#this and the bit in the shoot interview where he says ofc he wanted to win punkjoe 3 he's triple h he's a belt mark

[dilf-in-peril]

Slam Wrestling – How important are you and Ring of Honor to each other?

CM Punk – I hate talking about myself in the third person and I hate making it sound like I’m putting myself over, but I guess you can’t talk about Ring of Honor without mentioning me. Ring of Honor is extremely important to me, I’m pretty sure everybody knows that, and maybe to a lesser extent know how important I am to Ring of Honor. I don’t think a lot of fans realize that I run the school, do the commentary, I have tremendous input in what goes on and who gets used and who gets brought in. I don’t know, I guess I’m one of the main event guys, aren’t I?

Slam Wrestling – With all the online griping about Triple H’s influence on the WWE, isn’t it a blessing that the fans don’t know about yours?

CM Punk – (Laughs) I think so. Anybody wants to call me the Triple H of Ring of Honor, I think that’s hilarious. I would prefer to call Triple H the CM Punk of the WWE.

[unabashednightmarepizza]

𝑆ℎ𝑎𝑑𝑜𝑤 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝐵𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝐶ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑠, 𝑃𝑎𝑟𝑡 7

Tagging: @bloody-mf-bsc, @augustwithquills

Liked by benbarnes, freddycarter1, sujaya_dasgupta and 6,348,672 others

Y/N Y/L/N-Barnes: Wonder where they had gotten these... weirdness?👀

P.S: Continue to laugh. For now. Because one, I'm working my ass off here as you all have fun and two, I'm gonna be feasting on your tears later.😌

View 762,563 comments

freddycarter1: benbarnes, will you please tell your wife to cool down?😰😧

User6: NOOOO, MOMMY Y/N DON'T DO THAT TO US

User7: They were just in a silly mood, they didn't mean it right?!

user4: Ever since that interview with "Never Have I Ever", she is giving them absolute hell and bitch behaviour except Ben( he barelly saved his ass) lol djdbjc

user9: I missed that one! Why, what happened? user2: They answered "Never Have I stolen anything from the set?" which they all replied with yes and were cocky about it. Y/N then answered that it wasn't because of them being discreet and stealthy but because she let it happen, and she told them she knew everything they have ever stolen. user7: Didn't that put her in a rough situation tho? user2: Nah, she just flipped her hair and dramatically said "I'm rich, I payed for them." dındekjn user12: I wonder how Ben, who is usually the one being bullied by her, was able to save himself? user4: Simple. When he was asked what else he "stole" without her knowing, he answered with a puppy eye "Y/N." and that was how he saved himself from the couch.

User7: Smooth... Very smooth benbarnes😏 Still, we were there before you tho😒😐

User5: It's just the way they are mommy, look, we are your precious babies right? Please don't make us cry.

User2: putting the people begging Y/N to spare their fragile mental health, I'd like to say how Callahan looks like a God but is a cutie pie in Real life... please step on me.

jacktwolfe: Danielle the Axelotl and Freddy... I don't know what Freddy is

Y/N Y/L/N-Barnes: Me too boy, me too... I don't want to know how he did that with his mouth

freddycarter1: I have many talents Y/N, not that you know 😎

Y/N Y/L/N-Barnes: 🫥😶😐😒🤨 Say that to your wife 🍹👎

kittheyounger: 😧😱😨

User9: Ben is such a mood. My life would be in chaos, and the life around me could also be chaotic but as long as I have my tequila and whisky, we are all fine.

User6: Freddy is their New victim lol Love you all💓

User1: I think Danielle is becoming an eagle...

Liked by benbarnes, pascalispunk, tchalamet and 6,921,311 others

Y/N Y/L/N-Barnes: This man is a lot of things. Husband, father, son, friend... Occasionally cool, but never for too long. He told me to take a photo of him to show how cool he is to our son but instead he giggled at his silly father in his own Darkling costume...🥹💓

View 572,436 comments

user8: With every picture she posts, I gain one year in life. With every photo shadowandbone posts of her, I gain 10 lives.

User2: So precious ❤️

User1: Piercing and charming brown eyes on a man is the sluttiest thing ever.

User5: Y/N, will you ever talk about that first "Lego Date" you and him had that you two became official?

Y/N Y/L/N-Barnes: Maybe in my YouTube channel, if people really want to know, with Ben's permission ofc, I don't see why not? 😊

User3: Y/N the Concent Queen 🙏

User2: Guys, let's not traumatise Ben again with our thirsty comments about him being a real dilf🤣

User13: Darkling: evil incarnate with every possible War crime, perhaps a groomer, manipulative bastard who is obssessed over power... Meanwhile Ben: Babygirlified 42 years old man who simps for his wife and would commit war crimes FOR her and their son and is "the twit with the portrait"

User5: nOoo you didn't just bring Dorian into this djskdjjs

User13: Someone had to

User6: May the lord save us, how were you able to shoot those photos with him so close to you Y/N?

User12: I'd have folded easily

Y/N Y/L/N-Barnes: A little bit of heart attack, swooning for my husband and then definetly folding, everything was fine. It's easy really 🙃😊

benbarnes: Stop saying those things just like that 😊☺️🤭

User14: Ben is melting hard~😏😋

User15: If this doesn't end up with her pregnant again, I don't know what will. Maybe a girl comes this time sjsjsj

User15: Okay, guessing the little Barnes looks like the exact copy of his dad, the kid will have immaculate looks coming from both his dad and momma. LOOK HOW GORGEOUS THEY ARE?!🥹 *crying intensifies ehiel holding the family picture of them in my hands delicately*

pascalispunk: Want to see my little champ and his reaction as well!

Y/N Y/L/N-Barnes: Just sent you the video!

User7: Ben lost to little Barnes today, the baby ADORES his momma🥹

amita_suman: He looses every time anyways🍷😎

User6: Y/N is winning in everything she does, this is her Barbie world💯

benbarnes: My little girl will definetly think of me cool, just so you wait for a few years,love.🙃😤

Y/N Y/L/N-Barnes: And what makes you say we are having a girl in the future?? Maybe it will be another boy who adores me???

Liked by freddycarter1, calahan.skogman, emilia_clarke, emmaroberts and 6,893,561 others

Y/N Y/L/N-Barnes: Another day, another chaotic moment!

1.The fuck hoe? Leave my precious camera alone, do you know how expensive is that? I can give you a toy one, just please go and threaten someone with that cane of yours.

2. I'd like to say, seeing a huge man absolutely melt at the sight of these cuties were pretty funny! Don't worry though, we adopted them!

View 652,412 comments

User2: Freddy, Y/N already pays for enough, please stay away from the cameras. Those shits are expensive as fuck!

User9: Have a lovely day you two!

User12: Guys, I just came back from her YT video, and the fact that Y/N fucking Y/L/N-Barnes literally went and visited every single one of the cast members, who are already the biggest simp possible for her and almost fainted when they saw her before their door, to thank them personally for how FUCKING amazing they are and how much of a GOD TIER acting they did is just... Ma'am you shouldn't be THAT FUCKING AWESOME❤️💓

User2: she brought gifts for them too! But her explanation is way funny: I brought something edible to all of them because come on, what am I gonna do with flowers? Eat them like a cow? 😒😉😋😁( her face expressions btw)

User5: and with the straightest face possible to mankind djskdjjeks

User4: Thinking about the fact that we're living at the same time as Y/N Y/L/N-Barnes, Ben Barnes, Amita Suman, Jessie Mei Li, Kit Young, Freddy Carter, Patrick Gibson, Archie Renaux, Daisy Head, Danielle Gallighan, Calahan Skogman, Jack Wolfe and everyone else in the cast is... What a fucking Era to live Y/N Y/L/N-Barnes liked

Y/N Y/L/N-Barnes: Okay first of all, I'm impressed by your sheer dedication of writing every single name... And thank you for being so sweet, we are lucky to have fans like you as well! ❤️

User12: Y/N, the mother of us all, the best decision you had ever made was choosing Freddy Carter as Kaz FUCKING Brekker and Ben as Darkling beyond doubt... We can't thank you enough 🙌🫶

User3: Emma Roberts liked her post... Does that mean the new project is AHS? 👀

User14: That would literally top her(near) every project

User15: Someone please include her in a new emoji game, thirst trap video, interview whatever! I NEED MOMMY Y/N AND HER REACTIONS ON EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM

user6: Unrelated but I want to know what was the hardest scene to film for her?

