculously typical.

“Jungkook! HEEL, BOY!” Namjoon yelled, thrusting his hand out in front of him. Jungkook stopped immediately, dropping Yoongi’s arm as it slapped against his thigh. “Now, sit!” he commanded. Jungkook followed orders, plonking himself to the ground. “Good boy.”

“Why does he only listen to you?” Yoongi grumbled.

“Alpha male,” Namjoon winked, a sly grin spreading across his cheeks.

“We could play something though; just a card game, or…?” Jimin suggested. Yoongi threw a pillow at him.

“No. We sit. We digest.”

“Miserable shit,” Jimin mumbled.

“No, a card game sounds good. Something simple, like poker?” Hoseok suggested.

“STRIP POKER!” Jimin yelled, eyebrows wiggling suggestively.

“Oh my god, yes…” Jungkook agreed, clapping his hands together. Why did it always end in strip poker? Or strip uno… or strip Mario kart. Why was there always stripping? ‘Ridiculous horny little shits’, you thought to yourself.

But after attempting to bat that idea away you found yourself sat at the kitchen table with all seven of them, cards dealt, and bets placed. A few rounds in, and all the boys had lost at least one article of clothing, with Jungkook and Jimin down to just their jeans and underwear to go…

You, on the other hand, were sitting pretty with just a single sock taken off. The cards seemed to be in your favour.

“Okay, this isn’t fair. How does she get a royal flush and four aces in the same game?” Jimin whined.

“Don’t suggest the game and then complain when you lose,” you laughed, placing another winning hand on the table. “Gimme your jeans,” you smiled slyly, making grabby hands across the table.

“Fucks sake,” he muttered, popping the button on them and slipping them down his thighs. You ogled at him as he did; hey, you were only human. And he looked damn good.

“Boxers are a little tight there, Jiminie,” you teased, the material clinging to his package. He blushed shyly, covering himself.

“Shut up,” he mumbled. “Deal the cards again, Joon.”

And again, your hand was just far too good to be true. You played the game, smugly showing off when you won; again.

“Alright, Joon; show me those famous namtiddies,” you said confidently, collecting your chips. Namjoon smirked at you, keeping eye contact as he removed the t-shirt he was wearing.

“Now, y/n… Don’t lose focus because of these,” he teased, flicking his nipples playfully. You scoffed audibly.

Another round, and the cards weren’t so kind to you this time. You lost to Hoseok.

He looked at you evilly, his eyes turning dark and a smile creeping onto his lips. Hobi had always been so intimidating to you, and right now, with the way he was looking at you, you felt yourself inwardly shrinking.

“Blouse, off,” he instructed darkly. “But, do it slowly.”

“Oh come on, that’s not in the rules!” you protested.

“Don’t care,” he shrugged. You huffed in annoyance, reaching for the few buttons to slowly undo them. He held eye contact with you the whole time, the rest of the boys watching with eager eyes as you exposed yourself to them.

You’d have thought they’d never seen tits before, with the way they stared. But in fact, they had seen yours so many times during these ridiculous strip-tease games you played every time you all had a little drink in your system, or when you’d gone on vacation with them and worn your bikinis to the pool.

But boys will be boys…

They whistled at you as you dropped the blouse to the floor and rolled your eyes at their reactions.

“Eyes front, play on you rabid little shits,” you jeered.

Another few rounds saw Namjoon down to his underwear, Jimin cupping his manhood to hide his modesty, Jungkook in his underwear and the others shirtless.

“Alright I’m bored and Jimin is naked. New game?” Yoongi suggested. You all agreed, having had enough of poker for one night.

“Can I put my boxers back on at least?” Jimin asked, pouting.

“No,” Jin said simply.

“Not much point anyway Jimin, you could see everything through those things,” Taehyung laughed, picking them up to fling them at his face by the elastic. He caught them with one hand still covering himself, holding them scrunched up over his dick.

“You’re all mean,” he grumbled.

“Your idea!” Tae reminded him. “What we gonna play now though?”

“Something festive. It’s Christmas, after all…” Jin suggested, but like what? You racked your brain trying to think of something.

“I have an idea…” Hoseok suggested, his eyes dark again. He was so mischievous, so delightfully evil and you could see it in his sparkling eyes that whatever he had in mind was something… dirty.

“Oh, God…” you groaned, dreading whatever it was. “What is it?”

“Well, seeing as you seem to have won the last game, I propose we – as a group – victimise you. It’s only fair that you suffer as we have.”

“Hey, I had to undress too!” you cried.

“Yeah but you still have your pants on. Not fair,” Jimin chimed in. Hobi pointed at him in agreement, snapping his finger at you.

“So y/n, if you would follow me to the living room…” he stood up, motioning for you to follow. You did as you were told, naturally so and the rest followed too. Hobi took your shoulders, his hands warm against your skin and sat you down in the centre of the couch.

“Do you know the twelve days of Christmas song?” he asked you, the other boys finding a seat in the living room too. You nodded, watching Hobi crouch in front of you, hands on your knees. What the hell was he doing? Strip poker is all very well and good, but he was acting weird…

“Well, you don’t know my version…” he smirked.

“You have a different version?” you asked. He nodded.

“It’s a little naughtier and it has some instructions in. Wanna hear it?”

“I don’t know that I do…” you said, suspicious. He leaned forward then, craning his neck to whisper in your ear.

“If it gets too much, just tell me, okay?” he said softly. He pulled back again, looking into your terrified wide eyes. “But you need to follow the instructions, baby. Okay?”

Baby? What the hell was he…? He’d never called you baby before, never looked at you this way before. The most you’d ever done with any of the boys was make out, and that was in a game of truth or dare. But Hobi’s tone was so seductive and sinister that you were sure this was heading somewhere dark.

The other boys watched from their seats, unsure of what Hoseok was doing. But they all had a feeling that their dirty little thoughts and fantasies were about to come true…

“O-okay…” you stuttered.

“Perfect,” he grasped your chin briefly, giving you a smile. “So, in this game you’re the true love. You have to give me whatever the song says. Understand?”

You nodded, swallowing hard. You had no idea what he was going to ask for but you were starting to get anxious; a good kind of anxious.

“On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… One make out session,” he smirked. Well, that was decidedly more painless than you thought; you’d already made out with Hobi plenty in various other games over the years.

You did as instructed, leaning forward to press your lips to his. He pushed his tongue to your bottom lip almost immediately, swirling it around until you opened your mouth to him. He applied a little more pressure, clashing his tongue with yours as the two of you made out, just as instructed.

He pulled back with a smirk, sitting on his heels in front of you.

“Good girl. On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…” he began, pondering his next move. “Two perky little tits for me to play with.”

Your eyes widened. This was totally new territory, something that you’d never done with any of them before. They were your friends and sure you made dirty little jokes with them, made out with them when you were drunk, stripped with them when you played games but they’d never touched you, never shown any genuine interest in doing anything remotely sexual to you.

And yet, you weren’t uncomfortable. You weren’t wondering if you should or shouldn’t go through with any of this. You couldn’t lie; you’d had dirty thoughts about all of them. How could you not? They were all ridiculously gorgeous and sexy as hell, especially when you would watch their shows from the side-lines. Being their best friend had its perks…

Slowly, you reached behind you to unclasp your bra, letting the straps fall down your arms and pulling it off, dropping it to the floor beside Hoseok.

“Oh my god, she’s actually gonna do it…” you heard Taehyung whisper to Jin sat beside him.

Hoseok grinned and leaned forward, attaching his lips to the soft flesh above your nipple, drawing patterns with his tongue all over your breast until he took the bud into his mouth. You gasped at the contact; the wet sensation so foreign. His hand came to cup the other, massaging the breast to stimulate both at the same time.

He rolled the nipple between two fingers, pinching as he suckled at the other one. He loved the way you felt; so soft, the heaviness of your breasts feeling weighty in his hand.

“Fuck…” Jimin whined from the other side of the room, mouth hanging open and eyes trained on what Hoseok was doing to you. He held his scrunched boxers over his length, slowly starting to grow underneath. He shifted his hands to grind them into himself, releasing some of the pressure that was building in his groin.

Hoseok bit down on your nipple, tugging at it between his teeth and you groaned aloud, letting it slip past your lips. You couldn’t believe how much this was turning you on, letting Hoseok use you in front of the other six members like this. Warmth was building in your cheeks from embarrassment, but the heat was spreading down between your legs too…

All too son, Hobi sat back again, letting the cold air hit the wetness he’d left on your breast.

“Hey Hobi, you made Jimin hard,” Yoongi laughed, mocking the poor boy sat discreetly rubbing himself. Jimin was so turned on just from watching.

“I did?” he turned around to look at Jimin who stopped his hand, still covered by his boxers.

“N-no, it’s just… her moans, and…” he stuttered, terrified. Truth be told he was turned on by the whole scenario in front of him. Maybe a little by Hobi himself, too…

“Jiminie, it’s okay…” he soothed. He turned back to you, a glint in his dark eyes. “And on the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… three minutes to make Jimin cum with her mouth.”

Jimin practically combusted in his spot, completely shocked by the sudden turn of events. Surely you wouldn’t do that? That would be too much for you? But Jesus Christ, he wanted you to…

“N-no, it’s okay. She doesn’t have to…” he tried to protest but you were already on your hands and knees, crawling over to him. “Oh shit…”

“Someone got a timer?” Hobi asked the room.

“Yeah, I’ll set one,” Namjoon pulled his phone out, setting a timer for three minutes. You looked up at Jimin from where you sat in front of him, innocence in your eyes that made him weak at the knees.

You reached for the material he had covered himself with, pulling it slowly away from him to reveal his hard length to you. You could see him feeling self-conscious around the others, all watching intently. They’d seen him naked, sure; but never turned on, never hard as a fucking rock, never watched him get sucked off before.

Jungkook seemed to be paying particularly close attention to Jimin, the way his face contorted when you wrapped you lips around his head, Joon starting the timer off. He noticed the way Jimin’s abs tensed, the way the tendons in his wrists popped out as he clenched his fists. He listened to the sloppy noises you were making on his dick, the moans that were rippling out of Jimin’s mouth.

And that was what turned him on.

Unfortunately for him, the boxers he was wearing did nothing to his hide erection. He shifted uncomfortably, trying not to draw attention to himself. But Namjoon saw, sat beside him.

He didn’t say anything at first, noticing the way Jungkook was watching as you sucked Jimin to within an inch of his life, and the way that he was watching Jimin’s face, reacting with a squirm or a shift each time Jimin were to moan.

Jimin had been so turned on, so worked up already, that your mouth around him was drawing an orgasm from him ridiculously quickly. You worked on him furiously, enjoying the act and the reaction you were getting from Jimin.

“Shit, what are you doing to me?” Jimin groaned, staring down and watching his cock disappearing into your throat and back out again while you bobbed your head on him, using your tongue to apply varying pressure with your movements.

“Good?” Hobi asked Jimin.

“The fucking best…” he praised, head falling back against the couch cushions and eyes fluttering shut.

Jungkook shifted again, starting to feel uncomfortable at his own arousal to Jimin’s lewd words. Namjoon noticed again.

“You okay, Kook?” he asked, drawing the room’s attention to him. Everyone except you and Jimin, still wrapped up in your own little bubble.

“Y-yeah…” he replied shakily.

“Wishing that were you?” Tae asked, laughing aloud and nodding at the bulge in his underwear.

“Uh-huh…” he replied, eyes wide and watching the display in front of him. But frankly, he wasn’t sure if he meant he wished it was his dick getting sucked, or him doing the sucking…

“Maybe you should ask him nicely then, Kook?” Namjoon smirked at the younger boy, watching as his head snapped to the side to look at him with shock.

“W-what? No, I’m… I’m not gay, hyung,” he protested, shaking his head.

“You’re getting off to his moans…” Namjoon said simply. Jungkook didn’t answer, simply swallowing hard and staring at Namjoon. Jimin could hear the conversation, wondering if he should say something. But the way you were working on him and the added pressure of the timer in the back of his mind had him struggling for something to say.

Instead, he thought he’d experiment with Namjoon’s observation a little further.

“Fuck, Kook… She feels so good, I’m gonna cum, I can feel it,” he spoke directly to the maknae.

Jungkook tore his eyes away from Namjoon’s to look over at Jimin again, his hand immediately flying to the bulge in his underwear as he felt himself twitching. He grabbed himself at the base of his dick through the material to stave off any more twinges, but it just didn’t work; not with Jimin now turning his head to watch the maknae, his face a picture of pure pleasure.

“Thirty seconds,” Namjoon announced, watching the timer. You increased your pace, now using your hand to pump Jimin to bring him closer. You hollowed your cheeks, drawing his orgasm out of him so damn quickly.

“Ah, fuck… Fuck, fuck, fuck, don’t stop. So close…” Jimin moaned, Jungkook palming himself now that he just couldn’t help it. With Jimin spewing so many curses and whining the way he was, his cock was twitching over and over under his briefs.

Jimin came very quickly, just before the timer went off in Namjoon’s hand. You almost gagged on him, managing to swallow as he convulsed under you.

You sat back, wiping your mouth and very aware of every single pair of eyes on you.

“Well done, sweetie. You did it,” Hobi praised, stroking your hair. Jimin lay breathless, completely exposed and vulnerable as he softened around everyone. “She did good, right guys?”

“So good,” Yoongi praised, biting his lip cockily.

“Proud of her,” said Jin, smacking his lips together.

“Does anyone else want to try a rule?” Hobi offered to the room, letting it linger in the air.

“Does it have to be a rule for y/n to follow, or can we make them up for each other too?” asked Taehyung. Everyone turned to look at him, confused.

“What did you have in mind?” Hobi asked Taehyung. The younger smirked then, looking towards Jungkook who was slowly pushing his hand against his bulge. Jungkook’s eyes widened, panicking.

“On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… four wet kisses to the tip of my dick,” Tae said so confidently, boring into Jungkook’s eyes with his own.

“What?! Tae, c’mon… I can’t do that…” he argued, whining helplessly. And yet, he never stopped the small movements of his hand.

“Sure, you can. Or is it just Jimin you’ve got the hots for?” he teased. Jungkook mentally cursed himself for being so easy to read; no, it wasn’t just Jimin he had the hots for. He supposed that maybe, just maybe, he was just generally into dudes as well.

“I-I… I’ve never…” he stuttered, panic overwhelming him.

“Don’t worry Kookie, it’s easy,” Tae bit his lip, unbuttoning his pants and beckoning Jungkook towards him.

“Damn Tae, I didn’t know you were-“ Jin started to say beside him, watching as Jungkook actually rose to his feet and stepped towards him.

“I did,” Yoongi interrupted confidently. “Told me in Paris, I think? He was pretty drunk. We made out a little,” he shrugged.

“What the hell, hyung? You knew and none of us did?” Jimin whined.

“Just thought you’d guessed, I suppose. It’s no big deal. You all knew about me, anyway,” Yoongi mumbled. True enough, you had all known that Yoongi wasn’t entirely straight, but you’d never known exactly what he was. But Tae? You hadn’t seen that coming. Or Jungkook…

“Can we just have like, a sexual orientation check please?” asked Namjoon, confused. He seemed to have missed the details that everyone else had about Taehyung and Jungkook. “Jimin; go…”

“Eh, not sure,” he admitted. “Curious.”

“Hobi?” Namjoon asked.

“Straight, but I don’t mind sharing,” he winked, mostly at you. You blushed and hid your face in your hair.

“Yoongi’s whatever he is… Taehyung?” Namjoon turned to him, who was tugging his jeans down to expose more of his body to the room and readying himself for Jungkook.

“Bisexual,” he said fondly.

“Jin?”

