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ldrfanatic · 11 months ago

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two worlds collided

theodore nott x fem!malfoy!ravenclaw!reader

a.n. this is quickly becoming a theo obsession blog BUT I am open to requests for others

love theo in this piece.

to be added to my theo nott taglist just comment on one of my theo nott posts :)

synopsis - you're draco's sister but you're a ravenclaw. your father shunned you because he thought that voldemort wouldn't want you but when Nott sr is trying to find theodore a bride your father takes this as the perfect opportunity. over time you grow to genuinely care for one another.

warning - cursing, lucius malfoy is a prick, hitting, borderline verbal abuse, arranged marriage

accompanying song - never tear us apart (bishop briggs)

works slytherin boys

"Father is asking for you."

Shock washed over you and you wondered if you submerged yourself into your cloud-like bed if Lucius would just forget about it. After carefully weighing your options, it seemed rather unlikely. You threw your navy covers to the side and shuffled awkwardly to the main dining hall where your mother, father, and older brother Draco were waiting.

Your eyes fell onto a rather scary looking man and another handsome figure who you recognized as Theodore Nott, one of Draco's friends.

"Daughter." The warm velvet tones of Narcissa Malfoy filled the air. After you'd been sorted into Ravenclaw, Draco and Lucius had shunned you. Narcissa had been the only person in the entire family still kind to you. Well, she and your estranged aunt Andromeda who you'd been secretly exchanging letters since third year.

"Now that the Dark Lord has gained strength, it is imperative that we maintain close connections within the Sacred 28." Lucius approached you, looking rather unhinged, and placed a large hand on your shoulder. There was a malicious look in his eyes that made the entire interaction all the more unnerving. "Once the Dark Lord begins his plans, he'll need people he can trust to continue the most important of magical bloodlines."

Your father took you by the shoulders and moved you to stand in front of Theodore and the mystery man at his side.

"This is Theodore Nott Sr. and his son, who I presume you know from school."

Nott Sr. glanced to the side at Theodore who snapped out of a sort of trance. He brought your hand up to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on it.

"Y/n."

You smiled but didn't say anything, waiting in silence for your father to elaborate. He and Nott Sr. had clearly formed some sort of plan. "You and his son are to be married."

"What?!" Your body whipped around of its own accord and you felt rage explode over your body. "You haven't spoken to me in years and suddenly you expect me to marry this man without even asking me if I wish to be married to him or anyone for that matter?!"

Lucius' hand came down suddenly. A loud 'whack' resounded in the room as the back of his palm made contact with your cheek. "You ungrateful little brat." He straightened his cloak and took what you supposed was meant to be a calming breath. "Draco noticed the way that you stared at the Nott boy in school. You ought to be more appreciative that I didn't choose that awful Pucey boy although he was more than willing."

Though you couldn't see, Theodore's nose turned up in disgust at the mention of Adrian Pucey. He'd taken a liking to you, completely undeterred by the elder Malfoy's numerous threats to stay away from his younger sister. Draco might've been appalled that you'd been sorted into Ravenclaw, but that didn't mean that he was gonna let that slimey tosser terrorize you.

Your gaze stayed on the floor for a few moments before you turned back around, muttering a small apology to Theodore and his father. Overall, Theo was quite handsome and you had stared at him more than a few times. He really was quite handsome.

Nott Sr. studied you for a few moments then turned to Theodore expectantly. "Why don't the two of you take a stroll and become acquainted while Lucius and I finish up the particulars." It was phrased like a question, but in truth he wasn't asking. The air was silent as you walked out of the room the brunette boy following diligently.

The cool air nipped at your exposed skin as the heavy oak door slammed shut behind you. It was always cold and dark in the area surrounding Malfoy Manor.

"I'm sorry Theodore."

"Theo."

You stared at Theodore like a fish out of water waiting for words of any intelligence to come to you. Finally, you stuttered out an ignorant 'Huh?'.

"Call me Theo."

Your heart beat loudly in you ears for a few moments. "Oh-kay," Theo began to mosey into the Manor gardens with you hot on his heels. He was quite tall and due to the length of his legs, every one step he took was nearly three of yours. "So Theo. I am sorry you got dragged into this."

"That's alright fiancée." Theo teased you with a smile that could make any girl weak in the knees. For a moment you felt as though you could almost forget that the both of you were being forced into this.

"Still. I know your reputation. I only ask that you keep your conquests separate from our entanglement."

An indescribable akin to hurt flashed in the eyes of the boy before you. As well as something you didn't quite recognize.

"My reputation?" You spluttered at him for a few moments once again making a fool of yourself in front of Theodore Nott.

"Theo I didn't mean to--"

"Whatever." He turned away from you and stalked angrily back towards the Manor, calling over his shoulder. "And it's Theodore."

The rest of the break passed by pretty miserably, as expected. You and Theodore had gone on a few dates, as demanded by both your father and Nott Sr. since the pair of you were courting now, but they were long and excruciating with little to no conversation.

Despite a summer that seemed as though it would never end, September finally arrived.

You were boarding the train with Theodore and Draco as your parents watched on. They'd been keeping an extra close eye on the pair of you. In all honesty, you and Theodore hadn't grown any closer in your courtship than you'd been as distant acquaintances the year prior. If anything, the walk in the garden at the start of your relationship had forced you further apart.

And though you'd pretended you didn't care, seeing Theodore with other girls was never something you'd enjoyed. Now, knowing that he'd be your husband sooner rather than later, the thought of Theo running around with some daft blonde Slytherin made your heart sink to your stomach.

Yet, as the year progressed, you and the rest of Hogwarts were unexpectedly surprised by Theo. Before you knew it, the first snowfall graced Hogwarts in November, and Theodore hadn't had any flings with any girls. He was even turning down girls that had been brave enough to approach him and make the first move.

Without your parents to keep the two of you tightly bound, you and Theodore hadn't spoken since the train in.

Through all of this, you hadn't expected to become close friends with Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin girl in Theo and Draco's year. But she'd walked up to you during breakfast one morning and the two of you really hit it off.

Hence why currently, you were sat on Pansy's bed while she worked on her charms homework. And she was putting her absolute all into trying to convince you to ask Theo to Hogsmeade.

"C'mon Y/n! It might be fun."

"If by fun you mean he'll humiliate me in front of the entire student body." You mumbled under your breath. You tried to tune her out so as to focus on the book you were currently attempting to read, but she was determined.

"According to Blaise Theo's been talking about you when Draco isn't around to glare at him for it."

"Look Pans, I know you're in love with the bloke but have you considered that Blaise may be confused? Or simply taking the mickey?" Pansy shot you an unimpressed look. "Theo and I haven't spoken since September. In any case, if he's turning down long legged red heads who are all but stripping in front of him, what makes you think he'd want to go out with me?"

"Because he's already agreed to speak with you in the Slytherin Common Room tonight."

"What?!"

Pansy ignored your protests and damn near dragged you down to the common room with an iron grip on your wrist. When you got there, Theo was spread out on one of the expensive leather couches with a cigarette in between his lips. Yet as he noticed you approaching, he immediately dropped it and put it out with a stomp on the stone floors.

"Y/n."

The sonorous tones of Theo's voice bounced off each wall of the common room and seemed to warm you from the inside out. His voice was so inviting that you almost believed you could actually do this.

There is, however, one thing to know about Theodore Nott. No matter how inviting or pleasant Theo's aura is, you'd made a promise to yourself not to look him in the eyes. You knew that if you made the unfortunate mistake to look Theodore Nott in his malachite eyes, you'd lose all ability to think, speak, even breathe properly.

It wasn't until you saw his shoes enter your line of sight that you knew that he'd approached you at all. Worse, when his large hand found purchase under your chin and lifted your gaze to meet his, you knew that you were well and truly fucked.

In that most regrettable moment, you realized how much you'd fallen in love with Theodore. During shared hushed dates and the rare moments of laughter. Theodore Nott had completely enraptured you. And you realized much too late to do anything about it.

So now here you stood. Lost in the beautiful blues and greens of your fiancée's eyes. You were completely, 100% at Theodore Nott's mercy. And likely not for the last time in your life, you felt the urge to give into him. He was a sin that you'd willingly drown in.

"Bellisima," Theo's voice thickened as he spoke. You couldn't understand what he was saying nor could you place the language. But in all honesty, you hadn't known that he even spoke any other languages. His tongue wrapped effortlessly around each syllable and his voice deepened even more than usual, if possible. "I asked you a question."

"Huh?"

"You've been avoiding me." He stepped closer and your heartbeat spiked. "Why?"

Why had you been ignoring Theo again? How could you, or anyone for that matter, ever dream of not giving this devastatingly handsome man everything he desired and more? Oh yeah. Your wretched father.

"You've already been roped into entrapment with me and then forced to hang out with me all summer. I didn't want to cause anymore turmoil to your peace than I already have."

Theo's lips pursed and his eyes narrowed. Once again you'd gone and offended the poor boy.

Immediately, you opened your mouth to apologize, but he cut you off.

"D'you know for a Ravenclaw, you really can be rather thick sometimes?"

You felt your jaw drop in shock. The small grin he currently sported on his face let you know that he'd obviously been teasing. And for the umpteenth time since knowing him, Theo stole your breath with his stupid mesmerizing smile.

Yet, through all of that, he was right. You genuinely had no idea what he was talking about. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Theo finally seemed to get the hint that he was going to have to spell this out for you.

"I know you probably don't know this about me, but I never do anything that I don't want to. No matter who's asking."

You continued to stare at him blankly. Had he hit his head during the last quidditch match?

Theo ran a hand stressfully through his hair. He grabbed your wrist and led you back to the couches where you settled comfortably in the seat next to him, careful to maintain a respectful distance. "Merlin, Y/n. Turns out you Malfoy's are all slow."

"No offense." He added on quickly when he saw the look on your face. "That's not the point. Y/n I never would have agreed to this engagement with you if I didn't actually want to. I know that you did not get a say in the matter so if you truly wish to live our lives separately, I will respect your choice." Theo gently pulled your hand until it was safely tucked in between both of his larger ones.

"But whatever your decision, know that I am yours. I have wanted nothing more in the past few months than to be by your side. And every moment I spend without you is inexplicable torture for my soul."

"Theo."

He shook his head and cradled you face between his palms.

"No. My mother had a saying. Lascia che la vita accada. It means 'let life happen'. She believed that the only way to truly know if something is meant for you is to let life make it happen on its own. So take a few days. I'll meet you Saturday morning in the Great Hall. But know that if you agree to be mine, Tesoro, you'll be mine for eternity."

To say that staying away from Theo in the days following was easy would be a complete and total lie. When you told Pansy about the conversation the pair of you had (or lack thereof really) she'd all but exploded.

Finally, Saturday morning rolled around. You'd genuinely thought about all your options and you'd come to a decision. The only issue with Theo's plan is that Saturday was the infamous Gryffindor v Slytherin Quidditch match. The Great Hall was bustling in seas of only red or green. You were sporting a dark green jumper, a show of obvious support for the Slytherin team.

Those of your house that favored Gryffindor looked on at you with disdain as you stood from your bench and began making your way to the Slytherin table in search of Theo. He was one of Slytherin's chasers so trying to find him during such a hectic morning proved difficult.

As you walked up and down the table, a familiar figure appeared in front of you.

"Ahh Malfoy. I've been looking for you. I was wonderin' if you'd wear my jersey."

Before you had time to respond or even acknowledge the situation at all, Adrian Pucey had shoved his green and silver practice jersey into your arms. It was an incredibly common practice for girlfriends and boyfriends of Quidditch players to wear their partner's jerseys to their games for good luck.

The hall fell silent as the sound of glass breaking reverberated through the air. You looked to the source of the noise. Theo had stood so abruptly from his seat next to Blaise and Lorenzo that his entire breakfast went flying and ended up on the floor.

He was staring at you with clear ache in his eyes. Suddenly, he swung himself over the bench and stormed out of the room.

You threw Adrian's awful smelling jersey back at his face and ran frantically after Theo.

"Theo!" He ignored you and continued walking briskly even as you approached quickly on his heels. "Theodore please. Just let me explain."

"You don't owe me an explanation, dolcezza ragazza. You've made your choice."

"You've got it all wrong. That's not my decision. I don't want that." You cried out as tears brimmed your eyes. The thought of losing Theo because of Adrian Pucey was mournful.

"Hey, hey. Calma tesoro. Breathe." Theo's hands one again found their way to your face. He gently thumbed the tears from your face. "Don't get yourself all worked up. I'll always listen to you."

"Adrian he just sort of threw his disgusting jumper at me. I don't want him. I only want you. I'm yours, Theodore Nott, completely and without hesitation."

The grin on Theo's face was nothing short of heart-stopping.

"Does that mean you'll wear my jersey at the game today?"

wc 2.6k oops

4.17.24

-- taglist --

@thatdammchickennugget @moonlightreader649

#slytherin boys #slytherin #theodore nott #theo nott x reader #theodore nott x reader #theo nott #slytherin boys x reader #lorenzo zurzolo #draco malfoy #blaise zabini #pansy parkinson

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roosterforme · 2 months ago

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Aim for the Sky Part 32 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: You're struggling through your pregnancy, trying to stay calm as your worries about Bradley grow as quickly as the baby. Bradley wants to put his best foot forward at work, making himself available for office hours, but maybe he's made himself too accessible.

Warnings: Angst, adult language, body image, DILF Roo, smut, pregnancy topics, lactation kink, jealous

Length: 3400 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

Aim for the Sky masterlist. This was written to accompany my series Is It Working For You? along with a bunch of my one-shots and other series, but it can be read on its own! Check my masterlist for the reading order.

Bradley's new office was coming along nicely. Everything was standard issue Navy grade, but he started adding some touches here and there to make it look more personal. The file cabinet was covered in ultrasound photos, one column of Rosie and one of her younger sibling.

He glanced at the wedding photo on his desk before adjusting it and wincing. You were still mad this morning that he overdid it at the Hard Deck last night, but he wished you would just let it go. It's not like he drove home drunk or anything. Nat and the guys were just excited to learn he was going to have another kid. The drinks just kept coming.

There was a knock on the door, and then Maverick poked his head inside. "You have a minute?"

"Yeah," Bradley replied, waving him inside. "It's not like I can tell you no. You're my commanding officer, Mav."

The older man chuckled, setting some folders on the desk. "I need you to keep all of the forms updated for each of the pilots. It's best if you work on it every day and then update the hard copies. You should have time to do this between visits during your office hours."

Today was the first time Bradley was holding office hours, and honestly he felt a bit like a college professor: the aviators were kind of his students, and he was responsible for making sure they were prepared to fly.

"Not sure how busy my office hours will be," Bradley muttered. He should probably send a text to remind you he'd be home a little later than usual tonight. While he didn't want to make a habit of missing dinner with his girls, this was a far cry better than being deployed.

"You might be surprised," Maverick replied with a smile as he backed toward the door. "You've got a lot to show the others, Lieutenant Commander."

Then he was gone, and Bradley could feel the warmth rising in his cheeks. He just wanted to prove himself, but the first time someone had him up against the wall, scrambling for an answer, he wasn't sure what he was going to do. He'd only started to advertise his extra hours during today's lecture, so it would probably be another week or so until someone came to him for any sort of guidance on a Monday evening. But he would try to be ready.

He was just opening one of the folders from Maverick when there was another knock on his door. This time when he looked up, he was met with a flight suit complete with a Golden Warriors patch identical to the one he wore. That would have been enough to let him know it was Indigo, but then he met her eyes as he stood up behind his desk.

"Lieutenant Jeffries," he greeted with a smile as she strode inside. "How can I help you?"

She studied his face with a knowing look for a few seconds before breaking out into a smile of her own. "Sir, I can think of so many ways you could help me. It's not even funny."

Bradley blinked, brow furrowed as he examined her. "Well, why don't you start with an easy one? It's been a long day. And something tells me you might be regretting the late start you got at the Hard Deck last night."

Her laughter filled the room. "I could never regret finding the officer hangout before the rest of my peers from Texas. I need to keep the edge I have over Rex and Spice." When she started to close the door, Bradley frowned.

"Keep it open," he said casually, reaching out to catch it before it shut. He didn't want anyone thinking he was playing favorites, and the little pout on Indigo's lips convinced him she wanted to be his favorite aviator. But she didn't argue. She simply sat down on the edge of the couch and looked up at him.

"The easiest way you can help me is by telling me where I can improve," she said, fingers toying with the zipper at her neck. "I want to be the best you've ever seen."

------------------------------

You couldn't tell if Cat was actually annoyed with you or if she was just teasing, but you were too exhausted from a restless night to care.

"I can't believe Bradley told Jake you're pregnant before you told me yourself! I just saw you last night!"

Her gaze dipped down to your belly as you stood before her in the lab. You knew you were showing. There was no denying it now. You had a bunch of appointments coming up with Dr. Morris, and you were just going to keep getting bigger until you had to wear the maternity tent again. You knew you were already huge and that you'd probably never be your normal size ever again. And the last thing you wanted was Cat Coleman of all people scrutinizing your appearance when she always looked pristine.

Everything was made worse by Bradley's interactions with Indigo. She was everywhere on base, but now she had taken over your bar, too. You saw her this morning but managed to duck out of the way before those piercing eyes landed on you. She knew what you looked like now, and Cat's gaze lingering on your belly was doing nothing to give you a boost of confidence.

"Please make sure you're eating and drinking enough," she told you. "We don't want another repeat of Annapolis where you could barely give a presentation. Or a repeat of the day you fell at work."

You gritted your teeth. "This pregnancy doesn't even feel like my last one. Okay? I'm eating just fine. Too well, actually."

You turned on your heel, boot squeaking on the floor and headed out to collect Rose from daycare. Everything was just a reminder of your size right now. Visions of candy bars danced in your head as you told yourself you'd go home and eat a sensible dinner while Bradley held his office hours. But you already knew... you just knew Indigo would squeeze her way in there with her pretty eyes and her perky tits. And your husband seemed to be oblivious to her. At least you'd tried to convince yourself he wasn't actively looking. But you knew she found him attractive. You could smell it on her a mile away.

Tears filled your eyes as you approached the daycare facility. If he was looking at her, you couldn't blame him. Indigo was beautiful, her body stunning even in her flight suit. Meanwhile you looked like an exhausted, lumpy, khaki-covered potato with acne and zero energy.

"Let's go home," you whispered to Rose, trying to smile at the daycare staff as you pushed her out in her stroller.

You were absolutely fine. You were totally fine. Or at least you would be. Or at least that's what you kept telling yourself.

But all week long, you heard the same collection of call signs spilling from Bradley's lips, and Indigo's was always the first one. She was the fastest, most cunning, smartest, most decisive pilot he'd ever flown with. Any time you asked him a question about work, she was the answer. And he was late coming home almost every day.

"Hey, Sweetheart. Sorry, I had to stay in the infirmary with Spice after she strained her shoulder," he said, rushing inside on Friday night as you made dinner. "She couldn't even raise her arm to get her helmet off."

He kissed your cheek, letting his hand rest on your belly for a beat before he ended up on the floor next to Rose's play mat where she was trying her hardest to crawl to Tramp. As soon as Bradley showed up, she changed her mind and tried to get to him instead.

You pressed your lips together as you turned off the stove burner. "Did anyone else stay with you and Spice?"

"Yeah, Indigo hung out," he replied easily, brushing his fingers along Rose's hair with a smile. You swallowed hard, watching him on his hands and knees in his khaki uniform. He looked so good. Like ridiculously good. Broad shoulders and big biceps and a handsome smile.

"Why am I not surprised?" you muttered, turning away from him.

"I think they're friends," he said. "It's kind of amusing getting to experience the love and hate dynamics amongst the group. The women tend to stick together on the ground, but anything goes in the air."

Your stomach ached with hunger pangs, and the only thing you wanted to eat was ice cream. When you realized you'd eaten a frozen burrito barely an hour ago, you desperately wanted to go to bed hungry, but you started to feel guilty about the baby.

"My parents listed their house today," you announced, trying to change the subject before you started to cry.

"Did you hear that, Nugget?" Bradley scooped Rose up in his arms and carried her into the kitchen where you were plating two meals. "Your grandparents are moving here to spend more time with you. And next summer, we'll take you and your little brother or sister back to Virginia to see where ol' Goose and Carole used to live, okay?"

He peppered her face with kisses until she was giggling wildly, and every negative thought started to get fuzzy around the edges. When his brown eyes met yours, you nodded toward the table, and his arm slipped around your waist.

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Bradley came home from his office hours on Monday to find you wearing only his old UVA shirt. The soft cotton was hugging your bump and showing off your legs, and he was ready to get on his knees and beg for you.

After he put Rose in her crib for the night, he met you in bed where you were wearing your glasses, your face freshly scrubbed. He was plainly getting hard in his gym shorts the more he looked at you. It was so obvious. When you stood on your knees and coaxed him closer with your finger, he met you there.

"I hope you know how good you have it, Roo," you whispered against his lips.

He knew. He knew all about it. He let his hand slide down over your belly, keeping you in place when you tried to scoot away. Then his fingers slowly yanked up the hem of his shirt until he was touching your pussy.

"Of course I know it, Baby Girl." He circled your clit with his middle finger before slipping it inside you. "I've got my Rosie. And my hot, pregnant wife with her perfect pussy." When you whimpered, he kissed your nose. "I've got it all."

You dragged the shirt up over your belly and chest, tossing it aside. For a beat, Bradley went completely dizzy at the sight of your tits. Then you made everything better by placing your hands on your breasts, working them until beads of milk appeared. Your head was tipped back, pussy squeezing his middle finger, and Bradley almost lost his mind.

His kisses were rough. He knew it. But you were whining Roo as he got undressed, and then you were guiding his lips to your tits. He had to have it dirty. His cock was so fucking hard, he needed to make you scream.

"Oh, fuck," he growled as his lips grazed your nipple, lapping up your milk until he thought he was going to pass out. Every inch of your body was so sweet and supple, but he wanted you babbling and begging.

Bradley meticulously cleaned you up until you were clinging onto him, then he pushed you onto your back. Without hesitation, he started fucking you. When you needed a hand over your mouth to keep from waking Rose, he was all too happy to help. When you spread your legs wider, he watched his cock glide inside your welcoming body over and over again until he felt his orgasm in his balls.

"Shit. I'm gonna cum," he groaned, waiting until you nodded against his palm to lose himself. Hips thrusting, filling you with shallow strokes, he fucked you until your pussy was dripping. He watched the mess he made dribble down your ass before catching it with his fingertips. "I swear I don't think I can keep my cock out of you long enough for you to not be pregnant ever again."

You snorted before reaching for his hand and bringing it to your lips. "After this one, I'm going right back on the pill. No more slip ups," you whispered. Bradley watched as your tongue darted out, licking his sticky cum and swallowing every drop.

"No more slip ups," he echoed, smiling at your belly. He'd never consider this a mistake. Not in a million years. A surprise? Absolutely. But not a mistake.

Bradley's phone lit up where it had been discarded on the floor when you slipped into the bathroom. He had a text from an unknown number with a Virginia area code. At first, he thought it might be his cousin Brenda letting him know she had a new phone number, but when he opened the message, his brow creased in confusion at first.

Lieutenant Commander, thanks for spending so much time with me today in your office today.

Only three people had been in his office with him earlier. One was Maverick. One was Forrest who he had to reprimand. The third was Indigo. Bradley hadn't been giving out this number, but it was readily available if anyone wanted to look through the registry in the lobby of the building where his small office was housed.

He scratched the rough stubble along his jaw, contemplating if he should respond after nine in the evening. He saved her number under her call sign and tossed his phone on the bed when you walked back in with a smile on your face. He should wait until the morning to respond if at all.

You yawned when he passed you. "I'm ready for bed, Roo."

"Give me a minute to brush my teeth, and I'm right behind you."

---------------------------

By the end of the week, your parents had two offers on the house where you were raised. They were officially downsizing to a cute bungalow a few streets over in Coronado, and you were excited. Or you wanted to be.

But every time you let your heart fill with happiness over your parents or the baby, you remembered that Indigo was texting your husband. You saw it for yourself. Right after he fucked you so good, you could barely walk, you glanced down at his phone on your bed. He had her number saved in his phone, and you wanted to cry.

You could ask him for permission to look at his phone. You could see what his reaction was. That would give you a good gauge of what exactly was going on between them. But Bradley had never once asked you to hand your phone over to him. He'd ever insinuated that there would be a reason he didn't trust you.

Unsure what else to do, you sat in your office during your lunch break and cried. The tears were hot and miserable on your cheeks, and a headache instantly started brewing behind your eyes. It took you almost ten minutes to get yourself under control, and by then you didn't even feel like going to the cafeteria for food.

When someone knocked, you looked up at your door. Maybe it was Bradley. Maybe you could get his phone from him somehow and check it yourself. "Come in," you called, voice soft from all the tears you'd shed. Instead of your husband, Jake strolled inside. "Did you get lost? Cat's probably in the lab."

"Aww, come on, Angel," he drawled, dropping down into your extra chair. "I came all the way up here to see you."

"Oh." You were a little surprised. Everyone was so busy as the last quarter of the year was beginning, you felt like you hadn't seen much of him.

"Why do you look so sad?" he asked, already leaning forward to stand again. "Want me to grab you and the baby something to eat and bring it up here?"

"No," you told him quickly. "I'm fine. Just a little stressed." You tried to smile, but you felt like you could cry again. "Are you having a slow day?"

"Nah." He leaned back with his arms crossed over his chest. "Just had to get away from your annoying husband and his band of misfits clogging up the comms with their exercises."

"Band of misfits?" you asked with a soft laugh.

"Bunch of children," he replied with an eye roll. "Look like they just graduated from high school." His eyes went wide. "Oh shit, that probably means I look old now."

"You don't look too bad for someone older than me," you promised with a smirk. "Hey, do you know anything about any of those new pilots?"

"I know they like to hog the line in the cafeteria. One of them took the last slice of pizza yesterday, and I had to wait for a new pie to finish baking. Food should be based on seniority. I outrank all of them."

You were laughing at his smile now. "Hey, maybe I should get something to eat. And it might be nice to get out of my office for a few minutes."

"I'll walk you down." Jake stood and helped you to your feet. "Can't hang out too long though. Mav has a fire under his ass about getting Phoenix, Bob and I in the air this afternoon."

You headed to the cafeteria with Jake, getting a chance to hear his side of the wedding plans after listening to Cat for weeks. They wanted something small and simple, but he assured you there would be room for the Bradshaws on the guest list. Once you had a tray piled high with a salad, breadsticks and once slice of pizza, you took a seat while Jake headed back out to the tarmac to get back to work.

Your lunch tasted incredible. The cheese from the pizza was practically melting in your mouth. When the cafeteria started clearing out, there were only a few tables occupied, and you started stacking the plates on your tray. You could have a calm, reasonable conversation with your husband. He'd let you look at his phone, and everything would be fine.

"Okay, but what's up with Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw?"

Your eyes darted up from your tray to find two officers sitting a short distance away. The one facing you had a patch on her flight suit that said SPICE, and you recognized her call sign from conversations with Bradley.