Y/N Y/L/N-Barnes: Anything with that damn goat. It kept either distracting us, or head butted someone. Mostly Kit tho

Liked by benbarnes, freddycarter1, archierenaux3 and 5,978,352 others

Y/N Y/L/N-Barnes: To anyone who calls this cast "A happy and cute family"... I'd like to point out that these six are the worst of them, including yes my own husband.

1. Those little shits after Archie pointed out me tripping on my own feet and my husband daring to laugh( I feel pretty betrayed because why are you cackling amita_suman and jessie_mei_li?)

2. Them, finally able to take a serious photo because damn it, I need to have a decent photo to give to the press! Poor photographers were begging me to keep them serious long enough 🤣😄

View 621,541 comments

User5: We are now at a time when all the women like Y/N had been at least once in their lives...

User8: Wanting to have some appreciation because everyone has been doing exactly the opposire even if we women work hard ASF and even harder than most people?🤨

User5: That too, but no. Homicide. And murder. 😈👹😊

User7: These people + Y/N could break me in half and I'd say thank you mommy/daddy

User5: their laughs are so precious... even if It's at poor Y/N 😁

blakelively: Your husband is there and you are feeling betrayed because of the girls laughing?

Y/N Y/L/N-Barnes: I'm used to him making fun of me since... I'm the weird one in this marriage lol But not Amita and Jessie, we are weird together, why did you laugh at me? 😭🥲

User3: Is that the way we treat her? Is this what her children(us) and little Barnes wants?🤨

Y/N Y/L/N-Barnes: I agree luvie... I was thinking about giving him the couch punishment while my boy sleeps with me.

User2: Mommy Y/N please stoo working too much! Your health matter more and you should spend time with your family and friends!

User13: Y/N, we are grateful you taught Ben the Emoji Language really. Thanks to you, he finally understands the young fans like us and win games 🙃

[lunaralight09]

P.S. : I was inspired by Friday Night Funkin'. Well I was playing in it , and I got this idea to make y/n singing some of the song from there . And you can imagine any lyrics you want . Soo ... Let's start!

SCP 035

Well he was in theater . He escaped from foundation . You were on stage singing with your friend / partner (Partner mean that person who helps you to sing). Then he understands that you're a scientist/guard from The Foundation . But he stayed at theater

Sock/Masky listened to you singing . And he liked it . A lot . You (P.S. : you  were making those dances? Those movement like in the video . There's Skid and Pump you were making your own movements ) were dancing . He liked your movements .

He was impressed with your talent . He after you sang you met Sock/Masky behind the stage . You became friends . Of course he showed his talents . And you knew that's a SCP 035 . But you didn't want to call mtf units .

After 6 month of your friendship . He asked you out . You said yes! (If you're a male/non-binary he doesn't care at all . 'Cause he's a mask and Sock/Masky don't have a gender . But i will use male pronounce . )

As I said he likes your songs . And you were singing like a duet . He asking you to sing some song . With him and without him . He likes to cuddle with you while you humming some rhythms/songs

SCP 049

He found you at breach . You were singing , because it help you to chill . And Ofc you were nervous . He liked your songs . He was ... (How should I call it ... Uhh . Just like GF from FNF .  How much I will say about FNF ? IDK . Oh yeah! ) shooking his head to the rhytm . Even zombies that was with him liked that you're singing  .

He came out then you stopped singing . You panicked . He said that he liked your song . And said that you don't have pestilence in you . Well you were a little bit nervous near SCP 049 .

You two were friend about 2 years . Doc needed to know about his feelings for you . Cause it was centuries then he loved at first . Well zombies who remembered something from past told about his feelings for you , he didn't really understand that . But Lexie (His daughter . I will say about her in headcanon or bf scenarios . She's actually a ghost . He can see her then his eyes become red . Like he's mad or going crazy. I will say about it too ) told him about it and ... He understands it .

He were nervous . But you accept his confess . After 5 month he told you about Lexie . And two of you became friends. And even she calls you mommy/daddy/parent y/n . It's adorable . And she copy you when you sing . So you two singing like duet . Doc likes that you two get along .

Estienne reached you French . And you sometimes sing with them song on French . It's sounds good .

SCP 073

You two already was friends . But then it's was your break . Foundation let Cain walk a little . And he saw you and Dr. Bright singing together (you two were rap battling!) . He was really surprised. . He asked you about it . And you said that your a singer.  He liked it a lot . Sometimes he helped you to write new songs .

Well truly. He doesn't care about your gender/look . He can say that he's a pansexual . Soo after 1,5 year . You two said it at the same day . He said it after you sang your song about confession . And he was happy because s/o is now his girlfriend/boyfriend/couple .

As I said . He helps you to write songs . But now he tries to help you with it every time . You say that it's okay and you can do it yourself . But Cain still helps you . You think it's cute from his side to do this to you . So you actually cuddle with him after that or read with him books that made from other material . (IDK what material don't get destroyed by his powers . So ... imagine Y/n Chan/Kun/uhh( IDK how to call non-binary reader sooo )Dear . Just imagine it .

SCP 076

Well , like 682 he hates people . He heard you singing when he finally woke up and left his box(SCP 076-1) , he was surprised to see scientist/guard who doing his/her/their hobby . He liked your song a little . If you're a scientist : then you were interviewing him , he answered questions faster than with the other interviewers . You had 30 minutes left and he started asking you questions about your hobby . Well you told that you're a singer . If you're a guard : He heard about other guard/scientist about concert where you will be singing . And about 2 month you guys became friends .

Btw Able needed about 3 years to know his feelings . And you confessed to him ('Cause he needed 1 year or 2 to confess to you Y/n) . You tried to ask him to sing . But he didn't do that very much . He likes melodies from your songs . Did he help you too write songs ? Well yes . 50/50 that Able will help you , he don't know what you should sing about .

SCP 079

Well he found you in the internet , you were a singer . He was impressed with your talent/hobby . With some interviews he asked about it . But if you're guard : He talked with you at containment breach . He found you on cams then you we're walking thought corridors , and he said thought speaker that he can help you get out of here safely . Well you get to his containment cell . And he said that he don't lie to you . And he will show you how to get to exit safely . And he asked about your second carrier . You said that you're a singer . (He said if you confirm that info , he will help you , sooo you told him that's true)

1 year later he asked about his feelings , you explained to him that it's called 'love' . And he showed X on his screen and 1 minute later (He was finding 'How to confess to someone') and he asked you out

He helps you to make songs . He is making instumental sound , and you don't know where he found it . (And he make song complete ? How should I call it ? He ... ohh! ) He edits your songs too . You're very thankful for his help .

SCP 096

You somehow befriend 096 (Aka Lanky). He were in his containment cell then he somehow heard you sing . He knew it was your voice . He didn't ask about it . He knew that you singed . But after 4 month you said that you had second carrier . And you are a singer . He was very happy about you .

