#the two gremlins who have been keeping me company while I work

[bloominflowers]

just some goofy lads

[abstractnaturaldisaster]

is it over now? (was it over then?)

part five

part six: with the wilt of the rose

With the success of Eddie's Steve single as his bandmates had started to call it, the label had basically told Corroded Coffin in no uncertain terms to channel that energy into the rest of their album. It wasn't that Eddie didn't like the attention his song was getting and Steve absolutely deserved it, the lying piece of shit, but it was like getting permission to write angsty music about Steve took all the fun out of it. He was fully out of inspiration of the angst variety and had taken a hard left turn into moping, feeling sorry for himself, and being one thousand percent convinced that he was going to be single for the rest of his life and die alone.

Eddie was reclining in his giant beanbag chair (his nest as Steve used to joke with him), occasionally humming lines, strumming on his guitar, and writing more and more pathetically dramatic lyrics for most of the day until he reached his limit and pulled out his phone. It wasn't like Eddie was purposefully keeping track of people in Steve's life but over the time they were together his little gaggle of gremlins wormed his way into Eddie's life too. Unfortunately when he opened his phone it was to tweets of Dustin going low key feral over Steve's new role in some indie biopic but at the same time being crazy upset that Steve would be incommunicado as Dustin so helpfully added in his tweet. The kid was such a dweeb. Eddie flicked out of twitter and opened instagram hoping that his feed would be mostly possum memes. He scrolled idly for a while seeing new tattoo ideas and of course many cute furry animals doing many silly things until suddenly he was reminded of a particular face Steve made and Eddie (although he would never admit this) searched for Steve's public profile only a little disappointed that he hadn't posted anything more recent than when the two were together.

Because Eddie may or may not be a massive masochist and can't leave well enough alone, he decides to tab over to Steve's tagged pictures to see if there is anything recent. In between several tags of Steve being unfairly good looking in whatever movie he was currently filming, Eddie was taken aback by a post that was just of Robin and Nancy. They looked a little closer than just gal pals or whatever it was the tabloids called them while speculating how they could be friends while "fighting" over Steve. So much for modern feminism.

Before Eddie got distracted enough to go through a full rant that might include a fairly long section about how Ronnie was treated differently than the rest of his bandmates, Eddie focused back on the issue at hand. Why was Nancy who he highly suspected of stealing his fucking boyfriend posing like she was getting engaged to Steve's best friend. And why did they fucking tag him it it? Robin was snarky sure but she didn't seem like that level of bitch. Eddie took a deep breath and opened the fairly lengthy caption to see:

nancywheeler Hello World! It's been a long time coming but I am so excited to publicly announce that me and Robin (@buckster) are going steady. I know I don't post a whole lot about my person life on here (seriously, the rest of the world is so much more exciting) but you've always been so supportive of my coming out and sexuality related posts as well as understanding when I needed to set a boundary between my personal life and my online persona. I've been unable to share my most recent relationship for a really long time because of the public pressure of coming out and being a "marketable asset." Steve (@sharrington) could not have been a better support during this time and took a lot of public flak to keep Robin and I safe and comfortable until we were ready to be out publicly. He always offered up his home while I was visiting and kept me company while Robin was working. I guess us bi guys have to stick together, huh? Anyways, that's all for now. And no, we aren't engaged (yet 😈)

Eddie was floored. He had spent all his time since leaving Steve's apartment feeling very holier than thou and smug about everything that happened with Steve and the success his band was experience because of it. Although if one Miss Nancy Wheeler was telling the truth (which like as a journalist Eddie thinks she has to), Steve was actually helping his platonic soulmate find love with his exgirlfriend. If Eddie hadn't already felt kind of shitty for assuming the worst about Steve, this had to take the fucking cake. Eddie was truly done for. Put a fork in him. He's the worst person ever. Fuck. He needed reinforcements.

devilededs: uhm hi friends, i think maybe i am the asshole in the whole steve situation can u come to mine?

ronnie: you saw it? i can finally give you shit about being a total drama queen?

devilededs: what do you mean? why would you not tell me if you knew it existed.

ronnie: precisely because of this vibe right now.

devilededs: okay, everyone but ronnie pls come over i need snacks and maybe some really b grade horror but you have to indulge me in my sadness.

garbear: already on the way with your emotional support jeff and frank. we'll pick up snacks.

ronnie: if you let me problem solve for you can i come for snacks? i don't think i can handle moping eddie without trying to show you its very fixable.

devilededs: YES! FIX! ME! HOW! GET OVER HERE!

Eddie flopped back into the beanbag chair and let his notebook flop out of his lap. Thankfully his friends all had keys so he could continue to rot in place until Ronnie forcibly withdrew him from his hovel.

part seven

@lololol-1234 @swimmingbirdrunningrock @zombiethingy @grtwdsmwhr @dreamercec @anne-bennett-cosplayer @strawberryyyenthusiast @mensch-anthropos-human @kal-ology @ttyrussss @kristmkris @starman-jpg @wonderland-girl143-blog @child-of-cthulhu @legalmenace87 @adealwithher @practicallybegging @lunaraquaenby @stripey82 @lexyvey @goodolefashionedloverboi @mothmamhasyourlocation @mugloversonly (if you wanna be tagged in future parts feel free to comment! happy to add people)

[fantasynsuch]

"Sweet Thing" - Adam Stanheight x Fem! Reader NSFW

TW: post trap. I refuse to write anything pre-trap, as it implies he isn't alive grrrr. Maybe voyeurism??

As I stretch my full body out, I groan in relief. I've been sitting at this god-forsaken desk since 10 am, and it's 1 now. My boss decided it would be appropriate to drop a week-long project on me two days ago: it's due tomorrow. He's a dickhead, and I await the day he gets fired. Until then, I still have to complete this damn project: and it's taken away my attention from Adam.

He knows that my job sometimes takes away attention from him, and God bless him, he really does understand why. He doesn't complain when all I can give him in terms of attention is a quick kiss on the forehead and a "love you". He usually grabs my hand as I walk away and falls right back to sleep, as he tends to get home incredibly late due to his weird working hours - cheating men don't have a set schedule, he usually jokes.

Like always, this morning, I kissed him quickly and made my way to the office: since we moved, we've had enough room to have our own separate work spaces, which has been incredibly useful.

As I think about him, I notice a cough from behind me, and I turn around out of shock. He doesn't usually wake up this early. His shirt is off and his snail trail is... very tempting.

"Hey, babe! You're up early." I huff out a laugh. He grins at me from the door way and responds to me: "Well, I just couldn't fall back asleep. I have a pretty girlfriend in here who needs someone to keep her company through this shitty work- what kind of man would I be if I didn't keep you entertained with my beautiful face?" He chortles.

I giggle and motion him to sit down in the armchair at the corner of the room as I turn around in my swivel chair. I hear him shuffle his way over to the chair. He plops down and sighs dramatically.

I ignore his attempts to distract me with hesitation, but this project was incredibly important. I can't let him distract me.

"Oh, I-I just am soo bored without you. I just don't know what to do without your hands wrapped around my back while I sleep in, whatever will I do?" He pouts and crosses his arms like a diva who didn't get something she wanted.

I roll my eyes and state simply, "You will NOT sway me from the path of righteousness this time, demon!" I turn my head away from the papers and hiss at him playfully. I grip my pencil tightly and begin writing notes down so I don't forget them. He's distracted me from work projects before, but I will not allow it this time!

He exhales and then groans. I peek at him and roll my eyes. He notices my eyes and grins.

"Oh, you're ignoring me? You're childish!" He pokes his tongue out at me and looks thoughtful for a moment. He smirks evily, but I don't think much of it. He can't think of anything that interesting.

"You won't distract me this time, gremlin." I state simply.

He rolls his eyes and looks around the room in thought. I ignore him for a little while, and I hear small brushing and movements, but I don't pay mind to it. From the corner of my eye, I see his head thrown back, and when I look back at him, my eyes nearly pop out of my head when I see his head resting back on the armchair and his hand palming his crotch through his sleep pants.

"W-what are you doing?" I hiss through gritted teeth and look at his directly. He raises his head and when he sees me looking at him, he smiles in mock victory. He continues palming himself through his pants and groans lightly.

"Tha' got your attention, sweet thing?" He asks me rhetorically, but we both know the answer. Of fucking course it got my attention.

"W-well, you're stroking your cock while I'm working, so yes! It got my attention." I throw out of my mouth before I can bite my tongue.

He half smiles, as he knows he's won.

"Well, you have work to do. Don't let me distract you, sweet thing." God, that fucking nickname gets me every time. He knows it, and he's usually it to his advantage.

Fuck him. Fuck him and his pretty eyes, and his lean, pale form, and his happy trail dusting his stomach. Fuck his thick, mouthwatering cock. Fuck him and his kissable, plush lips. God. The space between my thighs feels more and more uncomfortable as the dampness increases. I try to string some words together, but he startles me by grabbing his sleep pants and pulling them down fully. There, his fully erect cock springs from his bottoms and bounces up and down before settling at attention. He's dripping from his tip. When did he have the time to get this hard?!

"I can't well go back to work now. " I argue, but he stops me quickly and states: " You definitely can, sweet thing. Ignore me." He demands, and at the sound of the nickname, my cunt pulses, and I groan. His eyes crinkle up with his smile when he listens to my reaction.

I turn back to my desk, but I stare blankly at the forms. How could I do anything productive with him stroking his cock right next to me? I peek from my peripheral and see him gripping his cock and stroking slowly. I hear him groan louder this time, as I can make out him pulling out his balls from his bottoms to sit ontop, and it takes everything within me to not tear him to shreds right there.

I grip my pen tightly, as I resist the urge to react. He reachs up to his chest and grips one of his tiny nipples, and he whimpers. He fucking whimpers. His hands carress his cock and move up and down faster.

I can't take it anymore. I turn and face him to watch as he throws his head back from the increased pressure from his hand. His eyes are closed tightly as his breath becomes more and ragged, indicating how close he truly is. I just have to do something.

I silently get up and stride over to the chair. I thank God we have carpets, as they're far quieter than the wood. His cock bobs up and down tauntingly as his balls draw tightly. His strong jawline is all I see as I get on my knees before him, but as I kneel, I feel just how wet my cunt is between my legs. I'll take care of him first, and then I'll see about myself.

As he loses himself in his own body from the mixture of pleasure from pinching his nipple and fondling his cock, I grab his wrist hard and pull it away. He looks down in shock: both from the sudden and distinct lack of pleasure, and how silent I was getting over here.

"Oh, hey sweet thing. When'd you get down there," He smiles drunkenly at me as he realizes what I'm doing.

"Shut up and cum in my mouth, please." I ask, no, beg him.

"I think I can make that happen, " He winks at me, and at this confirmation, I grab his cock with my hand and swiftly position my mouth over the tip. I lick the glob of pre-cum that had made it's way to his slit, and he stifled a sob. Once I licked it up, I lower my head down his dick and begin to bob my head fast. His head throws back again as he wails out. I hear "Please, please, please," and "Yes, yes, yes". His moans sound like an orchestra.

I continue to pleasure him, and I go to gently grab one of his balls. I begin to massage the sac, and at that, he reachs down and grips my hair. His hand rests firmly, but not painfully, on my scalp. That's one thing about him I loved. He was always careful to not hurt me. His hips begin thrusting up, but he manages to control his hips and do phantom thrusts as to not choke me. I can tell he's close. He's so close.

I look up through my lashes, and I see his head is no longer resting on the back of the chair, but looking directly down at me. When I look up at him, we make eye contact and that seems all it took to send him over the edge. His hips thrust into my mouth aimlessly as his grip on my hair tightens. His head throws back and he wails out a "Love you so fuckin' much, swee-" But he gets interrupted, as my head bobs all the way down into his wirey pubic hair, and I swallow. He shouts as his cum shoots deep into my throat. I pull up slightly as his streams of cum become progressively less forceful. I pull away when his breathe evens out, but one last string of cum shoots out and hits me on my cheek.

"W-woah." He whispers simply.

"Don't distract me, and this won't happen." I wink at him, and I go to stand up, but he quickly grabs my arms to pull me into his lap. He winces when my wet cunt brushes up against his oversensitive cock. He powers through and leans up to my ear.

"Oh, you didn't think we were done here, did you? Your dickhead boss can wait an extra day. You won't get off my lap until you've cum at least 3 times, sweet thing," He whispers evily in my ear. I shudder and flush at the nickname, but he smiles.

"God, I love you so fucking much." He declares, as he leans in to kiss me.

I wasn't able to say it back, but he definitely knows. I make sure he does.

@theteabush for you!!! <3 pls reblog if you like!!

[i-need-entertainment]

Character: Edgar Allen Poe x female reader

Warnings: minor angst (unrequited love), ranpo being a gremlin and stealing candy

Pt.2

“No, don't eat those! They aren’t for you Ranpo!” 

Poe lunged towards the coffee table and picked the candy bowl up and out of Ranpo’s reach before setting it gently on his bookshelf. 

Ranpo huffed as he sat down on the couch, letting out a sound of dissatisfaction at having the candy bowl placed out of his reach. 

“Then who are they for then? You don’t like them.” 

Ranpo raised a brow as he watched his friend fumble around before clearing his throat, 

“W-well, you see.. they’re uhm…they’re- just don’t eat them! And please don’t try climbing up my bookshelf to get them again, the candy for you is on the other table.” 

Ranpo let out a sound of delight as he spotted the other candy bowl before grabbing it and plopping himself back down on the couch. 

Happily munching on his candy Ranpo hummed as he unwrapped another piece, “So…Y/n huh?” His emerald gaze shifted over to Poe for just a moment before he reclosed his eyes and busied his fingers with sifting through the bowl for yet another candy.

“I beg your pardon!” Poe sputtered as he tried but failed to act casually about Ranpo’s blistering accusation.  

Ranpo sighed, “Well it’s obvious you like her- why else would you keep a candy you don’t care for and not allow one of two of your only visitors to eat it? If it’s not for me and it’s clearly not for you, then it must be for Y/n!” 

Ranpo seemed pleased with himself at his friend's flustered state and broken sentences. His superior detective skills had long since allowed him to work out his friends feelings, but watching him flounder around like a fish out of water was never anything less than amusing for the detective.

“W-well yes, they are for her, but that doesn’t mean I have feelings for her!” 

Ranpo sighed as he set the bowl down on the table and crossed one leg over the other, propping his head up by his hand while his elbow sat perched on the arm rest. “You’re right, it doesn’t. The poem you wrote with her name on it though? Yeah, that kinda gave it away.”

Poe grimaced as he rushed to gather the papers he had haphazardly left on his desk into a pile before shoving them into his desk drawer. 

“Are you going to tell her?”

Leaning against his desk with a sigh he crossed his arms over his chest, eyes shifting over to his friend who was devouring the candy he had replaced for the 3rd time this week.

“...we both know telling her would be pointless, so no…I don’t plan on ever telling her.”

“And you’re okay with that? You’re fine with her going out wi-"

"Of course not Ranpo...but none of that matters now, as long as she’s happy, I’ll-”

He’ll…what?

You were the light at the end of the tunnel when revenge had consumed him. You were his tether to this world and his rock- never ceasing in your support of his writing or his dreams as a detective. Your smile had brought him inexplicable feelings of joy and completeness - two feelings he wasn’t sure he would ever feel again.

He wanted nothing more than to have you be his, his to hold and cherish and love and care for-

But none of that mattered- his feelings for you would never leave the pages upon pages he wrote them on, and he was dedicated to ensuring you never found out about them. There was no deeper purpose to the poems and letters after all, in fact they had never so much as been properly addressed to you. Simply thrown into the drawer he had started shoving them into when company came around. 

There was nothing wrong with the poems or letters- most of them were either elaborate declarations of love or well-thought out words he had only ever dreamed of having the courage to say to you. There were some compliments scribbled down on scrap pieces of paper, wishing dearly he could say them to your face but never quite finding the strength to say them out loud. More recently however he had begun writing apologies. 

Apologies for being a coward, and for being unable to tell you the deeper feelings he held for you. In fact his most recent addition had been an apology letter he had written just the day before, it had been an apology for lying to you.

“There’s still time y’know.” 

Ah, the gala the agency had been invited to. It was still a few hours away, so he’s sure Ranpo was suggesting he use this time to call you or text you and tell you of his feelings before you followed through with your plans to attend with another.

But surely Ranpo - the world’s greatest detective - had already deduced it was Poe who had encouraged you to not only go, but to accept your co-worker's gracious invitation in the first place. His smile had been tight and he’s sure he was tripping over his words when he spoke, but years of repressing his emotions and keeping to himself had taught him valuable skills in regards to hiding how he felt. And afterall, you had been smiling when you left- so you must have been looking forward to your date.

Date..

Poe sighed as he left his spot at his desk and walked over to the window, kneeling down slightly to pick up Karl who had scampered over and put him on his shoulders, suddenly grateful for his comforting presence.

“I know, but…” He paused to look out the window, watching as the nearing storm began to snuff out the blue afternoon sky and the once sunny landscape slowly became consumed by the growing shadow of the thunder clouds.

“It’s better this way..” 

‘She’s better this way’

He knew letting you go without so much as an attempt to tell you of his feelings was a mistake, a mistake Ranpo had thankfully chosen not to comment on - but as he watched the dreary weather continue to move in he couldn’t help but know in his heart that this was for the best. Someone like you didn’t deserve to be stuck with someone like him, and someone like him didn’t deserve someone like you.

“Besides, I’m sure she’ll have more fun with him than she would with me - she loves to dance,”

Poe knew he wasn’t fooling the detective but it didn’t matter, he had fooled himself and that’s all he needed to do. You would continue to see him only as a friend and occasional co-worker who let you play with his pet racoon and kept your favorite candy stocked full in his office, and he-

Well he would keep loving you and admiring you from afar, and maybe someday the pain would numb and he would grow content with watching you give the love he so longed for to someone else.

“And I heard Dazai was quite the dancer.”

The candies on his shelf and papers in his desk spoke volumes, but when it came to you it seemed Poe lacked the one thing he wished he could give you - his words.

@i-just-like-goats thanks for beta reading queen😩

[ravenwitch45]

How would Blitzo and Striker react to s/o who is very similar to Mileena with the teeth?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fpvzIGHueqo&pp=ygUVTWlsZWVuYSBtb3J0YWwga29tYmF0

Ah been a bit since I had a multiple character ask. Going to assume these are separate since you didn't request poly btw. I've never played a MK game but I know some of the story and I think enough about Mileena to do this ask, a lot of very sharp needle like teeth, got it.

Blitzo

Oh, okay then he's good with that.

Most demons have sharp teeth, but there more like shark teeth (Sorry Chaz XP), still somewhat broad but still sharp points. You on the other hand are on a whole other level. The moment you smiled at him he was fascinated by you.

He's a fan of the unique, and your more then unique with those chompers. The first time you eat together you tear through the meal in a truly gruesome fashion, and he just looks at you adoringly.

If you join his company he will pair you up with him on hits, not only to be there for you but also to get a front row seat if you decide to use your teeth to finish off the target. Helping you clean up maybe with a few kisses, he's not a cannibal nor does he enjoy the taste of blood, but he'll use any excuse to kiss you. Maybe after you spit up the vital pieces of the target tho.

He loves every part of you, but being the caring SO he is, he'll make sure you take care of your teeth too. Normal toothpaste and a brush doesn't work too well with all you have, so he just squirts a bunch of toothpaste into his mouth and makes out with you to clean it in a fun way :3

Sure you could slosh it around with some water yourself but wheres the fun in that? Nonetheless you go through toothpaste fast.

While he's not as "bitey" as the other Imp we'll cover. If you bite him playfully he will bite back, he'll tell you when to stop if your literally hurting him, but he'll also try not to hurt you, sometimes giving you hickeys in place of bite marks.

He'll discipline you if you give him a very big mark tho~ Also will joke about needing to gag you if your do a bunch of nips throughout the day XP

Striker

Just like Blitz, he's very fascinated by your unique chompers, and likes them a lot. Loving watching you eat or fight with em, joking you eat more wild then Bombproof ever.