"He's hot, but he's wearing a wedding band," she added.

You swore your heart stopped at her words. Then you realized that the woman with her back to you was Indigo. Her jet black hair was wound up in a tight bun that accentuated her long neck even from behind, and her laughter set your teeth on edge.

"I already told you," she said, and you had to stop breathing to make sure you heard every word. "His wife is a civvy. I saw her at the bar the only night he showed up. They have one kid, and apparently she's pregnant again. At least that's what I heard Lieutenant Trace saying."

"What does his wife look like?" Spice asked, casually taking a sip of her drink as if your world wasn't crumbling to pieces.

"It was hard to tell in the dark, but her face seemed okay. Nice-ish body, but come on..." Indigo gestured to herself. "The man's only human, and his wife is definitely older than me. That much is easy to tell. And she'll be huge again soon."

You tried to get up from your seat quickly, fighting with yourself to get out of the room, but it was too late. Both of them were standing now, still chatting as Indigo turned your way. As soon as her eyes landed on your face, you saw them widen. That pretty blue color looked terrifying as a smile of recognition spread across her lips.

Indigo absolutely knew who you were now. Her eyes dipped down to the hyphenated name pinned against your chest, and now she knew you weren't a random civilian. She knew you were an officer who worked on North Island. She knew way too much as she took in every inch of your body. And she looked really pleased by what she saw.

-----------------------------

He has his sweet moments, but Roo doesn't see the bigger picture here. Next chapter will reveal if Rose is going to have a brother or a sister. Any guesses? Thanks @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 33

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wwooyology · 5 months ago

Text

How Could You? | P.SH

「prompt」 : spare me 「pairing」 : bf!sunghoon x fem!reader 「word count」 : 1.6k

「synopsis」 : while you have been working hard to build a life for you and sunghoon, he was out living his best life. though all of your hard work crumbles when word gets out that sunghoon had been seen with another girl in the club.

「genre」 : angst

「warnings」 : cussing, crying, mentions of pregnancy, cheating, small argument, confrontation, mention of divorce, lmk if I missed anything!!!

「notes」 : me watching too many short Chinese dramas part two... but we're almost done with angstober, how are you guys feeling thus far?

masterlist ─ navi. ─ angstober list

“Congratulations Mrs. Park,” The doctor smiled at you sweetly as he handed you the test report. You looked down with glossy eyes, reading the words over and over in your head.

‘Pregnant’

It felt like a dream come true. You had just gotten a massive promotion at work, so you would be bringing home more money for yourself and Sunghoon. You were entirely grateful that you could support him while he continued his studies, and now you could even start growing your own family with him.

After quickly thanking the doctor, you made your way out of the hospital into the waiting car parked in front of the building. The driver greeted you with a smile as he held the door open for you, his hand covering the top to protect you from hitting your head.

“Are we headed home, Ma’am?” He asked as he got into the driver's seat, starting up the car, causing a low rumble to be heard around you.

Returning his smile through the rearview mirror, you nodded, “Yes.”

Then, with a nod of his head, he turned his attention back to the road in front of you, pulling out of the parking lot. You settled into your seat, hands resting in your lap with the test results and your eyes staring out the window. A happy grin spread on your lips at the thought of telling Sunghoon about all of the good news that you had received.

Just then, you felt your phone buzz in your hands, tearing your gaze away from the window. Turning your screen on, you see a message from your best friend, Yeji, who also just happens to be Sunghoon’s little sister. A giddy feeling bubbles in your chest at the thought of telling her that she was going to be an aunt soon, but when you opened your phone, all of that happiness that you once felt washed away in an instant.

‘Where are you y/n? Have you seen the news?’

Her question worried you, had something happened to Sunghoon or either of your families? Panicked, you quickly backed out of the messages and into the first social media app you found. It took you a few moments and reloads before it finally popped up.

And bile rose up the back of your throat.

You reread the headlines over and over and over and over again, and you so deeply wished that your first worry had been true instead of this.

‘The Renowned Son of the Park's, Park Sunghoon, Seems to Have Reverted Back to His Old Playboy Ways.’

Tears blur your vision as you read more before looking at the pictures and videos of Sunghoon sitting in a nightclub with females surrounding him, some perched on his lap, his hands in places a married man definitely shouldn’t have his hands in. Completely in awe, you backed out with shaky hands and went back to message Yeji, asking her if she knew which nightclub he was at. She gave you the name and address before telling you that she would meet you there.

“Change of plans,” you said, leaning forward to talk to the driver, trying your best to keep the tears that pooled in your eyes at bay.

–

Anger and hurt bubbled in your gut as you stormed into the club, ignoring the people who greeted you along the way. The music that blared through the speakers made your head spin as the bass vibrated the ground beneath your feet. Steeling yourself, you looked around the packed room, trying to find that blonde male you knew was somewhere around here.

“Are you looking for someone, Miss?” A worker walked up to you with a smile, and you nodded slowly, closing your eyes and then going back to scan the crowd.

“I’m looking for my husband.” Your words were curt, and her smile faltered for a moment before she was able to replace it once more.

“What’s his name? I can see if he’s on our list.” She told you nicely despite the unease that was growing in her gut.

You opened your mouth to tell her your husband's name, but you were cut off when a hand landed on your shoulder and a voice was heard from behind you.

“Park Sunghoon,” Yeji told the worker, and the poor girl visibly paled, a ball forming in her throat as she looked between the pair of you. However, she was taking too long for both your and Yeji’s taste. "Do you or do you not know where he is?”

Swallowing thickly, the worker nodded her head before motioning behind her, “Follow me.”

Yeji laced her arm through yours as the both of you followed behind the girl, ignoring any and all of the looks you were receiving along the way. However, despite your best efforts to ignore the lingering comments, you couldn’t ignore them all.

“Isn’t that Mr. Park’s wife?” someone off to your right whispered to her friend who sat next to her. "Has he finally been caught?”

Noticing where your attention was, Yeji tugged on your arm before nodding towards the table in the far back corner. There, sitting in the middle of the bench, one hand holding a half-empty glass of liquor and the other wrapped around another girl’s shoulder, was none other than your husband.

Seeing him act like this without a care in the world shot an arrow right through your heart. All of these years that you had worked your ass off to make sure that you both could live happily in the future seemed to have been in vain. Because while you were working overtime almost every night, he was out doing god knows what at this very nightclub.

“Sunghoon, how could you?” Yeji was the first to speak, stomping her foot as she held onto your arm.

At the sound of his sister's voice, Sunghoon’s head snapped in your direction, a look of panic flashing across his features. He tore his arm around from the girl next to him and placed the glass on the table before he stood to his feet.

“Y-Yeji, what are you doing here?” Sunghoon asked with a slight quiver in his tone. His eyes solely locked onto his sister, seeming to have not noticed you standing there next to her.

“How could you be so shameless? You’re cheating on y/n while she’s out there working effortlessly to support you.” She scolded the older male and that’s when he finally noticed you standing there next to his sister, tears clinging to your eyelashes as you just stared at him.

Even with all of the apparent evidence in front of you, you didn’t want to believe that he could actually do something like this to you. Your eyes then flickered up to meet his, panic and guilt swirling in his dark iris’.

“Y/n–”

“How long?” You cut him off, biting your tongue to keep the tears that so desperately wanted to fall at bay.

Sunghoon moved around the table to reach out towards you, “I wasn’t–”

“How. Long?” You enunciate each word as you take a step away from him, wanting to keep as much distance between you as possible.

“Six months.” He breathed out, his shoulders slumping and his head dropping down, guilt starting to eat at the back of his mind.

You felt a lump form in your throat as you stared at him, completely astonished; your hand instinctively went to your stomach. Recalling the doctor's test results, you were only a month or so along, meaning that while he lay with you in bed, he was also keeping other women company as well. You suddenly felt sick to your stomach, causing you to hunch over.

“Y/n!” Yeji exclaimed, grabbing onto your arms tightly and helping you stand back onto your feet.

Sunghoon moved to grab a hold of you as well, but you shoved his hands away. A glare adorned your features as you looked up at him.

“If this is what you want, then don’t let me stop you.” Your tone was bitter, and your eyes burned with tears as you held onto Yeji. "But don’t expect me to be waiting when you get home.”

Yeji then helped you turn to walk away, but of course, Sunghoon wasn’t going to give up that easily. He reached out, grabbing your arm to make you turn to look at him.

“Please, y/n, we can talk about this.” His eyes pleaded with you, but all of the sympathy that you once felt for him was gone, smothered with his own two hands.

“There’s nothing to talk about, but do me a favor…” You once again shoved his hands away from you, silent tears falling from your glossy eyes, “sign the divorce agreement when my assistant brings it to you.”

And without another word you grabbed onto Yeji’s arm and walked with her back out of the nightclub, leaving Sunghoon there to stare at the spot you were once standing in. His whole world crumbled in just mere minutes.

You sat in your car, the silence almost comforting as your driver took both you and Yeji back to her place where you would be staying for the time being. Your hand then moved the rest on your stomach, your thumb brushing along your clothed abdomen.

“I’m sorry little one, but it’ll be better this way…” You whispered as more tears spilled from your eyes.

Noticing your distress, Yeji wrapped her arm around you, pulling you into her side so you could rest your head against her shoulder. She tried her best to comfort you as you cried in her arms until you finally cried yourself to sleep, hoping that this all was just some cruel dream that you would wake up from in no time.

But you weren’t in a dream and you would only wake up more heartbroken than when you had fallen asleep.

@wwooyology | Do not steal, plagiarise, translate, or repost any of my work

𝖉𝖎𝖘𝖈𝖑𝖆𝖎𝖒𝖊𝖗 : ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ ɴᴏ ᴡᴀʏ ᴀ ᴛʀᴜᴇ ʀᴇᴘʀᴇꜱᴇɴᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏꜰ ᴀɴʏ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀꜱ. ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ ᴘᴜʀᴇʟʏ ꜰɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀɴᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴛᴀᴋᴇɴ ꜱᴇʀɪᴏᴜꜱʟʏ.

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astraystayyh · 9 months ago

Text

Starry night.

in which you and hyune fall in love through paintings.

idol!hyunjin x museum guide!reader. love at first sight, kinda. both mc and hyune are romantics.. lots of art analysis and conversations. very fluffy and soft. like so soft i hurt myself with this you guys.

all the info about Vincent Van Gogh’s life and works are from the Van Gogh Museum. the interpretations are my own but im not an art critic, obvi, just a yearner 💔 please enjoy, feedback is highly appreciated 💞

thank you to the lovely reader who commissioned me!!!! the money went to our stayblr fundraiser for palestine. please consider donating if you are able too as well <3333

“You’ll be able to do it, right?” Your manager Martin looks at you expectantly, and you blink slowly in response. It, referring to leading a private tour of the Van Gogh exhibition.

You’ve been a museum guide in New York for four months now. When you’re not painting, you’re here, amidst the array of artworks nestled in a quaint street near East River. You’ve led group tours before, always under the watchful eye of Martin, a middle-aged man who never forgets to bring you a vanilla bourbon macaron every morning.

However, you’ve never handled a private tour before. You see the desperation in Martin’s eyes as he awaits your answer—he’s the one who usually handles these tours, but he has urgent family matters to suddenly attend to.

You blink again, your tongue unknotting in a split second. “I’d be happy to,” you beam. The exhibition feels like a second home to you; you’ve visited it countless times long before you started working here.

Martin heaves a sigh of relief, smiling back at you. “I believe in you,” he reassures, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder. “Remember why I chose you.”

You grin at his words, nodding vigorously. Your love for art brought you here; your very being seems molded to breathe in paintings and live among them. It’s as sweet a life as it can get.

“You’ll find all the details about our guest in our log. He’s famous, so he’ll be a bit discreet. He’ll expect you to be too,” he explains, hurriedly packing his things. You nod, taking the keys to the art gallery from his hand.

“Don’t worry, the gallery is safe in my hands.”

“I know,” he says with a comforting smile, before finally waving goodbye. You take a deep breath and check the booking for tonight’s exhibition—Hwang Hyunjin.

The name is unfamiliar to you, and so is the face that greets you at 8 p.m. sharp—at least, what you can see of it. He’s wearing a navy cap and a face mask, with a varsity jacket sitting perfectly atop his broad shoulders. He looks young, roughly your age.

“Hi, welcome to our Van Gogh exhibition,” you greet him with a grin. He bows slightly in response.

“No one’s here, so you can remove your mask if you wish. I can take your bag as well,” you offer with a smile. He nods and hands you his black duffel bag, which you quickly pass to the security guard, who places it inside a safe cabinet.

Hyunjin removes his Versace cap, running a hand through his silky black hair. There is an aura of assurance around him, as if he’s poised before a camera in a professional photoshoot. But then, a shy smile appears on his face as he finally removes his face mask, his eyes glinting beneath the golden lighting.

You feel your breath catch in your throat; for a split second, the world around you seems to still, the paintings dimming before the beautiful face in front of you.

“Right,” you clear your throat, “shall we?”

Hyunjin nods, falling easily into step with you. You pause before the first painting, ‘Woman with a Child on her Lap’, 1883.

“This is rumored to be about Sien Hoornik, who became both Vincent’s lover and model. She was a former prostitute, pregnant at the time, and had a five-year-old daughter. Vincent was determined to help her through her hardships, and they dated for a year and a half. But then, he broke it off because he said she was too far gone to be saved.”

Hyunjin nods, his eyes fixated on the painting, his head tilted slightly to the side. “The eyes are telling,” he speaks for the first time, and his voice floods your being like dewdrops reviving flowers at dawn. It is smooth and soft, the end of his words getting lost in the air and caught by your heart.

“The way the mother and daughter look at each other, I mean.” He clarifies, stealing a fleeting glance at you. “There is disdain on the mother’s face, but more toward herself, I think. Maybe because she sees her reflection in her daughter.”

Groups usually scurry past this painting, eager to see Vincent’s more renowned works. You feel your heart soften at how much he seems to be thinking about it, lost in his own world. You’re not even sure he remembers you’re there.

“Vincent was really determined to help her, although his brother Theo disapproved. His parents did too.”

“Isn’t that what love is? To hold someone’s hand even if everyone tells you to let go,” he mutters quietly, his eyes still lost in the painting. A hue of vulnerability colors his words before he clears his throat, as if unwittingly revealing his inner thoughts.

“That’s a beautiful way to view it,” you smile, and he nods, shyly biting his lower lip. For some odd reason, his timidity stirs something unfamiliarly tender within your heart.

You walk over to the next set of paintings. “When Vincent moved to Paris, you can see how his style developed. He let go of the darker tones he used in his infamous ‘The Potato Eaters’ and began using lighter colors, like here,” you explain, pointing to ‘The Hill of Montmartre with Stone Quarry’.

“Do you think it’s because he was happier?” he suddenly asks, and you frown slightly. “Pardon?”

“The shift to lighter colors. ‘The Potato Eaters’ is so sorrowful and shrouded in darkness. ‘The Hill’ is much more colorful, lighter, you know?” His eyes glide to yours, a twinkle of curiosity glimmering in them.

“Vincent did flourish in Paris. For once, he was in the same city as his brother Theo, whom he loved dearly. But he was mainly influenced by modern art, which uses much lighter colors than his previous works. Art critics usually attribute this change in the influence of his contemporaries, such as—”

“But what do you think?” he interrupts softly, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes are penetrating, and you find yourself lost in the seas of emotion they contain.

You quiet down, licking your lips tentatively. No one has ever asked for your opinion on these tours before.

“Well,” you begin slowly, “I think it’s possible. Being around his brother and other artists who embraced brighter palettes could have uplifted his spirit. But also, maybe the light colors were his way of reaching for happiness, even if he didn’t always feel it. Art often mirrors our hopes as much as our realities.”

Hyunjin listens intently, a thoughtful look on his face. “I agree,” he finally says, smiling sincerely. You don’t know why the sight of his grin renders your brain putty, like melted ice cream under the kind sunrays.

“His use of lighter colors continued when he moved to the south of France. He was delighted with the bright colors in Arles, painting orchards in blossom and workers gathering the harvest,” you explain, pointing to the respective paintings.

“That’s when he told his brother that he wanted to open a studio for fellow painters. He wrote in a letter the following: 'you always lose when you’re isolated.' He sent out many invitations, but only one painter agreed to come.”

“Paul Gauguin,” Hyunjin swiftly replies.

“Exactly. He was the first and last painter to move in with Vincent.”

“It seemed like the more he tried to escape loneliness, the more it found him,” Hyunjin muses, his eyes fixed on ‘Portrait of Gauguin’ by Vincent. The bright colors he asked you about earlier make you wonder if, beneath the spotlight, Hyunjin too feels lonely.

“Sometimes loneliness becomes a friend. You have to make room for it to allow other things to come in,” you say softly.

“It’s sad how nothing good came out of that roommate situation, though” he frowns, and you nod in agreement.

“Paul and Vincent were very different. They had a lot of eclectic views that often led to disagreements. I assume you know their most prominent one.”

“Yes, when Vincent cut off his ear.”

“Correct, he then wrapped it in newspaper and presented it to a prostitute in the nearby red-light district.”

“A prostitute…” Hyunjin muses, his thumb swiping slightly across his lower lip. “It seems like phantoms of his first love found him again. Even in his most disoriented state, he somehow remembered her.”

“You speak of love beautifully,” you suddenly say, before biting your tongue harshly, instantly regretting your words. But Hyunjin’s eyes seem to soften as he gazes at you, the warm light dancing across his pupils.

“It is a beautiful feeling.”

“Only to those who have beautiful souls,” you speak earnestly, and your words seem to morph into brushstrokes, painting the gallery in hues of red. Intimate, soft, too intimate all of the sudden.

“Vincent’s mental health rapidly declined, and he put himself back into the mental asylum,” you quickly clear your throat, though you can still feel Hyunjin’s eyes on you, not the painting. “Still, that’s when he created some of his most famous artworks, like ‘The Starry Night’. He was inspired by the view from the asylum’s window. It’s dominated by vivid yellow and blue, and the colors and paint seem to describe a world outside the artwork itself.”

“It’s breathtaking,” Hyunjin marvels, lost in the painting, leaning in until his nose almost brushes the canvas.

You suppress a giggle, but your laughter fades as you take in the mole right by his jaw, then the one by his neck. The delicateness of his face, the plumpness of his lips, and the curve of his lashes.

He’s beautiful. The painting could seep him in and he’d fit right in with the silver stars. Outshining them too, surely.

“I really liked the tour,” he smiles, nearly two hours of lazy strolls later. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” you grin back, grabbing his outstretched hand. His fingers wrap around yours slowly, deliberately, as if on a mission to ignite your nerve endings. To set your soul ablaze with his palm alone.

His hand holds yours for a few seconds longer than necessary. Your blush mirrors his when he finally lets go.

He quickly bows again, grabbing his bag from his manager, who was waiting by the door. He almost bumps into the handle on his way out, and you let out an endeared chuckle, your eyes lingering on his figure until he disappears into his black van.

You think you'll never see him again, two lines crossing serendipitously at one point, never to cross paths once more. The thought sends a pang of sorrow latching onto your heart, before you quickly brush it away.

But then you do see him again, the very following night, at that.

It is near nine p.m. when Martin exclaims suddenly, “Mr. Hwang!” and you freeze in your place, book guide in hand.

It has been exactly twenty-four hours since you last saw Hyunjin, but when his voice softly echoes through the art gallery, it feels like a lifelong ache finally soothed.

“Please, call me Hyunjin,” he says, shaking Martin’s hand, though his eyes quickly find yours. They stay on you, unmoving yet tender, like a cotton blanket draped over your being.

“How was the tour with Miss Yn?”

“Ah—“ his gaze finally drifts away from yours. “Yes, it was really nice. That's why I came again,” he explains, a touch sheepishly, and your quizzical eyes meet Martin’s.

“Hyunjin booked another private tour. He specifically requested you to be his guide,” Martin explains, and your eyes widen in shock. You don’t have time to reply because your manager quickly scurries away. “I’ll leave you two then. Have fun!”

You wait until Martin disappears into his office before turning to Hyunjin, who avoids your gaze, one hand deep in his pocket, moving side to side. You remain silent for a few moments, simply admiring the side of his face. You’ve always had a deep appreciation for art running through your veins, after all.

“Hi,” he finally says, his eyes quickly meeting yours. You can’t stop the smile that floods your face, coating every nook and cranny of your features.

“You came back,” you say with a breathy giggle.

“Mm,” he instantly grins. “I don’t know when I’ll be back in New York, so I wanted to truly memorize the art here.”

“When are you going home?” you ask as you take his bag again, your eyes taking in his outfit—a green cap this time, a knit vest over a white shirt, and a silver teddy bear necklace nestled perfectly against it. Pretty.

“Tomorrow. We had a tour stop here, and we’ll go back to Seoul now.”

“And you’ll be spending your final night in the city here?” you chuckle slightly, and he shrugs as if it’s the most obvious decision he ever had to make.

“Why not? I think it’s beautiful here.” though his eyes never move to look onto the paintings, gliding across your face instead.

“And I forgot to take pictures yesterday,” he quickly adds, pointing to the camera in his hands.

“I’ll help you then,” you offer, and he smiles so brightly that it renders you speechless, suddenly wondering if the first person who ever drew a portrait had a similar thought—that they saw a smile so beautiful they just needed to immortalize it.

Hyunjin is at ease before the camera. You can tell by the way he almost pretends the device isn’t there, his eyes fixed on the paintings, mere centimeters away from the canvas. He’s whisked away into another world. You see your love for art mirrored in his soul as well.

“Do you paint, by any chance?” you ask between pictures, and he nods.

“Whenever I have free time. And you?”

“I do. I can show you later, if you’d like.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” he says, pointing his finger at you, before looking directly into the camera this time. “I’ve been painting magnolias lately.”

“Really? Why magnolias specifically?”

“I read a poem about them. It said that when magnolias wither, they aren’t considered beautiful anymore. But that doesn’t mean they weren’t at one point. It really moved me.”

“You have to be very optimistic to view it that way,” you say as you finally hand him the camera, satisfied with your pictures. You are both standing in front of ‘Almond Blossom,’ the pastel colors drawing you in.

“Withering flowers mean that at one point they were in full bloom. Grief means that at one point you did love,” you muse. “It takes a lot of gentleness to find beauty in endings, to celebrate them as proof of what once was. Don’t you think so?”

You turn to look at him when the flash of a camera catches you off guard.

Hyunjin looks at your picture, a soft smile on his face. “You fit right in with the flowers,” he compliments, though it does not feel superfluous or bearing a hidden intent. It’s a simple observation he wished to share.

“Thank you,” you say quietly, a blush sprouting from your very veins. You quickly fix your posture, pointing to the painting. “I told you yesterday that Vincent painted this for his brother Theo, to celebrate his newborn, whom he named after Vincent.”

“Yes, I remember,” he nods, slinging the camera over his neck and taking a picture of the painting up close. “It seemed to bring Vincent a lot of solace in his final days.”

“I’ve been thinking about your question, whether Vincent was happy. I think he was hopeful more than anything. He had hoped his works would be recognized, he had hoped he wouldn’t be as lonely anymore. Sometimes hope keeps you going much more than happiness.”

“Because happiness will eventually wear off?”

“Right, it’s only natural. But hope… it’s like a flame that never goes out. It might flicker and dim, but it will still be there on your darkest nights.” You bite your lip slightly, your thumb digging into your palm.

“I hope you’ll always have hope in your life, Hyunjin. You’ve been my favorite person to talk about Vincent with,” you say sincerely, your eyes unwavering from his.

You imprint the way his gaze softens into your mind, the slight blush that powders his cheeks, the way his teeth peek behind his smile. You memorize his velvety voice in your mind, the way he accentuates certain letters and how it pulls at the strings of your heart when he says—“I’m very happy I met you, Yn.”

May is gone, and with it Hyunjin, and you think you are a fool for thinking of him as often as you do after only five hours in his presence. You don’t know why your mind is permeated with his essence. But why wouldn’t it be? is the better question. When he’s beautiful, truly, body and soul.

You feel slightly less foolish when a postcard is delivered to your exhibition on a sunny Saturday, one month later. It depicts the front entrance of the Museum of Modern Art in Seoul.

June 13.

“yn,

i saw Vincent’s works once again in this month’s exhibition. somehow they seem less beautiful without our conversations.

i hope you’re surrounded by art, too.

hyunjin.”

June 23.

“hyunjin,

i visited claude monet’s immersive exhibition, you have to visit it as well, once you’re back in new york.

i am still surrounded by art, as always. i don’t think i could ever part from it.

did you finish your magnolias? i hope you’re seeing beauty in them even after they wither.

yn.”

July 5.

“yn,

claude’s works are so different from vincent’s... don’t you think it's beautiful that they lived at the same time yet depicted their world so differently?

my magnolias are finished. i’ve been drawing scenes from your exhibition lately, the picture i took of you is particularly inspiring. i hope you don’t mind.

hyunjin.”

september 26.

“hyunjin,

leaves are falling all over new york. new beginnings are upon us. i hope this view of my window inspires you too.

i wish you happiness no matter the season.

yn.”

october 7.

“yn,

i just saw the first snow at dawn, it was such a pretty view! i’m happy i’m alive today.

i hope snow reaches you fast enough, too.

stay warm.

with love,

hyunjin.”

october 23.

“hyunjin,

i’ve always preferred spring, but snow brought me such a happy opportunity. i’m invited to an exhibition in seoul, next month!

i’ll enjoy it well and think of our conversations.

with love,

yn.”

october 5.

“yn,

the weather is beautiful in seoul lately. i’m happy you’ll be here to see it.

it is late at night, and the moon is shining brightly. i hope it’ll shine as brightly for you too, in new york.

with love,

yours.”

The click of your black heels against the marble floors echoes through the museum, a comforting sound as you stroll through the immersive Vincent exhibition; now gracing Seoul. The colors wash over you, reflecting off your skin, swirling around you until you feel as though you’re being drawn into the very heart of the paintings.

“Enjoying the art, Yn?” a voice like honey drips across your being. Your heart skips a beat, plummets to your knees and races back to its place once again. You feel an ache inside you unfold. memories of Hyunjin’s voice rewriting themselves, perfecting your recollection of his accent and the tender way in which he spoke your name.

“It’s beautiful,” you murmur, though you refuse to turn around and meet his eyes. Not yet. The scent of his rose perfume is enough to have your heart rattling against your ribcage— a bird wishing to escape its cage and deliver your love letter to its rightful owner.

“Isn’t it an amazing coincidence we met here? In Seoul, no less,” he says, his voice airy as he inches closer.

“I know you’re the one who invited me,” you giggle, finally turning to meet his gaze. His eyes widen slightly before morphing into crescents, as if lifted from Vincent’s Starry Night.

“How did you know? I thought I kept it a secret in our postcards,” he grins sheepishly.

“I kept pestering Mr. Martin about why the museum invited me specifically until he finally told me you were behind it.”

“Well,” he licks his lips, his eyes roaming over your face. “I admit, I missed you. I wanted to see you again. And I happen to be a major contributor to the museum.”

