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skeletalgalore · 2 years ago

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ABLAZE - Chapter Two: Fall Breeze

WIP: F!Reader is new to Hawkins High and is immediately drawn to the school's misfit. NO Y/N/OC USAGE!

part one | part two | part three

What's that? A playlist to go along with the fic? My, I do have a lot of time on my hands... Listen along here: link!

Originally posted on my Wattpad: link!

Chapter Two: Fall Breeze

You were stood at the end of your driveway waiting for Robin and her friend, Steve, to come pick you up. Robin had called you last night to make sure the number was right and to definitely make sure where to pick you up from.

"...so we make a left here after the gas station, and then drive straight for half a mile?" she asked.

"Yeah, for the third time, Robin," you laughed. "I'll be stood at the end of the drive waiting, saves you stressing about going too far,"

"What about if we're early and drive past when you're not there?"

You couldn't help but laugh again at her worries. "Look, you'll be fine. If I miss you guys and you're not here by 8:30, then I'll just walk. I walked home today, I should be a-okay walking to school if needs be,"

"Okay, okay, sorry," you heard Robin take a deep breath. "So what did you think of your first day? Any stresses? Any questions?"

You were hesitant to tell Robin about the Hellfire guy incident on your way home, so you thought that it may be best to try and talk about it face-to-face. "Nah, I'm all good. If I think of anything, I'll bring it up tomorrow."

You were wrapped up in a long, black, fleeced coat, and a red tartan scarf to help keep the fall breeze at bay. Rucksack sitting on the gravel next to your feet, Walkman on, feet tapping along to the beat of This Corrosion by The Sisters of Mercy - a new track added to the mixtape. You had put one of the earphones to the side to keep an ear out for Robin and Steve, worried that you might miss them and not the other way around. All of a sudden, you could hear a car coming from down the road. Squinting to see the vehicle approaching from the distance, it looked burgundy in colour and quite a nice model too. It eventually pulled up a couple of feet away from you, and as you seemed slightly hesitant to approach, you then saw Robin stick her head out of the passenger window.

"Hey! C'mon, let's gooo!" she waved and smiled. You ducked your head into your scarf hiding a smile at how silly she was, picked up your rucksack, and headed towards the car. Your assumption of it being a nice car was reaffirmed when you got closer and sat in the back. A BMW, snazzy. You pulled off your headphones and stopped your tape, tucking it all into the deep pocket of your coat. "Steve, this is our new friend," Robin introduced you. He turned around in the drivers seat and gave you a little head nod, hair bouncing a bit as he did so. "We're in, like, all the same classes together so we're gonna be best buddies, aren't we?" She smiled at you through the rear view mirror.

"Best buddies, huh? I've already been demoted, I see..." Steve teased. "I'm guessing you won't be needing a carpool to and from Hawkins High now. I get it. No need to let me down lightly, think I've got the hint--" Robin punched his arm. "--OW! Hey! C'mon, you know I was teasing,"

You laughed at their playful nature all along the journey to school. They seemed like really good friends, and couldn't help but smile at their inside jokes that you didn't even know. It was just nice to be around. The three of you arrived at the school parking lot shortly after, and you and Robin began to gather your things.

"Okay, kids, I'll be here ready and waiting to pick you up at 4pm sharp! Don't forget to eat all your packed lunch or I'm gonna be disappointed again," Steve seemed to be the joker but you really didn't mind at all. As you went to leave the car, he turned around in his seat to face you. "Hey, I know we've literally only just met but I hope you like it here. You've got a good friend in Robin, she'll look after you,"

"Thanks, Steve. I really appreciate it," you slightly blushed at him being so caring. The guy hardly knew you. You'd only been in the car for 10 minutes. You hopped out the back and adjusted all your belongings. You and Robin waved Steve off as he drove away to his day job at Family Video, and then decided to walk to your lockers inside the school. At least it would be warmer than outside. The Indiana fall breeze had a certain chill to it that was hard to shake off.

The hallway was just as busy as it was yesterday, people congregating by certain lockers, the cliques began forming yet again for their morning catch up. Thankfully, you'd been assigned a locker a couple of spaces down from Robin so you didn't have to worry about any unwanted interactions, especially from the Jocks. You side-eyed them teasing this young kid for no reason other than to make themselves laugh and to make the kid feel smaller than he already was. It made you feel uneasy and reminded you of being in the same shoes as that kid at your old high school, thankful that eyes weren't on you for once. Robin could see you tense.

"Are you alright?" she had stopped organising her books in her locker.

"Yeah, it's just seeing that kid being teased... Reminds me of my old school, that's all," you shuffled your feet a bit, focusing on grabbing your textbooks and throwing them into your bag.

"Is that why you moved?" you paused when she asked. "Oh shit, I'm sorry. If it's a touchy subject, it's fine. I'll leave it. Don't have to tell me until you're ready, Scout's Honour!" You could tell Robin was apologetic for touching a nerve, trying to make things better with some lighthearted humour.

"It's okay, you didn't know about it. Maybe I'll tell you another time, somewhere not so busy," you flashed her a small smile. She gave you a comforting one in return. The bell rang, so you closed your lockers up and headed towards your first class of the day.

The morning absolutely dragged its heels as the subjects being covered in the classes were something you'd already brushed upon in your old high school. You made some brief notes, but mainly doodled something to whip up into a proper art piece at home. You looked over towards Robin at one point and noticed she was curling her hair around her finger, idly staring at the back of a girl's head - presumably the girl she was staring at yesterday. Finally, the bell for lunch rang, everyone snapped out of their daze, and the class couldn't escape the room fast enough. Clearly they've been suffering as much as you.

Lunch was much of the same as yesterday, all that changed was the cafeteria food and apple juice instead of OJ. Robin was still staring the girl from band, who was the person she was staring at in class too.

"Poor girl's gonna have two holes in the side of her head if you keep staring," you leaned over to Robin's ear, speaking in hushed tones. She snapped out of it, blushing as she turned to face you. Even though it was obvious to you that Robin had a crush on her, you could tell she was embarrassed about being caught out. "Don't worry, I won't say anything. I know it's a difficult conversation to openly discuss," She looked at you, tilting her head to the side, narrowing her eyes briefly and then opening them a bit wider in realisation. She went to point at you as if to say 'you too?'. You turned your hand in a so-so motion but mouthed the word 'bi', and Robin nodded in response. 'Huh, I don't think I've ever openly come out to anyone before... That's a first,' you thought.

Shrugging it off, you both then dipped in and out of conversation with the people on your table. You drifted away subconsciously and began gazing around the cafeteria again, just like yesterday. The Goths reapplying their purple and black lipstick after tucking into the school's mac and cheese, the Math Nerds trying to hide in their corner using their textbooks as shields, and the Jocks using whatever they could get their hands on to try catapult towards the said Math Nerds. And yet again, your eyes fall upon the Hellfire Club table. All of them sat in their designated places, and the curly haired metalhead leader sat at the head of the table. Robin had said yesterday to you that they played Dungeons and Dragons, and you wouldn't be surprised if this was the same formation they sat in for their campaigns. The metalhead seemed to be telling the premise of the next session which he was planning, hands flailing in the air, standing on his chair at one point with one foot on the table. The others seem captivated, and honestly, so were you (even if you couldn't make out a single word he was saying). Snapping you out of your concentration, the bell cut things off and all the bodies scuttled out the cafeteria into the next classes. 'I wonder if I'll bump into him again,' you thought to yourself.

The last couple of hours dragged by just as slow as this morning, with you and Robin sharing a knowing look of 'kill me now'. The final buzz of the day rang, with kids ignoring the teacher's plea into making sure they do their homework as there will definitely be a pop quiz about what they've studied today. Their voice sounded just as tired as you all felt. You gave a nod to the teacher, acknowledging their speech. It's the least you could do.

"So obviously Steve is gonna be waiting for us outside, but he's gotta get back to his shift at Family Video. And I'm gonna be working with him too. You wanna come hang out at the shop? He'll be able to drop you off when we're done. If not, we can always drop you off at home first," Robin asked you. You hadn't really seen much of Hawkins since you moved here a couple of weeks ago. "I can give you some free popcorn..." she said in a sing-song voice, trying to tempt you. You laughed at her persuasion skills.

"Ha, okay, you had me at popcorn. Better be sweet 'n' salty, or I'm not coming," you said half-seriously. Sweet 'n' salty was your favourite, it better be a part of the deal.

"Deal," Robin fist bumped you as you walked out the front doors of Hawkins High. Steve honked his horn as you both approached the burgundy car. Robin sat in the front again, so you threw your rucksack in first on the backseat and sat in the original place you were in this morning.

"We dropping you off home?" Steve asked, as he turned around to see whilst reversing.

"Nah, I'm tagging along for the shift," you replied. "Besides, there's some free popcorn in it for me,"

Steve gave a stern look to Robin. "What have I said about giving away popcorn? We need to sell the snacks! You know Keith doesn't like me and will use this as an excuse to fire me,"

She shrugged at him. "Whatever, she can have my allocated share for the day," Robin gave you a wink and you inwardly laughed. Steve rolled his eyes and got the three of you on the road, Robin took off her coat and slipped on her Family Video vest over her blouse, and you sat and stared out the window. 'I could get used to this...'

Not too long after leaving the school, the three of you pulled up into the forecourt where Family Video was situated alongside a small arcade and a couple of other shops. It was busy in the parking lot, filled with kids of all ages, but they seemed to be hanging out closer to the arcade so it wasn't too much of a hassle getting into the shop. When you walked in, the sound of Raiders of the Lost Ark played faintly in the background. Keith swapped with Robin and Steve so the pair could start their shift together. His drawl voice was obviously ticking Steve off, so Robin buttered Keith up to ensure that all the tasks he had now delegated onto them would be done. As he walked out the door, you heard Steve mutter 'schmuck' under his breath and you stifled a laugh.

"Popcorn now, or popcorn later?" Robin shook the empty bag towards you.

"Now's good, thanks," you replied. She filled up the bag, nearly overflowing, and passed it to you. Your eyes bulged at the amount. "You sure this is just your share?"

"Mine and half of Steve's," she tried to whisper.

"Hey!" he yelled.

"Oops," you both laughed. "Take a stroll, pick a video of your fancy. We can watch anything we want--"

"Within reason," Steve chimed in.

"--within reason," she repeated after Steve. "That's only 'cause we got watching Alien first thing one Saturday morning and traumatised the young kids picking up Mary Poppins,"

"Yeah, someone nearly lost their job for someone else's explicit VHS choice, didn't they?" Steve gave a stern look at Robin, but she refused to turn around and face him.

"I'm never gonna live it down. But I still don't regret it," you both laughed as Steve leaned his hip against the counter.

You began walking up and down the aisles filled with different tapes. You weren't particularly sure what to pick. Disney? Another Indiana Jones? All you knew was that any thriller, horror, or B-Movie special was off the cards. You stopped in front of the 'New Releases' display and picked up one of the tapes. It had 5 kids posing on the cover all looking a little moody. "Five teenage students... Saturday detention together... Bared their souls... Yeah, that'll do," you read the synopsis a bit to yourself before taking it to the counter and handing it to Steve. He nodded in appreciation for your choice and waited for the Indiana Jones flick to finish.

It was fairly quiet in the shop to be honest, so you weren't really sure as to why Robin and Steve both had to work - easily could be manned by one of them at least - but you were glad they were both working so it got making to know them both and their friendship together a lot more fun. There were plenty of little digs at each other and inside jokes were explained a bit, and you got to find out a bit about the rest of their friendship group. They didn't go into much detail but had said something pretty serious happened so a couple of their friends, El and Will, had to move away to California, and you could see that it was still pretty fresh so it still hurt. But they explained some of the recent gossip within the group; Max and Lucas had just split up - and Max was suffering really bad with the death of her brother so she'd been pretty distant, Lucas was in the basketball team but was also playing D&D with Hellfire, Mike played D&D in Hellfire was seriously missing his girlfriend and best friend, and Dustin was really enjoying being in a new D&D group as he'd missed it a lot since shit happened with Will - which was one hell of a story, but not even the full tale according to Robin (she said they'd probably tell the tale another time in the future). They both said that they all occasionally pop by to rent a movie together and hang out, but they'd all sort of found their groups in high school so didn't really see each other much apart from maybe weekends.

After learning all this new stuff about the friendship group, you realised you hadn't called home to say where you were. You excused yourself for a moment and went outside to use a payphone. Outside the arcade, you saw who you thought were Dustin, Mike, and Lucas based off the descriptions Robin and Steve had told you. Dustin and Mike seemed a bit pissed off that Lucas was bailing, and they watched him hop into a Jock's car. They both then walked into Family Video so you were pretty sure you'd be getting a full introduction shortly. You slotted in a couple of coins into the payphone and dialled home. The air had even more of a chill than before, so you pulled your coat tighter.

"Hey, mom," you said quietly. "Yeah I'm sorry I didn't call, my friends Robin and Steve gave me a lift to the video store... Uh-huh, the ones who picked me up for school this morning... No, it's okay, they're dropping me home when they've finished their shift... Okay, yeah I won't be late. Love you," and you hung up the phone. Surprisingly, there was no berating down the phone for once. In your old town, if you were calling up saying you were going to be home late, you didn't hear the end of it and would be grounded for two weeks at the least. It felt suspicious, but you might as well enjoy the peace whilst you can. You walked back into the store and the two boys you'd spotted just a moment ago were chatting animatedly with Steve and Robin.

"I just can't believe he's ditching us to play some stupid basketball! He's a nerd at heart, he should be at Hellfire with us," Dustin frowned, crossing his arms in a huff against the counter top.

"Uh-huh, and I can't believe you're ditching hanging out with me to play D&D with 'The Freak'," Steve sulked at him. Dustin hit his arm. "OW! Hey, what is with everyone doing that to me today?"

"He's not a freak," Dustin said defiantly. "Anyway, you're just jealous that I've got other friends than you,"

"No I'm not," Steve crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You just don't make time for me any more,"

"You are jealous! Is it because there's another guy older than me taking me under his wing and you don't like it?"

It hit a nerve with Steve and you could tell, hell all of you could, but he tried to play it off nonchalantly. "Look, you can hang out with anyone you like, but I was here first okay so that makes me the best,"

Dustin rolled his eyes and laughed, pushing at Steve across the counter.

Mike didn't really say too much, he just seemed to be in his own world. But he turned to face you, and gave you a puzzled look. "Hey, erm, you're new here, right?"

"Yeah, I've been in Hawkins a couple of weeks. Only just joined the high school this week," you replied. You introduced yourself and the two boys introduced themselves back, explaining what grade they were in, and that they were going to Hellfire tonight for the much anticipated campaign session. Mike then looked at his watch.

"Oh shit, Dustin, we're gonna be late! I didn't think it was so late, Eddie is gonna be mad at us,"

"Shit, shit, shit, okay, erm Steve? Can I get some Milk Duds?" Dustin rushed.

"Are you gonna pay for them this time?" his arms were still crossed. Man, he was pissed.

Dustin exhaled in frustration through his nostrils. He threw a dollar bill on the counter. Steve threw the Milk Duds directly at Dustin, causing him to fumble trying to catch them. Dustin frowned at his friend, and nudged Mike as if to say they were ready to go.

"Heh, Milk Duds are for Eddie. Hopefully it'll appease him for being late," Mike shyly explained to you whilst taking the chocolate candy from Dustin, giving them a slight shake.

"Yep, but he's still gonna be pissed when he realises Lucas is gonna be late turning up too, if he turns up at all," Dustin replied. "C'mon, let's go before he goes all Behemoth on us," the pair waved goodbye and left sharpish.

Steve ended up leaving the counter to sort some of the tapes out as some kids had been in trying to mess up the displays and spilling popcorn all over the floor. You turn to face Robin as you seemed to have a quiet moment to yourselves.

"So, who's this Eddie guy that they were talking about? Is he the head of the Hellfire group they're in?" you queried.

"Yeah, they more or less joined the group within the first week of the semester. Dustin, Mike, and Lucas were all sat together on this table in the cafeteria, and obviously they stuck out like a sore thumb. Being the charismatic character he is, he saw their fresh new faces and could tell instantly they'd be up for some D&D. Quite lucky really, they played it with their friend, Will, before he had to move," Robin explained. You nodded, finally finding out the metalhead's name who you'd accidentally bumped into yesterday and who you couldn't stop staring at. Maybe now was a good time to bring it up?

"I used to play D&D too, y'know," you casually slipped into conversation.

"Aw nice, why didn't you say something? Looks like they could've used an extra player tonight if their conversation was anything to go by,"

"Well I don't really know them, and I don't have any characters ready--"

"I'm just joshing," she playfully nudged you. "I know you wouldn't have gone anyway. Maybe another time though, get a character prepared... Just in case," she winked. It was your turn to nudge her playfully this time and you both laughed.

"I, erm, I bumped into Eddie on my walk home yesterday actually," you said. You weirdly felt shy about it, but with Steve calling him 'The Freak' and hearing others in the background say it too, it was only natural to be a bit cautious about bringing him up.

"Oh yeah? What happened?"

"Well, nothing really. I was walking back and I got near the trailer park, then this big gust of wind just blew on by. Got a face full of my own hair, couldn't see shit, ended up bumping into the guy. I thought he was gonna give me a load of shit for walking into him, but turns out he's actually quite nice," you explained.