“Straight but for some reason got some weird voyeurism thing… All this crap is doing something for me,” he admitted.

“Jungkook?” Namjoon asked, watching the boy crawling towards Taehyung and eyeing up his dick that was now free from its confines and resting against Tae’s little tummy.

“Uh… curious?” he asked, to himself more than anyone.

“’Curious’ and yet about to kiss Tae’s dick. Righty-o…” Jimin teased. Jungkook ignored him, eyeing Taehyung up.

“What about you, Joon?” Hobi asked.

“Same as Jin. Straight, but this is fun…” he chuckled. “So what was it, four kisses?” he circled back, forcing the room to focus on Jungkook on his knees in front of Taehyung.

“Yep,” grinned Tae, popping the ‘p’ sound as he looked down at Jungkook. He was staring at his hyung’s dick, mesmerized by its size. Tae wasn’t small in the slightest; far from it. Long, thick and so fucking hard.

Jungkook leaned in, eyes flickering up to Tae’s and pressed his lips to his head, his lips wetting immediately from the little bead of precum that had surfaced. Tae’s grin grew wider, cockier.

“Oh my god, he did it…” said a very vocal Jimin, who just couldn’t keep his mouth shut it seemed. He liked to commentate; you noted that and stored it away for the future.

“Not as instructed, though… I said wet kisses. Use your tongue, Kookie,” Tae scolded. “Start again.”

Jungkook nodded, completely compliant. He leaned forward again, swiping his tongue over the tip and circling his lips over it. Tae grunted at the feeling, a little sensitive. That was one…

Jungkook started again, a little down the side of Tae’s length now, swiping his tongue and puckering his lips. And then again, a little further down, close to the base. That was three.

“Damn, Kookie…” Tae hissed; he was loving this. “Back to the top for my last one…”

Jungkook obliged, swiping his tongue over Tae’s slit but this time opening his mouth a little wider to take the head of Tae’s cock between his lips, moving with a little more pressure to wind Tae up even more.

You watched the display, becoming more and more turned on with each and every kiss. You were pressing your thighs together so tight, trying to hold off the pressure that was building, the need that was encapsulating you. It was getting harder and harder to ignore the wetness building at your core and frankly, you needed something. Anything…

You slid your hand to press over the material of your pants, applying some pressure to relieve yourself of the tension building. Seokjin noticed, eyes watching intently with dark ambition as he saw your hand moving to touch yourself as discreetly as possible.

“Not bad for your first time with a cock,” Tae praised Jungkook, whose face lit up at the compliment. Praise kink; noted.

“Yeah I don’t think I’m just curious…” he admittedly shyly, sitting back on his heels.

“Well, that was fun to watch. Who’s next?” Yoongi asked, now completely hard in his own pants too. In fact at this point, they pretty much all were. They had never been in such an erotic and downright dirty scenario before.

“Me,” Jin said aloud. “While you were all drooling over Tae and Jungkook, I noticed a little someone getting a bit too over excited. Didn’t I, y/n?” he called you out. You blushed furiously, hand immediately flying to your side from where you had been touching yourself.

“I-I…” you stuttered.

“Naughty girl. So… On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… five hard pussy slaps,” his eyes darkened, the whole room turning to look at you with a chorus of “oooooohhhhhhs”.

You were excited by the notion, though. You hadn’t thought Jin was that kind of guy but apparently, he was. How far could he go? Was he a dom? Was he into BDSM, or S&M? You wanted to find out more. You had to.

“Come over here, baby girl. Take everything off for me,” he instructed. You didn’t even hesitate; he had such a command over you already. You stood in front of him, unbuttoning your jeans to slip down your legs and step out of. You stood awkwardly twiddling your fingers in front of you in your underwear, and Jin cocked his head to one side in disapproval.

“Those too…” he nodded towards the simple cotton grey panties that you’d worn, a clear little wet patch over the crotch. Next to him, Taehyung licked his lips at the sight, reaching to stroke himself. You pulled those down slowly too, leaving them in a pile with your jeans.

Jin curled his finger at you, beckoning you to him. He patted his lap and you weren’t sure what to do; how did he want you?

“Over my knee, y/n. Ass facing Tae; I’m sure he’d like the view,” he winked at Tae, who was practically drooling now.

“Oh hell, yes…” he affirmed. You stepped towards Jin, kneeling down in the space between him and Taehyung, bending over his knees with your ass sticking up into the air, rounded and exposed. “Damn, it’s even prettier than I imagined,” he complimented, stroking himself with a little more pressure.

“Babygirl, you’re gonna count with me, okay?” Jin instructed, tracing his fingers down the length of your spine, down the curve of your ass and settling just over your heat. “Gonna have to spread your knees a little, sweetie. Need a good shot.” You shuffled them apart, readying yourself.

Jin lifted his hand and with one quick swoop, landed his palm flat against your pussy, stinging and tingling sensations rocketing through your core. You yelped at the feeling.

“One…” you counted, a little breathless. “Good girl,” he praised, raising his hand again. He slapped you again, his fingertips grazing the hood of your clit. The pain was far more intense this time, yet the pleasure was still surpassing.

“Two!” you cried out.

“Doing so well, Babygirl. Three more…” Jin raised his hand a third time, landing the slap just a little closer to your clit. You cried out again, tears brimming in your eyes and spilling out down your cheeks.

“Th-three…” you mumbled, whimpering.

“Do you want to hold my hand, sweetie?” he asked, soothingly. You nodded frantically, reaching for his free hand. You gripped it tightly with both hands, lacing your fingers with his.

You braced yourself for the fourth slap, no harder than the first but it stung worse than the last, the residual sting creating a burning sensation. You yelped like a lame puppy as the fourth slap radiated the burn through your entire lower half, your hands squeezing Jin’s as tight as you could to offset the pain.

“F-four… Jin, it hurts…” you whined.

“Just one more, sweetie. Can you handle one more for me?” he stroked your hair, letting the contrast of the air against your wet and throbbing pussy soothe the burn for a moment.

“I-I think, so…” you whimpered.

“Shit, she’s so good. She’s gonna need a reward after all that punishment, Jin-hyung…” said Namjoon from the other side of the room.

“Maybe you can help with that, Joon. But she’s got one more, first…”

Jin used his hand to rub soft little circles on your pussy, getting you nice and ready for the next slap. With the sting, it felt so good; the tingles through your clit as he rubbed slow little circles on it, dipping a long finger in between your folds and spreading your wetness around a little more.

“Fuck, Jin-hyung… Open her up a little for me, would you?” Tae begged. Jin did as he was asked, spreading your lips apart to show you off to Tae. “Holy shit. So pretty... God, I could cum just from looking at her,” he groaned, pumping his hand harder on his shaft.

Across the room, Jungkook couldn’t help himself either; it was all getting far too much for him. Watching Tae lose it, Jin delivering the slaps to your pussy, your little yelps… He’d pulled his erection out where he sat and was pumping furiously with short laboured breaths.

With a sudden crack, Jin landed his fifth slap to your sopping cunt, a yelp and a sob escaping your lips as fresh tears dribbled down your cheeks pathetically.

“F-five…” you whined, biting your lip to stop the sobs that were threatening to erupt. Yes, it hurt. But you loved that; it would only make whatever were to come next even sweeter.

“Good girl, hmm? Perfect. So perfect,” Jin praised you over and over, moving your body to sit with him, cuddling into him as he smoothed your hair and kissed away the tears with his thick lips.

“Alright, now… Day six; any takers?” Hobi asked the room, taking command once again like the ringmaster of some filthy circus.

“I’ll go,” Jimin raised his hand, sitting forward and looking around at the room. “On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… six minutes to see who cums first; Yoongi, or y/n,” he smirked smugly.

“Do I use my hand, or...?” Yoongi asked, not even phased by the idea of jerking off in front of the others.

“No, I thought Jungkook might like to try it out,” Jimin’s evil little face turned to look at Jungkook who was still pumping himself ferociously, but now held the expression of a dear in headlights. “You know, seeing as you’re so curious…”

“You don’t have to if you’re uncomfortable, Kook,” Yoongi tried to make him feel like he had a choice, but Jungkook had already made up his mind. He abandoned his own needs and was immediately crawling across the floor again to get to Yoongi.

“I-I want to try…” he said sheepishly.

“What about this one, hmm?” Jin asked Jimin, looking down at your face tucked into his chest. “How is she going to cum?”

Jimin thought for a moment, wondering who he thought would be able to make that happen within six minutes.

“Namjoon. Do whatever you have to do to get y/n and Yoongi off, guys. Just gonna set the timer…” Jimin grabbed Joon’s phone to set the timer to six minutes.

Yoongi shifted out of his pants and let his erection stand freely, Jungkook’s eyes popping out of his damn skull and seeming to drool; again.

Namjoon and Jin had positioned you to sit in Jin’s lap, hands behind your back and held by Jin with your legs hanging over the sides of his knees, totally on display to the room.

“Okay, timer’s set… GO!” Jimin yelled.

Namjoon immediately launched forward, his lips connecting with your swollen clit and tongue swiping over it intensely. Every single little flick was heightened after the battering you had just taken, and you were crying out immediately at the touch.

Jungkook hesitated for a split second, until he reached his fist out to Yoongi’s dick and started to pump him, over and over, swiping his thumb over his slit with every upward motion.

“God, a guy’s hand always feels better…” Yoongi groaned, watching the maknae work his fist on him.

“Guys know what guys like,” commented Tae, still stroking himself too next to Jin.

Namjoon took the initiative to slide two fingers inside you, knowing full well you’d take them without any trouble judging by the amount of arousal you had produced. You writhed in Jin’s hold, feeling his length poking your ass where you sat against him.

With Namjoon’s tongue working your clit, lips sucking and devouring, fingers deep inside you and pumping, you were starting to get dizzy from the powerful orgasm you knew was approaching fast. Namjoon would win this, surely.

“Gah Kookie, can… can you use your mouth?” Yoongi asked, groaning and desperate for the feeling of wet warmth to envelope his cock. Jungkook didn’t even both to answer, leaning forward to take half of his length into his mouth, pumping what he couldn’t fit in his hand. “Oh, shit…”

“J-Joon, I’m-I’m so… so close, please; don’t stop,” you whined, struggling against Seokjin’s hold. With every curl of his long fingers inside of you, you lurched forward, ass grinding down in Jin’s lap. Namjoon was brutal with his movements, focussing on nothing at all but speed and making sure to hit the spots that counted; there was no time to waste.

Jungkook did his best to speed up, bobbing his head and swirling his tongue around Yoongi’s tip. He slurped messily at him, Yoongi growling and pulling at Jungkook’s hair to guide his head.

“Two minutes left!” Jimin announced.

“Oh, fuck…” Yoongi cursed, his head hitting the back of the couch and the hand in Kook’s hair falling to the side, simply relaxing into the feeling that was building and building while Jungkook sped up.

Namjoon’s pace never faltered, tongue raging at your clit and fingers now moving so fast that you could hear the lewd squelches above the moans in the room.

“Oh, fuck… I’m cumming,” said a deep voice, but it wasn’t Yoongi like you’d expected it to be.

Taehyung grunted like an animal as hot strings of white erupted from his cock, coating his exposed chest. Yoongi watched him through hooded eyes, more turned on now than he had been all night at the sight of Tae losing his control completely.

He felt those knowable twinges in his groin, felt the tension building and building getting ready to snap.

But so did you. And Namjoon could tell, by the way you were clenching your walls around his fingers, the moans running out of your mouth, the tensing of your thighs and abdominal muscles.

He never faltered, expertly lapping at your cunt and fucking his fingers into you until you were screaming out, hips jutting against Jin and spilling copious amounts onto Namjoon’s fingers and tongue. Your eyes rolled back in your head as you came, fists clinging to Jin and leaving scratch marks on his chest.

“Namjoon wins!” Jimin cheered, “But Jungkook has thirty seconds left… Can he do it?”

Yoongi knew he could, knew he was ready to snap. Watching you cum just after Taehyung had been so incredibly stimulating that he had seconds left. Jungkook focussed his attention to Yoongi’s tip, knowing that it was the most sensitive part of the male anatomy. He suckled at it harshly, hand still pumping the rest of Yoongi’s length.

“F-fuuUCK!” Yoongi roared, cumming without any warning to poor Jungkook, who received his first taste of cum unexpectedly. Like an absolute champ, he didn’t pull away. Instead he kept suckling, drawing every drop of cum out of Yoongi that he could.

He sat back and admired his elder, chest rising and falling quickly, and eyes squeezed shut.

“Damn, only had twelve seconds left too. Good going, Jungkookie!” Jimin clapped, shutting the timer off.

You lay sprawled against Jin, sat in an unfortunate wet patch that you had left on his pants when you came. Your chest rose and fell much like Yoongi’s did, both of you completely spent from such an intense session.

“Day seven?” Hobi left it open to the room to pick up once again. This time, you had a request.

“C-can I?” you asked sheepishly, still exhausted but so, so needy. Looking around the room at the seven guys you called your friends in various stages of undress and arousal, there was one thing you wanted from all of them.

“Go ahead, sweetie. What’s your rule?” Hobi tilted his head to listen, the rest of the boys watching and waiting.

“O-on… on the seventh day of Christmas… my… my true love gave to me…” you stuttered, nervous and out of breath. “Seven turns, with seven cocks.”

You wanted each of them, one at a time, to use you completely.

“Oh, Babygirl… do you have any idea what you’ve just let yourself in for?” Hobi smirked with dark eyes, standing up to unbuckle the belt of his jeans. “You want all seven of us? You’ll get it.”

Namjoon moved out of the way for Hobi to come and collect you, pulling on your hands that Jin had freed up to get you to stand up for him. He walked you over to the free space on the couch where you had started, and had you bent over the back ready to take what you’d asked for.

“Question is, Babygirl… What are we gonna do with you for the rest of the five days after this?” he teased, stepping forward to rub the tip of his stiff cock against your already corrupt pussy. “You’ve still got five more rules to endure after you’ve taken the pounding you begged us for.”

You hadn’t thought about that, but frankly, you didn’t care. All you cared about was taking each of the boy’s dicks until they were satisfied.

When you had arrived to their dorms this morning for Christmas day, you hadn’t ever expected you’d end up bent over the back of the couch, playing one of the dirtiest games you had ever played and letting each of the seven boys use you, all whilst a few of them seemed to use each other also.

But hey, if this was what Christmas with Bangtan meant, then, boy… You wish it could be Christmas everyday…

✧˚₊‧𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬‧₊˚✧ - 𝘍𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦

[godlydolans]

Tumblr won't let me answer this ask so I'm doing it this way-Pt.3

This is some star-crossed lovers shit that I cry over! I argue with my parents about the whole marrying into your own caste bullshit almost everyday. I really hope and pray this way of thinking changes because it really is a pain in the ass 😤

Y/N was going through a rough breakup when she'd first met Grayson. The guy she had been dating was from her own culture, a Doctor and her parents really liked him for their daughter. While the initial one year had been great, she quickly realised he wasn't the right guy for her. He was too controlling, too busy, too toxic. She had to break things off despite what the society would say.

For the longest time after that, Y/N closed herself off. She only left her dorm to go to her classes, occasionally going to the nearby diner with her girlfriends to ger food and then back into the dorm. The happy go-lucky girl who loved to party on the weekends was lost somewhere.

It just so happens that the night her room mate literally dragged her out of the dorm and to a party at some club she didn't care to know the name of, was the very night Grayson also attended his very first 'college party' per say.

Grayson Dolan had never been to frat parties in his life because he never went to college but had definitely heard great things from his sister and some friends that went to UCLA. One of those friends had invited him and his brother to the party his friend was throwing and Grayson was not gonna let the opportunity pass.