“Fancy,” you beam, before your grin morphs to something much softer, as you realize that you are away from your work, and that the Hyunjin of your postcards is finally before you.

“I missed you too. Show me around?”

“Am I your guide now?”

“Mm. I expect you to be an expert.”

“Oh, I am.”

Hyunjin speaks of the paintings as if it’s his first time seeing them, finding new things to admire, new details to point out to you. You find it hard to keep up, only because your eyes seem more interested in observing him. You’ll tell him later that you were right in thinking he’d make every painting more mesmerizing.

But for now, you stroll together, his hand brushing against yours every now and then. Before long, you’re far from the museum, walking into the chilly Seoul night, his jacket draped over your shoulders.

And you talk, you talk about every painting you’ve seen since his departure, the flowers you’ve picked, and the strawberry field you visited at the end of June. He shares stories of his favorite painters and his beloved dog, Kkami, whom he misses dearly. He speaks of the moon and how your postcards lessened his loneliness. You tell him you’ve kept every card by your bedside, the first and last thing you see each day.

Suddenly your pinky is entwined with his, your cheeks ache from how much you’ve spoken and laughed, your heart lighter than it had ever been.

“Thank you for walking me to my hotel,” you smile softly.

He nods, his thumb swiping across your palm tenderly. It’s only after a while that he speaks again. “I know you said that happiness wears off eventually. But right now, the happiness i feel… I think it will last me for the next four months, at least.”

“Just four months?” you tease, and he giggles, tipping his head back. You wish you had your paintbrushes, your camera, a simple pen, anything to commit his laugh into something tangible.

“For a long time,” he finally says, quietly, resigned. Tomorrow’s flight ticket makes your heart ache, all of the sudden.

“I… I’ll get going. Thank you for inviting me,” you smile, dropping his hand. You know it’ll hurt the more you hold it, the easier it’d be for you to remember the softness of his hand.

So you walk back, you’re near the hotel door, a hand suddenly wraps around your wrist, the security guards both discreetly look away.

“Yn,” Hyunjin turns you around, his eyes are as wide as the full moon hanging close to earth, listening in to your conversation.

“You didn’t- you didn’t show me your paintings.” he says a bit too quickly, desperately.

“What?” you ask, confused.

“Back in New York, you promised to show me your paintings. You didn’t.”

“You remember?”

Hyunjin's chest heaves in response, his warm palms cradle your cheeks, his eyes speak of a yearning you haven’t thought existed. When his lips crash upon yours, fervently, passionately, like the collision of all stars in Starry Night, you have your answer.

He remembered. He remembered as much as you.

Epilogue— seven months later.

“Now… next question,” Hyunjin grins as he takes out a folded paper from a glass jar, five sets of camera’s all pointed at him in the shooting set of Elle Korea.

“If you could feel only one emotion for the rest of your life, what would you choose?”

Hyunjin puts the paper down, adjusts the sleeves of his Versace blue silk shirt. He doesn’t need to think too much to answer— he already has his reply.

“Someone told me, a long time ago, that hope keeps you going longer than happiness. Because happiness wears off eventually. But hope doesn’t. hope is like a flickering flame, it surges and it dims, but it doesn’t go out, so I choose hope.” he smiles suddenly, eyes looking into those of the staff behind the camera.

“That got deep all of the sudden, right? Done worry, Stay, I have hope, happiness and love, all at once.”

He chuckles quietly, picking up the last piece of paper.

“Finally… who’s your favorite painter? Ah, easy, it’s Vincent Van Gogh.”

“What's your favorite painting by him?” the shooting director asks behind the camera, his eyes fixate on the lens. He knows his love will be watching.

“A woman with a child on her lap. It’s not very known, but… if you look into it closely, beautiful things might come into your life and change it forever.”

from left to right, Woman with a Child on her Lap, 1883 — Portrait of Gauguin, 1888— The Potato Eaters, 1885—The Hill of Montmartre with Stone Quarry, 1886— Almond Blossom, 1890— The Starry Night, 1889.

#stray kids x reader #skz x reader #stray kids fanfic #stray kids fanfiction #skz fluff #stray kids fluff #skz imagines #stray kids imagine #stray kids imagines #skz scenarios #stray kids scenarios #hyunjin x reader #hyunjin fluff #hyunjin fanfic #hyunjin imagines

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messyemmy · 28 days ago

Text

Fuck Love- Valentine's Day Grapejuice (fic) Flashbacks.

[This is part of the Grapejuice universe but can be read as a stand-alone one shot! Harry's best friend, Jack, is Y/n's younger brother.]

Premise: When your boyfriend stands you up on the most 'romantic' night of the year, Harry shows up with a sweet solution.

Grapejuice / Other Writing

Word count: 2.5k.

💗

The living room’s yellow lamps are the only lights casting through the empty house- empty other than yourself, curled up on the cosiest sofa- and it looks like it’s going to be a night of misery.

Dressed in such a pretty tulle-draped cherry red dress, matching heels discarded at the entrance hall, you really are having a pity party.

Being three hours late is one thing, it’s another thing to go radio-silent just as your boyfriend seems to have.

These dinner plans have been in the works since January, and even though you’ve come to expect this type of behaviour from him, hope had somehow riddled past the obvious- only to be dismissed once more.

A year ago, you might have still been waiting in the entrance hall until your feet ached along with your heart, frantically glancing out the window at any sign of car headlights, anxiety punching you in the gut over and over until eventually, you would end up on this same sofa, mulling in sorrow.

In the silence, you soak up sadness- only coming out of this haze when the soft sound of the front door unlocking garners your attention.

And then a mop of soft curly hair peaks round the corner, paired with the squishiest cheeks and softest smile.

Nobody needs to know how quickly your muscles relax at the reassurance of no longer being alone- even if that company happens to be your extremely annoying and antagonistic brother’s equally annoying and antagonistic best friend, Harry Styles.

Dressed in comfy dark grey sweatpants and his favourite navy hoodie, Harry looks so comfortable as he slips out of his scuffed trainers and neatly toes them off into the shoe pile.

He carefully sets down a pastel pink rectangular box on the nearest side table and offers no formal greeting as he meanders over to your wallowing figure.

There’s a thick coat of sympathy painting his stare- the type that you can see from afar, and it has your fists clenching at the thought of him feeling sorry for you. What a low blow.

His shoes stop just before the sofa and he peers down at you knowingly.

Though Harry’s face shows no sign of pity, it’s his words that have you wishing the earth would swallow him whole,

“Did he stand you up again?”

“Don't rub it in.” You warn, and his features instantly soften apologetically.

“Didn't mean any offence, Clutz.”

Harry cautiously sits on the arm of the couch, watching tentatively as your furrowed brows turn from one of frustration to one of hurt.

The type of face he rarely sees- and when he does, it scrunches his body with something he can’t quite find the word for.

All he knows is that he wants to do anything it takes to make things better, or at the least soothe that adorable frown decorating your glowing features.

The palm of your hand greets your forehead with a forceful press of disappointment, and for some reason, you can’t stop your head from shaking, nor can you stop the words suddenly whispering his way,

“I should've known.”

Now it’s Harry’s turn to furrow in bewilderment, he certainly can't understand how you’re the one to blame for any of this.

Is this truly how you see things- that you’re in the wrong for having expectations?

“You shouldn't have to assume everything will end in disappointment.”

He plops down on the sofa with a soft thump, shifting himself comfortably to face you. It's a totally defensive reaction when your stare snaps and shocks his own, eyes squinting,

“And you should find a girlfriend you can prove that to.”

“I'd ask you if you weren't taken.” Harry shrugs off your dismissal like a pro, incapable of dimming his boyishness to pure darkness.

Perhaps it works, because your face is washed of all prior feelings of upset, and it looks like you’re fighting a fearsome battle against a smile peaking at the corner of your lips.

But just as easy as it was to settle, it’s just as easy to spiral, and now you’re a jumble of thoughts all surrounding Harry’s current intentions, suspiciously crossing your arms along your chest,

“What are you doing here? Thought Jack was out with Millie?”

“He is. ‘M just lonely.” Harry shrugs off the small sting of vulnerability,

“And I figured you might be here, feeling the same.”

“ I am not lonely, Harry.”

“Alone, then… On February fourteenth.”

Harry has his foot in his mouth and he doesn’t even know it- no clue that every word he utters is like venom in your veins, and you’re mere seconds away from taking out every ounce of hurt on him.

Hurt doesn't begin to cover it. This ‘relationship’ of yours is three and a half years past a fling- deep in the depths of a complicated, disconnected companionship that more often than not left you a tearful, insecure mess.

Your heart- and head- know that the relationship is fading, but security and closeness are not something you can find in just anyone- the threat of going from a duet back to a single 23-year-old is rather daunting.

Harry strolled his way right into the line of fire with his misguided attempts to express that he understands how you feel- that he knows you. Instead, it’s coming out like he enjoys the notion that this is how you spend your Friday night.

And he’s looking at you with those big clueless emerald eyes, practically begging to be lashed out at. His wish is your command,

‘Can you stop being so negative about my relationship?”

Harry’s shoulders stiffen in puzzled suspense. He knows he shouldn't be surprised or offended by your mood this evening- hell, his mood is no better, it’s just another year of pining over his wanting for you- but he hadn’t expected your anger to be fully directed his way.

He can feel the air between your bodies thickening with anger, and chooses his next words with great caution,

“I was just stating the facts.”

“Well, thank you Harry for rubbing it in that my boyfriend doesn't care enough about me to even show up for Valentine's Day.”

Your voice is louder than he likes, harsh and loaded with hurt. Pain that is clearly caused by his choice of words, and all in an instant, the realisation of how badly he has miscommunicated his desire to bond with you,

“I'm sorry.” He’s earnest, “I didn't think of it that way-”

“You never think, do you?”

“Alright, I deserved that one.”

Harry concedes with shame, hoping that the steaming anger spewing from your cutely flaring nostrils will soon fade, and it is fading, because that all too familiar fear of cruelty comes rushing back, convincing you that there’s no right to be upset- even if your feelings are hurt.

“Just… there's no need to pity me, alright?”

And you know he means no harm- he hardly ever does- how could Harry know the insides of your relationship if he’s never been in a serious one himself?

He should know better than to poke a grumpy bear, even in an attempt to be kind. He'll certainly know now,

It’s all you can ask of him, and Harry feels his mouth dry up at the implication that he sees you as anything less than perfect. How the hell can he make that clear?

“I don't pity you. I pity the man who chooses to be anywhere other than near you.” He’s watching for your reaction, “You'd have to be insane.”

“Tell him that.” You scoff with incredulity.

“I will. Give me your phone.”

“Absolutely not.” Suddenly Harry’s lurching for you, hands playfully roaming as he jovially searches for your phone.

And you’re arms are flailing, trying to swat him away in between exasperated giggles and gasps, “Harry!”

He stops his prodding, body leaning close enough that his senses are surrounded by your sweet jasmine perfume, and all you can do to stay sane under his hold, scolding,

“You’re a menace.”

Harry’s the picture of enjoyment as his entire face scrunches into an even greater smile- if possible- as he rides the high of your heartwarming laughter, willing to do anything to keep that gorgeous giggle playing on repeat,

“‘M gonna say, ‘Hey dickhead, open your eyes!’ And then I’ll whisk you away on a date.”

“You’ve got it all planned out, then.” How can you ignore the fondness you feel for Harry’s romantic valiance?

“Hold on a sec.”

Harry has a strike of genius, removing himself from your shared bubble with such sudden disregard that a shock of disappointment rattles your spine.

Your gaze trails his lanky figure as he heads for the entrance hall, quickly retrieving the mystery box from earlier.

With surprising relief at his haste, Harry removes the cardboard lid and sinks back down into the sofa cushions.

He shuffles closer until the searing brush of his cotton-clad knee makes contact with your now crisscrossed calf, and thank the heavens that the box he presents you is alluring enough to dismiss the rush of excitement his closeness evokes.

A container housing the most mouthwatering stack of thickly chocolate-drizzled brownies. Enough brownies to put your frazzled being into a comatose state.

Eyes oozing with hungry desire, Harry hides his pride well and offers the box your way,

“Here we go.”

To avoid almost snatching the box and needily digging in, you eye him up suspiciously, pondering the origin of these suspiciously alluring treats,

“Who were these meant for?”

“Me.” He states simply.

“Ah, one of your many suitors, or… suitress?”

“Curious, hm?” When you scoff shyly, Harry softly chuckles and clarifies, “From ‘m mum.”

“She’s the best.”

“No, they’re yours.”

Exhaling fondly, Harry carefully shakes the box like he’s offering a treat to a well-behaved puppy. You can only offer a bashful refusal,

Harry chuckles deeply and sets the brownies down on his lap before he picks one from the top of the pile and dramatically parts his puckered lips, letting his tongue and teeth lazily engulf the dense fudgy cake.

He moans filthily, chewing a couple of times before coaxing through bites,

“Oh, c’mon, you know you want one… Can see you eyeing them.”

“Shush.”

“C’monnnn Y/n, you know you wanna.”

Harry’s cutely tempting coos are almost too much to resist. Your eyes are darting from the brownies begging to be devoured, and the devious smile stretching across his entire face,

“I don’t want to indulge in anything Valentine's related.”

“Fuck love, you say?”

“Fine.” Harry agrees casually, because, of course, he already has a solution for this dilemma,

“These aren’t Valentine's brownies. They’re ‘fuck love’ brownies.”

That’s all the permission you need to soothe your sorrows with a sugary overload of chocolate comfort as you reach over with pathetic haste and grab ahold of the nearest brownie.

“Atta girl.” He praises.

The dessert disappears into your mouth with such momentum that Harry almost misses the entire thing.

But when he sees your ruby-stained lips coated in sweet chocolate and you continue to chew contently, Harry is a mess of all-encompassing love.

He embraces the love he has for you, as he has time and time before, and it always feels like the very first time he realised that he had been falling in love with you his entire life.

The two of you share a couple more brownies in pleasant silence, while Harry sneaks glances and observes curiously as your brows constantly shift from frustration to satiation- You can’t settle on sorrow or satisfaction.

But how can Harry say it aloud in a way that would make sense to either of you?

Because if it were so simple, he would profess it over and over, and perhaps you would be sitting here overjoyed instead of so overwhelmed with disappointment.

Harry’s going in for number three and your gloomy gaze is glued to your hand, still cradling a half-consumed brownie and presenting your new theory,

“I’m starting to think love is some cruel form of punishment.”

“Maybe you’re right.”

Harry thinks being in love with you can be as painful as it is rewarding. Watching your heart lose hope more with each day, he feels a type of hurt that he imagines you must be experiencing with each disappointment.

And he can’t help that it makes him spiteful, and jealous, and perhaps he’s secretly praying for your relationship's downfall.

Which has him constantly riddled with guilt, but that fades in rare moments like these, when he gets a taste of what life loving you would entail.

Perhaps you don’t notice how normal- natural- it feels to spend time with Harry one-on-one because the dull ache in your chest has yet to subside, even with the warm comfort of Harry and chocolate dessert, it’s impossible to dismiss your heartbreak.

All you can muster is a disappointed sigh before finishing off the rest of your brownie, halfheartedly dusting the crumbs from your fingers and concluding,

“Fuck love, yeah?”

“Fuck love.”

Harry agrees- for your sake, and perhaps his own. But as the words are leaving his lips, bitter betrayal of the heart harshly burns his tongue, and if he doesn’t deter this moodiness soon, he risks throwing up all his honesty about loving you, as well as the brownies.

Chocolate was the first step in making up for a rough start to the evening, the second was to create a worthy distraction, and though he would prefer doing that with just his company, Harry fears he might further provoke your mood.

Harry’s about to spend the next couple of hours scorched beneath your bare soles, one palm resting along your ankle, desperately resisting the urge to caress the other along the slopes of your calves.

The safer bet is to suggest turning on the telly, which guarantees an avid nod from yours truly, reaching out for the remote.

He puts the remaining brownies on the coffee table, his breath hitching as your legs carelessly and comfortably stretch out and rest atop his mid-thigh.

Comfortable familiarity embraced you as soon as his hand wrapped around your exposed skin, and you began aimlessly scrolling, tilting your head to garner Harry’s attention,

“What should we watch?”

“You’ve got mail-”

“No romance.”

Harry won’t argue with you on that one- if pretending to be part of the ‘I hate love’ club will soothe you right now, he’ll do it. Even if it twists his insides with treachery.

“Right. Fuck love.”

The two of you continue debating over the perfect choice, and it’s a quick consensus to select the most action-packed thriller that any streaming service has to offer.

As the intro music fills the room with a foreboding melody, you try your hardest to ignore how easily you'll accept your boyfriend's apology tomorrow, and Harry tries even harder to pretend he isn’t so consumed with loving you that he’ll wait patiently when you do.

💗

Hope you enjoy it! Part 5 coming soon! - Emmy. xo 💞

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hxney-lemcn · 4 months ago

Text

Late Night Chaos — Daisuke x gn! reader

summery: too restless to sleep, you spend some time in the main hull. unwittingly catching Daisuke in his scheme to steal some sweetener.

tw: none.

a/n: so hungry I just keep cooking. heavily inspired by @/breadwoo on ao3's one shot.

wc: 1k

Master List

The ship creaked and you could hear the water rush through the pipes. As quiet as the ship was, your ears were picking up on every little groan of the ship, or the rustle of your thin sheets of a blanket as you tossed and turned. You had been on the Tulpar for weeks now, but you still found it hard to fall asleep. Tonight was particularly rough, it just seems your brain wouldn’t stop running rampant. Deciding that you needed to do something, you got out of bed, blanket wrapped around you, and went to the main hull.

The room was bathed in the navy blue light that shone from the giant screen that was meant to replicate the day and night cycle. Sitting on one of the couches, you mindlessly stared up at the obvious led screen. If this was meant to help with the sanity of the crew, couldn’t Pony Express put a little more effort into making it believable? Not to mention you don’t get any breaks, no weekends, just work day in and day out. You could feel yourself burning out, yet somehow bored at the same time, a confusing combination.

Sure, you got breaks, and sometimes you and the crew would play board games, but couldn’t you just get one day of no expectations? Just one day where you could rot in bed? No. Sadly if you were to get your wish then the ship wouldn’t run as smoothly, and if the ship wasn’t running efficiently than you, the crew, were useless.

Your forlorn thoughts came to a halt when you heard a door slide open. Glancing back, you watched Daisuke sneak in, only to jump when spotting you, hands behind his back like he was a child who just got caught doing something wrong.

Stuttering your name, he sent you a strained smile, trying to come off nonchalant, “Heyyyyy, what’cha doing?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” You murmured, eyeing him wearily. “You?”

“Same,” Daisuke nodded a little too quickly. “Yeah…uh, didn’t mean to bother you. I’ll leave you be.”

“It's okay,” You shrugged, eyes dragging back to the screen. “I don’t mind your company.”

That made Daisuke perk up, eyes trailing to the kitchen before settling back on you. This hadn’t been his original plan, but he didn’t mind, he also liked your company. So, wanting to get closer to you, he sat beside you, trying to hide the captain's scanner from your view, but you were more perceptive than you seemed (at least at the moment, you looked so cozy all wrapped up with droopy eyes).

“Hungry?” You asked with a smirk, smothering a laugh at Daisuke’s scared expression.

“I-it’s not what it looks like!” He tried to defend, hands waving in front of him. “I just have a really bad sweet tooth and have been dying to eat something other than the usual.”

“Hmm,” You hummed in amusement, your worried mind slowly relaxing in Daisuke’s presence. “What were you gonna make?”

“Make?” Daisuke asked genuinely, blinking confusedly. “I…was just gonna take a sweetener packet or two.”

You broke out laughing, covering your mouth to muffle the sound. The image of Daisuke eating a good sized sweetener packet straight was just hilarious to you. Or perhaps your exhausted brain was making it funnier than it really was…perhaps a mix of both.

“I-it's not that weird,” Daisuke defended, hoping it was dark enough that you couldn’t see his embarrassed blush. You snorted, still cracking up. Geeze, you really needed to get some sleep, this was not that funny.

“Just straight up sweetener,” You wheezed, hunching into yourself.

“I didn’t even think of using it to make something,” Daisuke muttered, chuckling as well. You had a point, it was a bit silly, not to mention your laughter was quite contagious.

“Oh God,” You cackled. “You’re gonna kill me. I’m too tired for this.”

Daisuke elbowed you, both of your laughter ringing out around you, “Okay but can you blame me? Imagine being thrown into a sweetless abyss! It’s a fate I wouldn’t wish on my greatest enemy.”

With your chuckles dying down, you grinned up at your fellow intern, “You’re lucky it was me here instead of Swansea. I’ll keep your little secret safe, but you should probably get it sooner than later. Don’t wanna get caught.”

“Right,” He nodded determinedly. He hesitated before standing up, sending another glance towards you before heading to the little kitchen area. He had to admit, seeing you laugh so freely caused his stomach to flutter. The other member’s seemed so tense, always in work mode, no wiggle room for fun. Even when he was beating everyone at games the other’s just seemed to get annoyed, frustrated that they weren’t winning. Sure he laughed and joked, trying to lighten the atmosphere, but it seemed unwelcomed. Except you, you always seemed to brighten at his jokes, sending a smile his way or trying to joke back. But now, with it just being the two of you, it felt more intimate, a warm and fuzzy atmosphere, he wishes it could last forever.

Daisuke was brought out of his thoughts as the sweetener packet appeared out of seemingly thin air. Turning around, he nearly let out a shriek seeing you right behind him, once again chuckling behind your hand, the mischievous glint in your eye making his heart flip.

“We gotta hurry,” You motioned to the door that led to the captain's quarters with your head. “I think I heard someone coming.”

Sweetener packet under one arm, scanner in the other, the two of you scurried out like little rats trying to hide from the sight of humans. Your smile was infectious, and your muffled giggles weren’t helping. You both were terrible at stealth missions, but managed to successfully get the scanner back in place without being noticed, so perhaps you weren’t all that bad. As you walked back to the sleeping quarters, bumping into the other’s shoulders with knowing grins, Daisuke couldn’t help but think maybe this job wasn’t all that bad.

After all, he had you to goof off with.

#mouthwashing x reader #mouthwashing daisuke x reader #daisuke mouthwashing x reader #mouthwashing #daisuke mouthwashing #mouthwashing daisuke #x reader

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corroded-hellfire · 1 year ago

Note

AYW req if you'd like: while Reader is pregnant with Eliza, she starts getting more prominent stretch marks on her stomach & boobs & stops letting Eddie see her naked. Eddie rectifies that situation hehehehe

This was honestly so fun to write! Love featuring the kiddos but these two also need some alone time hehe 💜 @munson-blurbs and I hope you like what we've come up with

Warnings: smut, p in v, unprotected (she's already pregnant but you should still wrap it up), semi-public sex, pregnant!reader, oral, f!receiving, breeding kink, body image issues, older!eddie, dad!eddie

Words: 3.3k

[As You Wish masterlist]

The late June day is sweltering as you step out of the Harrington’s house and into their backyard. The placid blue water of the pool looks refreshing and calm—or it will, until the kids get in. Luke quickly jumps in alongside Theo and Danny, the three rowdy boys immediately splashing each other and then whining about being splashed. Ryan and Natalie are decidedly less hyperactive, taking care to watch baby Amelia where she kicks herself around in her purple mermaid floaties.

Nancy makes herself comfortable on a lounge chair a few feet away from the one you’re making your way towards. Normally you can keep up with everyone else, still being in your second trimester, but this heat has you moving slower and feeling crankier than usual.

You can’t help but notice the way Nancy looks in her bathing suit compared to how you feel in yours. Nancy’s had four children and looks stunning as always as she lays back in her black one piece. You feel shoved into your navy suit, like every little stretch mark that mars your skin is on full display for the world to see.

Trying to shrug it off and enjoy the invitation from the Harrington’s to have a pool day, you make yourself comfortable on your lounge chair and adjust the pale pink coverup you have on. Eddie stands near the foot of your lounge chair, shielding his eyes from the sun as he looks out at the children in the water. Your eyes feel glued to his lithe frame as he strips his shirt off. The pale skin that’s left on display practically has your mouth watering. It doesn’t matter that you’ve seen him naked countless times, your eyes still roam over his torso and the beautiful works of art he has inked on his skin.

As Eddie rids himself of the Black Sabbath shirt, he notices the way you’re gawking at him. A smirk quirks up his handsome features and he playfully tosses his shirt at your face. Your hormones this second trimester have been no joke. The moment Eddie walks through the door after work you’re jumping on him. Your husband swore you were going to wear him out before this baby was born. Not the last week or so though, now that Eddie thinks about it. Maybe those particular horny hormones have been fading to make room for whatever new batch comes in for the third trimester.

The sound of little feet kicking too hard beneath the water of the pool approaches you and Eddie, and you look up to see Luke swimming over towards the edge. He grins up at the pair of you, shaking the water from his curls like a dog just out of the bath. Bright blue eyes land on you and they’re doing a pretty damn good impersonation of the puppy dog look that Eddie gives you when he wants something. You know what Luke is going to ask before he even opens his mouth.

“Wanna plaaaay with us? Please?”

Giving him a frown as you squint beneath the blazing sunlight, you shake your head. “I’m super tired, bud. Growing a baby is hard work,” you tease. You’re not technically lying—when you’re not jumping Eddie’s bones or concocting weird new food combinations, you’re sleeping— but no one needs to know that’s not the reason you don’t want to get in the pool.

“I can play with you,” Eddie offers his son. He takes a step towards the pool and is ready to dive in when Luke wrinkles his nose up in disgust.

“Nah, I’m good,” the little Munson boy says.

As you bring your hands up to your mouth to cover up your laughter at your son’s remark, Steve claps a hand on Eddie’s bare back.

“Gonna need some ice for that burn?” Steve whoops.

“Shut up, Harrington,” your husband grumbles in response. Eddie takes a seat near your legs at the edge of the lounge chair. His hand finds your leg and he rubs up and down your calf, always needing to be touching you in some way. Physical comfort is something you both love to give and receive from one another, which calls for a lot of soft rubbing or absent-mindedly drawing patterns on one another’s skin. Now, Eddie’s touch is having a calming effect on you, though he didn’t even realize there was something you’re uneasy about. Your body language must change as he relaxes you though, because he tilts his head to the side as he gazes at your face.

“You feeling alright, baby?” he asks.

“Yeah, just tired.”

If Eddie had any follow up for that, he doesn’t get the chance because Amelia kicks her way over towards Luke in the pool and hangs onto his shoulder when she’s close enough. Her hand almost slips from his wet skin, but Luke manages to catch the little girl before she can float too far away.

“Uncla’ Eddie!” Amelia calls once she’s clinging to Luke again.

“What’s up, Little Red?” he asks his favorite ginger niece.

“Come in, come in!” Amelia cheers.

“At least somebody wants me in the water,” Eddie says with a pointed look at Luke. “Anything for you, my darling Mia.”