"Steve gives Dustin a hard time about Eddie, but I've heard nothing but good things about him really. Mind you, the good things are from Dustin so maybe he's biased. But Steve has a good reason for being so harsh," Robin went on to say. She leaned forward towards you on the counter, speaking lowly so that if anyone passed by they couldn't hear what she was about to tell you. "The lowdown: Eddie's parents aren't in the picture, don't know why, but he lives with his uncle at the trailer park. He gets a bad rep 'cause he gives off stereotypical 'bad guy' vibes. He listens to metal, he's retaking his final year again, doesn't dress like everyone else, smoking pot, and well, he's also known around school for selling drugs too,"

"Oh," it took you aback slightly. "I see. I'm guessing it's mainly the dealing part that Steve is bothered about,"

Robin nodded in reply. "Personally, never had a problem with the guy. He comes in sometimes, borrows a movie, drags the kids out when they're running late, and he's always pleasant with us. I guess Dustin is right with what he's saying though, maybe Steve is a bit jealous that there's another older guy with influence in his life,"

"Maybe Steve is worried they'll end up selling or doing drugs like him," you replied. "I mean, I've only just met the kids but from what you've both told me today, they seem to have pretty sharp heads on their shoulders. They'll know to steer clear of that. They just wanna play D&D. Anyway, there's nothing wrong with a spliff every so often,"

"Right? And Steve's no person to judge for that," Robin blurted out. You raised a brow at her and mimed smoking a joint and subtly pointing at Steve, who was still sweeping up the popcorn kernels. "Shit... Yeah, Steve used to be a bit of a 'bad boy' in Hawkins High. He was the good looking popular guy. Nancy, Mike's older sister, told me that when they were dating he was smoking it at a small house party he was hosting,"

"Huh, no shit," you laughed. "Not as innocent as he seems to play then," you were a little hesitant to say what you were thinking, but if you didn't say this now, then it would eat you up. "I think he might have flirted with me?"

Robin was mid-sip of her water and nearly spat it out. "Who, Steve?!"

"No! No, no, Eddie,"

"Oh... OH. Wait, there's no might about it. He either did or he didn't,"

"Well, when I bumped into him I was really apologetic 'cause I'm clumsy, then he mentioned he'd seen me looking at him during lunch, said I should maybe introduce myself if I was gonna keep staring, called me 'sweetheart', and then walked off home,"

Robin smiled at you, resting her head on her hands. "Oh, that's a definite," you blushed at her response, trying to hide the crimson under your scarf and hoping the red would merge well with your face. "Told you he was charismatic,"

'Huh, and good looking to boot-- Oh, for God's sake...' You could feel the warmth of your cheeks getting hotter. Your thoughts were definitely not helping. "I'm just gonna go outside, I think I need a bit of air," you pointed both your hands towards the door awkwardly. Robin laughed at how shy you'd become all of a sudden, and just waved her hand at you to go outside.

The air hit you like an ice cold brick wall. If your face wasn't red from the embarrassment before, at least you could blame that damn fall breeze. You took in a couple of deep breaths, straightened yourself out, and walked back into the store. Steve had finally put on The Breakfast Club tape you'd handed him a couple hours previous. He'd managed to slip on The Goonies before your choice.

"It's his favourite," Robin said. "We have to watch it at least once a week when we're working together, don't we Steve?"

"Shut up, Robin," he called back at her. "It's at least once a fortnight..."

The store has gotten incredibly quiet just before The Breakfast Club on, it was mid-week and getting towards 8pm. There was only a couple of drifters that came in for a browse and then leave.

'Does Barry Manilow know you raid his wardrobe?' Bender gave a dig at Vice Principle Vernon. The three of you chuckled.

"Hey, you know what? You look a bit like you've raided a bit of Bender and Allison's wardrobe today," Robin pipes up, looking at you. Long black coat like Allison, red tartan scarf like Bender's shirt... Damn, she's right. You could help but shrug and laugh.

"At least you won't forget about me," you shot finger guns at her, only to receive a groan at the joke from the pair. This made you laugh harder knowing that they enjoyed the joke but sure as hell won't admit it.

The movie came to an end and Robin was running around doing the last bits of tidying before they closed. Steve started rewinding the movie. The door sprang open which made all of you jump and shoot your heads up to see who'd walked it. Dustin and Mike were back with Lucas, so it looked like he eventually turned up to join the game. They were all laughing about what had happened as they were explaining it to Steve, who just seemed to nod his head along to their tales. You sat there at the counter overhearing their trials and tribulations when the door opened again, albeit not as harshly as before. You turned to see who had come in and there he was. Eddie strolled on in to come and grab the boys.

"C'mon, guys, time to go," he squeezed Dustin's shoulders. Steve tried to hide his grimace but it didn't really work, making Eddie smirk a little. "Harrington can hear your heroic tales another day," The boys wrapped up their conversation and said bye to you all, then headed to Eddie's van outside. He held the door open for them, and just as he was exiting the store himself, Eddie swung on the door as it was closing and gave you a cheeky little wink. "See ya, sweetheart."

'Jesus fucking Christ almighty...' your stomach was suddenly home to a thousand butterflies, flitting about the place. All you could muster up was a small wave goodbye, cheeks tinted pink. The door closed behind them all and all you could hear was Eddie's van rumbling into the distance. Robin came up behind you with the dustpan and brush, placing a hand on your shoulder.

"Wow. Definitely flirting," she patted your shoulder and went to put everything away. You looked over at Steve and he was the one to have a little smirk on his lips this time. You hid your face in your hands. 'Get me home!' you shouted in your head.

The three of you hopped into Steve's BMW and began the journey home. You could tell Steve was itching to say something about Eddie's comment as he kept glancing at you in the rear view mirror. You were nervous thinking about the fact of his name being brought up, but nothing had even happened to constitute any nerves. All Eddie did was be a little flirtatious with you after bumping into him, nothing to get all worked up about.

"So... Eddie," Steve finally piped up. You scooted in your seat a little at his name. Robin's head snapped around to look at Steve as if to ask if he was really serious about bringing it up. "What was all that about?"

"I-- I don't know," you tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. "All I did was bump into him on my walk home yesterday,"

"Yeah, and not keep your eyes off him all lunch yesterday and today," Robin teased.

"Hey!" you raised your voice. "You've got no room to talk," Robin tried hiding her face by looking out the passenger window, but she knew Steve was giving her a glare.

"I'm only teasing," Steve ended up breaking the tension. "Look, he's not exactly the best influence in regards to his, ahem, career, but I do know he can be a pretty nice guy,"

"I can't actually believe what I'm hearing," Robin had turned back around to face Steve. "You give Dustin all this shit about hanging around with 'The Freak' and you're singing his praises now? Maybe I'll ring Dustin when I get home--"

"Alright, alright, yeah I do give him a hard time about it, sure. But I do it 'cause it's funny to wind him up,"

"Pfft, yeah right. Definitely jealous that he's hanging out with another guy older than him,"

"Whatever, anyway!" Steve had pulled over just by your house now. He turned around to face you. "As much shit as I give Dustin about Eddie, he's right in what he tells me about the guy. He makes sure to drop them off home after D&D, keeps them out of trouble away from the Jocks, would easily take a punch for them too... He seems alright, you should actually speak to him." he turns to look at Robin, who begins to nod.

"I mean, yeah, I agree. There's no harm in saying hi, right? Not gonna lose something you never had in the first place," she gives you a soft smile.

All you can do is just sit there, stiff as a board. You felt like your parents had given you 'The Talk' and felt too embarrassed to move.

"...Okay, thanks for that. I'm just gonna slide on outta here, crawl up to my room and die. Bye, guys," you opened the back seat door to the car and stepped out into the dark. You began to walk up the drive home.

"Same time tomorrow?" Robin shouted through Steve's open window.

"Sure, see you in the morning." you shouted back. The pair drove away and all you could do was bury your face into your scarf again.

You unlock your door, kick off your boots, take off your scarf and coat, and throw yourself onto the sofa. Your mom calls through from the kitchen to see if it's you and tells you dinner is in the microwave ready to reheat. You shout back to her that you'll be there in a minute, sinking into the sofa a little.

'I've been here two fucking days and I've already been told to make a move on someone I don't even know,' your inner monologue spoke again. '...he is pretty cute though, so I guess that helps.'

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x f!reader #skeletalglore fics

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suckitsurveys · 14 days ago

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One of your friends tells you they are going to train to become a cop. Your reaction? Uhhhhhh most if not all of my friends are very ACAB so it would be really really shocking to learn one of them wanted to be a cop. Unless they were doing it to take down the system from the inside.

Would you ever consider working for the government? Nope.

If you had a magical pencil and everything you drew became real, what would you draw? I’d write down “Michael Longfellow” and see what happens.

Your boots were made for: Wearing to the Billie Eilish concert tomorrow night.

The last person you would want to be stranded on a desert island with is: My brother in law.

Your partner takes an airplane trip. The plane disappears and is never found. How long do you wait for them to return before you begin looking for a new partner? Jesus fucking christ.

What would you like to touch? All of the kitties.

Does anything you own glow in the dark? Yeah.

Would you rather ride a dragon or a unicorn? Unicorn.

Do things just always go right for you? Lol.

Are you more like Spongebob who does nothing right but still everything good happens to, or like Squidward who tries to do things right and ends up having nothing good happen to him? Literally both.

Has learning to spell become obsolete? No.

Who do you find yourself in constant conflict with? Why the conflict? My brother in law because he’s a fucking piece of shit.

What subjects do you refuse to talk about? Why are you hiding from them? It depends on the people.

Are you every parent’s wet dream? Ew.

Everyone starts in the garden of Eden but no one can stay there. Why not? Bro I don’t know.

Would you want to join a club that would have you as a member? Uh, sure?

When you are exposed to the artwork (poetry, painting etc) of a friend, family member, or acquaintance, how likely are you to criticize it? It would depend on a few factors.

Do you mentally reject people? Before speaking to them? I’m sure I do sometimes.

Are you arrogant? About what? I don’t think so.

Name the ten bands you are the biggest fan of: I’ll just list 10 artists I’m into right now: Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Charli XCX, Vampire Weekend, Bleachers, The 1975, Lana Del Rey, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande. I’ve been wildly into pop lately oops.

Big nose, is it ugly or does it give the face character? I love big noses.

Who has rejected you? Who have you rejected? Blah.

Natural body odor or perfumes and colognes? Deodorant at least.

When you hear someone make a joke about something, will you later make the same joke to someone else as if you had just thought it up? I don’t know this survey is starting to irritate me oops.

What if someone just says something intelligent, would you use what they said later as if you had made it up? Blah.

Ever think about moving to Alaska to live as a hermit? No.

You are interested in a potential mate who is already attached. Do you encourage him or her to leave their current catch or try to find someone all alone? No.

Do you play in the snow? I have.

Are you an angel in disguise? Lol.

Are you a rockstar only no one knows it yet? Nah.

Why do you choose to listen to the music you listen to? Makes me feel good.

Does music these days suck? Nope.

Do you find desolation and darkness sometimes beautiful? Yes I do.

#surveys

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gurugirl · 3 months ago

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hey miss guru and anons 🫶🏼

i really need some advice/wisdom/tips, literally anything lol.

my bestest friend then turned situationship for 2yrs is leaving. We weren’t with anyone else but each other and basically acted as if in a relationship but without the title only cause I had this overwhelming fear of something going wrong and losing him… which inevitably happened.

I love him with everything in me and I know he does as well. But we both mutually called it quits bc he got offered an amazing career opportunity in another state. And I couldn’t leave where i’m currently living. I love my job but couldn’t have him pass this opportunity which he was debating to do. I pushed him to follow his dreams cause it’s what he’s always wanted and I ended up getting promoted at my job too which he said he wouldn’t want me passing either. We both talked about long distance but knew that it just wouldn’t work out. We can’t keep flying back and forth to see each other and our lives are too busy and it’s costly. So we came to the agreement that we’re just on different paths in life… and see where life takes us.

For the past 2 weeks we tried remaining just friends before he officially leaves (tomorrow morning) but we can’t and it hurts so much not being with him. And I selfishly want him and hate the idea of him with anyone but me. I’ve been constantly crying and literally had a breakdown/panic attack about him leaving… but I try my best to hide it around him because I know he’ll deny the offer if i’m hurting. We’ve been friends since kids. He was my first everything and I for him. He says how he’ll call me every day and made me promise him that i’ll stay in touch with him. But anytime we talk/call it always ends in one of us getting emotional. And he keeps trying to pass this opportunity bc he doesn’t wanna leave me but I can’t let him do that. I love him too much to allow him to give something up for me.

I talked with multiple people and everyone keeps saying that I need to let him go so he can move on too. But it hurts so fuck!ng bad and I just wish it didn’t have to end like this. I’ve never loved someone more and I don’t think I ever could. He was everything I’ve ever wanted in a man and he helped me through my darkest times. We always talked about a future together and he wanted it for the longest.

So how do I move on from someone who was so amazing to me and that I love deeply? Because no matter what I do everything reminds me of him. I wish I had a reason to hate him it would be soooo much easier.

Hi hon 💕 Ahhh this is so hard ☹️ And what I’m going to say won’t make you feel better necessarily, not now at least, because stuff like this isn’t made better with anything but time. But what you’re both doing is probably for the best. I don’t know how old either of you are but if you’re still very young you should know that having a broken heart is kind of just part of life.

Letting him take the good job opportunity will, in the end, be a better decision.

I’ve actually been through something like this before. The first guy I loved left to go across the country and it felt like the hardest thing either of us ever did. We were still very much in love when he had to go. My situation was a little different but it felt so painful. It was so painful. I felt like part of me was severed and it took a lot of time to start feeling better.

Spending time with friends and allowing myself to cry helped but over time I started to feel better and it’s been a long time since that and while I still do think of him every now and then, we have much better lives apart with other people than we would have if we had stayed in our home state and continued dating.

This is hard hon. It’s not easy. Many compare the pain of a breakup (when you’re in love) to the pain of the death of a loved one and I believe that.

There’s nothing to say that one day you two couldn’t reunite but maybe for now it’s okay to step away and just feel all the feel and experience life without him.

I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this. I feel your pain and anyone’s who been through this knows the way it feels excruciating and like it’ll never stop hurting but one day it will and you’ll feel better. I promise.

I’m sending you all my love sweetheart ❤️

Xoxo

#ask

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bilbobagginshome · 2 years ago

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A Deadbeat's Journal 19

A Jotaro Kujo x BlackfemReader fic.

Jotaro’s Thoughts.

“I was thinking about doing a staycation.”

Y/n, who is literally attempting to shove all her pancakes down her oesophagus, looks up to me with scrunched eyebrows. After downing one alongside a huge gulp of scorching hot tea that has me cringing, she questions;

“Why would you plan this when I’m busy?”

“Because, I’m going on my own.”

A pout forms a frown and her eyes glimmer with slight hurt and I’m realising that I should have worded it better.

“I didn’t mean that I would have not loved you being with me but I’m feeling a lack of creativity around me. There are just some inklings that I would like to transform into tangible ideas that I can pursue.”

The hurt surrounding her seems to dissipate . After widening her mouth to bite off half a large pancake and swallowing it , she encourages;

“You should have led with that. I thought you were growing tired of me.”

“Who said I’m not tired of you?”I chuckle back and she jumps up to begin her ruthless back hitting. For someone who only does cardio, her strength is amazing.

“Anyways, what are you planning to do ?” She asks as she puts her dishes in the kitchen , smiling in thanks for breakfast.

“Don’t know. I just want to sort the jumbling thoughts that are in my brain.”

“You should, I’ve never seen you leave your bed undone till recently.” she admits while wearing her shoes.

“I’ll go tomorrow to spend a week in Malindi.”

“I’m so jealous. Malindi is wonderful during this time.” She groans out while picking up her handbag, a light brown, leather, one that matches the even lighter beige power suit.

“Should we drop Samosa off at Mom’s house later?I may be really busy and I don’t really want her getting depressed and feeling neglected.''She queries whilst cooing goodbyes at a comfortable Samosa who’s ignoring her pitchy tone in favour of breakfast

“That’s not a bad idea. I would have liked to go with her but I booked a hotel rather than an AirBnB” I informed.

“Okay, We'll drop her off tonight. Bye my white chocolate glazed doughnut.”she teases with a mischievous smirk.

“You really are getting creative with these food nicknames. Bye my shea cocoa butter smelling chocolate queen.”I reply with an innocent smile.

“EEEWWW” she exclaims as she shuts the door.

I begin cleaning the dishes and the house. It doesn’t get as dirty as Samosa tends to play only within the surface of her pink carpet . At twelve I decide on making some Lahmacun. Seriously, I don’t know how I would be able to survive without Middle Eastern cuisine. Like everything they make is just so flavourful. Though the time consuming process that is kneading usually dims the excitement to cook. And no, I will not be using the stand mixer because I feel like those really deescalate the flavour profile of foods. It's a weird thing I have. I can literally taste when a pastry is not made by hand. Call me pretentious but no matter how good the pastry is , nothing beats handmade.