So what if he didn't go to University? He could still say he knew what college parties looked like!

So it was on one of the three outdoor patios at Q's Billiard Club that Grayson and Y/N first saw each other. She was there because the loud music was starting to make her head ache (she'd gotten a little too used to the usual quiet of her dorm room). Grayson was there to catch some fresh air, the tightly packed club was making him a little claustrophobic. And it wasn't like they were the only two people outside that night, but still both of them couldn't stop their eyes from going back to each other.

Y/N had noticed the new face among her friends' group when everyone had gathered around the pool table and how could she not? His bright smile and loud laugh were both extremely hard to miss. She had noticed how charismatic and magnetic he was and she'd be lying to herself if she said her eyes didn't search for him while she was inside just so she could see him smile once again.

There was just something about that smile..

Grayson had also noticed her when she had been talking to some guy, smiling from ear to ear as one hand played with the ring on her little finger. She was beautiful. He could tell that much even under the horrible lights of the club but now that she stood just few feet away from him, he could really see how beautiful she was.

Jesus Christ.. he'd thought, she had such beautiful dark long hair, big doe eyes with long lashes adorning them, thick eyebrows framed her exotic face beautifully and let's not even talk about the 'voluptuous' lips, as he likes to put it. That sharp bone structure could cut a loaf of bread and he couldn't stop himself from stealing glances her way. Usually Ethan is the shy one, but that night, Grayson would swear cat had got his tongue. The poor guy was sweating bullets, trying to find something to strike up a conversation with Y/N, but whenever he would open his mouth to say something, his nerves would get the best of him and he would eat his words before they had the opportunity to come out.

She eventually went back inside, making Grayson curse under his breath for losing his chance to talk to her. Little did he know he'd be getting introduced to Y/N very soon by their common friend, Ashton. Bless his soul.

The majority of the night, Y/N and Grayson spent together, talking about everything from their aim in life to freaking politics. She was extremely intelligent and he was a great listener along with having an interesting mind. Neither could stop themselves from getting infatuated with the other.

After that night, they met again at next weekend's party, then the next one and the next one. Grayson had started counting the days untill Saturday, when he could see her again.

Y/N, on the other hand, was starting to get wary about these meetings because she knew she was starting to really like him and that's what she couldn't allow herself to do. She knew getting involved with Grayson would only lead to heartbreak because there would never be a future with him. But she didn't have the the will power to stop seeing him either.

Ultimately, she decided she would not think too much and let the chips fall wherever they may. She really liked Grayson and Grayson really liked her and if she was lucky, things would not get too serious to the point where she'd have to rope in her family.

This would be her little secret, that's all.

Only, that's not all. And her little secret would not be so little. What was only supposed to be just two friends-who-knew-they-liked-each-other hanging out, turned into a three year long serious relationship. What was only supposed to be a crush she thought she'd get over eventually, turned into something so much more serious and permanent.

Y/N fell head over heels in love with everything that makes up the man that is Grayson and don't think she didn't try to stop those feelings in their track!

In the three years they were together, they took a break three times, the first time because Grayson was afraid what his fans would do to her if they found out. The second time because of what Y/N's family would do to her if they found out and the third time was solely because Y/N didn't know what to do about the situation she had trapped herself in. (But they obviously found their way back to each other!)

The poor girl loved her family more than anything else in the world and she didn't remember ever hiding something from either her mum or her dad. And while she knew that she wasn't wrong for loving Grayson, not at all, because loving him and being loved by him seemed like the most right thing she'd ever done, but the fact that she was hiding her relationship from her parents for three years definitely gave her multiple sleepless nights.

She tried to tell them several times when things were getting serious between her and Grayson, but everytime she would chicken out because she wasn't ready to choose between her family and the love of her life. She knew her family would never accept him no matter how perfect he was because he didn't share the same cultural background as her and she knew that if she chose him, she would be disowned within a second.

If someone would have asked her to choose between any guy and her dad even two years ago, she would have chosen her father in a heartbeat. There was even a time in the early stages of her relationship where she had made those cute little 'open when' cards for Grayson, giving them to him on their one year anniversary. She had gotten the idea off of pinterest and she remembers hesitating while making the 'open when you're getting married' card because she was so sure she wouldn't be the one that'd get to marry that amazing man.

Y/N knew there was zero way she would get to have Grayson as her husband no matter how much she prayed for it, so she didn't know what to write in that particular card. After going over words and crumbling four pieces of paper, she finally wrote just five words in the card and folded it shut with teary eyes. Grayson had a tendency to misplace things and there was a high chance this card would never even be opened by him, but she still made it and gave it to him.

Now fast forward to two years later, Grayson stood before her with one knee bent, holding a beautiful diamond ring with both hands and saying the most beautiful speech while she stood infront of him, absolutely bawling her eyes out and covering her mouth in shock. It was the eve of her birthday and she had just gotten off the phone with her family, during which Grayson had stood silently to the side, making sure to not make a single noice because he couldn't risk being heard by your parents. The proposal had come as a total shock to Y/N but there was no doubt in her head that she had to say 'yes' when she saw him getting down on one knee and flashing her favourite smile in the entire world to her. She didn't think about how she'd tell her family that she was freaking engaged, or about how they'd react to having Grayson as their son in-law, or if they'd even want to see her after she'd break the news to them. All she knew in that moment was that Grayson was her man, the love of her life. No other man could ever take his place and she just had to make him officially hers. Staying away from him was out of the question. She'd tried that and failed miserably. At this point, she knew they were meant to be together, that's all she cared about.

"Yes," she'd breathed, a choked sob escaping her lips when a tear rolled down Grayson's cheek. She got down on both knees in front of him and launched herself into his arms. "Yes, yes, I will marry you!"

He had not wasted a second in taking her face in his hands and kissing her lips with everything he had. They had each other, that was enough for now.

That year when she'd gone home for her Diwali, she had asked her mum and dad to sit with her and with a pounding heart and shaky breaths, she had finally told them about Grayson. She was very aware that this would be her last diwali with her family but she knew her love for Grayson was nothing to be ashamed about. She hadn't committed a crime, she'd just fallen in love.

"I'm marrying him before new years, dad." Y/N had lifted her head up from her lap, pulling out from under her high neck top, the ring that she'd worn like a pendant around her neck. The sparkle of the diamond made her mother gasp. Her father sat in front of her, motionless, not even looking at her. She knew she had really hurt her dad and his teary eyes were making her heart break into a million pieces but she couldn't reach out and comfort him. She didn't have the right to, anymore. "Dad, trust me, he's an amazing man! You would love him if you met--"

"Tell her to get out of my house." He'd commanded her mother and stormed out of the room, without spading her a glance.

"Mum please--"

"Don't call me that! You clearly didn't think about your mum while you were messing around with that American--three years, Y/N?! You didn't feel ashamed of yourself?! And today you came here to invite us to your wedding?! How dare you?"

So yeah, she got kicked out of her house on the night of Diwali. At least she didn't get a slap to the face..? She just booked a room in a hotel near the airport, preparing to fly back to her fiancé at the crack of dawn. He was waiting for her with open arms when she came home the next day, letting go of her travel bag and absolutely crumbling into his arms. Her broken sobs were muffled by the fabric of his shirt as he held her head against his chest, placing kisses on her forehead every now and then.

"I'm sorry," he kept whispering in her ear, feeling awful for being the reason his girl got dsowned by her parents. "I'm so sorry.

"He didn't even look at me, Gray! Called me a disgrace!" The pain was unbearable. She couldn't breath, her heart seemed too heavy and the image of her father's pain stricken face kept roaming her mind. "They hate me, Gray."

"They are your parents, Y/N, they can't hate you. They are just mad. They'll come around eventually." He didn't know whom he was reassuring, himself or her. This isn't how he had imagined his wedding would be, with no family member attending from the bride's side. He really wished he could take some of her pain away, but all he could really give her was a promise to always be by her side through everything. He promised her he would never leave her. Never ever leave her.

They were bound by fate after all.

Just a day before the wedding, when Y/N was looking for the personalised cufflinks she'd bought as a wedding gift to Grayson, she stumbled upon a fat envelope on Grayson's side of the wardrobe. Opening it in curiosity, she found all the 'open when' cards that she'd made for him all those years ago. All the cards had been opened except for one.

Open when you're getting married.

The words were written in cursive on top of the card, the seal of it was still intact, meaning Grayson had really listened to her instructions, despite the curiosity nagging him everytime his eyes would fall on the envelopes. She didn't even know he had kept all the cards, Grayson tended to lose things easily.

Looking at the card, she remembered that day she'd sat down in her living room with all these papers scattered around her, doubting if she'll even get to marry Grayson. And now here she was, sitting in her future bedroom that she'd share with her soon to be husband. She would be marrying the man of her dreams tomorrow. And even though her day wouldn't be perfect because of the absence of her family, it would still be her day. The day she would finally be Mrs. Grayson Dolan.

Y/N took the cufflinks out of the wardrobe and held the card in her hand, walking over to Grayson's wedding suit that still hung on the hook of the wardrobe, just about of be taken to the venue for the wedding. Smiling with teary eyes, she slipped the card into the pocket of his coat along with the box that contained the cufflinks. It was a miracle that she found the card just a day before the wedding. It was all fate.

And the next day, while Grayson was getting ready, Ethan informed him that his almost wife had kept a gift in the pocket of his coat and had asked him to tell Grayson that. The groom had eagerly shoved his hand into his coat's pocket and found not just one gift, but two.

The cufflinks laid forgotten on the bed when his eyes fell on the card and he hastily opened it, finally getting to see what was written inside.

Just five words that brought tears into his eyes.

I hope it was me...

He smiled at the words, his throat tight and eyes filled with tears as he read the words over and over. Their love was powerful, they were meant to be together and together, they knew they could conquer anything. Yes, the path they had chosen to take was not an easy one, but he knew deep in his heart that things would get better.

And thankfully for them, Y/N's parents finally came along two years later. The cause of that was the little bundle of joy that Grayson and Y/N had created together. Things were starting to look up again, Y/N's dad was smitten with her little baby girl and her family loved Grayson once they got to know him. These days, her dad has been trying to get his son in-law into Cricket so they can watch together on TV when the World Cup rolls around. Grayson, on the other hand, has other plans. The Best Husband In The World is now set to earn the title of The Best Son In-Law In The World too, what with sneakily buying tickets for the whole family to watch the World Cup finale in the freaking stadium.

"I've got the best seats! He's gonna have a great view of the whole thing." He beams as she lays her head on his chest at night.

"You didn't have to do that, babe."

"Oh c'mon, he gave his freaking daughter to me, I know how hard that must have been now that I have my own, it's the least I can do for him."

Needless to say, Y/N's dad is over the moon, watching the match from the stadium with Grayson sitting beside him. Gray looks so cute and hot cheering for her country, she would definitely have pounced on his had they not been with her family, sitting among what looks like thousands and thousands of people.

But it's okay. They have all the time in the world for baby making. He's all hers just like she's all his.

[karenninaaa]

Iron Dad Bingo #1

AN: wheew! glad to finally cross out something after staring on that bingo card for days! i love this au so much so i took the liberty to play with this idea. also i love tony stark interacting with kids! there would probably be a lot of plot holes and inconsistencies but whatever.

Unbeta-ed Chapter.

enjoy!

Summary: In which, instead of Mr. Harrington, Mr. Stark was the head of the Decathlon team at Midtown Tech. 

(alternate events of Spider-Man Homecoming and Tony never recruited Spider-Man for Civil war. Though CW still happened (lets just fit everything within the timeline :D)) 

For Irondad Bingo:  Au: Teacher and Student

--

Chalk and Rebel

Peter could feel Mr. Stark’s piercing gaze at him. The science teacher and the head of the school’s Academic Decathlon Team remained quiet when Peter had broken out the news to his teacher that he couldn’t go to Washington for the Decathlon competition. He was sitting adjacent to Peter and arms crossed on his chest.

“Can’t you take one weekend off?” Finally, Mr. Stark asked sitting up straight. This time, he settled his one elbow on the desk. “It’s nationals. We’ve been preparing for this for weeks.”

“I-I’m sorry. I really can’t, Oscorp internship is really strict and-”

“If you were interning for Stark Industries, things like this wouldn’t be a problem.” Mr. Stark said shaking his head.

“W-wait, what’s happening?” Cindy, one of their decathlon teammates, asked. She was sitting behind the desk on the stage.

“Parker is not going to Washington because apparently, the internship was more important to him,” Flash said who was sitting at the far behind with his feet propped on a chair. He was holding their reviewer booklet.

“Flash,” Mr. Stark called in warning not bothering to look at him.

“You can’t really go, Pete?” Abraham asked who was sitting next to Cindy.

“Really? Right before the Nationals?” Liz was standing behind a podium. Dismay was evident in her voice.

“He already quit the marching band and robotics club.” Michelle piped in from the corner of the stage. All heads turned in her direction.

“I’m not obsessed with him, just very observant.” Michelle defended.

“Flash, you’re in for Peter.” Liz glanced back at Flash.

“Oh, I don’t know, I have to check my calendar first. I’ve got a hot date with Black Widow coming up.” Flash answered looking down at his booklet.

Abraham rang his doorbell. “That is false, right Mr. Stark?”

“I’m not quite sure about that, I haven’t seen Widow in a while and why did I tell you about abusing of the bell?” Mr. Stark said then turned to Peter. He relented. “Fine, you may not go but it would be such a shame that you wouldn’t be with us. This kind of competition just happened once in a while you know.”

Peter’s eyes wandered on the stage where his best friend sat. Ned Leeds was looking back at him. Ned was the only one who knew the real reason why Peter couldn’t go to the competition.

Three days ago, Spider-Man discovered a group of robbers stealing in a bank one night. They were using weirdly looking and enhanced weapons. Unfortunately, they got away after Spider-Man chose to save Mr. Delmar’s bodega that had been hit by the said tech. However, they might have gotten away but a piece of tech fell out from that weapon. Ned was holding that tech for safekeeping since his best friend was the only person who knew his gig as Spider-Man. And now, Peter was going to use the weekend to track down those robbers. The whole Oscorp internship was obviously a lie because he quit the internship months ago when he had gotten so busy being Spider-Man.

Peter felt bad for lying to Mr. Stark. After all, Mr. Stark was the coolest teacher he ever had. He remembered freezing in his seat when Mr. Stark casually strolled into the classroom and introduced himself as their new science teacher. He remembered feeling giddy, because the person he had been idolizing his entire life, was standing in front of him and whom he could now see every day.

--

“Can’t you just ask Mr. Stark about the glowy thing? Maybe he can help you out or something?” Ned whispered to Peter as they walked through the hallway full of students milling around.

“I just couldn’t bother him with that,” Peter glanced at Ned. “He’s probably so busy being a teacher, Iron Man, and an Avenger.”

“It’s just that, he’s always feet away from you most of the time. He’s got a lot of resources. You could probably ask him for tips about this whole superhero-ing.”

“But, I got you,” Peter smiled at him. “My guy in the chair?”

“Oh stop that,” Ned waved his hand at him in dismissal, though he was visibly pleased with the title.

“See you later okay? Same time?” Peter said.

“Fine and bring some chips on your way to my house later,” Ned replied.

“You got it.”

--

In all honesty, Peter had a lot of questions.Often times, he would find himself faltering on his way out of the classroom as everybody had dispersed out and he was the only one remaining standing next to the desk. There was one time when Tony Stark was erasing the writings on the whiteboard and Peter was dumbly standing there. He should be leaving but the things that he wanted to ask Mr. Stark left him rooted to his spot, things that he didn’t know how to voice out loud. Tony turned around and paused when he saw Peter was still there.