Though one big thing, that I feel is a pretty common consensus in the fandom about our favorite bastard cowboy. He is one bitey lil gremlin.

Play biting? Oh you mean war? Even a bit more then a nip he will take as a challenge. Biting you back as you two start wrestling to get into the best positions to bite eachother, and he loves it.

He will literally keep score of how many bites you each get on the other and how many marks you make "Nine on me, Twelve on you, I win Sugarcube~"

He will get very pouty and grumpy if he loses though, grumbling that you have an unfair advantage cause you have more teeth (Which with how he counts score doesn't matter but still, he angy XP)

Though afterwards he's both proud of how he marked you, and how you marked him. Complimenting his bitey ruler about their successes, and teasing em on where he got em too<3

He tries his best to get tough stuff for you to eat so you keep your teeth strong, He already does that for him and Bombproof's sake, but now your included in that, though he also makes sure it's stuff you like. Your his SO, not a trained animal or something.

One time when he got fed up with you, tried to gag you with rope (After making sure you'd be into that of course) Only for you to bite through it with ease, grinning back at him.

He was grumpy with you till you bought him a new bundle of rope. Though he brings it up sometimes cause he's still bitter you surprised him like that XP

Okay then, hope that was good enough! Went Gender Neutral cause you didn't specify which I hope is okay. Hope you enjoyed and thanks for asking!

[flowersbloomuntiltheyrot]

Flowers Bloom until they Rot and Fall Apart

Chapter 8 (PAST): All the Happiness you Lost

Another bit of happier past that sadly did not last, this time from Thomas' POV. ChoT Thomas inspired me for this as well as ChoT Eugenia, who is a gremlin. Enjoy!

Thomas sighed in defeat as he let out another coughing fit. He’d told Alastair he was recovering . He’d said he was sure he would feel well enough to meet him tonight. He cursed himself for making promises he now couldn’t keep. What would Alastair think? For a moment, Thomas considered going out anyway, but he did not think Alastair would like it much if Thomas spent the evening coughing over him. 

Pneumonia, the doctor had concluded. An old friend he had not seen in many years. Why it had come back now of all times, Thomas did not know. Perhaps it was that time he and Lucie had gone swimming and Thomas had accidentally inhaled some dirty lake water after a cannonball.

Thomas had thought they were past this, but his family had gone all the way back to protecting sick little Tommy mode, even though he was not so little anymore. And not even that sick. Going out on a date might be a bit much, but he didn’t need the coddling, his mother making him tea every hour, nor Barbara stuffing him in blankets or Eugenia watching him like a hawk to see if he might attempt to leave his bedroom.

He took his phone from the desk beside his bed, he’d missed a text from Alastair. 

Alastair: Are you feeling any better?

Thomas considered for a few moments before texting back.

Thomas: Not really. I have pneumonia apparently.

Alastair’s response was faster than Thomas could have anticipated. 

Alastair: Oh that sucks, get well soon.

Thomas: Maybe we can move tonight’s date to my place? We could watch a movie or something. I’d like the company.

They’d planned to go out for dinner, had set this date two weeks ago before Thomas had gotten sick, and he regretted having to cancel on Alastair. This was a nice enough alternative, right? Alastair always seemed to like it here. 

Alastair: If you’re sure you feel up for it. I’ll ask my mother.

After several minutes, Alastair texted again. 

Alastair: I’ll be there around six,  does that work?

Thomas: Sure! We usually eat around seven,  I’ll let my mom know you’re joining.

Thomas got up from bed and changed into a clean shirt and pants. He was about to leave his bedroom,when Eugenia grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. 

“Oh no, you don’t,” Eugenia said. “Back to bed with you.”

Thomas sighed. “I’m getting too old for this, Genie. Lying in bed all day has never done anyone any good. Also, even with pneumonia I’m stronger than you. You can’t stop me.”

“And where do you think you’re going, then?” Eugenia demanded. “Not on your date with Alastair. You always refuse to take proper rest when you’re sick. But if you won’t listen to me, I’ll call Alastair to come over and take care of you instead.”

This had to be difficult for Eugenia. While she was a gremlin who would stop at nothing to keep Thomas from going out while he was sick, she also championed his and Alastair’s relationship from the sidelines. 

“I already asked him to come over,” Thomas said. “And I was about to tell mom so she’d make enough food for all of us. And I might as well rest in the living room.” 

The reason Thomas had retreated to his bedroom to rest was that it offered a little more privacy, and when he was in there his parents did not bother him. Barbara and Eugenia not so much, Thomas didn’t think either of them had any clue what boundaries meant. 

Thomas desperately hoped he could teach his sisters to knock before Alastair spent the night here for the first time. That sort of thing would have to happen here. Alastair wasn’t out to his parents yet and he preferred to meet at Thomas’ house. Besides, Thomas didn’t think Alastair’s father liked him very much. Thomas had the sense something was not quite right there, with Alastair’s father in particular, but he’d never been able to get Alastair to talk about it. 

He found his mother outside in the garden, watering the blue roses. Those had always been among Thomas’ favorites. 

“Tom, how are you feeling?” 

“Could be better, could be worse,” Thomas said. “Alastair’s coming over for dinner tonight. We were going out, but since I’m not feeling well we’re going to watch a movie at home instead. Is that alright?”

“Sure. I’m making cauliflower soup tonight, there should be plenty.”

His mother always made more soup than they needed. If he’d been feeling better, he would have helped with the cooking, he loved to cook. Now, he returned inside to the living room, folding himself into a blanket on the couch. He’d asked Alastair to bring him his homework so he could at least keep up somewhat. While it was a bad idea to try magic when he could be interrupted any moment by  a coughing fit, he should at least try to keep up with the theory. He needed to keep his grades up if he wanted to be accepted into a magical botany programme at university. 

Thomas jumped up from the couch as the doorbell rang, but Eugenia had long beat him to the front gate. It always felt impractical, to have to open the front gate and then the front door, but there were too many deadly plants in the garden to not put a big fence around it. 

Eugenia was talking loudly about how Thomas was still sick, how he’d been coughing all day and how Alastair should make sure he didn’t move too much from the couch. Thomas wondered if it was possible to die of embarrassment. Then he realized he’d gone out with no shoes on and was still wrapped in a Mickey Mouse blanket. 

“Alastair. It’s good to see you.”

Alastair was dressed nicely in a black blouse and matching trousers, his hair styled to perfection as usual. Thomas didn’t think Alastair ever had bad hair days. It had grown out a little, he used to keep it short but now it had grown past his ears, falling in soft locks over his forehead. He looked at Thomas through the thick lashes circling his dark eyes. He often did that, eyes just a little closed, and Thomas couldn’t help but wonder if he did it on purpose. If Alastair knew how seductive it made him look. 

“You’re not contagious, right?” Alastair asked.

“No,” Thomas said.  “It’s a bacterial pneumonia, so you can’t catch it from me. I’m taking antibiotics for it.” 

“That sounds serious,” Alastair said. “I’m sure the antibiotics will help, but my mother and I also made some remedies. They’re haoma based. This should lower the fever, this one helps with the coughing, and the last helps you feel less tired.”

“I think I could use all of those,” Thomas said. 

Alastair explained how to dose the different remedies, and Thomas took a little bit of everything. There wasn’t an instant effect he could feel, but Alastair explained he would likely start feeling better after an hour or so. He should take his next dose the next morning. 

“Don’t mind my sister too much,” Thomas said. “I’m not sure they know what boundaries are. Fortunately, it’s only Eugenia, though I’m sure Barbara would have been here if she didn’t have an evening shift.”

His oldest sister had moved in with her boyfriend Oliver not long ago, and while he’d had to get used to her not being around, he was glad she was not here while he was sick. It was just Eugenia today.

“I think she’s just protective,” Alastair said.

“She is, but do I look like I need protecting?”

Thomas barely finished his sentence before breaking into another coughing fit that took a good several minutes to stop. 

“No offense, but right now  you kind of do,” Alastair said. “The Mickey Mouse blanket looks cute on you though. Good thing I brought my mother’s remedies. You’ll feel better soon, I promise.”

Thomas sighed. The Mickey Mouse blanket had been one from his childhood, and it just so happened to be one of the bigger blankets in the house. The only one, in fact, that he could still wrap himself in. 

“What movie did you have in mind?” Alastair asked. 

@life-through-the-eyes-of @astriefer @justanormaldemon @ipromiseiwillwrite @a-dream-dirty-and-bruised @all-for-the-fanfiction @amchara @ddepressedbookworm @wagner-fell @imsoftforthomastair @queenlilith43 @stxr-thxif @lifewouldbebetteronmars @littlx-songbxrd @sheisbeautyweareworldass @ikissedsmithparker @bookswitchcraftandcats @jamesherondaleofficial @livingformyself @anarmorofwords @sapphic-in @fortheloveofthecarstairs @tessherongraystairs @thewarthatsavedmylife-blog @grace-lightwoodd @rainingpouringetc @thomastaircompassrose @kiwichaeng @yozinha-z @skirtsandsweaters @goodoldfashionednerd @have-a-holly-jolly-angstmas @who-beingloved-ispoor-blog @lightwoodsimp @americann-idiot @thomaslightwood @cant-think-of-anything

[morningsound15]

Hi! Really love your works! Do you plan any new fuffy fics?

Hi! Yes, always, I have about 8,000 words of a Fuffy pregnancy/kid!fic AU written that I may or may not complete before Christmas time, I have been extremely bad about fic writing recently.

but here's a little snippet/sneak peak if you'd like one

it's tentatively called Prophecy, Baby and rated either M or E I will decide after i've written the sexy stuff lol

.

Buffy shows up on Faith’s doorstep in Cleveland, five years after Sunny-D went crater-up, looking ragged and all-in-all worse for the wear. Faith’s eyes linger on the swelling beneath her t-shirt, and she blinks a few times, not knowing what to say. They haven’t seen each other in half a year, but Buffy’s got that look in her eye, the one that always seems to spell trouble for Faith and her bleeding heart.

“Hey,” Buffy finally says, her throat raspy, dark bruises under her eyes from exhaustion. “Got room for a couple of fugitives?”

Faith blinks, and can’t think of a single thing to say. Wordlessly she steps to the side, and opens her door, feeling a bit like she’s just hung a “Vamps, Demons, and All Manner of World-Ending Baddies Welcome!” sign above the knocker.

They don’t speak for several weird, stressful minutes, wherein Faith, on autopilot, goes about her hosting duties: she takes Buffy’s coat, leads her to the couch, and gets her a glass of water. Only then, once properly settled, does she think to speak.

“What the hell are you doing here, B?”

“Warm welcome,” Buffy says between hefty sips, rolling her eyes.

“I think I can stand to be a little testy. Wasn’t expectin’ company tonight.”

“I’m sorry, am I interrupting a hot date with you and your bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos?”

Faith spies the opened bag where she’d knocked it off the couch in her haste to get to the insistent knocking on her front door. She kicks it out of sight, embarrassed and huffy. “If you don’t wanna start explainin’, you know where the door is.”

Buffy looks like she might be in the mood to quip a bit longer, except something in her stomach must twitch (kick? Is the little gremlin at the kicking stage already?) and she winces. The fight leaves her at once, and she takes a breath and grits out, whether because of the pain in her abdomen or the pain of admitting it: “I needed a friend.”

Faith chokes down her knee jerk response, Are we friends?, and instead says, “Last I checked, you had lotsa friends. A whole castle full of them, actually.”

“I needed a friend who wasn’t going to send me back to the Organization. Someone I could… keep a low profile with. At least for a little while.” She glances down at her expansive stomach. “About three and a half months, actually.”

Faith nods. It makes sense, in a perverse sort of way. “So you came here. Last place on earth anyone would look for ya.” Buffy’s face performs an intricate dance disguised as a wince. She opens her mouth, maybe to apologize, but Faith waves her off. “No sweat. I get it. It was smart. And you know me, always looking to help a couple of good-for-nothings hide out from the law. Or the witches, or whatever it is you guys have got going on over there.”

“To be honest, I didn’t really think this through. I just knew I couldn’t stay there. And I hoped you wouldn’t turn me away.”

That’s something Buffy can always count on. It’s the part of Faith’s personality that she hates the most about herself. Her inability to turn Buffy away, even when she knows it’s no good for her to invite her in.

“They know?” Faith looks pointedly at Buffy’s rather large belly. “About… Buffy Junior in there?”

“They know,” Buffy says with a grimace. Faith is still staring. She can’t take her eyes off of Buffy. The swell of her belly, the heavy way she sits even now. Faith’s trying, as carefully and subtly as possible, to think through the timeline. It doesn’t do her much good, she basically doesn’t know anything about Buffy and what she gets up to outside of the two days they see each other every six months. They both prefer it that way. They get along like a forest fire — all burning destruction, crackling heat, explosive violence, etcetera etcetera. It’s easier to keep them apart, to minimize the damage.

Faith doesn’t have a very good knowledge of the reproductive cycle. She never finished high school, what with being a wanted fugitive and the whole coma and all, but if she had to guess she’d say Buffy’s probably somewhere in the second trimester. Five, six months along, maybe? Which would put the date of conception right around… right around…

Faith blinks, her eyes flicking up to Buffy’s face.

Buffy doesn’t seem to be paying her any attention. She groans as she stretches her feet out, her muddy boots making a mess of Faith’s coffee table. Faith doesn’t care about the mud or the boots. Buffy kicks her shoes off slowly, tries to bend to rub at her swollen ankles, grimaces when she can’t reach before flopping heavily down onto the couch again. After a few moments she notices Faith hovering, frozen in place, and she must clock the panic in Faith’s expression.

“It’s not yours,” Buffy says, not unkindly. Faith flushes, because she feels stupid for even thinking… of course the kid isn’t hers. That isn’t even possible. She doesn’t know much about the reproductive cycle, but she knows enough to know that their combination of downstairs equipment can’t, strictly speaking, do something like that. But she couldn’t help the initial thought. Unfortunately the thought of Buffy bouncing from her bed one night to some nameless, faceless, hunk of masculine musculature the next stings more than she’d like to admit. She can’t pause on that thought, or else she’s liable to put her fist through the wall. Or walk right off her balcony. Whichever one seems like it’ll cause more pain.

 “I see you trying to do the math over there,” Buffy says, ignorant of the thousand-yard-leaps Faith’s mind has been making three feet to her left, “but it’s not yours.”

“Yeah,” Faith scoffs, and it rings hollow even to her. “Of course not. I’m not, like… I know how it works. Not like I coulda gotten you pregnant even if I wanted—I mean…” She clears her throat, her cheeks flaming hot (not unlike the bag of Cheetos currently attracting ants next to her TV). “So… the dad is—?”

“Not in the picture,” Buffy says shortly.

“Gotcha.”

“I didn’t come here for an interrogation.”

“Hey, I gotcha, B. If you wanted the third degree you woulda stayed in Scotland. I can be discreet. What goes into or comes outta your body ain’t any of my business.”

“Gross. But thank you, I guess.”

[rataltouille]

LITTLE BY LITTLE

HI IM VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS SILLY LITTLE STORY. it is:

a feel good lighthearted story about a bunch of kids in high school 👍

one half enemies to lovers romance, other half queerplatonic coming of age 🤨

dual storyline following two annoying siblings who will die for each other 🤱

set in chennai because i want to draw the city i grew up in and have a crisis over not having seen it enough 🤯

me deciding to compensate for my non existent final years of high school via fiction because who needs therapy tbh 🤔

BLURB

It’s Sameera’s last year of high school, and everything’s going her way: she’s a student council head, the captain of the girl’s Kho-Kho team, and she’s liked by almost everyone in her grade. Almost. Frigid, uptight Kayalvizhi, fellow council head, is the lone exception. Their first interaction was a nightmare, and while Sameera is told that Kayalvizhi’s just indifferent to everyone around her, she still feels personally attacked. So when the two of them are paired up as the cultural leaders for their school’s end-of-year ceremony, she’s more than thrilled to prove Kayal wrong by outshining her in everything. Too bad the latter’s determined to shut Sameera up by competing just as fiercely. What neither of them expects, though, is to find common ground, or to realise that the other person isn't who they thought they were, or, god forbid, actually start to enjoy each other’s company.

Anbu is a reserved kid, Sameera’s younger sibling by two years and the apple of every teacher’s eyes. Still just getting used to adolescence, Anbu is, to say the least, a bit disoriented. They’re exploring their confusing world, trying out new hobbies, grappling with their gender identity and pushing the limits of the life they’ve led so far. But right when they think they’ve got it all figured out, change hits them between the eyes in the name of Tamizh—their cool, mysterious neighbour who’s come back from Mumbai years after moving away. Anbu and Tamizh were childhood best friends, but that's childhood, and they know better than anyone else that adolescence upends everything with a rage. As the two’s rekindled friendship begins to deepen, Anbu is left questioning whether they see him as a friend, a crush, or something else entirely.

At least one thing’s certain for them all: this will be an unforgettable year.

CHARACTERS

SAMEERA. she/her, bi. annoying ass extroverted jock mf. everyones fave gremlin. needs constant love and validation or else she will perish

ANBU. they/them, trans. former sweetheart now saddled with a growing bloodthirst. going through too much all at once and is on the verge of emotional burnout.

KAYALVIZHI. she/her, trans, lesbian. moody ass introverted nerd mf. hates every single person to ever grace this planet and i love her so much actually

TAMIZH. he/him, aro. Resident Cool Kid™ except he feels very uncool and very unchill, ball of nerves just barely keeping it together. is unlearning a lot of toxic beliefs on gender and he’s doing it with style.

SO WHATS THE DEAL HERE

idk what happened in the last two years but i’ve gone from being a prose hoe to a webcomic bitch and it has been working out great for me. comics are such a brilliant format for someone who’s equal parts artist and writer and recently all my important all-consuming story ideas have been webcomic ideas and im so excited to get to make them!!

there are two parts to this story, two parallel arcs, one for each sibling: sameera’s enemies to lovers story with kayal and anbu’s queerplatonic coming of age thing with tamizh. i think the main inspiration behind this was a) bridgerton season two which was the first time i actually ENJOYED an enemies-to-lovers romance and which made me go hmm yanno what. i’m going to do the same but without british people. b) me realising that as much as i love romance and writing romantic relationships i also would like to write a queerplatonic relationship please and thank you [it is endlessly amusing to me that my favourite genre is romance despite me being aromantic lmao] and i esp wanted to try writing a qpr from the pov of the non-aromantic character, just for that extra spice!

in the very short time ive had these four they’ve taken over my brain completely and i love it so much!! im currently working to on getting the basic prep work done [character turnarounds, uniform designs, bg models etc etc] and i’ll post updates on progress whenever i feel like lmao

[parker-razor]

many a dream about you

afab!reader x mando (no y/n)

5.2k words, 18+, EXPLICIT!! 

warnings: SMUT (extended warnings under the cut), mentions of injuries, unprotected sex (use protection!), very little editing

summary: when you and mando are forced to share a bed together, you end up having a dream that reveals more than you had hoped...

author’s notes: ahhhh! this is my first fic!! i’ll be honest, i got so excited i wrote most of this in one sitting. indulge me in some of my favorite smutty tropes about everyone’s favorite space dad!

extended warnings: oral (f receiving), wet dreams, thigh grinding, mentions of rough sex, multiple orgasms, overstimulation... i think that’s it

*****

Stars, you were exhausted.

You had just spent three weeks on the Razor Crest with the only bed available to you being a cheap mattress that might as well have just been a sack stuffed with sand. On top of the little sleep you were running on, you had just finished loading three bounties onto the Crest and into carbonite while Mando patched himself up. Dragging three grown men onto the ship and freezing them took all the strength out of you.

You finally collapsed into the pilot’s seat in the cockpit, catching your breath and giving your muscles a well-deserved break. Your eyes flutter closed as your body decompresses from the hard work and no sleep it’s been put through these past weeks. Mando had hired you just a month ago to look after the ship while he was away on hunts. Not to mention the little green gremlin he had adopted as his own, who kept you company and looked to you to get taken care of. It was much better than the life you had known; growing up on the outskirts of Tatooine was hard enough as is, but when your little shop had been pillaged and ransacked, you had nothing left on the small, desert planet. Mando had shown up just in time, sitting next to you in a dive bar.