Anyway as I am at the end of preparing the dough, Samosa, who noticeably hasn’t been hovering over me despite removing the mincemeat that should have already thawed, appears from nowhere. I hadn’t noticed this till I started staying home more often but between the time her mom bids her bye to one , she is nowhere around the house. It almost feels like a Secret Life of Pets situation and as much as I’d love to give her privacy , we live in the third storey of a five storey apartment. And she’s a cat. But no matter how I try to inconspicuously follow her, she still catches me off guard and finds an even more mysterious way to dexterously evade me. Why would she even hide? What could she even be hiding? She’s two months old so I know kittens are physically impossible. Maybe she became besties with some chill neighbour.Or what if it's a burglar who has befriended her so that she can easily let him in . Samosa is a smart cat and knows how to open doors with ease unless locked so that’s not out of the question.

By the time I’m putting some pizzas in the oven, I’m already stressed over an eighth of a possibility. Yeah, I do need that vacation time. I’m already developing a plot of my cat’s life at home and it has a grim ending considering how cynical I am. I was thinking of just going around, though I won’t be seeing much because Malindi doesn’t offer as much . But I could go Kayaking. The brochure Amy gave me for Malindi is in my room and they seem to offer classes . Or maybe boat driving. Now that would be even more interesting .Somewhat, despite how often I use the boat I have never thought of driving one let alone even owning one. Yeah , Maybe I’ll do that.

Samosa seems intrigued over the sweet smelling lahmacun and I can't even deny it. I think I even outdid myself this time. I mean the waft coming from the opened oven is amazing and the sight of a freshly baked one is enticing enough to kill over. Damn I didn’t even know that I could even cook this well but it seems like all I’m blessed with is W’s. Am I even using that right or just making a full of myself? It doesn’t matter , all I know is that when I send this picture to mom, she’s definitely going to stop teasing that y/n is the better cook because everybody knows I am the Michelin chef and she’s an amateur. Wait, is that sexist?

I give Samosa one of the milder ones and she literally gobbles it up which just takes my cooking ego to new heights.Like my cooking is even renowned in other species so of course I’m the better cook.

“Are you having lunch?”I ask when y/n answers the phone.

“My day has been great thanks for being so worried dear.”

“I didn’t ask. Anyways, I can't wait for you to come home and have a bite of this lahmacun I just made. You would think it's straight from Istanbul.”

“Oh really . I hold you onto that . I have to go , I’m heading for lunch .Bye bye.” She ends the call cheerfully.

After making a strawberry lemonade with some overripe strawberries that y/n seemed to leave over despite her insistence on promising to eat them, I decide to eat. Mom facetimes me after my meal and she goes on a long tangent on this soap drama she’s been bingeing and despite how utterly nonsensical the plot seems to be it seems to have transfixed her so I try not to jab hard at the glaring plot holes. The call ends and social media notifications begin swarming so before I break my phone detox session, I decide to read a book from one of y/n’s book collection. I’ll choose a softcopy since she gets very annoying whenever her ‘precious babies’ are even touched.

Reading through the short stories collection and my goodness isn't it morbid? Despite their cheerful and hospitable nature , Africans can write the most eye reddening stories I’ve ever forced myself to continue reading . Why was one story a suicide letter? Another about the only good day an orphan has had in his lifetime? Is the publishing criteria to be the most heart stabbing literature ever written? It's like opening schrodinger’s box except it's either a comedy or grief camouflaging as a comedy . I should have just mindlessly scrolled through tiktok. That would have been way less of a sad revelation.

Moreover, how does she read this without crying herself to sleep? I think I need a freshener so I am heading to the beach . The lazy princess is currently eyeing me in annoyance as I am encouraging her to come out with me. The fattie hasn’t ever gone for a walk and aside from her little escapades all she does is watch TV with me or sleep. Well, today she has no option. I’m leashing her and forcing her to get a walk.I give her the hat y/n crocheted her and she knows despite her mewls of protest, there is very little that will stop me from not going on a walk with her.

Now as I’m walking with her , maybe it wasn’t her best idea. Everyone is slightly amused as I am dragging a slightly obese kitten to walk alongside me. I should wash her when I get back because y/n hates when Samosa even slightly smells of outside. She bought two fragrance mists that are used to brush her before her cleaning day.After a while, I consider it not worth the slight humiliation and carry her home. Protests work people.

I wash her up quickly , we both hate the process but that's what she gets for refusing to walk. By the time I’m blow drying her , the door suddenly opens and a way too early y/n walks in .

“Aww is Samosa frowning after a needed bathtime.”She cooes at the scowling cat who walks to her for pets when I’m done with her.

“She needed it . The brat refused to go on a beach walk with me and instead dragged herself in the sand when I forced her out.”

She laughs heartily at this .Eyes shimmering with delight as I explain how the neighbour, who had watched us leave, saw us returning not 10 minutes with matching scowls and couldn’t help but laugh at us.She encourages me to change so we can drop Samosa at her grandma’s place. She packs up a good chunk of Samosa’s toys , leaving the slightly more expensive ones at home and forces her to wear a backpack for the ‘vibes’.

It's around four when we head out, and since y/n had already informed them, they were expecting us. We were greeted with granny Rhoda, and had a light evening tea , reminding y/n that I slaved in the kitchen so she shouldn’t be eating too many sweets. Samosa, surprisingly , gets well acquainted with the brown poodle named Tatu that Mom Faith recently adopted, though her superiority complex makes her a bit bossy given the aggressive playing. Granny Rhoda encourages me to see some fruit plantations in Malindi.

We head out at six and Samosa barely spares us a glance as we walk to the parking lot . Y/n , however, is almost sobbing , proclaiming declarations of love and promises to come get her by the end of the week. It's a bit sad, but largely entertaining with how Samosa is unphased with our departure, too busy playing with Tatu. The house however, has a noticeable lack of glow when we arrive.

Y/n eats her dinner in silence, though giving me the necessary flowers for an exemplary meal.

“Are you sad you’ll be here alone?”I ask as I hand her my dish.

“Very. You’ll find this weird but aside from my exchange program, I’ve always lived with someone.”She quietly admits as she washes the dishes.

��Really? That’s shocking.”

“Mom never wanted me to live in the dorms so I spent my college years being housed by my cousins in Nairobi and afterwards I came to live with you so there’s that.” She looks up to me before determinedly stating.

“It doesn’t mean I’ll be lonely and maybe I need the quiet to reflect on myself too . So don't be so worried.”

“I wasn't worried.”

“Says the man with a wrinkling inducing frown.” She smoothes my face , encouraging me to relieve the tension on my forehead

I smile at the gesture. I should stop infantilizing her. She’s a grown up and has done more in these past months that many would have.

“Okay I’m not stressed.” She cleans the kitchen sink and I decide on informing her of her saddening choice of literature. Eyes spark in amusement and she retorts that I just picked up the wrong book and after shuffling through others she definitely agrees that African literature is like reading a story on hopelessness. She gives me a book to read over my trip, The River and the Source and states that it's the only mandatory high school reading she did not hate.Though this does lead to her pulling out the colonisation card to justify the despondency and I know better than argue with her over this.

As I say goodnight , she says;

“Never be anxious about the next day,for the next day will have its own anxieties. Each day has enough of its own troubles.”

What a philosopher.

“Stole that from the Bible.”

Nevermind. She’s a plagiariser.

Third Person Narration.

Y/n hid the sinking pithole of sadness that was a never ending abyss. She had grown codependent and she hated it . But she made sure to smile even as she helped him put his things in the car. Continuously repeating the phrase ‘It's only a week.’ to soothe the insistent voice that claimed otherwise.

“He’ll leave you.”

“He’ll find a probably mentally stable person to date. Like isn't a solo trip the perfect meet cute in romantic relationships.”

She refused to be dropped off , insisting that she didn't want to uber herself back , joking about the ridiculous unprofessionalism they have. In reality, she wanted Jotaro to not see the stormy skies in her eyes.She knows it's stupid. She can’t help but beat herself down .In spite of this,she plans to head to the one person that wont make her seem like an idiot for being glum.

She keeps her head down the entire day , even Kamau , the instigator , doesn’t seem to rile her up . After work she practically bolts to Ms Khadija’s office and makes it in the nick of time despite the distance. After the necessary greetings she sat down .

“You seemed down when you called me yesterday , Are you alright?”Ms Khadija questions and y/n proceeds to explain deeply.

“Is this maybe as a result of your developing romantic feelings for him?”

“Maybe.”

“I don't think you're codependent . You just intensely miss him . It's normal, especially since you’ve been suppressing the extremities of your emotions for a long time.”She reassures.

“But it's so painful. Like he cut half of my heart and left me with the other half.”she sputters out.

“Why don’t you try journaling everyday this week. The hurt will leave. Moreover , I do think that it's not very healthy how you two only see each other so meet up with your friends and try staying on your own. You might find that you are happier alone.”

1 April 20XX,

I went out with some of my other workmates. Excluding Kate and Mary , we went to this chill pub and I was surprised to not be coerced into drinking as I am driving home. We had such a great time .

Samoei , who has been helping me out with the tasks I need, is well versed in marketing. When he was done with university and just messing around online, he landed a scholarship to Australia. After a few seven years , a marriage with a Kenyan girl he met there(They come from the same tribe) and a tough divorce, he came home. He told me that the beauty of studying abroad is the diverse experiences. He would have never become the person he is now had he not decided to make that crucial jump.Really thought provoking.

Maria however did not do a degree . She works in the finance sector and she got the job strictly because of her experience in the field and she had little connections. I found this odd . Everyone knows in Kenya even a degree holder can easily become a bus driver if not well connected in employment fields.She’s the oldest in her family so after form 4 despite beating the odds and getting a B in her KCSE’s her parents financial position did not accommodate the prospect of University and either had her working as a low earning civil servant or marry her off . She scorned whilst mentioning marriage and based on her ringless finger, I guessed she took the peanut earning job . However as she worked she had an older woman mentor, earning quite well and she is the one who taught her all the ropes in finance. Maria is around 55 so she started working at the turn of the century which means that she propelled that small income government job to an actual prospective career.

Wanjiku, the only one closest to my age despite being at the cliffpoint of her youth, had a different come up. She went to university in Kenya, from an established middle income background who financed her higher education and after the degree and two years working in civil engineering , woke up and left it all. She came to the recognition that she hated it all, the graphs, the brazen misogyny that women in that heavily male dominated industry received on the regular and she hated how sad she looked when she woke up to work . On the day she quit, she was in Nairobi and went to a pop up art installation. She was mesmerised. She explained it in a simile,

“Like a born blind gaining their sight.”

Poetic huh? And despite the loud protests and the disownment threats, she went back to school and financed her degree in graphic design and a diploma in IT. She says that the years were tough. She had practically been left in the middle of the ocean with a raft,no way to navigate her way to the land, no food to nourish her during the difficult journey and most saddening , no support. She says it's only after she worked abroad that she has been able to once again get their approval.

Man , after that meetup I was left mulling deeply. First of all, I’ve always viewed people as being for my benefit, my improvement. Is that a childish thought? To assume people exist for your own personal benefit ? But now I think I’m really learning how deep people’s existence are.Every single person you overlook in your daily life is just as complex as you are and when engulfed in your own self importance or lack thereof, you limit the broader perspectives that others may give you . It's so simple really, treat others as you treat yourself. Love your neighbour as yourself but doesn’t this mean giving said neighbour a platform to share their ideas of the world and accepting or at least acknowledging them?

Human beings are so interesting.

2 April 20XX,

I asked Khadija to meet me outside her office and despite her begrudging rumblings about how unprofessional it is she still accepted it because I’m her favourite client .Is that code for “You are the only one who listens to me” ?

I didn’t beat around the bush and questioned why she chose psychology as her major.She was honest and anticlimactic. She simply failed med school and rather than wallowing in self pity and loathing sought to answer the question Was I ever going to be a good doctor? So she pursued it based on curiosity and an inner reflection.A somewhat selfish yet noble cause. Egoist altruism I suppose? Then I asked her if she would want to be a doctor right now and she answered quite calmly,

Even the psychologist doesn’t know. 20 years into her career, if she would have been a good doctor. Absolutely maddening in a good way.

Should I learn more about Abdul? I mean, though we converse regularly through memes, isn't this too deep of a question?

3 April 20XX,

I met Abdul once again in his dad’s cafe and the deja vu was intense. He was sporting a fully tattooed arm with far too many miniscule details but overall displayed a dying acacia. I asked him why the acacia he said Attack on Titan season 4 first ending.

“Isn't tattooing haram?”

“What are you? The haram police?”

He is doing well. He recently went on a boys trip to Uganda and actually did his tattoo there. His dad was fuming .Almost kicked him out apparently but definitely slapped the pata pata flip flops on his back, hard.I asked him why he stays with his family despite having a degree in some of the most worthwhile majors, Computer Science. He said he watched a Kuzgesart video (the tail end) and decided on staying home. His parents are in their late sixties, they had him in their forties and he just wants as much time with them as possible.

I almost shed tears when he explained how he loves his hometown and despite knowing that he’ll have to leave his parents cafe, their house and Mombasa to experience something different,he will always look forward to seeing his home .

He still practises his skills, doing freelance work and dealing with automating their forty year old cafe has kept him incredibly busy.He then admitted

“You know I pestered Patience for your number, you were so chill and pretty , laughing at some of my lamer jokes with so much genuine glee.”

I was shocked stating that he never gave flirty vibes and then another revelation dropped

“When I saw you and Jotaro, I backed down . Even told him so.”

Now I was completely warm with embarrassment . I questioned if we were that obvious. He replied that it was just the ‘vibe’. Jojo was always checking on me during the fair and even when I’d frustrate him by attempting to bottle down every info given , he’d stay back, ensuring I’m not shoved by the crowd. He questioned if our relationship has sprouted wings, I said that it's barely out of the cocoon.

After chatting around varying topics like a briefing on his tattoos and video calling Patience to show them what they are missing out on , six arrived and Abdul escorted me out of the increasingly chaotic cafe.

What a long day . I can’t believe I even had the energy to go all the way to Nyali even after work just to ask him some random questions. They aren't even going anywhere or doing anything, they are just in my journal . Anyways I always considered Abdul a chill party goer. The one always looking for a good time but is also just calm . Who would have thought our nonchalant go with the wind , merry maker has an absolute heart of gold? I’m definitely no longer judging people by what they decide to display .

Jojo is calling.Later.

4 April 20XX,

First of all, The catch today was insulting to my superior fisherman skills. Why was I only able to catch 1 Surmai? This only happens when I plan on catching a large batch . I had planned to take some home but you know it's whatever . At least I got to talk to the few fishermen that I’m always just glancing away from since our first impressions of them were to say the least, bad.

Suleiman and Muringa catcalled me the first time I moved in with Jojo and I in turn insulted them so harshly they refused to speak to me , ever. Serves them right , who in their right mind provokes someone when they are holding a potential murder weapon ? Actually they should be lucky I didn’t use their bodies as shark bait as I threatened.

Anyways, it was them who decided to try and talk to me again . They apologised for their actions and I willingly forgave them . Through small talk, I just casually asked what brought them to fishing.

Suleiman recalled that he was his dad’s apprentice and did not see the need to pursuing another career path after form 4 .I questioned whether he was not bored with doing the same thing till retirement and he responded that as long that he has his and his ageing parents basic necessities met , he’s comfortable.Also that the manual labour was well paying in comparison to others, he had a great network of restaurants he personally supplied to around Mombasa and the neighbouring towns so questioned on why he would throw that away for an uncertain future.

It kind of shocked me . I’ve never seen someone so at peace with their income and their standards of living . After filling out his quota of fish and ensuring the smaller ones are put back in the ocean,he just lounged in his boat, watching how the waves attempted to drag the anchored boat . I tried getting him to consider diversifying the business, idealising a seafood restaurant . He responded he did think of that but after the math found it not worth the effort .

Muringa did it only because it was the only way to feed his family. He had a teenage pregnancy with his wife,a high school sweetheart and dropped out to take care of them and after doing a lot of odd jobs to make ends meet, he met Suleiman and decided to start fishing . Though his beginnings are humble and he makes a modest income in comparison to his peer, he still makes more than enough to clothe his wife and baby girl. He even showed me a picture of them, the context being their first day in school. She has her mother’s smile and her father’s eyes. Though he did say he had visions of being an architect , he decided that he’ll school her first, letting his dreams take a backseat for the moment .

Suleiman said he can’t even consider settling down at the age of 23, let alone marriage. His twenties are for enjoyment only . I laughed and agreed . Though the bare minimum , it speaks volumes of the integrity Muringa holds especially since he’s only 21.

After other light hearted conversations, I shared a thought that has been itching my mind. Though this is a journal, I feel that exposing it would become tangible and as of the moment , I still consider it an intrusive thought . However, rather than weeding it out , they further enabled its growth , letting it sprout a flower of possibilities in the process and now it has enveloped the entire crevice of my mind, its eating me up, I either have to pull out the shears or allow its vines to mould my garden.