And you needed to confess to him . Cause he's very shy about it ! He likes to hear you singing . Especially when he sleeps and you hum your song and stroking his cold back . It helps him from nightmares

SCP 105

Well she founded it after month of dating you , you said it to her . After that she asked to teach her singing . Some times you sing like a duet with Iris .Well you like her hobby (She like to take pictures) and she like yours . And she don't judge your gender/look . Oh and basically you needed to teach her how to sing . She sometimes miss some lyrics . It's awkward , but still cute tho .

SCP 106

He heard you singing then you were in the intercom room ? Some scientists forgot to turn off microphone . And you started to sing quietly . Well ... he understands that he heard your song , well someone had ringtone with one of your song . He was a little impressed . And somehow you befriended him

For confession he took 11 month . Yeah

He'd love sitting in the studio and watching you while you work , he'd always brag about how talented you are to all his friends, and whenever a new song of yours would come out, he'd hype you up so much. He'd be so happy

SCP 166

Same as Iris (SCP 105)  if you're a female or non-binary . If you're a male :

Well somehow a male D-class we're near her and ... (You know what he tried to do . If you don't read her files) And she needed to run from him . And she hid behind you .

Y/n as guard : You shoot him  Y/n as scientist : You tried to stop that D-class , and you knocked him out .

And you needed to stop that feeling . So you started mumbling your song lyrics . She was impressed by that . She started friendship with you

She was to shy to ask you out sooo . You asked her out by singing a song . And you two like to sing like duet . This song :

(God rest ye merry gentleman (Slowed)) In my wattpad you can find it .

SCP 173

Containment breach happened . You were wearing earphones and quietly humming one of your songs . He wanted to scare you so he singed with you . You were shocked by SCP 173 saying anything . 'Cause he's a statue! He said that you don't have to worry about that . Well after 3 month you became best friends!

And after 7 month he asked you on a date . Well ... dating statue is really strange . But everyone is strange . Then you sing he likes to hug you from behind .

SCP 682

I think there'd only be one reason why he'd dislike it, at first. And that's because...he hates every one , every living being . The problem would be that he'd hear you singing, and it'd get stuck in his head . Eventually, the whole thing would just prompt his heart to flutter whenever he heard you in the corridors, singing something to yourself

Well he confessed to you after year and half . And when you're both together, I think his favorite way to soothe himself would be falling asleep as you pet his hair at night - you singing quietly  ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶  his favorite song

SCP 939

Same as SCP 173 . And yes he copied your voice when you were singing

He likes laying with you and copying your voice , especially copy you singing . You find it funny . It's revenge for calling him/her a dog .(If you watching SCP SL videos you will understand that . Like SCP 939 looks like a reptile-dog . No seriosly .)

SCP 1678

Well like in files said . You were with MTF Tau-4 and Epsilon-6 have been defense perimeter around the Hyde Park . You were a scientist/MTF .(Well there was other scientist there ). One of SCP 1678-b were near , and their owner (Let's say that every SCP 1678-a have their own SCP 1678-b , Aka eyes in the sky) So he heard you quietly singing . They actually likes it . Somehow he managed to befriend you , without other MTF soldiers trying to attacking him .

After 2 years you started dating . What should I say more . He writes you lyrics for songs

SCP 2521

Well you were singing some of your songs . And in the lyrics were number 2521 . And before that you mumbled word 'SCP' . When he appeared behind you . And listened you singing (Well mumbling) . After you sang your favorite song , you notices that he's behind you . You were surprised . He didn't take you somewhere else . You became friends eventually .

Then you sing he stares at you , and sometimes claps . And he likes to hug you a lot . Well after an year he confessed to you by writing it .

Well nothing really changed when you started dating.

Should I do 2 part?

[nerdzzone]

Only For A Moment: September

Summary: A series of shorter one shots from Chris and Whitney’s life together throughout the pandemic. Some happy times, some harder times, some fluff and some things a little more sexy - they work through it all as they try to get settled in their new and blossoming relationship.

Chris Evans x OFC

Part of the Once Bitten/More Hearts series

Only For A Moment: August

Note: I really liked writing this part so please let me know your thoughts!

-----

September 2020

Before the pandemic hit, we'd planned to send Grayson to preschool in the fall after he turned three. However, with the state of the world when the time arrived, it became a more complicated decision. We knew the benefits - we knew it would give him the opportunity to make friends and jumpstart his learning - but after many long, anxiety filled discussions, we decided to keep him home for another year. We didn't need it for childcare as neither of us had any work on the horizon and he still had another year before kindergarten so he wouldn't be missing out on preschool education completely. The risks just seemed to outweigh the benefits at that point in time given the case numbers in our area.

But not everyone had such an easy choice to make. People with older children had to educate them somehow - whether that be in person or online. In person classes had a much higher risk of exposure to the virus, but online classes were harder for children to focus on and required much more participation from the parents.

Carly had made the difficult choice to keep her kids at home and continue their online education, but it was proving to be harder than she'd anticipated. The kids were tired of learning through a computer and they missed their friends. Despite the risk of in person learning, they wanted to go back to school and were dragging their heels when it came to doing their work at home.

They started in August and by the middle of September, Carly was quickly losing her patience with all three of her children and, after a tearful phone call from his sister, Chris and I agreed to take them for an afternoon. They had some homework that we had to make sure they did, but Chris' goal was more related to sending them home with a renewed appreciation for their parents and a promise to keep working hard.

He'd picked them up just after lunch and given them a stern - but understanding - talking to on the way over to our place, but once they arrived he was back to being fun Uncle Chris and started their afternoon of school with gym class in the form of a soccer game. He ran them around the yard for over an hour before they wrapped up the game and came in for a snack. Then, the real school work started.

"So," Chris clapped. "What homework does everyone have?"

"Math..."

Ethan wrinkled his nose in disgust as he answered and his siblings nodded their heads in agreement.

"Well, it's your lucky day!" Chris grinned. "Whitney happens to be a math whiz! She went to university to be an accountant."

It was hard not to laugh at the disgust on their faces and I was tempted to inform them of the fact that I had dropped out just to retain my status as their uncle's 'cool' girlfriend. I thought that information might not help inspire them to work though so I kept it to myself.

"Why did you do that?" Miles questioned. "That's so boring!"

"It doesn't have to be," I insisted. "Chris, why don't you take Gray to do a puzzle or something and we'll get this work out of the way?"

"Sure," Chris nodded, plucking Grayson off the stool he was sitting on and throwing the giggling child over his shoulder. "And remember, the faster the homework gets done, the faster we can get back to doing fun stuff!"

I waited until Chris had left the room before shooting a smile at the little students that I was left with.

"Okay, now that he's gone, I can show you the secret to making math fun," I told them, stretching up to grab a big jar of jelly beans from the top shelf of a cupboard. It was Chris' secret stash, but I was sure he wouldn't be too mad if I borrowed it. "You just need to find some motivation."

The kid's eyes went wide.

"Are those Uncle Chris'?" Ethan asked, a hint of wonder in his voice.

"Yep," I smiled. "So, let's hurry and get to work before he comes back and catches us."

I shot them a wink and they all scurried off to get their notebooks.

-

It was easier to incorporate the candy into Miles and Stella's math homework as in the younger grades, they were mostly doing addition and subtraction. I helped them use the jelly beans as counters and let them eat them after every few questions. For Ethan, it was a bit trickier. In sixth grade, he was getting more into the start of algebra and some harder level fractions which jelly beans were less useful in. Instead, we used them as motivation and he got to eat a couple of jelly beans for every row of questions he finished.

We almost got away with our jelly bean thievery, but just as the kids were packing up their books, I heard a gasp come from the doorway.

"Are those my jelly beans?!"

The kids all burst out laughing as I shot Chris a sheepish look.

"I'm sorry. They needed some encouragement..."

Chris shook his head, but the smile on his face told me that he wasn't really that upset.

"I trusted you," he scolded me. "Now I'll have to find a new hiding spot and you won't be informed of its whereabouts."