*****

You had never seen one of his kind before, and to be honest, you were overwhelmed with the way he carried himself. He was big, towering over everyone he passed on his way to the barstools. You wondered why he even bothered if he couldn’t remove his helmet to drink, but you’d never ask. He sat himself just a few stools from yours, and after stealing a few glances with flushed cheeks, you finally opened your mouth to say something.

“Bounty hunters like you must be pretty busy on a planet like this,” you said, trying to talk over the loud band playing in the corner. “Not too many upstanding people tend to find themselves here.”

Slowly turning his helmet to face you, the Mandalorian said, “What does that say about you?”

Damn, you thought, he was quick to the draw.

“It’s not exactly my choice to live here. I’d give anything to get off this ball of sand.”

He says nothing, just turns his helmet forward again. You figure that’s the end of that, at least you tried. You can now say that you’ve talked to a Mandalorian before.

After a few beats of silence, he finally speaks. “Anything?”

You whip your head towards him, trying to figure out where this was going. Of course you wanted to leave, but you didn’t want to come off too eager in case he wasn’t serious.

“I mean, what do you have in mind?” you ask, trying to act as calm as possibly, but you couldn’t help but get a little excited at the prospect of leaving.

“I have… a son. He’s very small and can’t take care of himself yet. I don’t like taking him hunting, but I can’t leave him on the ship by himself,” he pauses, piecing together his words carefully. “I need someone to look after him.”

“So, I’d be his babysitter?”

“And ship sitter. Just keep it clean, nothing complicated.”

You pretended to ponder his proposition, but you knew you’d say yes almost immediately. There was nothing left for you here; no family, no livelihood, no friends. This was the best deal you had gotten in a long time. Except…

“So, what do I get in return?”

“I’d pay you, as much as I can afford. But you’d have your own bed and food.”

You’re sold.

*****

You’re brought back to the present when you hear Mando’s footsteps ascend the ladder to the cockpit. The child is holding onto him, smiling when he sees your face.

“How bad are you hurt?” you ask cautiously.

“I’ll live. Just a gash.”

“Well, I got the bounties in carbonite. But I gotta say Mando, I don’t know if I can sleep another night in a row on that shitty mattress.” He says nothing, and you haven’t figured out if that’s a good sign or a bad sign.

“Not that I don’t appreciate you making room for me! I’m just saying, I think we both need a proper rest tonight, especially after today,” you backtrack. You hear him sigh, nodding his head in agreement.

“Alright. I passed an inn on the way back here. Let’s see if they have any vacancy, hopefully with a bed better than the one you have.” You blush, embarrassed that you came off as ungrateful.

Mando was a mystery to you. He was quiet, a man of few words. It was especially hard trying to read him without being able to see any facial cues or expressions. Nevertheless, something about him exuded strength. He was much taller than you, but he was also just… big. Especially with all the beskar adding a whole other layer of strength. You couldn’t explain the attraction you felt for him. Something about how he towered over you, his visor boring into your face made you weak in the knees. How could you feel this way for someone who you’d barely talked to, let alone never seen their face?

He made you feel weak, but for some reason you liked that. Growing up on your home planet, you had to learn to fight for yourself. You were strong, with curves and muscles that showed just how tough life had made you. You never let a man make you feel less than or weak, always ready to defend yourself. But you liked that Mando made you feel small. It made no sense, but it also made perfect sense.

Sometimes at night, you’d let your hands wander. One hand wandered up to your face, whether to bite down on a finger or cover your mouth to keep yourself quiet, and the other down the front of your pants. Being around Mando so much made it difficult to wait until after he fell asleep to take care of the burning need you felt for him. You had your fair share of flings with the boys in your village, but none of them made you feel the way Mando did. With the most subtle actions he could make a heat blossom in your stomach and goosebumps spread over your arms. Sometimes the way he’d fly the Crest made you clench your thighs together; he looked so in charge in that pilot’s seat. Rubbing tight circles on your clit, clenching around nothing while angling your hips just right, you would be sent into orbit at the thought of his hands taking care of you instead.

After you and Mando had packed up your essentials, you got Grogu into his pram and headed off to the village nearby. You had no idea what planet you were on, but the flowering trees brought some joy to you. In the past weeks travelling with Mando, you had seen so many new things. You had never once left your home, and things like trees and streams had you in awe. You would never get used to how it made you feel.

The village was small, and it didn’t seem like there was anything else around for miles. You got to the motel, one of the larger buildings in the area. The lobby was small and surprisingly clean, much cleaner than the interior of the Crest. An older woman, the innkeeper you presumed, stood at the desk.

“We’d like two rooms. How much would that be?” Mando asked, not interested in entertaining niceties.

“So sorry sir, we only have one room available. A few of our rooms are under renovation, and there’s only one unoccupied that is fit to house anyone,” the woman said with a sickly sweet smile.

Mando sighed, obviously conflicted with the choice laid in front of him. He turned to you for your input.

“I- I don’t mind sharing a room. We don’t have to if you’re not comfortable, I just thought it be nice to escape the ship for the night.” You rushed your words out, feeling shy at the prospect of sharing the room with Mando. He had his own quarters on the ship, and you had yours, if you could even consider them quarters. After a few beats, Mando put some credits on the desk, and took the key the woman was offering.

Pushing down the excitement you felt, you grabbed your things that you had set down and followed Mando to your room. It’s not like you hadn’t been living in close proximity with Mando for the past few weeks anyways.

But this was different.

And you didn’t fully realize why it was so different until you opened the door to your room and saw that there was only one queen sized bed. Your jaw dropped, as you looked to Mando for his reaction. Nothing, as usual. He just walked into the room as if nothing had changed.

How was this gonna go? Were you just supposed to… share? The bed wasn’t puny, plenty of room for the both of you. But this was crossing a line that you didn’t even realize had been established. You didn’t really know much about each other and hadn’t been acquainted for very long. Not to mention the burning need you felt for him growing day by day.

And now you had to share a bed with him. No big deal.

Grogu’s cries for attention brought you out of your reverie of thoughts. You picked him up from his pram and placed him on the bed, allowing him to take in the room. The love and affection for the child had grown immensely since Mando had first introduced the two of you. You were initially shocked at how silently affectionate Mando was with him. You had never expected him to be the paternal type. You had yet to learn how the curious pair had found each other; a small part of you wondered if Mando looked similar to the child under his mask.

Mando had set his things on the chair in the corner and mumbled something about using the refresher. And as quickly as the door shut, you heard the shower turn on and the sound of beskar hitting the floor.

The realization that Mando was maskless, naked, just a few feet away sent a shockwave through your body. Was he tan? Did he have blond or brown hair? Was he truly strong or did the beskar just add extra bulk? You imagined he had scars littering his body, with chest hair dusting his front. The thought of it trailing down beneath his pants sent a shiver down your spine. Stars, your mind was in the gutter.

The sun had set, and Grogu’s eyes started to flutter and shut on one of the pillows on the bed. You picked him up and cradled him, resting your cheek to his. You savored moments like this; the ones that made your heart warm and full of comforting joy. Grogu’s breathing slowed, letting out snores every once in a while. You heard the shower shut off, and carefully placed Grogu into his pram, closing the top for him to sleep in peace.  

Mando stepped out of the refresher in a thin pair of sleep trousers, a similar shirt and, of course, his helmet. Your gaze made you realize that he was definitely not wearing underwear, not leaving much to the imagination. You felt your face heat up as you looked anywhere but at him, almost positive that your face has turned as red as the setting sun.

“Your turn,” Mando said as he sauntered to the chair in the corner. He placed his things on the ground, sat in the chair, and crossed his arms as if to get comfortable.

“You’re not sleeping over there, are you?” you asked.

“I… just assumed… I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.” Your blush was back with a vengeance.

“I don’t mind. We got this room to relax, and you sure as hell don’t seem at ease with the way you’re sitting.” He said nothing for a few moments before sighing and standing to walk over towards the bed.

Oh Maker, this is actually happening, you thought. What act was more intimate than sharing a bed with someone? Well, there was the obvious one, but…

You scurried to the washroom, desperate to cool yourself down and collect your thoughts. This didn’t have to be a big deal, and if you kept acting all standoffish like you had been, you’d chase Mando away with the bizarre energy you were emitting.

You splashed cold water on your face to calm your blush, brushed your teeth with vigor, and changed into your pajamas. Granted, they were much scantier than the ideal, but you hadn’t expected to be sharing a bed, let alone a room, with the Mandalorian.

Stepping out of the refresher, you see Mando lying in bed with the lamplight on. Maker, you wanted to nothing but climb in with him and lay on his chest…

His chest. This was the first time you’d seen him without all that bulky armor. Through his thin clothing you could tell he was strong, with broad shoulders and contoured muscle. His helmet turned towards you, and what you didn’t know was that he was eyeing you in your not-so-modest sleep clothes as well.

What you didn’t know was how Mando gazed at you when you held the child, cooing at him as he gently tugged on your hair or stroked your cheek. His helmet protected him from you finding out how often he stared at you in adoration. Your curves, your smile, your silent strength. Stars, he thought you were the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. But what you saw when he looked at you was a silent T-visor staring at you with no emotion.

After a beat, your gaze met the floor as you walked to the other side of the bed, closest to the window. You crawled under the covers, waiting for some quick comment or a reaction from the man next to you. Finally, he spoke.

“Are you sure you don’t want me in the chair?” he asked.

“Stars, Mando, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’d want to be as far away from me as possible,” you responded, embarrassed.

“That’s- no, not at all. I, uh, just wanted you to feel comfortable,” he stumbled. You had never seen him so lost for words, so taken back.

“I promise, Mando, if anything I feel more comfortable with you next to me.” Oh Maker, why did you just say that? That was the most upfront you’d been with him. Just as you were about to take back your words…

“I feel the same,” he responded quietly. Stars, if your heart didn’t explode at his words.

It was quiet for a few moments, until you said, “Well… goodnight Mando.”

“Goodnight.” He turned off the lamplight and shuffled deeper under the blankets. You were unsure if you should stay as close to the edge as possible or be truly comfortable and let yourself get a little closer to Mando. Before you could make up your mind, exhaustion overtook you and you drifted to sleep.

*****

Mando stirred in your sleep, disturbed by something he hadn’t recognized yet. As he continued to drift in and out of sleep, he heard something that he wasn’t sure was a part of a dream or reality.

Quiet mumblings came from your side of the bed, mixed with indistinguishable groans. His instincts kicked in, becoming fully awake to survey the room for any threats. It took him a moment to realize that as you slept, you had moved closer to Mando – much closer.

Your leg was draped over his torso, with your chest pressed to his side and your arm resting on his chest. But what he noticed most was the way your hips rolled, your core grinding against the side of his thigh. Looking at your face, he could tell you were asleep. Your breaths grew heavier, quiet groans turning into moans. Mando felt his pants grow tighter, not know whether or not to wake you from your obvious wet dream.

Mando froze when he heard you say his name while your hips sped up. “M-Mando, don’t stop… Please…” Fuck, you were dreaming about him. He wanted nothing more than to rub the growing problem in his pants, but he knew that crossed a line.

As your breath started to hitch, he could tell you were getting close. Just as you were about to cum, you jolted awake, breathing heavily while taking in what was going on.

You looked down at the scene you had caused, rendered speechless. Flooded with humiliation, you jumped out of bed and ran to the refresher as Mando shouted your name. You slammed the refresher door and locked it, tears springing to your eyes. Fuck fuck fuck, this was bad. Did you just ruin everything? Mando must hate you now.

“Please open the door, I’m not mad. Let’s just talk,” Mando said through the door, not wanting to reveal how he felt behind a slab of wood. You said nothing, feeling utterly mortified. There’s no way you could look him in the eye (well, helmet) after getting yourself off on his thigh in your sleep. Fuck.

After twenty minutes of Mando trying to convince you that he wasn’t upset and he just wanted to talk, he gave up. Sighing, he pushed himself off the floor and went back to sit on the bed. Though the tension in his pants had gone down, he couldn’t stop thinking about the sounds you made. He looked down to see that you had left a wet spot on his leg, causing him to groan. He had to stop himself from thinking that way, at least for right now while you were upset.

Meanwhile, in the bathroom, you were in shock. You tried your best to recount what had happened, but it didn’t help that you were asleep for most of it. The dream you were having a blur; Mando on top of you, and the intense feeling of being filled to the brim. Then, you remember waking up to Mando staring down at you, putting two and two together, and that was that.

You realized that Mando was awake before you were, which means he was watching you… do that to him. He didn’t try to wake you up or stop you. He was watching you get off. That had to mean… he liked it. He liked seeing you like that. Right?

You slowly stood up from the bathroom floor, wiping the tears you didn’t notice had fallen down your cheeks. Taking a few deep breaths, you calmed your bedhead and opened the washroom door, rounding the corner to face Mando sitting on the bed.

He looked up from the spot on the floor he was staring at as he sat deep in thought.

“Are- are you okay?” he asked, uncertain of what he should say.

“I’m… I’m sorry. I was asleep and I wasn’t trying to make you uncomfortable,” you admit, eyes glued to the floor. A few moments of deafening silence pass, with you shuffling in the spot where you stood and Mando’s helmet fixed towards you.

“What did you dream about?” Mando asked quietly. The Mandalorian was normally so stoic and strong in his conviction that to hear his voice quiver in nervousness made your gaze shoot up to his.

“It’s… embarrassing. I don’t want you to think less of me.” Your face turned beet red, a trait of yours you didn’t realize you possessed until you met Mando. He was the first person to make you feel shy and flustered.

“I won’t, I promise. I just want to know… I need to know.”

“It was… about me. And you.” Mando rose to walk over to where you were standing, near the foot of the bed.

“What about us, exactly? You can tell me. Tell me everything.” You hesitated to meet his gaze, eyes wide and nervous.

“You were… on me. In me. All over me.” You felt yourself getting breathless as Mando got closer to you, as you retold your dream without getting too graphic yet still admitting that you had dreamt of him taking you.

“And was I gentle, or was I rough?” Mando’s voice grew husky, just as breathless as you. Maker, his voice made you weak at the knees.

“Gentle, at first. But the longer you went you got rougher. Much rougher.” Your voice dropped into a whisper as Mando found himself right in front of you, almost chest to chest. Your eyes dropped to admire his chest, what it’d look like without his shirt. You wanted to trace every scar that marked his skin, kiss him, bite him.

He grabbed your chin with his thumb and forefinger, drawing your gaze from his chest to his helmet.

“And which did you like better? Tell me,” he whispered through the modulator, but there was no filtering out how deep and raspy his voice had gotten, like you had never heard before.

“I… I was just happy you were touching me,” you whispered, in shock that this wasn’t just another dream. His hand drifted from your chin to your neck, caressing every inch of you. You closed your eyes, unable to believe that he was touching you without his gloves on.

Suddenly, both hands came to your waist and pulled you into his chest, your hands finding their place on his chest. You whimpered, never feeling so small, not knowing why you liked it so much.

“Do you want me to touch you, sweet one? Like I did in your dream?” he rasped.

“Please… please touch me, Mando.” He groaned at that, manhandling you so your back turned to the bed and quickly thrown onto the bed.

“I like hearing you beg, love. Beg some more for me.” You whimpered, flushed and embarrassed but in the best way. Mando yanked at your legs so they were hanging off the bed with him standing between your knees. His hands drifted from your stomach up to your breasts, squeezing them while his thumbs rubbed your hardened nipples through your shirt.

Unable to take it any longer, you sat up and yanked your shirt over your head as Mando did the same. His expanse of muscle was all you could think about, the thatches of chest hair made you want to run your hands all over him.

He dropped to his knees in front of you, playing with the waistband of your sleep shorts.

“Tell me, did I eat this sweet pussy of yours in your dream?” You moaned, unable to remember but wanting his mouth on you all the same.

“I want you to, but your helmet…” Mando grabbed the blanket that was at the end of the bed, throwing it so one end covered your stomach and the other fell near the middle of his back. Awkwardly, you saw him maneuver under the blanket to take his helmet off, and then your shorts.

Before you could say so much as a “please,” Mando’s mouth enveloped your cunt with his hot mouth. Your gasp was loud and ragged, not expecting him to feel this good. You felt him moan into you, licking from your hole up to the tip of your clit.

“Am I the one who made you this wet, my sweet one? You’re dripping onto the bed for me,” you heard him rasp under the blankets.

“Please, Mando, you feel so f-fucking good,” you gasp as he puts his mouth on you again. You reach under the blanket to grab his hair to pull him the exact spots you wanted his mouth to be. Maker, his mouth was immaculate. His tongue messily toyed with your clit, groaning in your cunt when you tugged his hair which sent vibrations everywhere.

When he found that one spot, just to the left of your clit, you started to feel that familiar tension in your stomach, the one you’d get when you’d touch yourself in the silence of night in the Crest. You tilted your hips just right as he sucked your clit into your mouth, letting out an animalistic moan.

As soon as you felt him hum into your cunt again, you were gone. You fell over a cliff higher than ever before as everything went utterly white, white in your vision and white noise in your ears.

Maker, you came so fucking hard. And through the whole thing, Mando licked and sucked at you, slowing down when you eventually came down. You felt like you were floating through the aftermath as Mando kissed the inside of your thighs, and through the reverie you were in you felt the tickle of facial hair on your skin. You smiled to yourself, finally able to know something about the appearance of the man you adored so.

Mando quickly put his helmet back on under the blanket before pulling himself over you, stroking your face with the back of his hand.

“Do you want more? Or do you want me to stop?” he asked. As spent as you felt, at the sound of his voice your body began rearing up for more.

“More. I need your cock, Mando, so badly,” you whimpered, feeling a brand new wave of wetness flood at the apex of your legs.

You picked your head up, finally wrenching your eyes open as you felt Mando start to take his pants off. You were very suddenly awake again when you saw his cock spring out. He was big, bigger than the boys you had taken by far.

“I- I don’t know if you’ll fit. I’ve never had a man bigger than you.”

“No, sweet one, you’ve only had boys. I can’t wait to be the first man who wrecks you,” he rasps into your ears as your hands wrap themselves around his neck and down his back. Stars, he was sexy, an odd mix of shy and domineering all at once.

He started rubbing the tip against your cunt, and suddenly you were on fire again. You had never tried to get yourself again after one orgasm, always too spent and high on dopamine to go again. So you never got to realize that once you had one, more orgasms were not very difficult to achieve. Until, Mando’s tip swirled around your clit and you could feel the coil tighten yet again.

“M-Mando, I’m gonna cum again if you keep doing that,” you whimpered, causing him to groan and only put more pressure on your clit.

“Then do it, my love. I want to see your face when you cum for me.” You let out a series of curses until you came again, slightly weaker than the previous one but it rocked through you. Before you could even come down, Mando thrusted himself into you in one go. You let out a yell bordering on a scream, feeling your pussy stretch itself to fit all of him. Stars, the burn of the stretch made you shiver.

“Oh f-fuck, my sweet girl has an even sweeter pussy,” he gasped as he started to thrust himself into you. “S-so fucking t-tight and w-warm, I’m not gonna last…”

Your eyes rolled into the back of your head as Mando’s thrusts sped up, slamming into you at an unfathomable rate.

“No no, look at me. Look at me while I’m making you feel good,” Mando growled as he grabbed your cheeks to make you look at his helmet. You tried so hard to keep your eyes open, but as Mando tilted his hips just right, jamming into your G-spot, you lost control over your body. You were saying something, but you were so far gone that you couldn’t decipher what it was.

“Is that- fuck- all you can say, pretty girl? Please? Please what? What do you need, fuck I’ll give you everything you want, just say the word,” Mando rambled, just as drunk on your pussy as you were on his cock.

“D-d-don’t stop, p-please don’t s-stop,” you uttered out, not completely sure if you were having one long orgasm or if it was building to something even bigger.