�� prev masterlist next

#Jotaro kujo Jotaro x reader jotaro x reader Jotaro x black reader jotaro x yn jotaro x black yn jotaro imagines jotaro scenarios jjba jojo

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therapardalis · 1 year ago

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mcflymemes:

THINGS MY FRIENDS’ MUSES HAVE SAID * dedicated to my wonderful writing partners ♡ adjust as necessary

i can’t do this. i can’t deal with this.

i’m not going anywhere.

thanks for taking me out to dinner.

did you read that on the back of a cereal box or something?

the least you can do is make me a drink.

i’m driving. come on.

you handled that well.

you’re all i have left.

i’m not leaving your side.

i can’t imagine my life without you.

why don’t you pack your things?

i still can’t believe you did all of this.

you’ll do great. you just need to have a little more faith in yourself.

i’m sorry if that was inappropriate of me.

it’s a gift! you have to open it!

i’m afraid the chase is over.

if this is supposed to be a joke, you should know it stopped being funny at least ten minutes ago.

the fact that i’ve made it this far is a miracle in itself.

i’d like to see your eyes before i take your life.

don’t push it.

so you do care about me.

we don’t have to decide now what tomorrow looks like. let’s just stick to tonight.

i think this one is beautiful.

have you been watching the bachelor without my knowing?

you are strangely pleasant to work with.

after everything we’ve both been through, we deserve to be happy.

i was starting to think you’d never ask.

no peeking, okay?

guess you could say i’m married to my job.

i figured we could have a picnic, get to know each other a little better.

you’re my everything.

i like kissing every inch of you.

we must keep working towards it.

i feel like i’m screaming for someone to notice how miserable it all is, but no one hears me or cares.

god, that’s my worst nightmare.

are you hungry, by any chance?

don’t give me ideas.

don’t answer that. i’m just going to learn from this moment and do better next time.

i see the good only because someone needs to.

seems a bit odd that we keep meeting like this.

are you done hiding?

i’m not very good at sneaking out.

we must look like an odd pair.

i understand how you’re feeling.

you trying to get me drunk?

i was just getting ready to convince you to order in pizza or something.

could i take you up on that glass of wine now?

i’ve learned a lot about you since we started hanging out.

you literally saved my life.

i’m going in alone. end of story.

it’s not too late to back out.

promise i won’t bite… unless you want me to.

i wish you’d stay.

how on earth did you pull that off?

i can tell you’re checking me out.

i know i need to trust you. i just haven’t decided how i feel about it.

can… can i ask something of you?

as long as you’re okay…

i’ve just been too scared to admit it.

join me? absolutely not.

that could make it worse.

now… i didn’t say that.

hurt feelings are better than hurt pride.

don’t mind me, just admiring the view.

you… have far too many clothes on.

you don’t have to share me at all.

i visited once as a child. it was beautiful.

one can only hope.

i could convince them to bring you along.

are you angry?

i can’t help but wish for a normal life.

um… i think you’re fine.

is there something behind me?

hold still. this might sting.

i promise i’ll be good. you’ll barely notice i’m here.

we need to find out whether or not this was an isolated incident.

it’s kind of a matter of life or death, if you didn’t notice.

i was made for you, and you only.

it’s just part of the job.

if you’re trying to impress me, it worked.

believe it or not, i’ve patched up nastier wounds than this.

maybe this will get their attention.

you’re cute when you blush.

i’m happy to see you too.

when you feel safe… time slows down.

#Prompts #Please don't reblog from here without sending one - reblog from the source instead

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kittyt-hexxed · 2 years ago

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Frazzled Nerves

Abby Anderson x Fem!Reader (College AU)

Word Count: 1.5k (this one is short and sweet)

Warnings: Stressed Reader, Mentionings of anxiety attacks, forgetting to eat, massages

Summary: It’s the day before finals week and you’re stressed out about your Biology final. Your girlfriend Abby shows up at your dorm when she can’t get ahold of you and ends up helping you relax.

If there was one thing you wish someone told you about college was that it’d ruin your life. Hours upon hours of work that you finished only to be given new work. Some of your professors didn’t care that you were literally drowning in homework, and others - while sympathetic - said that the work was necessary. You had a goal in life and it required going to college, but sometimes you wanted to drop out. Your social life was strained because you weren’t the type to go out and get wasted a night before exams. And speaking of exams, you were stressed out from the amount of material you needed to study for finals. You’re sitting at your desk, barely processing what you’re reading because you were exhausted. Your biology final is the first one tomorrow morning and it is worth half of your grade. So rightfully, you were freaking out. You were so focused that you hadn’t answered any of your texts or even knew where your phone was.

A knock sounds at your door, making you sigh and put your pen down. You get up from the chair, wincing when you realize that your legs had fallen asleep, and walk to the door. You open it and feel a small rush of energy when you lock your eyes with Abby’s blue ones. She must have texted one of your dormmates to let her in.

“Hey, baby.” You smile at her, moving aside so she can step into your room.

“Is everything alright, Y/n?” Abby asks in concern, “You haven’t responded to my texts and when I called you earlier it went to voicemail.”

“Shit, I’m sorry, Abby. I’ve been studying since I woke up this morning.” You sigh and run a hand through your hair, “I don’t know where my phone is so it’s probably dead by now.”

“You’ve been studying all day?” Abby sounds even more concerned now, “Have you eaten anything?” You bite your lip and look away from her. No, you haven't eaten anything. You didn’t have the time to with how much work you had to get done. Abby sighs and you watch with furrowed brows as she walks to your laptop and starts exiting out of your tabs.

“Abby!” You gasp, “What are you doing?” You rush over to her, but she gently pushes you away from the desk. You couldn’t hide the distressed look on your face and it makes Abby’s eyes soften. She sits down in your chair, closing your notebook and pulling you onto her lap.

“Baby, you need to relax. Stressing yourself out over this exam is going to make you sick.” Abby cuddles you against her, “I’m going to get us something to eat, and when I come back you’re going to relax with me, okay?” She was speaking in her dom voice. The soft, soothing voice that makes you feel all fuzzy when she uses it.

“Okay.” You whisper, nodding your head.

“Good girl.” Abby kisses your forehead and you get off of her so she can get up, “Do you want the usual order from Minty’s or something else?”

“You’re going to Minty’s?” Your eyes widen, “But, Minty’s is all the way across campus.”

“That’s okay. I know you like their shakes, so I don’t mind having to drive there. Now, do you want the same meal or not?”

“Yes, please.” You nod, shyly crossing your arms over your stomach when it makes a noise.

“Alright, I’ll be right back. And no going back to work. You’re relaxing for the rest of the night.” Abby points at you and you sigh but nod your head. She leaves your room and since she said no more studying you decide to clean up your desk. You take a deep breath to try and ease your nerves as you do, making sure to put everything where they go. Once that was done, you went searching for your phone and put it on the charger. You couldn’t sit down, too anxious to get back to studying so you ended up pacing the room until you hear Abby knock on your door.

You let her in, taking the drink coaster from her hands and watching as she hangs your dorm keys back up, “When did you take my keys?” You question her and the smell of the food makes your stomach rumble.

“I took it on my way out.” Abby chuckles, walking over to the beanbags you have in the corner. She takes your food out of the bag and hands it to you after you put the drink coaster on the floor. You smile happily, opening the container and immediately digging into it, “Thank you, babe.”

“You’re welcome.” Abby smiles at you, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear, “Now, don’t eat too fast or you’ll choke. You’re supposed to be relaxing, so I don’t want you to mention school.”

“But-” You stop when she gives you a stern look, sighing and going back to your food. While you ate, the two of you talked about the meet-up your friends are having. There was a party at the end of the semester where they smoked weed and watched comedy movies until they passed out. It would be next weekend and everyone was required to bring their own snacks so there wouldn’t be any complaining. You didn’t know if you’d make it to the end of the week with how stressed you were.

“Okay, angel.” Abby hums, pulling you onto her lap, “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“There’s just… too much work to do.” You tear up, Abby rubbing your back, “I’m stressed out about finals and my biology one is half of my grade. If I fail it, then I could end up failing the class! I can’t fail the class!”

“Ssshhh, angel. You’re not going to fail the class.” She comforts you but lets you cry. She knew that it was better to let you cry it out, so it would help you calm down. The feeling of her rubbing your back was soothing and you closed your eyes to enjoy it.

“I like when you do this.” You sigh happily. If there was one thing you love about your girlfriend is that she knew how to get you to relax. When you got stressed it tended to overwhelm you and could lead to anxiety attacks if you weren’t careful. Ever since you met Abby, she had a way of calming you down by just being with you.

“Yeah? You like my massages, too. Would you like one, angel?” You’re jumping up from her lap before she finishes her sentence. Abby laughs and you get into your pajamas while she cleans up the mess. With a little hop, you get into bed and lay down on your stomach. You watch as Abby changes into her pajamas and takes a seat next to you.

“Take a deep breath for me, baby.” Abby pets your head and you close your eyes, taking in a deep breath.

“Good girl.” Abby coos, making you blush, “I’m going to start at your neck, okay? I want you to count to a minute and then take a deep breath.”

“Okay.” You mumble as she starts to work her fingers into your neck. You loved her massages. You were shocked when she told you that she wanted to be a massage therapist at one point in her life. It was because she spent a decent amount of time volunteering at the hospital her dad worked and found physical therapy interesting. That was before she found out that she liked working with chemicals and chose to become a chemist instead.

You winced slightly when she started working on a tense spot in your shoulder, hearing her utter a soft apology. That was where you carried the most tension when you were stressed out so she was being extra attentive. You felt fuzzy as Abby praised you for being good for her and relaxing your body. All thoughts of your finals faded away and you focused on the feeling of her hands on your body. With every press of her fingers, you felt more and more sleepy but you kept counting and taking deep breaths as she told you to. You wanted to say something, but you were taking in all of the sweet words that Abby was saying to you. It went from praises to compliments and before you knew it, you were fighting to keep your eyes open.

“Baby…” The word comes out slightly slurred from how sleepy you are.

“Are you falling asleep on me, angel?” Abby chuckles lowly, kissing your shoulder.

“Nooo?” You try to deny it, but your statement comes out as a question.

“I think you are.” She hums. You feel her get off of the bed, followed by the sound of the lights being turned off. You feel the bed dip again, Abby sliding under the covers with you. You hum happily, snuggling up with her and she wraps her arms around you.

“How are you feeling?” She whispers, kissing your forehead. You were too sleepy to respond to her, choosing to snuggle closer instead before falling asleep in her arms. Completely forgetting that you had been so stressed out about your exam the next day.

#abby anderson x reader #abby anderson #abby the last of us #abby x reader #college au #destressing

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buttermynutter · 2 years ago

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Signed, Viktor | 18/18

Transcript:

Good forever,

I have been informed that we will be able to move into the building tomorrow! Words can’t describe how excited I am, though I suppose they won’t have to once we’re living together.

It does make me a bit sad that there’ll be no need to write each other for a bit, but I suppose we’ll be back to our usual routine once the academy semester starts.

Either way, almost nothing can replace the feeling that came from hearing the clang of my message tube and rushing over to it, hoping it was from you.

I say almost, because I now know you’ll be in the next room, which is exactly where I want you to be, other than laying in my lap.

The simple joy of knowing that your presence is right around the corner - whether figuratively or literally - hasn’t left me since I first met you, and I don’t believe it ever will.

I’m quite certain that it’s because our love isn’t entirely about fitting together without issue; the light shines best through the small parts we don’t share, illuminating them so we can learn all the better from them. Like the cotton candy from the aquarium, our pink and blue never really make purple, just sticky hands and beaming faces.

But the color is what makes it interesting, and the sugar I still find underneath my fingernails isn’t any less sweet because the both of us aren’t perfect. In those niches, birds whistle and doors open between us to the words we don’t have to say, the words that I can trace with my fingers on your face and my lips on yours.

I like to think that I’ve grown my own garden in my time with you. The birds whistle here too, and this time, I feel I can fly just as high as them. There’s a bloom of anticipation here, contentment budding there. Each petal is iridescent, and even if they fall, I press and dry them between pages of a book, the feelings lasting longer than any of its words. I pot a new plant each time we meet, and you water it with your laughs.

I breathe in, and my thorns are trimmed.

A trail of cobblestone cuts through it all, but leaves and vines still reach for my ankles. Sometimes I let them pull me back into the memories, where I fall asleep in that tangle of dreams until the dawn wakes me.

Sometimes you doze off with me, and those days, we’re cradled by the stars - we could float apart through the vastness of the cosmos for eternity, but my heart would still be safe with you.

When you smile, the flowers face your way like they would the sun.

Some places, the path is worn, some places there’s a stone missing, but we point them out and catch each other when we don’t, stopping to look at our reflections in the water running through the cobblestone cracks. It flows differently each time, but a familiar current lingers.

Trees form a border, ever-growing, ever in season - each bears different fruit, and by now we know what’s sour, what’s sweet; with you on my shoulders, it’s the perfect height to pick the latter.

Their golden leaves play hide and seek among the shadows, and we sometimes get cut when reaching through the twigs, gilding our wounds. Our veins look like branches for a reason, begging to share their flowers. Either way, we kiss the scratches and tell each other it’s to help them heal, but if anything, it’s our souls that are patched.

We still run from the bees, we still start at the spiders, but in the end, they only feed the garden, and we thank them when they’re gone.

You always tell me the trees listen, but I’d swear they talk too when you come around.

I’m glad - for once, this letter is not a goodbye, but a hello.

Another flower is ready to be potted.

At the end of the trail, I’ll be waiting.

Signed,

Viktor

━━━━━━━

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#arcane viktor #viktor/reader #viktor x reader #viktor #viktor x you #viktor arcane #viktor league of legends #arcane #arcane x reader #arcane fic #arcane fanfic #arcane league of legends #netflix arcane #league of legends x you #league of legends x reader #league of legends #league of legends fanfic #viktor the machine herald

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canirove · 2 years ago

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Red & Blue | Chapter 12

Previous chapter | Next chapter

Masterlist

The men’s team isn’t able to make it to the final. They lose against Argentina after one of their best performances, only beaten by Messi and a perfect free kick. No goalkeeper could have been able to stop it.

They arrive back at the hotel very late, and since we are playing in a couple of days, we don’t stay up to receive them. I’ve texted Mason, but he hasn’t replied yet, so I decide to go to his room in the morning.

“Lewis, hey” I say to Mason’s brother when we cross paths on the corridor.

“Hi there” he says.

“Were you visiting Mason? How is he?”

“He is… bad” he says with a big sigh. “I’ve never seen him this defeated. Not even after the Euros.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. When he doesn’t open the door or answers the phone, you know it is bad. But maybe he’ll see you. If someone can get him out of this, that’s you.”

“Me?” I ask.

“Yes, you. And you know why” he smiles. “I’m going downstairs to have breakfast with my family. Let me know how it goes.”

I see him leave, but I don’t move from my spot. What I’m supposed to say to Mason? How can I help him?

“Ok” I say, finally walking again and rehearsing in my head what I am going to say.

I knock on the door a couple of times, but no one answers. I knock again, this time a bit harder.

“Mason, it’s me.” Nothing, no answer. “Mason… I know you don’t want to see anyone, but we are worried about you. Can you at least let me know that you are alive? Like throw a pillow against the door or something?”

I hear him grunt and what feels like a phone falling to the floor.

“Ok, that’s something.” I stay silent, not knowing what to do next, forgetting what I wanted to say. “I’m gonna go downstairs to have breakfast. I’ll come back later, ok?”

No answer. I just sigh and leave.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Mase, it’s me again. I’ve brought you something to eat, you probably are starving. Orange juice, a banana, and chocolate cookies. They were the last ones, and I had to flirt with Jack to get them from him, which eww. Just thinking about it gives me chills. So I think I deserve something in return, like you at least opening the door and taking all this.”

Again, no answer. A wait a little longer, but I can’t hear anything inside the room. Could he be sleeping? I’m about to knock again when he finally opens the door.

“Mason.”

“Hi” he says. His eyes are red from crying, his hair a complete mess. He’s topless, and still wearing the pants from his tracksuit.

“Can I come in?” I smile. He moves from the door and lets me in. The room is completely dark, and I trip with one of his sneakers.

“Sorry” he says.

I manage to put the food on the table and move to open the curtains. He hisses like a cat when the sunlight comes in, hiding on the bed again. I just look at him, not knowing what to say.

“You can go now” he says from under the duvet.

“I’m not going anywhere” I say, sitting on a chair.

“You have to rest, you are playing a semi-final tomorrow.”

“I still have a few hours left” I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

“If you want to spend that free time looking at a loser…”

“You are not a loser, Mason” I say.

“I lost one of the most important games of my career last night. I am a loser.”

“Then so am I. Or have you forgotten about what happened back in May?”

“It’s not the same” he says, finally getting from under the duvet and looking at me.

“Isn’t it?” I say, arching an eyebrow.

“I just…” he says, tears coming to his yes. “I just feel like it is not worth it anymore. We gave it all out there, and then…”

“Mase” I say, getting up from my chair and sitting next to him on the bed, hugging him. He starts sobbing, hugging me back. “It’s ok, Mase. Let it all out.”

“You must think I’m an idiot” he says when he’s finished crying, wiping some tears from his face.

“Have you forgotten who you are talking to? The woman who started crying in the middle of the pitch after losing the Champions League, and whose face was literally everywhere? Who ran away and hid because her ex was seen out with another girl?”

That makes him smile, showing his dimple. This time I can’t help myself and touch it.