I pouted at that as Grayson scrambled up onto the stool beside me to get his hands in the candy before it was moved.

"You could just be nice and share," I pointed out. "Making them forbidden just makes them more tempting."

"Yeah, Uncle Chris," Ethan nodded in agreement. "Plus, you're always telling us that we have to share stuff."

"You're getting too smart, kid," Chris smiled at him. "But unfortunately for you, I'm still in charge which means you have to do as I say, not as I do."

Ethan rolled his eyes at that as Stella frowned.

"That's not fair!"

"That's life," Chris shrugged. "Now, who's going to help me make some dinner?"

Grayson and Stella threw their hands up in the air as I popped another jelly bean into my mouth.

"What are we having?"

"Pasketti!" Grayson enthusiastically informed me, earning a laugh from Chris as he ruffled his hair.

"Spaghetti," he clarified. "With Ma's recipe for the sauce."

"Ooh, yum!"

I stole one last jelly bean before putting the lid back on the jar. The kids all whined in protest, but if Chris was making dinner then I knew it was time for me to stop stuffing them with sugar.

We all stayed in the kitchen as Chris started getting things ready, giving the kids simple jobs to do like opening jars and the occasional stirring. Dinner was about halfway ready when Miles got a cheeky smirk on his face.

"Uncle Chris?" He questioned, getting Chris' attention. "Aren't you going to sing the spaghetti song?"

That piqued my interest and I raised an eyebrow at Chris whose cheeks were slightly pinker than they'd been moments before.

"What's the spaghetti song?"

"On Top of Spaghetti," Chris informed me as if I should know what he was talking about. I didn't and my face must have shown him that. "C'mon! You have to know it!"

"I can't say that I do," I shrugged. "You'll have to enlighten me."

"Daddy sings it every time we have pasketti!" Grayson informed me, still mispronouncing the word.

"Well, I think I need to learn it then," I smiled. "Go on, Chris. Let's hear it."

The kids all agreed with me, hassling him to start the song.

"Alright, alright," he agreed after a moment of resistance. His cheeks were still looking a little rosy with embarrassment as he took a deep breath and then began. "On top of spaghetti, all covered with cheese. I lost my poor meatball, when somebody sneezed..."

I watched - filled with an almost overwhelming sense of affection for him - as he sang through all the verses of the song. The kids joined in where they could and all of them were giggling by the time he was done.

"Again, again!"

Grayson started the chant, but they all joined in and with a smirk, I did too.

"Yes, Chris! Again, again!" I teased. "So I can film it for Instagram!"

"Ha-ha," Chris laughed sarcastically. "You're so funny, Whitney. There will be no filming of this performance."

"But just think how much your fans would love it," I smiled. "You'd melt the hearts of women all over the world."

Chris let out a laugh at that comment, but didn't have time to respond before the kids took over again, demanding another performance. Once he was sure that my phone was safely out of reach, he launched into another round of song.

-

By the time dinner was done and the kids were all settled in front of the TV watching a movie, my heart was feeling rather full. Seeing Chris with all the children and enjoying the afternoon of a house full of their joy and laughter had me feeling things I hadn't been entirely sure I was ready to contemplate yet.

As I sat at the island in the kitchen, sipping my second glass of wine as Chris finished loading the dishwasher, I broached the subject.

"Today has been really nice," I told him, my voice catching his attention in the quiet room. "Having a house full of kids."

That thought clearly gripped his interest as he spun around to face me, still drying his hands.

"Yeah?" The excitement in his voice was palpable. "We haven't talked about that, have we? Do you want more kids?"

"I do," I smiled at his overzealous reaction. "At least one more. I'd like Grayson to have a sibling. It seems lonely to make him grow up all alone."

"It does," he agreed. "I can't imagine growing up without siblings."

"What about you?" I asked. "I mean, I know you've mentioned in interviews that you want a big family, but is that real? Or just for the family man image that your fans love so much?"

Chris chuckled and shrugged, but there was something sheepish about the way he was looking at me.

"Honestly?" He paused as if waiting for a response, but it seemed unnecessary. We both knew I wouldn't want anything other than the truth in a moment like this. "I want at least two more, maybe even three. Hell, I'd have another one right now if you were willing."

I almost choked on the wine I was sipping as those words left his mouth, but as I placed my glass safely back on the counter, the coughing shifted into laughter.

"We can't have another one now," I protested. "We've only been together for like four months!"

"Five," he corrected with a soft smile. "And we were only together for one night before we had Gray and I think he's turned out alright."

He was right about that and I would have been lying if I said that the thought of another little baby didn't stir something inside me, but the more rational side of me came through.

"We can't just rush into another baby," I insisted. "I appreciate your enthusiasm, but that's a big decision."

"I know it is," Chris assured me. "I'm half-kidding. I know it's not something we can rush into, but another part of me thinks it would be nice to have one now while we've got nothing else going on."

"That's true, but this pandemic won't last forever," I pointed out. "Even if you got me pregnant right now, you'll hopefully be working again before it would even be born. I'm not sure I could deal with Grayson and a newborn all by myself."

"Yeah, but some experts think this mess is gonna last for a few years still which would make this the perfect time to have a baby."

I shot him a look and he shrugged with a smirk.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," I warned him. "Let's just see how this whole pandemic situation goes for a bit longer before we make any massive life plans."

"Alright, alright," Chris chuckled, coming around to my side of the island. He rested his chin on my shoulder and slid his arms around my waist, placing his hands on my stomach. "It would be nice though, wouldn't it? Having another little baby around. Another little mix of the two of us."

I could feel his breath on my neck as his voice was low in my ear and I had to admit that he was right. I was one of the lucky women who actually loved being pregnant and, despite how exhausting and stressful the newborn phase was, I did miss having a little baby around.

But my worries about our ability to co-parent if we split up were still lingering in my mind. They'd been eased slightly by how solid our relationship had been so far, but if it all fell apart, I was still worried about how we would cope. Adding another baby to that so soon seemed like a foolish thing to do.

"It would be nice," I agreed, letting my hands rest on top of his. "It will be nice, one day."

"Well, whenever you're ready," Chris paused to place a kiss on my neck. "Just let me know."

I smiled at his eagerness and turned my head to kiss his cheek.

"I will," I assured him. "And maybe, once the kids have gone home and Grayson's in bed, we could practice. Just so we know what we're doing when the time comes..."

"Oh, I know what I'm doing," Chris practically growled, his grip tightening around me to pull me closer against him. "Don't you worry about that."

I giggled at his confidence before wiggling out of his grasp and standing up from the stool I'd been sitting on.

"I'm not worried, but practice makes perfect, right?"

With a wink, I grabbed my wine and turned to leave the room and check on the kids. Our conversation had given me plenty to think about, but it was comforting as well. I had no doubts that one day I wanted to expand our little family and even if I wasn't quite ready yet, it was nice to know that Chris was on board.

The man was born to be a father, he excelled in every aspect of parenting, and I was grateful that I was the one who got to help him find that role and that I got to share the experience with him.

-

October + November [part one]

Tags:  @maggotzombie @moonlacebeam @mizzzpink @zaylaugh @flowery-mess @flowerjewels @njrronaldo7 @hockeychick10 @partypoison00 @theladybiers @sidepieces @firoozehmoon @patzammit @sparkledfirecracker @mytbel0st @chvntelle-99

[scuttling]

Silent Treatment

Fandom: Criminal Minds Pairing: Aaron Hotchner/Latina OFC Word Count: 3,160 Tags: 18+, NSFW, Anger, Fights, Dom/Sub, Vaginal fingering, Unprotected sex, Daddy kink, Established relationship Summary: The biggest, ugliest fight of Aaron and Sophie’s relationship actually begins at work, in the field—go figure. Note: This is a previously published, reformatted work. Link to A03 or read below! The biggest, ugliest fight of Aaron and Sophie’s relationship actually begins at work, in the field—go figure.