“I’m never gonna stop, baby, never wanna stop…” Without warning, an orgasm so strong racked through your body. You had never cum just from penetration before, but the way the hair at the base of Mando’s cock was brushing against your cunt as he fucked you sent you beyond the edge.

“Oh my fucking- stars, baby you’re so tight I can barely move… I-I’m gonna-“ Mando gasped as you felt him cum deep inside you, moaning louder than you thought he would.

You both gasped for breath, utterly exhausted from the best sex in both of your lives. Mando pulled out and laid next you on the bed, stroking your hair gently.

“I wish I could kiss you right now,” you croaked, voice almost gone from overuse. Silence fell over the two of you, and you wanted to take back your words, until…

“Close your eyes. And don’t open them. Promise?” he said.

“I promise, I swear I won’t,” you said, shutting your eyes with your heart leaping at the prospect of finally kissing him. After a few moments of the sounds of shuffling next to you, you felt a soft pair of lips meet yours. It was tentative at first, but after a few gentle pecks Mando caressed your face and kissed you with a passion so strong it took your breath away. You felt his mustache tickle your upper lip as he kissed like if he pulled away, he wouldn’t know what to do with himself.

When he finally pulled away, you reminded yourself to keep your eyes closed as he put his helmet back on. You pulled yourself over him, almost in the exact position you had found yourself in when you woke up from your dream, except this time Mando’s arm was draped under your neck.

“I’m glad we finally did that,” Mando admitted after a while. “I’ve wanted to kiss you since the first day you started living on the Crest.” You lifted your head from his chest and rested your chin on his right pec, gazing at his face.

“You mean that?” you ask.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

You grinned from ear to ear, thanking the Maker that this wasn’t just because Mando was horny and he had found you getting yourself off on him. He had wanted you, too.

“For a minute I thought…I thought you’d tell me to leave and never come back. I was so embarrassed to wake up like that. But… I guess it ended up helping us out,” you chuckled. You heard Mando chuckle too as his chest shook a bit, warming your heart.

“I will never ask you to leave. I want you to stay, I need you to stay,” he admitted quietly. “Plus, I don’t know anyone else who would take care of Grogu so well.”

“Oh, Maker, Grogu!” you exclaimed, realizing Grogu had been closed in his pram in the corner throughout the entire… act.

“The device is soundproof, he didn’t hear a thing,” Mando explained. You let out a sigh of relief.

“I don’t know, with those ears?” you laughed, hearing Mando laugh with you.

“Maybe they’re more for balance rather than hearing,” Mando replied, causing you to let out a loud laugh, making joy flood Mando’s body.

“We can only hope…”

[sooibian]

“Clay”-doh

Pairing: Baekhyun x fem!Reader

Genre: Parents AU, tooth rotting fluff

Description: "When was the last time we did something together as a family?" you ask Baekhyun and...it backfires.

Word Count: 1.4k unedited!!!

A/N: Thank you for daydreaming about this cute little scenario @littleflowercrown13​ 💗 i hope you enjoy!!!!

Scraping your hair up in a bun, you padded into the living room with an idea floating in your consciousness which fortified upon finding your husband sprawled out on the couch, snoring away a beautiful Saturday afternoon while your two year old’s pony plushie had been merrily galloping along his torso.

This is what your weekends had come to - Baekhyun would snatch every minute he could find to take a nap and your little one would unwind in the company of her inanimate playthings. Family time was simply...non-existent! The three of you were together all the time but not really.

Plopping down on the box arm of the couch with a pointedly loud sigh, you tried to shake him awake, your ringleted doll enthusiastically following suit. Baekhyun fought the two of you off by curling up like a shrimp, shoving his face into the pillow and letting out a muffled groan thus inviting a flurry of giggles from the bright eyed little lady whose marigold sized fists danced on her appa’s arm as she excitedly bounced on the balls of her feeties.

“Ow!” Feigning injury, Baekhyun’s hand flew up to his shoulder to block another blow from the marigold fisted warrior princess. But she was caught unawares when he suddenly scooped her up in his arm and put her down on his chest, playful fingers wiggling along her protruding tummy.

More giggles from both father and daughter.

“Why did you wake me up?” grumbled Baekhyun. The entirety of his attention seized by his own miniature version, he masked the annoyance in his tone by wearing a wide grin on his face.

Poking your husband in the side with a bamboo needle (a failed attempt at knitting), you whined, “You’re sleeping all! the! time! I’m bored!” You lifted her off of Baekhyun’s chest, allowing him to sit up straight and stretch his back, only for her to go flying back into his arms again.

“Jagiya, sometimes I wonder who the real two-year-old is!” Baekhyun exclaimed, peppering the high tension baby's face with soft kisses. Their levels of energy had always been directly proportional - you never failed to notice how Baekhyun's effervescence fuelled her tempo. She suddenly seemed like a whole ‘nother person - in complete contrast to the tiny angelic girl who'd been quietly playing with her pony just a couple of minutes ago.

You protested, "When was the last time we did something together as a family?"

He shot you a look in response that said 'That’s rich coming from you!' but his boxy grin made a revival as soon as he set his eyes on the fluff ball in his hands.

You’d admittedly been a spoilsport when it came to participating in Baekhyun planned “activities” but they were simply “not your jam”.  A couple of weeks ago, the father daughter duo had decided to dress up as murderous clowns after seeing posters of IT Chapter Two around the city! Murderous! Clowns!! So instead of blatantly refusing their invitation to dress up as one yourself, you volunteered to be their photographer and clean up the mess after.

It was a lesson learnt.

So the next time they were ready to play Masterchef with the Sous Chef’s tush parked on the Head Chef’s hip and altered-to-fit toques perched atop their peanut shaped heads, you slyly feigned a work emergency and asked your husband’s best friend to drop in for sometime to keep an eye on them….and well, avert any potential disasters. You were grateful not to have come home to ruin and debris but to your angels well fed and soundly asleep on the couch with the Head Chef’s bright yellow chick apron soaking up Little Miss Sous Chef’s drool. Thank God!

No, thank Kim Minseok!

“We could do something that’s not...umm..well..” you started hesitantly.

Mischief dancing in his eyes, Baekhyun cracked a sly smile and asked, “Stressful?”

Pursing your lips, you gave him a non-committal nod.

***

“SPA DAY!”

Mirroring her father’s enthusiasm, your little one threw her hands in the air and thundered in baby coo.

Baekhyun had laid down an old rug on the living room floor and together you arranged clay masks, lotions, cotton pads, baby oils, moisturizers...the entire shebang. You excused yourself to the bathroom to cleanse your face while the older troublemaker tossed the younger one into the air, the sound of saccharine giggles and gurgles pervading the entire room.

Your lips unconsciously synced to the words of a familiar song stuck in your head...just this one line playing over and over again as you trotted out of the living room.

‘...I can’t even close my eyes and I don’t know why...guess I don’t like surprises..’

A vague foreboding swiftly crept into your consciousness. Dabbing your face dry, you darted towards the living room with a different tune stuck in your head.

‘Everytime I turn around, something don’t feel right! Just might be paranoid!’

From a distance, everything seemed eerily normal.

Gongju-nim was seated cross legged on the rug, with a fluffy cushion placed against her smol lap on which Baekhyun had his head rested. Rubbing your eyes, you blinked furiously to adjust to the baffling scene before you.

Jaw slacked, you stood watching her pudgy fingers work expertly along Baekhyun’s soft facial skin, evenly spreading the blackish grey gooey clay mask all over his face and neck. A sunflower hair band wearing Baekhyun guided her by occasionally tilting his head from side to side so as to avoid the mouth and eye area.

The two thoughts occupying your mind in the moment were the damage that the clay mask would do to her two year old silken tofu skin and ways to throttle Baekhyun without the teensie warrior princess coming to his defence riding her wee little pony plushie.

But before you could do or say anything, her clay mask wielding fist suddenly went whop on his pursed lips.

Baekhyun’s eyes flew open in horror and the little one burst into another fit of giggles upon seeing her appa’s startled face. You bit on your tongue to hold back your laughter as your husband frantically shook his head to dissuade her but with the competence of a professional, she continued to even out the mask all over his lips.

You quietly went and sat next to her as she reached out for another scoop of the mask from the tub. Aiming a gremlin grin at you, she proudly flaunted her clay covered hands and you realized that she had gloves on. Washed over with relief, you ignored Baekhyun’s clay swaddled cry for help and extended your arms out to her.

But Little Miss Esthetician was all fired up!

She enthusiastically struck her father’s forehead with her tinie palms (yet again you ignored Baekhyun’s pained whimper. After all, he had brought this upon himself) and cooed, “Mama~” gesturing that it was your turn now to avail her valued services.

“Oh, my baby!” you chuckled, “Come here, let’s get you cleaned up.” Gently scooping her up in your arms, you laid her down next to her father.

Now that Baekhyun had been shut up for a good twenty minutes or so, you started to clean the mess off of her hands while berating him in a sing-song voice. “Why did you think it was a good idea to allow her to come in contact with these harsh ~ chemical ~ substances ~ ?”

Brows raised, Baekhyun sat up with a start, shook his head in denial and defended himself with a loud, “Mmmm!!!”

You knew that the mask, made entirely out of quality, kid-friendly natural ingredients, was relatively safe but you were simply not the parent who took risks. You were pulled out of your reverie by gongju-nim dissolving into another fit of giggles at the sound that came out of her appa’s sealed mouth. Amused, you smiled down at her and continued, “It could’ve gone into her eyes, Baekhyunnie ~ or her mouth ~” In hindsight, it was an ill-timed joke but Baekhyun’s lips curled up in an endearing clay laced smile and his eyes crinkled into half moons.

Your out-of-tune complaining was drowned out by the overwhelming feeling of love that blossomed in Baekhyun’s heart for his chaotic little family. He quickly sneaked a picture of the three of you - him with his clay mask on and his beautiful ladies in the background, faces lit up by the other’s bright smile - and gleefully shared it with his 20.9 million followers. He then grabbed a box of tissues to help you clean the mess that he'd inadvertently yet expectedly made.

[drwcn]

《Without Envy》- concubine/sleeper agent!wwx & prince!lwj 

[story board 1] [story board 2]   [story board 3]  [story board 4] 

long post: story board 5 →

Lan Wangji, as it turned, was a true gentleman. This was problematic for Wei Wuxian, who was tasked with getting close to him, because Hanguang-wang’s upstanding morals being rather unimpeachable rendered Wei Wuxian’s initial seduction efforts entirely unsuccessful. 

 Lan Wangji straight up ignored him. Whenever he came to visit Jiang Yanli it was always to speak with her and not Wei Wuxian. It was like Wei Wuxian, or A-Xian as he was known, did not exist to the prince. Whenever Wei Wuxian tried to “get close” to him, aka, making himself available to serve tea, meals and such, Lan Wangji would always dismiss him, or tell him to wait outside so Lan Wangji and Jiang Yanli could dine together alone. Needless to say, Wei Wuxian was getting increasingly frustrated. Entirely unbeknownst to Wei Wuxian however was the fact that Lan Wangji had noticed him from the start and was just trying to stop himself from doing something inappropriate. Truth is, Lan Wangji first saw Wei Wuxian at Jiang-fu during one of Lan Wangji’s visits to finalize the marriage between himself and Jiang Yanli. 

It was the dogs’ barking that got Lan Wangji’s attention first. That, and a young man’s agitated cursing.

“Fuck - ow! Princess that was not nice! I’m going to turn you into barbeque if you don’t cut this shi - Ow! Jasmine, give it here!” 

Lan Wangji’s personal guards Guo Ai and Sun Ting made to investigate the source of the ruckus and to tell off whoever dared to be so impertinent and disrespectful in a marquis’s manor, but Lan Wangji stopped them with a subtle gesture.  

Slowly, he approached the round archway looking into the garden and saw by the shrubs a handsome young man cradling a fuzzy tiny thing while trying his darnedest to fend off two relentless hounds. “Shoo, shoo, go bother your master!”

But the dogs wanted to play. Their bushy tails wagged happily.  

Eventually, the young man tired of the over enthusiastic canines, picked up a stick off the ground, and tossed it far over the garden walls. The dogs took off running, and he and the little creature he protected were allowed a moment’s peace. 

“Little tutu, it’s okay, the mean dogs are gone now. Don’t be afraid.” 

It was only then that Lan Wangji saw that the furry round thing was a small bunny, probably driven from its burrow by the aforementioned hounds that belonged to Jiang-xiao-gongzi. He watched, slightly transfixed, as the young man lifted the bunny and gently booped its nose against his own, his comely face scrunching up adorably in the process. 

So when Wei Wuxian arrived at the prince’s estate with Jiang Yanli, Lan Wangji cursed his luck. He had no intentions of becoming attracted or attached to anyone in his harem. His marriages were political games. Everything he did in his harem was calculated. The last thing he needed was for the Jins to think they could sink their claws into him. So he kept company with all his concubines equally, just to maintain the balance. Lan Wangji did not want Jin Ziyan to be the only man in his harem, which was why when Qin Su offered him Mo Xuanyu, he did not refuse. It was fortunate that Mo Xuanyu himself seemed eager to serve too, so Lan Wangji did not have to grapple with ethics there.  He was doing this for his country; everyone knew this. As long as he kept to his duties and divided his attentions equally, there would be trouble in his harem. Except...Lan Wangji wanted to see ‘A-Xian’ again. The more he wanted, the more he made himself keep his distance. He recognized the power dynamic that existed between this servant and himself, and that if he were to ask, A-xian was not really in a position to refuse. Besides, Jiang Yanli made no indications that she wanted her A-Xian to serve Lan Wangji. In fact, she seemed quite protective of him, always looking out for him wherever she could. She practically treated him like a little brother than a servant. As such, Lan Wangji was happy with the way things were. He could live with never knowing A-Xian more intimately. In fact, he did not want A-Xian to be ordered to serve him, or find out that A-Xian was just like every other man and woman in his harem, there to curry favours with him. It would be a shame if he turned out to be just another flower in the garden, another player in this game they played.  

Of course Wei Wuxian read this whole situation as: that little bastard Lan Wangji doesn’t like me. Xue Yang was charged with being Wei Wuxian’s correspondence between Gusu and Qishan but ended up just being the guy Wei Wuxian complained to.  —“Is this Hanguang-wang truly a paragon of virtues???” Wei Wuxian raged. “Aren’t princes supposed to be lechers? Wen Chao certainly is a sleeze. Wen Xu could be too for all we know. I’m young, fit, attractive and available. I know he likes men so why not me? He sleeps with Mo Xuanyu all the time apparently …Is Mo Xuanyu more attractive than me?!” Xue Yang: >_> God I miss murders. 

Wei Wuxian’s “opportunity” came when Jiang Yanli fell mysteriously ill about three months after she married Lan Wangji. When the physicians were left scratching their heads, Wei Wuxian quickly took the matter into his own hands. He needed Jiang Yanli alive; if she died before he made an impression on Lan Wangji, he could be sent away back to Jiang-fu and threaten his entire operation. What’s more, Jiang Yanli had been extremely kind to him in the last two years since he arrived at Gusu. She truly was the perfect lady; he would hate to see her suffer.  Through some crafty investigations, Wei Wuxian discovered that the cause of Jiang Yanli’s illness was a slow poison being laced into her food by Jin Ziyan’s orders. The motive of his actions were obvious enough; ever since Jiang Yanli married in, Lan Wangji seemed to be showing her extra favour, favours which he never distributed unevenly prior to her entering his household. Jin Ziyan did not want Jiang Yanli as a competition. She was a marquess’s dichu daughter, much higher in rank than either Qin Su or Luo Qingyang, and therefore posed serious threat to becoming Lan Wangji’s legal spouse. In a way, she was Jin Ziyan’s biggest competitor, and he couldn’t have that. What Jin Ziyan didn’t know was that Lan Wangji visited Jiang Yanli so much because he wanted to catch glimpses of Wei Wuxian, even though he dismissed Wei Wuxian from the room every time he saw him (the man was clearly a masochist). Wei Wuxian managed to sniff out the poison before it could cause lasting damages, but the effect of it was going on for long enough that Jiang Yanli still had an early term miscarriage before she even knew she was pregnant. Wei Wuxian, incensed by Jiang Yanli’s suffering, was ready to expose Jin Ziyan, but was ordered not to by Wen Zhuliu. ‘We still need Jin Ziyan’ was his reasoning. Still, Wei Wuxian managed to tip off the investigators such that they detected and put an end to the poisoning, but the culprit was ultimately never caught. As this played out, Wei Wuxian realized that now was his chance to get close to Lan Wangji. With Jiang Yanli recuperating...surely the Jiang family would want someone else of their clan to serve Lan Wangji in her place, someone who could keep Lan Wangji’s attention but would not replace Jiang Yanli’s place in the harem. It did not take much to lead Yu Ziyuan to the same conclusion. To ensure that he would have ample time with Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian secretly slipped a special sedative into Jiang Yanli’s food and drink to mimic the symptoms of a slow recovery. The sedative was one of Qishan’s secret formulations and could not be detected by Gusu’s finest doctors. But Jiang Yanli, bless her heart, did not want the boy who she’d come to see as a little brother to be used like an object. "A-niang, I don't want to force A-Xian to do things he doesn't want to. I will get better, dianxia will not abandon me." — Yu Ziyuan tsked, "Silly girl, serving Lan Wangji in your stead is his entire purpose for coming with you. Every family must plan for something like this; someone to hold onto Lan Wangji's interest while you're indisposed. Men are fickle, child. You need time to recover and someone will need to remind Hanguang-wang that you still matter when you’re ready again. We cannot let him forget you. Think of what this would mean for our clan." Much to Yu Ziyuan’s delight, Lan Wangji came to check on Jiang Yanli while she was visiting, and Madam Yu had no qualms making hints that it would be the Jiang family’s honour if Hanguang-wang allowed ‘A-Xian’ to serve him while Yanli recovered. Wei Wuxian did not protest. Why would he? This was his orchestration after all, but when he dared raise his gaze from the floor to look at Lan Wangji, he detected a hint of something in Lan Wangji’s face…something like disappointment. Wei Wuxian relayed this to Xue Yang and the other evil gremlin sucked on a candied apricot and said with a roll of his eyes： —“You’re so dense, shixiong, tsk. Men like Lan Wangji could have any man or woman he wants. If you go along with Madam Yu’s orders, you’ll just to be like everyone else, another ambitious servant trying to socially advance. He’ll fuck you and forget you within a blink of an eye.” — Wei Wuxian sipped his liquor and grimaced. “Fine, what do you suggest I do then? — Xue Yang smirked, “Oh, haven’t you heard? Men like roses with thorns. When you’re brought to him tonight, don’t play along. Don’t humour him. Refuse him.” — Wei Wuxian： >_> Is this how you got those Daoist priests in bed with you? — Xue Yang smirked shamelessly, “Worked, innit?”

Listen, Lan Wangji was fully prepared to have some emotionless sex with Wei Wuxian okay? Boy was prepared to just go through the motions. He was disappointed to know that A-Xian turned out to be no better than any other servant in his harem: eager to climb his bed.

Being a concubine was stupid work, Wei Wuxian realized belatedly. After dinner, Jiang Yanli bid him goodbye with worried eyes as the momos and gugus of Hanguang-fu dragged him away to be bathed and prepped for the prince’s enjoyment later that night. (gugu, momo - older female servants)

Wei Wuxian was not a dirty person - sure, he worked hard, but he bathed regularly - they did not have to scrub that roughly. As they practically scrapped off a layer of skin, the momos rattled on and on about how he should “conduct” himself in the presence of dianxia and how he should position himself to best please him. 

What the actual fuck. Wei Wuxian resisted the urge to pull a face. Did the ladies get the same banal talk? How fucking boring was the sex around here? Wei Wuxian wasn’t born yesterday alright? He knew how to fuck.  ...Well fine, he didn’t, but he and Xue Yang had sucked each other off once or twice, so that should count for something. 

Once the attendants were satisfied with the state of him - hair brushed, skin cleaned and lotioned, callouses removed - they rolled him in a large full-body sized blanket, placed him in a sedan and ordered the servants to carry him to Lan Wangji’s chamber. 