“We both are idiots” I say, my hand still on his cheek. “Maybe that’s why we get along so well.”

“Maybe” he chuckles, his eyes finally meeting mine. We look at each other and, again, we are going through one of those moments when we are about to kiss. But, again, something stops us. In this case, his stomach making a horrible noise.

“I think you should eat those cookies” I laugh.

“I think so” he says. “You suffered a lot to get them, it’s the least I can do.”

“No, but seriously. I think I’m going to have nightmares.”

“He is not that bad” he says, leaving the bed and picking the cookies and the juice.

“He is. Look at my arm. Goosebumps, and not for a good reason.”

“Will having a cookie make you feel better?” he says with a smile, a smile that makes my face feel very hot.

“I think that could help, yes.”

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

We do make it to the final, but not without suffering and having to go to the extra time. When we get back to the hotel, the men’s team is waiting for us, all of them cheering us.

“Congratulations, little one” Aaron says when he sees me, giving me a big hug.

“Thank you” I say. “But careful, I still have another game to play.”

“And to win” he winks.

Mason is one of the last who greets me, and our hug goes longer than all the others.

“Now you have to win this” he says to my ear.

“I will” I say, hugging him tighter. “I promise.”

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

The men’s team manages to end third after winning their game against Spain. Argentina, on the other hand, is destroyed by Germany on the final.

Now it’s our turn, also against Germany.

(click/tap to enlarge)

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

When I hear the final whistle I fall to the floor, crying. But they are no sad tears. They are happy tears, the happiest of my life so far. We just won the fucking World Cup! And just like Mason dreamt, I scored.

“Do you think it’s possible to fall in love with a trophy?” I say to Leah while holding it as if it was a baby, my voice almost gone from singing and screaming while celebrating.

“You definitely can” she says, touching the trophy as if, indeed, it was a baby.

I don’t know for how long we stay on the pitch, singing, jumping, hugging our families and taking photos. My face hurts from smiling.

When we make it back to the changing room, some of the men’s team players are waiting for us. I spot Aaron, Declan, Reece… and Mason. The moment I see him, I start running towards him, jumping and holding onto him, my legs around his waist. And I kiss him. I finally kiss him.

I think I’ve never kissed someone like this, with this passion and need. And I’ve definitely never been kissed like this. It feels like all those kisses we almost had these past months were coming out now.

I can hear people screaming, some of them definitely cheering, but I don’t care. I just keep kissing Mason, not wanting it to end.

“Let him breathe, girl!” I hear Leah laugh.

“Shut up, Williamson!" I yell back, making Mason laugh.

“This is the first time a World Cup winner has kissed me” he says, still laughing.

“It won’t be the last, trust me” I smirk, kissing him again.

“You should go inside with the others” he says, our lips still very close. “They probably are waiting for you.”

“Urgh” I say as he puts me down on the floor.

“I’ll meet you at the party” he says, kissing my nose. “Now go.”

When I walk inside the changing room, everyone looks at me. After a few seconds of silence they all come to hug me, and for some odd reason, we start jumping while chanting “Mount Mount Mount”.

#mason mount #mason mount x reader #mason mount fanfic #mason mount imagine #football fanfic #football imagine

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fortuositywritings · 3 years ago

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Tattoo Heart

Summary: Tony and you make a dumb drunk decision. He gives you a tattoo.

“Um, what the hell, Tony! You said it wasn’t that bad.”

“It’s not! It’s well-proportioned. Really it’s the best heart I’ve ever drawn. I don’t know why you’re so upset. It could have been worse.”

“The heart isn’t the problem. You tattooed Wanda’s name on it!”

“Yeah, I can see why you’re mad.”

You poked your sore arm. Out of all places, he had to tattoo it on your arm above your elbow where everyone could see. Talk about bad placement.

You pout, “How am I supposed to hide this?”

“Baseball tee’s could make a comeback. You’ll be a trendsetter,” he suggests, not helping at all.

You glare at him. “You’re paying for it to be removed.”

“I expected no less,” he concedes. You’re still touching the tender spot, frowning. He stops you. “Poking it is not going to make it go away.”

“Fuck! I’m never getting drunk with you again,” you vow.

“You say that now, but come Friday night, whiteclaw in hand, you’ll have no recollection of this ever happening.”

“Getting a tattoo with your crush’s name on it is kind of hard to forget, Tony,” you spit out. He wears a sheepish smile. Speaking of the party on Friday, “Shit!”

“What?” Tony asks, clearly not processing the situation you’re in as fast as you are.

“Wanda’s gonna be there,” you remember.

“Well, yeah. It’s Pietro’s birthday party and they’re twins so,” he comments sarcastically.

“It’s a pool party. How am I supposed to hide this?”

“Just don’t get in the pool. Or you know what, just don’t go. Say you got sick,” Tony suggests.

“I can’t do that. She expects me to be there and I don’t want to let her down on her birthday,” you explain. Wanda had personally invited you to her party, saying you were going to be her partner for beer pong.

“Fine. Don’t worry about it too much. We have all week to figure something out,” he reasons. You guess he’s right. No use in stressing too much.

Friday afternoon comes too fast.

You’re stressing as you look at yourself in the mirror. You look ridiculous.

“You’re literally a genius and this was the best you could come up with?” you complain. You already feel yourself sweating. You hadn’t thought of what to wear. You only had your one piece bathing suit. Tony told you he had something and you trusted him. What he brought you, a long sleeve rashguard to wear over your bathing suit.

“Makeup was just going to wash off. We couldn’t chance it. This way, you can get in the pool,” he says.

“I look like I’m going surfing, not a pool party,” you huff.

“You look fine. If anyone asks, you burn easily. Now let’s go. Your girlfriend is waiting on you,” he rushes you along, grabbing your stuff for you. You throw on some shorts and slip on some sandals.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” you mumble, blushing as he pushes you out the door.

“Oh, I know. This wouldn’t be such a big deal if she was.” He closes the door.

Pietro opens the door for you and Tony. You both hug him and congratulate him on another year of being on this earth or as Tony puts it, “Congrats on being one year closer to death!”

Technically, their birthday is tomorrow but they always have a birthday dinner with their parents, so they celebrate with their friends either the day before or after. You and Tony hand Pietro your present for him.

“Just don’t open it in front of your parents,” you warn. He decides to unwrap it right then. You roll your eyes at his impatience to wait until tomorrow. To his satisfaction it’s running shoes with a bottle of alcohol in each shoe. He laughs, thanking you for his present. He notices you looking around, searching for a certain somebody. He already knows who you’re looking for.

“She’s in the kitchen,” he tells you, a smirk appearing on his face when you blush at being so obvious. You thank him and go find Wanda.

As Pietro said, she is in the kitchen fixing some appetizers to bring outside. What you weren’t prepared for was her already in her bikini, like she’s ready to jump into the pool. Her two piece bathing suit doesn’t leave much to the imagination but you’re quite the daydreamer it seems. You’re snapped out of your trance by Wanda clearing her throat.

She wears a smirk much like her brother’s and you splutter an embarrassed, “H-hi! Happy Birthday. You, uh, you look good. Great! You look ready for the pool.”

She smiles, amused by your awkwardness. “Thank you. You look ready for the beach.”

You blush. “Yeah, I burn easily,” you lie and quickly move on, handing her the present you got her. “Here.”

“You didn’t have to get me anything,” she says, but you shake your head. “Of course I did. It’s your birthday tomorrow. You can open it now if you want. Your brother did.”

“Unlike my brother, I can wait. Let me go put it in my room. I’ll be right back. Wait here,” she requests. You nod and she leaves with her present. You respectfully turn your gaze to the appetizers, not wanting to ogle her backside.

“Cowabunga, dude! What the hell are you wearing?”

“No way. I almost wore the same thing. Good thing I didn’t or that would be embarrassing.”

You roll your eyes, turning around to see Sam and Rhodey, both clearly amused by their own jokes. You give them an unimpressed look and they laugh harder.

“Haha. So very funny,” you deadpan.

“Seriously, Y/N, why are you wearing that? It’s like a thousand degrees,” Rhodey asks.

“Maybe I’m insecure and you guys laughing just makes me feel worse? Maybe thought of that?” you retort, but neither buy it. They look at each other and start laughing.

“Insecure, my ass. You almost give Tony Stark a run for his money in the size of ego,” Sam says between laughs. You just roll your eyes.

Wanda returns to find the guys pressing you about the long sleeves.

“Hey, Wanda. I think you might have given Johnny Kapahala the wrong address. She’s gonna be late for the competition,” Sam jokes and you hate that you get the joke. Wanda doesn’t and looks adorably confused. All she knows is they’re referring to you so she looks at you for an explanation but you ignore her in order to throw your own remark.

“At least Johnny wasn’t afraid to swim at the beach,” you bite, making Rhodey and Wanda laugh and Sam take offense.

“There are sharks!” Sam defends himself, making you all laugh.

The three of you help Wanda bring out the appetizers to the backyard. They’ve got a table and a bunch of chairs laid around. Wanda asks if you’d like a drink and goes to fetch one for the two of you while you greet other friends.

“You didn’t want one?” You ask her when she returns with only one drink. “If we’re going to be beer pong partners, you can’t leave me drinking alone.”

She giggles and takes a swig from your drink. “Happy?” She asks when she returns the drink to you and smirks upon seeing the slight blush on your cheeks.

You get a few more remarks about the rashguard but with a few drinks in everyone’s system, the pool is more enticing than poking fun at you. You didn’t plan to get in the pool but with a simple “come on” from Wanda, you’re cannonball jumping into the deep end.

Once it’s dark, you all begin to vacate the pool in order to play games. You and Wanda play two games of beer pong seeing as neither of you are very good and you think you’ll surely be sick if you play another round.

You eat, you dance, you sit around and talk to your friends, and Wanda is with you the whole time. It’s midnight and you’re right beside her as everyone sings for her and Pietro. She hands you the first slice of cake, which you eat standing up just to stay next to her as she cuts a piece for everyone.

It’s nearing 2am as people begin to leave. Wanda and Pietro make sure everyone is getting home safely, either taking a LIFT or having a designated driver. You and Tony stay later to help the twins clean up, which they greatly appreciate.

Almost an hour later, the house looks as if there hadn’t been a party. You and Tony wish them happy birthday once more before he pulls out his phone to call an Uber. The twins insist you two stay, that it is way too late and they’d feel better if you do.

Tony wiggles his eyebrows discreetly at you when Wanda invites you to sleep in her room. You spare him a warning glance before following Wanda to her room. She offers you some pajamas and hands you a long sleeved tshirt like you ask. You excuse her questioning glance saying you get cold at night.

You change in the bathroom. When you return, you find Wanda also in her pajamas sitting on her bed with the present you gave her earlier in her hand.

“You want to open that now?” You ask, amused at her eagerness to open it.

“I mean it is my birthday now,” she reasons. You nod, closing the door and going to sit next to her. “Or is this one of those ‘open when you’re alone’ presents?”

You quirk an eyebrow. “What kind of presents are those?”

“One of those romantic ones like in the movies that show that you’ve always loved me or something,” she replies. Your palms feel sweaty all of a sudden with the way she stares at you. She reads the nervousness on your face and takes pity, continuing, “Or a vibrator.”

You burst in giggles. “Damn it. How’d you know?” you joke.

It’s not a vibrator, obviously. You got her two necklaces, one gold with her name and the other sterling silver with her initials.

“I was going to just get you the gold one but then I thought maybe you wanted one to match all those rings you wear so, that’s why there are two,” you explain.

She puts the box aside and throws her arms around you, pulling you flush into her. “Thank you. I love them.”

“Are you sure? ‘Cause I could totally return those and get you a vibrator if that's what you want,” you laugh. She pulls back immediately, a frown on her face.

“No, they already have my name,” she protests, pulling a chuckle from you. She hands you the golden one that says ‘Wanda’ and asks, “Will you put this one on me?”

At your nod, she twists around, turning her back to you and sweeping her hair up. You struggle with the clasp a little due to your nervousness, but you get it. Had you paid closer attention, you would have noticed how Wanda shivered at your touch.

She turns back around and you admire her with your gift around her neck. “It looks great on you.”

She leans toward you again and you assume it’s to give you another hug, which you wouldn’t mind one bit, but she doesn’t move her head to the side the way one does to hug someone. Her nose bumps into yours and you realize she’s going to kiss you.

For some damn reason you pull away before her lips reach yours. She looks embarrassed and begins to apologize, “Sorry, I misread that. I thought with the present and the way you’ve been looking at me all day, shit.”

“No, you didn’t misread anything,” you reassure her. She relaxes. “Can we try that again? I was just nervous, but I’m ready now.”

“Are you sure?”

“Wait.” You get up and make a show of shaking off the nerves and pumping yourself up before you sit back down. “Okay, now I’m ready.”

She giggles, grabbing your face and pulling you into her, kissing the life out of you. She moves to lie back on the bed and you follow her lead. You’re kissing and it’s getting hot and she tugs on your shirt. You remove it without a second thought. You begin kissing down her neck pulling sweet noises when you leave a love bite. She gasps and grips your arm, right above your elbow.

You flinch in pain. The sudden intake of breath tips her off and she pulls her hand away. She asks worriedly, “Are you okay?”

You remember the tattoo and the fact that it’s not so hidden right now. You start to panic. “Yep, why? Are you okay?”

She narrows her eyes in suspicion, but you kiss her with the intention to make her forget. A minute later, she does it again, grabbing right on that spot. You try not to, but she hears the small groan and she pulls away. “Okay, what’s wrong?”

“Wrong? Nothing’s wrong,” you lie.

“Then why do you flinch every time I grab your arm?” She moves to grab your arm again to prove a point but you move it away.

“Nothing’s wrong with my arm,” you deny. She sits up and reaches for your arm. Once more you pull out of reach.

“Y/N, let me see your arm,” she demands.

“Okay.” You try to save yourself from some of the embarrassment by explaining, “But before you look, just know I did it on a drunken dare and I didn’t know until the day after what Tony actually wrote.”

That piques her curiosity and she shuffled around you to take a look at your arm. You can’t watch, so you hide your face behind the palm of your other hand. You expect her to either laugh at you or get upset, but moments pass and you don’t hear anything.

You get the nerve to look over your shoulder at Wanda. She looks indecisive about what she wants to say, but she doesn’t look mad. Finally, she says, “I guess I don’t have to ask if you like me or not.”

You groan in embarrassment, hiding your face again. She laughs and pulls you into her as she lies back down. “Don’t laugh. It’s embarrassing enough getting your crush’s name tattooed on you. I don’t need her to actually make fun of me.”

“Aww, you have a crush on me?” she coos.

You pull away, giving her a deadpan look. “No, I get girls’ names tattooed on me all the time.”

“Having your crush’s name tattooed is embarrassing,” she agrees.

You narrow your eyes, thinking she's just making fun of you now and that was the last thing you need but she continues, “So how about we say it’s your girlfriend’s name?”

Your eyes widen. Wanda bites her lip nervously, waiting for your answer, and that’s how you know she’s serious. You blush, “That would be less embarrassing.”

“I think so too. So what do you say?” She asks, wanting a clear answer.

“I would love to be your girlfriend,” you answer.

She smiles and kisses you. You can’t help the giddy laughter that comes after.

“You know, he didn't do too bad. It’s pretty well-proportioned.”

#wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff imagine #wanda maximoff x you

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kepamount · 3 years ago

Text

Birthday Boy

boyfriend!mase - smut, fluff

Word Count: 3.1k+

Warnings: 18+, oral sex (m receiving), face fucking, praise, strong language, that’s about it, pls let me know if I missed something!

a/n: happy birthday Mason! I was literally up until 4 last night writing this (and watching Euphoria which was so good omg!) so I really hope you enjoy this little self-indulgent birthday fic! lmk what you think and I hope you all enjoy!! x

simi’s navigation

‘Happy birthday!’ I exclaim as soon as the living room door opens, arms in the air with excitement, but they drop back to my sides when Callum walks in. ‘Not my birthday ‘til November,’ he jokes, my face falling when I realise he’s helping Mason walk in. ‘Oh, my God, what happened?’ I demand, rushing towards the door. ‘I’m fine, babe, I just went over on my ankle in training,’ he says as Callum helps him onto the sofa. ‘Clearly you’re not fine if Callum’s having to help you into the room like you’re an old man,’ I say drily, worry unfurling in my chest.

‘Honestly, I’m alright. Physio said I’ll be fine tomorrow if I just rest it,’ he says as he puts his legs up on the sofa, lying down. ‘Are you sure?’ I ask, chewing my lip worriedly, and he nods with a smile, taking my hand and pressing a kiss to my skin. ‘Yes, babe, I’m sure.’ ‘Does it hurt? Have you taken painkillers? We’ve got some ibuprofen gel, or ice if you want tha-’ ‘y/n! I’m fine,’ he says, he and Callum laughing. ‘I could do with some water though,’ he says with a grin, and I practically run to the kitchen, glad to have something I can do to help him.

Callum joins me a moment later, standing in the doorway as I get a glass out from the cupboard. ‘Physio said that if he wants his ankle to be alright tomorrow, he can’t do anything today. No partying, no walking, no leaving the house. He’s not really allowed to be on his feet at all, so can you make sure you stop him from doing anything stupid? It’s not really like him anyway – he’ll want to play on Wednesday – but just in case,’ Callum says, and I nod, trying to hide my disappointment.