A few minutes after Eddie’s joined the kids in the pool—who also convince Steve to come in—Nancy comes over to you, noticing how everyone else is in just their bathing suits and you’re seemingly putting on more articles of clothing.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” you answer too quickly, nervously tucking your lips into your mouth.

“Bullshit,” she counters, crossing her arms over her chest. “I have four kids; I can smell a lie a mile away.”

“Seriously, Nance, I’m fine.” You muster up a small smile, but she sees right through it, and you know it.

You have your nose buried in a book, unaware that Nancy is reaching over the side of the pool to give Eddie’s ear a tug.

“Jesus H. Christ!” he yelps, rubbing the affected lobe. “What was that for?”

“Go talk to your wife,” Nancy says through gritted teeth, obviously irritated at having to spell it out for him. “Marco Polo can wait.”

As Eddie attempts to get out of the pool, Amelia grabs his leg and tugs. Your husband lets out a soft chuckle and picks the small girl up.

“I’ll be back, Mia.” He presses a few kisses to the top of her wet, red hair and sets her back in the water.

Over the top of your book, you see Eddie sauntering towards you. You slip the book back into your bag and tug your cover up tighter across your body.

“What’s cookin’, good lookin’?” he asks with a smirk. “Besides that bun in the oven.”

“Just relaxing,” you say.

“If you’re just relaxing, why did Lady Harrington threaten my life to come over here? And why aren’t you in the pool?”

The only answer you have you don’t want to tell him. And you’re not going to make up some lie to get him off your back. Eddie deserves better than that and you would never treat him with anything less than the utmost respect. That doesn’t mean you want to tell him the truth, though. You swallow embarrassment as you mutter, “I gotta pee.”

Eddie doesn’t let you get far without him though, he’s hot on your tail as you walk through the back door into the house.

“Can you please tell me what the problem is so I can at least try to fix it?” he asks once the screen door is securely closed behind him.

Silence is his only reply as you walk up the stairs to the second floor. You’re obviously upset, and your husband can’t relax until he knows what’s bothering you.

“Sweetheart, what’s the problem?” he asks again.

You stop short and spin on your heel to face him. As Eddie tries to read your face, he’s not sure if there’s more sadness or anger there. Either way, he wants to make it go away. He’d do anything.

“This is the problem!” you say, gesturing towards your boobs and stomach.

Eddie looks at you for a moment, brain trying to comprehend whatever it is you’re talking about. He shakes his head and gives you his response. “If I keep looking at them, this is gonna be a problem, too.” He motions to his crotch.

“I’m serious!” you yell in frustration.

“I am, too!” Eddie says, raising his eyebrows. “Don’t forget how I got you pregnant in the first place.”

“Oh, so I can blame you for this mess?”

Eddie wrinkles his brows. “What mess?” He knows you would never refer to your baby that way, so he’s even more confused as to what you could mean.

“The stretch marks, Eds!” you lament, throwing your arms up in exasperation. “They look like an angry toddler drew lines all over my body.”

Understanding clicks inside Eddie’s brain. Why you’re so covered up. Why you didn’t want to go into the pool. But how could you ever think anything about your body wasn’t absolutely beautiful to him?

“That’s why you haven’t been all over me the past few days,” Eddie says as the realization hits him. “I thought maybe it was those horny hormones, or whatever they’re called, fading. But you…you think there’s something wrong with having stretch marks? Baby, no. It’s just your body making more room for our little sweet pea to grow. They’re beautiful, sweetheart.”

Believing him is easier said than done. You want to believe him, but battling the insecurities in your head is not something you’ve conquered yet. Now you just stand there and fiddle with the hem of your coverup, not knowing what else to say or do.

Eddie sighs and gently takes your hand into his.

“Come with me. I wanna show you something.”

Eddie leads you into the upstairs bathroom and shuts the door. He positions you directly in front of the mirror above the sink and stands behind you. Slowly, he moves your cover up out of the way to reveal your growing bump, stretch marks dotting the sides.

“How on earth could you think anything about this is a problem?” he asks, his hands barely grazing your skin as he admires your tummy. “Look at you. Gorgeous bump. Cute little stretch marks from where our baby is making herself comfortable inside of you. It’s incredible, princess. Your body is literally growing a person and you’re mad at it because there are a few lines appearing on your skin?” He gives an incredulous laugh as he turns you around to face him. “Jesus, I mean, see what just talking about it does to me.” One large hand dwarfs your smaller one to press your palm to the hardening bulge in his swim trunks.

You roll your eyes. “Please. The wind blows the wrong way and you get a boner,” you rebut.

“Oh, Sweetheart,” Eddie says with a small groan. “Don’t say blows when I’m hard like this.”

“Can you be serious for two seconds?” Your temper is already short from the heat and the pregnancy, and his blasé attitude only makes it worse.

Eddie cradles your cheeks in his hands. “I love you. And I love your body. I loved it before you were pregnant, and I’ll love it after, but watching you carrying our baby…fuckin’ does it for me.” He bites his lower lip as he drinks in the sight of you. “Goddamn, you look fuckin’ gorgeous like this.”

You think back to when the two of you first got together, when he’d made what you’d assumed was an offhand remark about knocking you up. Maybe it wasn’t as out of left field as you’d thought.

As if he can read your mind, Eddie’s lips press soft kisses down your neck as he murmurs, “always dreamed about getting you pregnant. Would’ve done it a lot sooner if I’d known you’d be this sexy.” He runs a finger along a stretch mark that curves down your stomach.

“H-How much sooner?” Curiosity asks the question for you as your back arches slightly from his touch.

“That night,” he confirms, knowing he doesn’t have to elaborate further on what night he means, “but your stupid birth control pills ruined all my fun,” he adds with a teasing smirk.

“They were so stupid. Sh-Should’ve stopped taking them the second I saw you.” Your voice is still timid from the emotions coursing through you, but Eddie can tell you’re finally letting him in.

Eddie throws his head back. “Fuck, baby. You got me all worked up.”

“Oh, you poor thing,” you tease, hands sliding up his wet chest and over the sparse hair. “What should we do about that?”

Eddie whines and leans in, nipping at your neck.

“You know, I wasn’t a big fan of this bathing suit anyway,” you tell him. “The faster you get it on the floor, the faster you can be inside of me.”

Eddie gets your coverup and bathing suit off in record time. It would’ve made you laugh if you weren’t so turned on. His swim trunks go next and then Eddie is lifting you up onto the bathroom counter. There’s not much time to admire his fully naked body before he gets down on his knees in front of you. You wind your fingers through the hair on the top of his head and he looks up at you with wide, hungry eyes. That look alone has you practically dripping for him.

Eddie keeps that eye contact with you as his hands force your legs further apart and he licks a broad stripe up your folds. You’re the one to end the staring contest when the pleasure overwhelms you and your eyes flutter closed, throwing your head back. It knocks against the mirror, but you’re too caught up to notice if it hurt or not.

On the next swipe of Eddie’s tongue, he keeps going up so his tongue is trailing the swell of your belly as well. He presses hot kisses against your bump as he works his way back down again. He repeats the motion, next time taking time to either kiss or run his tongue along the stretch marks. The physical sensation feels amazing, but paired with the way Eddie is making you feel emotionally with his tender touch is making your heart thump even faster.

Every little movement of his makes you feel more cared for, more cherished, and sexy. He’s built you up so high that you have to give a little tug on his curls so he pulls his mouth away from your pussy.

“Need you inside. Now.”

“Anything for the woman carrying my baby.”

You pull his mouth to yours and moan against his tongue as you feel his hands roam your body. His touch soothes over the areas of your breasts where you’ve memorized the stretch marks before moving down and caressing the ones on your stomach again.

Eddie’s hands slide up to your hips and give a quick squeeze. He gently lifts you down from the counter and spins you around to face the mirror. You brace your hands on the counter as Eddie trails soft kisses up the side of your neck.

“Want you to see how fucking hot is when I fuck you like this,” he whispers in your ear, his hot breath sending a shiver throughout your body.

You spread your legs, but Eddie wants them farther apart. He nudges them with his knee while he rubs a hand up and down your spine. He fists his cock a few times, making eye contact with you in the mirror as he does so. The way he’s looking at you has you whimpering and whining in anticipation.

Your noises make Eddie smirk, and he lines himself up with your entrance. As he pushes in, one hand snakes around your body and rests firmly on your baby bump.

“Fuck,” Eddie groans. “I’ll never get over how fucking perfectly we fit together.” He punctuates his statement by tilting your chin slightly upwards so you have no choice but to see yourself in the mirror. You watch as he disappears inside you, your body obeying his every command.

When you rock your hips back against his, Eddie slips his other hand around you to rub circles on your clit. His middle finger finds it easily, slipping through your soaked folds and pressing against the sensitive bud. The feeling is too much; you have to bite your lip to keep from screaming out—the last thing you need is the Harringtons hearing your pathetic whines.

“God, I wanna fill you up so bad, baby,” Eddie hisses, snapping into you furiously as he takes in the view of your body; the view of you watching your body. “Shit, I’d make you pregnant twice over right now if I could.”

“W-Would you always keep me pregnant if you could?” you manage to ask between gasps and whimpers—both yours and Eddie’s.

“Fuck,” Eddie growls. “Don’t tempt me, sweetheart. “I’ll go buy a damn farm right now to raise all the babies I want to put in you.”

His words make you laugh, which has you squeezing around Eddie’s cock. He moans, drawing you impossibly close against his bare chest.

“They’re babies, not sheep, Eddie.”

“Still need the space to run around,” he muses, making you laugh again.

“I love you so—-oh! So, so much, Eddie.”

He’s ridiculously hard inside of you, fucking into you like his life depends on it. “Shit, I love you too, princess.” His middle finger makes more frantic circles around your clit, throwing you over the edge. “You’ve got a fuckin’ vice grip today, holy shit,” he breathes, willing himself not to finish too early while still being acutely aware of his surroundings.

Your fingers dig into the countertop as each thrust brings you closer to your orgasm. “Right—right there,” you pant, fighting back a moan. “Don’tstopdon’tstopdon’tstop.” You come, aided by his magic fingers and your raging hormones, with a soft whine of his name.

“‘M right there, shit, you’re the best little fucktoy,” he grunts. The hint of degradation has you clenching around him again; of course, he immediately takes notice of it. “Y’like that? Y’like being my pregnant little fucktoy? Knocked up with my baby and still beggin’ for more?”

“Y-Yes, sir,” you stutter, smiling at the reaction your response brings.

Eddie’s pistoning his hips into you, whispering directly in your ear, “So good, so fucking good f’me. Gonna come so deep in this little pussy, mkay? Gonna keep you pregnant, just like you want.”

With a guttural groan, he spills into you. His breath is hot on your shoulder blade as he stays inside, not wanting to withdraw right away. You’re not complaining either, until—

“Are you two finished in there?” Steve’s irritated voice beckons from the other side of the door. Your already sweaty body heats up even more, realizing you’ve been found out. Something about it is also oddly hot, but it’s not the best time to think about that with Eddie still inside of you and Steve on the other side of the door.

“Just a sec!” Eddie calls back, giving your earlobe a gentle nibble as he pulls out, scooping up the cum that’s dripping down your bare leg and stuffing it back into your pussy. “Had to clean you up,” he murmurs with a salacious grin.

The two of you put your swimsuits back on and fix yourselves as best as you can before Eddie opens up the bathroom door.

Steve just rolls his eyes, barreling past you as he mutters, “Dammit Munson; you already got her pregnant. Relax.”

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson fan fiction #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson fic #AYW #AYWS

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sheerfreesia007 · 6 months ago

Text

Perfect Fit

Pairing: Bang Chan x Reader

Word count: 4,575

Content warnings: Fluff, suggestive

Summary: Chan had met you on his first day in his family’s company when you had read him the riot act for being rude to you all for asking if he needed help. What happens when after years of working in his family’s company you’ve become an integral part of his life and he needs you by his side for his soon promotion to owner of the company?

It’s the third time this week that he’s making the trek down from the top floors of the building to the basement where the records department is located. Chan knows he shouldn’t be coming down here again this week but he can’t help himself, he truly can’t. Walking down the long dimly lit hallway he smiles as he hears the soft music playing from your office. It’s a soft tune with a nice guitar progression that has him humming softly along to it as he listens.

When he comes to your office door he smiles widely as the image of you swaying your hips to the bouncing guitar tune as you softly sing along to the lyrics. He leans against the doorframe while crossing his arms over his navy blue button up shirt as his eyes are trained on you as you move about your office. Your desk looks bogged down by all the case files that you’re in charge of scanning and filing in the large, long shelves that hold all of the files for the company.

”And I wish we didn’t say goodbye. Cause we’re just standing still. And I don’t really know what tomorrow holds.” You sing with that soft voice of yours that first caught his attention when he met you seven years ago. He always remembers that day fondly, it had been his first day in the company and he was nervous with all the pressure he felt at wanting to prove to his Dad that he would be a good choice for the company. It had been your first day as well that day but you had been more prepared and adaptable to changes than he ever could be.

He had effectively gotten lost in the lower floors of the building from where he was supposed to be and had begun to panic when you rounded the corner from dropping off some files for a department he couldn’t remember the name of now. Your eyes had widened as you saw him pacing the floor with agitation clearly written in his stance. When you had asked him if he needed help and he nearly bit your head off as he was wrapped up in his panic your face had gone from worried and concerned to outrage. You had scoffed at him and gave him a dressing down that when he looked back on it now he didn’t know how he didn’t laugh at you, you were so much smaller than him back then and even still now you were still so tiny compared to him. But your indignant outrage at his bad attitude had fueled your tirade and he had felt effectively chastised by the end of your speech.

Once you had spoken your peace you had then whirled on your heels and stalked off causing him to yell out apologies before chasing after you confessing that it was his first day and he was under a lot of stress to do his best and he was currently lost in this maze of a building. You had only slowed your steps slightly at his words before you turned on him and pinned him with an angry glare that had him halting immediately standing as still as possible as if it was a defense mechanism. You had gone off on another tirade about how just because he was stressed didn’t give him the right to snap at someone who was just asking if he was alright. He had quickly nodded his head agreeing with you as he stared at you with hopeful eyes, when you saw that he was agreeing you sighed softly before telling him to follow you.

That day you had not only helped him get to where he needed to be but you had given a lesson that he would hold dear to his chest for the rest of his career. Whenever he would get stressed while at work and felt himself getting agitated with his coworkers he’d hear your angry tirade in the back of his head telling him not to be a rude asshole just because he’s stressed. The fact that you hadn’t even bothered to find out who he was when you chastised him tickled him pink and he spent the rest of his first week trying to find out who you were. He was already enamored with you without even knowing it at the time.

”But I’ve, I’ve finally realized. If this is our last goodbye until we’re gone. Who cares about the wrongs we’ve caused ourselves. Cause I don’t wanna watch the world end with someone else.” You finished the lyric with a flourish of your arms and he began to clap loudly before whistling loudly as well. You whirled around on your heels with wide eyes before they narrowed on him as he grinned wickedly at you.

”Shut up you goof.” You snipped at him and he laughed happily as you scowled softly at him. “Didn’t your mother teach you it’s rude to stare.” You chastised him and he beamed delightedly at you before pushing off the door frame and walking into your office.

”She might’ve.” He responded pensively and grinned as you rolled your eyes at him. He loved how candid you always were with him, it didn’t matter that he was the company owner’s son or that he was to be named as the new owner soon. You didn’t take his teasing or any of his bad attitude since you gave it right back to him and he lived for that type of relationship when normally everyone would bow to him and kiss up to him all because of who he was.

With you it was different and he craved that in his life. It made him feel alive whenever he would come and visit you only for you to bicker with him as if he was just another one of your friends. He loved that you didn’t care who he was or what he could do for you, in fact he wasn’t even sure if you actually liked him since you were so comfortable with giving him shit. But he was addicted to your attitude and couldn’t seem to go through a full work week without coming to see you.

”Shouldn’t you be up on the top floors managing someone?” You asked him sarcastically as you leaned over your desk to look at the top file on your ever mountainous pile. He walked over to the lone small uncomfortable armchair in front of your desk and he smirked softly at you as you scowled softly at his uncaring attitude. You had once told him that you had picked the most uncomfortable armchair the company had so that it would deter other employees from visiting with you so that your work day would go by unbothered. The fact that he seemed to be the only one who visited you down here in the basement he knew you meant him when you had said that but he didn’t care, he’d come visit you even if you chucked this horrible armchair all together.

”Oh I’ve designated some break time for myself for successfully closing a deal with Minho LLC.” He said proudly as he crossed his arms over his chest again as he watched you begin to sort the files on your desk into different push carts that you had commandeered from different departments. He had learned over the seven years he had known you that you were a very knowledgeable crafty person who loved her solitude but when needed to you could be very charming. In fact he had seen you in action charming other employees to give up their unused equipment like the push carts. Instead of asking him to purchase the equipment for your unit you would rather sweet talk someone else out of them since they weren’t using them anyway.

”Oh well la di da Mr. Big shot.” You scoffed out softly before beaming proudly at him. Chan feels a heat start to creep up the back of his neck and he ducks his head silently at your silent praise. As much as you bickered with him you always supported him in all of his accomplishments and when he needed advice on things he brought up with you it was always sound advice that he was able to use to help him. You were an enigma to him and he couldn’t get enough. “Does that mean I’ll actually get to see the Minho of Minho LLC?” You asked curiously suddenly and Chan’s head snapped up to stare at you incredulously. He didn’t like the lilt in your tone when you said his name, it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up in alertness.

”Don’t tell me you find him attractive.” Chan said indignantly and you smirked at him as you shrugged your shoulders.

”He’s super rich and hot. How can you not be attracted to that?” You asked teasingly, causing Chan to stare at you with a raised eyebrow as he shifted back into the uncomfortable armchair.

”Then you must be in love with me by those standards.” He quipped out confidently and you looked at him with an affronted look as he smirked up at you.

”Don’t get ahead of yourself Bhang.” You said sardonically and he tilted his head to the side as he surveyed you.

”I’m super rich and hot.” He retorted as he held up his two fingers as he spoke and you furrowed your eyebrows at him for a moment causing him to grin widely at you.

”Who said you were hot?” You asked suddenly and he blinked up at you for a quiet moment as a smirk formed slowly on your lips that made his stomach tighten in response. He knew you were pretty ever since the first day he met you but over the years of your friendship he had grown to realize how beautiful you were, behind that grumpy sarcastic facade that you kept up was one of the most hard working, soft and caring people he had ever met in his life. You were never too cruel to him with your biting words and if he ever was offended by something you said you were quick with an apology to help soothe the hurt. He had a feeling that he had fallen in love with you but he was cautious of revealing that fact until he knew your feelings for certain fearing that you’d reject him.

”It’s just a fact.” He blurted out and you chuckled as you shook your head at him.

”Does that big head of yours fit through the doorways or did they have to modify them?” You asked sarcastically and he scoffed at you before pouting softly at your teasing. “Aww the poor super rich, hot guy got his feelings hurt?” You cooed at him and he suddenly perked up at your words before pointing his index finger at you and exclaiming happily.

”You called me hot!” He crowed loudly causing you to flinch slightly before you frowned at him. “No take backs sweetheart.” He teased you as he stood from the armchair and brushed his hand down the front of his shirt before his eyes darted over to the pretty crystal vase on display near the corner of your desk with a pretty flower arrangement. “Did you get another arrangement?” He asked curiously before his eyes darted over to you.

”Yeah isn’t it pretty? I like that some of the bouquets have a color theme. This time it was purple, my favorite color.” You said fondly as your eyes darted over to the flowers and he heard the soft sigh come from you. He smiled softly as he nodded his head. He wondered if he admitted that he was the one sending you bouquets if you’d keep them or give them to someone else in the company. He didn’t know if he really wanted to find out the answer to that. “Eventually one day I’ll find out who’s buying the bouquets but whoever it is is always so early I can never catch them. And every two weeks it’s a new bouquet.” You said with a spark of determination on your face.

Chan grins at you as he walks to your doorway before stopping and placing a hand on the doorframe before he looks back at you, you were so adorable sometimes and he had to put his desire to just grab your cheeks on a leash when it rose up quickly within him. You’re standing behind your desk to the side watching him curiously and he smiles fondly at you.

”Same time tomorrow sweetheart?” He asks teasingly and you flip him off quickly as he laughs loudly at your reaction. He loves to rile you up whenever he comes to visit, it’s like a game to him and he never loses.

”Get lost Bhang.” You mutter as a soft smile plays at your lips and he feels his chest fill with pride as it puffs out.

”Love you too honey!” He calls over his shoulder before he strides out of your office with a pep in his step.

*-*-*-*

The next time he has time to slip down to your office it’s the next week and he’s exhausted. His Dad has been training him for months to take over the company in his stead so that he could retire and he’s starting to feel the toll that it’s taking on him. As he makes it down to your familiar dimly lit hallway he doesn’t hear any music and wonders if you’re in your office at all. He turns into your doorway and the relief that rushes over him is alarming when his eyes land on you sitting at your desk pouring over your computer screen with a furrowed brow. Your curled fist is pressed against your mouth and he can only see half of your face as your eyes race across the screen in the quiet office.

He knocks on the doorframe causing your eyes to dart up to him before blinking for a quiet minute before he’s grinning softly as your eyes focus on him. You roll your eyes and he chuckles softly at your actions.

“What’s got you so distracted today? No music even, must be serious.” he says curiously while sauntering into your office and taking a seat in the stiff armchair. He wonders how it was still so stiff after all these years of him slumping into it heavily.

“Job hunting.” you retort in a serious deadpanned tone that has his heart halting in his chest.

“At different companies?” he blurts out his question with worry filling his voice and your eyes narrow on his for a moment before they squint with mirth.

“Oh what’s the matter? Would you miss me if I left?” you ask teasingly and he frowns softly, you’re dodging the question and he doesn’t like that. “Don’t worry you can’t get rid of me that easily. The insurance package is too good to give up.” you reassure him with a joke and he lets out a quiet breath. “Within the company, I have been feeling like I need a change for a few months. Getting bored with the files.” you explain and he nods his head.

“What type of position are you looking for?” he asked as he leaned back in the armchair and rested his elbows on the armrests while hiding his face behind his hands. He didn’t want you to know how relieved he was that you weren’t looking outside the company and would be staying here for the time being. He didn’t know what he would do if you went and left to work for someone else, he didn’t know if he’d survive not having you so close to see daily.

“Dunno, nothing with a full customer service side. You know I don’t like people much.” you began to ramble and he chuckled softly while nodding his head agreeing with you. “But something with a little more interaction with other employees. It gets a little lonely when you’re my only visitor.” you said and he smiled behind his hands loving the fact that he was the only one who came to visit you. But he understood that you grew restless after you learned a job to the best of your ability, it normally happened every two years or so he figured you were due for a new position. Since you had started with the company you had easily moved through the different positions that were available to you, first starting as a courier for the first two years then moving on to the front desk clerical position. That one had only lasted a year as it would completely drain your emotional battery at having to interact with everyone who came through the front doors. You had then moved onto a data entry position for three years which you had loved but the work had become stale in your mind and it was no longer fulfilling before you moved onto your current position in the records department.

He sat there thinking for a moment before an idea clicked in his head quickly. His Dad had been telling him that they would start looking for a suitable fit for his secretary within the next week, he looked over at you pensively and wondered if you’d be interested in the position. He knew you’d be great at it, you knew this building and company like the back of your hand since you were courier for your first two years. You had managed to learn all the different floors and departments of the company and knew at least one person in each that you were friendly with. Not to mention you were well versed in looking up schedules and calendars from your position at the front desk and you would be able to field phone calls if it came down to it. You were also so detail oriented due to your data entry and your current position, it truly made you a well rounded employee and he thought you’d be the perfect fit for the position. But was he truly that greedy to keep you close to him?

“Would you be interested in an administrative position?” he asked cautiously and your eyes darted over to him with a curious tilt of your head.

“There’s none posted internally.” you said with a furrow of your eyebrow as your eyes scanned over your computer screen.

“Not yet there isn’t. But with my training moving forward and it getting closer to my Dad’s retirement he wants to start the process of finding a good fit for my secretary.” Chan explained and your eyes widened slightly at his words.

“It’s getting close isn’t it?” you asked shocked and he nodded with a soft smile on his face. “What would the position entail? Do I have to always be on display? Like the front desk?” you asked as you began clicking your mouse around your computer screen.

“No, you’d be in charge of my calendar. Scheduling my meetings, fielding phone calls that come up to my office, reviewing paperwork and memos that I would need to send out to staff, purchasing anything that I would need for my job, and just keeping me on track of my day.” he said apprehensively, the more he thought about it the more he wanted you in the position he could just imagine the sass you would give him with being that close to him all the time.

“So I’d be like your handler?” you asked and he scoffed softly at you while a wide grin formed on your lips as your eyes sparkled.

“If that’s what you wanna call it sure.” he said with a roll of his eyes. “You’d be a good fit and I know you’d do well.” he said honestly and your grin turned soft at the edges at his praise.

“I don’t know.” you said, sounding unsure and Chan knew he had to convince you to apply for the position. He needed you to be his secretary. His handler. The title made something warm and infectious unfurl in his stomach causing him to stare at you with a narrowed gaze. “Don’t look at me like that.” you warned him with a pointed index finger and he smirked slowly before he rose from the armchair.

“Like what sweetheart?” he asked dangerously and you began to shake your head at him as he advanced towards your desk.

“Like you see something you need and won’t stop until you have it.” you said knowingly before standing from your desk to get away from him. He moved quickly and caged you against your desk, you looked up at him with shocked eyes and flushed cheeks as his large arms surrounded you, not allowing you to leave.

“But I do need you to be my handler. No one else would do as good of a job as you.” he husked out at you and your eyes widened slightly at his tone before you turned your head to the side. His eyes danced up and down the pink warm skin of your neck that you had unknowingly presented to him and he nearly groaned aloud at how close he was to you. “Please, I need you.” he husked out softly to you causing your body to shiver in his arms.

“Chan-” you whispered as your head turned to stare up at him with an unrecognizable look in your eyes and his breath shuddered in his chest upon hearing his name said so sweetly from your lips. He stared down at you as desire burst alive in his lower stomach and he couldn’t halt his movement as he leant down and captured your lips in a sweet chaste kiss.

He moaned loudly as your soft plush lips fit perfectly against his and his hands came up to cup your cheeks before he deepened the kiss quickly while tilting his head to the side. You squeaked cutely as your head tilted back slightly and your lips puckered against his while your hands came to fist on the lapels of his suit jacket pulling him closer to you. His body followed your direction and soon your hips were lifted and sat upon your desk while your legs fell open for his hips to slip between them.

His body flushed with heat that snaked and swirled within him as his body pressed flush against yours feeling your smaller body fit snugly against his larger one. He slipped his tongue out to swipe against your lower lip and you whimpered softly against his mouth as your hips undulated against his causing to groan loudly into the quiet room. When you pulled away from his mouth with a gasp your eyes fluttered open and looked up into his underneath your lashes, and suddenly he was watching silently as your eyes filled with worry and concern at what you both were doing just now. He knew panic was going to start to fill you and he wanted to curb that immediately, so he cupped your cheeks once more and moved your face so that you stared into his eyes before he spoke to you softly.