Wei Wuxian tried not to make an exasperated grimace when the servants literally picked him up like a log and deposited him on the prince’s large bed.

Fucking...seriously? 

He did not remember this bullshit when zhangjie married in...but then again Jiang Yanli did marry in. There was a ceremony and everything. Lan Wangji was very respectful that night, bowing to her before lifting her veil as a gentleman ought to. So what the fuck is this barbaric treatment? Just as he pondered on these questions, the tulle canopy parted, and Lan Wangji’s handsome face and broad chest came into view. Undressed to his inner most layer of robes and his ink black hair let loose, he looked very much like a man ready to ravish his new concubine, but somehow, Wei Wuxian could not detect a trace of interest on that jade-like face. 

Despite knowing this was all an act, just a means to an end, Wei Wuxian shivered when Lan Wangji reached for the edge of the blanket that encased him. 

He pulled the blankets closer, shrinking deeper inside. 

“Don’t be afraid,” said Lan Wangji. “I won’t hurt you.” 

Time to act, Wei Wuxian. Give it your best shot. 

“I’m not afraid.”  “Then why do you hide?”  Wei Wuxian waited a meaningful second before meeting Lan Wangji’s gaze dead on and said, “Because I don’t want to.”  Nonplussed, Lan Wangji raised an elegant eye brow in return. “Oh? Is that so? Or are those just words? Perhaps you've confused what kind of place a harem is. If you do not want to, why are you here?”

Is my act not convincing enough or is this stupid asshole so confident in his attractiveness that he thinks everyone must automatically want to fuck him? Slightly ticked off now, Wei Wuxian sat up, still holding the blanket to his chest and retorted hotly, “I am not confused, dianxia. Perhaps you are unable to comprehend the idea that someone as lowly as a servant would refuse when given the opportunity to ascend in rank, but nevertheless, that doesn’t change my position. I don't want to. I am here because Lianfang-jun appointed me; there was hardly any room in that decision for me to argue. If you are determined to have me, I will not resist, because I understand my place. But I am a person, not a thing or a broodmare for you breed. I have some dignity left, and at the very least, before you...before you hold me down and fuck me, I want you to know."

Wei Wuxian half wondered if his act had gone a little overboard. The expletives maybe were just a tad too dramatic, but then again...   ...seeing how Lan Wangji's entire stance shifted, maybe not. 

Lan Wangji withdrew his hand. He had mistaken Wei Wuxian’s initial unwillingness as coquettish posturing, but the heat in those dark, bright eyes could not be faked. 

“Those words could get you into a lot of trouble when spoken to the wrong person. Have the momos not taught you the rules?” 

Wei Wuxian squared his shoulders. “They have, but I place trust in Hanguang-wang’s reputation, that you are a true gentleman and would not force me against my will.” Then, just as he practiced, Wei Wuxian lowered his eyes. “I am a servant, your servant, and I know it is my duty to serve you in any way you command me, but I -...please find other use of me, dianxia, but not this.” 

 He startled a little when a warm hand found purchase under his chin and lifted up his face. Lan Wangji inspected him wordlessly with those cold, sharp eyes, searching for lies, for pretense. Wei Wuxian held his breath, praying he won’t be found out, but eventually, when the prince and his calculation deemed him good enough, he let go. 

“Very well.” 

Lan Wangji fetched a pair of clean inner robes and trousers from the wardrobe and handed them to Wei Wuxian. “Get dressed and move over.” Without waiting for Wei Wuxian to respond, he sat himself down on the edge of the bed and began to remove his socks and shoes. 

Wei Wuxian moved quickly, shrugging on the robes and tied it in place before shoving the trousers under the covers to try and pulling them up his legs. “You’re...you’re not leaving?” 

Lan Wangji glared at him over his shoulder. “This is my room, my bed. Why should I leave?” 

Right. Right.

“But you’re not...sending me away?” 

Lan Wangji frowned as though questioning his intelligence. “Would you like me to send you away? I should think that would reflect badly on you and your mistress.”   That did give Wei Wuxian pause. “Uh, well –”   “Your declining to be my bedfellow does not impede my fulfilling my side of the arrangement. You will leave in the morning, and the others will think that I found you pleasing enough to keep you the whole night. That should give Jiang-fu’ren and the Yunmeng Jiang clan sufficient face."   “I could sleep on the floor.” 

“Do you want to sleep on the floor?” Lan Wangji swung his legs onto the bed and arranged the blankets to his liking. “The doors are never locked. Servants and sentinels must be allowed in to check on me during the night for security purposes. It would not bode well if they found you lying on the floor.” 

Right, yeah that would defeat the whole purpose. 

“Oh.” 

Lan Wangji lay down and crossed his hands over his chest. “Lie down, sleep. I have morning court assembly, and I’m tired. If you’re going to stay, don’t be a disturbance.” 

Feeling like he’d lost all semblance of control in this situation, Wei Wuxian awkwardly laid himself down beside Lan Wangji. The bed was big enough for the two of them that there was space in between even when both of them lay flat on their backs. 

Lan Wangji lifted up just a second to blow out the bedside candle, and then there was total darkness.

Wasn’t I suppose to seduce him? What the fuck is this? Okay...maybe I have no idea how to seduce him...maybe I have no idea how to do anything that’s not straight up strangling him in his sleep. 

Wei Wuxian could feel his heart thudding in his chest, panic coiling tighter and tighter. He almost wished Lan Wangji had ignored his protest and took him, because then it’d be straight forward. As it were, he had no idea how to proceed now. 

Just as Wei Wuxian was being slowly consumed by his maelstrom of thoughts, Lan Wangi suddenly spoke into the dark. 

"I am not a heartless bastard, you should know."

Huh? 

"I never implied that."

“You did.” Lan Wangji gave a little shake of his head. “I do not want this anymore than the others in the harem. You said I treat my women like broodmares, but perhaps you have not considered that Gusu treats me like a stallion."   Wei Wuxian was momentarily speechless.    “Your mistress is very kind and gentle. I am sorry that the child in her belly was lost; I know she very much wanted to be a mother. I see that you are very protective of her, so you should know, I would never hurt her.  Even if she were to never recover her strength, I would not let harm come to her.”   Those words, softly spoken, tugged at Wei Wuxian’s conscience, if not his heartstrings. “Dianxia -”   “Sleep. Good night.”

The next morning Wei Wuxian woke up to knocking on the door. The sun was already high in the sky and the bed was empty of Lan Wangji’s presence.  A group of maids entered carrying a basin of water, towels and clean clothes. Wei Wuxian, dazed, asked, "Where's danxia?" One of the maid giggled. "Dianxia left at dawn to attend morning assembly at the palace. You must not know; he wakes up very early. He said not to wake you, and to let you sleep. He said," The others giggled with her. “He said that you've had a long night."

To the great surprise of everyone, Lan Wangji did not elevate Jiang Yanli’s servant A-Xian to concubine status after the ‘long night’ they had together. Instead he ordered A-Xian to be transferred to his court to be his close-quarter attendant, to serve him in his every day tasks.  Wei Wuxian did not exactly understand why Lan Wangji would make this particularly decision, but he did not complain. After all this was exactly what he wanted, to be close to Lan Wangji and earn his trust.  Lan Wangji, on the other hand, was content to have Wei Wuxian close by, secure in the knowledge ‘A-Xian’ did not wish to spread his legs to socially advance. Perhaps, if he dared to hope, he could finally have someone to speak to in this lonely manor full of people who only saw the crown hanging above his head.

Xue Yang was of the opinion that this was all going to end badly. He was right. 

[next]

[because-why-not-a-fnaf-blog-too]

Oops I may have been working on a story for fnaf sb like I thought but now it’s a post security breach that’s Sun and moon centric and a reader fic but it’s platonic b/c I want more of those to read. Let me have chaotic (slightly unhinged) Sun, somewhat unnerving and playful (yet not so harmless) gremlin moon and reader that’s all welp this is my life now I now have a large two ai in one robot staring at me as we road-trip along and stay at hotels because oops didn’t read emails correctly and my house is now being watched so the reader then goes to stay with a friend who’s all ‘sweet you have (read: stole) an animatronic that is pretty cool sure you can stay here.’ Shenanigans

If something like it exists already tell me I would like to read it and even if it does somewhat exist, I’m going to make a fic myself with the plot idea that hammered me a while back (but got temporarily obsessed over Pokémon).

Basic idea is the reader is a worker at the pizza plex but had two days off during which sb happened. Gets a random work email to go check if the daycare attendant is still there (mysteriously the daycare is mostly untouched by the fire) so the company can either fix or decommission the animatronic. Upon getting there and checking there is a follow up email stating to not go in as the whole place is going to be totaled and all animatronics scrapped. As convenient plot point the reader has already met the daycare attendant (moon via leaving after hours stare awkwardly until you confirm you are, in fact, an employee) where you are jump-scared basically (or creepily stalked) and find daycare attendant somewhat scorched here and there and decide to take the animatronic with them b/c at bottom of email it states that the daycare attendant was destroyed in fire (lies of course and oops the reader doesn’t notice that means company is trying to be sus). So there reader is with a vibrating, excited sun in their car (moon just vibing while waiting for it to be dark so he can play (read: scare/put to sleep) the reader who’s running in adrenaline and coffee for two days.

I’m sure it will go fine.

If I’m in the mood to post a chapter it might be this weekend. But I’ll see. My mind is fandom jumping mainly between fnaf and Pokémon.

I’ll prob post some notes here to keep track of things. Don’t know what to tag it as yet.

[floralguccistyles]

prologue: very superstitious (writing’s on the wall)

story page // sign up for the taglist // thoughts?

taglist: @burberryharold @niallsguitarsthings @kare36 @niallhoranistodiefor 

I didn’t mean to make my entire life a cliche. 

It wasn’t my fault that the entirety of my life was like the first ten minutes of an annoyed I-don’t-know-what-to-do-with-my-life-twenty-something romantic comedy montage. Things just worked out that way sometimes. 

While no character in those romantic comedies had ever planned for things like this to happen, I really hadn’t planned it. All this taught me was that romantic comedies (at least the beginning of romantic comedies) were absolutely, one hundred percent capable of happening.

Right down to wanting to slam my head against my boss’s desk but keeping my composure because it would be horrifically unprofessional.

“I’m in a really bad position, Eva,” Brooke stated, flipping through the last issue of our ratings. She was the kind of boss to have her notes color-coded and all our ratings printed with hard copies and put into a binder. I respected that about her. It was one of the things that made me want to work underneath her. “And you’re one of my best writers. I know you did it last month—” and the month before that, and the month before that—”but I promise this is a compliment to your work.”

My work in question was my writing ability. I had only been working with Brooke for two years, but I had built up Current Noose from the ground. I was the one who had presented my idea to Brooke and had gotten it approved, and now I was one of the highest watched segments in the company. 

Once upon a time, fresh-faced and out of college with a political science degree, I believed that I would be thrust upon the world of politics with a warm welcome. Instead, doors closed in my face and superiors looked down on me because even though I had worked my ass off for my degree, the only experience I had was writing a segment in my college’s paper. I met Brooke through one of my bosses, who was a gremlin on a good day. Brooke was higher on the food chain than I was, but she was sick of being treated like shit. Within five months, she had created Sac-rosanct Francisco, her company that excelled in publishing and online content. What started as her little dream to get out of the horrible work environment had blown up into something. It was no debate when she asked me if I would come work for her and the company she had created.

I had started as her general political science advisor, writing about any current events in the political sphere. But that’s when I got the idea for Current Noose, a little segment on our Youtube channel talking about what a shitshow politics actually were. Since it was accessible to the demographic I was trying to reach (which was people who elected out of voting even though every billboard was begging them to), I had single handedly raised our viewings up by six percent, which while not seeming like a lot, was actually a huge difference.

In terms of writing for the scripts we did on our show, I only wrote political science pieces. But about a month ago, Jaya had given birth to a beautiful baby girl and was on maternity leave until January. 

Which meant that Jaya’s romance show had no script writers. 

And who had been forced to pick up the work, even though she knew nothing about romance? Me. 

The first script had been a disaster. I had the brilliant idea to try and get exes in a room together and discuss why things didn’t work out, maybe give advice on things to work on with any relationships they had in the future. It had ended with a very upset Roy Greenbriar shouting that his ex-girlfriend Hannah Baylor was a cunt on our Youtube channel. Which, while incredibly hilarious in the moment because she’d cheated on him, was not what Brooke was looking for. Jaya still wasn’t speaking to me for that little mishap. 

The second segment had gone better. It had put people together with blindfolds and included a scientist to pass around fragrances underneath their noses. Couples tended to gravitate towards the fragrances that had scents their significant others wore. Jaya still wasn’t speaking to me, but she had sent a thumbs up emoji and a cute picture of her baby that made me hope I was somewhat forgiven.

“Why don’t you have Wyatt do it? He loves this stuff.” He was our producer’s assistant. He was gunning for his boss’s job and loved shit like romance columns and segments. He basically worshipped the ground Jaya walked on. 

“Wyatt’s not as witty as you. Our viewers love that.”

Curse my razor-sharp wit. “I am begging you, Brooke. I can’t do a romance segment for the third week in a row. I’m going crazy. I can’t focus on Current Noose and Jaya’s segment at the same time.” Not to mention having to deal with comments talking about what a shitty job I was doing (I didn’t blame them for said comments, but Brooke didn’t need to know that). “They hate me, Brooke.”

“They don’t hate you. They love to give you shit,” Brooke corrected, closing her ratings binder. “Look, Eva, I know you hate doing shit that isn’t politics. I understand that. But I’m strapped here and the viewers are familiar with you. Current Noose is the most popular segment on our channel. Even more than Watts of Love.” I really, really hated Jaya’s segment name. Which was why I mostly referred to it as Jaya’s segment. It was witty, with her last name being Watts and all, but I wanted to plug my ears every time I heard it. “I need you to do this for me. Please.”

The problem with working under Brooke since the beginning is that I actually liked her and wanted to please her. It’s why I was so happy that Current Noose was doing so well. It reflected well on me and it reflected that Brooke had made the right choice in choosing me to move over to her company.

I was between a rock and a hard place.

“I’ll try my best. But if Wyatt even sniffs around with a good segment idea, I’m letting him do it. He’s ready.”

He wasn’t ready at all, but I would do anything to avoid doing another one of Jaya’s segments.

“Fine,” Brooke said, in a tone that suggested it would happen when hell froze over. “We’ll discuss that if it happens. For now...thank you.”

And that was what made doing another one of Jaya’s segments worth it. If I took some of the pressure off Brooke’s shoulders and got her genuine thanks, I would do whatever it took. She had taken a chance on me and I planned on repaying her for the rest of my life. 

“You’re welcome.” I was going to need about a gallon’s worth of coffee to try and figure out a segment that would work, but I would do it for Brooke. I stood, smoothing down my pencil skirt and heading out of her office, mind already whirling with all the things I needed to do. 

“Oh,” Brooke called, forcing me to turn just before I stepped out of her office, “and don’t forget our staff Halloween party at the end of the month.”

Shit. It must have been October first then. Usually Brooke started talking about Halloween around then. “Sounds good.”

Halloween was sacred at Sac-rosanct Francisco. Most of my coworkers went ape shit over it, revolving all their segments in the month of October around it. I mentioned a couple of jokes on Current Noose, like last year when the presidential debates were happening and it was “spooky to see what the fuck was happening in politics,” but I didn’t celebrate it hardcore like people here seemed to.

My phone buzzed as I got back to my office. I pulled it out absentmindedly sliding my finger across the green answer button. “Evangelina Valencia speaking.”

“Why are you answering my phone call so formally?”

Speaking of people who celebrated Halloween hardcore. My brother was one of those people who started decorating for Halloween in August. I’m sure he already had his costume and had already planned his costumes for the next five Halloweens. “Hey Luis. Sorry, didn’t look at who was calling before I answered.”

Luis and I had a pretty decent relationship, in the way that siblings did. I’d kill him for eating the last Oreo in the package but I’d also kick someone’s ass if they wronged him. We were only fifteen months apart, so we had always been forced together as kids in hopes that we would be best friends. For the most part, we were. He was the first person I called to vent to and I was the first person he called when he had a question. 

“No worries. How’s things over at SF?”

He was based in Los Angeles for his job. A job, coincidentally, that was almost identical to mine. Unlike me, however, he didn’t write segments for his company’s Youtube channel FunFriday. He just participated in all the weird shit they did and helped produce. There was a bit of sibling rivalry and healthy competition as FunFriday was our biggest competitor at the moment, but Brooke wasn’t shitty about things like that.

“Decent. Brooke’s making me do another one of Jaya’s segments.”

Luis snorted. “You haven’t had a boyfriend in like six years. The fuck more about love could you know?”

If it were coming from anyone else, the comment might have stung. I knew Luis meant for it to cheer me up, though. “That’s what I tried to tell Brooke, but everyone here is apparently incompetent and I’m her saving grace.”

“Those were her words verbatim?”

I scowled. “Something like that, anyway. What’s up?”

While Luis and I were close, we never called each other during work hours. We knew how busy the other was. So if he was calling me, it meant it was pretty  important. I heard him sigh on the other line and braced myself for the worst. “I might have a solution to your problem, actually.”

“If you say smoking a bowl—”

“Jesus, no. Look, don’t tell Brooke anything yet because I’m only like ninety percent sure it’s happening, but Malcolm’s gonna call her about maybe doing some Halloween segments together. Malcolm thinks it’ll be a good way to get both of our viewers up and people will enjoy the NorCal and SoCal Youtube sensations together.”

I leaned back in my seat, kicking my heels off. “I’m pretty sure all our Halloween segments are already planned.”

“Ours too. They want us to put something together last minute if we can.”

I let out a low whistle. “That’ll be a shit ton of work. Are you involved in any of the new segment’s Malcolm’s thinking of?”

Malcolm King was the Brooke Madison of FunFriday. He was the brains behind their most popular segments. Though he hadn’t created the company from scratch, their head honcho had left the company only five months after starting it up and had left Malcolm in a shitty position. Malcolm was able to turn his bad situation around, however, and for that, he had my respect. I also knew him well enough from Luis’s stories to know that he was an ambitious son of a bitch.

“Nah, I opted out this year. Niall’s gonna do them, I think, but he’s not happy about it. The guy hates Halloween because he’s scared of his own shadow.”

Niall was Luis’s best friend at FunFriday. They had met on their first day and it was a name I had heard ever since. He’d even come to our house for a couple of holidays, but it was always conveniently the holidays I had to spend at work, so I’d never actually met the man. Even though I’d never met him, though, he was somehow as familiar to me as Luis was because I’d heard so much about him.

“Well, that’s probably why Malcolm’s having him do it. Viewers eat that shit up. If they think he hates it, they’ll love it.”

“Yeah, that’s what Malcolm said. But he wants someone from SF to help with the Halloween shit. I think they’re gonna ask that coworker of yours with the blue hair?”

He was talking about Rilynn Mathers. If I recalled correctly, her hair was now pink. “Right, right. She’d be a good one to ask. She goes crazy over Halloween and believes in ghosts. The whole shebang.”

“She’d probably work well with Niall, too. Alright, just wanted to keep you updated. You taking your lunch?”

I eyed my protein shake that I’d set on my desk this morning. I knew he probably meant something more substantial, but with all the shit I had to do for Current Noose and Jaya’s channel, I didn’t even have time to pick up a fork, much less focus on eating. “On it. Talk to you later.”

The phone call with my brother was a nice reprieve from the inner workings of my mind, but I knew that I needed to hurry and slam down my protein shake and then try and plan what the fuck I was going to do for Jaya’s channel. Anything involving exes was a definite no; Jaya was way better at handling shit like that. The fragrance thing happened to go over well, but I had thought about that on a drunken whim when I was trying to drown myself in the shower. Luckily, this happened often enough that I had bought myself a waterproof pen and notepad that I kept in the shower for whenever those wonderful ideas hit me.