“Mr. Parker.” Tony put down the eraser on the table. “Is there something wrong? Or do you have questions about our earlier lesson?”

How do you deal with bad guys and still looked cooler?

Where are you getting that huge amount of courage when facing life-threatening situations? Cause I still get scared most of the time.

How do you deal with failure when things had gone wrong in a mission? Have you ever failed? Cause you looked like someone who did things in perfection.

How to be a great superhero like you?

“N-nothing, Mr. Stark, t-the lesson was great, I learned a lot today.”

“Well, that was the goal.” Tony sat on the edge of the table crossing his arms. “And because of that, I expect you to be ready for our quiz tomorrow, yeah?”

“Yes, Mr. Stark.”

Tony nodded. Peter was about to walk away when he paused once again. Instead of asking the questions that had been swimming in his head, he asked a different one.

“Mr. Stark?”

“Hmm?”

“Why did you suddenly become a teacher?”

“I need a change of pace.” That was all his teacher had said. He glanced at the window. Rays of sunlight were seeping through the window making Tony’s brown eyes appeared to be lighter. For one second, Peter could see his teacher’s tired and worn out eyes. There seemed to be more wrinkles on the side of his eyes. He looked sad and resigned. Another question popped in Peter’s head, a question that would probably stay unanswered.

--

“I told you they’re gonna come back!” Spider-Man was swinging through the buildings chasing a gray truck zigzagging on the street.

“Yep, but the cops are moving too slow. Your bad guys are quick and smart. Are you closing in on them?” He heard Ned answered through the Bluetooth earpiece under his mask. His phone was on the pocket of his red hoodie, his improvised costume. Well, not everyone was as reach as Tony Stark to make cool superhero outfit. Meanwhile, Ned had a walkie-talkie that was intercepting the signals of other walkie-talkies used by the cops. That was how they were able to get some news from NYPD.

“I am!” Another web shot out from his webshooter. It hit the wall of a building nearby. Spider-Man made a great swing like a pendulum and landed on the rooftop. He ran and used his web to leap off another building. “And I would never let them get away. They were our only shot on knowing the source of their weapons.”

Spider-Man had been chasing the same robbers who were using enhanced weapons. They successfully robbed another bank. They immediately fled before Spider-Man could even reach the scene. When he was sure that no one got harmed on the scene, he switched to plan B and the chase was on.

As Ned had predicted, the robbers lost the cops. Spider-Man continued to tail them until they reached an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the borough. The truck went into the warehouse as he quietly sneaked in by crawling on the wall. The robbers, seven in total, climbed down the car whooping in joy because of their successful heist.

Spider-Man crawled in closer to them but not close enough that he would be noticed.

“This is awesome!” Robber no.1 guffawed. “I can’t believe those idiot cops fell for our bait.”

“But of course,” Robber no. 2 piped in. “This wouldn’t be possible without our babies.” He patted affectionately the weapon he was holding. It looked like a shotgun but bulkier and instead of bullets, it was shooting off a laser beam that could cut through almost anything. Spider-Man had witnessed how it worked earlier.

Another roar of laughter echoed among them.

“Hey, have you heard that boss is going to Maryland for another heist?” Robber no.3 said to Robber no.4.

“Is that at Crain Highway? I’ve heard some of them talking about it.” Robber no. 4 said. “It would be fun if we could join that heist. It is going to be one of our biggest heists so far!”

“Maryland huh?” Spider-Man mused as he crouched on the steel frame of the ceiling looking down at the robbers.

“That was too far,” Ned said.

“But not too far from Washington,” Peter supplied.

“I think I know what you’re thinking,” Ned replied.

“Yep, we can’t let these bad guys pulled off another heist,” Peter said. “But first off, let’s web these people up.”

And so Spider-Man leaped in action.

Soon, patrol cars surrounded the warehouse. The cops had found the robbers webbed up in different areas of the warehouse. Another cop had found a letter from Spider-Man webbed on the wall, letting them know that they were the robbers from the earlier heist.

--

Peter jogged towards the bus that was parked on the school grounds. Their bus wasn’t your ordinary yellow school bus. It was a private air-conditioned bus owned by Tony Stark. Once Tony had a full look of the bus they’re going to use for their future out of town decathlon competitions, it only took three seconds for him to decide to replace the school’s old and cranky bus with a luxury one, with built-in speakers and fully automated system run by Tony’s very own AI, Friday. His decathlon teammates were lounging next to the bus with their luggage.

Tony Stark climbed down the bus clapping his hands and calling the attention of the students. “Alright guys, it’s time-”

“Hey, it’s Peter!” Abraham cut in and pointed at Peter. Everyone looked in his direction

Tony Stark turned and saw Peter approaching them. He smiled at the teen.

“I-I was hoping I could rejoin to the team. . .” Peter said.

Flash walked up to him. “No way! You can’t just quit on us and strolled up and be welcome back.”

“Actually, he can,” Tony butted in. He patted Peter’s shoulder. “Welcome back, Pete and Flash you’re back on being the first alternate. Come on guys, let’s all get into the bus.”

When they reached their destination, the group walked through the lobby of the hotel where they would stay for the night.

“Wow, this place is huge!” Charles marveled looking around.

“Kids, stick together,” Tony instructed as he talked to the facilitators of the event sitting behind the desk.

Soon, Tony gave them their keys to their designated room. Ned and Peter were roommates and retreated to their room. Later that night, Peter suited up. He wore another hood and jeans to hide his suit.

“Just ring me up if something happens,” Ned said who was sitting on the bed. “Be careful.”

Peter nodded. “Yeah, I’ll do my best to be back before the competition starts.” Then he headed out of the room. “Keep the glowy thing safe. That would be our evidence.”

Ned nodded picking up the purple glowing stone on the table.

Peter closed the door behind. He sneaked through the quiet and dimly lit hallway. He made another turn around the corner. “Shit!” He cursed under his breath. He backtracked immediately and hid behind the wall.

Peter slowly poked his head from his hiding spot. Tony Stark was walking towards his direction. Thankfully, Tony hadn’t seen Peter yet since he was looking down on the phone on his hand. Peter leaned back on the wall and took a deep breath. He looked at the railing on his left. He took a few steps back. Then he ran straight to the railing and jumped off. Web shot out and stuck on the railing. Gravity took over. Peter twisted around and swung towards the floor below. He safely landed on the ground.

Meanwhile, Tony Stark paused and looked up. He blinked on the empty hallway.

--

Peter hitched a ride on a car carrier truck towards his destination. At first, he thought that he had gotten lost along the way. He reached his destination and jumped off the truck a while back and was walking along the darkened road. He stopped at a gas station and crawled towards the roof of an abandoned bodega.

Peter looked around and muttered. “Is this really the place or the Google maps is wrong?”

It was then that three trucks came lined up together. Suddenly out of the sky, something with huge wings came down. Thanks to Peter’s enhanced senses, despite the darkness of the area, he easily figured out that it was a human with mechanical wings harnessed to him.

“Oh, that’s the boss!” Peter straightened up, more alert.

Big Bird anchored himself to the truck that was on the rear. He dropped down and disappeared inside the truck leaving his wings strapped to the roof of it. Peter swung towards the truck to investigate.

He also dropped on the roof and looked closely. The roof had gotten a rectangular hole thanks to the small stones placed on 4 corners.

“Woah cool, this looked like some kind of a matter phase shifter!” Peter said in quiet awe.

When the masked man emerged from the hole, he dropped the bag on the roof to retrieve the stones. That was Peter’s opportunity to web up the bag pulling it towards him.

“Hey, Big bird this doesn’t belong to you!” Spider-Man quipped.

Big bird turned to him with green glowing eyes. He growled at Spider-Man.

“Oh, god,” Spider-Man said, a bit startled by his eyes.

Big bird attached himself to his wings, retracting his strap anchors. He flew towards Spider-Man. Spider-Man ducked down and stepped back. He shot Big Bird with his web but the latter dodged it. He charged at Spider-Man again, taking the bag from him with his feet claws. There was a tug-of-war between them as no one wanted to let go of the bag. Then, Big Bird kicked the bag and letting it go. Spider-Man toppled backward and into the hole. He fell with a thud inside the truck. He immediately stood up and was about to jump off the hole again but ended up banging his head unto the concrete metal roof.

Spider-Man blacked out.

--

Ned Leeds was already dressed and pacing back and forth in his room. It was already morning and Peter was not yet back. He tried calling him but Peter wasn’t answering the phone. He was worried about Peter’s status and also about what alibi he was going to tell the team, especially to Mr. Stark about why Peter was missing.

“Ned? Peter?” Liz knocked on their door. “Come on guys, we’re gonna be late!”

“Y-yeah! Coming,” Ned stuttered. He quickly grabbed his bag and the glowy thing on the bed and headed out.

--

Peter woke up with a dull pain on his head. He guessed that he had a mild concussion from hitting his head earlier.

“Ugh, my head?” He groaned and observed his surroundings. He was surrounded by metal cages containing junk techs. “Wait, where am I?” The gears on his brain started to turn. “Wait, they must have hijacked the truck and had taken it to their evil lair.”

“I must find a way out of this one.” He briefly stared on the wall ahead. He squared his shoulder and ran straight to the wall. With his superhuman strength, the wall broke. Spider-Man rolled on the ground. He stood up in a fighting stance.

Spider-Man blinked. The place didn’t look like an evil lair. It looked like a huge storage warehouse with rows and stacks of huge container boxes in it.

“W-where am I?” He turned around to get some clue as to where he was. He paused. On the wall, there was a huge DODC-VO5 written.

“DODC?” He muttered. Then it dawned on him. “Oh come on, you’ve got to be kidding me. Am I in a Department of Damage Control facility now?”

--

Tony Stark gathered his student in the backstage. Any second from now, his students would be called to be on stage and the competition would start.

“So, guys,” Tony said to them. “No pressure, alright? Just enjoy the competition.”

“Hey, Mr. Stark,” Abraham said. “If we win this one, pizza is on you, yeah?”

“Sure,” Tony said without missing a beat. “We’re gonna have a celebration party if you win.”

That seemed to boost up the team’s morale as they cheered upon hearing the news. He looked at everyone and noticed something.

“Ned,” He called a certain teen. The teen was hiding behind Charles and was quiet the whole time.

“Y-yeah, Mr. Stark?” Ned answered peeking from Charles’ back.

“Where is Peter Parker? You two are roommates.” Tony asked.

All the team’s attention was now on Ned who was fidgeting with his yellow coat.

“I-I don’t know, Mr. Stark. . .” Ned answered.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Tony frowned.

“He sneaked out last night, said that he was going to study in the business center and he didn’t come back.”

“And you’re just telling me this now?!”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Stark. . .”

“The next team that will participate in this year’s Decathlon competition is from Midtown School of Science and Technology!” They could hear the emcee speaking from the stage.

The team was quiet and seemingly didn’t know what to do about their teammate’s sudden absence.

“Flash, you’re up on Peter’s place.” Tony finally decided.

Flash punched the air in delight.

“Come on guys, Go on stage.” Tony forced an encouraging smile on them. “Go kick some butts!”

He continued to smile at them as the team disappeared on the stage. That was when Tony’s smile slipped off. Peter Parker was many things. He was hella smart for his age that sometimes, Tony couldn’t help but to remember his youth when he was Peter’s age. He was aware that the kid had potentials, potentials that could take him anywhere he wanted. Yet, it was the same potentials that were giving Tony Stark an incoming headache.

--

Peter’s first thought when he reached the 246th sequence trial on overriding the time lock of the storage vault was, he wouldn’t make it to the Decathlon competition. He still didn’t know how he would explain it to Mr. Stark and not get into any trouble. He tried calling Ned earlier but a secured facility like this; he should have known that the signals would be jammed. Though, getting in trouble with his teacher was for later problems to brood over, when there was an even bigger problem before him. He just couldn’t wait for the vault to open up later or for who knows how long, so he took it in his own hands to find a solution.

Somehow, he managed to find a way to navigate through the wirings of the time lock. He used his scientific calculator and wired it to the circuit to control the system. He needed some sort of password to open up the vault so far, he was on 246th combination of the code and probably counting.

“Right, here’s 247th trial. . .” He punched in the codes on the calculator.

To his surprise, the door slid up and opened.

“Oh my god! It worked!”

--

The Midtown tech team cheered as they exited the auditorium hall. They won the national, thanks to their group effort, especially to Michelle Jones who gave the answer on the Sudden Death Round. The group was taking pictures when Ned checked the phone that was given back to him after the competition. There were 5 missed calls from Peter. Then his phone rang. Peter was calling.

“Peter!” Ned hissed walking away from the group. Unknown to him, Tony Stark was looking at him.

“Where were you?” Ned continued when he reached an empty and short hallway. “You completely missed the decathlon, we won! We’re still here at the building.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry, I got locked up at the Damage Control facility-”

“What?”

“Yeah, long story, I’m just gonna tell you afterward. I’m on my way back there. How’s the glowy thing?

“It’s safe, it’s in my pocket-”

“Hey,” A voice came from behind Ned.

Ned turned around putting down his phone. There were two unknown guys standing before him. They were tall and bulkier and had a menacing look on their faces. And when Ned looked down, he could see a gun peeking out underneath the jacket of one of them. Though, Ned was sure that both were armed. How did they get in despite the security, he didn’t know.

“Ned?” Peter was still on the line. Ned dropped the phone on the ground.

“Where’s the gem?” The guy with long hair and cap asked stepping forward.

“W-what gem?” Ned stepped back.

Long hair dude raised a small rectangular machine. There was a red and blue light on it and it was beeping. “This thing is reading high energy signatures from you. You have the gem.”

It must be the glowy thing, they were after. Ned thought. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Ned continued to step back.

“Alright, you die or you’re gonna give us the gem.” The other man, the bald man, fished out his gun and pointed it at Ned.

Ned was frozen in his spot in fear.

“Hey!”

Suddenly, there was a deafening shockwave that momentarily paralyzed the two men, even Ned. Then there was a blinding light. Ned got yanked away by someone, away from the men.

When Ned returned to his senses, he looked up and saw Tony Stark was dragging him away.

“M-Mr. Stark!”

“Who are they and why they were after you?”

Before Ned could answer, gunshots echoed. Tony and Ned ducked down. People around them started to scream in panic and ran away.

“Shit.” Tony pushed Ned into the corner, into the safety. “Stay there!”

Tony stood up and tapped his chest twice. Blue light glowed in his chest as the detachable arc reactor underneath his shirt activated. Nanites seeped through the fabric and spread around his body. His nanite mask covered his face, eyes glowing blue.

“Fuck, that was Iron Man!”

“Hell yes, that was me.” Tony flew towards them, his hand repulsor aimed at them. However, to his surprise, the bad guy whipped up his weapon and shot off a purple laser beam. Tony raised both his arms shooting off a similar laser beam. Two laser beams collided. When the energy of collision was too much, it exploded throwing both parties away. Though, Iron Man immediately regained his stance. There was thick smoke everywhere. The fire alarm was blaring. His students were still there and could be in danger. A lot of civilians could get hurt

So Iron Man flew straight to the smoke, using the smoke as a cover. He knocked down the weapon from the bad guy’s hand. Then he grabbed hold of the two of them and went straight to the nearby window. The glass shattered as Iron Man flew out of the window. He dropped the bad men unto the lawn and aimed his repulsor at them again. The two men remained laying on the ground as Iron Man hovered over them.

“So, why you guys are after a kid?”

Friday was doing a facial scan on them but none of them were on FBI’s wanted list, which confused Tony even more.

They remained quiet even though, fright was evident on their faces.

“Oh, so we’re playing bad cop and good cop here? I don’t have all day.” Iron Man fired his repulsor above their heads.