I’ve been up in Manchester for work for a couple weeks, and I managed to finish up a couple days early and get back today, in time to spend Mason’s birthday evening with him as a surprise. I quickly dropped my stuff off at my house before rushing over to his mum’s to get keys to his house, and then I rushed over here to decorate with balloons and banners. And I had a whole evening planned for us but that’s all gone out of the window now. I shouldn’t complain though. This is what comes with dating a footballer, and I should be thankful that his injury isn’t worse.

‘I’ll make sure he rests,’ I promise, Callum nodding. ‘I’ll leave you lot to it then.’ ‘Stay a bit, have dinner with us.’ ‘Nah, I’ve gotta get back. And I don’t wanna disturb you lovebirds,’ he jokes, and I roll my eyes. ‘Are you sure?’ ‘Yeah, I’m sure. I’ll see you Wednesday, after the match,’ he says as we walk towards the front door. ‘Happy birthday, bro. Feel better, yeah? See you tomorrow,’ Callum calls as he puts his shoes on. ‘Thanks, bro, see you,’ Mason calls back, Callum bumping his fist against mine before he heads out, jumping into his car and zooming out of the driveway.

I take Mason’s water to him, and he takes a long sip before thanking me. ‘Sorry about this, babe,’ he says, motioning at his ankle, and I wave him off. ‘Don’t be ridiculous, Mase, it’s not your fault. You don’t have to apologise,’ I say as I sit on the arm of the sofa, my boyfriend instantly putting his head in my lap. ‘I know, but it’s ruined your whole surprise,’ he says softly, taking my hand into his and running his finger over my nails, admiring the new set I had done especially for today.

‘You didn’t seem that surprised,’ I laugh, and he gives me an apologetic look. ‘I had new CCTV installed while you were away and it was going crazy with you moving around and decorating the place, so I had to check and I saw you. I was gonna act surprised but I couldn’t be arsed after Callum dragged me in,’ he says drily, and I hold back laughter at the image of Callum getting Mason out of the car. ‘Are you sure it doesn’t hurt?’ ‘I’m sure, angel. I’m totally fine.’

‘What do you want for dinner?’ ‘You, preferably,’ he grins, and I roll my eyes. ‘I’m being serious. You look criminally good in this dress,’ he smirks. ‘Had to look nice for my boy’s birthday, didn’t I?’ ‘Oh, babe, did you book something? That’s why you’re all dressed up, isn’t it?’ he asks, looking guilty. ‘I did, but it doesn’t matter.’

‘I’ve ruined everything.’ ‘Don’t say that, Mase! Spending time with you on your birthday is the most important thing. Doesn’t matter where. As long as I’m with you,’ I reply, and he tilts his chin up, motioning for me to kiss him, and I do so gladly, feeling as though a part of me is slotting back into place when our lips touch. I make sure to pull away before he can deepen the kiss, knowing he won’t be able to control himself, and fucking me probably won’t be great for his ankle.

‘What did you have planned?’ he asks as I begin playing with his hair, able to notice the difference in length from the last time I saw him. ‘We were gonna go to your parents’ house to do your birthday cake. Then we were gonna go to Nobu for dinner. And then I booked out a screen in Leicester Square for us to watch No Way Home together,’ I say, the boy groaning which makes me laugh. We’ve both watched it but we haven’t had a chance to watch it together and he’s been banging on about wanting to, so I thought it’d be a nice surprise.

‘Oh, babe, I’m so sorry.’ ‘Stop apologising, Mason! It’s not your fault! I know it’s not ideal, but it is what it is, and we’ll have to just make the most of it. You can phone your mum and they can bring the cake over here. We’ll order a takeaway and watch some other film. We can do all that other stuff some other day,’ I say softly, and he just nods, obviously still feeling guilty. ‘Stop feeling bad, Masey,’ I murmur, pressing a kiss to the top of his forehead, and he just chuckles.

‘You got all… dolled up for nothing.’ ‘Not for nothing. As long as you get to see me looking pretty, I’m happy.’ ‘Well, you do. Look very… pretty,’ he adds, as though he was thinking of a word other than pretty, looking up at me with a grin, and I raise an eyebrow. ‘Don’t get any ideas, Mason Mount. No physical activity with this dodgy ankle of yours,’ I say sternly, and he laughs. ‘Maybe you can do the work for once then.’

‘Excuse me? Are you accusing me of being lazy?’ ‘I’m accusing you of being a pillow princess,’ he says drily, and I gasp offendedly. ‘If anything, you should thank me for giving you a workout. Helping you stay healthy, keep your stamina up,’ I joke, and he just raises an eyebrow. ‘Thank you for making such a big sacrifice to help me out,’ he murmurs amusedly, my giggle making his smile grow slightly wider.

‘I should probably phone mum then,’ he says begrudgingly, obviously disappointed that we won’t be able to go over, and I start to get up, putting a cushion under his head instead. ‘Where you going?’ he asks, looking up at me in confusion. ‘Getting changed. I don’t wanna stay in this tight dress if we’re not going out.’ ‘But I haven’t even had a chance to enjoy you in it,’ he pouts, and I laugh. ‘I’ll wear it next time we have a night out. Then you can enjoy it.’ ‘But it’s my birthday,’ he whines, and I can tell how annoyed he is that he’s managed to injure himself on his birthday.

‘Did you shower after training?’ I ask, and he blinks at me for a moment. ‘What?’ ‘Did you shower after training?’ ‘Why would I have… not showered?’ ‘Because of your ankle.’ ‘I’m still not gonna leave there all sweaty, y/n.’ ‘Good,’ I say softly, standing in front of him and turning around. ‘Unzip me.’ ‘…What?’ he asks with a surprised tone, and I hold back a laugh. ‘Unzip my dress,’ I repeat, and I can picture the smirk on his face as he reaches up and pulls down the zip of my dress.

I turn around to face him again before slowly shrugging it off. ‘I hope you don’t mind me taking the dress off. Even though you wanted me to keep it on.’ ‘No, no. It’s alright,’ he smirks, leaning back in his seat and drinking me in, eyes big and dark. ‘Is this the set I bought you for your birthday?’ ‘Mmhmm. Thought I’d save it for a special occasion,’ I smile, knowing just how good I look in the expensive black lace lingerie that I’ve kept hidden away under my bed, hoping he’d never stumble across it when he’s being nosy at my house, wanting him to forget it so I could surprise him.

His face clearly shows his attraction, his dilated eyes trawling over my body shamelessly. ‘Sit,’ he murmurs, patting his legs as he sits up, and I slowly lower myself onto his lap, worried about hurting him. He barely gives me a chance to slot my leg into the gap between his body and the back of the sofa before he’s pressing his lips to mine. ‘You look so fuckin’ sexy, babe. Missed you so much,’ he says against my lips, hands pressing into my waist as I slide my hands up his shoulders and down his back, feeling the ridges of his hard muscles beneath his training kit.

He parts my lips with his, tongue sliding across mine, my stomach turning as I let out a whimper, his lips quirking up with amusement. I tangle my hands into his hair, his freshly washed locks sliding between my fingers, and I tug on it gently, a groan escaping his lips. I can feel him getting more worked up, his hands pressing into me as they move up and down my body, and he slowly rocks me on his lap, the feeling of his bulge pressing against my clothed pussy making me let out a soft moan which only makes him press me down onto him even harder.

The soft scent of his bodywash floods my senses, the taste of him on my tongue and the feeling of his hands on mine making me wetter and wetter by the moment. I pull his lower lip between my teeth before running my tongue over it and he lets out a louder groan this time, the sound heavenly to my ears. I melt against him, body tingling with pleasure at the feeling of his beard lightly scratching against my face.

I break away, out of breath, but Mason seems fine (I suppose he is a footballer with very high stamina), his lips moving to kiss along my jaw instead, trailing down my neck as his fingers toy with the ‘M’ that hangs from the chain around my neck. ‘This is supposed to be about you,’ I say breathlessly, but he ignores me, gently nipping and sucking at my collarbone, wanting to leave a mark. ‘Masey,’ I breathe out, pushing him away with my hands on his chest, and he pouts childishly.

‘Do you have to keep your foot elevated? Or do you think you can put it on the floor for a little bit?’ I ask, and he grins. ‘I can put it on the floor if you need me to, babe.’ I lift myself off him and he adjusts his position so that his feet are planted firmly on the floor and his back is leaning against the back of the sofa. I drop to my knees between his spread legs, a lazy grin on his face as he watches me get into a comfortable position.

He’s already hard, the tent in his trackies giving him away, so I don’t waste much time, hands instantly coming to his waistband. He lifts himself up so I can pull them down along with his boxers, the sight of his dick making my mouth water. A lazy grin plays at his lips as I lean forward with my tongue poking out from between my lips to kitten-lick the tip, his pre-cum coating my taste buds. I meet his eyes, lookin up at him through my lashes as I swallow, relishing the way his Adam’s apple bobs in his throat, the arrogance in his face gone. I lean forward again, but this time I press a gentle kiss to the tip, and he lets out a soft breath.

‘Please, baby, stop teasing.’ ‘Am I being mean to the birthday boy?’ I tease amusedly, and he scowls at me. ‘Incredibly mean,’ he replies, lifting his hand to my face and tapping my lower lip. I get the message, opening my mouth and letting two of his fingers delve past my lips. ‘Suck them like they’re my cock, sweetheart,’ he smirks, and I do as he says, swirling my tongue around the digits and coating them in my saliva.

‘Good girl,’ he says softly, the praise making my heart flutter as he slides his fingers out my mouth, gripping his cock, running his hand up and down with a cocky smirk, amused at how I watch, desperate to have my hands on him instead. ‘Go on, babe,’ he prompts, and I waste no time in taking his heavy length into my palm, wrapping my fingers around his cock and tugging gently, revelling in the way his body tenses at my touch.

I can’t resist for much longer and so I place my tongue at the base, licking up to his tip against the vein on the underside of his cock before taking his tip into my mouth, swirling my tongue around him and sucking like he’s a lollipop, cheeks caved in. I look up at him as I take him further in, his darkened eyes locked with mine, and a gag forces its way up my throat when his tip hits the back of my mouth, a soft groan falling from between his lips.

I set a gentle pace, slowly bobbing my head up and down, taking him in as far as possible, hand leisurely tugging at what I can’t reach. ‘Like that, angel, just like that. Feels so fuckin’ good, babe,’ he groans, head thrown back against the sofa, hand fisting into my hair as my eyes begin to water, and I hum around at him at the praise, the sensation making him moan.

It’s not long before his hips begin moving, his hand controlling my head movements, and I grab onto his legs as he thrusts slowly. ‘Gonna be a good girl for me, angel? Gonna let me fuck this pretty little mouth?’ he asks, and I hum in response, the boy not waiting another moment before his thrusts speed up. I gag repeatedly around him, the sounds only spurring him on, and tears run down my face as he watches me try to take him as far in as possible.

‘Feels so good, babe. You’re so fuckin’ good for me. Such a good girl,’ he moans, voice strained, and I can tell he’s getting closer, thrusts becoming erratic and cock twitching against my tongue. ‘Fuck, I’m gonna cum, y/n. Gonna cum down this pretty little throat. Fuck, fuck, y/n,’ he groans, head thrown back as he continues thrusting, his cum hitting the back of my throat.

He pulls out slowly, a trail of his release slipping out of my mouth and trickling down my chin. ‘Lemme see, babe,’ he murmurs breathlessly, and I tilt my head back before opening my mouth, letting him see the cum on my tongue. ‘Swallow, gorgeous,’ he prompts, and I do as he says, opening my mouth again to show him. ‘Good girl,’ he whispers, finger collecting up the cum on my chin, slipping past my lips, and I lick it clean, a proud and cocky grin on his face.

‘Come here, babe,’ he says softly, taking my hands into his and helping pull me up from the floor. ‘Have some water,’ he prompts, and I take a sip from his glass as he pulls his trackies back up before lying down on the sofa again. He pulls me on top of him and wraps his arms around me, lips pressed to my temple. ‘You’re so good to me, my pretty girl. What did I do to deserve you?’ he murmurs against my skin, and my lips curve up into a contended smile. ‘I ask myself the same question every day, Masey,’ I whisper back, voice hoarse, and he lets out a soft laugh as he rubs my back soothingly.

‘Thank you for coming back early to surprise me. You’re the best birthday gift I could have asked for,’ he says softly, my heart fluttering as I snuggle into him even more, head buried in his chest and legs tangled with his. ‘And I’m sorry I can’t fuck you. Even though you could ride me if you want,’ he suggests, voice tinged with mirth, and I let out a surprised laugh. ‘We both know I’m too lazy for that. I’ll wait ‘til you finish training tomorrow. If you don’t mind me staying here during the day, that is,’ I add, not wanting to be presumptuous, and he chuckles.

‘Of course I don’t mind, babe. I was actually thinking… what if you just moved in?’ he asks, and my heart stops for a moment. ‘We’ve been together a while – well, not that long really, but it feels like forever. In a good way, of course! And I just thought it’d be convenient, with how busy we both are, so that we can see each other every day without having to actually make plans. But I’m not saying it only because it’d be convenient, because I obviously would like it if you lived here because I like spending time with you, which is obvious. You wouldn’t be my girlfriend if I didn’t like-’ ‘Mason.’

His nervous tirade stops when I say his name, and I tilt my head so I can look at him, an amused smile on my face at the anxiety in his eyes. ‘I would love to live with you,’ I whisper, and his lips curve up into a big grin, eyes crinkling adorably. ‘I love you,’ he announces, making me laugh. ‘And I love you too, birthday boy,’ I giggle, pressing a kiss to his lips.

#mason mount #mason mount smut #mason mount fluff #mason mount fanfic #mason mount imagine #chelsea fc

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tarydarrington · 3 years ago

Text

"Alright, everyone," Veth says with authority, and everyone else quiets down. "Tomorrow is the big day."

Caleb sighs and ducks behind his drink. There is a speech coming. This is exactly the sort of ceremony he had hoped to avoid by having this get-together at his home rather than the bar Veth had suggested. It's only five of them, tonight; Beauregard and Yasha are always in town, and Veth had insisted on coming. And Essek, of course. He's not sure when the elf's presence at his side became an of course, but in a careful way, he likes it.

“As the person in this world who cares the most about Caleb--”

Essek silently quirks an eyebrow at that, and it doesn’t get past Veth.

“Alright, come on, just because you got him into bed and I didn’t doesn’t mean--”

Caleb clears his throat loudly, and Veth’s smile snaps back into place.

“As Caleb’s oldest, dearest, truest friend,” she says, and Essek manages to look dignified even while rolling his eyes, “it is my humble duty to tell you all how amazing he is on this momentous occasion.”

“You know, I am starting a new job, not getting married,” Caleb murmurs in her direction.

“And we’re all very proud of you!” Veth replies.

Caleb takes a long drink as the others chime in with agreement. Yasha shoots him a sympathetic look, and he returns a tight smile.

“Come on, man,” Beau says from where she leans against the table, “aren’t you excited, at all?”

He takes a long breath. Excited is a word for it. Ready to vomit at a moment’s notice is perhaps more accurate. The Soltryce Academy is tricky. He’s been back there a few times in recent weeks, for interviews and preparation, and each time, it’s felt like walking through a dream of a place the mind could not quite capture properly.

For whatever purpose, Trent has always wanted Caleb - Bren - to follow in his footsteps. Those footsteps feel a touch too literal in those hallways.

“Caleb?” Beau’s voice brings him out of his thoughts. “You still with us?”

He shakes his head. "Ja. Entschuldigung. There is a lot to think about."

Veth lowers her glass, frowning. "Nobody threatened you, did they? Because I'll have words with them."

"No, nothing like that." Not lately, anyway. He sets his own drink down on the table. "Just a bit worried, perhaps."

"Worried about what?" Beau asks flatly.

Caleb lets out a long breath, looking down at the floor. Where to begin? He’s worried that everything will go wrong. Worried that he’ll turn up with his clothes on backwards, or spill coffee down the front of his shirt, or trip over his words before the lesson even starts. Worried, most of all, about what comes after.

“I hope that I will not…” He searches for the right words. “I hope that I will be able to serve my students well enough,” he settles on. “The examples I have had were, ah….” Trent Ikithon is not one he wishes to emulate.

Essek frowns. “Carve your own path,” he says. “Someone as brilliant as you are needs no one to emulate.”

“Ja, well, that is fine for throwing together a spell or two, but I imagine the students will need a little more structure.” These are young minds. Any mistakes he makes will stick with them. He, of all people, knows just how much.

“Maybe you could ask them what they want from you,” Yasha pipes up. “You know, make sure you’re doing alright.”

Caleb lets out a long sigh. “Ja, maybe. That is a good idea.” Of course, it also requires that the students in question trust him enough to give him a straight answer.

They sit in relative silence for a moment, working away at their drinks. He hopes Veth doesn’t resent him for stepping on the atmosphere.

“Seriously, man, you’re gonna be great.” Beau knocks back the rest of her drink. “You’re already the best professor I’ve ever known.”