They are back at the local precinct after apprehending one of two unsubs when the shouting match portion of the fight occurs; in order to apprehend that unsub, Sophie went against a direct order to vacate an active shooter scene, could have gotten herself killed, and Aaron has been fuming about it since they got in the car.

“Morgan and Rossi are canvassing the neighborhood to see if we can get any new information on the second unsub. You two,” he gestures to Prentiss and Reid, “can interview Daniels. JJ and I will go to the store where the guns were purchased, see if we can get surveillance footage, any information they might have about Daniels and his partner.”

“What about me?” Sophie asks, her body tense, like she already knows what his answer will be.

“You’re staying here. You disobeyed me,” he says, low, because he really doesn’t want to get into it in the conference room, with their peers. It seems she doesn’t quite share the sentiment.

“You can’t bench me because I did something you didn’t like, Hotch,” she protests, crossing her arms, and Prentiss looks awkwardly around the room like she would rather be anywhere else at the moment. Aaron can’t help but agree, can feel his blood boiling, wants to make fists of his hands and punch something.

“I am in charge here, I can do whatever I want.”

“Oh, grow up,” Sophie replies, eyes hard on his. “What I did was smart. Who knows how many more people Daniels would have killed if I hadn’t stopped him. You would have done the same if you were me.”

“What you did was insubordination. You’re lucky I’m not suspending you.” She huffs a harsh laugh and steps toward him with fire in her eyes.

“You can’t suspend me, and you know it,” she grits out, finger pointed in his direction, and he sees red; he reaches up and grabs her wrist, hard, leans in close so there’s no mistaking the order this time.

“Find a ride back to the hotel. You’re done.”

“But I—”

“This is not up for debate.” He doesn’t yell, but he raises his voice enough that Sophie exhales in surprise, swallows hard. He instantly feels bad, feels his face soften, but she just yanks her arm out of this grasp and walks out of the room. Reid shoots him an uncertain look and goes after her.

They wrap up the case that evening, without her help, and the ride home on the jet is tense, silent. Sophie hasn’t spoken a word to him since she stalked out of the conference room to find a cop to drive her back to the hotel, and he’s at the point where he’s starting to wallow a little.

Maybe he was too hard on her. She did apprehend the first unsub, who was vital in locating the second unsub, and people would almost certainly have died if she hadn’t done that. She made a decision in the moment, using the tactical training that was part of the reason he hired her in the first place. And most importantly, she was right: he’d have done the exact same thing in her shoes.

When the plane lands, he reaches overhead and takes down her bag first; he turns to pass it to her, something of a peace offering, but she grabs it out of his hands and heads for the parking lot without a word to anyone.

“Good luck,” Prentiss says with a sad smile when she passes him, and he closes his eyes with a sigh.

He’s definitely going to need it.

About halfway to their apartment, Sophie surprises him by looking over at him with a softer gaze than he’s seen all day. He keeps his eyes on the road, but peeks at her out of the corner, doesn’t want to speak too soon and cause her to retreat back into that angry, hurt state of mind.

He’ll give her time. He knows he owes her that.

He parks the car outside their building, and he can tell she wants to make a run for it, so he covers the buckle of her seat belt with his hand—gently, nothing she couldn’t brush aside if she truly didn’t want to stay there with him. It’s not his intention to hold her against her will.

“We need to talk,” he says matter-of-factly, making eye contact with her for the first time since they got off the plane. She sits rigid in her seat, arms folded in her lap.

“I don’t want to talk right now.” Her voice is raspy from disuse, and he brings a tentative hand to her cheek, brushes it with his fingers.

“Are you still angry? I’m willing to give you time to sort out what you want to say, but you can’t shut down on me.” She grits her teeth, exhales through her nose.

“Of course I’m angry, Aaron. You took me off the case for something Reid or Morgan would have gotten away with. That’s bias.”

“Reid or Morgan never would have ignored my order to get back to safety. What you did was smart, but it was also incredibly reckless.” She throws up her hands, as much as she can in the confined space of the car.

“Sometimes we have to do reckless things to get the job done. We’ve all been there.” He pinches the bridge of his nose, because it feels like they’re going in circles, like he’s beating his head off a brick wall.

“The fact of the matter is, I told you no, and you didn’t listen.”

“And if I had listened, and more people died? Do you think that’s going to affect your conscience, or mine?”

His phone rings—Rossi’s name lights up the screen—and he sighs, presses the button on her seat belt, releasing the latch. “Go inside, get undressed, and wait on the bed for me. I’ll be right up.” She studies him a moment, with uncertain eyes, climbs out of the car and slams her door behind her.

When the call is over and he steps into the kitchen, Sophie has the refrigerator door open and she’s rifling through the vegetable drawer, pulling out things that are in her way and throwing them down on the counter behind her. He closes his eyes, exhales long, and reaches out a hand to slam the door shut, startling her.

“What are you doing?” he asks, voice calm as he looks down at her. She swallows under his gaze, sets down the bag of broccoli in her hand.

“Making dinner.” She looks over his shoulder, won’t make eye contact, and he sighs deeply. It’s starting to become a thing.

“I told you to get undressed and wait on the bed for me.” She doesn’t reply, and he catches her chin hard between his thumb and forefinger, tips it so she’s looking up into his eyes. Their chests are both heaving, and he knows that his face is a stony, impassive mask he’s never used at home before. “Do as I say.”

“But—”

“You know what words to say if this is truly not something you want. Right?” She grits her teeth, and her eyes are fiery, jaw clenched.

“Yes.”

“Do you want to say those words?” He wants to hold his breath, because there’s a part of him that believes she might say yes, take the out that he’s always given her, that she’s never used. She strings him along, takes a full thirty seconds to say one word.

“No.” He tries not to look as relieved as he feels, just squeezes her chin a bit tighter between his fingers and leans down, so he’s only inches from her face.

“Then do as I say.” She stares him down for a moment, looking like she wants to fight him on it, but she just jerks her head to the side, making him lose his grip, and stalks toward the bedroom.

She is, thankfully, sitting naked on the bed by the time he puts everything she took out of the fridge away. He’s not sure what he would have done if she hadn’t been.

She looks tightly wound, but not nervous, and that almost makes him smile; even after this fucking awful day, this stupid fight, she knows he will take care of her, never make her do something uncomfortable or that would hurt in a way she doesn’t want. He takes off his jacket, his shirt and tie, his pants, but stays in his undershirt and boxers so she knows he’s not planning to get off for a while.

“On your stomach,” he instructs, and she turns without argument, stretches out with her ass up, legs spread a little. It’s so inviting, makes him want to just shove his cock in and take her, but that won’t solve their problem, so he holds himself back.

He crawls over her and presses his lips to her ear, her shoulder, trails them down her back, and she’s breathing heavy, eyes closed, face turned to the side. It’s a good sign. He kisses her butt, her thighs, her calves and ankles, and then gets off the bed and walks around to his bedside table, pulling out a bottle of lube. Drizzling it over her pussy makes her shiver, but she says nothing, does nothing but pant when he rubs her with his fingers.

He’s surprised to feel that she’s already wet, would have thought it would take some time to warm her up when she’s been so angry with him all day, but then, he’s been hard for some time now, so it makes sense. It just moves up the timeline of his plan, a little, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

He reaches down around her belly to place a finger on her clit, slowly teasing it, massaging it, and he can see her struggling to contain a moan.

If that’s how she wants to be, that’s fine with him.

His other hand rubs the lube against her opening, two fingers pressing in slow and steady. She is tight, maybe not as soaked and ready as she usually is, but turned on enough that she clenches around him when he’s in as far as he can go, when she can feel his other knuckles against her ass. He fingers her slowly, quietly, rubbing her clit with a wet fingertip, and he sighs contentedly, because it’s Friday night and he’s got all the time in the world to coax his girl back to him.