“W-we’re after the gem! The kid has it!” The bald man replied hastily, shaking in fear. “Please don’t kill us!”

“What gem? What is it for?” Iron Man asked.

Before Iron Man could get anything from them, there was an explosion from the building where they had come from. Iron Man glanced back at the building. There was smoke coming out of it and a huge chunk of wall was starting to collapse from the third floor. There were civilians down below right where the wall could drop and crash them.

“Fri, what the hell happened there?”

“An exposed Chitauri core has detonated,” Friday said. “A section of the wall was about to fall off.”

“I’m not done with you.” That was all Iron Man said as he flew away from them and towards the building.

--

As Spider-Man reached the building where his teammates were, all he could think was, his best friend was in danger, because of the glowy thing he entrusted him with. He webbed up his backpack somewhere as he ran towards the auditorium hall. They must somewhere near there. He used the Fire Exit staircase to reach his destination. He was on the second round of stairs when he heard a gunshot.

He froze. Then he started to imagine the worst. He swung his way up faster.

The Fire Exit door burst opened. People ran for the stairs against Spider-Man’s direction. Spider-Man fought his way against the tide. Then there was a sound of an explosion.

“Excuse me, coming through!” Spider-Man shouted dodging people left and right.

But then when he reached the floor, Smoke was everywhere and Iron-Man zipped past him holding two men towards the window and out of it.

“Holy shit, what the-!” Spider-Man was flabbergasted.

“Spider-Man!”

He turned to see Ned running to him.

“Ned! Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine!” Ned answered which was to Peter’s relief. Then Ned fished out the glowy thing from the pocket of his coat. The glowy thing was brighter. Ned continued hastily. “There were two guys who were after this. I don’t know, they were able to track this thing. Then Tony Stark came and saved me.”

“I know,” Peter said. “I’m sorry, you almost got in danger because of that and because of me. Give me that.”

“It’s alright.” Ned gave him the stone. “Wait, is just me or the glowy thing was hotter than usual?”

Peter accepted the stone and Ned was right. It felt like the stone was burning in his hand. His glove was started to blacken. Ned looked at Peter in panic. It mirrored Peter’s expression.

“Get back!” Spider-Man shouted. “All of you get back!”

“W-what are you going to do?” Ned asked stepping back. Some of the people listened to Spider-Man as well and some were even more confused as to what was really happening.

Spider-Man turned around. He threw the stone to the wall next to the shattered window and webbed it up. He coated it with a lot of webs until it looked like a white cocoon.

“This better works,” Spider-Man muttered.

Soon, the cocoon glowed purple. Spider-Man stared at it and so were the civilians and authorities who were on the scene. As if all of them were anticipating on what was going to happen next.

Then, there was a blinding purple light that they all had to cover their eyes. Afterward, there was another sound of an explosion. People screamed.

The light was gone. And when Spider-Man looked up there were cracks on the wall, quickly spreading out like a web. Moments later a huge chunk of the wall started to fall off outwards. Spider-Man webbed up the wall. With all his might, he pulled it in. He couldn’t let it fall back when there were civilians down below.

He pulled harder, his feet sliding on the floor. Suddenly, the chunk of wall moved inward easily without even Spider-Man’s effort.

“What?” Spider-Man let go of the web as the wall fell on the ground with a thud.

Iron-Man was floating right outside the hole. Everyone cheered.

--

Tony Stark had enough as he watched the news of the earlier incident in Washington on the holographic screen in his lab at Avengers Compound. Fortunately, no one had gotten hurt from the incident. Thanks to Iron Man and Spider-Man’s immediate rescue. The news believed that it was rogue shooters who just wanted to wreak havoc in the place. Their faces were now on the wanted list and the authorities were searching for them.

Then he gazed at another holographic screen where the feats of Spider-Man showed. He should have talked to that young vigilante sooner. He should have come to Peter Parker before he got himself killed in one of his adventures.

He knew for a while that Peter Parker was the one under the mask. After all, he was keeping tabs on people with potentials who could be trained as an Avenger.

Peter Parker was the reason why Tony Stark chose Midtown Tech to teach, so he could keep an eye on him and see for himself what the kid was like when he wasn’t playing hero.

Well, what he had discovered about him exceeded all his expectations.

Peter Parker was the kind of kid who refused to pick up a fight with his bullies. Instead, he avoided it when he could have easily won the fight because of his abilities. He was this bright spirited boy who could easily be awed by simple things. There were so much wonder and curiosity dancing in his eyes and who was so eager to know more about the world. He was this kind of kid who would not hesitate to step forward and help when no one would and could. There were just so many things ahead of him and Tony could see all of that.

That was probably why he hesitated to recruit him for Avengers.

There was a future waiting for him and Tony didn’t want to steal it from the kid. So he remained quiet and watched from the distance instead.

But he couldn’t watch now when he discovered, thanks to Ned’s phone he hacked down earlier when the kid was on stage competing, that the kid was actively chasing criminals that used junks from Chitauri’s as weapons. Peter had disappeared last night to do another chase. Tony was also aware of Peter’s lie about Oscorp’s internship, but he initially didn’t know why the kid couldn’t join. And for whatever reason, he came back and Tony learned the reason why later on.

Tony reached for his mug of black coffee on the table and sipped. He was about to put it down when a hand reached for his mug instead.

He looked up to see Pepper smiling down at him.

“Hey, hon.” Tony smiled back.

“You’re watching him again,” Pepper noted as she sat on the armrest of the chair Tony was sitting on. She sipped on the mug and blanched at the bitter taste of it. His fiancée was the type who put lots of cream on her coffee.

“I swear, that kid is gonna kill himself sooner or later.” Tony leaned back on the chair. Pepper leaned on him as she put her arm on the top of the backrest of the chair. She crossed her legs resting the mug on it.

“I told you, you should mentor him so he would know how not to kill himself with his little adventures,” Pepper said.

Tony looked up. “Do you think I’d be a good mentor?”

“You are a teacher now at his school, do you really need to ask me that?” She raised an eyebrow at him.

“That was different,” Tony argued.

“Oh, how different?”

“Being a teacher was easier because you’ll gonna spout things that came from a book but mentoring someone to be a hero? I don’t think I have the right qualifications for that. You knew I screwed up far more many times that I could actually count on this superhero business.”

“Oh, Tony,” Pepper put down the mug on the table and wrapped her arm around his shoulder. Tony leaned into her as he rested his head on her stomach.

“Yes, you screwed up a lot of times but you are also the type of hero that always fights for what was right and doing your damn best to protect this vulnerable place. And I think that was the most important thing of all. So get your ass up and just mentor the kid, the kid needs someone who could guide him, that job will suit you.”

Tony closed his eyes and smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”

With that Pepper stood up. “I’ll just be in my office.” Then she paused when she had noticed the papers and notes laid haphazardly on the table. “What are those?”

“That, my love, is my lesson plan for next week and test papers that I haven’t checked yet. But first off, I have to be somewhere.” He stood up.

Soon, Iron Man flew into the night sky.

Iron Man set his course to Peter’s apartment. He wasn’t even nearing his destination when Tony saw something he truly didn’t expect nor imagine happening.

Tony didn’t expect to see Peter Parker on the way, falling from the sky, a hundred feet to the ground and falling at a speed that could totally kill him on impact without something that would slow down his descent.

There was a screeching sound from the sky. Tony looked at the source of the sound. His night vision scan could see a man with mechanical wings. Tony had a lot of questions as usual, like how the kid had gotten himself in the air and been thrown down by a mechanical devil out of nowhere. But questions could wait; he had a spiderling to save first. After all, spiders couldn’t fly.

Tony dived down towards Peter’s direction increasing his thrusters. As he neared him, he could hear Peter screaming.

Iron Man zoomed in and grabbed Peter before he could hit the lagoon. The mechanic teacher made a loop in the sky before changing his flight course towards the Avengers Compound instead.

--

“So, uh, you knew the whole time that I was Spider-Man?” Peter asked in a small voice as he played with his mask. He was sitting on the couch of Tony’s lab.

Tony was looking down at him with arms crossed on his chest. “You know that wasn’t the issue right now, you could have gotten died! What-why are you even up in the air?!” He threw his hands in the air.

The kid, again, was a lot of things and one of them was giving Tony a consistent migraine, vertigo, aneurysm and all other kinds of headache. The mentoring wasn’t even starting and Tony’s hair was starting to turn gray quickly.

“The guy with wings threw me down. I was chasing bad guys then he swooped in and dropped me on a hundred feet.” Peter explained.

Tony took a deep breath. “That’s it! I am going to mentor you if you’re so sure about this career path and please remove that onesies, you’re going to have a new suit.”

And all Peter could say was, “W-what?”

Tony rolled his eyes and turned around. “Friday, unlock 16-A.”

At the far end of the lab, the wall shifted and slid open. A big glass transparent cylinder emerged. Inside the cylinder was a new Spider-Man suit. Tony walked to the cylinder. He glanced at Peter who remained frozen in his seat with wide eyes staring at the suit.

“Your new suit.” Tony knocked on the cylinder for emphasis.

Peter finally stood up as he walked in a daze towards the cylinder, still staring at it.

“T-that’s mine?” Peter asked stopping in front of the cylinder.

“I just said that,”

“Thank you, Mr. Stark!”

What surprised Tony, even more, was when Peter hugged him. He froze on the spot while the kid squeezed the oxygen out of him.

“This is so cool!” Peter exclaimed pulling away. “I have a new suit and Mr. Stark is going to mentor me! You’re not just going to be my science teacher. This is the best moment of my life! I have an awesome mentor and dope suit. Oh my god!”

And with that, Tony had a fleeting thought that maybe mentoring this kid wasn’t going to be that bad after all.

[hypnosthemindmaster]

Weekend Away

Alan and Elizabeth sat talking as they had a drink on their balcony, taking in the surprisingly cool summer evening.

"Alan, it's been so long since we've gotten away for a few days. With the long holiday weekend coming up, what do you think about driving in to the city for the weekend?"

"That'll be to expensive for us Elizabeth. Especially trying to find a room this late, its already Thursday."

"Actually I was using this new app a friend mine told me about," Elizabeth replied as she reached for her tablet. "The app has ads, I usually just ignore them but one caught my eye," she continued as she unlocked the tablet. "Check this out," she said as she handed the tablet to him.

Allan reluctantly took the tablet and looked at the screen. The website was one of those bargain hotel sites with an ad for a new resort about 4 hours west of where they lived. They were offering a multi-room suite for only $75 a night. "You know this is a scam right? They can't afford to rent that room for that price."

"Actually it's totally legit. I called the hotel directly and talked to the manager. They're new and trying to get the word out with how competitive the market is it has been hard to draw from other places. So they're putting this rate out there on the discount sites to put them ahead of the competition and get extra attention."

"You're serious?"

"I already booked the room, checkin is noon. We leave first thing in the morning."

"You're serious aren't you?"

"My bags are already packed, I started a bag for you of the basics necessities. All you have to do is pick out a couple shirts and a couple pairs of pants. I've already got swimwear for both of us in my bag."

Alan couldn't believe what he was hearing, but he knew her well enough to know she wasn't bluffing. "Then I better for finish my bag I guess," he replied before finishing his drink and heading inside.

As the balcony door closed behind him, Elizabeth opened the new app on her tablet, clicked a few keystrokes and closed the app. Then she got up and headed inside to help her husband pack.

With the long drive in the morning, the couple went to bed early. Alan curled up around his wife and whispered, "How did I get so lucky?" before closing his eyes and they drifted off to sleep.

In the morning he awoke to find Elizabeth already dressed and doing her makeup. "You get dressed and take the bags down to the car. I'll make us a quick breakfast before we head out," she said as she closed the last of her makeup containers and got up from the tablet.

Alan took a quick shower and dressed in a polo shirt and jeans, he had just returned from the garage when Elizabeth announced that breakfast was ready. He walked in to the kitchen to find a plate sat out for him of eggs, toast and bacon along with a mug of coffee sitting at his place on the breakfast bar in their kitchen. They sat and discussed things they could do while they were away for the weekend as they ate. They made a small list of things to try to so but decided it would be more fun to try to let the weekend happen rather than over schedule it and get frustrated if problems arose.

The drive to the resort was pretty uneventful, Elizabeth had connected her tablet to the car hotspot and was looking up shows in the area. "There's a couple of shows at the resort that look interesting, one is a magician and another is a ventriloquist. They don't do advanced tickets though so we will have to take our chances."

"Are they expensive? "

"$40 a seat for general admission, it goes up if we want reserved seating."

"We'll see what the lines are like."

"Sounds good Honey."

They grabbed a quick lunch when they hit town and headed to the resort to check in.

The desk clerk gave them a full schedule of the amenities and events. When the clerk saw that their room had been booked through the app ad she also gave them a card for a discount to attend the shows and restaurants. She handed them their key cards and said, "Enjoy your stay in the Castle Suite, its #69 on the top floor. If your phones have NFC chips in them, there is a reader in the living room by the tv. Make sure your NFC chip is on and set your phone on the reader and it will setup the locks to be opened with your phones as well as the card keys."

"Castle Suite?"

"One of the things about the deal was we didn't get to pick our room theme, they just assigned us one that was available," Elizabeth explained as they made their way to the elevators. "I would have had one of the others but this should still be fun," she added as they got on the elevator.

They discussed ideas as they rode the elevator. They decided to change into their swimsuits and check out the pools for a couple hours, then explore the hotel. Elizabeth went to the bedroom area to change while Alan went and changed in the bathroom. Elizabeth came back out of the bedroom wrapped in a wet look black one piece swimsuit as Alan emerged from the bathroom in his loose knee length trunks and a t-shirt.

"Maybe we should skip the pool," Alan said as he walked over and started rubbing his hands on the smooth fabric.

"As good as that feels, we'll have time for that later Honey," Elizabeth said as she slipped out of his grip and pulled a white t-shirt on over her suit. "I want to go enjoy the pool."

"Fine," Alan said as they each grabbed a key card for the room and headed for the pool.

As Alan closed the room door Elizabeth reached into the neck of her t-shirt and tucked her key card into the cleavage of her swimsuit. "If you're good, I'll let you retrieve my key when we get back to the room," Elizabeth said as they approached the elevators. "With one condition of course," she added as the elevator doors opened.

"What condition?" Alan asked as they got on the elevator.

"No using your hands of course," Elizabeth pretended to whisper in his ear but made sure she was still loud enough to be heard by the rest of the people in the elevator. She failed to stifle a giggle as she saw his face turning bright red.

About that time the elevator stopped and some more people got on the elevator so Elizabeth behaved herself for the rest of the ride down to the pool area.

Alan was sore from the car ride so he headed to the hot tub to relax, Elizabeth went to try out a few of the water slides. As he soaked and watched Elizabeth he noticed that the slides were causing her suit to ride up, allowing the folds of her womanhood to be seen through the thin fabric. A couple of guys on the ladder to the top of the next slide seemed to be enjoying the view as they followed her at a distance up the ladder. As they reached the top of the stairs the two men grabbed Elizabeth and pulled her to the floor of the platform. Alan was shocked to see the lifeguard doing nothing about this as Elizabeth called for help. He tried to move but his body was frozen. It wasn't long before he saw her suit, which looked like it had been ripped in several places was thrown from the top of the platform. Why wasn't anyone doing anything to stop this he was thinking as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Honey, are you alright?"

He turned to see Elizabeth with her hand on his shoulder and still wearing her swimsuit kneeling beside him with a worried expression on her face. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said as he couldn't believe it had been a daydream, it was so vivid. "Why?"

"I got worried you'd been in here to long. I tried waving at you from the top of the slide but you just stared blankly at me."