“Delivery!” Someone said, knocking on my door as I finished with my shake and threw the carton in the trash. It was my assistant, a younger girl by the name of Sabine. She was also, coincidentally, one of my best friends. She was holding a Scream-Gram, an idea by one of my more Halloween-enthused coworkers. It included an orange and black dyed flower with a little candy bar attached to the stem by bright purple ribbon. “Happy October.”

What the fuck was in the air with all this Halloween shit? It was like the second we changed our calenders, people lost their minds. “Oh,” I said, accepting the flower and candy bar from Sabine’s hand. “Thanks.” When she didn’t leave, I raised an eyebrow. “This doesn’t come with a song performance, does it?”

She laughed. “No, just trying to be nosy and see what shit you’ve come up with for Jaya’s segment.”

I groaned, pushing the flower away from me and retrieving my ideas notebook from underneath all the shit on my desk. “I don’t know why Brooke thinks I can do this. I hate writing romance segments.”

“But people love romance and they love you. The two of those things together is their kryptonite.” Sabine plopped herself down on the corner of my desk, something I had told her multiple times annoyed me, but also something she had done so much that I had just gotten used to it. “Brooke’s in a meeting with Malcolm King. Luis tell you anything about that?”

Shit, Malcolm worked fast. I couldn’t blame him, though. If he wanted to squeeze in extra content for this month when it was already October first, I’d be moving like someone lit a fire under my ass too. “No clue. Why don’t you take your nosy self and find out on your own?”

“Because it’s much more fun annoying you until you tell me. Plus, Luis is shit at keeping secrets and we know it. So, what’d he tell you?”

I groaned. “Malcolm wants our channels to work together on something for Halloween.” She gave me a look that translated into: does that bastard know it’s October first and we’ve had our Halloween segments planned for months? I nodded at the expression, sure it was the same one on my face when Luis had told me the news. “Exactly. But, I’ve gotta admit, viewers would go crazy. They love FunFriday and they love SF.”

Sabine pondered it for a moment. “Well. Guess we’ll find out what Brooke thinks later. Would Luis be doing it?”

“Nope. He said they voluntold Niall.”

My assistant let out a loud whistle. “Shit. Maybe I’ll volunteer then. That man is something else.”

Though I’d never met him in person, I dutifully watched all the segments my brother did on his channel and Niall was included in most of them, which meant I had seen what he looked like, at least. I couldn’t exactly disagree with Sabine. Objectively, Niall was handsome. But he seemed a little too serious for my taste. “Not the point, Sabine.”

“And that accent? I went to Ireland two summers ago and none of them sound as good as he does.”

“I’m sure the people of Ireland will murder you for that comment later.” I gestured towards the door in a shoo, shoo motion. “Now go. I have work for Jaya’s shit.”

“Aye aye, captain.” Sabine jumped off my desk and exited my office. The Scream-Gram sat untouched on the corner of my desk, begging for me to give it attention.

I didn’t hate Halloween. It was a cute and fun enough holiday. I liked seeing some of the cute kids that came to my door for some candy. I just didn’t believe in things like ghosts, demons, or anything supernatural. To me, those things were just stories made up to scare horror-movie watchers and thrill-seekers. Luis had once tried to scare me with tales of Verónica Jaja and how if I said her name three times into a mirror, she’d take my soul. In the end, he just managed to end up scaring himself and having to sleep with our parents in their room for three months until he started camping out with me. 

Whenever friends and I went out to see scary movies, I was never affected. My friends sometimes stayed over at my apartment because they didn’t want to be alone, but I could easily have all my lights off and sleep with my feet outside of the blankets because to me, that shit wasn’t real. I didn’t believe in any of that, so I wasn’t afraid of it. Maybe that’s why I didn’t care much about Halloween. Sure, I liked watching the old Disney Channel movies I had grown up with, but other than that, the holiday wasn’t much on my radar. 

And it definitely wasn’t on my list of priorities. My eyes scooted over to where Jaya’s segment data sat. 

She had emailed me some ideas, but they were half-hearted and not thoroughly planned out because she had her little girl. Even if I used one of her ideas, I’d be doing the bulk of the work. And this piece on Current Noose was going to be about the failed recall election of California, which also needed my full attention. I ran my hands through my hair, doing my best to comb through it afterwards in case someone came into my office. I didn’t need to reflect the mess I felt inside. Grabbing one of my posh gel pens that I had bought for way too much money, I started brainstorming.

Jaya had a pretty developed idea about talking to scientists about what happens to a person biologically when they fall in love. Their heart rates, their sweaty palms. It was a great idea, but seeing as we’d just had a scientist on for our last segment, it was too close together to actually put much merit into it. Her other idea included a couple’s baking segment, but that was (quite literally) a recipe for disaster if it meant I had to get shit together and come up with a decent script that would keep the viewers entertained. 

A knock on my door sounded once more and I debated throwing my pen at it. In the end, I had decided it had cost me too much. When I saw it was Brooke strolling into my room, I straightened a little. “What’s up, boss?”

“Cut the shit, I know Luis called you.”

Brooke and Malcolm both knew of mine and Luis’s honest sibling relationship. They had made their peace with it. Since both our channels were about as popular as one another, they didn’t mind a little fun sibling rivalry or sibling secret-sharing sessions. So when she said this, I knew she meant it all in good fun, like she always did when she talked about Luis and me. “Yeah, Sabine mentioned Malcolm was quick to call you.”

Brooke took the seat in front of my desk, crossing her leg over the other. “Do you really not want to do Jaya’s segment?”

I was immediately on the defensive. “I was just joking around earlier. I don’t know much about the romance side of things in life, but if you need me to, I’ll do it. Sorry if I gave you crap about it earlier.” Honestly, I’d probably do whatever Brooke asked me to.

“No, no, that’s not why I’m asking.” She handed me a binder. When I opened it, there were printed documents about the Halloween segments that Malcolm had suggested to her. “Malcolm was quick with this. His idea is to get together someone who believes in and is scared of ghosts and someone who doesn’t believe in those things and send them to some haunted places. It would be a five week deal since there’s five Fridays in October this year. He suggested Rilynn, but I...well, I suggested you.”

My eyebrows rose in surprise. “Why?” I couldn’t help but ask. Rilynn was way more suited to something like this.

“Well, first off, Rilynn totally believes in all that shit,” Brooke joked. “I think she got like twelve Scream-Grams today.” Brooke’s eyes trailed to the flower and candy on my desk and smiled. “Second...and if you repeat this, I will happily deny it and fire you...but I just have always felt confident with you. I know whatever you do, you’re gonna be great at it. If I would trust one person dealing with our competitor, it would be you. You’re one of the best, Eva. I don’t say this lightly. It’s why I passed Jaya’s stuff onto you. I know you hate it, but you get it done and you get it done well. Truthfully, I think this place wouldn’t survive without you. And if you really don’t want to do Jaya’s stuff, I figured I’d give you the option.”

Hearing someone have so much faith in you was incredibly important. I knew my family had faith in what I did. I got lucky with my parents and Luis. I knew Sabine believed in me. But hearing it from Brooke, who had plucked me out of a misogynistic and horrible workplace and had taken a chance on me...it meant so much more. 

Which was why my answer was so automatic. “Yes!” She jumped a little in surprise at the force in my tone, so I tried to control myself. “Yes, I’ll do it. Who’ll take Jaya’s segment?”

She smiled wryly. “Wyatt.” Before I could laugh, she wagged her finger at me. “Not a peep out of you, you little shit.” She tapped her finger against the binder. “All you need to know is here. Travel expenses are paid for, of course. You’ll need to contact Malcolm and the kid you’ll be working with. I think his name is Niall?” She shrugged. “And...I’m proud of you, Eva.”

My chest fluttered, feeling warm as she smiled at me. She stood up to leave, pushing open my door. Except, she was almost bulldozed down by a body crashing into my office.

It was Wyatt, heavily panting like he had run across the Golden Date Bridge to get to my office. “Give me Jaya’s stuff! I’m making this the best damn segment Watts of Love has ever seen!”

[solastia]

Tuqburni: Finale - Heartbreak

Pairing: Yoongi X Reader, Hoseok x Reader

A/N: Here you go with an alternate ending where she DIDN’T choose to go back to them. Angst, with a bit of hope (hyuck). Please remember, in my mind the other ending is canon and I will be releasing an epilogue eventually of them together in the future. Until then, enjoy this. It really hurt me to make my Yoongichi cry. 

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You sat on your tiny patio in the beat-up rocking chair you’d bought from a thrift store as you waited for Namjoon to come by. You probably could have waited inside, but it felt too big and empty for your liking. A familiar knock rattles your very wobbly-sounding door and you get up with a sigh, closing the sliding glass behind you as you head to the front door. 

You open it without checking, knowing that there were only two people in the world who knew where you lived now. 

Namjoon and Seokjin are standing there with hands brimming with equipment. 

“Come on in. The room’s mostly set-up now.” 

They kick off their shoes somehow and scuffle towards the second bedroom that was mostly sparse beyond a desk holding your computer, a chair, and soundproofing foam panels on the walls. In the pair’s arms were the rest of the recording equipment you’d need to establish the room as your official workspace. 

Namjoon mumbles that he can take care of the setup so you let Jin pull you to the tiny kitchen and put on some tea while you wait. 

“So...how was your first night as an independent woman?” Seokjin asks while he pulls down your new mugs and turns on the kettle. 

“...Alright, I guess. Quiet,” you murmur softly, putting bags in the cups. 

He nods in understanding. You’d moved out of their place after staying there for nearly a month. You’d tried leaving earlier, but Seokjin and Namjoon had been adamant that you needed to stay and let them watch out for you for a little while before you decided. Personally, you’d suspected that they’d probably thought they were on suicide watch, but you were fine. Well, perhaps not fine, but nowhere near thinking about that kind of thing. 

“I wasn’t sure if I was going to tell you or not, but you should know that Yoongi didn’t take it well,” he sighs and sets down his cup. “There was...a lot of yelling. A lot of...you know...him puffing up and getting angry at us to hide how devastated he was. He blamed us and said we were turning you against him and that setting up a studio in your apartment so you’d never have to see him again was obviously something that I came up with because you would never do that. He even started saying some stuff about how Namjoon was obviously using this as a chance to steal you away because of the tiny crush he had on you back when you all first met.” 

“Oh, Jesus,” you huff and rub your eyes. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that. He’s...that’s just always been his fighting style. He zeros in on the one thing he can say that would hurt you the most and stabs you with it. Please don’t hold it against him.” 

He reaches over and pets your hair softly. “I know. It’s...it’s going to take a while but he’s going to need us too when this starts to settle down a little more. Right now you are our priority because you’re the one that’s been wronged, but...he’s still our marshmallow Yoongichi and we’ll need to pick him up too. Even if we are incredibly disappointed in him. Both of them.” 

You nod, closing your eyes. “He...did he look...bad?” 

“Yeah, I’m not gonna lie. His clothes were all messed up and he’s gotten really skinny. Don’t think he’s eating much either. But...you don’t need to worry about that. That’s not your responsibility. He made his choices. Jimin made his choices. Now it’s time for you to have your turn.” 

You nod silently, knowing he was right. That didn’t make it any easier. 

It felt almost like you’d been in a trance since that night Yoongi had ordered you to leave. You remembered driving to Jin’s and sitting in their guestroom, staring at the ceiling blankly once your chest hurt too much to cry any longer. 

When the knocking started, there had been one tiny spark of hope that Yoongi had finally come to his senses and was there to apologize. To drop to his knees and beg you to come back. That he would do anything…

But the high tones of Jimin’s begging squashed that final dream. Yoongi couldn’t even be bothered to come even now. He had to send Jimin to do the talking for him. And finally...FINALLY...you were overcome by rage. 

No more. You were done. 

You shook your head no to Namjoon’s silent question over whether he should let Jimin inside, and then you just stood there listening to him trying to talk through the door. He said some things that surprised you and some that didn’t. You’d known he was developing some sort of feeling for you - whether that was actually love or that he just liked having sex you didn’t know, and really you weren’t sure you cared anymore. 

He’d managed to stick around for an hour, which had impressed you, but you hadn’t been surprised when he finally gave up and left. That had also been the last time you’d seen or heard from either of them. Yoongi hasn’t tried to call and you certainly weren’t going to be the one to beg for him to take you back. You had absolutely nothing to apologize for. You’d done nothing but love that man with everything you had - and it still hadn’t been good enough. 

It was with that thought in mind that you essentially set up camp in the Kim household while you tried to figure out your next steps. They’d been kind enough to go get some of your belongings. Apparently, Jimin had cried while he helped them pack up enough for now and promised to have everything else ready for them to come back for later. Namjoon put you on official leave from work and with a few changes on social media you were now almost officially completely severed from your life with Yoongi. The house had been in his name, you’d never combined accounts, your car was your own. Honestly, it seemed almost too easy. Your lives were now entirely separate beyond the tears in your soul that would last forever. 

Namjoon had convinced you to keep your job, promising that you could work from home and the company would cover the costs of converting your second room into a studio. It was incredibly indulgent on his part but you didn’t even think of turning him down. You loved your job and you definitely needed the financial comfort it would bring as you started over. The rest of the apartment was still kind of shabby since you’d been worrying about the studio first, but eventually, you’d get around to making it feel like a home. 

Namjoon struts from the studio with a grin, wiping his hands together. “All done! Just waiting for you to set up passwords and stuff now. Kinda jealous now. Jin, can I set up a studio at home? I like the idea of working in my underwear.” 

Seokjin scowls playfully. “Don’t even think about it.” 

You huff lightly, but don’t miss the way they seemed to be discussing something with their eyes before they both turn to you. 

“There’s...uh...something else that you should probably know. You might not want to know or care but we thought we should at least tell you,” Namjoon begins, his eyes constantly flitting between yours and Jin’s. 

“Just tell me, Joon.” 

“They, uh. Yoongi and Jimin, they...broke up? I guess. Don’t know the whole story yet but apparently, Jimin’s been staying in a hotel near the company. We’re all watching Yoongi closely to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself, but, yeah. Thought you should probably know,” Namjoon says quickly, cringing like he expected you to go on a rampage despite the fact that you never have before. 

Instead, you simply scoff, because wasn’t that just perfect. All that pain you went through, all the fighting and sacrifices, and in the end, it was all for nothing. 

“Are you okay?” Seokjin asks softly, bumping your shoulder with his. 

You smile up at him, though it doesn’t meet your eyes. “I will be.” 

******

“I can’t believe you’ve done this.” 

You sigh angrily into your phone as you walk towards the cafe, wondering for the millionth time why you let Kim Seokjin order you around so much. 

“It’s been six months, sweetie. It’s time and he perfect for you, I promise! He’ll be a drooling mess at your feet in no time.” 

When you’d gotten ready for the café, you’d thought you were simply meeting your friend Jin for coffee and gossip, like usual. Only he’d called you when you were only a couple minutes away to inform you that it was actually a blind date. Surprise, bitch. 

“Does he at least know why he’s there?” 

“Of course! He was really excited too. Seems he’s had the hots for you for ages.” 

You were thankful he couldn’t tease you for the blush on your cheeks. “No one calls it the hots anymore, grandpa.” 

“Nevermind. Date canceled. I’m not saddling my Hobi Hobi with someone so disrespectful…”

“Calm down. Fuck, I’m not dressed for a date, Jinnie. I thought it was just going to be us so I’m just wearing jeans and a hoodie.” 

“It’s not my fault you don’t dress up for me.” 

You finally reach the café and stare at the sign like it would give you courage. “I can’t do this…” 

“Breathe. You can. You have no reason to feel guilty or undeserving. I picked the best one I can find for you, but if it doesn’t work out that’s okay too. There is no pressure. All I want is for you to be happy.” 

Your heart swelled, remembering that, oh yeah, this is why you kept Kim Seokjin around. 

“I really love you a lot, you know that right? You are the best friend I could ever ask for.” 

He chuckles happily. “I’ll remind you that you said that the next time you get mad at me. Good luck. Call me if you need to escape. Treat Hoseokie with care, too. He’s like one of those Gremlins. Don’t put him in water or anything high, and he turns into a weird sex demon after midnight.” 

“Should I ask how you know that?” 

“I know everything about everyone, my dear Y/N. Everything.” 

You’d call him out on his bluff if you were more certain that it actually was one. 

“Alright, I’m going in. Love you.” 

“Love you. Be nice to Hoseok.” 

You close the call and stuff your phone in your pocket, taking the chance to brush out any wrinkles and calm yourself. You just wished that you were wearing something cuter than a pink hoodie that you were pretty sure belonged to Jin at one point. At least your converse were pink to match and you’d done your hair. 

You enter the café, the stupid little bell making everyone’s heads turn toward you like you weren’t nervous enough. You think you spot the guy in question sitting next to a window, but you buy yourself some time with getting your drink first, peeking at him out of the corner of your eye. 

It wasn’t that you didn’t know him at all, you’d just never really talked to him. He worked at the company as a choreographer so naturally, you’ve seen him around. It was merely that producers like you were usually goblins that cooped themselves up in their studios and didn’t really get around to meeting everyone. It was impossible to not notice Hoseok though. Beyond the fact that he was handsome, he was also incredibly bright. Both inside and outside. You were sure you’d seen every color of the rainbow on his head at some point, and it was currently a flattering shade of orange that not many could pull off. 

Once you had your drink in hand, you turn and head towards the table. Hoseok is already standing to greet you, his smile wide and unabashed, and you finally begin to feel the first tingles of excitement. And maybe a few nervous butterflies. 

“Hi, Hoseok,” you smile shyly and sit when he gestures to a chair, trying not to laugh when he nearly tumbles trying to sit back down. 

“Hello!” he practically yells, and you finally notice that he just might be nervous too. He clears his throat and tries again. “Hi. Thanks for coming.” 

“Yeah, I...uh. I’m going to be honest - I only knew this was happening a few minutes ago. I thought I was meeting Jin,” you smile awkwardly, chuckling. 

He cringes and seems to droop before your very eyes. “Oh, sorry. I...I don’t want this to be a forced thing. I’ll just...uh. See you around?” 

He gets up to leave and you’re not sure what makes you grab his jean jacket to stop him. 

“No, please. Stay? I...I’m going to be bad at this because it’s been a long time but...I can try?” 

His smile is the happiest thing you’ve ever seen in your life. “Yeah? Okay. Alright, let’s do this.” 

You laugh and settle back into your seat, watching him as he does the same. He’s so expressive and vocal as he starts telling you a story about his day (one of his new kids fell and made the other ones fall like dominos and now his best dancer was out with a sprained ankle). He asked questions about your life, your interests, asked about your work. He was so beautiful and yet he looked at you like you were something awe-inspiring. It had been a long time since anyone had seemed so genuinely interested in you. Before you knew it an hour had flown by and your stomach was beginning to hurt from laughing so much. 

“So, I was thinking if I hadn’t scared you off yet, maybe you’d be willing to continue this date? But like, somewhere else because if I drink another cup of tea I’m going to burst,” Hoseok wrinkled his nose and sent you a shy smile, a single tiny dimple poking out. 

“I’d like that,” you grin, surprised yet again that you actually meant it. That you were actually excited to spend more time with him. “Maybe we could just walk around for a while and talk. There’s a park across the street and lots of people play music and stuff. And then maybe you could take me dancing tonight. Show off those moves you keep bragging about.” 

Where had this confident woman come from? 

Thankfully, his grin widens and he nods eagerly. “That sounds perfect. But first...little boys room. Be right back.” 

You giggle and settle back into your see as you watch him scurry frantically to the bathrooms - no surprise since he’d downed three cups of peppermint tea. You turn to observe the room to pass the time and that’s when you spot him. 

He’s standing near the pick-up counter with an iced americano in his hand, the condensation and half-melted ice suggesting he’d been there for a while. His haunted gaze is locked right on you and you meet it even as your stomach clenches with a myriad of emotions. 

Six months. Such a short time in the grand scheme of things but still so long since you’d last seen him. He’s as beautiful as ever, even if he’s obviously been losing weight that he didn’t need to and his lounging around the house clothes he was wearing in public gave off the IDGAF vibe. 