Five minutes pass by, then ten, before she finally makes a sound, and it’s gorgeous, a whimper of need that goes straight to his dick. He responds by fucking his fingers in faster, leaning down to press his lips to her back in a loving kiss.

“There you are. Do you want to come with my fingers in you?” She doesn’t say anything, doesn’t even register that she heard him, but he knows she’s not asleep. “Can you reach back and touch me, please, if you want to come?” It takes a moment, but she lifts her arm and reaches for him, grabs a bit of his shirt in her hands. “Good girl. Thank you, baby.” He presses in quick and deep, glides two fingers over her clit in time with his thrusts, and the combination has her clenching around him, coming, nearly silently, and he kind of hates it. When he pulls his fingers out, they’re pruny from working on her for so long, and that, he kind of likes.

He kisses up and down the length of her body again, gets as close as her cheek, can feel her warm breath, but she’s still tense and angry, that much is clear. He gets up, goes to the bathroom, and washes his hands; when he returns, she hasn’t moved, except to make her arms more comfortable.

“My turn,” he murmurs in her ear, and he takes off his clothes, gets behind her on the bed on his knees; her pussy is shiny with lube and her own juices, and he hums at the sight of it, achingly hard.

His legs are spread, and he puts his hands on her hips and pulls her body toward him, opens her legs so they’re spread as well, her knees hooked around his. She is soft, willing, pliant, and it’s easy to line the head of his dick up at her entrance and pull her back onto it; the moan he gets in return for the little bit of manhandling puts the ghost of a smile on his face.

��Baby girl, it’s time for you to do as I say. Are you ready to behave?” She says nothing, but reaches a hand back to touch his thigh. He supposes he’ll take it. “I want you to fuck me, make me come in you. I’m not going to move at all, so you have to do it for me, okay?” She groans a little, but squeezes his thigh, and he covers the hand with his; she lets him, for a moment, before pulling away.

She takes his order seriously, fists her fingers into the sheets and rocks back and forth on him, her whole body working, her gorgeous ass bouncing against him. She is so beautiful as she moves, the muscles of her back visible, and her thighs, all that golden skin on display, and he has to exert so much control to not just put his hands on her shoulders and pound her until she’s senseless.

“There you go. Such a good girl for daddy,” he coos, and he does palm her ass, squeeze it, just because he wants to. “My good girl, smart girl. So well behaved. Keep fucking me, baby.” He can see that she works harder at his words, and it sounds so good—she’s so drenched in lube and slick that soft, wet noises echo in their bedroom—but she won’t speak, barely makes a sound, and he hates it and he’s just so fucking done with the day.

Then, like the sweet little miracle she is, Sophie starts moaning, loudly, pure, desperate, eager moaning, like music to his goddamn ears. She’s changed the angle of her hips, and he bets her clit is rubbing against the bedding, maybe her nipples too, and all that sensation has her too blissed out to stay angry—which, with the help of a little blatant domination, is maybe what he was looking for all along. He hums, rubs his hands over her hips, and she breathes a sigh.

“I’m fucking you, daddy. I’m… behaving,” she gasps, slamming her ass hard against him. “Are you gonna come, daddy? Please come, daddy, I promise I’ll listen. I promise I’ll be good.”

God, he missed that mouth.

“I’ll come if you make me, sweet girl. Are you going to make me?”

“Yeah,” she pants, rubbing against the sheets, humping back against him furiously, and he is close, but he likes the frenzy she’s worked herself into. “Yeah, you can come in me, daddy, you can trust me. Promise. I can do it.”

“Oh, I know you can, baby.” Giving in, he plants his hands hard on her hips, squeezing tight, and he comes, feels wrung dry by her frantic, unrelenting thrusts. “Your turn, sweetheart,” he groans, a little sensitive, but no way he pulls out until she’s finished, not now. “Let go, let go for me.” He can see a light sheen of sweat on her back, her neck, and she arches, shudders, and whines, bites the sheets when she comes.

He doesn’t slip out of her until she’s panting, trembling, and even then he just turns her around and kisses her for so long he gets dizzy from it. She clings to his arms, nuzzles against his throat, and he sighs in relief for the first time that day.

They cuddle and kiss for a while after that, probably too long, considering they’d gotten home around ten and still hadn’t eaten dinner or done anything but fight. Still, he can’t find it in him to be anywhere but in her arms after everything that happened. She rubs her nose against his, sweet, presses her lips there.

“I’m sorry. You were right. Whether or not I thought I was doing the right thing—I don’t make the calls on this team. You do. I have to trust that you weigh all the consequences before you give an order, and I didn’t do that today. I really am sorry.” He brushes her hair back behind her ear, kisses her mouth, gazes softly down at her. His heart aches with love.

“You were right, too. When I knew there was a guy out there with a semiautomatic looking for cops, my first thought wasn’t about Morgan or Reid or anyone but you. I was a little biased, and I was harder on you because of my own shortcomings. Not yours. I’m sorry.” He kisses her again, slower, kisses her nose so she’ll smile, so he can tease her a bit. “Not sure I deserved the silent treatment, though...” To her credit, she does look a little sheepish, and she pulls him close for another kiss.

“It was childish, I know. But then once you got me on the bed, it wasn’t a choice anymore. It became real, and I couldn’t figure out how to get back to you. You were so patient,” she praises, brushing fingers over his forehead, his hair out of his face.

“Because I love you,” he replies, resting his head on her chest; she scratches at the nape of his neck, and it feels so good he lets his eyes drift shut. “Don’t jab your finger at me again, though, you brat,” he teases after a moment; she looks down at him, and he opens one eye and laughs.

“I was pissed,” she explains, laughing with him, and she shoves at his shoulder. “And you get grabby, which you know only makes me more angry.” They settle back against the pillows, even though they both know they need to get up, get showered, get food. “You are hot when you’re mad, I’ll give you that.”

“Well you’re fucking impossible.” She rolls her eyes playfully and pushes him off of her, climbs off the bed.

“Yeah, well you love me, so. Deal with it.” He watches her as she heads for the bathroom, all perfect body and lovely hair and goodness, and she throws a look over her shoulder that makes it look like she thinks he’s an idiot. He really missed that look. “You coming?”

“I’m coming—wait, we should order dinner first. Indian?”

“Thai,” her voice echoes from the bathroom, and he sighs.

At least she’s not silent, anymore.

[keanureevesisbae]

Mister Cavill, your dog is kinda fat - Chapter 12

Summary: Veterinarian Olivia Tran has zero time for bullshit. After becoming a mom at age twenty three, the one thing she wants is a good life for her daughter Vanessa. Her ex didn’t want anything to do with her nor the baby and she decided that man are officially banned out of her life. But then she meets Henry Cavill at her clinic and her ban slowly starts to crumble apart. Henry on the other hand is looking for one thing: a family. And when he meets Olivia Tran, he finds just that.

Henry Cavill x Olivia Tran (ofc)

Warnings: None

Wordcount: 4.7k

A/N: I may or may not have ended this with a cliffhanger - I’m not at all terribly sorry 

Masterlist // Previous chapter // Next chapter 

Time sure does fly by.

After the Christmas dinner at his parents place, Henry blinked with his eyes and it was New Years Eve already. Normally he would spend it with his brothers, going to a New Years Eve party, but this year couldn’t have been more different. this year he was over at Olivia’s, trying to keep Vanessa awake for as long as possible, watching movie after movie. But at ten p.m. she fell asleep against her mother and Henry and Olivia decided they would wake her up at eleven forty five, so she could feel the joy again of not kissing one important person in her life into the new year, but two.