"Sorry, I was lost in thought," Alan said as he got out of the tub. "Let's go get something to drink," Alan said as he turned and headed for the drink bar at the edge of the pool area. The each got a bottle of sparkling water and sat at a table in the corner. They talked about how relaxing the afternoon had already been and thoughts for the evening as they enjoyed their drinks.

As they finished up and were dropping the empty bottles into the recycling Elizabeth spoke, "Why don't you get us each one more while I grab our shirts. We can take them up to the room and relax for a bit before dinner. I want to look at those discounts they gave up."

"Sounds good," Alan said as he watched her walking away, enjoying the view of her derriere in the skin tight fabric of her suit. She was half way to their shirts before he snapped himself out of it and went to the bar to get a couple more waters.

He handed the bottles to Elizabeth upon her return and took his shirt, pulling it on. She reached over and took his hand as they walked to the elevators. She didn't let it go until they were back in the room.

"Why don't you slip out of that wet suit, then see if you can find something to watch on tv. I'm going to take a quick shower so my hair can dry before dinner," Elizabeth said as she pulled her arms into her shirt.

Alan slipped out of his trunks and pulled off his t-shirt, tossing them in the bathroom. He wrapped himself in a towel before heading to the living room area of the suite.

As he picked up the remote and sat in the recliner he saw Elizabeth coming back out of the bedroom. She was still dressed in the t- shirt she'd worn as a cover up, her swimsuit was in her left hand and she was had dry clothes draped over her right arm.

"I figured it was easiest to just get dressed for dinner when I'm done with my shower," Elizabeth said as she headed into the bathroom and shut the door. It was almost 40 minutes later when she emerged from the bathroom and said, "Your turn Sweety."

"Sounds good Honey," Alan said as he got up and turned toward the bathroom. He almost dropped his towel as he took in the site in front of him.

"I take it you like?" Elizabeth asked as she did a slow twirl for her husband. She was wearing 3 inch heels, her legs were wrapped in sheer nylon stockings that disappeared under a knee length black skirt that was set off by a red belt that matched the cotton blouse she had on.

"Very much," Alan said as he approached her. "Maybe we should skip dinner," he added giving her a playful wink.

Elizabeth looked at her watch and said, "We'll have time for that later. Go take a shower and get dressed, I laid an outfit out for you on the bed. I'm hungry."

"It'll have to be a cold shower now," Alan said, giving her derriere a squeeze as he walked past her and into the bathroom. He emerged a short time later to see Elizabeth relaxing in the recliner with her ear buds in. "What are you doing?" he asked as he headed for the bedroom.

"Listening to that new app while you get ready," she said in a voice that sounded like she was half asleep.

Alan headed into the bedroom and found the outfit she'd laid out for him. Alan dresses in the clothes she'd laid out. He usually wasn't one for coordinating outfits but he had to admit that his wife had great taste. He was in a pair of black khakis, with a matching belt and a red polo shirt. He slipped on his black dress shoes and headed out to the livingroom are to join Elizabeth who still had her earbuds in and looked like she was asleep.

As he walked over to check on her she opened her eyes and stretched. " Oh that felt good," Elizabeth said as she removed the earbuds from her ears. "You look great Alan," Elizabeth said as she put her earbuds back in the case and dropped it in her purse.

"Thanks, so what felt great?"

"Remember the app I mentioned where I saw the ad for this place?"

"Yeah, what about it"

"It's a relaxation app, it is pretty sweet. Listening to it can make a person feel like they've been asleep for hours. It can be a great pick me," E lizabeth said as she dropped her phone in her purse.

"Oh," was the only response Alan could come up with.

"You look great Sir," Elizabeth said as she leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Let's go check this place out and get some dinner," Elizabeth said as she wrapped her arm in his and gently nudged him toward the door.

"Sounds good," Alan said as he grabbed their key cards on the way to the door.

Elizabeth seemed to be slightly distracted to Allen as they made their way around the impressive complex. They'd seen several shows that looked interesting but the resort had a policy of not selling tickets more than 30 minutes before a show, regardless of the performer. They had this policy to combat the problem most other venues in the area had with scalpers, with such a limited window between tickets going on sale and the start of the shows it was just to risky for them.

The couple saw some possibilities they wanted to check out as the showtimes got closer, they were discussing options when they came across a restaurant called The Cove that seemed to be set apart from the rest of the food establishments. The place seemed quiet and cozy so Elizabeth pushed Alan to check it out.

As they entered they were greeted by a woman that seemed to be in her mid 20s and was dressed in a black dress that hugged her almost like a second skin. The skirt around her legs prevented her from talking much more than an 18 inch stride, which caused her to appear to almost glide across the floor a she approached them and said, "Welcome to the cove, I'm Alexis. Will it just be the two of you tonight?"

"Yes, and if it matters we were given this at checkin," Elizabeth said as she showed the Alexis the discount card.

Alan felt a chill at the grin Alexis gave at the site of the card. He couldn't be sure because her head didn't move but he could have sworn he saw Alexis looking Elizabeth up and down with her eyes as she smiled and said, "Actually that does get you a 15% discount on your bill as well as you get free access to one of our more private seating areas." She grabbed a couple of menus and lead them toward some alcoves near the back of the restaurant. "Here you go," she said as she laid the menus on the table and pulled out one of the chains. "For the lady," she said, bowing her head slightly and offering her hand to Elizabeth.

"Thank you," Elizabeth said as she took it and sat down.

The hostess helped her slide the chain in before moving to the opposite side of the table and pulling out a second chair. "For you Master," she said as she again bowed her head and held out her hand, palm up this time.

Alan reluctantly took her hand and sat down. "Ah, Thank you," he said as the hostess slid his chair in as well.

She picked up the menus, turned to Alan and asked, "does she need a menu or will Master be ordering for both of you?"

Alan starred at her in disbelief for a second. Before he could respond though Elizabeth spoke up. Keeping her head bowed she said, "I don't need a menu, Master will be ordering for me."

"Excellent, she's well trained," the hostess responded, handing him a menu and gliding away before Alan could say anything.

"What was that about?" Alan asked.

"I don't know, they seem to have some kind of dominance theme going on here," Elizabeth replied. "Did you notice anything odd about the Hostess?"

"Besides the fact that I don't think they could have painted that dress on her any tighter you mean? She could barely take a stride in that thing."

"You're close but not quite. That material stretches well, I have a few pieces of clothing of the same material. That wasn't what was limiting her strides." Alan just starred at her so she continued, "I thought I heard a jingle like sound as we were walking to the table but I wasn't sure where it was comming from. So when she was walking away I took a look at her feet and that's when I saw it."

"Saw what?"

'There's some kind of chain between her ankles, I think she's wearing some kind of ankle cuffs."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. So when you combine that with her calling you Master, and then her asking if I'll need a menu or if you'll be ordering for me it just made sense. This place has some kind of dominance/bondage theme going on. I thought it could be fun to play along, that's why I said that you could order for me."

Alan wasn't sure what to make of this but decided it wasn't worth arguing about so he picked up the menu and began to scan it's pages. He wasn't quite sure what to order when he spotted her favorite. Having already picked out his own meal, he closed the menu and laid it back on the table. They talked until their waitress came. As she approached the table Alan noticed that she seemed to float across the floor just like the hostess did so he looked down. He couldn't be sure but he was fairly certain he saw a chain between her feet as well. He'd considered just saying their orders but inspiration struck as she approached the table so he waived the waitress in close. When she leaned in he whispered the order to her.

The waitress punched things in on a tablet as Alan spoke. When he finished the waitress stood and said, "Excellent choices Sir, will there be anything else?"

"That will be all."

As the waitress turned to walk away, Alan heard a very faint chain jingle and he confirmed his wife was right about the theme.

"So what did you order me?"

Elizabeth felt a surprising tingle down her spine as Alan responded, "You'll have to wait and see Slave." She was surprised to see him getting that into character. While they'd never experimented with that kind of thing in their relationship, nor had she done that with any of her previous boyfriends Elizabeth couldn't deny the tingles it was causing all over her body.

Their conversation returned mostly to normal as they discussed ideas for the weekend while they waited for their food. They were interrupted once by the waitress bringing their beverages, but otherwise it was a great conversation.

Elizabeth felt a shiver of anticipation as the waitress approached them with their food. The tray was set on a table behind her so she couldn't see what he had ordered either of them. The waitress brought Alan his food first, a sirloin steak and a baked potato. The shiver intensified as the waitress glided behind Elizabeth to retrieve the rest of the meal. The anticipation grew even more when instead of bringing her meal the waitress returned with a small tray of steak sauce cups and topping options for his baked potato. Her eyes grew wide insuprise as the waitress returned with a plate of grilled chicken and broccoli cheese pasta and placed it in front of Elizabeth.

As she stared at her meal the waitress turned to Alan and asked, "Will there be anything else?"

"That will be all, you may go."

"You're getting into this aren't you?" Elizabeth asked, flashing Alan a grin as the waitress walked away.

"Its not exactly my thing, but it's fun for something different," Alan replied as he started to cut his steak.

The two of them ate mostly in silence. They finished up their meal and theit plates had just been cleared when a man wearing a black suit and glasses approached the table. As he came to a stop next to their table Elizabeth felt a shiver travel up her entire body, as it faded she realized that she couldn't move from the neck down.

"Greetings, my name is Mr. Smith. I'm the owner of the resort. How was your meal?"

"Very good, thank you," Alan replied. "Its quite the place you have here."

"I'm glad you like it, mind if I sit down?"

"Go ahead," Alan replied as he gestured towards the open chair.

Elizabeth felt a stirring in her hips as the man sat down. Something just felt wrong about all of this, she tried to object but found her lips wouldn't move.

"Thank you," he said as he took a seat. "The hostess mentioned the card your wife showed when you arrived tonight."

"Its no big deal, just something they gave us at the front desk when we checked in," Alan responded.

"Actually it's more than just some card. The ad that offers that package only runs in one place. It's an ad that's part of a relaxation app I wrote a few years ago. This is the first time someone has booked a stay with us through that ad so as a taken of my appreciation I've decided to comp your check for tonight. Your dinner is on the house."

"That's extremely generous of you Sir, Thank you," Alan said as he reached out to shake the man's hand.

Elizabeth didn't know why but something about this scene made her want to scream "stop, don't do it" as their hands came together but her mouth wouldn't respond. She just sat their watching as her husband's hand slowly gripped Mr. Smith's hand and shook it.

"You're welcome you idiot," Mr Smith said with an evil grin as he saw the shocked expression semi frozen on Alan's face. He lowered Alan's hand back to the surface of the table and released it. "Much better, this goes so much easier this way," he added as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a plastic bag. He opened the bag and dropped the gloves he'd been wearing into it and sealed it. "I gave you a mild neural inhibitor, the effects will wear off in about 15 minutes." He turned to face Elizabeth and said, "I need to talk with your husband privately so I need you to sleep."

Elizabeth suddenly felt all the energy drain from her body, she was barely able to get her arms folded and lay her head down on her hands before everything went black.

Satisfied that she was out of the way, he turned back to face Alan and said, "That's better. Are you still able to blink?"

Alan wasn't sure what was happening but he tried to move his eyes and found that he could still blink.

"Very good, now blink once if your wife has mentioned the relaxation app shed been using lately."

Alan gave him a slow blink.

"Very good," Mr Smith said, giving an evil grin that make Alan extremely uncomfortable. "As you can guess it is more than a simple relaxation app. Its actually designed to hypnotize the listener and plant basic suggestions in their minds that slowly enslave them." He turned to face the sleeping Elizabeth and said, "your wife is an excellent subject by the way. Less than 3% of the app users surrender at all and are actually enslaved, most just find it extremely relaxing and the hypnosis doesn't do anything for them."

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and showed me a short video my wife chanting, "I am your servant Master, I live to serve, use my body for your pleasure."

How did he get that video of her I wondered as I watched it. Looking at the video though I couldn't deny how hot she looked and even in my paralyzed state i felt myself getting hard from the image of her like that.

"She gave me the passwords to your computers and I've been snooping through your files for a while," he explained as he closed the video. "From there it was easy to get unrestricted access to all of your electronic devices," he continued as he pulled a different phone from his pocket, this one looked identical to mine. "Let me show you proof," he said as he unlocked the phone and opened a file browser. "Recognize these?" he asked with a wicked grin that made me want to wince. That was the least of my worries as he turned the screen to face me and I felt the blood drain from my face. The screen was showing the contents of what was supposed to be a secure folder on my personal phone, a folder absolutely noone knew about. "Judging by the lack of color in your face you do, am I right? Blink once for yes."

I gave him one slow blink as I continued to stare at the screen in shock. This folder contained all of the stories I'd downloaded from the net, stories I didn't want anyone else to see but that was minor compared to what he did next. He opened a password protected document file that almost caused me to faint. It was the document that I used to write my own fantasies down in, fantasies about my wife and several women we knew. Some of these fantasies made the other stories seem tame by comparison. They were all fantasies of my wife being controlled by other men. Even my wife didn't know about these fantasies, if the contents of this file got out I would be ruined. Not only would my wife leave me but it would be a severe violation of the ethics clause in my employment contract and any violations of that clause meant immediate termination.

"Now that you're grasping the situation better I'm betting you want to know what I want to make this go away, don't you?"

I gave him one slow blink, figuring that was the way he'd had me say yes in the past.

"Very good but let's start with the simple part first. I have a very basic set of demands. If you agree to them, your secrets stay hidden. If you defy me or don't follow all of the demands to their fullest, your wife and your employer will receive copies of everything saved on your phone. Do you understand? "

I blinked that I did.

"Good then here are the list of demands, I'll go through them one by one for you to make it easier for you to agree. 1st you're not allowed to leave the resort grounds for the rest of your visit here, I know you're booked through Monday morning. Do you agree to that?"

I wasn't planning on going anywhere anyway so I blinked once.

"You are forbidden from contacting anyone about what is happening in any way. If you even make an attempt the files will be released. I configured my clone of your phone to perfectly mirror your phone. I'll see every text or email message you send or receive. It is also configured for me to hear every phone call you make, my phone even has the ability to block incoming or out going calls from getting through to your phone. Do you understand? "

I gave him another slow blink to accept the condition. I was getting very worried about what his next condition when he spoke again.

"Your wife will be coming with me for the remainder of your stay here so I can continue to program and play with her however I want. If you're a good boy and follow the rules she'll be returned to you before your checkout time on Monday. When she is returned to you she won't remember anything that happened other than she had a great time. Do you understand? "

*Blink *

"Good, so do you agree to my terms?"

I didn't move, he had to be bluffing. There had to be a way out of this, I just needed to stall until the drug wore off. Sadly those hopes were quickly dashed by what he did next.

He opened my email on my phone and started a new message. He addressed the message to everyone in my contact list. He then attached my journal file to the message, then typed this in the body of the message:

You all need to read the attached file. I've been hiding a part of my life from you for to long. This document will explain everything. " he then gave them the password to open the attached file.

With that done he turned back to me and said, "You have a choice to make. In a moment I'm going to ask you a question and you'll have to decide between two choices. You'll tell me your choice by blinking once to pick choice one and you'll blink twice if you choose option two. Give me a single blink if you understand."

I didn't have much choice given my current situation so I responded with a single slow blink.

"Very good, now here are your choices. Choice number one, I hit send on this email and wake your wife as I'm walking away. She's been programmed that if this happens she'll ignore that your frozen and check her email. She will have plenty of time to read through enough of the file to be seriously pissed off at you before the drugs keeping you paralyzed wear off. Your second choices is you allow me to take your wife with me and use her however I want for the rest of the weekend. You will tell noone about what has happened and go about your weekend as if nothing happened. When I'm through having my fun with her, she'll be returned to you until I decide to summon her again. Give me another single blink if you understand these choices."