“I’m in love with you, have been falling for years now. Ever since you yelled at me for being an asshole to you.” he confessed softly and watched as your eyes softened sweetly at him.

“That was our first day.” you said dazedly as your eyebrows furrowed cutely and he chuckled softly at you.

“Yeah, I know.” he says softly and you pout your lips at him causing him to smirk softly before pecking your lips quickly. “If you wanted another kiss all you had to was ask.” he teased and your eyes narrowed at him suddenly.

“Ya know, you were being cute and then you ruined it.” you grumble out as you tried to pull away from him but he kept your cheeks in his face as he pulled you back towards him while laughing.

“Let me fix it then.” he husked out before kissing you deeply once more. He sucked in a harsh breath as your hands let go of his lapels and slid up his chest to rest on his pecs, he growled low in his throat as he felt your fingers clench around his muscle there before you pulled away with a soft chuckle.

“Like that huh?” you teased him and he stared at you with heat in his eyes causing you to still at his attention.

“I’d like it more if you became my secretary.” he said confidently and you burst into laughter as you pulled back from his hands with a knowing look in your eyes.

“There it is.” you said sarcastically and he grinned down at you. “Always trying to get what he wants.”

“Well I mean you owe me.” he said jovially suddenly and you tilted your head at him in confusion. “I mean I did just confess to you and you’ve left me hanging with no answer if you love me too. The least I could do is get you to be my secretary so that I can woo you to be my girlfriend and then future wife.” he told you and watched delightedly as your eyes widened as your cheeks flushed brightly.

“Pump the brakes Bhang.” you chastised him and he grinned widely at your tone. You gripped his lapels once more and pulled him down towards you as a look of pure adoration filled your face. “I do love you too.” you confessed softly and he felt his heart stutter in his chest before picking up its pace. “Not as long as you since you were a dick that first day. But I do love you, very much.” you teased him and he rolled his eyes at your words.

“Valid.” he snipped out and you laughed before pecking his lips with a chaste kiss that you ended all too quickly causing him to chase your mouth.

“And how would that work if I applied to be your secretary? I’m pretty sure the company has a policy against workplace relationships.” you said curiously as you stared up at him blinking a few times.

“Oh you want me so bad, already jumping into a relationship without me even asking?” he teased and you suddenly scowled before weakly shoving his chest.

“Nevermind I take it back.” you snapped and he chuckled before wrapping his arms tightly around you and pulling you flush to his front. His hand tilted your head towards his before kissing you deeply and stealing your breath from you.

“Can’t take it back. You’re my girlfriend now.” he whispered against your lips after pulling away slightly. “And I’ll talk to my Dad about it and see what he says. If it doesn’t work out that you can be my secretary then you can just be my girlfriend. But I doubt he’d let me let someone as competent as you slip through my fingers all because we’re in love.”

“I didn’t agree to this.” you with a slightly grumble and he grinned down at you as excitement coursed through him.

“Then give me the chance to try and convince you sweetheart.” he said sultrily before kissing you once more making you whimper against his mouth.

SKZ Taglist: @intartaruginha

#my writing #stray kids #bang chan x reader #bang chan #skz x reader #skz

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romcomxdd · 8 months ago

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AU where Mav n Ice managed to convince Bradley not to join the Navy.

(stick with me there’s hangster in here i promise-)

Instead of pulling Bradley’s papers, Mav and Ice sat down with Bradley and explained his mother’s wishes and their concerns. Really, they just had an adult conversation about it. Of course, Bradley was pissed, but more so at his mum than Maverick or Ice. Eventually he agreed, much to the older men’s relief, though Mav did feel a bit guilty about it. He knew Goose would have loved to see his son take after him.

Bradley took a few weeks to explore some other career options, he knew he still wanted to fly in some capacity. With his dads all being pilots, he’d had plenty of off the book lessons from them and all his honorary uncles. He had a knack for it. And he knew he wanted to help people. He had volunteered at his local fire-station for a few years and had acquired his basic first aid qualifications through that. But beyond that, he was lost.

Until he heard about Wilderness EMT’s. It was at at a careers expo Ice had dragged him along to after school and he really didn’t want to be there.

They wandered the expo for a while, until the first responders area caught his eye. Bradley looked through the police and fire rescue stalls first, took some pamphlets and asked a few questions, but nothing really struck him.

As Ice wandered off to look at the Navy section out of curiosity, Bradley lined up to look at the Paramedics stall. As he talked to the lady at the front for a bit, they got onto the topic of the specifics of her career. Before she had taken a job in recruitment, she had been a Wilderness EMT, basically a branch on paramedics where she was trained in search and rescue, providing medical aid to remote areas. This immediately sparked Bradley’s interest, it had the adrenaline he had been looking for, all whilst making a real difference for real people.

By the time Ice had returned, he had quizzed the lady for almost an hour and to say that he was excited was an understatement. The teen was practically bouncing out of his seat on the drive home.

‘I just need to get my general EMT certification, then do a wilderness specific training course as the basics.’ Bradley was grinning ear from ear. ‘Then from there I can do swift water, high angle rescue training and disaster response training. And a bunch of other short courses- but I can do those quickly- And that’s not even the best part!’

Ice bit his lip and kept quiet. He was happy for Bradley, of course, it was nice to see him so excited about something, but this sounded dangerous. It wasn’t the Navy, but still.

‘She said I can finish getting my pilots license and use that for search and rescue. And if I can get my helicopter license I can still fly!’ He grinned. ‘And it’s not gonna be dangerous like your job, but it’s still so cool.’

Ice nodded, still worried, but Bradley seemed serious about this. They’d already stopped him from one career opportunity, if they told him he couldn’t do this, Bradley may never talk to them again.

And as it turned out, he was dead serious about it. Within three years, Bradley had flown through his Paramedics degree, and got a job as a regular EMT. Whilst he worked, he continued with his helicopter license, and began ticking off the required courses. Another two years later, he was a fully qualified Wilderness EMT.

It had taken a while for Mav to get on board with the idea, but after seeing the fufillment in Bradley’s face when he came home after saving a life, he could help the pride that flowed through him. Goose would have been over the moon.

Bradley quickly excelled at his job, showing just how disciplined he was, both in the field and with the patients. His bedside manner was impeccable and had an incredibly cool head under pressure. He progressed fast, becoming a team leader in no time. There wasn’t as much room for advancement as there was in the Navy, but Bradley did what he could.

He loved his job and though it had one of the highest burnout rates in the country, he couldn’t see himself quitting anytime soon. He lived for the adrenaline of his work. Every day was different, he could be providing help to flooded communities, or hiking mountains in search of a missing person. It could be anything from pulling someone from an avalanche, or airlifting someone who’d twisted an ankle and didn’t feel like walking out.

And the sense of satisfaction he got after saving a life. Made him feel like he was in control. Like he could make a meaningful difference in someone’s life by getting them home safe.

Of course there were hard days. When someone died in transit, or they just couldn’t get them out in time. When their missing person just didn’t turn up. It could be traumatising, but he made sure to talk with Ice and Mav about it, or his work friends, there were so many people around him who knew how to cope. He figured it out pretty fast.

One day Bradley’s team got called to a pretty notable rescue. An F18 had gone into a flatspin during training somewhere over a mountain and the pilot had ejected. A pilot by the name of Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin. Hangman had ejected safely, but the descent through the trees had fucked up his ankle, and he couldn’t walk.

The Navy’s equipment hadn’t been advanced enough, so they had called on the WEMT’s, whom for this kinda mission was their bread and butter. (shush i’m taking creative liberties)

They found him quickly and Bradley was the one to cut him out of his parachute and bring him up to the helicopter. Just imagine Jake being half unconscious as a handsome moustachioed angel leans over him and tells him everything’s gonna be alright.

The ride back included an ever exasperated Bradley and a lovestruck delirious Hangman who had decidedly not injured his mouth and would not shut up. As they reached the hospital, Jake asked him out. Bradley surprised even himself by agreeing to it, he hadn’t been in a serious relationship in years, it could be nice to get back out there.

They grew close, fast. Though Bradley never explained why he knew so much about Jake’s job. Not until Jake was finally invited around to ‘meet the parents’. Just imagine his surprise when he walks into the Admiral Kazansky’s home, who is apparently married to his instructor. Bradley thought the look on his face was hilarious and he would bring up the moment at any opportunity for the next few years.

#top gun #as an aspiring paramedic this was fun to write #definitely not accurate but OH WELL #i kinda gave up at the end #yeehaw #hangster #top gun au #paramedic au #jake hangman seresin #bradley rooster bradshaw #pete maverick mitchell #tom iceman kazansky #top gun maverick #top gun fandom #tassieshcs

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kqutie · 19 days ago

Text

THE PRINCESS' SEVEN MERCENARIES

CHAPTER SEVEN : AN AWAITED TRUTH

relations. : cevans various/reader -- steve rogers/reader ; curtis everett/reader ; ari levinson/reader ; lloyd hansen/reader ; andy barber/reader ; jake jensen/reader ; ransom drysdale/reader

chpt. sum. : You're forced to tell the truth but it comes at a price Ari refuses to pay.

tags. : snow white and the seven dwarves au ; fairy tale au ; fluff ; domestic fluff ; angst if you squint ; a/b/o universe but it's not the central point ; disney princess reader and her seven sexy mercenaries hehe~ ; world building ; the truth comes out ; apologies are made ; steve is a good captain ; lloyd has conflicting feelings ; discussions on you becoming theirs ; ari makes everything better ; reader makes everything better too

length. : 8.4k

navi. | series masterlist

← six. the foolish genius

“I didn’t lie to you that first day; I told you my real name.” You look up from where you usually sit at the dinner table with pleading eyes. Seeing the transparent honesty in your expression and mannerisms, Andy nods when Steve looks to him for confirmation. That was all he needed. Over their time spent together on missions, Andy had become a reliable human lie detector. He knew what signs to look for in people they needed to interrogate or seek knowledge from — he worked with Ransom for quite some time until he was able to impart his knowledge to the Beta, who used it alongside his charm on overt missions.

“It doesn’t explain who you are,” Lloyd huffs, still openly belligerent towards you that it makes you flinch. If he saw the effect he had, he didn’t draw attention to it; his gaze narrowed as much as his mind.

“I understand your hostility, but I was only trying to escape and start a new, peaceful life for myself.” You avoid everyone's eyes, ashamed of your origins despite your ambitions of ruling one day and helping your kingdom thrive. Which had all now been tarnished by someone you didn’t dare cross while growing up.

“... what do you mean by that?” Steve asks quietly, worry involuntarily spiking within him and making his chest ache. Were you in danger? That was the singular thought on everyone’s minds, and they simply couldn’t believe it— rather, they were in complete denial of the fact. Apart from the omissions of your true identity, you were a sweet, loving and kind individual, they can’t picture you wishing harm upon anyone. Nevertheless, because of the work they do, they cannot simply let it slide that they don’t know more about your background anymore, especially with the behaviours and knowledge you’re displaying, all of which aren’t typical of any normal person.

“I-It’s hard to explain.”

“We have the time,” Andy says gently in an attempt to comfort you. However, there isn’t a significant change in your stiff posture, rather, you remain all the more rigid. Curtis, offering his silent comfort, reaches for your hand, where it rests on your lap beneath the table. In return, you muster a small but still rather stiff smile.

“I’ll make some tea first. It’s all too tense here, and our angel can’t comfortably talk to us if that’s the case.” Ari stands from his seat and easily moves to the kitchen, where he goes about putting the kettle on.

“O-Oh umm… I made a relaxing tea blend earlier,” you helpfully point towards a small tin at the corner of the kitchen counter.

“What’s in it?” Ari asks curiously, opening the tin and taking a moment to smell the blend.

“There’s lavender, apple, chamomile and vanilla. It goes well with honey.” You smile as Ari turns to you with approval written on his features, quickly closing the container again.

“It smells really good.” He turns to the team. “Who else wants tea?” Everyone except Lloyd raises their hand and Ari scowls. “Majority vote, eh?” Ari smirks at their grump of an assassin, “I’ll just make tea for everyone then.” Lloyd huffs, tensing his already folded arms.

“Why did you even bother to blend such a tea?” Lloyd asks without thinking and is caught off guard by your thoughtful response.

“Everyone was looking a little tired recently, so I was hoping to invite you all for some tea after dinner. Hopefully, you’d be able to have more restful sleep with it,” you admit softly, looking down and playing with Curtis’s large hand in your lap. The silent giant of a man manages to smile warmly at you and lean forward to press his face into the side of your head. It’s a small, affectionate gesture that makes you look at him with gratitude and squeeze his hand in silent thanks. He’s a man whose actions speak louder than his words, and you hope that by engaging in his silent communication, you’d be able to understand him better.

“Thank you for your consideration,” Andy expresses from across the table, sitting beside Steve, who looks conflicted but grateful for Andy’s utterance. The captain doesn’t feel as though he can comfortably voice his opinions right now, and not until you’ve revealed your true identity and that they can confirm you bring no danger to them. You’ve been a great presence to have around the cottage the few days you’ve been here, and you’ve made such a positive impact on everyone, but he just can’t risk the safety of his pack. He just hopes that, when the dust is settled, and you turn out not to have bad intentions, you can forgive him for raising his voice. He’s ashamed for doing so towards such a gentle-mannered lady like you. For now, he isn’t Steve, he is the Captain and the leader of his incomplete but complete pack. He needs to keep a level head to make the best decisions for his team.

“Yeah, thanks a lot, princess!” Jake cheers positively from where he’s sat. “You’re always so considerate and sweet. Not like anything we’ve known.” Lloyd clicks his tongue and looks away, finding offence in such an innocent and truthful statement. He’s going to stand his ground on this, he knew you were too good to be true. There’s just no way someone could be so kind without having hidden intentions, he needs to nip this in the bud before the rest of his idiotic, whipped pack gets negatively impacted.

“It’s alright.” You smile sweetly, and everyone waits in silence as Ari prepares the cups of tea. It feels slightly odd that you weren’t the one serving everyone for once. No matter how short your stay is, you’ve already become accustomed to the routine of attending to the men here. You weren’t complaining, though; you enjoyed helping them unwind after a long day, and they were all very sweet to you, too. Hopefully, they’ll be willing to let you stay after your explanation. It saddened you that it has to come to this, but it’s only fair that if you want to stay longer, there needs to be trust on both sides, and that means being honest with each other.

Finally, Ari returned with eight cups of tea, a teapot if anyone wanted to refill their cup and a jar of honey so that anyone could sweeten their drink to their liking. Jake and Curtis were the first to reach for the honey pot. Words of gratitude for Ari’s gesture were muttered around the table, even from Lloyd, despite having no intention of drinking from his cup.

“Take your time,” Andy assures you once again whilst everyone (except Lloyd) sips at their tea, and you give him a look of gratitude. It took a while, but your nerves finally calmed, and you felt as though you could speak again without stumbling over your words.

“I am the princess of this proud kingdom...” You deduce that it’s best to just come out and say it as it is. It will make it easier to explain everything else as soon as everyone’s reactions have settled.

“Th—… that can’t be…” Steve utters, eyes wide with disbelief as he takes you in. Ari collapses into his chair as Andy runs his fingers through his hair. In your lap, you feel Curtis’ large hand squeeze around your own, and when you look up, it’s hard to read his eyes or expression.

“I’ve been calling you princess all this time—” Jake stumbles over his words, looking lost and confused, “I didn’t even...” he shakes his head and tries to distract himself by stirring more honey into his tea.

Ransom furrows his brows at you, his eyes searching, “It must be a lie.” But when you shake your head and give him a solemn look, he bites his lip and looks away, muttering incoherently to himself.

“Isn’t the princess a myth? The King never had a daughter, did he?” Lloyd breaks the tense silence in stubborn denial of your truth, but you know it’s just a hard fact to process; the queen made sure your existence faded.

“That’s just what she wants you to think.”

“By ‘she’, you mean, the current Queen?” Andy asks and hums when you nod in confirmation.

“My stepmother, yes.”

Andy tuts in disgust with a shake of his head. “Her ambitions are too high.” He meets eyes with Steve, who takes on a pondering stance, covering his mouth with his fingers and rubbing at his chin. This was a turn of events he was not expecting.

However, with your words and the bits of information he’s piecing together, Steve begins to speculate, “Then was the King actually killed in battle?...” or was it murder?

You sigh, “I don’t know... the war did happen, and my father did participate, but I never found out whether my father’s death was a fated event or one that was manipulated into a reality.”

There was another silence as everyone digested your existence. They want to deny it for how preposterous it sounds, but as they pondered deeper, it all began to make sense. You know things normal people couldn’t so easily divulge, and when asked to explain why, your default explanation is that you’re a well-read person who fostered knowledge from books available to you. However, such knowledge couldn’t possibly be obtained from readily available books found in common libraries — even their tech genius, an expert in all things magic-related, couldn’t match your understanding of magical artefacts and their history. From your warm lunches, they know that you have a high affinity for magic and can use it safely and consistently — a trait found in most high-standing people, especially the nobility. You’re articulate, and your mannerisms are too elegant for a normal individual to have; you move with a grace and presence that is gentle but powerful all at once.

Of course, you’re the princess. It makes too much sense that you are. On the other hand, there are also traits to you that aren’t typical of a royal. Primarily, you know how to do common chores, cook, clean, do laundry and repair clothes. High-standing people, especially the nobility, wouldn’t know how to do any of these things as they had servants for such minimal tasks.

Despite that, it can’t be denied that you had the traits of a princess. But that begs the question of why you’re all the way out here and not at the royal palace.

“Then what was your life at the palace like?” Lloyd interjects eyes hardened into a disbelieving stare, “How did you survive under someone who clearly despised your existence?—”

“Lloyd!” Ransom hissed at his fellow mercenary’s harsh words and kicked his shin beneath the table, but Lloyd continued, undeterred.

“Surely the Queen wanted you gone, especially when you finally reached adulthood. How did she even manage to keep your existence a secret for that long?”

“I had already come of age and was hoping that I’d finally be able to inherit the throne,” you confessed, biting your lip from how naive you had been in retrospect. Your 21st birthday wasn’t even grandly celebrated as it traditionally should have been, but then again, you were never able to make your debut into high society between 11 and 15 years of age. You shouldn’t have set your expectations so high. “But it was foolish of me to think in such a way.” They wait for you to continue with bated breath, not wanting to stress you out even more when it looks like you would collapse from just having to relive what you had to go through. “The staff took care of me after my father died, ensuring that I was well educated and kept up with noble practices despite the Queen standing strongly against my education and development as a royal. She made sure that I wasn’t treated like a princess by giving me chores around the palace, making me sleep in staff quarters and constantly overlooking my presence despite having many eyes on me, reporting back to her regularly. Slowly, she had turned me into a common maid.” Andy shook his head in disbelief and met eyes with Lloyd, whose expression looked unreadable — even the assassin couldn’t begin to comprehend what he was hearing.

“The Queen guaranteed my existence was wiped from public knowledge by imprisoning the staff and swearing them to secrecy. She went so far as to develop a new knight order who were loyal to only her and had them replace my father’s original order of knights. Thankfully, not everyone on the staff wanted to be ruled by her, and they rebelled silently by supporting me behind the scenes.” A small smile grew on your lips as you recounted fond memories with the staff while the mercenary group looked on with a tightness in their chests. “I will forever be grateful to those kind-hearted, courageous people, who I’ve grown to see as my own family. They truly only wished the best for me, and yet—” you couldn’t bring yourself to continue and face the reality that you had been forced to abandon the one true family you have grown to know since young.

“You said you had to escape and build a peaceful life for yourself.” Ari begins, seeing that tears fill up your beautiful eyes and approaches the topic gently so as not to upset you further. “What do you mean by that?”

“My 21st birthday passed without celebrations, and I believed I wouldn’t be acknowledged at all in the months that followed. The world had gotten so dark, and my false hopes had resulted in failing my people; I didn’t know what to do. But it all came to a head when the Queen sent me out with Sir Remfrey, a huntsman of the palace who was loyal to me in secret. He had been tasked with killing me somewhere secret.” The group sucked in a breath. Unbelievable. Jake couldn’t believe what he was hearing and sought Ransom’s hand beneath the table for comfort. Thankfully, the Beta complied without complaint; admittedly, Ransom also needed comfort after knowing the terrible fate that had been orchestrated for you. None of them could believe someone could have such bad intentions for someone as kind and sweet as you. But that was a reality their occupation fulfilled, and the actualisation of it was harrowing.

“Sir Remfrey took me to the outskirts of the city, under the guise that he would escort me for my first excursion outside the palace in belated celebration of my recent coming of age. He was meant to bring my heart back as evidence of his deeds. Thankfully, rather than follow through on her orders, he set me free with a basket full of essentials collated by the staff — my family. I will forever be grateful to Sir Remfrey and the staff for the second chance they have given me... a chance at a new life, a peaceful one.”

Steve meets your eyes when you look up at the end of your explanation, and his heart clenches painfully. He readily ignores it, however. As the captain, he needs to be the responsible one who weighs out all sides before making a final decision, even if that means being black-hearted, leading up to a settlement. Remaining silent and keeping his thoughts locked, Steve turns to Andy and Ransom with a pointed look; they would know if you were telling the truth or not. Andy nods solemnly. Ransom follows with a stiff nod of his own.

So this was the truth.

“And in your escape from the palace, you happened upon our cottage,” Steve asks, meeting your eyes once more to watch as you nod affirmatively.

“I really didn’t mean to stay as long as I did but—“ you give a bashful look and stare down at your lap once more, thinking it best not to explain further.

“No need...” Steve raises his palm and offers a soft look, happy to finally be able to comfortably lower his guard again. At that moment, he realised how wrong it felt to be guarded around you. “We’re partly to blame.”

“It was great coming home to a warm dinner each night,” Jake grins widely, eager to dispel the thick tension of your interrogation. “And you’re so nice and kind, we love you!” he blurts without thinking, making his teammates tense up as they wait for your response.

Ransom’s glare conveys his thoughts at the Beta clearly: You’re so stupid, Jake! You can’t just say that! What if she gets weirded out and leaves us for good?! But Ransom’s glare is cheekily ignored.

They don’t expect your sweet smile, but it makes their shoulders relax instantly. “I love you all too.” Lloyd looks at you with a frown, fully expecting to be excluded due to his harshness but is surprised when you take a moment to meet his eyes as well, your loving expression unchanging. And as much as Lloyd would hate to admit that he enjoys the image of you looking sweetly at him, he looks away with a huff, his mind conflicted but his heart warm.

“Thank you for your honesty.” Steve begins, fixing you with a soft stare as he silently solidifies his resolve on a significant decision. Now, it was a question of how he should go about approaching it. “…Now that you’ve been honest with us, it’s only fair that we be honest with you as well.” The implication of his words has all of the mercenaries snapping their heads towards their captain, Lloyd is the most vocal in his protests but everyone else remains silent, eyes wide and mouths agape; silently pleading for some sort of explanation.

“Captain,” Andy cautiously starts, looking at Steve with somewhat narrowed eyes, “are you sure about this?”

“Of course, I am,” Steve hums. “Trust goes both ways and I believe in her, don’t you?” From across the table, Steve takes a moment to meet eyes with each of the pack. It was a silent, two-way communication that waited for gradual acceptance of his decision for the team; slowly, they gave their consent in a small nod. Lloyd is the most defiant in his narrowed stare and stiffened stance but he doesn’t outright refuse, he only looks away grumbling. He’s seen that everyone but him has already come to match Steve’s resolve, all he can do now is trust in his pack, even if every cell in his body is stubbornly screaming to go against them. It would be for their own good that Lloyd protest but would it really, when they feel so strongly towards you?

“Wh…what is it?” you ask in a soft voice that barely rises above a whisper.

“We’re more than we appear.” Steve’s statement comes off a little cryptic and you don’t quite know how to comprehend it.

“We aren’t don’t work on fraud cases.” Jake provides, referring to your earlier conversation when discussing replicas of magical artefacts.

“So, what do you do?”

“We’re private hires.” Lloyd snaps firmly, looking at you with daring eyes. He dares you to challenge his words, dares you to look shocked, dares you cower in fear. Lloyd isn’t the type to feel ashamed of his and the pack’s occupation; it’s what’s kept them alive, after all, it’s also the reason why they’ve bonded so closely. No, he will never be ashamed of the truth, and he isn’t about to let the pang of anxiety in his chest consume him entirely. “Mercenaries. We’ve been hired to do many bad things in the past, Princess. And we have a lot of blood on our hands because of it.” Ari doesn’t know why Lloyd is acting so hostile but doesn’t step in, no one does. They all seem to silently agree that giving you the harsh reality of their true background would be for the best — there’s no use sugarcoating things. “Are you sure you still wanna stick around? We’re dangerous, cold-hearted mercs, this cottage is no place for a Princess.”

The expression you hold is unreadable. It’s as if you don’t know what to say, and while you contemplate what you should say, time slows to a painful pace for the tea. Being transparent with you means many things to them and different things to each person. Unanimously (even Lloyd), however, they cherish your presence; it gives them a break from their harsh way of life because you make them feel like they deserve more than what the world has so harshly given them. You’re their reprieve, a safety and peace they have no hope of finding elsewhere. You’re the final missing piece of their incomplete pack — their omega. It would be hard to let you go if that’s what you choose, but this is why Steve chose to be transparent with you and why they agreed. It’s to give you a fair choice and a rightful say. This is how it should be, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t secretly hoping you make one decision over the other. Holding their breaths, their hands clench into fists as they await your answer. Even Curtis has slipped his hand out of your hold so that his touch can’t influence your final decision.

“But… did you not give me a safe place to live while I was seeking refuge?” you ask, and they don’t quite know if it’s a rhetorical question or not. Regardless, all of them are too stunned to even answer you. What were you getting at? “Did you not treat me kindly during my stay? Did you not share your food with me? Did you not give me a warm place to sleep?” they watch as your beautiful face slowly brightens with a smile. “I’m afraid I can only judge you on what I’ve been able to see thus far. Regardless of the truth in your occupation, that is not your defining factor, and I can see that you don’t let it be the defining factor, either. Of course, I’d love to stay for longer… as long as you’re willing to have me, that is.” You look adorably bashful by the end, and most can’t believe their ears or eyes at the sight. You truly couldn't care less about their background.

Jake laughs, bright and loud, cutting through the tension, making it evaporate with hardly any effort. “Of course we want you to stay! You can stay as long as you need and want!” the tech genius turns to their captain with shining eyes and a wide grin, “Isn’t that right, Cap?”

Chuckling lowly to himself, Steve nods, eyes glowing with affection as he looks at Jake before trailing his eyes to you. What a relief this all is — things went better than expected; Steve fully believed you would take the chance to pack your things and leave. “That’s right, Jake.” Steve sees you flash him a grateful smile and his chest warms with affection.