They sat in front of the window, as they watched the fireworks and Henry couldn’t help but get a little bit emotional.

This was a new beginning for all of them. The way Olivia and Vanessa had suddenly walked into his life and made their way to his heart, is something he is still intensely grateful for. They were the blessings that he was waiting for.

They enjoyed their last few days of holiday, sometimes with and sometimes without Olivia, as she had to go to work. But spending time with Vanessa was always nice. They would bake cakes, have little tea parties or they’d go on walks with Kal.

But then Vanessa had to go back to school again and he fell back into his standard routine of waking up, bringing both of them to their work of school, walk Kal, go to the grocery store if necessary, go to the gym, all that good stuff. And he continued to decline job offer after job offer.

Olivia kept asking him if he still wanted to take a break. He means, sure, he would like it if he would star in another movie again. It’s nice, you know: the filming process, the red carpets, the interviews and all the magazine cover shoots, but Henry isn’t sure he wants that anymore. Does he want to be away from his newly found family for that long?

He still isn’t ready to face possible bad reviews again come to think of it and he really doesn’t want to leave the two of them behind.

Besides, about money he’ll never have to worry again. He has enough of it.

Today however, it’s February 14th. Valentines Day. Thankfully Olivia doesn’t have to go to work today, so after they took Vanessa to school, he drove back with a nearly illegal speed to her place, because he had plans for the both of them.

The days that Olivia doesn’t have to go to work, are the only days where it’s just them. He loves Vanessa with all his heart and he would never ever want to lose her, but spending time with just Olivia can be a nice change from time to time.

The two of them made love for God knows how long and afterwards took a long shower together. He can’t seem to get enough of his lovely girlfriend and with the way she was clinging onto him the entire time, he figures she can’t get enough of him too.

But ever since his mother mentioned it about making Vanessa calling him dad official by simply adopting her, it hasn’t left his mind for a single second. He needed to think about this, because of course that’s what he wants, but he doesn’t want to force the idea on Olivia. Though they have been mentioning the whole idea of adding a new baby into their little family, he is still a bit hesitant about the adoption thing.

But for some reason, he feels the need now to ask what she thinks about this. Henry sits on the bed, a towel wrapped around his hips, as he stares at the woman he loves so much and so dearly.

‘Sweetheart,’ he says, gaining her attention. She turns around with a smile, as she puts on the tight black leggings. She is wearing one of his sweaters and he loves it when she walks around in his clothes and he means, it’s only fair, since her apron is becoming his favorite piece of clothing. ‘I have a question.’

‘I’m not going to make you waffles, Valentines Day or not.’

He chuckles. ‘That wasn’t my question, sweetheart.’ He ushers Olivia over and she sits on his lap, hooking her ankles together behind him. He loves the feeling of her hands on his chest  (especially when he is not wearing a shirt) and he nearly gets distracted by it. ‘My mom said something around Christmas and I want to ask your opinion about it.’

Her frown gets deeper and she looks worried. ‘Is everything okay?’

He nods. ‘What would you say if I adopted Vanessa?’

Normally he can read at least something off of her face, but her entire expression is completely blank. He fears his suggestion was wrong. He already can see his future with her crumble apart. This was too soon, he thinks to himself. Sure, they mentioned the baby thing, but he should’ve brought up the adoption thing when she was pregnant with his baby.

‘Why would you want that?’ she asks.

What kind of a question is that? ‘Because… I… She… What?’

‘Why would you want to adopt her?’ Olivia asks again.

He needs a moment before he can find the right words, because he did not expect her to ask him this. ‘Because I’m here to stay,’ he simply states. ‘I love you, I love Vanessa and I love the idea of us being an official family.’

‘But what if we break up? Before we have another kid?’

Okay, he thought about that too and he totally understand why she asks this. ‘Because I still want to be there for Vanessa,’ he says. ‘No matter what happens to us. If you don’t want to, I totally understand, but—’

Olivia shakes her head. ‘I want you to adopt her,’ she interrupts him, ‘but I guess that I’m just scared that one day you might not want this anymore and you simply walk away. That’s the last thing I want for her.’

‘And I understand that, love,’ he says. ‘And I’m not forcing you to sign the papers right now, but I want you to think about it.’

‘I already think it’s a good idea,’ she says, a soft smile appearing on her face. ‘I want you to become her official dad, but there is only one person we really need to ask and that is Vanessa.’ Olivia leans in and gives him a kiss. She wants to pull back after the short peck, but he crashes his lips on hers again, unable to let go of her already.

Olivia is on board with him adopting Vanessa and when their lips part for a second, he lets out a shaky breath. This is truly happening. It’s slowly becoming what he always wanted: a family.

‘Maybe you can ask her tonight,’ she suggests.

Tonight on Valentines Day, he planned on taking them both out. Vanessa has been looking forward to this moment the entire week, when he officially asked both of them out on a date. Since Vanessa didn’t have a right father figure in her life who would show her how boys should treat her and Olivia has a shitty boyfriend experience, he felt the desperate need to make their first Valentines Day together as a family as memorable as it can be.

‘Yeah?’

Olivia nods. ‘You totally should.’

The hours pass by with Henry stealing kisses from Olivia, them walking with Kal and him insisting on buying her chocolate, because that’s what you do on Valentines Day and he was not going to miss out on that cliche. They pick up Vanessa from school and after they have eaten some cookies and drank some tea, Vanessa stands up and announces: ‘We are going to get ready for tonight. We are going to have a little girls… How do you call it mommy?’

‘A little girls pamper night,’ Olivia says. She looks at Henry and says: ‘So, no boys allowed.’

Henry pretends like he is insulted. ‘Well, then I’m going home with Kal and have a little pamper night, specifically for guys.’

‘But dad,’ Vanessa says, frowning deeply, ‘Kal isn’t going with us on the date.’

‘And he is not going to wear a suit, so,’ Olivia adds.

Henry lifts up Vanessa with one arm, before he hoists up Olivia in his other. ‘You two are so mean to me,’ he says.

‘Dad, let me go!’ Vanessa screams, before she starts laughing.

‘Oh my God, Henry, stop this!’ Olivia tries to wiggle herself out of his arms, but he is too strong.

‘Maybe we can distract him,’ Vanessa whisper shouts, still not aware that Henry can hear her, but he pretends he doesn’t. ‘With kisses.’

‘You go for that cheek,’ Olivia plays along, ‘then I go for this one, okay?’

Vanessa nods. ‘Three, two, one… Go!’

He feels two sets of lips on his cheeks and though he already knew this would happen, he still can’t help but chuckle. ‘Okay, okay, I surrender!’ he says. ‘You go have a girls pamper night and I’ll go home and pick out a nice outfit for myself, okay?’

Henry carefully places Olivia and Vanessa back on their feet, where they high five each other. ‘I’ll text you when we’re almost done,’ Olivia says, before standing on her toes to give him a kiss. ‘I love you, honey.’

‘I love you too, beautiful.’ He crouches down and gives Vanessa a kiss. ‘I also love you, sunshine,’ he says to her.

She chuckles. ‘I love you too, daddy. Now go.’

He can’t help but laugh, before he grabs his coat and clicks his tongue, so Kal knows they are leaving. ‘Enjoy your pamper night.’

‘We will,’ Olivia says and he walks out of the house, as he hears both of his ladies rush up the stairs, laughing in the process.

God, he truly is happy with his life right now.

When Henry and Kal are back at his own house, he misses them already. He misses hearing them laugh, he misses the unlimited hugs and kisses and he even misses Vanessa tiny temper tantrums.

He holds out his phone and looks at some of the pictures and videos he made of the course of a few months. Vanessa falling asleep next to Kal, Olivia sitting across from him at the table, the four of them in bed. Every moment he gets to spend with them, is one he cherishes. And he can’t wait to adopt Vanessa, to marry Olivia and have more kids with her.