With no other choice, I gave him a single blink to acknowledge that I unfortunately understood the choices he was giving me.

Showing me that he still had the email up on his screen he turned to me and said, "Then make your decision now."

I just sat there and glared at him, he had to be bluffing. A look of frustration grew on his face which offered me hope that he was bluffing, until he spoke again.

"I see you're trying to play with me, you must think I'm bluffing or something dumb like that so let me be clear," he said as he moved his finger over the send button. "I'm going to count to three, if you haven't made your choice before I reach three, it will be a default to choice one and I'll hit send." He took a deep breath before saying, "one." He took another deep breath and said, "two."

He took another deep breath and started moving his finger towards the send button before Alan caved and gave him two blinks.

"I actually thought you were going to let me send the message," he said with an evil chuckle as he pulled his finger away from the button. "You made a wise choice," he said as he turned the clone phone off and put it in his pocket. "I'll take good care of her," he said as he reached over and tapped Elizabeth on the back of her neck three times.

She slowly sat up in her chair. Her eyelids fluttered a few times as she said in a monotone voice, "bootup sequence engaged, running diagnostics." She sat basically motionless for a few seconds before her eyes slowly opened. When they finally did it was a little freaky, they didn't have their usual life to them. She just looked straight ahead with a cold, blank stare for a few seconds. It was at least a full minute after her eyes opened before she spoke, "Fembot unit E44D is online, all systems are operating within normal parameters. How may unit E44D serve you Master?"

He got up and moved around to her side of the table. Taking hold of the back of her chair he said, "Stand up."

"Affirmative," she replied as he helped her slide her chair back and she rose to her feet.

"Follow me," he said as he turned and started to walk away.

Alan watched helplessly as Elizabeth followed him out of his line of sight. Frozen as he was, he had no real sense of how much time had passed before he felt his ability to move returning to him. The first thing he did was to grab his phone and try to call 911 to report Elizabeth's kidnapping, his heart sank when he got an error message on the screen that read:

That number has been blocked on this phone for the duration of your stay here. DO NOT attempt to call it again or you will face discipline.

"SHIT!" he exclaimed as the message faded off the screen. He tried to search for the direct line to the local police department when he received another warning:

Unable to display search results, you are not authorized to have this information. Cease all further attempts to interfere or else. This is your only warning.

This time there was a thumbnail image in the bottom of the screen, Alan nervously clicked on it. He almost dropped his phone in shock as the picture enlarged to fill the screen. It was an animated gif image of Elizabeth, she was kneeling over the leg of a hooded character. The hooded character lifted her skirt out of the way to expose her beautiful backside. He then raised his hand high into the air and held it there a few seconds. He suddenly brought his hand quickly down towards her but Elizabeth didn't move. The hand stopped mere inches before it made contact. The image faded to black as Elizabeth slowly stood up. The last couple seconds of the gif were simply the words "next time he won't stop the swing" before the image and the warning disappeared from his screen.

Alan reluctantly returned to his room to think of another way to get even.

[chrysaliseuro2019]

Cliffhanger

Dimitsana has been a wonderful base to explore from and it would be so picturesque in winter when the snow season sets in up in them there hills. Mind you you’d want to have a mighty fine travel insurance policy because its worn marble steps are lethally slippery when dry let alone with snow and ice to add to their treachery.

Our accommodation was truly fabulous with the most gloriously comfy wide bed, luxurious pillows of varying structure (good for we of the dodgy neck brigade) complete with a fireplace for those colder months and a spacious and modern bathroom - don’t get to say that too often in Europe. On top of that the room had a number of books and masses of DVDs of good taste. No Rambo or Diehard here instead quality such as The Lives of Others etc. Clearly our host Dimitri was of sophisticated taste, and judging by the breakfasts his wife prepared, so was she.

Dimitri insisted the Outdoor Water Museum was a must visit before we left the area so that was our next stop. Staff almost outnumbered visitors as there were three of them and in the 1.5 hours we were there only one other couple arrived. Don’t think I’m being too harsh in saying that they could have cut the staff by 2/3rds and still have managed the ticket box (4 tickets in 1.5 hours) and turning on the switches of two machines without being over-taxed. Will be checking Seek for a job like this when I get back home.

We thought the displays were well laid out and enjoyed learning that millers made a living by milling customers grains and rather than charging a fee took a percentage of the milled grain. Too bad if you’re celiac, but I guess corn was an alternative. The tannery was definitely the worst of the jobs. The tanner’s hands must have been tough as old boots to deal with processes including salting, stripping, soaking the pelts in wood chips, and Chris’ least favourite, dunking the pelts in a blend of dog shit and water. Can only, and quite frankly, don’t want to imagine the smell. When we visited the still-alive-and-well tanneries of Fez several years ago we were told they used pigeon droppings. If I were a Greek tanner I’d have invested in a dovecote.

The final exhibit was the gunpowder exhibit. Dimitsana was one of the villages that knew how to collect saltpetre, a vital component gunpowder and they made gunpowder from the Greek War of Independence (1820’s-30’s) until early 20th century. Water was used to power the machines that mixed all the ingredients of gunpowder into a powder - OH&S was a bit of an issue because the powder if not treated correctly during processing had the tendency to to what it was intended to do....blow up.

The museum should be applauded for the effort that had gone into making it accessible for tourists. Not only did it supply a detailed brochure with map in the €4 entrance fee, there was a huge amount of written detail around the displays and, in case that wasn’t enough, 3 lengthy videos describing how water was used in milling, tanning and making gunpowder. No other Greek Museum has had so much information including the big ticket items like Olympia and the Acropolis. Well done little provincial Outdoor Water Museum of Dimitsana.

Still high amongst the mountains we made our way to our next destination around the challenging roads. Challenging not only because they were narrow and winding but the surface could switch from brand new to rutted and potholed in an instant. And to top it all off a steep drop down into the valley without barriers on one side and a sheer cliff face that occasionally shed its rocks across the road on the other. (I think we both occasionally let our minds drift to the possibility of being squashed or plummeting.) Apart from that it was a doddle! Chris did very well negotiating the hazards although a couple of times did go a little too close to the edge where I could peer over into the abyss as I gripped white-knuckled onto the door...Penny if you’re reading this you’ll get my drift.

On the winding drive down to the monastery car park we passed an isolated tower with Greek music playing and a solitary car parked beside it. We could only surmise it was the manned fire lookout. A little incongruously the lookout was a wooden construction and there appeared to be no Wifi according to our phones. We wondered what would happen if there was a bushfire. Does the warden hotfoot it from his out-of-range combustible tower to the local town to send the alarm? Meanwhile as he minds his post it would be a hot lonely job as there also appeared to be no air conditioning. Suggest Fire warden consider a career change to a much cushier position at the Water Museum.

Stopped at the car park to visit the Prodromou Monastery reportedly a 20 minute walk away. By now it was 12.40pm and we had just spotted the bane of the tourist’s life - a sign saying’ ‘Closed between 1pm -3pm’. A Dutch couple pulled up so discussed the inconvenience of this and set off at fast pace, well as fast as old knees going down rocky and shale paths and steps will allow. Fortunately the walk was only roughly 10 minutes through a verdant forest so got there in time being totally awestruck by the monastery. How this Monastery of St John the Baptist was constructed into a sheer cliff face is mind blowing. The original site dates back to 16th century and was used as a hospital during the Greek War of Independence and was rebuilt in 1976 over the remains of an old hermitage. Surrounding the monastery are large forested mountains and down below is the Lousios Gorge with the Lousios River flowing through it. It’s truly a picturesque scene.

Having donned our modesty wraps to hide our shorts we were allowed to enter the monastery. Up the stairs into a small vestibule chapel carved into the rock with the bare rock face exposed. A kitchen and a sitting room were off this vestibule and that was the complete floor. Up some steps to the chapel proper, a small dark room with paintings on the rock walls, about 10 seats lining the walls and a little altar. Then further steps up to the balcony off which were the monks’ rooms. One door was open showing just how spartan a monk’s life can be. The room contained 6 basic beds, no feathertop mattresses here, each with a bundle of basic blankets folded at the foot. Absent were bedside tables and lamps, chairs, desks, wardrobes or any form of creature comfort beyond a bed. Even more basic than some of our dodgy holiday hotels.

The verandah was an old creaky affair that ran the length of the monastery suspended out from the rocks and supported by a rustic wooden structure beneath. We felt it prudent to tread lightly! The only ornamental relief there were some church bells, a wooden gong and mallet which by the look of the gong were there for function not appearance and three further oblong metal gongs of graduated sizes.

Back down to the vestibule level where the priest made visitors (and there were only 6 of us during the time we were there) coffee and provided biscuits, water, and most incongruously, Turkish Delight.

After about half an hour, so 20 minutes into “closed time” we headed off, grateful for the priest’s kindness and leniency.

Huffed and puffed our way back up through the forest path, took some more photos of the lovely surrounds. Had also heard of a town nearby worth looking at so went in search. Followed yet more bendy roads (warning: motion sickness sufferers do not come)to a small but full carpark. Many minutes passed faffing about where to park along the road, ‘Here?’ ‘Yes that’ll do, other cars can pass.’ Then ‘No, think we’ll park there.’ ‘OK then.’ ‘No maybe not. Let me just go there’ followed by a reversal without taking the bend of the road and getting eye bulgingly close a small dip off the road that the little Micra would have trouble getting back up again (nothing to do with the navigator this time). Stopped in the nick of time which coincided with a minivan on tour studying Ancient Greek about to head off from the carpark. Chris waited for the stragglers to pile back in the bus and meanwhile the tour leader advised the town not worth a visit. We took him at his word. Instead went down to the fast flowing Lousios river where a few people were picnicking for the day. Would have been a beautiful place for rafting and swimming but getting the bathers out for a 10 minute swim for one (me) too much fuss. Instead filled my water bottle with fresh cool water and we headed off towards Mystras.

Stopped off for lunch of yet another Greek Salad -perfect lunch fare - under a terrace in a pretty stone village then 1.5 hours more of mountain roads which eventually flattened out a bit to olive tree and orange tree country

I’d had a Mystras accommodation suggestion from Teresa the lady I’d fortuitously met in Melbourne who runs Peloponnese tours. As we approached Mystras we passed it and luckily it had a vacancy. Quirky and large room with magnificent view over the valley and to the mountains beyond. Dinner was at a restaurant Chris had seen recommend in Lonely Planet. 250 metres up a steep hill and rewarded by a seat on the terrace overlooking the mountains and the ruins of Mystras not far away. Dinner was ok, not quite as fabulous as its reviews intimated. Also hindered by no vodka and tonic, rosé that was like engine oil, my first menu preference not available and lots of dishes with creamy sauce that Chris can’t handle. Still the setting was first class and we didn’t go home hungry.

As usual when time came to settle, mine host requested cash declaring his card machine wasn’t working today. I can bet my bottom Euro it wasn’t working yesterday and it won’t be working tomorrow either. This ruse was delivered in hushed tones to each table but it’s the way of things nearly everywhere in Greece. So then we played a game of bluff. I said I wasn’t sure we had enough cash so he double-bluffed me saying we could leave without paying and transfer the cash to his account later. Would like to have taken him up on this to see if he would seriously let two strangers leave on an eat-now-pay-later basis. I think the machine might have sprung into action if all diners took this stance. But I miraculously ‘found’ a €50 note and paid. After all it’s endemic through Greece and one tourist’s obstinate moral stance will change nothing.

[haanacchii]

youngblood

rockstar!shiro and barista!lance and also childhood friends!shance idea that spun out of control in the @shance-cafe and took me like three months to write because life is tough (hi its me bread)

--

It’s white lights and the steady beeps of a heart monitor that matches the pace of Shiro’s own beating heart that reminds him that his drive home didn’t go as well as he would like to remember.

His body aches the moment he tries to move and there are voices surrounding him in a haze that causes the ringing and dizziness to become louder and worse. The voices meld together into some monstrosity and he shuts his eyes to block out the lights, the noises, and the reality of it all.

–-

Shiro flexes his right arm. Lucky for him, he still is able to get all the things he lost back but it doesn’t mean that he’s accepted the fact that it’s not going to be the same as it ever was. Everything is different now, Shiro knows, even knowing his feelings and perspective has changed already in his short time in rehab.

He stares down at the silver plating and and padding for his fingertips and lets out a heavy sigh. Shiro drives past a news stand and looks at the papers and tabloids that litter the front.

Shiro is twenty five years old and he returned to his hometown after more than ten years of leaving the quiet town for the big city. He pulls into a vaguely-familiar-but-not-really coffeeshop, because he never really liked to have Starbucks after a trip, and pulls his worn Sharks baseball cap over his head that covered his white patch of hair.

(“Sir, the shock from the arm may initially cause some of your hair to continue to grow white as the stimulation and connection to your brain can result in some damage there.”)

Maybe it’s the shock from his accident still, but there’s a vague memory of chipped, braced teeth and bright eyes behind giant frames too big for their head. The memory brings a fondness in his heart but he can’t remember who that was, the name escapes him and but he knows they were important.

Shiro enters the coffee shop and walks in line to stare at the cat-themed names. As the line continues to move slowly, trying to test Shiro’s patience (even though it shouldn’t, but fame really did get to his head and he’s too used to getting things at the snap of his finger. This is something he needs.) He stares blankly and watches the only cashier and barista take orders with a bright smile and cheerful laughs even though he deals with grumpy customers.

Shiro closes his eyes and thinks, with deep breaths in and slow exhales out.

The line moves faster than he expects, when he lets himself sink into the moment and realize that he isn’t on the run, and this isn’t going to be gourmet coffee that costs more than a shirt that he got when he was eight. The barista’s voice becomes something calm, a breath in and out and letting his legs drive him forward without much thought until the question is clear in front of him.

“What can I get for you?” The barista asks, and Shiro opens his eyes to meet ocean blue ones that feel way too shocking and way too surprised for him to really know what to say for a second. “Er, Shiro, right?”

“Yes.” Shiro replies, a smile tugging at his lips. “Can I get the sweetest thing with the most caffeine? I’ll pay for it too.”

The barista grins back, typing in the order as he says “I got just the thing for you,” and the price isn’t that expensive at all. “You know,” Shiro looks at the name tag and reads Lance in fancy letters and the name gives a sense of recognition. “If it weren’t lunch rush and my manager wasn’t in the back, I would totally give you this for free— but since that’s happening, it’s 11 dollars and 55 cents.”

Shiro pays with his card and steps out of line to watch Lance make the drink with ease. “Thank you.” He says when the sweet, cold drink is in front of him and Shiro didn’t even take into that account with the heat. “Though, I’ll take you up for that free drink later today if you aren’t busy.”

Lance blinks at him again and beams, and Shiro knows that he didn’t come to his hometown to flirt with baristas but there’s a sense that he and Lance would get along. His sexuality was never a secret when it came to the public either, when he first dated Adam and his official coming out during so because Allura and Coran told him to at least make a statement on twitter, or something.

“I’m done in a couple hours if you’re down to wait, Shiro.”

The way Lance says his name gives a shiver down his spine and Shiro knows it’s not the cold caffeinated drink hitting him all at once. “Okay.” He replies, grins back, and brings his drink to a table to let Lance continue to work. He knows his parents would want him to come home soon, but he misses walking around without many people stopping and asking him for autographs, which they still do while he sits there, but it isn’t as overwhelming as it would be when he would be on tour.

He checks his phone while he waits in between autographs. He lets Keith and Allura know that he got home safe, to tell Coran that it’s fine to just let him lay low. Keith handles more of the aggressive fans and Shiro can trust his band mates to hold the fort in their house for a few weeks while he gets himself settled in.