“Great!” Ari laughs, the weight on his shoulders and chest immediately lifting. It looks like you were here to stay. He couldn’t have asked for a better outcome. “This is the best news we’ve had all day!” Ari gets up from his seat and makes his way over to stand behind your chair. With a self-satisfied grin, he leans down to meet your eyes as his voice drops into a low whisper. “Greedy as we are, I’m glad we get to have you all to ourselves for longer, sweet angel—” As Ari turns his head to speak directly into your ear, you turn to give him your full attention and unintentionally meet his lips with your own.

Gasps echo about the room as everyone freezes in place, unable to comprehend what’s happened. They’re all waiting for someone to react some way and break them all out of their shock. Unable to resist, Ari is the first to respond and leans into the kiss further, his hand coming up to hold your chin in place as his eyes close slowly, urging you to do the same and get lost in the kiss with him. You don’t know what comes over you, but it’s far too easy to reciprocate — it just feels right, somehow. Ari feels it, too, and smirks into the kiss from the amount of glee he feels in that moment. He was right. You’re destined to be theirs. And, them, yours. You complete their pack; you’re their missing piece, their omega! Their luna!

“Ari! You can’t do that!” Andy shouts, rising from his seat but it’s clear that Ari isn’t eager to let you go anytime soon, rather, he angles his head to deepen the kiss further and hums with deep satisfaction when you wrap your arms around his neck. It seems you haven’t registered the chaos that has broken out around you.

“Unfair!” Ransom huffs, “How come you get to kiss her first?“

“This isn’t about who goes first or not, Ransom!”

“Let her go,” Curtis growls lowly but is ignored and intensifies his glare at Ari’s broad figure. Oh, if a look could kill a man…

“This is not how things are supposed to go, Ari!” Steve protests through clenched teeth. He had been fully on board with potentially making you a part of their pack, finally completing their circle with a worthy Omega. However, with the discovery of you being the princess, Steve had hoped to discuss this with Ari— a vocal supporter of the decision —a little longer before taking any action.

“Not to the Princess, Ari! This has to be treason!” Jake’s whining cry reaches your ears and you finally pull away, panting slightly. You were already quite flustered from the sudden intimate act but the image of Ari licking his lips and giving a pleased grumble at your lingering taste on his lips makes your chest want to explode. Now that your lips are no longer attached to Ari’s you can fully comprehend the havoc of the room and gasp silently at the amount of attention fixed on you.

“I-I think I better get started on dinner,” you smile at everyone shyly before hurrying to the kitchen, but not before Ari catches your hand and brings your knuckles to his lips.

“Thank you for letting me be the first to kiss you properly, darlin’.” He whispers with such affection against your skin that you can barely speak up in response. The only thing you had the strength to muster was a hurried nod before pulling away to distract yourself with dinner preparations. Glimpsing the clock face on the wall, you sigh in relief — just in time, not too late but not too early.

Ari was subsequently scolded and glared at by many of his pack mates, but he doesn’t care. It was all worthwhile. Honestly, he didn’t expect to steal your first kiss with them in such a way, but it still went better than he could ever imagine — perhaps the surprise element was a contributing factor. Nevertheless, Ari could, at least, put up with this much, especially when still on a high from the taste of your sweet lips. He’s never tasted a sweeter candy in his life and, as much as he loves his pack mates, he already knows it’ll be hard to share you.

“You’re a pig, Ari!” Ransom snaps at him, huffing and sulking away to a corner with Jake when Ari does nothing but look smug in return — he’s unfazed with taunting eyes that say, ‘I know you’re just jealous, Ran~’. Away from Ari and the other alphas, the two Betas get lost in their respective books, both pouty and sharing in the feeling of unfairness. They couldn’t even blame you for it because everyone could tell that it was an accident.

Lloyd is nowhere to be found, but by the shout that comes from their back garden area, followed closely by the familiar sound of an axe hitting a tree, Ari can hazard a guess as to what may be happening. “I will join him,” Curtis announces in his usual low voice, deep and mellow but the irritation behind his words are tangible. It should make Ari feel, somewhat, guilty since Curtis is usually the stoic type but he just couldn’t. No, Ari could never feel guilty when it comes to you.

In the far corner, Steve and Andy were discussing something heatedly. There’s a tug in Ari’s chest that pulls him forward and urges him to join the discussion. “You’ve put us in a difficult position, Ari,” Steve sighs as Ari smoothly slots himself in between the two.

“Oh yeah?” Steve and Andy narrow their eyes at Ari’s laidback attitude and smug grin.

“And you’re happy about that, aren’t you?” Andy sighs, eyeing you in his peripheral as you potter about their kitchen.

“I have no regrets. But you can’t blame me, it was an accident. And weren’t you accepting of her becoming our Omega?”

“Yes, but that changed when we found out she’s the princess,” Steve hisses under his breath, his mind racing with potential future scenarios.

“This can go one of two ways, either she continues running away from the throne—” Andy starts, aided by Steve with helpful remarks along the way.

“—which she seems reluctant to if given the option to return to rule rightfully,”

Andy nods at Steve who leans against the living room wall with his arms crossed, brows furrowed in thought. “Or she returns to the throne after banishing the Queen.”

“If it’s the former, we can make her our omega but if it’s the latter, she cannot.”

“Don’t most monarchs rule better when in an established pack?” Ari argues, receiving a pointed look from the two.

“Yes, but it’s not appropriate when we’re mercenaries, and she’s the Princess and future Queen. She deserves to be surrounded by a decent council of high-standing nobles as bachelors, to be supported by a pack who are familiar with that type of word. We aren’t that, Ari.” The emphasis in Steve’s words cuts through Ari’s chest. Maybe he was being too optimistic, but he couldn’t let the feeling go. It feels too right to have you in their lives, it feels too right to have you in his arms, it feels too right to be kissing you. He just needs to make them see it too.

𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

The evening ended with full stomachs and a warm atmosphere, while the next morning began with grumbling stomachs and a quiet peace. It appears as though everyone has decided to carry on as normal. The group have unanimously agreed that it’s a blessing to have you in their lives like this despite knowing their background and occupation. They weren’t going to spoil the one good thing in their lives for something as little as their own insecurities. It’s a good thing you were willing to go along with them on it too, oblivious to the silent turmoil in your eyes.

As much as you were happy to extend your stay with the group, you had been tossing and turning the whole night. When left in the quiet alone with your thoughts, your mind couldn’t help but return to the topic of the 'Mirror of Aleth’ replicas. It didn’t sit well with you that they were being created in the first place, and it was a fight with yourself to bring the topic up or not. Yes, you can only speculate on the intentions, but there’s never a good, moral reason for their creation no matter how speculative your conclusions. The issue needs to be addressed with the same amount of importance as the truth of your identity — this underground scheme poses a great risk to your kingdom and its people.

With a deep breath, you interrupt breakfast with a soft call for their attention. Despite how gentle your voice comes, all movement stops, and the attention turns to you without question. It’s a similar respect they demonstrate towards Steve, their captain. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I have something important to say.” They nod firmly as Steve silently urges you on with an encouraging look, “I understand that it’s not my place, but I have a horrible feeling about the replicas Jake mentioned yesterday. Would you mind telling me more about them? Maybe I can offer some assistance…” your voice remains soft and, somewhat, shy but not hesitant. There’s a firmness in your words as you break the peaceful silence at the breakfast table. The mercenary pack share a look but there aren’t any outright protests to your question, not even from Lloyd. It appears as though he and Curtis had quite the productive talk the evening before, bonding as they threw axes at trees together. Even going so far as to cut more firewood for the fireplace together.

“We were hired by the King of Okisha to retrieve the stolen magical artefact, the mirror of Aleth.” Andy provides after sipping his morning coffee.

Your eyes widen in horror. “It was stolen?”

“That’s right.” Lloyd cuts in surprisingly, his focus remaining on the plate of breakfast before him. “And, judging by the high security surrounding their royal vaults, it was done by a skilled individual.”

“Do you have any suspects?” You ask, tone serious and eyes hardened by the gravity of the situation. It was an appearance the mercenaries weren’t used to seeing on you but it was a welcome change. They can discern your education and royal class through that look alone and it was comforting, in a sense. Andy’s sure that you’d be proud to know such a trait has become a permanent mark on you despite the struggles of oppression you’ve faced in your own palace.

“Our investigation so far points us to the current Queen of your kingdom, your stepmother,” Steve announces but you’re not shocked. Rather, you only appear to grow more worried, the food on your plate remaining mostly untouched.

“And those replicas… are they related to her too?”

“We don’t know but they might as well be,” Ari answers this time as Jake hums in additional confirmation.

“If it’s not too much to ask—” the entire pack give you their full attention, even Jake stops chewing on his food. “Please may you destroy all the replicas you’ve found? If my stepmother is truly a part of this, I don’t think it would bode well for her to get her hands on a successfully made replica.”

“What are your suspicions?” Steve asks, curious as to how deeply you think the Queen’s association will go.

“If she is involved, it must mean she was the thief. That’s a guarantee, knowing her.” Your eyes wonder as you contemplate deeper, your mind flashing with memories of the Queen’s somewhat unusual behaviour leading up to your attempted assassination and eventual escape. “I remember her beginning to spend hours in a singular room at the palace leading up to my escape with Sir Remfrey. Yes, she likes to be on her own and rule fully independent of the royal council, she doesn’t even have a pack to rely on — she’s very self-sufficient. And while many of the staff knew her to spend hours alone, across various rooms, this particular room was located in the depths of the palace, somewhere isolated and barely touched by the staff. It was ominous but no one dared to question her, she’s the Queen after all.”

“What do you think she wants from the mirror? What truth does she seek?”

You give a weak shrug of your shoulders, your brows furrowing further, “I don’t know… but she must have realised that she can’t make the true mirror work. Though I’m not sure she’s fully informed on the reasons why. Abraham was always reluctant to impart his knowledge on ancient, magical artefacts because he had always sensed that the Queen was, somewhat, unwell.”

“Unwell?”

“Abraham didn’t elaborate on it further, but I suspect it concerns her psyche. He was only adamant about withholding as much information from her as possible, that was what was important to him as the royal mage. Thankfully, he’s been able to get away with it using the excuse that, although she has lived past my father, she will forever be the Queen Consort only, meaning that she remains lesser than a Queen and will forever be without full constitutional power. That would also include knowledge of things that would be otherwise confidential. Only I am allowed those privileges as the rightful, living heir.”

“And these replicas?” Jake asks, searching your eyes for some kind of answer. If they can pinpoint a firm motive, it’ll kick their asses into better gear for tackling the assignment swiftly. They’re already feeling the drive from the precious intel you’ve provided them atop the current conversation. The sooner they complete the mission, the sooner they get to their retirement.

“Replicas can’t function as well as the original. I don’t think she’d settle for a half-truth or a truth that’s told in a roundabout way. I think that, as long as she can get one, coherent truth out of a replica, she’ll be satisfied.” You conclude and the boys have to hand it to you, your theory makes sense. If she doesn’t know the truth about how the Mirror of Aletha works and that it only answers to true descendants like you had told Jake the day previous, she must be pretty desperate to go searching for that truth elsewhere, squandering the royal funds as she does so.

“You want us to destroy those replicas then?” Steve deduces, his eyes becoming firm with resolve when you nod your head.

“Please…”

“Sounds easy enough,” Lloyd comments as Curtis hums in agreement beside him.

With one firm nod, Curtis’s eyes also become focused on the decision. “We will do it today.” The pack’s designated assassin and guard turn to each other and share a similar look. It appears a commodore has been reached between them.

“Thank you.” You speak with such sincerity and with the sweetest smile on your face that Lloyd has to look away. He couldn’t bear the sight of you. And he only had himself to blame for that. He had been too impulsive and aggressive — the typical, doltish alpha who acts before he thinks. Many believed that the pheromone suppressant jewellery current laws required the public wear, helped individuals conquer their secondary gender’s instincts but Lloyd was not one of them. He has to accept that truth. His talk with Curtis the previous evening was a much-needed one. That was the most he’d ever heard Curtis talk, but he appreciated it — not that he’d openly admit the fact, but that’s why Curtis was the perfect one to have such a dialogue with. Lloyd didn’t need to say anything because he could tell that Curtis knew what he wanted to say. The stoic giant of a guard was a man of few words himself, so he understood the fundamentals of body language and often expressed more with his own body than with his words.

‘Thanks,’ was Lloyd’s silent message that night.

‘Any time,’ was what Lloyd could comprehend from Curtis’ stoic but kind stare.

“Even if the replicas are incomplete or said to not work, destroy them all.”

“Roger that!” Jake grins, doing a small salute as Steve huffs a light chuckle to himself. Many others about the table also give a short laugh, grinning wider when they see the curious tilt of your head to one side. You would have laughed too if you knew the teasing jab Jake had made at Steve’s last name.

“They can do all of that while I stay behind with you, Angel~” Ari smirks and winks at you from across the table as glares swiftly point at him.

“What do you mean, Ari?” Andy asks with furrowed brows. Admittedly, the group’s appointed negotiator was mainly protesting because of what had happened the night before and had become overly cautious (and jealous) about how close Ari was getting to you. “We need you out there to help locate the replicas.”

With a simple shrug, Ari leisurely leans back into his chair and smirks, “Jake knows everything I know, I even made sure to write it all down for him. Besides, don’t you think our princess needs to be protected while you’re all away? Especially after what the Queen had planned to do with her?” That was a reasoning Andy (and everyone else) couldn’t argue with and he could do nothing but sigh in defeat.

“Gear up; it’s time to leave.” Was Steve’s only instruction as he moved away from the table and prepared for the day ahead, quickly followed by the rest of the team.

As was routine, the group prepares to leave as soon as breakfast is finished. Despite the civil atmosphere, however, Steve didn’t want to get too hopeful as he finished lacing up his boots by the door. He was the first ready to leave as always and yet, you weren’t by the door for the usual farewell. It was too optimistic a thought to expect things to continue as they were after the frightening confrontation he had put you through the day before. Steve was, at least, grateful that you were willing to pack them lunches again, though he doubts they’ll still be receiving your sweet notes. Looking at the faces of his team, it appears as though they were coming to the same realisation and acceptance as him. Only Ari appeared unfazed as he stood behind.

The confrontation was a much-needed one but Steve admits he could have handled it much better…

“Right, we’re off,” Steve announces before eying Ari directly, “Keep her safe.” Turning, Steve reaches for the door with his lunch in hand, determined to follow through on your request. It would be the beginning of his apology. Once he’s done that, he would be able to face you sincerely with a proper apology — his behaviour the day before was appalling; even though that was how he felt like he had to act, there was a better way. Determined, Steve already configured a solid plan for how he wanted the team to go about dealing with today’s assignment, and his shoulders straightened from the resolve behind it.

“Wait! Steve!” Frozen in place, Steve can’t bring himself to turn and meet you. What were you calling him for? He waits stiffly by the door with a racing heart as you hop up beside him.

“What about our usual goodbye?” you ask with pouty lips. “You can’t leave without it, none of you can.” A sudden wave of timidity comes over you at Steve’s obvious hesitation and lack of response. “A-as long as that’s okay with you, that is… it’s quite the routine now so…"

Steve’s body takes over as he turns his full body to face you despite his slow-to-comprehend brain. “No no, you’re right. It’s routine now.” he gives you a soft look and leans down, “It feels wrong to leave without our usual goodbye.” Smiling once again, you cup Steve’s jaw and hold him in place as you press a lingering kiss against his cheek. Although it was nice to feel you this close for a little longer than usual, Steve couldn’t help but be suspicious of the oddity in your kiss ‘farewell’. Usually, it was a quick peck and he was swiftly on his way after. But he doesn’t complain. Just as you ease up, he finally leans away but is caught off-guard, yet again, when you suddenly wrap your arms around his neck and pull him close enough to place your lips beside his ear.

“I forgive you…” You whisper before pulling away to look at the mercenary captain with a gentle smile. Shocked, Steve didn’t know what to do. For once, the captain was stunned into silence, his entire world coming to a stop at the sight of your beautiful smile and sweetness. You didn’t even let him say ‘I’m sorry’. But you must have been able to sense it coming from a mile away. Steve’s awe turns into a smile of gratitude, and kissing your temple before he leaves. The same way you allowed your lips to linger on his cheek, he allowed his to linger on your temple. As he steps through the door, the warmth of his lips remains imprinted on your skin.

“Take care, Steve,”

“You as well, Princess,”

Up next was Andy, whose earlier shock melted into a warm smile when he realised you weren’t going to hold yesterday’s hostile confrontation against them. As a man of habit, he goes over his usual farewell routine with you. He takes your hand and brings it to his lips before leaning down to savour the kiss you deliver to his cheek. At the last second, he turns his head and buries his nose into the intimate space just below your ear and whispers a soft but sincere ‘thank you’ into your hair before he follows Steve outside the cottage with an easy smile on his lips.

“Have a great day, Andy,” you call as he steps out the door, shooting you a proud grin from over his shoulder.

“And you, sweetheart,”

“I’m next!” Jake cheers as he surprises you with a hug from behind. Turning in his arms, you smile and prompt him to also lean down so you can kiss his cheek. Happily, Jake obliges but doesn’t untangle his arms from around you just yet. He quite likes the feel of you tucked up against his chest, getting on your tip toes to press a kiss onto his cheek. It makes him smile like a goof but gets pouty when you have to pull away finally. With a whine, he nuzzles the crown of your head and tries to monopolise the short moment with you for as long as possible. He would have stayed there the whole day if he wasn’t inevitably dragged away by Andy, who was prompted by Ransom’s impatient grumbling.

As soon as Jake is gone, Ransom steps up and pulls you close by the waist, where he kisses your forehead first before kissing both of your cheeks as you giggle in his arms. The twinkling sound of your laughter makes him smile warmly and aims a kiss for your lips but pouts when you turn your head, mistaking it as your turn to finally kiss him on the cheek too.

“Get home safe, Ran. Take care,” Ransom doesn’t stay pouty for long, however, not when you’re so sweet to him.

‘I’ll get home safe as long as you’re there to greet me at the door,’ Ransom is tempted to say but leaves with a silent smile and a similar greeting instead. “You take care too, sweets. Make sure to keep Ari in check, will you?” Ransom tuts, directing a pointed glare at the bearded man in question, who simply smirks at him.

“Will do, Ran!” at least the Machiavellian knows you’ll put in the effort and can leave with a level heartbeat.

Curtis approaches you next. Like the previous day, he hugs and picks you up around the waist so that you’re looking down at him and have to stabilise yourself with your hands on his shoulders. You search each other’s eyes for a moment before you finally lean down to kiss his cheek, and he takes a moment to affectionately nuzzle your neck. Ever since the day he escorted you into town and had to be calmed by your scent, he’s grown quite an addiction to your fragrance — he will take every opportunity to bring you closer and take in your aroma as intimately as possible. Never has he felt so calm and at peace than when he’s breathing you in.

“Have a good day Curt, please get home safe,” you whisper, smiling sweetly as he finally lowers you down.

“Yes, ma’am,” the stoic guard answers with a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

The last one to leave was Lloyd, who holds your packed lunch for him in his large, calloused and shaking hands. He’s no longer entitled to a sweet farewell by the door, he knows that. So he avoids your gaze and shakes his head— almost apologetically —as he gently brushes past you. Unlike your usual routine, he hadn’t taken the time to lean down or hurry you for his kiss farewell. It makes you stutter in place, not knowing what to do or make of his dismissive behaviour. Lloyd, however, cannot make it past the door because of Curtis. As the designated guard, Curtis’ stance is firm and wide and Lloyd knows that there’s no way he’s getting past him without Curtis moving aside voluntarily.

“What are you doing, Curt?” Lloyd asks, his voice sounding more tired than irate, “Step aside, we’re wasting precious daylight here — we’ve got work to do in the city!” Curtis doesn’t flinch at the rise of his pack mate’s volume and simply gestures with his eyes to whatever’s past the assassin’s tense shoulders. Lloyd swiftly turns and frowns. There you are with a small frown and downcast eyes. Never before has Lloyd or any of the group seen you look so downhearted and the aching grip of guilt around Lloyd’s heart only tightens at the sight. He knows what needs to be done, but it’s not deserved. If he leans down and you don’t kiss him, that’ll prove to Curtis that he’s only wasting everyone’s time by insisting on this.

Lloyd doesn’t let it show how happy it makes him when your expression brightens when he returns to you. He doesn’t let his happiness show when you call his name lovingly as he leans down. He doesn’t allow himself to smile when you don’t hesitate to wrap your arms around his neck and press a kiss against his cheek so hard that you're practically burying your face against his own. For once, he doesn’t sigh or protest or show any sign of disapproval. But this only makes you smile brighter once you pull away and his heart does a stupid flip in his chest over it.

“I forgive you, Lloyd,” you whisper loud enough for only him to hear, just like you did with Steve earlier. Lloyd doesn’t know what to do, freezing up as he stands before you, dumbfounded. “Be safe, have a nice day,”

“…yeah…” Lloyd replies simply, an unfamiliar expression drawing itself onto his face as he looks at your much smaller frame. His once cold eyes shine with a warm fondness as his lips stretch into a handsome smile for your eyes only, “We’ll be back soon, princess…”

navi. | series masterlist

eight. the lumbering repairman →

a/n : i'm so sorry this took such a long time, my lovelies but i hope you still enjoyed the read and hopefully the longer chapter can make up for the longer wait time haha! this was supposed to be the Ari-centric chapter but it was getting too long and i want to give Ari a chapter all to himself. nevertheless, a lot has happened in this chapter so feel free to tell me your thoughts. hopefully, the next chapter won't take me too long to write and post for you but we'll have to see how life treats me (⸝⸝⸝╸﹏╺⸝⸝⸝)

taglist : @imyourbratzdoll @lovinglimerence @saturdayrj @baw1066 @whereismymindnow @urmomw4ntsme @oneandonlybbygrl @graciehams

#ari levinson x reader #steve rogers x reader #andy barber x reader #curtis everett x reader #lloyd hansen x reader #jake jensen x reader #ransom drysdale x reader #cevans various x reader #snow white au #series : tpsm #snow white reader au #tpsm series #chris evans characters x reader

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bippot · 2 months ago

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Bob Floyd - Top Gun: Maverick Masterlist

+ Miles Miller - Bad Times At The El Royale and Rhett Abbott - Outer Range

Wanna be added to a taglist? Either comment on this post or send me a message!

Taglist: @kpopgirlbtssvt, @adriansboyfriend, @live-love-be-unique

1.1) Tense I Tumblr I AO3 I

Hangman unexpectedly plays matchmaker when he offers the group a way to deal with the after-effects of their training, which causes Bob to meet the one for him.

1.2) Relaxed I Tumblr I AO3 I

In the comfort of his relationship, Bob gets a bit excited when his girlfriend first admits she loves him and unknowingly convinces her to be hours late for work. After an incident that causes her bed to break, Bob is mortified but secretly loves the teasing he gets from his friends later that day.

2) Tomorrow’s Tomorrow I Tumblr I AO3 I

Before and after a mission, sober or drunken, Bob wants to spend his time with just one gal. Their friends are also rather amused by his obvious crush on her and like to document their interactions.

3) The Female Species I Tumblr I AO3 I

It turns out the Dagger Squad doesn’t really know much about Bob. They certainly didn’t know he had a wife, yet she provides them with some more information about the reclusive Robert Floyd. She hadn’t seen him in three months and was more than prepared to spill all of his well-hidden secrets to his friends. Yet he still managed to leave the celebration early, and instead of being alone like usual, he has his wife on his arm.

4) So Very Polite I Tumblr I AO3 I

Of all the traits of Bob, his girlfriend has a particular gripe with how polite he is. Usually, it’s a good aspect of him. Sometimes it can be a little annoying, especially if she’s lacking sleep. But, that’s okay. She has her own special way to force him to be a little more casual in her home.

5) Robert Floyd, Man of The Sky

Oneshot I Tumblr I AO3 I

When his old college pal inherits her grandmother’s lake house, Bob is the first to nominate himself to help out. It gives him something to do and a chance to feel young, something that he only feels when he’s in the sky.

Series I Tumblr I AO3 I

Bob and his best friend from college move into and redecorate her grandmother’s lake house, and both come to realise that there is something else between them. But just like the renovation, coming clean to each other takes longer than they’d hoped.

6) Loverboy I Tumblr I AO3 I

After not seeing each other for years, Bob reunites with his old friend for the mission, and they pick up right where they left off - desperately yearning for each other’s love.

7) Mini Me I Tumblr I AO3 I

Of course Bob has a family. It was obvious. Phoenix knew that and did everything in her power to ensure he got back to them. So, she had to meet his wife and son. A trip to the Hard Deck gives his son a new fascination and his wife a chance to reconnect with an old college… friend? Boyfriend? Whatever, it doesn’t annoy Bob at all.

9) All Over Again I Tumblr I AO3 I

When he used to say that he wished he could fall in love with his wife all over again, Bob may have jinxed himself. Yet, the process of knowing her once more wasn’t as smooth as he’d used to think. Honestly, he doesn’t know which is worse: his broken bones or the fact she can’t seem to forget who he once was?

10) Ducky’s I Tumblr I AO3 I

After leaving the Navy, Bob enrols in college to experience what he missed. At a café, he meets Y/N, a fellow bookworm who quickly becomes more than just a friend in more ways than one.

1) Human Radiator I Tumblr I AO3 I

It’s chilly in Wabang, so Rhett is immediately at the beck and call of his girlfriend because she’s cold and needs a little cowboy love to make her feel better.

2) Happy Pig I Tumblr I AO3 I

The Abbott’s have been working Rhett to the bone for far too long, and he’s allowed one day off to finally catch up on some quality time with his girlfriend. She, under no circumstances, allows him to get out of bed.

3) Sitter of Babies I Tumblr I AO3 I

Rhett needs help. He’s a single dad, and Royal still expects him to work overtime at the ranch. Every day he gets more and more worn out until he’s finally allowed a day off and meets an old friend and his sister. She’s kind and funny and offers to babysit for him, and because it’s cliche, he can’t help but fall for her.

4.1) Hell of a Ride I Tumblr I AO3 I

The sting of being unappreciated by his family hurts a lot less when Rhett has someone who lavishes him with affectionate pet names and comfort. He gets a little concerned when he can’t find her face in the crowd. How will he be able to win the state championship without her cheering him on? Does he even need to worry?

4.2) Heaven Of A Ride I Tumblr I AO3 I

With their feelings out in the open, the pair want nothing more than to indulge their new-found connection. Yet, like usual, Rhett has some concerns that need to be addressed before that can happen.

4.3) Wheel of Devotion I Tumblr I AO3 I

Rhett desperately wants to take his girlfriend on a date but has a hard time verbalising those thoughts out loud. When the county fair comes, they take the opportunity to make the most of what it has to offer.

5) The Sweetest Surprise I Tumblr I AO3 I

Y/N feels disappointed when her boyfriend, Rhett, seems to forget her birthday. Despite her growing doubts, Rhett surprises her with a romantic gesture, taking her on a scenic picnic overlooking the town and indulging in handmade birthday cake.

6) Of Fluffy Cows and Elusive Jerky I Tumblr I AO3 I

On a quiet Wyoming Valentine’s night, Rhett's world shifts when his not-quite girlfriend surprises him at the Abbott ranch, and something cracks his guarded heart wide open. Emotions run high, and Rhett is left to realise that love, real love, has finally found him.