“I do not think the owl counts as a point of comparison,” Caleb deadpans. “Regardless, I will settle for not making a fool of myself for a first impression. That will be difficult enough.”

Beau shrugs, and reaches over to refill her glass. There’s a devious look in her eye that makes him nervous. "So why don't you practice?" she asks.

Caleb looks at her warily. "Practice?"

"Yeah, man." She gestures at the others. "Here's your class. Teach us something."

Before he can object, she’s already begun to pull an armchair toward the coffee table in the center of the room. Soon enough, three more seats have joined it, all on the same side. She throws her arms wide with a challenging grin.

“First day,” she says. “Don’t be late.” With that, she flops down onto the rightmost chair.

Transfixed in bemusement, Caleb watches as Yasha and Veth rush to occupy the next two seats in the makeshift classroom. The Expositor commands a room, it seems.

“Are you comfortable with this?” Essek murmurs as he brushes past as well. “I am willing to be the, ah... wet blanket, if need be.”

Caleb sighs, briefly twining their fingers together and squeezing once before letting him go. “Not comfortable, no, but it’s not a bad idea.”

Someone wolf whistles from the peanut gallery, and Caleb turns a fond glare on them all. All three of them are, of course, the picture of innocence. He shakes his head as Essek settles down primly in the last remaining chair. It’s not exactly the picture of an academic setting, with their glasses of half-finished booze still on the table in front of them and the lot of them draped over armchairs and ottomans.

“Alright,” says Beau, who has not even bothered to put her drink down. She makes a trilling sound that he thinks is probably meant to emulate a school bell. “Hit us.”

"We will be brutally honest," Veth promises. "Which means we will tell you honestly how perfect you are."

"Or if there's anything you could do better," Yasha adds.

Caleb stares back at them. It’s nothing he hasn’t gone over in his own head a hundred times. Even once or twice, to a captive audience of cats. It’s a short class. It will be over before he knows it.

The others look up at him expectantly. Watching him. Waiting. Caleb clears his throat.

"I, ah... feel a bit silly,” he admits.

Without a word, Essek waves a hand, and the familiar faces before him shift to those of strangers.

It’s almost embarrassing how much it helps. Caleb takes a deep breath and lets it out, running through the lesson plan in his head.

"Guten Morgen, class, I am, ah… Professor Widogast." It's the first time he's said that particular pair of words out loud.

"Whoo!" the student who is not Veth shouts.

"Yeah!" the student who is not Beau chimes in.

Caleb gives them a look and straightens his coat. "This is Introductory Transmutation, in room 142, so if you are all in the correct place--"

"Professor?" The student who is not Yasha raises her hand.

"Ah, ja, Miss…"

"Lionett."

Not-Beau slaps a hand over her own mouth and mutters, “Holy shit,” into it.

“Was that too much?” not-Yasha whispers.

“Babe, it was so hot,” not-Beau hisses back.

Caleb clears his throat. "Miss Lionett, do you have a question?"

Not-Yasha seems to suddenly remember her role, and she folds her hands in her lap. "No," she says, "I have to use the bathroom."

Caleb pinches the bridge of his nose as not-Beau bites back a giggle. “Ja, okay, go.”

“Don’t let her go!” not-Veth interjects. “She knew it was almost time for class; she should have gone earlier.”

“Dude, if she has to pee then she has to pee,” not-Beau protests.

Pointedly, not-Essek raises his hand.

Caleb lets himself sigh with relief. “Ja, Master…?”

“Gross, Professor, we don’t need to know about your weird sex dynamics,” not-Beau says.

Not-Essek’s face blooms red, and Caleb presses a hand to his face to hide the same. “You know very well, Beauregard, that it is an honorific.”

Not-Beau shrugs, looking very pleased with herself as she takes another sip of her drink. Not-Essek glares very polite daggers at her before clearing his throat.

“Thelyss,” he answers.

Beau cups both hands around her mouth and boos.

“No, it’s better that he’s honest,” Veth says. “We already know he’s a terrible actor.”

“Herr Thelyss,” Caleb says, raising his voice above the heckling. “Do you have a question?”

Essek leans forward, resting his elbows on the table in a gesture that’s much too endearing. “I wondered what you will be teaching us today, Professor Widogast.”

Caleb tries not to dwell on the way the title hits differently on Essek’s voice, instead straightening up and waving one hand behind him. An illusory chalkboard appears in the air behind him to polite applause from Veth and Yasha. Back on track.

“Well, this is your first day,” he says. “So I know that - Beauregard, please remove your feet from the table - I know that most of your other teachers will be spending time going over the material that you will be covering this semester, but, ah…” What is he meant to be doing with his hands? They feel limp if they’re at his sides, but too formal behind his back and too awkward in front of him. Perhaps he should have a lectern? Somewhere to rest them, or shuffle with papers?

His gaze drifts back to his “students,” who all blink back at him expectantly. Essek inclines his head as though to prompt him on. He clasps his hands in front of his chest, hoping it will do for now.

“Right,” he continues. “Ja, so I thought we would take a look at something more practical to start. We will leave the reading for tomorrow; you have enough of that today.”

He waves his hands again, and behind him, a set of runes and diagrams appears on the chalkboard. Above it is written the word Prestidigitation.

“So, ah, partner up,” he orders. “Introduce yourselves. If there is someone on their own, a group of three is perfectly acceptable.”

“I call Miss Lionett,” Beau shouts, grabbing Yasha’s hand.

“Can I go to the bathroom, first?” Yasha asks.

Caleb gives her an incredulous look.

“I really do need to go,” she says.

He gestures towards the hallway, and she shuffles off. In the meantime, Veth and Essek scoot their chairs closer together. Caleb’s gaze lingers questioningly on Beau, who shakes her head.

“She’s not learning anything tonight, man. Go ahead.”

“Ja, okay,” he says distantly.

It feels silly, explaining the spell to this motley crew. Beau has leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, eyes glassy, clearly not paying an ounce of attention. Essek has produced a piece of paper upon which Veth occasionally scribbles, though the way he periodically nods approval at Caleb’s points betrays his own prior knowledge of the subject. After a few minutes, Yasha returns and attempts to take down notes of her own.

“Is everyone following along?” he asks after a while, knowing it’s a futile question.

“Yep,” Beau lies.

“Hmm.” Yasha hums.

“Perfectly,” Essek says.

“You’re doing amazing, sweetie,” Veth confirms with a wink.

He continues, running them through the various applications one by one. Beau gives him an occasional “uh huh” that he believes not one bit. At one point, he catches Essek take a passing glance at Veth’s paper, widen his eyes, and lean forward to murmur something to her. He isn’t sure he wants to know what that’s about.

“Let’s keep focused, please, everyone,” he reminds them.

Essek waves a hand to signal him to continue. Nothing too scandalous, then. He goes through the final few points, then comes to stop in front of the chalkboard, hands awkwardly clasped again.

“Okay, that is it,” he says. “You have as much time as you require to finish the spell, and when you are finished, I would like one person from each group to demonstrate.”

He gives the others a questioning look. It’s one of the points he’s most worried about. A way to take pressure off some of the slower students could just as easily be a way to unintentionally foster competition and resentment. But none of them objects, so he gives them another nod.

“I suppose we should skip the demonstration portion,” he mumbles.

“I can do it,” Yasha chirps. Without warning, she swings the massive greatsword from her back and sinks the tip into the table, making the others jump. “I made a small mark.”

Caleb covers his eyes with one hand. “Ja, will it go away in one hour?”

Yasha silently places her drink down over the indentation. Caleb sighs. It isn’t as though he has very many guests, anyway.

“I can probably swing producing an odor, for you,” Beau offers. “But I figure you probably don’t want that.”

He ignores her, and instead gives Essek a tight smile.

“Well, would my second group care to demonstrate?”

Beau jerks a thumb in Essek’s direction and fake-coughs to Yasha, “Teacher’s pet.”

Essek ignores her and sits back, fingers working in those little patterns he draws when something has piqued his curiosity. “I believe so,” he says, and nods to Veth.

Caleb raises his eyebrows as all eyes turn to Veth. Though Essek had the courtesy to leave her a halfling, her features and coloring are entirely different - but that wide smile as she stands and rubs both hands together would give her away, no matter the face it was set in. And as Beau swears under her breath, Yasha and Caleb look on wide-eyed, and Essek watches with a smirk, she pulls her hands apart to let loose a shower of sparks.

“You… learned the spell,” Caleb says numbly. He hadn’t imagined any of them were actually paying attention.

“It was an excellent lesson!” Veth replies.

As she takes her seat again, Beau and Yasha give her a smattering of stunned applause. Essek clears his throat pointedly.

“And I guess, maybe, Essek gave me one pointer,” Veth amends with an eye-roll.

“Hey, so your partner system worked,” Yasha points out.

It had. The lesson had worked, the procedure had worked - his teaching had worked. There’s still a little voice in his head reminding him that Veth is brilliant, and an adult, and perfectly capable of learning things like this without even so much as his help - but he can’t deny that it’s his guidance that taught her this particular spell. ‘An excellent lesson,’ Veth had said. In this moment, he’s inclined to believe it might be half true. Caleb realizes very suddenly that he’s beaming.

With a snap of his fingers, Essek dispels the disguises. The soft smile on his face - his real face, and Caleb always misses it dearly when it’s hidden - says he hasn’t failed to notice Caleb’s relief.

“Danke, all of you,” he says sheepishly, waving a hand to vanish the chalkboard.

“Thank you!” Veth says. “For the shiny new spell and for the masterclass in professoring.”

“You were really good,” Yasha agrees. “I’m, uh... I’m sorry about the table.”

He dips his head to hide the way his face is flushing. They exaggerate, the lot of them. But there is something to be said for having friends who will say such things. “Ja, well,” he says, “I am not convinced it will translate to an actual class, but I will hope.”

Beau takes another swig of her drink, wiping her mouth afterwards. “Dude, we were the worst and you still managed to teach somebody something,” she says. “Those kids have nothing on us. You got this.”

He offers her a smile, retrieving his glass from the table as Yasha, Veth, and Essek do the same. He hopes it’s true. He hopes that, separate entirely from his ability to teach them the how of magic, he will be able to keep them safe. That he will be able to keep from passing on any damage he received in his own time in those halls.

He catches Essek’s eye, and the knowing look there puts some of the anxious buzzing to rest. He will be better. He will struggle, most likely. He will stumble, inevitably. But he will give better than he got. He’s been practicing that part for years.

“To Professor Widogast!” Veth shouts, breaking him out of his thoughts.

“Professor Widogast,” the others echo, and Caleb smiles.

“To my very good friends,” he replies.

“To the hottest professor the Soltryce Academy has ever seen,” Veth shouts in response, and Caleb nearly chokes on his drink when Essek casually clinks his glass against hers with a nod.

They drink together. Caleb thinks, just a little bit, he might be excited.

thanks @peregrintook for reading this over and telling me it wasn't the worst thing i had ever written (in much more generous words than that), and @saturdaysky for catching me red-handed last time i deleted it and being so kind about it 💜

#okay here's the strategy. i posted a ficlet i'm happy with last week and i finished another one i'm happy with yesterday #so if i sandwich this in between the two surely i will not believe i am entirely worthless as a writer because of it #...probably #queueing it to post when i'm not home to physically wrench my hand away from the delete post button #shadowgast #background beauyasha #caleb widogast #mine #mine:fic #caleb #essek #veth #beau #yasha

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primofate · 3 years ago

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Shortfic: Zhongli x Childe x gn! Reader (Taking care of sick reader) Poly relationship

Listen, don’t sue me. I just have so much Zhongli x Childe x reader brainrot. I just think the dynamics would be so good. Zhongli being such a daddy good caretaker and Childe being... well Childe being Childe and you in the middle of it all, LIKE WHY THE HELL NOT? Yeah idk, I’m sorry, I indulged myself.

Categories: poly relationship, protective Childe and Zhongli, worry, possessive, fluff

Warnings: hinting at sexual activities (still very SFW though), poly relationship, not tagging anyone because I’m not sure if this is your thing. Let me know tho.

Characters: Zhongli x gn! Reader x Childe

"Zhongli…"

Childe stands in front of the man with a defeated look in his face, eyes turned towards the floor.

Zhongli was enjoying his tea, sitting at the table, liking the peace that it gave him. With a soft 'clink' he sets his teacup down and looks at Childe, calm gaze placed on the younger man.

"Childe, they will be fine,"

"I just don't understand what went wrong, was it too cold last night? Or were they overworking themselves?"

Zhongli sighs to himself, standing to close the gap between him and Childe. He cups a hand around the crook of Childe's neck, thumbing gently on his jaw.

"These things just happen sometimes, Childe. Perhaps it was something they ate, or even just a minimal change in their routine,"

"But they look like they're in so much pain,"

"I don't doubt it, their fever is at its peak at the moment. Not to worry, I've contacted Baizhu to take a look at them in the afternoon," Zhongli moves to remove his hand from Childe's neck, but the ginger haired male grasps on his wrist and stays it there. They stand in front of each other in silence, Childe swallowing the lump in his throat that had formed out of worry.

"Although we aren't bound by a contract…" Zhongli's voice tones down to a near whisper, Childe's eyes flicker up towards his. "...We're bound by an even stronger bond. Rest assured Childe, we are doing the best that we can," Zhongli moves his hand an inch downward towards his shoulder and squeezes it, and, in a slow and comforting motion, presses a kiss on Childe's forehead. "They will be fine," Zhongli repeats in a way that gives Childe the confidence and reassurance he needs.

The younger male takes in a big breath and sighs it out slowly. He nods and let's go of Zhongli's wrist, head turning the slightest to listen if you've woken up.

Nothing.

He kinda wished that you did, so that he could ask you how you were doing. If anything hurt. If you needed anything.

"Why don't you rest for a moment, I'll check on them in the next few hours," Zhongli motions over to the tea set on the table. There were 3 teacups filled up, one for him, one for Childe and one for you. "It wouldn't do if both of you got sick now, would it?"

Childe sighs and agrees, "Tell me if they wake up," and so for the rest of the day Zhongli stays by your bedside, changing the wet towel atop your forehead and merely watching the quickened rise and fall of your chest. Your face is flushed pink with the extra heat your body is producing, face clearly uncomfortable.

Suddenly Zhongli understands Childe’s anxiousness. You looked as if you were about to break. Childe was wildly protective of you, compared to Zhongli who always seemed to see things in a neutral manner. Looking at your current state though, he can't help but feel a stronger need to hide you away from the dangerous world.

Zhongli leans back in his seat, closing his eyes to rest momentarily. He had probably fallen asleep because in the next moment he hears his name on your lips. Even without opening his eyes, he knows that it’s you. He pushes himself up and comes to see that you’re sitting up as well, flush still on your face, sweat sticking to your forehead. “Y/N,” he’s a little startled, but motions for you to wait. If Childe finds out that he didn’t call him at the first moment, he’d be livid.

The moment he steps out of the room, his foot just an inch out, Childe is up and walking towards him. “Are they okay?” he asks, and Zhongli merely opens the door wider for him. Childe becomes a literal clingy koala at the sight of you. “Y/N!!!!” and leaps forward to give you a bear hug. There’s so many things coming out from his mouth that you weren’t even sure what he was saying anymore.

“Ahahaha…” You laugh nervously as he grips you in a tight hug. Zhongli just watches, the edge of his lips slightly upturned into a small smile. “I’m fine, Childe, I think I just need some rest and maybe something for the annoying headache I’m having,”

You pinch in between your eyebrows as Childe pulls back, smoothing your hair back and fussing over you. “Medicine, right? How ‘bout water? Do you need water?” You smile brightly at him despite the fatigue and he beams back, infinitely glad that you were awake and talking to him. He continues his line of questioning, “or maybe kisses? How about kisses? Hugs? I have plenty to give,” It was your laugh that let him know that you were feeling better, at least better than last night when he had just found you passed out on the floor.

“Just some tea is fine,” you reply, leaning forward to rest your head on Childe’s shoulder, him wrapping his arms around you in response.

“We’ve poured you a cup of tea already, I’ll go and fetch it,” Zhongli says, opting to give the two of you some time alone, but not before pressing a kiss atop your head, just as he had to Childe earlier.

“How do you feel? Are you in pain?” Childe yet again asks and you shake your head, “It’s manageable, don’t worry too much,” but your lover sighs and caresses your hair carefully. Zhongli comes back a moment later with Baizhu, who had arrived just as he was fetching your tea.

“Ah, Y/N, it’s a good sign you’re awake,” Baizhu smiles sweetly, much too sweet for your liking. Childe takes himself away from your bed and lets Baizhu do a complete check of your vitals and condition. He stood side by side with Zhongli, stance relaxed.

Baizhu isn’t stupid. He knows the kind of relationship the three of you have. He’s been on house call another time for Childe who had sustained quite the injury. He saw how you worried over him, and saw how Zhongli’s expression creased into anxiousness.

The situation was the same today. Except that you were the patient, Childe’s face was the one covered in anxiety and Zhongli… Well… He didn’t seem too bothered by the whole thing but if you looked closely, he was slightly tense than he usually was.

Baizhu just wanted to have his fun. How far were their boundaries, really?