He looks through twitter and reads headlines talking about Spaced Out’s hiatus in the middle of promoting their fifth album in their discography. How their lead singer’s car crash landed them to lay low and spend time with each other and their families before going back into the music scene after the lead singer and guitarist found himself healing quickly after his rehab with a new prosthetic arm.

Shiro reads the last line of the article, amusing himself and knowing that he won’t last a few days until paps find him.

Where is Takashi Shirogane now?

“Sorry if I kept you waiting,” Lance’s voice brings him back to the present, and another cup of the good, sweet, cold drink is in front of him. “Here’s your free drink.” He winks, and sits down across from Shiro. “Now, what’s superstar, rockstar, whatever star I guess, Shiro doing in front of me right now?”

He looks at Lance, the light of the sun through the window illuminating his skin like a bronze prize as if he was an angel gracing him with his presence. “Looking for a muse.” He says, which isn’t wrong, but Lance’s eyes widen for a second before he leans forward and rests his head in his hands.

“Tell me more, then.”

[tiliamericana]

Muay Thai 1.02

Read from start | Read Ahead | Home Site

The florist down the street was a peaceful place, even if walking in the front door was a little like being punched in the nose. They had a scent pump hidden in a hanging pot by the front door—Nairi wasn’t entirely certain why they needed to spray heavy fragrance oils inside a place filled with flowers, but she’d never managed a flower shop herself. Maybe they were trying to hook pedestrians.

The college kid manning the counter waved in recognition, already turning to fetch her order from the shelf. “Back again?” he said cheerfully as she approached, setting her wrapped cuttings on the counter. “I shouldn’t really discourage repeat patronage, but you know these suckers are pretty easy to grow yourself, right?”

Nairi shrugged, handing her card over as he rung up her order. “I’m pretty bad at keeping plants alive.”

He gave her a rueful grin as he handed her the chip reader to finish the transaction. “I get that—I used to kill cactuses before I started working here. The nurseries we order from have some pretty fierce gardeners on staff though, got me sorted very quickly.”

“Mhm.”

He nodded and kept talking despite her disinterest. The Thursday morning flower rush clearly didn’t provide enough opportunities for socialization. “Yeah, they’re all local places who go all in on small seasonal batches and heritage seeds. The bigger commercial suppliers don’t really have the same kind of knowledge base, it’s very cool.”

Nairi gave him a polite smile as she pocketed her card and picked up the greenery. “I’ll take your word for it.”

“Have a great day!” he called out as she left through the flowers. She sneezed when she stepped into the fresh air outside and rubbed at her nose. Hopefully orchids would go out of fashion soon; she was rapidly coming to hate the smell.

It was a nice day, and she lingered for a moment before heading back inside the dojo. Sun streamed across the front room and she hesitated before leaving the door unlocked. She was close to her opening time anyway and if someone came in early the bell would ring. She tucked her wallet and keys into the desk drawer with the lock and crossed to the back room, leaving that door open behind her.

The second room had a viewing gallery rather than floor markings, and it was raised off the ground as a little balconette. It ran the length of the back wall with a built-in bench and was accessible by a stained wood step ladder; a very pretty feature, the real estate agent had said. Nairi had set her shrine at the far end of the balcony, on a little nook inset to the wall. It had had dividing shelves installed, probably for bags or shoes, but she’d pulled them out to make room.

She’d cleaned her vase that morning to replace the plants, filling it with clean water before she left. The kid at the florist’s hadn’t really reacted when she’d placed her weekly order for just green plants rather than anything with flowers, but she supposed she didn’t actually know what was considered ‘odd’ to buy from a florist.  

Everything else was set up, so she lit the incense and knelt.

A few minutes later the bell rang. Nairi stared at the shrine in front of her for a few moments, then blinked and climbed to her feet. Halfway down the ladder someone called out her name, and her confusion only rose as she stepped onto the mats and crossed back to the front room.

The hooker from the night before, Cherry, was standing in the doorway. She was still half outside, door propped open with her hip, one hand behind her in the sunlight with a lit cigarette smoldering in her fingers. Her other hand was a bit closer to her body, probably to balance the cardboard tray with two coffee cups in it. Her expression brightened when she made eye contact with Nairi, and she smiled. “Oh, there you are! Wasn’t sure I had the right place.”

Nairi stared at her blankly. In the daylight Cherry looked like almost an entirely different person—slinky dress and soft make up gone, traded for faded and worn cutoffs and tank top with half laced docs. Her bare arms had tattoos of fire circling her wrists, tongues of flame licking up to her elbows and her clean face was rounder and freckled.

“Why are you here?” said Nairi blankly, staring at her.

Cherry grinned, juggling the cups between her elbow and shoulder very carefully. “You saved my ass and bought me dinner. I’ve been on dates that aren’t that nice, babe, I wanted to say thanks.”

She dropped the cigarette on the concrete and crushed it under the toe of her boot before stepping inside properly. The bell jingled again as the door swung shut behind her, and she blinked to adjust to the light inside before taking the few steps to close the distance between her and Nairi.

“I wasn’t sure what you liked,” she said, tugging one of the cups out of the tray and offering it to Nairi, “so I just picked the most inoffensive thing I could think of.”

Nairi took the cup after a moment and had a quick sip. Foamy, bitter coffee filled her mouth and she tried not to grimace as she swallowed. “Thanks.”

The corner of Cherry’s mouth twitched. “Not a latte kind of girl?”

Nairi winced. “I don’t drink coffee,” she admitted, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. “Sorry, it was really nice of you.”

“Can’t win ‘em all,” said Cherry, still smiling at her as she plucked the cup out of Nairi’s hand. “Do you like mochas, or teas or something?”

“Uh, I mean, tea usually, I don’t—caffeine gives me headaches—”

“Do you have some time before you open this place up?” asked Cherry, gesturing around the dojo.

“I guess, yeah, I scheduled for twelve, but no one shows up for—”

“Great!” said Cherry brightly. “C’mon, I don’t know how fancy Starbucks gets, but there’s this little posh place on the corner that looks like they’ll sneer at you for using teabags, lemme get you a pot?”

Nairi glanced at the clock over her door. There were fifteen minutes til she was scheduled to open, but, well, no one had booked or called about the noon session. “Okay,” she said after a moment.

Cherry grinned, raising the second coffee to her lips and sculling it in long gulps as Nairi slipped her shoes on. She dropped the coffee cups in Nairi’s wastepaper basket and reached out, grabbing Nairi by the wrist to tug her onto the street outside. Nairi took a second to lock up with the chain while Cherry tapped a toe impatiently, and when she turned back Cherry was watching her curiously.

“You have a problem with break ins?” she asked as Nairi stepped back next to her.

“No,” said Nairi, glancing at her. “Why do you ask?”

Cherry shrugged, hooking her hands into the back pockets of her shorts as they walked. “Heavy duty locks for this part of town, s’all. Though, I’ve lived in some pretty interesting places, and then college towns like, totally fuck with your perception of that stuff, so I’m probably not the best judge of what’s like, a ‘good area’ or whatever.”

Nairi hummed noncommittedly, keeping her gaze ahead of her. She could feel Cherry’s eyes on the side of her face and tried not to think too hard about what it was she was seeing.

The café Cherry took her to was on the other end of the street to Nairi’s building, and it was small and picturesque. It had low armchairs and beanbags dotted around the open air front space, and as it transitioned into the café proper the walls were lined with tall shelves sporting thick, coffee-table books and lush, overflowing ferns. Low chatter and the steaming of coffee machines filled the sparsely occupied room.

Cherry went straight for the counter, tugging Nairi along with her. “Hey there!” she said in a friendly tone, flashing a bright smile at the bearded young man behind the counter. “Do you guys have any like, fun teas?”

He nodded, leaning over the counter to point at the chalkboard wall with the marker he’d been turning over in his hands. “Sure do. We’ve got all of these guys, plus, you know, like English Breakfast and stuff. The Sinnamon’s new, and Rose and Shine is very popular with soda and ice as a morning mocktail.”

The other teas on the menu were called things like ‘Rooid Boi’, ‘Lemon Aid’, ‘Raspberry Remnant’, and ‘Tea Thyme’ with the ingredients listed in a nigh incomprehensible chalked cursive. Nairi stared at them blankly.

Cherry squinted at them, mouth open slightly. “….Did you just forget to write the raspberry in on that one?” she asked, pointing at ‘Raspberry Remnant’.

“It used to have raspberry leaves in the blend, but we had some issues. We liked the name, so we kept it,” he said, shrugging.

Nairi ignored the wall and turned to address the guy instead. “Do you have anything with oolong?” she tried.

He nodded, pointing at a couple of the marked teas again. “Yeah, the Roasty Posie is oolong with mixed floral overtones, and Save the Teas uses an oolong base as well. If you’re looking for a gentler caffeine experience, then Rose and Shine uses white tea.” He grinned, leaning on the counter with his elbows. “Also, we do a uh, ‘house special’ with the Serenity Chill where we add booster shots of oolong and white tea—we call it ‘Aunt Mableton’s Icicle Situation’ after our manager’s cat.”

“Good to know,” said Nairi after a moment. “I’ll have a pot of Save the Teas, I guess?”

“Sure,” he said, leaning back and pulling the cap off the marker to write it down directly on the polished steel countertop. “Can I grab anything else for you ladies?”

“Can I grab an iced mocha,” said Cherry, turning her head and pointing at the glass case. “And like… one each of the fruit muffins?”

He nodded, adding them down as Nairi tugged out her wallet to pay. Cherry smacked her hand away and handed the guy some cash in exchange for the little table number, giving Nairi a wry grin. She stuffed the change into the tip jar and tugged Nairi over to a tall table by a bookshelf.

“You didn’t have to,” said Nairi as she shifted to take a stool on the far side so that the wall was behind her.

Cherry shrugged, dropping her wallet and phone on the tabletop before sitting across from her, kicking her booted feet back up onto the stool’s brace bar. “It’d be a pretty shitty way to pay you back for dinner, making you put out for brunch as well,” she said, poking her tongue out at Nairi.

Nairi wasn’t sure what to say to that and she fiddled with a loose thread in her cuff for several long moments. Eventually it got too awkward for her to bear, and she shifted. “Makes sense.”

“Aren’t you hot in that?” asked Cherry, crossing her arms on the table in front of her. Weirdly enough the only jewellery she was wearing was a small gold cross on a chain, no rings or bracelets. If Nairi had taken a second to think about how Cherry would dress off the job, this wouldn’t have been it.

She shrugged instead of answering the question.

“No, seriously,” said Cherry, her grin twitching a little at the corners. “I know it’s still a bit windy after midnight, but it’s still July, it’s like a hundred degrees out right now! How are you in long sleeves?”

“I just prefer it,” said Nairi, shrugging again. She felt an itch in the middle of her back, right between her shoulders, the way she did when someone was staring at her. There was only wall there. She resisted the urge to turn around and check anyway. “It’s light, you know, whatever.”

Cherry looked like she was going to push a little harder, but thankfully their food arrived and cut her off. Did it still count as brunch when it was nearly noon already? Either way, Cherry was thoroughly distracted, smiling sunnily at the cheerful girl with dreads and facial piercings who set their order across the table. Nairi had been given two glasses; both thick and squat, one filled with ice in deference to the weather.

Cherry sliced open one of the muffins, blueberry, and picked up the butter dish, waggling her eyebrows at Nairi over the mason jar that contained her iced mocha. “This place is a little… more than I was expecting.”

“It’s very… lush,” said Nairi, flicking her eyes to one side to give a hanging fern a deliberate look.

Cherry stifled an ugly snort, her head ducking as she pushed the muffins towards Nairi. “At least it’s interesting,” she said, hooking a hand around her jar of coffee. “Come on, tell me how the hippie tea is.”

Nairi poured a small cup of it out and took a careful sip, raising an eyebrow. “Organic,” she said. It actually wasn’t bad; a little woody and over steeped, but she was used to that at least.

Cherry took a long sip through her straw, eyebrow arched in return as she looked at Nairi through her eyelashes, then grimaced, leaning back. “Oh, that’s soy milk and straight cacao, I think this might be a vegan place.”

“Good to know,” said Nairi, smiling a little without thinking about it as Cherry picked up her half of the blueberry muffin.

“Are you vegan?” asked Cherry, tearing the muffin into chunks. “Or do you just like veggies for tempura?”

“Just vegetarian,” said Nairi, drinking more tea. “Don’t like meat. Milk and stuff is fine.”

“Don’t like violence against animals but you’re perfectly happy doling out a little of your own in the dark of the night?” teased Cherry, washing down her bites with more mocha.

“I have the black belts, I may as well put them to good use,” said Nairi with another awkward shrug, wishing she could get comfortable.

“’Belts’, huh? You know other stuff, not just Judo?”

Nairi hummed. “Krav Maga and Muay Thai as well. Belts or rankings and colours aren’t universal in different arts, but more people know what they generally mean, so, you know. My Muay school used armbands.”

Cherry nodded, one of her legs kicking the air under her stool. “Yeah? Do you teach those too or just Judo?”

“All three. I only have real students for Judo, though.”

“What makes someone a real student?”

“Showing up?”

Cherry snorted again, her hand flying to her mouth but not quite managing to hide her grin. “You don’t pull your punches anywhere, do you?”

Nairi shrugged again, not really sure how to take that.

Cherry seemed to find it an acceptable response anyway, openly watching Nairi with a fascinated expression. “Can I ask you something weird?”

“Sure,” said Nairi. It wasn’t like she could get more uncomfortable.

“So, like, ‘Nairi’ isn’t a super common name, and you seem proficient and reasonably scary,” said Cherry, peeling the paper away from another muffin as she watched Nairi indirectly. “And like, I keep my ears to the ground you know—or, well, fuck, okay, I occasionally end up in bed or working with people who have, uh, other hobbies cops might be interested in—”

Nairi wasn’t a hundred percent certain where she was going with this, but she tensed regardless, her expression relaxing into cool neutral.

If Cherry noticed, it didn’t stop her. “—Anyway, you wouldn’t happen to be the same Nairi who scared off the guys making meth a couple of blocks from here, would you?”

…Well, that wasn’t good, but it was leagues away from the worst thing she could have said. “I think I had a conversation with them,” she said politely, eyes flicking down to watch Cherry’s hands on the tabletop. She took a moment to consider and then added: “Sorry if that’s made one of your… ‘hobbies’ more difficult for you.”

Cherry snorted again and shook her head, looking distinctly unbothered. “Nah, not for me. I have a hard enough time making rent without that shit.”

She was still smiling.

Cherry swallowed her muffin and took a more gratuitous sip of her mocha, shifting how she was leaning on the table and looking up at Nairi properly again. “So you’re like, new in town right? Don’t know a lot of people yet?”

“What gave me away?” said Nairi, blinking at her.

“Just a feeling,” said Cherry, her cheeks dimpling as she polished off her drink. She climbed to her feet, tucking her wallet away, but flipping open her phone. “Do you wanna do this again some time? Like, I mean, tomorrow even if you want. I can come by earlier so we don’t run up against your opening, or we could grab food after you close for the day?”

“I—sure?” said Nairi, her mouth answering for her while she tried to process the abrupt change of gears. “I mean, what?”

“Catching up, getting to know each other, being friendly?” said Cherry brightly, shifting a little closer to Nairi. “You’ve got your dojo to open today and I need to clock some time at my day job, but I’d love to get to know you better, show you round town, introduce to some friends, even?”

Nairi only just managed to swallow the ‘Why?’ that was about to trip off her tongue. “Okay,” she said slowly. “I’d uh, yeah I’d like that?”

“Great!” said Cherry, holding out her phone with the screen open to a ‘new contact’ entry. “What’s your number?”