1) Corrupted I Tumblr I AO3 I

Although he doesn’t know her movies, Miles becomes enraptured by one of his guests and fails to restrain himself to show her the kind of love he believes she deserves. Yet, their fling must be kept under the radar because her stage mother is rather possessive.

#bob floyd x reader #bob floyd #top gun maverick #lewis pullman #miles miller #bad times at the el royale #rhett abbott #outer range

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roosterforme · 1 year ago

Text

Covering the Classics Part 3 | Bob Floyd x OC

Summary: When Anna finally agrees to meet her new friends at the bar, she learns pretty quickly that the hot guy from the bookstore is actually Bob Floyd. But the fact that she ran and hid from him, thinking she'd never have to see him again, leaves her feeling mortified, and Bob is left to draw his own conclusions.

Warnings: Fluff, angst, adult language, eventually 18+

Length: 3700 words

Pairing: Robert "Bob" Floyd x Female OC (this story is part of the Beer Boy/Sugar and Jake/Jessica universe)

Covering the Classics masterlist. Check my masterlist for more! Thank you to @mak-32 for the beautiful banner!

Anna took a deep breath as she swiped on some mascara and found her tube of lipgloss. She finally caved and agreed to go to the Navy bar that her friends couldn't stop talking about at lunch every day. She only had about five dollars in her wallet to buy a drink since she sold her car for rent money. She couldn't believe was going to take an Uber all the way to Coronado just to make an absolute fool of herself in front of this Bob character. And worst of all, she was still thinking about the hot guy with glasses from the bookstore.

"It's okay," she told her reflection in the bathroom mirror. "At least you're absolutely killing it at work. And you're having a good hair day." She dabbed at her lips, but skipped the concealer. Kevin used to love it when she covered up her freckles which made her never want to do it ever again. Every time she thought about him, her heart skipped a beat, but not in the fun way.

She counted to five and said, "Kevin isn't here." Then she put her makeup away and made sure her computer was plugged in so she could mess around online when she inevitably returned to her miniscule apartment within the next hour and a half. "Let's get this show on the road," she muttered.

The ride to the bar was uneventful, as she was sure the rest of her evening would be as well. Bob sounded like an absolute dream when Advanced Calculus and Advanced Physics talked about him. Anna couldn't imagine him being outright rude to her after the two of them said he was sweet and had perfect manners, but she could already tell what his reaction would be: a kind but forced laugh, and maybe a halfhearted smile. And then Anna would probably get to watch him pick up a different girl instead if she didn't leave right away with her proverbial tail between her legs.

Maybe she should have stayed home.

"Here we are," the driver said as he pulled into a beachside parking lot as the sun started setting over the ocean. "The Hard Deck."

"That was quick," she murmured, wishing she could stay in the solitude of this backseat a bit longer as she climbed out. "Thanks."

The fact that every day in San Diego was warm and beautiful was going to take some getting used to. The weather almost never wavered here unlike back at home. Anna opened the weather app on her phone and scrolled to her saved location in New Jersey, and sure enough, it was raining there. She nibbled on her lip and checked her work email, dragging the toe of her beat up sneaker on the gavel parking lot.

She was just stalling now, wondering if her friends would even notice if she didn't show up. They just met her two weeks ago; they probably didn't even really like her that much. Her thumb hovered over her rideshare app as she thought about the two other women just going about their business like normal if she never went back to the weird tree at lunchtime. She was inconsequential to their day.

Anna pressed her lips together and tapped the app. There was a car two minutes away, but the guilt of having wasted eighteen dollars to come here in the first place was eating away at her mind. "Damn it," she whispered as she closed out of the app and shoved her phone into the pocket of her snug jeans. She started walking up to the sand covered wood planks that led to the entrance of the bar, and she didn't stop until she was inside.

Slow Ride was blaring from the sound system, and the place was pretty packed. It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust so she could get the lay of the land, and when she did, she realized she was surrounded by mostly men. "Great," she mumbled, earning a few looks, probably because she had barely taken a step beyond the entryway before freezing up.

But as Anna made her way closer to the bar, a big guy in a khaki uniform winked at her and called out, "Hey, Red!"

She felt her cheeks warm up which was certainly not going to help with that nickname. "Oh no." Deftly, she squeezed her way through the many bodies until she had one hand resting on the bar. Why were all these men so attractive? And why were they looking at her?

When a different guy next to her turned and saw her, he stuck out his hand and said, "Hey, I'm Jackson."

"Anna," she replied, slipping her smaller hand into his very briefly before trying to take a step back. But she just ended up bumping into someone else.

"You gotta let me buy you a drink," Jackson told her with a grin. "Seriously. You're already the best part of my night."

Anna swallowed as she looked around for her friends, but she didn't see either of them. "Um... not yet. I'm not a big drinker."

Jackson laughed merrily. "Aww, honey. You came to the wrong place. Hey, Penny!" Anna watched the bartender turn around with her hands full of two martini glasses. "Can you get this one anything she wants on my tab?"

Penny laughed, and said, "You'll have to get in line, Jackson. You're number four on her roster already."

"Damn it!" Jackson complained with a laugh.

Anna's eyes went wide as Penny delivered the two drinks and then came back and leaned on the bar right in front of her. "By the looks of things, you won't have to pay for a single drink all night. So what'll it be?"

Penny had friendly looking eyes that made Anna feel a little more comfortable. "A ginger ale?"

"Coming right up," Penny replied, reaching for a pint glass and the soda dispenser gun without looking away. "I've never seen you in here before, so I feel like it's only fair to warn you that these guys can get a little relentless."

That was literally the last thing Anna wanted to hear right now. Even Jackson hadn't moved an inch away from her, and her hands were starting to sweat as the ginger ale came gliding across the bar. When she wrapped her hand around the cold glass, she told Penny, "I'm actually supposed to meet some friends here. But I don't see them?"

She smiled and said, "Give me a name."

Anna looked down into the bubbles of her drink and muttered, "Jessica Reed?"

The response was immediate but kind. "By the pool table. Where she always is. Oh, and do not challenge her to a game, because she will kick your ass."

Anna laughed as she picked up her drink. "Thank you so much. And um... could you thank whomever paid for my ginger ale?"

Penny nodded as Anna started to head for the pool table. Jackson pouted at her, and the big guy in the uniform called out, "Come back, Red!" She ignored both of them as she fought her way through the crowd, desperately trying not to spill her drink on anyone. There were a lot more khaki uniforms and even some one piece jumpsuit type things that had patches sewn onto them. She read a few of the patches as she got closer to the pool table. Harvard. Omaha. Halo. Those were some weird names.

"There she is. Anna!"

She turned her head when she heard her name, and she saw Jessica waving one hand in the air as she juggled a beer and a pool cue in the other. Jessica actually looked happy to see her as she stood there, all wrapped up in the arms of a guy that Anna couldn't fully see yet. And then her other friend was waving both hands in the air, too, so she waved back. "Hi."

Both women squealed, "Hi, Anna!" in unison, and it was honestly one of the nicest sounds Anna had heard in recent memory. She already felt better about being here now, and that's when she caught sight of who she assumed was Jake. And she was momentarily struck dumb.

The blonde man kissed the side of Jessica's neck and whispered something before releasing her, and then his green eyes met Anna's as he smiled. She decided immediately that he looked like a GQ model, and that was actually pretty fitting for what would pair well with Jessica.

"Hey," Jessica said, reaching for her hand and pulling her closer. "This is my boyfriend, Jake." She gestured over her shoulder to the GQ model who reached his hand out.

"Hi, Anna," he said with a southern drawl. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Oh. Same," she replied, biting her tongue before she told him she'd never heard of a man who was sweet enough to pack his girlfriend fancy sandwiches and also had the nerve to look like he belonged on a magazine cover.

"And that's Bradley," Jessica said mildly.

"My god," she whispered to herself. Her other friend was wrapped up in a pair of thick arms that belonged to a man with a mustache and alluring scars that ran along his left cheek and down the side of his neck into his floral shirt collar. He was every bit as good looking as Jake, but he had dark hair and eyes and looked decidedly a little bit rougher around the edges.

She blushed as she remembered the comment about how he and his wife liked to use math as foreplay in the bedroom. Right now, he kept pulling his wife closer for another hug and kiss while she playfully tried to escape his grasp, and Anna had to look away, because a flash of jealousy hit her like a brick.

"Hey, Anna," came Bradley's gravelly voice as he finally released his wife, and she shook his hand as well. "Sugar told me you're from New Jersey."

Sugar? Anna was definitely beat red in the face now. "That's right."

He laughed and reached out again for a fist bump. "Way better than all these west coast losers," he said over his shoulder, earning a middle finger from another seriously good looking guy.

"Stop trying to make her think you're cool, Beer Boy," his wife told him with an eye roll before he turned away to talk to the other guy.

The problem was, Anna already thought they were all devastatingly cool, and now she was standing here like an awkward fifth wheel. "Do you want a beer?" Jessica asked with a smile. "They have Sam Adams."

Anna didn't want to tell her about the scant five dollars in her pocket, and she also didn't want to have to thank one of the random guys who told Penny they wanted to buy her a drink, so she just shook her head.

Then her other friend said, "Well Bob is up at the bar right now. You just missed him, actually." She was smirking as she added, "He's probably getting himself a ginger ale, but if you want a beer or something else, he'd be happy to get it for you."

She made like she was about to call out his name when Jessica said, "Bob also likes ginger ale. And the bookstore in North Park."

Anna met her eyes before turning and craning her neck. "He does?" she asked softly, thinking about those pretty eyes and wire rimmed glasses and the smell of tea leaves. And then she saw him. He was here! "Oh," she gasped. He was Bob?

---------------------------

"Thanks, Penny," Bob said as he accepted his drink. Two of the guys at the bar were talking about a cute redhead, and all he could think about was the girl from the bookshop who decided after probably four minutes and seventeen seconds that she didn't want to talk to him anymore. He wanted to look around for this mysterious, new redhead, because if he was being honest, that was something he really thought was pretty, but what was the point? She was probably already over trying to talk to Bradley or Jake or Mickey.

Yesterday, Bradley told him to start wearing his uniform to the bar if he wanted more girls to talk to him, but Bob wasn't that desperate. He still had this fantasy where he met the girl of his dreams kind of organically. But maybe wearing a Dungeons & Dragons shirt wasn't the best thing he could have paired with his jeans tonight. Jake took one look at it thirty minutes ago and told him to go home and change into something else.

"Your girlfriend likes it," Bob had told him with a smirk, and sure enough a minute later Jessica was making a fuss over it.

But now he was making his way back to the pool table where the two couples were most likely on the verge of being indecent. Seriously, if Bob had to watch Bradshaw's hands all over his wife's rear end for one more minute, he was going to scream.

Then he saw her, and he nearly dropped his glass of ginger ale on the floor. It was the girl from the North Park bookstore. Red hair, brown eyes, freckles, kissable lips. She was looking back at him in disbelief.

Oh my god. He was hallucinating. He must be. Jessica was talking to the redhead who wasn't paying an ounce of attention to her, because she was focused on Bob. Her lips curled into a smile, and he thought he'd better make sure. When he glanced to his left and then his right, he didn't see anyone else who could be on the receiving end of that smile besides him.

"Bob!" called Bradshaw's wife. "Come meet Anna!"

Anna. That was the name of their new friend from the university. They talked about her all the time even though they just met her. They told him he would like her. But this was the girl who wanted that horrible Vonnegut book last weekend. This was the girl Mickey thought he imagined.

Apparently he hadn't stopped walking, because now he was right in front of the three women, and he had three pairs of wide eyes trained on his face. "I remember you," he said softly. "From the classics section." Her lips parted softly, and her pupils went wide as Bob asked, "Are you Anna?"

She nodded, her cheeks tinged with pink beneath her freckles. He almost groaned, because she was so much cuter in person than what his memory supplied. Nothing about her was flashy, which he almost preferred, but there was no way she wasn't the hot girl that those guys at the bar were talking about.

"I am," she replied. "And you're Bob?"

He glanced at the other two women, wondering what exactly they told her about him. They looked like they were both holding their breath as he held out his hand and said, "I'm Bob Floyd. It's nice to meet you. Again."

"I'm Anna Webber." She bit her lip, a look of embarrassment overtaking her features as she shook his hand gently. Then he remembered that she ditched him last weekend, leaving nothing but the book he'd already devoured in her place like some sort of parting gift. He released her hand abruptly and cleared his throat.

Now she looked a little hurt, but he didn't know what to say. He ran his fingers through his hair, his nerves getting worse by the second as the other two women practically vibrated with excitement on either side of Anna. "Uh, thanks for that book recommendation. I loved it," he said, barely meeting Anna's pretty eyes.

She gasped and asked, "You read it? You actually read it?"

Bob was trying to formulate another coherent response, but the urge to walk out of the bar was very strong. He was already embarrassed right now, and then he heard Mickey's voice as his friend walked over. "Holy shit, she does have red hair and brown eyes."

Mickey seemed to capture Anna's attention for the time being which really grated on Bob's nerves. Nat would never do this to him, and he couldn't wait until she got home from being deployed. Then Bradshaw's wife was in his personal space along with Jessica. "So she was the girl? From the store in North Park?" she whispered, squeezing his hand.

"The one you had instant chemistry with?" Jessica added hopefully.

Bob swallowed hard. "Yeah," he murmured. "It was Anna. But the two of you need to knock it off now, because it's probably not going to happen. There's just something about me that doesn't translate well. She kind of ditched me at the bookstore."

"What do you mean?" Jessica practically shrieked, and Bob had to hush her. "You're perfect for each other!"

He closed his eyes and shook his head, letting his awkwardness wash over him. "I don't know, Jess."

When he opened his eyes again, Anna was looking at him while she talked to Mickey, and Bob knew it would take even longer to get over the mystery woman now.

--------------------------

Anna couldn't believe Bob was the mystery man from the bookstore. Their chance meeting read like a piece of poetry that had no business being in her life, but the fact that she was meeting him for the second time felt something like fate. And she didn't like it. Not one bit.

He was so handsome, just like Jake and Bradley. Now Anna was wondering what they fed these men in the Navy, because Mickey was very good looking as well. But the more she spoke to him, the more irritated Bob seemed. And she didn't like how his brow was pinching above his glasses. Not compared to the way he'd looked at her in the bookstore.

Her mind was a mess right now. And then she remembered that she actually ran and hid from Bob last time she saw him. She started to panic and look around, silently coming up with an escape route, but it was too late.

"Let's play pool?" Jessica asked a bit cautiously, and that was when Anna fully pieced it all together. Her new friends from work were going to think she wasn't attracted to Bob, but that couldn't have been further from the truth right now. Frankly she didn't know what she should do, so she followed everyone over to the pool table.

Well, everyone except for Bob. He remained at the bar alone, and she couldn't really blame him for not wanting to talk to her after the stunt she pulled in the bookstore. But she was only trying to protect herself. Maybe she could explain that to him.

She was trying to decide if she would have hid from the most attractive man who had given her the time of day in years if she knew it was actually Bob. That's when she set down her empty glass of ginger ale because she was being handed a pool cue and told to team up with Bradley. She went through the motions, playing as well as she could while she chatted with everyone, but she found herself hoping to catch Bob's pretty eyes looking at her. Once she lost and handed the cue to Jessica, she saw him heading her way, and he had a glass of ginger ale in each hand.

"Anna," he said softly in that voice that left her shivering. She took the drink he offered her and tried to act normal, but she was still so startled by what he said earlier.

"Did you really read A Room with a View?" she asked quickly before she lost the nerve.

Bob smiled softly and met her eyes briefly before glancing at the floor. "Every word of it."

She bit her lip to keep from screaming. Kevin never once read any of the novels she suggested for him, preferring modern horror monstrosities instead. And then he went and actually turned her life into a horrific monstrosity which she should have probably seen coming. But right here in front of her was Bob who she had actually already met and formed a pitiful crush on, and she couldn't bring herself to say more than, "I'm happy you read it."

He was blushing now as he sipped his own ginger ale before saying, "Yeah, it was great. I wouldn't mind some more of your book recommendations, honestly. As long as you don't try to get me to read that Vonnegut."

"Cat's Cradle," she said with a laugh that had his gaze snapping back up to hers. His eyes were hopeful as she smiled at him, but she rubbed her hand along her forehead and said, "I'm sorry I... vanished. The other day."

"What happened? I told Mickey I needed a minute, and you were just gone."

She wanted to be honest with him, but she didn't know how to explain herself. And now she was starting to feel like she and Bob were in a fishbowl; so many pairs of eyes were looking their way with next to no subtlety. She cleared her throat and decided to avoid his question. "Have you read any Jane Austen?"

He looked a bit disappointed by her response, but he said, "I have not."

"I think you'd enjoy Persuasion. Or Northanger Abbey. What about Virginia Woolf?"

Bob shook his head. "I feel like I'm about to embarrass myself again like I did last weekend at the bookstore, but no, I haven't read either."

Anna practically moaned at his bashful expression and pink cheeks. He smelled so good, it was unbelievable. Why did she feel so drawn to him? Why couldn't she stop herself from taking a step closer when he muttered, "As soon as you said you knew what Cat's Cradle was about, I figured I was in way over my head. The classics kind of elude me. I'm actually more of a poetry buff."

"Poetry?" she gasped, heart pounding at an overwhelming rate as he swirled his glass of ginger ale around with nonchalance. As if he hadn't just said the sexiest thing any man had ever told her.

"Are the two of you just going to stand here and play footsie all night?"

Anna looked up to see Jake with a smirk on his face right in front of her. She didn't even notice anyone else in her vicinity before he spoke. Bob was shaking his head and already taking a step away from her when she asked, "Do you want me to text you some more recommendations?"

Bob froze and turned to look at her with a soft smile. "That'd be great." When she handed him her unlocked phone, he quickly added his number before handing it back to her. His calloused fingers felt even more exhilarating this time, which was very bad, because she'd already been thinking about the way he accidentally touched her at the bookstore on repeat.

"I'll send you some of my ideas," she muttered, pocketing her phone again before allowing Jake to pull her away toward the pool table again. She tried her best not to let her attention return to Bob over and over again, but she mostly failed. Sure enough, after a while, she saw another woman break the perimeter of the pool table and make a beeline toward Bradley before eventually turning toward Bob.

She was really pretty with shiny brown hair, and it made Anna uncomfortable when she touched Bob's arm. It wasn't fair. He was so lovely and soft spoken and handsome. He was even wearing a shirt Kevin would have never been caught dead in, but it made Anna smile. In another version of her life, she would have gone for it tonight. Instead she got to watch the brunette woman hand him her phone just like she'd done a few minutes prior.

"It's pretty late," she said suddenly even though she had no idea what time it actually was. "I'm going to head out."

Advanced Calculus and Advanced Physics both looked a little alarmed. "Already?"

"Yeah," she said, setting down her ginger ale and trying to skirt past Bob and the unknown woman. She gave both of her friends a quick hug and said, "I have a lot to prepare for my upcoming classes this weekend."

"Let me walk you to your car," Bob replied immediately, slipping away from the brunette to be closer to Anna. "Maybe you can give me the titles of the Jane Austen books again?" His cheeks were flushed, and the other woman looked annoyed now which did make Anna smile.

"Persuasion and Northanger Abbey," she repeated for him as she started to walk past the bar sending a wave in the direction of the pool table. Bob was following her now as she added, "And I don't have a car, so there's nothing to walk me to."

"Persuasion and Northanger Abbey," he repeated softly to himself. "Will you let me drive you home then?" he asked hopefully. "All I had to drink was ginger ale."

Anna let herself look up at him before she shook her head. "I'll get an Uber, but thanks for offering. It was nice to meet you. Again."

"It sure was," he agreed as he continued to follow her all the way to the door.

With one last glance over her shoulder, she noticed the dark haired woman on her tiptoes looking around for Bob. "Your brunette friend is looking for you," Anna said softly before slipping outside into the cool night air and opening the rideshare app on her phone. Bob didn't follow her any further, and she rode home with disappointment and sadness thrumming through her body. She was out of cheap wine, but at least she had her favorite poetry website to keep her company.

-------------------------

Bob groaned as he nudged his glasses up his nose and pressed his fingertips to his eyes until he was seeing stars. "But I like redheads," he moaned to himself. He could not believe it. He really just couldn't get over the fact that tonight of all nights some random woman started to chat him up. Anna could barely look at him to begin with, but now he'd be damn lucky if she actually texted him the book recommendations at all.

His dream girl was Anna. Anna was the perfect woman he met at the bookstore. Anna was the one he'd been thinking about nonstop, but now he had confirmation that she wasn't into him. That's why she vanished last weekend. That's why she gave him the cold shoulder tonight when he was practically tripping over himself at the sight of her. She was perfect. He was just hopeless. He could keep thinking about her, but what was the point? Now that he knew she worked with his friends, he had to stop this crush in its tracks and try to save face.

"There you are, Robby." A hand snaked around his side to his abs, and he almost jumped a foot in the air. He hated being called that, and he hated that Anna saw this woman talking to him.

"Hi," he said cautiously, taking a step away from her.

"Is the redhead your girlfriend?" she asked, clearly annoyed now.

Bob sighed and said, "I wish."

She rolled her eyes and vanished back into the crowd, leaving him alone again. He never imagined he'd have such an eventful night involving the fairer sex. "Damn it," he whispered as he made his way back toward the pool table to his friends.

"There he is!" Bradley called out with his hands cupped around his mouth. "Big ol' Bob! Did you just give your phone number to not one but two women?"

His wife and Jessica both looked mad now. "I thought you liked Anna," Jessica snapped. "Once we realized she was the redhead from the bookstore, we thought you'd probably end up sneaking off with her or something."

Bob could feel the heat rising in his face. "Come on," he replied, giving Jessica a look. "There's no way that would have happened. And I didn't give that other woman my number. I didn't even want to talk to her." In a softer voice, he added, "She just started touching me for no reason."

Bradley's wife pulled Bob in for a quick hug as she said, "Pretty soon, you'll be as good at dodging them as Bradley is." She looked him in the eye and quietly asked, "Now what happened with Anna?"

"I don't really know." That was his honest answer. "I was excited to see her again. I guess I imagined she vanished in the bookstore like some sort of romanticized Cinderella fairytale or something stupid when in reality she just... kind of got tired of talking to me. She seemed a little uncomfortable when she saw me again tonight, so that must be it."

"I think you're wrong," she said with conviction that almost made Bob believe it himself. "Jess and I will ask her about it next week."

"Please don't," he groaned, shaking his head. "I'm going to go home. See you at D&D tomorrow," he told Jessica before stopping by the bar to pay for the ginger ales, but Penny just waved him on. He left her a ten dollar tip and walked out to his truck.

It wasn't even that late, and when he parked in front of his duplex, his elderly next door neighbor was still awake with her door propped open for her cat to come back inside. As Bob trudged up the shared walkway with his key in hand, she called out, "Robert! Is that you?"

"Hi, Suzanne," he replied with a laugh. "It's me."

She was sitting on her couch, and he could hear game show reruns playing as she loudly said, "You're home pretty early for a Friday night. Still haven't found a girlfriend?"

Bob groaned. He could kick himself for even mentioning that he wished he had a girlfriend a few weeks ago when he took dinner over for her one Sunday evening. "Still single," he confirmed as he headed for his front door which was all of ten feet away from hers.

She scoffed, and Bob saw her massive cat, Sylvester, streak back inside. "You must not be trying very hard, Robert. Handsome, strong thing like you."

It was like arguing with his grandma, so he just avoided it completely. "Okay, I saw Sylvester run inside, so I'm going to close your front door. Make sure you lock it before you go to sleep. Good night, Suzanne."

He pulled her door closed for her and then unlocked his, and he walked inside to find his copy of A Room with a View sitting on the coffee table. It seemed to be taunting him like it knew he'd seen the adorable redhead again. And struck out a second time. He was confused and hurt and annoyed, and he just wanted to go to bed and pretend like he wasn't as hopeless as he felt.

-----------------------------

These babes need to get themselves straightened out! Anna, he thinks you're not into him! Bob, she's scared to admit she is! Thanks @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 4

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@sweetwhispersofchaos

#robert floyd x oc #robert bob floyd x oc #robert bob floyd #bob floyd #bob floyd imagine #robert floyd imagine #bob floyd fic #bob floyd fanfiction #bob floyd x oc #robert floyd fic #robert floyd fanfiction #robert floyd #top gun imagine #top gun maverick imagine #top gun fanfiction #top gun maverick fanfiction #roosterforme #covering the classics

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sorchathered · 8 months ago

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I can love you through the dark

Pairing- Jake Seresin x OC (Savannah Monroe-Seresin)

Warnings- language, angst, mentions of death, pregnancy, ptsd

Summary- sometimes the past keeps Jake up at night, but she is always there to bring him back from the dark.

A/N- an old WIP I found deep in my Google docs that I thought could use some love. Not beta read.

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Jake Seresin had a short fuse. He’d been working on that.

He kept his composure as Rooster threw that cheap shot at him, brushing it off despite the shock all over everyone’s faces by the pool table. “The only place you’ll lead someone is an early grave.” It rang in his ears later that night, Coyote was too damn perceptive as he watched his friend from across the shitty barracks room they were assigned to.

“I’m fine” Jake grunted as he stared at the ceiling, trying to will the thoughts away.

Two years. It’d been two years since his former wingman Torch had lost his life in a field exercise gone wrong. Jake had been cleared of any wrongdoing but he knew; if he’d watched his teammate’s back like he should have Torch would still be alive.

He’d worked his ass off to prove he was the best ever since, and refused to let anyone else in again after that day. Maybe that’s why he was so frustrated with Rooster, he cared too much where Jake refused to care at all. The mission was what mattered now; not making friends. All getting close to someone guaranteed was that you had more to lose, and Jake couldn’t bear to lose anything or anyone else.

“How are things going?” The soft voice filtered through the speaker of his phone as he paced the halls, another night full of nightmares and no sleep.

“It’s going. This is a big one, everyone who’s anyone is here and I worry that they aren’t taking it as serious as they should.” He sighed and ran a hand over his face, he shouldn’t be on the phone with her right now, one of them at least needed to get some rest.

“You need to take care of yourself, and try to be a team player-“

He barked out a laugh at that and he could just see her shaking her head and sighing, she knew he couldn’t afford to get close to someone like that again, no one knew better than she did.

“Jake. I need your head in the game. I can’t do this without you, I- I need you to come home ok?” She was crying, he’d promised he’d do everything he could to never make her cry and here she was getting upset over him again.

“Sweetheart I’m not going anywhere, but you need to rest ok? I’ll be good, I’ll be the very best. Take care of yourself and our little angel. I love you Savvy, fuck- I love you so much.”

They said their goodbyes and Jake slept for the first time since he’d gotten back to Miramar.