Yoongi seems to finally come to a decision as he saunters closer, eyes wide and unblinking like he’s afraid if he looks away for a single second you’ll disappear. He finally reaches your table and you fight the instinct to make a run for it. 

“Hey,” he says softly, his hand clenching tightly enough around his drink to make the plastic crinkle. 

“Hey,” you answer softly, unsure of what else to say. 

“You look beautiful,” he continues with a soft tone like he’s speaking to a spooked rabbit. Perhaps he was. 

“Thanks.” 

He nods silently, continuing to stare. “So...you’re on a date with Hoseok?” 

“Uh...yeah,” you swallow nervously. “Blind date. Seokjin set it up.” 

He nods again and licks his lips. “Yeah? That’s...good. Hoseok’s a good guy.” 

“Yeah. He seems nice.” 

“Yeah.” 

“You’re...doing okay?” You’re not sure what prompted you to ask. Perhaps there will always be a part of you that worries about him - you already know that there’s always going to be a part of your soul that belongs to him. 

He shrugs, “Alright. You?” 

“Yeah. I’m good. Have an apartment and going to counseling.” 

He flinches as if you’d just slapped him. “Sorry.” 

“It’s not just...because of you or what happened. It’s, you know, the past and all that too. Just needed to work things out. I think it’s helping. Maybe...maybe you could try it too.” 

“Maybe,” he responds noncommittally, his eyes finally falling to the floor. “I miss you.” 

Your heartbeat quickens. “Yeah. I miss you too.” 

“Do you think...maybe we could try…”

You cut him off before he can even finish that sentence. “No.” 

That was maybe too harsh because he looked like he wanted to melt into the floor straight to hell. 

“I...will always miss you. And a part of me will probably always love the Yoongi I had before, but no. I don’t quite have the gift of words that you do, but I just know that we weren’t right for each other. I mean, I was technically just a very long rebound before you got your chance with Jimin again, in the end.” 

“That’s not how it was. I loved you. I love you,” he grits out, his eyes taking on a steely edge as he looked back up. 

“Yeah. I know you did, just maybe not the right way. And I loved you, but I let you bulldoze over me. So maybe we could have been good, but you got greedy and I needed to learn to not be a doormat.” 

He nods and once again looks like a kicked puppy. 

You sigh and tap on the table nervously. “But for those years that we were together - I will always love that Yoongi. I will look back and remember that once upon a time there was a man and a woman who were crazy in love and built a home together. Who had dreams of building a lifetime together. I will hope that Yoongi has a happy life and that he finds what he needs. That he can find a companion who makes him want to fight for what they have together.” 

The tears streaming down his cheeks make you pause, realizing you’re fighting back some of your own. 

“I love you, Min Yoongi. But you weren’t right for me. Now it’s time for me to find my place in this world. Maybe Hoseok is it, maybe he isn’t. I’d like to think I don’t need another person to help me feel complete. Whatever it is, I’m learning how to speak up and fight for myself. I hope you can learn to be happy for me.” 

He nods, sniffling. “Whatever you want. I just...I just wanted you to know. I love you. I really did. And...I’m sorry. For what I did. I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m sorry I hurt Jimin. Do you think...you’ll ever want to at least talk to me?” 

“I don’t know yet. Maybe someday. I don’t think you’re ready.” 

“Okay. I’ll be here.” 

“Yeah. I...you have to go home now, Yoongi. I’m on a date.” 

His watery eyes widen again, and he nods slowly. “Right, yeah. Sorry. Again. And...please. Call me or whatever if you ever need anything. I...won’t expect anything else. Just know that I’m here if you need someone. Can I ask for that, at least?” 

You nod, “Yeah. Thank you, Yoongi. I’ll...see you around.” 

He gulps and backs up. “Yeah, see you, Y/N.” 

He turns swiftly and practically jogs towards the entrance while you try to memorize what could be your last glimpse of the man you once loved. 

“Everything okay?” 

You jump and your eyes fly over to meet the sympathetic ones of Hoseok. 

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. I saw him talking to you and thought it was best to let you have privacy. Was that okay?” 

“Yeah,” you sigh. “He just wanted to talk. And...it was good. I think I finally feel a little more closure.” 

“So...I’m not like a rebound, right? Like, I know that you guys were dating and I heard some of it from Seokjin but...” 

“Uh...you’re the first time I’m trying to actually date since Yoongi. If that clears things up a bit,” you answer with a blush. You were not about to go into detail about those couple months of desperate hookups you’d used to try and gain your confidence back before you’d started therapy. 

Thankfully, he seems to not mind that bit of news judging by the wicked grin that paints his lips. “Oh?” 

“Shut up,” you growl, playfully swatting him. 

He chuckles and reaches out a hand to you. “Do you still feel up to continuing our date? If not, I’ll totally understand and we can reschedule. I’ll only cry and stress-eat a tiny bit, I promise.” 

You snort and accept his hand, letting him help you up. In a moment of bravery, you lace your arm in his and tug him towards the entrance. 

“Just you try to get away from me now, Jung Hoseok.” 

He giggles and lets you lead the way, both of you exiting the café and feeling hopeful about the future. 

[princecharmingmendes]

Heart by Heart | Chapter II | Raul Mendes

                                          *secret agent AU*

Y/N and Raul have been friends ever since they could remember. And falling in love with your best friend can be pretty tricky and messy 99% of the times, add that to the fact they're constantly risking their lives side by side on the field since they're both secret agents, and the best team that's ever existed. Perfect recipe for disaster.

Hi, this is the second chapter of this series, you can find the first one here. Please read the warnings on this one, if you don't feel comfortable with the contents listed on the "warnings" section, please read something else, there are a lot of other works on my masterlist and on the "fic rec" hashtag on my blog. Please give me some feedback and I hope you guys like. Happy Reading!

previous chapter | masterpost | next chapter

*Word Count: 5.2K+

*Warnings: cursing, mentions of violence/crimes, migraine due to work stress, Raul teasing the reader endlessly (for me, that’s the most important warning). Please don’t read it if any of this subjects make you uncomfortable, feel free to check my masterlist for other writings. 

*Posted: July 8th, 2021.

                                                    -*-

A week later things were back to normal. 

Sure, the night they came back, after they were checked for any injuries on the med department and were cleared, Raul dragged her back to his apartment claiming he was craving sushi and he was only ordering if she was with him. In reality, that was a way to keeping his head busy with something else so the events of that day would be coped nicely without so much suffering. And one way of doing it was keeping his girl, best friend and partner, at a close distance so he knew she’d be safe and well. 

He was extra sweet that night, making sure she had everything she needed, even agreed to put on face masks with her while watching a random movie. And she was really glad to have him near. The thought of him getting her, or worst... it just killed her a bit. But he was safe and he had his arms securely around her, and that was enough to put her on dreamland and having a great night of sleep.

Unfortunately that was not the case for Y/N today. 

Ever since Seth was back, he spent most of his time on the med bay to recover, he had to go through surgery and was finally recovering, but ever since he was back, every piece of information he had was being collected, and she was the one responsible to write it down. Most of the info he had was encoded and she was supposed to break it. Y/N’s been working nonstop for the past week, and when she had the opportunity to relax all by herself in her house, she felt restless. The main reason is that the person who had Seth was one of the most wanted man on the planet. Geonoff Reyes was capable of the vilest things without giving a second thought, and he’s been wanted for years now, and apparently Seth had the newest information of his whereabouts and new plans.

And knowing that was enough to put Y/N in restless nights of sleep, when she was even able to drift off. Most of her hours were invested on figuring out whatever she could, and several nights were only the continuation of her job during the day. And yeah, it was reckless and a bit stupid of her to sacrifice so much in a research, but Y/N knew this was a great opportunity and the biggest amount of clues they’ve ever received, she couldn’t let this all go. And she had to work fast, so Geonoff didn’t have enough time to notice some information missing or that someone outside of his limited inner circle so he wouldn’t chance anything. Or even move outside the country again, putting a massive political obstacle on their way. 

Y/N should’ve known better than to barely get any sleep in over seven days. She knew better than to barely eat or drink anything other than coffee. She knew and did it anyone. And that’s why she ended up where she was. Seven A.M. sharp on her little office on her company’s Head Quarters with a killing migraine that only got worse under the fluorescent lights. Y/N groaned softly as she basically collided on her office chair, cursing under her breath whoever thought bright white lights was a great idea. She was softly rubbing her temples when she heard a knock on her door, before someone came in without being invited, a delicious smell of coffee coming alongside the intruder. She didn’t need to look up to know Raul would be standing right in front of her desk. 

“What?” she grumbled, spinning in her chair to turn on her computer without even sparing a glance at him. 

Raul chuckled “good morning to you too, sunshine, I’m not even daring to ask how you are”

Y/N rolled her eyes and wincing at the pain the movement brought her “look, go pester someone else, I’m not in a good day”

“Yeah, that’s easy to see, gremlin, that’s why I brought you this” and a soft thud on her desk made her turn.

Raul was standing in front of her desk as she imagined, wearing his usual black outfit, a long sleeved tight turtleneck, accentuating all the muscles on his arms and back, tucked into a pair of dark grey trousers and Y/N had to hold back all her thoughts that were rather inappropriate to have on your best friend. And she wanted to be mad at how effortlessly beautiful he looked, just standing there, hands supporting his weight on the glass table as he leant forward casually to pick at her computer. He looked like a fucking runaway model at seven in the morning, his citric scent leaving her slightly intoxicated, but she knew he didn’t do it on purpose, he was just naturally hot. 

She than darted her eyes from his body quickly to not seem as if she was ogling him, which she totally was, only to be met with a steaming cup of black coffee. She rolled her eyes on the little attempts of black hearts he drew with a sharpie alongside a poorly written ‘secret admirer’ on the disposable cup. Y/N shook her head huffing a laugh as she took it.

“Aren’t you supposed to thank me?”

Y/N arched her brow at him “what for, exactly?”

“For being the best friend you’ll ever have?!” he stated as if it was obvious “come on, you look like you need it and I swear I didn’t spike it with anything”

“You’re saying you did out of your own free will? A benevolent act?” Y/N questioned playfully inspecting the cup.

Raul scoffed feigning hurt “Of course, I’m a good guy, practically a gentleman, you gremlin, how dare you think any different?” Behind all the teasing in his voice, she could see the worry evident in his golden eyes. Raul didn’t know all the details about what she was digging into since that were her boss’s order, but he knew enough to know she was probably overworking herself and getting a bit anxious. He knew her better than anyone and there were barely any secrets between them. 

“Fine” Y/N sighed taking a sip from the coffee, and it was precisely what she liked “thank you for being a decent human being once in your lifetime”

“You are very welcome, so any news?” he asked pointing to the screens of her computer. 

“Not really, I guess I was too tired to do much last night” she said opening all the images she had collected over the past week on her five computer screens “you know basically all the important stuff I gathered, I’m also monitoring the surveillance cameras on the places he might be, trying to get a glimpse of him, but till now nothing, only this car that’s been parked here for five days now”

“Weird”

Y/N giggled to herself before closing everything again “yeah, I know”

“So, I didn’t exactly came here just for the coffee” Raul said crossing his arms across his chest, standing on his full height, his biceps popping against the fabric of his shirt. 

“Of course not, I was just waiting for you order, cap”  she said as she reached into her purse for a painkiller.

His signature smirk appeared as he beamed down at her “Don’t tempt me, doll” 

“What is it then?” she asked and before Raul could reply, someone knocked on her door.

“Come in” he managed to say before her and soon enough Raul’s copy stuck his head inside. 

“Oh hi guys” Peter said before fully walking in and closing the door behind him “Am I interrupting something?”

“No, what do you need?” Y/N said turning to face him completely. 

Seeing Peter right beside Raul just made them look a lot more different. Sure, they were triplets, but they had completely opposite personalities. While Raul looked like a super model bad boy out of every romcom, Peter looked soft and gentle. He was just as handsome, his hair a bit more messy and a pair of glasses perched on his nose, adding to the soft features. He also wore light washed jeans and a very soft looking button up, a permanent blush on his cheeks. And despite the 6’3 and big muscles, he was almost like a walking teddy bear with a golden heart, specially if you got to know him. 

“I actually have some stuff for you two to test on my lab downstairs, and I thought since I was already here I could call you two to join me”

“Oh of course” Y/N said jumping to her feet and cursing under her breath, momentarily having forgotten the excruciating migraine she was still having “now right?”

“Yeah, but only if you can”

“Sure, come on, Raul” Y/N said grabbing her cup of coffee before walking to the door.

Raul chuckled lowly before following her and his brother to the elevator “whatever you say, boss”

“Don’t give me any ideas” she mumbled before pressing the button, but as soon as the doors opened, Y/N regretted getting out of her office.

Standing on the elevator was Daphne. Daphne was one breathtakingly gorgeous woman. With bright green eyes and golden soft model like waves, always dressed nicely and with paper white teeth, and to top that, she was a great agent. But she clearly had a crush on Raul and she’s been hitting on him for a while now, but he didn’t seem to care much, which made no sense at all. And for some reason she wasn’t as friendly towards Y/N, Daphne was never directly rude, but she always made sure to look her up and down and was never her friendly self. And Y/N wasn’t one to push anyone to like her, it just made situations like this a bit more awkward. 

“Oh hello” Daphne said with a warm smile.

“Morning” Raul responded as he climbed in the elevator. 

Y/N mumbled a quick “hi” before moving to the back of it with Peter. 

Daphne turned towards Raul and gently placed her hand on his bicep “I heard about the little incident on your latest mission, are you alright?”

“Oh yeah, not even a single scratch”

“That’s great, I mean, how did it happen again? Was it a failure on the planning or watching?” she asked and Y/N almost spat the coffee she was drinking, seeing Peter send a look her way.

“It was my fault actually, the team handed it pretty well” Raul replied unceremoniously.

“Oh, I see” she said pulling her hand from his arm and nervously placing a strand of loose hair behind her ear “hm, actually there was something I wanted to ask you”

God, how long could this elevator take to arrive on the last floor.

Raul only hummed in response, turning his face to the side to watch her so Daphne proceeded “Hm, there’s this new place that opened this weekend down the street and apparently the sandwiches there are amazing, me and a few other agents were planning to have lunch there today, and I was wondering if you’d like to join”

With that he truly seemed taken aback a bit “oh, I unfortunately can’t today, I’m sorry” with that he turned back to face Y/N “that’s what I wanted to tell you earlier, we have that lunch meeting today, Shawn’s in town and he wanted to invite you to lunch with us and his friends”

“Oh shit, I completely forgot” Y/N whined, her head pounding “I don’t think I can make it today, I’m so sorry”

Raul smiled softly at her “yeah, I figured, if you get any better let me know”

“Oh you’re sick?” Daphne asked turning to her as well.

Y/N shook her head, regretting it immediately “just a bit of a migraine”

“I hope you get better soon” Daphne offered a tight lip smile and Y/N just nodded in response.   

“We’re here” Peter said for the first time “Bye, Daphne” he said getting out of the elevator pulling Y/N with him. 

“Why are you running? Slow down, you’re gonna pull my arm off” Y/N hushed it as Peter kept on with the fast pace. 

“What was that?” he asked in a low tone.

Y/N then came in realization “right?! Why won’t he go out with her?”

“I think he might be just not interested at all, but I wasn’t talking about that, you know Raul can be pretty secretive about his feelings, right?” Peter asked with an archer brow, knowing look on his eyes. 

Y/N stepped into his lab alongside him “well yeah”

“I don’t know, I think I saw something there”

“Between me and Raul?!”

Peter leaned against his desk with his arms crossed “Well, more of him towards you, it’s actually something I’ve been noticing for a while”

“What are you even talking about? He’s always been like that with me” Y/N tried avoiding Peter’s gaze, afraid somehow that would give away the little spark of hope on her eyes. 

“No, I mean, yes, but I feel like that intensified a bit, just pay attention to it” he said and then looked behind her.

Y/N turned around only to be met with Raul standing at the door “sorry, got a little caught up”

“We noticed, cap, it’s okay, no important details were discussed in your absence” she said teasingly and he just rolled his eyes playfully at her. 

“Okay, I upgraded your coms a bit, so switching between channels will be easier” Peter started picking up the little earpieces up “And I also took notes about the appearance of my glasses yeah? Now would you mind approving the design of it, miss fashion icon”

Y/N laughed softly and went to check on the 3D design “thank you, I do take fashion very seriously, I only loose it to your brother”

Raul scoffed “Of course I would be involved in it somehow”

Peter laughed “come on, I need to show you this thing I want to put on your suit, Y/N can you please check the new computer I promised you?”

“Oh my, it’s ready?” She said turning to them, suddenly feeling a lot better.

“It’s on the corner right there, just feel free to explore it and adapt it to how you like it best, and then it’s yours” Peter said with a bright smile on his features as he dragged Raul away. 

Y/N sat down on the desk he pouted at, opening the super resistant protective case and being faced with a beautiful tiny computer she could use on future missions. She finished her coffee, feeling the medicine kick in as she dumped the empty cup on the trash, before sitting down in front of her new screen and starting to work on it. Y/N lost track of time as she explored the new configurations, installed the programs she used. She only noticed she’s been there for over two hours when she felt someone carefully placing a gentle hand on her shoulder and she looked up to check the time, being met with Raul standing right beside her. 

“Oh, hi” she said feeling her face warming up as he smiled softly at her. 

“Don’t spend too much time with this, you’ll have more opportunities later, sweetheart, don’t force yourself too much” he squeezed her shoulder a bit and she sighed nodding “how are you feeling?”

She looked up at him, cracking her back on the process “Better, I think the coffee helps a bit and the painkiller did a great job”

“Good, I’m guessing you still won’t be able to make it to Shawn’s crowded and noisy lunch” Raul had a little amused look in his eyes and Y/N giggled at that, shaking her head.

“Definitely not, might as well skip lunch and nap on my lunch break”

Raul nodded “It’s tempting but you need food, now how about I take you to that salad shop you like, we buy ourselves a quick to go one, eat it at your office and nao for like, forty minutes maybe? How does that sound?”

Y/N contained the urge to lunch forward and wrap him in her arms “Pretty fucking great, but what about Shawn?”

“I’ll meet him later for dinner with Peter, so he wouldn’t mind”

“Oh”

“So, are you in, doll?”

Y/N shook her head “you had me in the forty minute nap, say no more”

Raul laughed “Of course I had, know you better than anyone”

“That is unfortunately true” she mumbled grabbing the computer and getting up.

Raul stared at her quizzically “Why is that unfortunate?”

“Cause that will only feed your ever growing ego”

“You wound me, sweetheart” he said with frightened hurt, a hand clutched over his heart. 

Y/N rolled her eyes at him as they both said their goodbyes to Peter, who only threw a knowing look in her direction and a little wink when Raul wasn’t looking. She only rolled her eyes, shoving her middle finger in the air behind Raul’s back to Peter, who only laughed in response. But Raul might have felt her arm hovering his back, cause he looked down at her, throwing his charming smile down at her and throwing his arm around her shoulders as the climbed in the elevator again. 

Oh great, now Y/N had one more thing to keep her awake all night, wondering if she was crazy and Raul could be somehow interested in her and if she should do something about it. But do what? Tell him she liked him? Kissing him? Confronting someone who already has a hard time talking feelings about how he felt about her?! Only terrible scenarios played in her head with every little thing she thought about. But before she could go on spiraling, Raul gently squeezed her shoulder making Y/N look up at him. 

“Still with me, sweetheart?” he asked smirking at her and she only huffed rolling her eyes, making Raul full on laugh. 

                                                  -*-

Later that morning, they ended up following Raul’s idea. Around noon he knocked on her office again, with his leather jacket and ready to go, Y/N then just grabbed her coat and purse, ready to follow him to the elevator again. They kept a light banter, talking about conspiracy theories and random gossip, and she felt really better but was too tired to socialize with a lot of people. So they walked down the street a couple of blocks to a little shop where they bought salad bowls and iced tea “to balance things out” according to Raul about how much coffee she’s had the past week. 