“How are you feeling, dear?” Baizhu asks you as you’re sipping on the warm tea. “...Tired and… a splitting headache” You put away the cup of tea with a slight sigh, still feeling your muscles cry out for help. “Is that so?” Baizhu tilts your head up to look at him, fingers under your chin, and he peers into your eyes, a tad closer than he was before.

Zhongli and Childe tense at the motion, but don’t make a move to interfere. “Just checking your pupil dilation,” there’s an undertone of mischief in his voice, though you couldn’t tell if that’s just how he usually was or…

Baizhu’s hands slide down to your arm, taking your wrist and checking your pulse. A moment of silence passes, “Just a little fast but otherwise normal,” and lets go of your arm. He prescribes a medley of Chinese herbs to be taken as tea, telling Zhongli and Childe how to prep it. He finishes his examination rather quickly, “A normal fever, if it worsens tomorrow then you should call me once again,” he takes your hand and rubs it rather affectionately. You’re a bit surprised at the action.

As if that wasn’t enough, another one of his hands cup your cheek as he gives you a quick wink, “I wouldn’t mind getting called multiple times for such a charming face like yours,” the blush on your cheeks is suddenly not just because of the fever.

One would think that Childe would react faster to the pharmacist’s advances, but it was Zhongli who sets his hand down rather roughly on the other man’s shoulder, “Baizhu, that’s unnecessary,” The tall man says. Almost commands.

Childe was only mid step. The green-haired man chuckles, the white snake around his neck weirdly quiet today. “I’m merely examining your...interesting arrangements, they ARE a piece of art--” and the warning squeeze on his shoulder told him that he should be going.

He chuckles again, but lets himself be led out by Zhongli. Childe takes his place next to you, the mattress caving at his weight, “...Were you blushing just now?” he accuses you, eyes squinted.

“N-No… It’s the fever…” but your stutter tells him otherwise. He raises an eyebrow in question, obviously not believing you.

You gulp a little, “I was just caught off guard… it’s not that I enjoyed what he said…” you pout a little. Childe smiles at the cute look on your face, he was merely teasing. “Oh? Well, doesn’t matter, I’ve seen a lot more different expressions on your face than just a small blush,” there’s a quick smirk on his face and it’s here that your face turns into a tomato. You know exactly what he was insinuating.

Thankfully, Zhongli strolls in and sees the alarming redness on your face, concludes that Childe must have said something to fluster you again. “They still require some rest, Childe, perhaps leave the teasing for a little later,”

His tone is stern, but only because he knows you needed more sleep. Childe smiles but continues, “I think they’re just fine! See how their cute little face blushes just for me, Zhongli,” he takes your face in his hands and turns it towards Zhongli, who was...admittedly slightly enamored by the charming display.

Zhongli coughs into his hand and turns his gaze away, “Strange how energetic you are now, just a moment ago you were beside yourself with worry about Y/N,” It was your turn to tease Childe at the information Zhongli just gave out. “Oh? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you so much!”

Before Childe could even reply Zhongli continues the sentiment, “Yes, he looked as if he was about to cry,”

“Th-That’s not!” Childe retracts from you, wanting to say that it wasn’t true but his words get stuck in his throat and it is now his turn to turn his gaze away in slight embarrassment. Zhongli and you snicker at his change in attitude but you were also curious as to what Zhongli was doing while you were fast asleep, “and you, Zhongli? I suppose you’re not one to worry too much,”

There’s silence on his end, with his arms crossed you can’t gauge his expression but he was having an internal battle on whether or not to tell you that he was actually just as worried. But...he had to be the strong one for the two of you. A ghost of a smile plays on his lips, strolls over to you and leans down to quickly kiss the side of your lips. “I worry in my own way, dear,” The way he says dear sends shivers down your spine, and you know in your heart that he had been worried too, just toned down to balance out Childe’s anxiousness.

Childe suddenly gets in bed with you, pulling you down for a rest. His chest is against your back, arms around your waist and mouth whispering in your ear “The two of us will always take care of you, believe me,” You smile a little and close your eyes. “I know,” just as Zhongli joins in, placing himself at your front.

Sandwich cuddles are your favourite and although you’re very much running a fever, the warmth from them is soothing. Zhongli drapes an arm on both of you, and leans down to kiss you on the forehead, brushing away stray strands of your hair as if you’re porcelain. When he pulls away he sees the look Childe gives him. A ‘Do-I-get-one-too?’ written all over his face.

Zhongli chuckles, leans in a little bit further to place one on the other man’s forehead, and watches the two of you drift in and out of sleep.

It’s certainly one of the most beautiful sights he’s witnessed.

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libraford · 4 years ago

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The short version: We had a serial thief at the flower shop. She’s retired recently and I think that due to Covid she really means it this time.

The long version? hoooo boy, here we go.

This story, and others, are viewable on Tablo

There are rules and there are rules.

In dealing with shoplifting in retail, there are rules on how one engages with a thief. The handbook, if there were one, would consist of a single word.

Don't.

Don't pursue, don't interrogate, don't accuse. Let them take the merchandise, let them get away. Let them return the Cricut machine for an equivalent amount on a gift card to be exchanged once again for drugs.

Let them.

There is no handbook on how to handle Flower Thieves. Prior to working in a flower shop, I never thought that this was a problem.

Life is surprising.

I'm sure some of you have figured that out by now.

The Flower Thief is notorious, and she has a system. There are days when you simply know that she's going to be in.

"Break the heads off the flowers before you throw them away," Grandpa will say. "She's going to be here tonight, I think."

And sure enough, she would be. At 6:45, a quarter til we close- the Thief would announce her arrival. Loudly.

"Heeeeey, baaaaaaby!"

The very first time I encountered the Flower Thief, she came in through the back door.

"Oh Hiiiii, Darlin'- ain't seen your face around here: you must be NEW! I'm Wren, you know- like the bird? Well, Kyle and I have an agreement that I come and work for y'all sometimes. You should take out this trash, it stinks to high heaven. Anyways, nice talkin' to ya, see ya later."

I may only be a little bit psychic, but I've spent enough time around liars to know insincerity when I see it. Kyle, at the time, was the manager of our store and I have it on record that he's tried to throw her out of the building once or twice.

While I was taking out the trash, her pile of purchase became so tall it towered over her. I watched Clark massively undercharge her for the sake of getting her to go away.

She has a pattern.

She comes in during the design classes because she knows that when there's twenty people in the store, there's not enough people to watch her and make sure she's not stealing. "There's a class today," she asks as if it's not literally every Tuesday. "Don't worry I know you all wanna get out of here on time."

The Flower Thief announces her presence in a grand way and then makes her way to the back to grab a trash bag or an empty box and then proceeds to bury any spare parts she finds in the cooler in the trash bag, hiding them under the things that she's actually buying.

After that, she checks the garbage cans for things we might have thrown away that will last another three days and stuffs them underneath her other ill-gotten goods.

Just when you think she's finished, she'll go through her pile of flowers and say: "You know what? I don't need this eucalyptus." And she'll go back into the cooler with it, stuff it in her purse, and walk back to the register.

And when she's all done being sneaky, she asks one of us to come ring her out.

This is the part that no one wants to do. Because ringing out the Flower Thief means haggling with the Flower Thief.

"Oh baaby, you know I don't pay those prices."

"Oh baaaby, I only pay $19 for roses."

"Oh baaaaaaaaaby, those carnations were on special."

She'll talk you down to under $100 with a sob story:

"Oh baaaaby, you know I'm donating this spray to the family. It's for that woman you know- you know the one. She got herself murdered a couple nights ago? Two children and she was pregnant too! Pregnant! Can you believe it? Who murders someone with child? What's the world coming to? So I need a good discount to make sure we treat this family right because they got a looooong road ahead of them."

"Oh baaaaaaby, you know this one's for that car crash over on Cleveland Avenue? I hear he was taking care of his dying father himself, so it's such a shame for him to go first like that."

"Oh baaaaaaaaaaaaaaby, this is for that little boy that shot himself, isn't that sad?"

Thank you, Sister Mary Loquacious.

And you nod because you don't want to come off as an uncaring sociopath. And while you're nodding and adjusting the price for her sad, sad consequence and mulling over how good she is for donating to these people in their time of need, she steals some greens from the trash can and sticks them in her bag.

She hands you crisp $100 bills. You check them and she makes jokes about how she printed them this morning. They're legit. Counterfeiting isn't why she went to prison.

What she went to prison for was drug trafficking.

"Do you need some help," you ask, trying to be a good citizen.

"Oh no, I got it," she insists. "I'll make it in two trips. I'm stronger than I look!"

And don't you dare get caught looking to see what she put in the bag or she will give you one hell of a lecture.

By the time all of this has passed, the class will be over and there will two minutes left in the work day. She's spent thirty-seven minutes in the store. Your register is unbalanced because now you don't have enough small bills to balance it and only have one $100 bill to get you through tomorrow.

And that's why there are rules.

On occasion, a new person will break the rules not knowing that there's rules. One such occasion was when Clair decided to be helpful.

"You know what? I don't need this eucalyptus," Wren said.

"Oh! I'll put it back for you," Clair suggested. And before Wren could protest, it was out of Wren's hands and nowhere near her purse.

It was mentioned to Sage, who only worked for us one summer, that Wren had failed to pay for something and she immediately chased her out into the street.

Wren drives very fast.

If you cross her too many times, she'll make sure you never forget it. One day, she stomped her way in through the front door, angry.

"You ain't treated me better than a damn THIEF," screamed the Flower Thief.

Grandpa, who was helping Blue make a wedding bouquet at the time, departed from the desk. "Beg pardon?"

"A thief! You been treating me like a thief ever since they made you manager and I'm sick of it! I see you bringing in your henchmen, following me in the cooler, chasing me down the street. Treat me with some damn respect."

Words were exchanged. They were not kind. We thought we'd seen the end of her.

But she was back one week later, doing the same damn thing.

So now there are rules.

If you make something and there's an excess of flowers left over from the pack, you have to make something out of the leftovers or she'll pick through them and stuff them in her bag.

If you cannot make something out of them, you must throw them out.

If you throw them out, you must break the heads off first.

The trash cans must be emptied every night before 5:00.

We do not keep trash bags in plain sight.

Break down all empty boxes, or she will use them in place of trash bags.

Do not leave any food or drink where she can find it.

Do not leave any half-used rolls of floral tape where she can find it.

Do not let her know anything about you- lest she use it against you.

If you speak of a Thief, you summon a Thief- speak quietly, and never her name or you invite trouble.

The basic rules one makes when dealing with pests. Or fairy-folk.

There are rules and there are rules and there are rules.

If you want to keep a pest away, you make these sorts of rules. But if you want to get rid of a pest indefinitely, you have to remove their food source. And Wren's food source was her discount.

You start exercising your right to say 'no' to a customer in small ways.

She saw a bunch of carnations in the trash and said:

"Oh baby, these are still good! I'll take them off your hands for you!"

"They've been sitting without water for hours."

"They're still good!"

"They were out in the sun."

"Oh baby, I've been working with flowers for 40 years and I know that these will still be fine for a couple of days!" She picks a bunch of them out of the trash and shoves it in my face. "See, it's still stiff- it's still good!"

"Okay," I said. And before I could stop myself: "Full price."

Her eyes just about popped out of her skull. If it were just a little bit colder, I would have been able to see steam coming out of her ears.

We stared at each other for about a minute, waiting for the other to flinch. She took the bunch away from my face and threw them back into the trash. While she was in the cooler, I took the liberty of snapping the heads off of them and burying them further into the garbage.

And so began a war between the flower shop and the Flower Thief.

She came in: every single night. And each night, she got me.

Again.

"Oh no, baby! These carns are supposed to be 39 cents a stem. I can bring up the email."

"Sure." She brings up the email. "I see that they are 39 cents but... this was for Saturday."

"Yea, and I bought those carns on Saturday and you charged me full price!"

"Saturday."

"Yeah."

"You didn't buy these on Saturday. You bought them Friday."

"Well I didn't know that they'd be on sale, so I need them for that price because I didn't know they'd be on sale."

"The sales are one-day only. I can't adjust a sale from Friday to reflect Saturday's sale... on Sunday."

She made a noise that reminds me somewhat of a cement mixer.

And again.

"I got a bad banner last time, can you print me a new one?" She shows me the banner in question. It's white. The 't' and the 'h' in 'mother' ran together.

"Sure."

"Okay, I need it to say 'Beloved Mother' and I want it in pink."

"Sure."

I print it. I ring her up $5.

"Oh baaaaaaby, no, that one should be free."

"Grandpa said- banners start at $5."

"Oh, but you sold me a bad one last time."

"We haven't sold you a banner in three weeks. How long have y'all had that body sitting in your cooler?"

She grumbled, and paid.

And again.

"I swear you been workin' every night this week! You must be tired," she said, nerves plain in her voice. "When do you get a day off?"

"When the work is done."

"That ain't what I'm askin'. When's your next day off, baby?"

"I stop working when the work is done, Wren."

She narrows her eyes, which is a fun change from them bugging out of her skull like a fruit fly. "You don't ever get any days off?"

"When the work stops, I rest."

And again.

"I'll be in and out, I know y'all want to get out of here on time," she said- announcing her presence to the entire class. She piled her stuff across the register counter and Grandpa began ringing her up.

"Oh baby..."

"No. We're doing away with the discounts."

There are twenty people in the workshop for the class and Grandpa doesn't want to make a scene. She pulls her into the back, and I choose to make my instructions louder to mask the sound of them yelling.

"So you're going to take your hypericum berries and you're going to cut the stem to about ten inches-"

"How can you do this to me?"

"And you're going to slowly fill the vase with these berries to kind of set the shape of the arrangement."

"After all these years and this is how you treat me?"

"Fun fact- you might know hypericum berries as their more common name: St John's Wort! St. John's Wort has been used as a medication for depression prior to modern medicine." You see- I, too, have taken notes from the Chattering Order.

"You can't do this to me," Wren said, stamping her feet like a toddler.

"But I wouldn't recommend eating them. However, they do smell somewhat like baked brown sugar."

Stamp, stamp, stamp.

Wren threw herself into the cooler and began putting a bulk of her flowers back.

"This is robbery," I heard her say to Grandpa at the register.

"Is it now?"

And again.

She came in and immediately reached for a half-empty box of oasis bricks (the green sponge material that we use to hold flowers.) She said few words to me, few at all. She talked to Carrie about how she was going out to the country for awhile, to take care of her nephew's property. She needed to stock up. And oh- don't worry about it, she knows what she's doing. She's part of The Family.

She is in no manner of speaking, a member of The Family that owns this shop. Not even a third cousin.

I saw her beeline for a rose I'd set in the trash. I picked it up, opened my mouth, and bit the head off of it. She stood in the middle of the workshop, absolutely stunned.

Rose petals have the vague texture of arugula, by the way. Slightly sweeter, though. Tough to swallow in one go.

She ran back into the cooler and didn't talk to me.

I began taking down numbers.

27 bricks of oasis. One pack of roses. Ten calla lilies. 1/2 pack of assorted greens.

I punched the numbers in to the register. As if sensing something was amiss, she emerged from the cooler.

"$54? What do I have that's $54?"

"The oasis. They're $2 each."

"Oh no baaaaaby, they're $1."

"I can text Grandpa and ask her."

"... that won't be necessary. Why are you charging me $22.50 for roses? You know my prices by now!"

"22.50 is the price for a pack of roses."

"22.50 is everybody prices."

"Welcome to 'everybody.'"

"I ain't paid a price increase in 7 years!"

"The price of milk went up, Wren. So does everything else."

She was seeing red, I knew it. There's a vein in her forehead that pops out when she's angry and it's the same shape as the river that runs through my home town. She sized me up, as if wondering if she could take me.

I'm 256 pounds of 4H beef, and I have a knife. Try me.

"I'm gonna call Kyle on this."

"Do it." A lifetime of retail has made me immune to 'I'd like to speak to the manager.'

She grumbled and put things back. Carrie offered to watch her, I held up my hand.

"Can you do something for me on these carns? They're the last pack in there and they're lookin' kinda ratty."

"9.50."

"9.50's the regular price."

"Regular price is $14."

"No it ain't."

"Is today. You're taking our last pack and we need those for funerals."

She put them back.

She gave me a credit card. It seemed fake, but it ran. Every time I see here, she's got a different card. Did she print this one this morning, too? At least she stopped trying to sell me on Bitcoin. As you can see, it made her incredibly wealthy.

She gathered her things and left. "Guess I'm getting the rest of my flowers from KROGER!"

There are things you want to say. Like... I hope they enjoy your company just as much as we do. Or: Haven't graced them with your presence in awhile, huh? But at the time, it was better just to watch her leave with her minuscule bunch of flowers. I get a choice in where I loan my voice.

Not here.

Is it over? Nah. She'll be back for another round. But one day she'll finally retire in the way that she's always threatened to. And then? Then it can be as over as it ever will be.

It is shocking to come from a history of retail, where you're not allowed to even hint at the idea of a customer being wrong, where you have to override every single price change to get the scores up, where you have to just let them steal your things and pull the wool over your eyes...

... to flat-out telling someone 'no.'

"No."

It's such a great word.

There are rules and there are rules.

And there are thieves that the rules are made for.

And there are words like 'no.'

And all those things are magic in very human ways.

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