Savannah “Savvy” Monroe had been Torch’s high school sweetheart, she’d followed him wherever the navy took him until that fateful day when his plane had gone down. She’d always seemed like an unstoppable force until then, and Jake watched one of his best friend’s crumble and turn into a shell of the woman she’d been. It seemed obvious to everyone but him that they would seek solace in each other, no one blamed them for how they chose to stitch themselves back together, and while they started a new life together Jake couldn’t help but struggle with the guilt.

She’d dragged him to therapy after a big fight, he’d walked out her early in their relationship; determined to prove to her that he didn’t deserve her love and push her to hate him as much as he hated himself. 6 months later he’d finally found himself again, only to find out that Savvy was pregnant. He couldn’t help but wish Torch was here, and his therapist told him it was not only normal but expected. He’d made an honest woman out of her quickly after that, life had proven to be too short and they wanted to start their new life with all the bows tied up nice and neat.

When the call came up to head back to top gun they were nearing the 7th month and he wanted her to stay in Texas with his mom where he knew she’d be safe and taken care of. Now he was here and all he wanted was to hold her, especially after Rooster managed to get under his skin. No one really knew that he and Sav were married, except for Javy and his wife and he wanted to keep it that way. Rooster knew Torch would always be a sore spot, and he’d pressed just the right buttons to bring Hangman to the surface. He filed that rage away for the right moment and when the time came he was ruthless, he knew it was wrong to cut Bradshaw down like that but Rooster had thrown the first punch.

When he got reduced to spare and Rooster got promoted to wingman he was almost relieved, he had too much to lose and it was easy to get caught up in the competition. He wanted to be the best, but he had to think of his family.

Mission accomplished and successful, everyone had survived and made it back to Fightertown safely. As he stepped off the carrier he heard her shouting his name and shook his head in disbelief, he should’ve known better than to think her stubborn ass wouldn’t be here waiting for him to return. She couldn’t run bless her heart but she waddled across the lot as fast as she could with a giggle as he scooped her up in his arms, kissing her deeply and then dropping to his knees to talk to his baby boy.

Rooster watched from a distance, realization striking him as he took the scene in. He’d met Torch’s wife before, years ago when they were in flight school. Heat burned his cheeks as he realized that maybe- just maybe he was just as much of an ass as Jake Seresin, and maybe his judgement had been too harsh. Coyote clapped him on the shoulder as he passed, nodding his head in their direction as he watched Jake pepper kisses to her cheeks, he treated her like she were made of glass as he escorted her across the lot to his truck.

“Now you know a little something about Hangman, he wants you to think he’s a pompous ass; but the man couldn’t be more of a marshmallow. I hope to God we never have to live through what they did, don’t you agree?” Javy Machado didn’t wait for an answer, just left Rooster to ponder that thought.

He thought of his mother, broken over the loss of his father and felt a cold chill, he’d find a way to thank Hangman someday, he had saved his life after all.

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Tagging- @roosterforme @attapullman @bobgasm @seitmai @sebsxphia @mynameismckenziemae @sailor-aviator

#top gun maverick #top gun maverick fanfiction #jake seresin #Jake Seresin x oc #jake seresin fanfiction #jake seresin x reader #jake seresin x you

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bestiesenpai · 9 months ago

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sukuna bridgerton au pt3

It’s honeymoon time! Someone suggested jealous Sukuna and I wanted to put it in here but I think I’ll save it for the next installment.

Content warning that there will be infidelity(mentions of past and then a current scenario), attempted noncon(very short and not graphic)!

Bold indicates a different language used in conversation

Femme reader, i did include one line of a physical descriptor(hair)

part one --- part two -- part four

Traveling to your honeymoon made you almost as sick as Sukuna on your wedding night, something which you thought couldn’t be outdone. The man had spent all night in the restroom being nursed by his valets while you lay in another wing of the villa sleeping peacefully with the help of another spiced drink from your lady's maid.

“You’ll get used to the ship, I promise!” Sukuna chuckled as he walked into your bed quarters to see you laying face down on the bed. It was only your first day and while you’d be on the ship barely three days you weren’t sure how you would fare.

“Please, not now.” Turning your head slightly, you glared at Sukuna.

“Come with me, I know something that may help.” He held out his hand, laughing again when you refused to move even an inch. “If it doesn’t work I’ll carry you back here personally.” It took several minutes for you to muster up the strength to get up and follow him, gripping his bicep to keep yourself steady as the ship rocked back and forth. “I wish I had known this was going to be your first time on a ship, Your Grace. I would have prepared more for you!”

“N-not everyone can travel the world like you.” Coming to the upper deck you groaned at the sudden gust of air that blew into you. The water was thankfully calm and the weather was beautiful and you cursed yourself for not being able to properly enjoy it.

“This way.” Leading you to the front of the ship, Sukuna had you sit on a small bench overlooking the ocean. Handing you a glass of peppermint tea, he stood by your side and pointed out to the horizon. “Just look that way and I promise you’ll settle in no time.”

“Whatever you say.” You didn’t have a reason to question him, Sukuna was a sailor at one point for his country's navy and he even joked about putting on his old uniform for the journey. Sipping the tea slowly, the sound of the water slapping against the boat and the sails rustling became merely background noise and not something grating against your ears.

“How do you feel?” Sukuna asked, daring to put a hand on your shoulder.

“Better.” Taking a breath, you took stock of your body. There was still a lingering nausea but the dreadful feeling from before was gone and you could take looks away from the horizon from time to time. Sukuna slid his hand from your shoulder, letting it rest at his side before he excused himself.

Dinner on the ship was uneventful but what was to come after had your nerves on edge. Your mother had briefly talked about this aspect of married life but you knew it wasn’t enough to prepare you. Some of your already married girl friends spoke on it as well but you knew experiencing it for yourself would be something else entirely.

“Do you wish to be together tonight, Miss?” Sukuna spoke once the meal was over, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms across his chest. “Although I must warn you, once a woman has laid with me she falls in love.” Gone was the mystique you had and back was the memory of Sukuna the first time you saw him, wrapped up with another woman that you were certain wasn’t enjoying herself in the slightest.

“I’ve seen how you treat women in that way and I wish to do no such thing with you.”

“What? You can’t be serious.” He rolled his eyes and waved a hand dismissively at you. “That woman was nothing more than a whore.”

“Do not say such things!” You shouted back, anger quickly rising in you.

“Do you not hear me? I’m saying you’re different!”

“I do not believe you. Who’s to stop you from being cruel to me?”

��It is our wedding night!” Standing abruptly, the chair clattered to the ground as Sukuna rounded the table. “I am your husband!” Grabbing onto your jaw roughly, Sukuna ignored your screams of protest and your attempt to hit him away. “And you would do good to listen to me.”

“Get off of me!” Wrestling out of the chair, you attempted to push Sukuna to the side so you could leave but the man didn’t budge. Raising your hand to strike him didn’t work either as he caught both of your wrists and another struggle ensued.

“You should be grateful I haven’t done anything already!”

“Let me go!”

“You should be thanking me for protecting you against Naoya!”

“I’d rather him than you!” In a last ditch effort you brought your knee up, hitting Sukuna right between the legs. It gave you enough time to stomp on his foot and shove him to the ground. Looking down at him with tears streaming down your face, you couldn’t bring yourself to say anything and instead fled from the room.

Rushing into the bedroom, you slammed the door closed and locked it, going so far as to push the chest of drawers in front of the door as well. There was no doubt that the servants aboard had heard everything and would certainly talk about the spectacle but hopefully none of them would say anything once you reached land.

The next two days at sea you avoided Sukuna like the plague, only leaving the bedroom to use the restroom and get a breath of air as soon as the sun began to rise. Sometimes you could hear him outside your room pacing and on occasion the maid will ask if you have anything you’d like to say to him but you decline every time.

“Finally, land!” Sukuna announced once the ship docked. This was the first time you were seeing each other since the first night and you know you looked worse for wear. You could hardly sleep the whole time, worried that Sukuna would force his way into the bedroom. Rushing off of the ship as soon as possible, you took in the city before you. It was certainly old and you could see a tall cathedral in the distance and smoking chimneys dotted the landscape around it.

Climbing into the carriage, you were grateful Sukuna rode separately. There was no doubt you’d start crying if you were in such a tight space with him. Riding through the city, you marveled at the different clothing you saw and the language you heard was something you’d been studying for a while now.

Riding to the city outskirts, the chateau you’d be staying at came into view. There was tasteful ivy and wisteria growing on the front and you had to ride over a bridge to get to it, with the river below sparkling in the sun. Many trees dotted the landscape and a garden sprawled out behind the property.

“Please show me to my room.” You made a beeline for the head maid of the estate once the carriage stopped, not wanting to be caught with Sukuna for even a moment. Her mouth opened to question you but thought better of it and stepped aside, gesturing you to follow her.

“Princess!” Sukuna called after you but you didn’t turn around.

“Please, walk faster.” You urged, making the maid nearly run to get to your room.

“N-now Your Highness, will you and the Prince be sharing a room or-”

“I want to be nowhere near him. Thank you.” Closing the door quickly, you could hear approaching footsteps and made sure to lock the door.

“Princess, open the door.” Sukuna knocked loudly, causing you to jump.

“Go away.” You replied with a shaky voice.

“Let me see you. I wish to apologize.”

“I do not wish to hear it.” You countered immediately, backing away from the door.

“But I-”

“Leave! Now!” The shrillness of your voice surprised even you and you could only imagine what Sukunas expression was.

“Fine.” He stormed away, a crash and something shattering an indication he was very upset.

June 3

My worst fears of marriage have come true. Sukuna is a monster, an absolute and irredeemable creature. I thought he could at least respect my wishes yet the way he attacked me on the ship says otherwise. I do not want to be alone with him although that will certainly cause people to talk about the state of our marriage.

If possible, I will make sure I always have a maid present on this honeymoon for my own peace of mind. I heard some servants mention a festival being held in our honor down at the city center at the end of this week, maybe by then my reservations about being with Sukuna will have changed.

What a way to start a marriage, is it not?

Two days went by before your paths crossed again. Sukuna was usually out of the home riding or greeting acquaintances and you took the time to explore the chateau and get a tour from the head maid. Finding a quiet place to sit under a tree near the rivers edge, you settled into a small picnic and a book you’d gotten as a gift from one of your siblings.

The calmness of the water, the heat of the sun and the shade of the tree all helped to draw you so into your book you lost track of your surroundings. You paid no mind to the snapping of twigs or a rustle here and there, though you wished you had when you finally took a break and looked up and over your shoulder.

There Sukuna was, leaning against the tree trunk and watching you. He was in a black vest, no cravat to decorate his neck and you could see a small patch of skin from where his shirt was unbuttoned. He donned his familiar boots once more and his pants had many creases in them. Seeing your frightened expression, he raised his hands in surrender.

“I’m merely here to apologize.” He pushed himself away from the tree and took a few steps forward, stopping when he saw you visibly recoil. “Please, do not run away.” You held your tongue, fearing you’d either say something mean or scream.

“I let my emotions get the better of me on the ship and I should know better than to treat a lady in such a way.” Looking at the river, he sighed; Sukuna was not one for apologies, he simply ignored the issue until it blew over or had a valet do it for him. “I…apologize, Princess. I will not let such a thing happen again between us.”

You let the words sink in as you looked at him. His expression did appear genuine and you didn’t want to live in this discomfort forever.

“You are forgiven.” Your eyes dropped down to his lapel as you took a deep breath. “But the trust between us will need to be rebuilt.” Not that there had been a great deal in the first place, but what was there would need to be mended.

“Of course. I shall start by having the cook prepare your favorite meal for supper, it’s only right we dine together and discuss what our plans for this honeymoon should be.”

“Yes, that sounds lovely.”

“Now if you’ll excuse me, Princess.” If Sukuna was honest, he was terribly uncomfortable right now. Being vulnerable in this way and apologizing was a foreign feeling to him that he did not want to dwell in any longer. Bowing his head, Sukuna turned and began to walk away and got a few feet away before he turned back. “Princess?”

“Yes?”

“What…what is your favorite meal?”

At supper that evening, the conversation flowed much better than either of you expected. It was still stilted and paused in some places with neither of you knowing what to say next, but overall the mood was amicable and you even chuckled at something he said.

With your relationship slowly getting better, you both retired to the drawing room for the evening where you played a song on the harp and Sukuna read a newspaper from the town and sipped on an evening cocktail.

“My Lady, I’m sure the servants have told you about the festival to be held this week?” He spoke without looking after you finished the song.

“I’ve heard about it, yes. It’ll be held in Vauxhall Gardens if I’m not mistaken.” You looked at him hopefully, you desperately wanted to go. It was to be held in your honor after all and if you didn’t go it would surely sour the city's impression of you.

“You do not need to look at me like that, of course we will be in attendance.” Rolling his eyes playfully, he set the newspaper down and finally looked at you. “As if I would miss a chance to show off to the simple minded people of this city.” Ignoring the jab at the citizens, your mind raced with what you would wear and what all would be at the gardens.

As the evening came to an end, you and Sukuna parted ways to go to your separate bedrooms. He had started to follow you to your room but stopped at the look you gave him, slinking away to the room he’d been occupying. It would likely take a while for you to be comfortable enough for him to see you in complete undress and in your nightclothes.

The days leading up to the festival had you buzzing with excitement; you had a local guide take you around the city and you got to practice your language skills with the locals, many of whom were taken by the new Princess in their presence. You even met with some high trade merchants and their families with some going as far as to ask you to bless their children with good fortune.

The night of the festival, you and Sukuna donned clothing familiar to the area; forgoing your gloves, you slipped on a golden bracelet a merchant had given you and sat back as a silky bandana was tied around your head, holding some of your hair back as you’d seen other women do in the market you visited.

Coming to the foyer, you saw Sukuna was in linen pants and a dark red shirt with the sleeves done up around his elbows to expose his forearms. This was the first time you were seeing such a show of skin from a man and you were unable to draw your eyes away. You completely ignored the black vest and ornate lapel pin he had on, or the ascot he had on that was a similar pattern to your bandana.

“Princess, staring is rude.” Sukuna teased, snapping his finger in front of your face. Jumping out of your daydreams, a hot flush enveloped your cheeks and you clutched your reticule and fan to your chest.

“Let us depart.” You responded and nearly ran to the barouche. Sukuna’s laughter followed you out and he quickly joined you, settling into his seat as the hot summer air enveloped the two of you as you rode. Getting closer to the pleasure garden, you saw people of all social standing making their way as well with most tipping their hats or curtseying as you drove by.

“My Lady.” Sukuna made a show of getting out first and helping you out of the carriage and a small crowd formed off to the side to witness it. Smiling politely to them, you followed Sukunas lead and headed into the garden where a host of trumpets played upon your arrival.

“Oh my!” Right away, you spotted someone breathing fire and another swallowing swords. Making your way further in, there were many statues to behold and there was even a hot-air balloon exhibition that you stopped to marvel at for a time. “This is marvelous, Your Highness.”

“It truly is.” Nodding dumbly, Sukuna couldn’t take his eyes off the hot-air balloon and was about to offer to take you on it when a voice interrupted him.

“Your Highness!” A man's voice cut through the crowd and you both turned to see a few merchants with their wives. Curtsying slightly at them, you noticed how Sukuna had shifted to partially stand in front of you.

“Your Highness.” He said again to you, bowing deeply. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lord Edward, and behind me are Lord Phillip and Lord Willoughby.”

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance.” You responded with a polite smile, looking at everyone in the group. The wives of these merchants were all trying their best not to stare at you but even you knew you’d find it quite difficult in the presence of royalty not to stare.

“To what do we owe this pleasure?” Sukuna asked with a very slight edge to his tone.

“We merely wish to congratulate the happy couple.” Lord Phillip spoke up, wringing his hands nervously as he did so.

“When we heard you would be taking your honeymoon in our city, we were overjoyed.” Lord Willoughby's wife took a few steps toward you in an attempt to engage in conversation. Taking a quick glance at Sukuna, he gave you no disparaging looks so you accepted the advance.

“And what a beautiful city it is!” You gushed, allowing the woman to bring you into the fray of wives. As your new group began to walk again, you fell into step with the women and walked a bit slower to truly engage in conversation.

Stopping to look at a tightrope walker, you nearly fainted at seeing them walk across so graciously and with confidence you could never muster if you were up that high. As the spectacle went on, you couldn’t help but catch wind of the conversation in front of you.

“Your Highness, will we be seeing you later tonight at the parlor? There are a few…ladies wishing to see you again.”

“Rest assured gentlemen, I shall give them what they so desire.” Chuckling at the thought, Sukuna made a show of brushing off his vest. “They’ll be begging for more until the sun rises.” The conversation was certainly not for your ears and you tried in vain to ignore it and the way the men laughed amongst themselves.

“Do not let this sully your good mood, Your Highness.” One of the women whispered to you, fanning your face in an attempt to dry the tears you didn’t know had fallen. “It is something that comes with married life in every class.” Quickly pulling out your handkerchief, you fought hard to keep your breathing even.

“E-excuse me a moment.” Making a hasty retreat, you didn’t dare turn to look and see if Sukuna had noticed. It was foolish of you to think you could truly be happy in this marriage and that there could be a sense of trust between the two of you. Your first conversation with Sukuna flashed into your head, one where he specifically stated he would not belong to just one woman.

“Oh, please excuse me, Miss.” As a consequence of you not watching where you were going, you ended up running right into someone and nearly falling. With their arm outstretched you managed to right yourself before any mishap happened.

“Please forgive me, I wasn’t watching where I was going.” You replied, looking at the man you had bumped into. He wore a darker version of what Sukuna had on, black on black clothing making it almost impossible to distinguish him from the night sky if it weren’t for the lamps lighting the garden. Upon making eye contact, the man gasped and bowed immediately.

“My apologies, Your Highness! I did not realize it was you. I am Lord Megumi Fushiguro, I am a merchant that deals in the high trade of wine.” He did not stand back up as he spoke, making sure to keep his head lower than yours. “I do hope you are enjoying the festival, my warehouse supplied all of the refreshments tonight.”

“I…I am.” Raising your hand, you motioned for him to stand at his full height once more. Megumi had spiky black hair that went in all directions even though you could tell he desperately wished it to be slicked down with the way he kept petting at it. He had a lapel pin of a jeweled raven, something that immediately caught your eye along with his striking features.

“If I may be so forward, Your Highness, do you wish to walk with me? I see you are unattended and a lady of your stature should not be walking alone.”

“I would enjoy that.” With a gentle smile on your face, you fell into step with Megumi. He didn’t speak much at all, instead walking with his hands behind his back and taking in the sights of the festival. With the silence he provided, you tried to comfort yourself.

“Your Highness, is everything alright? Your expression is most troubled.” Megumi asked, stopping to grab you a ratafia and some zeppole. Taking a sip of the drink, your brows rose high upon your face at tasting how strong it was. Megumi couldn’t help the chuckle that came out upon seeing it.

“I do not wish to delve too deep but it seems…” You hesitated and looked around you and at Megumi's face. You weren’t sure how much - if anything - to divulge to this man and how much would be heard by others. “The Prince and I have had a disagreement tonight.” Pursing your lips after you took another sip, you were glad that all Megumi did was nod at that information.

“Very well. Let us not dwell on this and let it tarnish the night. Come, shall we see the zoo?” He began to walk and you followed, grateful for his willingness to change the topic of conversation.

“These animals are amazing!” You’d never seen a collection such as this before, there were animals here that you’d only read about. Elephants and ostriches, flamingos and snakes - and you were even allowed to touch some of them. Glancing over at Megumi, there were a few times you caught him looking at you fondly and when one of the zookeepers went to put a snake on your arm he held you gingerly at the elbow.

You found conversation to be easy with Megumi even though you could tell he preferred not to say much. Any questions you had were answered, like how many siblings he had - one sister, Your Highness. Did he enjoy the arts - horrible at drawing but I love to read, Your Highness. What his favorite color was - sorry to say it’s black, Your Highness, I know it is quite drab. If he was on the marriage market or not - I suppose I am, though my efforts are more spent on getting my sister a match, Your Highness.

“Lord Fushiguro, I thank you so very much for being my company for tonight.” Your words slurred just the slightest as you spoke and although you wouldn’t dare hang onto him for support, you wished you could put your arm in Megumis and let him help keep you upright. Recounting the drinks you had, it didn’t feel like you should have been this drunk; but you chalked it up to the country’s alcohol just naturally being stronger than you were used to.

“It is truly my pleasure, Your Highness.” Even though Megumi had the same amount of alcohol as you did he appeared completely unaffected, walking with his head held high. As the two of you went, you realized that the area had become less populated and the buzz of the festival was beginning to dull.

“It seems we have wandered a bit too far.” Looking around, you realized you were in a more wooded area of the park, something your mother always forbade you to do. A dark walk in that part of the park will leave your reputation in tatters. “Let us turn back now.”

But turning to Megumi, you saw the look in his eyes had shifted. Taking a step back, you gasped at feeling your back hit a tree and Megumi’s hand planted itself right near your head.

“Your Highness, I enjoyed our time together so much I fear I do not want it to end.” His voice had dropped lower and he dared to bring his face closer to yours. Turning your head away, you felt your nerves prick and you brought your fan up to your face to try and shield yourself.

“Y-yes but-”

“There is no need to be shy, not here.” Megumi attempted to remove your fan but you held strong and he did not push it; something you were grateful for. If it had been Sukuna, you know much more would have happened already. “I know how he treats you, Your Highness.” That admittance made you snap to attention.

“Please, do not say anything.” You pleaded, lowering your fan slightly.

“I would never do anything to hurt you, you must understand. It is deplorable how the Prince treats his new wife and I do not stand for it.” Megumi tried again to remove your fan and you let him, let him tuck it into your reticule. He linked the tips of your fingers together and you gasped; this was the first time you were touching the bare hand of a man that you weren’t related to and it sent shivers up your spine.

“Your Highness, will you allow me to show you how I would treat you?” Megumi’s voice was now a whisper against your lips and you barely whispered a yes before he was kissing you. It was gentle and slow, allowing you to ease into the feeling of your second kiss.

You slowly brought your other hand up to rest on Megumi’s shoulder as he deepened the kiss, his unoccupied hand daring to grip your waist through your dress. Tilting your head to the side you let him kiss down your neck and to the middle of your chest. Megumi let out a soft groan when your fingers slowly tangled into his hair and he shifted, daring to start lifting up the skirt of your dress.

“Tell me to stop, Your Highness. Tell me and I will.” Megumi half begged, his lips desperate against yours. You shook your head in response - you weren’t sure you could say anything at the moment. Palming over your undergarments, Megumi’s hand was quickly reaching the apex of your thighs, something that was lighting your skin on fire.

“Lord Fushiguro…” You sighed quietly and subtly shifted your legs a bit farther apart for him. Just as his fingers began to inch further towards your heat, Megumi was ripped away from you with a shout.

“You fucking bastard!” Even in the dim light you could tell it was Sukuna who had caught you and was now gripping Megumi by the collar as they tustled on the ground.

“Y-Your Highness, run away!” Megumi yelled, rolling over and managing to hold Sukuna off from punching him.

“Stop!” You cried, daring to get closer to try and pull them apart.

“Leave!” Megumi shouted once more, enraging Sukuna now that he could understand.

“You tried to take advantage of her, you devil!” He yelled and the pair quickly dissolved into another wrestling match on the ground. You could see both landed a few hits on the other and you couldn’t bear to see either of them hurt.

“Lord Fushiguro!” You fell to your knees at the sigh of Sukuna landing a punch square on the man’s jaw, knocking him senseless. Sukunas breathing was labored as he stood above the man, brushing off the dirt he’d accumulated.

“You. Never- never see again.” His words in the language were broken and he glanced at you for a moment. “You, never go again.” Ignoring the threatening words, you tried to go to Megumi to assess his injuries.

“Let me see him.” You fought against Sukuna, the way he held you back so easily frustrated you. “Let me see him!” Reaching out an arm, you groaned as Sukuna hugged your arms to your chest.

“Your Highness.” Megumi raised his head slightly, giving you a pained smile while a purple bruise was blooming on his face. “Please, do not be upset.” In any other situation you’d find Megumi’s accent delightfully charming and wish to hear it a hundred times over. “Go home and rest.”

“Silence.” Sukuna growled, spitting on Megumi as he walked by with you in tow. It was difficult to compose yourself enough to get through the gardens and back to the barouche but somehow you managed with only the grace the Queen's diamond could summon.

The ride back to the chateau was disgusting with the tension that filled the space. The air had cooled now, helping to dry the sweat that had collected on both of you during your outing. As soon as you stepped foot inside, Sukuna cornered you against the wall.

“Explain to me what happened.” He ordered, not being gentle as he shoved you to stop you from escaping.

“Do not handle me in such a manner.” You bit back with a shove of your own. The two of you stared at each other, eyes dripping with venom and it was you that broke the tension first. “I am merely playing the part of a royal, am I not?”

“Be quiet.”

“No! It was you that told me this is how royalty does it! You that said you would never be faithful to me.” Your face was uncomfortably hot and your shouting pushed Sukuna back some. “You set the tone for this marriage and I am simply following your lead.” Sniffling back angry tears, the vision of Megumi beaten and bloody on the ground flashed in front of your eyes. “You have no right to be angry when it was you who made the rules we are to follow.”

Sukuna sighed angrily, running a hand through his hair. What you said was true no matter how much he wanted to deny it. It was he that told you how your married life would be and although he expected you to be upset, he didn’t expect for you to also do the same to him.

“You will never see him again, I hope you understand that.” Was what he said in response. You merely shook your head in disagreement, pulling your fan out to cool yourself.

“You have no right to say that when you will surely go to that parlor tonight as you have done every other night since our arrival.”

“I am your husband-”

“And I am your wife!” You countered, tossing your fan to the ground. “Or does that mean nothing to you? Am I merely just the Queens diamond that you were so happy to pluck and place upon a shelf?”

Both of your breathing was labored and you could practically see steam rolling off Sukuna as he tried to think of what to say next. His hands curled and uncurled, his shoulders rolled and that was when you finally took notice of the bloody lip and blossoming bruise on the side of his neck. With a cut above the eyebrow and remnants of a bloody nose, he looked much like a young boy that had been caught in a fight and not a regal crown prince.

“I do not have to explain myself to you.” His eyes were trained on the floor and he dared not move them. “You are right, it was indeed I that said I would never be faithful. But I see now that those words have hurt us both and…and I wish for that all to stop now.” Finding the courage to look at your face, makeup ruined by all the tears and your face scrunched up in disbelief, Sukuna sighed again. “I do not want to break your heart.” That earned him a slap on the face, something that shocked him so terribly he stumbled back and knocked into a table in the foyer.

“Heartbreak is one thing, my ego is another.” Shaking off your stinging hand, you picked up your discarded fan. “If what you say is true, then I accept it. I do not want this partnership to continue in such a way.” Fixing your clothes, you froze at what Sukuna said next.

“You know Princess, I quite liked you slapping me like that.” He chuckled and raised his brow, biting his lip as you made eye contact. You stammered to make a response but found no words were coming forward and that made Sukuna laugh even more. “Go get ready for bed, Princess. I’d like for us to go out to the country tomorrow.”

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