They ordered to go and walked back to the HQ that looked like a very fancy business building, but instead of going back to her office, they headed to Raul’s instead. There they sat down on his couch since it was bigger as they casually had lunch, and right after, he convinced Y/N to get comfortable on the couch as he relaxed right next to her. Y/N curled into a little ball on the further corner of the couch, but he was quick to tut his tongue at her. 

“Here, sweetheart, you can lay your head on my lap and stretch your legs on the couch, yeah? And you can grab that little fluffy blanket if you want” He was quick to offer and Y/N sighed.

“Are you sure?” she asked eyeing him suspiciously “I don’t want to bother you” he chuckled softly and nodded

“Of course, we still have 50 minutes of lunch break, nap a bit, baby, come here” Raul said in such a gentle tone, almost cooing at her and how could she possibly say no to that?

She removed her boots before laying her head on his lap and pulling her legs to stretch across the rest of the couch, while she got comfy, she felt the gentle weight of the thick fluffy blanket being laid on top of her. Y/N sighed in relief as she slowly closed her eyes, allowing herself to fully relax, and feeling the soft caress of Raul’s fingers gently combing through her hair was only making it easier to fall asleep. And so she did. 

She dreamed of something random, she was stuck in a boat and it didn’t really make much sense, but it was better than the sleepless nights or the scary things her mind came up with. So waking up was not the best sensation, but Raul managed to make the experience less unpleasant. He was very softly coaxing her to wake up, by gently shaking her shoulder and caressing her cheek, slowly calling her name. Y/N could get used to it. 

Raul truly didn’t want to do it, he, himself, didn’t want to get up. He ended up falling asleep a few minutes in, but the timer on his phone vibrating on his hand woke him when he promised he’d wake her up. He almost didn’t have the heart to do it. Y/N looked so peaceful, the frown that’s been on her brows for the whole week was finally gone, but he knew if he didn’t wake her, she’d spend her day blaming herself and wouldn’t be able to sleep properly at night. So he cleared his throat and started calling her gently not to startle her.

Y/N started coming slowly back to her senses, slowly sitting up from Raul’s lap, rubbing at her eyes and checking her phone quickly for important notifications. A low chuckle brought her attention away from her phone and to her best friend beside her, to which she just truly looked at, being able to notice the throw pillow creases on his cheek, the soft curls of his hair a bit messier than usual.

“Hi” he mumbled softly. 

Y/N smiled at him before mumbling a “hi” in response. 

“Sleep well?” Raul asked as he stretched his arms above his head and she nodded “yeah? I ended up joining you in your nap”

“Don’t blame you, this is a really nice couch”

“Right? Unfortunately this was the first time I took full advantage of it” he chuckled as he got up from the couch, moving to turn on his computer.

Y/N just chuckled before nearly folding his blanket back in its place “well thank you for everything, you truly are a great friend, but I should probably leave and stop bothering you”

“You never bother me, and I know, I’m the best friend anyone could ever wish for” he said sitting on his chair as she leaned down to put her shoes back on. 

She just rolled her eyes at him, grabbing her stuff before getting up “there you go, ruining a perfectly sweet moment”

Raul laughed “that’s my biggest ability, doll, thought you knew that already”

“Should’ve guessed it” Y/N said as she opened his door “see you later, thanks again”

Raul just winked at her “anytime” before she closed his door and moved to her office shaking her head, but unable to hold back the smile from blossoming on her lips. 

Maybe Peter was wrong and just messing things up, how could he not notice the way Raul affected her? But saw the way he was different with her? It made no sense. And there was no time to go into the rabbit hole, she had better things to do, like spend countless hours uselessly trying to crack a code. 

                                                  -*-

In the middle of Y/N’s afternoon shift, she was able to spot Geonoff himself on one of the surveillance cameras she’s been watching incessantly for the past weeks. She basically tripped on her on shoes as she scrambled up to her computer to register the appearance, quickly sending it to her boss. They finally were sure where he was and maybe that was enough to set up a plan or something to get him. 

Geonoff Reyes was one of the most wanted man right now by intelligences from multiple countries. The man himself had a long list of crimes, that if there was an opportunity would be enough to sentence him for thousands of years. Most of Geonoff’s crimes were related to the mafia, he was one of the biggest and most dangerous bosses there was. He started fairly young, around 15 years old, but that was the extent of information everyone had on his childhood. Some liked to guess it was what kind of household he was raised to blame the way he had become what he became. 

He’s been chased for years now, and that’s why Y/N was quick to let her boss, Mrs. Benson, know she found him, compiling all the information she was able to gather this past week in files. So she did what she could and it took her around an hour to have everything printed and organized in a folder, letting Janet she was coming and basically running to the elevator to get to her office. 

The heavy metal doors opened on the waiting room outside of  her office, being met with Luca, Janet’s personal assistant, who winked at her and pointed at the door. Y/N smiled at him and knocked on the dark wooden doors, opening it silently as she heard people talking inside. Her office was decorated very minimalistic and was usually a very pristine place, but today, there were papers everywhere as Janet, Helen (Janet’s right hand), Dimitri (head of security department) and Raul Mendes stood there apparently discussing the same case. 

“Thank God you’re here, darling, please come out this madness to an end” Janet said with a gentle smile as she pointed towards the mess in her table.

Helen chuckled as Dimitri was quick to push their papers to a corner on the table. 

“Thank you” Y/N mumbled as she placed her folder down.

Raul silently move to stand right next to her, a careful hand laying on the small of her back in a comforting touch as she looked up at Janet to check if she could start. With a nod from the boss, she started pulling all the evidence she could. All the pictures, the surveillance images, the documents Seth was able to bring back and information he was able to remember as well.

With everything laid out on the table and presented to all of them, Janet ended up telling what she���d been discussing with Helen for the past two days. They both figured the best thing to do at the moment, since they didn’t have enough evidence to make an arrest for this crime and maybe this was a great opportunity to catch another people involved, not only Geonoff. The plan was basically getting new identities and keep a close eye on all of his activities, track down his moves and if possible get even more evidence. 

Raul was called because he was the best for this kind of jobs and would be a great leader to the team, Y/N was offered to join the team as well, being his partner and leading the strategic part of the plan. They were also told to pick other agents that they knew would be great for this specific operation, Janet only asking to keep it at a maximum of 5 people including them, the less people knowing, the better.

Of course both agreed and were also instructed to inform Peter so he could separate the gadgets necessary, and obviously intensify their physical training. Despite this being mostly and observant kind of mission, Geonoff was unpredictable and highly dangerous, so being well prepared and extra careful wouldn’t be a bad idea. They were both dismissed for the day and the early shift next morning, so they could rest and plan it as best as they could.

So Y/N was quick to bid her goodbyes as she placed everything neatly back on the folder and moved out of the room. As soon as she pressed the button to call the elevator, she heard the office door opening and closing again, rushed steps moving closer to her. She didn’t even need to look to know Raul was the one approaching her since his scent clouded every room he ever stepped into, she only shook her head and looked up at her right as he stood right beside her. He smirked at her with a little wink. 

“My house or yours, doll?” he asked as they climbed into the elevator. 

“Tonight?” she eyed him suspiciously as she pressed the button to her floor to grab her stuff and he leaned in to press the one to Peter’s. Y/N glanced at him and noticed he had all of his personal belongings with him. 

“Of course, I’ll even order from that Thai place you like”

Y/N giggled shaking her head “of course you will, am I supposed to spend the night?”

“Oh yeah, definitely, I’ll invite Peter too” he said with a smile.

Y/N folded her arms across her chest “I thought we were supposed to rest?”

“Oh but we will, I’ll make sure you’ll fall sleep at reasonable hours, eat properly and all that stuff, of course we’re gonna take a look at work, but just a little” he said with a knowing look.

“Fine, daddy” she added with annoyance, rolling her eyes, Raul just laughed and shook his head.

“You can’t just say stuff like that, sweetheart”

“What? Does it do something for you?” She asked looking up at him and he just shrugged as the doors opened at her floor.

“There’s only one way to find out, doll” he added with a smirk, a teasing tone evident on his voice as he leaned the weight of his body on the elevator doors to hold it for her, shoulders crossed over his broad chest, biceps flexing against the material of his shirt. 

Y/N rolled her eyes stepping out of the elevator, ignoring the heat creeping up her face and the stupid flutter on her lower stomach, turning to face him as she said “see you later, Mendes”

“See you, and oh, don’t forget your gym attire, we’re going running at 5:30 sharp tomorrow, bye bye now” he blew her a kiss as he stepped inside and the doors closed before she could add anything. 

He was definitely trying to kill her in all the ways possible, she just didn’t know which way would be the fatal blow. 

                                                    -*-

*Please reblog or like this post if you liked it so I’ll know.

*I’m sorry if there are any spelling mistakes.

*Please do not repost this without giving me the credit, this is a completely original piece and I do not give permission to copy this!

*Hope you guys enjoyed it!

*xoxo

-🌙

@mariamuses

[watchmegetobsessed]

First Christmas - VALERIE extra blurb (Harry Styles)

❄️ FANFICmas 2020 ❄️

Read more about FANFICmas here!

hiya! i’ve been dying to write a blurb for VALERIE and the time has finally come! expect a few more, im planning to do some in the future, just because i adore their story so... yeah. this is here the story of their first christmas together as an official couple and it’s super fluffy, so get ready!

word count: 2.3k

VALERIE MASTERLIST

masterlist

Sitting on your unzipped suitcase you huff to yourself, making another attempt to zip it, but it’s so stuffed, there’s no way you can do it by yourself. Just on queue, you hear the front door open and close, the soft humming of your boyfriend breaking the silence outside the bedroom.

“Baby?” he calls out as you’re still desperately trying to stay on top of the suitcase and move the zipper around, but it just wouldn’t.

“Bedroom!” you call out with a sigh and a few moments later Harry appears in the door, leaning against the doorframe with an amused smirk on his lips.

“Need any help?” he questions and you nod at him eagerly. “You do realize we’ll be back by the 28th, right? No need to pack all your stuff,” he tells you as he walks over, kneels down and motions for you to just sit on the suitcase while he zips it.

“I do know that, but you know I like to be prepared for everything!” you tell him and gift him with a satisfied grin when he finally manages to shut the zipper. You get off the suitcase and as you both stand up, you wrap your arms around his neck pecking his lips softly while his arms circle around your waist. “Are you excited?” you ask smirking at him.

“Very,” he chuckles lightly, giving your side a gentle squeeze. “Are you excited?” he asks back, keeping his tone delighted, but you can sense his seriousness through his tone, he just wants to make sure you’re not thinking it all over.

This is your first Christmas together. Well, not exactly, but the first one as an official couple. The two of you are staying with your family from the 23rd to the 25th, so you are leaving today, before flying over to the UK and you meet his family for the first time. You’d be lying if you said you are not a mess about that part, but he assured you that his mother already loves you just from what he has told her about you. 

“I am excited and a little nervous,” you truthfully tell him. He returns your look with a warm, encouraging gaze. You’ve talked about this a few times and he is always quick to tell you it’s going to be alright, but you both know you’ll only calm down fully when you are finally over your rounds of introduction.

“Mum is all over the place already, she is doing a whole feast just for you,” he chuckles, his fingers gently rubbing your sides.

“She shouldn’t go all out just because of me!” you sigh shaking your head. “Just a simple dinner is perfectly fine.”

“I told her, but she is stubborn. She wants to celebrate that I’m finally bringing someone home,” he smiles down at you, pressing a kiss to your forehead before letting go of you to get rid of his work clothes he has been wearing all day. 

“Wait, you haven’t brought anyone home?” you ask, not even trying to hide your surprise. Harry shakes his head no.

“Not since… I was eighteen? I think.”

“Now I see why she is making it into such a big deal.”

“Oh really?” he cocks an eyebrow at you, taking off his white shirt and throwing it into the hamper. 

“I’m special. Your first serious girlfriend!” you beam, enjoying the feeling that’s taking over in your chest. Harry chuckles, placing a kiss to the top of your head as he walks past you towards the bathroom.

“Of course you are, baby. I always tell you,” he says before locking himself up in the bathroom to take a shower.

It’s around four when Harry closes up his own suitcase, much lighter than yours, you might add, and the two of you head out of town. This year, the family is going to the same cabin in the woods like last year. It fitted so perfectly previously that everyone agreed to spend another holiday there, so it was settled pretty quickly. 

Sitting in the car, with one of Harry’s hands on your thigh you can’t help but smile to yourself. Just a year ago, you were in the exact same situation, but in a whole different setting. Only scraping the surface of your feelings towards Harry, while this year, you’re not only officially a couple, but you are already living together. A little fast down the line, but you couldn’t have it any other way.

“There you are!” your mom greets the two of you upon arriving, basically running down the stairs to wrap you in her arms before she does the same to Harry.

“Hi mom, sorry we are a little late,” you tell her. You were supposed to arrive an hour ago, but your plans fell when Harry emerged from the bathroom, all wet and almost fully naked. You just couldn’t keep your hands to yourself, so you left a little later than you wanted to. No regrets though.

“Don’t worry about it,” she waves in dismiss, helping to get your stuff inside.

Everyone is there, so you run your rounds greeting everyone and the kids don’t hesitate to basically attack Harry. He will not have a moment to himself with those little monsters obsessed with him, but you can’t blame them, you feel the same way about him.

“Oh wow, does this bring you back any memories?” you smile at him upon walking into the same room he had last time, only this time you are both staying in it and you won’t have to invade him to use the amazing shower the room has. Harry smirks at you dropping the suitcases to the floor before he grabs your hand and pulls you to him.

“Mm, that time you were so keen on sleeping next to me both nights? I remember that,” he smirks, so full of himself, you smack his chest gently with a dramatic gasp.

“Excuse me? I bet you were falling for me so hard just by sleeping in the same bed,” you roll your eyes at him.

“Oh, I was already in love,” he simply tells you.

“Really?”

“Mhm, like, properly in love with you. And sleeping with you was like torture especially after seeing you with that dumbface,” he snorts letting go of you to pack out his necessities from his suticase.

You didn’t think he was actually in love with you, but you had a feeling something major was already going on. 

“You were jealous?” you ask tilting your head to the side, watching him grab his toothbrush and showergel to put out in the bathroom.

“Baby, I was raging,” he admits making your smile grow wider. “Worst fucking day after the one you rejected me.”

“Aw, I’m sorry,” you pout and kiss his lips shortly.

“S’okay. It was all fine in the end,” he smiles before disappearing in the bathroom. 

Your heart is so full, spending time with your whole family and having Harry by your side. After everything that happened during the year it’s such a relief to just enjoy the company of your loved ones without a worry. It’s almost like last year, but now you know you are here with the absolute right person and you can’t get enough of Harry interacting with your family members, especially with the little ones. Though he is the godfather to only one of them, you are certain they all see him as a cool uncle and it just feels completely right. His favorite thing to do is to roam around the backyard with Valerie, who is now fast on her little feet and obsessed with going on little adventures with Harry. 

This year, instead of drinking in the kitchen all night you choose to do something else to keep you up for quite some time and though you enjoyed playing that game with him a year ago, this version is so much better and satisfying.

Upon gathering around the tree to swap gifts you notice that Rosa looks a little nervous, but when you ask, she just says she didn’t have a good night sleep because Valerie kept pushing on her in the bed and you believe her.

You watch everyone opening their gifts one after the other, wrapping paper slowly covering every inch of the hardwood flooring. You’re sitting between Harry’s legs, one of his arms curled around your shoulders from behind and you melt into his embrace gladly, enjoying this loving moment. 

All gifts have been opened when Rosa stands up and tells everyone to stay a little longer. When she returns she has two more, carefully wrapped gifts, She hands one to you and one to your mom.

“It’s for you and dad,” she points at the one at your mom before turning to you, “and this is for you and Harry.”

“We’ve been extra good this year?” you joke as you feel Harry leaning forward to see the gift on your lap over your shoulder and you and your mom start unwrapping it at the same time. You can tell Rosa is anxious about the gifts and you have no idea what to expect as your fingers work on the wrapping paper. Harry rests his chin on your shoulder, watching it curiously as well. 

Opening up the box you immediately gasp when you see a little baby bodysuit with the text “I ❤️ aunt Y/N and uncle Harry” written on it. At the same time, your mom squeals in happiness, jumping right into Rosa’s arms as she understands the message as well.

“Rosa! Is this for real?” you ask, feeling your tears filling your eyes, pushing yourself up.

“Yeah,” she chuckles, clearly touched as well. “I’m four weeks along.”

The whole room gasps and soon they all start congratulating your sister on her second baby. You hold the little bodysuit up, feeling Harry’s arm tight around your waist as he takes a look at it as well. Turning around you see the warm smile on Harry’s lips and his gaze meets yours.

“Exciting, right?” you smirk at him.

“Yeah. Another little gremlin around,” he chuckles, but you can tell he is stunned, especially because of what’s on the bodysuit. It doesn’t say anything about godparents, but aunt and uncle. It means that Rosa and Steven already see him as fully part of your family and that they want him to stay for a very long time. You can tell it means a lot to him, having a family in the States, since he often tells you about missing his family throughout the year. He travels home about three times a year, but you can tell he would love to go a lot more often and you also know that your family can’t replace his, nor do you want it to, but it’s nice to know that he has so many people who care about him here as well.

The evening stretches long that night, staying at the dinner table until midnight, just talking and having a good time before you all start returning to your rooms. You let Harry take a shower first while you reply to some texts from your colleagues and after you are done in the shower as well, you find him already lying in bed, scrolling through his phone, waiting for you to join him. He places the phone to his nightstand when you crawl under the covers, curling up to his side as he wraps his arms around you.

“So, how was your first Christmas with us as my boyfriend?” you ask with a cheeky smile, resting your chin on his naked chest, fingers tracing his tattoos around his collarbones.

“Hmm, he hums to himself and you can already tell he is gonna say something dirty. “It definitely involved more sex than last year,” he states making you laugh.

“You’re such a pig,” you snort, but can’t bite back your smile either.

“I had a blast,” he answers then truthfully. “I loved it last year, but it was even better this time.” His beautiful green eyes meet yours as you push yourself up so your lips could connect with his.

“Can’t wait to have another baby around,” you tell him with an excited smile, knowing well your eyes are sparkling from the news you received today.

“Yeah,” he nods, a lot calmer, but you can tell he feels just the same amount of happiness as you do. “Our kids will have a shit ton of cousins and second cousins,” he chuckles softly, not even aware how his words just made your heart flutter.

“Our kids?” you ask back, smile growing wider as you stare up at him.

“I mean… yeah,” he nods, seemingly nervous that you caught his slip, he clearly didn’t think through what it really meant. “You want kids, right?” he asks, a little unsure.

“Of course. Do you want kids?”

“Definitely,” he confidently answers.

“And do you want to have them with me?” you ask, feeling a little shy. Though he didn’t give you any reasons he has different plans, you still felt the urge to ask. 

“Yeah,” he softly says, eyes meeting yours as he is searching for any sign that what he said scared you away, but it’s clearly the opposite. “Is that… okay with you?” he questions and his uncertain, little anxious tone makes you chuckle.

“You’re asking me if it’s okay that you want to have kids with me?” you ask, finding his phrasing funny and he chuckles as well realizing that he could have said it in a better way.

“I guess,” he smirks.

“I’m okay with that,” you pat his chest and push yourself up to meet your lips with his again. “Not now though, but soon.”

“Yeah, I’m fine with that. I like that it’s just the two of us now,” he admits, eyes soft and loving on you, fingers gently caressing your arm that’s draped across his stomach. You return his smile before nuzzling your head back onto his chest.

“I like that too.”

VALERIE TAGLIST

@f-vasquezp​​ @perspnhel​​ @http-cherries​​  @h-arrystyles​​ @just-damn-bored​​ @millennial-teenybopper​​ @sarcasticallywitty15​​ @gwenlovesharrystyles​​ @perfectywrong​​ @do-youseeme​​ @burberryharold​​  @irwindoll​​ @stylesfics-xx​​ @sltwins​​ @mellamolayla​​ @funeral-7​​  @yourkidsfavbabysitter​​ @nesiamenick​​ @dontworrysunflower​​ @rainbowbutterflyboy​​