≫≫≪≪

Henry lets himself in when he got a text from Olivia that they are nearly ready. He stands at the bottom of the stairs and yells: ‘I’m here.’

‘You are all dressed up?’ Vanessa asks.

He chuckles. ‘I sure am, sunshine.’

‘We’re almost done,’ he hears Olivia say. He leans with his shoulder against the doorframe and he hears footsteps coming from upstairs. He recognizes that they are Vanessa’s and Henry can’t help but break out in a big and proud smile, when he sees her. She is wearing a lovely pink dress, with a black cardigan over it. On her feet she wears slip-ons that match the color of her dress and her hair hangs loose beside her face, a fake flower clipped between the strands.

‘You look absolutely beautiful,’ he says in absolute awe. ‘My oh my, Vanessa.’

‘I’m even wearing a bit of mommy’s lipstick.’ She wraps her arms around his legs and he clears his throat. Vanessa looks so happy, especially when she realized that not only did Henry want to go on a date with Olivia, but also with her.

‘Why?’ she asked. ‘Isn’t Valentines Day for couples?’

He simply shrugged. ‘Maybe some people think like that, but I like to spend my Valentines Day with not only your mom, but also with you. Valentines Day is about showing people who you care about a little bit of extra love and I care deeply about you too.’

The look in her eyes then was priceless and that same sparkle was still here and that only makes him realize: he never wants to let her go. He desperately wants to adopt Vanessa Tran and make her his legal daughter.

‘Mommy looks really beautiful,’ she tells him, as he lifts her up in his arms. ‘I bet you are going to fall in love even more.’

‘I didn’t know that was possible,’ he jokingly says. ‘Olivia, sweetheart, are you ready?’

‘I am, I am,’ he hears, followed by her footsteps on the steps, as she descends from the stairs.

His breath gets caught in his throat. Holy shit, he thinks to himself. She wears a tight fitted dress, in a lovely shade of red that he has never seen her wear before. She paired it with black heels, that he didn’t even know she owned. The dress has short sleeves and he sees how the fabric hugs her godly figure just right.

‘Mommy, is Henry speechless?’ Vanessa asks, pinching his cheek, hoping to gain his attention, but he can’t stop gawking at Olivia.

Olivia seems to blush. ‘I think so.’

‘Is it because he thinks you’re pretty or because he doesn’t like the way you look?’

‘I sure hope it’s the first one, otherwise I need to dump him,’ Olivia laughs. ‘Henry, honey, are you okay?’

‘Wow,’ he says, ‘you look beautiful, darling. I’m such a lucky guy that I’m taking out the two most beautiful ladies out on a date.’

Olivia walks up to the both of them and gives him a kiss. ‘And Vanessa and I are very lucky to be taken out by such a handsome looking man, aren’t we, sweetheart?’

Vanessa nods. ‘I understand why my mommy is in love with you, daddy,’ she chuckles.

≫≫≪≪

During their dinner, Henry can’t help but notice the looks on other peoples faces. Some look at their table, probably because they think it’s weird that they brought a seven year old along, but those aren’t the looks that he thinks about too much.

It’s the look of adoration, of admiration, because they look so cute as a family. And they actually do. Vanessa sits on her mothers lap and he thinks of that moment alone, he has taken a hundred pictures.

He stares at Olivia, as the dim lights still highlight her exceptional beauty and he wonders: what did he do in life to deserve a woman as beautiful, as intelligent and as strong as her?

And he wants to ask Vanessa now about the whole adoption thing, but he hears Olivia’s phone ring. She looks at the screen and groans annoyed, before she picks up. ‘Tito, you are on call,’ she says, ‘don’t you dare call me … Oh, really? … How is her heartbeat? … Oh no, poor thing … I’m coming right over. See you in a bit, bye.’ She hangs up her phone. ‘I’m sorry,’ she says.

‘You have to go, mommy?’ Vanessa asks, before licking the chocolate crumbs of her lips. She doesn’t seem to  be disappointed, something that he truly admires and he is still in awe at how well Olivia has raised her.

The other day when a dog died on the operation table—a risk everyone was aware about—Olivia came home and simply started crying. Vanessa knew exactly what was up and told her mom that she did her best and that the owners knew that and the doggie in heaven knew that too.

‘I have. There is a dog who is having her puppies right now, but there are some difficulties.’

Henry watches her give Vanessa a kiss, before placing the young girl on the chair when she stands up. ‘Can I borrow your car?’ she asks.

‘Of course, my love,’ he says, handing her over the keys. Olivia gives him her own set of keys and he says: ‘Vanessa, sunshine, how about you and I finish dessert and then we walk home?’

Vanessa nods. ‘Of course, mommy has to save some puppies.’

‘Exactly,’ Olivia says, giving her daughter even more kisses. ‘Have fun you two and I’ll be happy when I’m home again with you.’ She presses her lips on Henry’s and whispers: ‘Go ask her, honey,’ before she rushes out of the restaurant.

Henry can’t help but stare at the beautiful woman, but he also realizes that he really needs to ask this question now. ‘Daddy,’ Vanessa says, tapping his hand and he looks up. ‘What do you like about mommy?’

He nearly blushes. ‘There is so much I like about mommy. I like how she is really rough and strong, how she loves you so so much, how she always lights up when you walk into the room.’

Vanessa nods. ‘She does that. She is a sweet mommy.’

‘She totally is.’ He brushes out a strand of her hair out of her face. ‘Sunshine, I have to ask you something, okay?’

‘Okay.’

‘Do you like it when I’m with you?’

Vanessa stirs through her dessert and starts to laugh. ‘I love it when you are with us. Mommy is always really happy when you are here and I like having a dad around.’ She gets off the chair, so she can sit on his lap. ‘Why?’

‘Because I have an important question for you and I want you to think about it real good, okay?’

‘Okay, I can do that.’

Of course she can. ‘You know that you are not officially my daughter, though I call you my daughter and I’m your dad, right?’

She nods.

‘Well, if I adopt you, then I can officially become your dad and you’re officially my daughter. That means we have to sign some papers and all.’

‘But why does that need to happen?’ she asks. ‘I call you my dad, right?’

He nods. ‘But if you are not officially my daughter and something happens to your mom for example, there is a chance you can’t stay with me.’

Her eyes widen. ‘But that is mean, because you are my dad.’

‘I know, sweetheart, but that’s how it works.’

‘When can we do that? Adopting?’

He chuckles as he watches her smile. ‘Your mom and I have to figure that out, but from this reaction, I take it that you want me to adopt you.’

‘Of course I want you to be officially my daddy!’ She wraps her arms around him and squeals. ‘I can’t wait to tell miss Sue that I’m going to have an official dad!’

Their entire walk to Olivia’s place, Vanessa is skipping and by the time they are at the front door, he hears his own car driving through the streets. ‘Look who is there?’ he asks Vanessa, squeezing her hand.

‘Mommy!’

He has barely seen Olivia drive his car, but after she parallel parked, he falls even more in love with her. She gets out of the car and Vanessa rushes towards her. ‘How are the puppies?’

‘They are all good,’ Olivia says. ‘All very beautiful and healthy and no, we can’t have one.’

Vanessa wants to stomp her feet on the ground, but then she remembers what happened just about forty five minutes ago. ‘Mommy, I’m going to have an official daddy,’ she says. ‘He is going to adopt me.’

Olivia bites her lip, but from the looks of it, she tears up a bit. Henry watches her swallow hard and then she says: ‘I’m so happy for you, sweetheart.’ She crouches down and pulls Vanessa in a tight hug. She places her chin on Vanessa’s tiny shoulder and smiles at Henry. ‘Thank you,’ she mouths to him.

He wants to shake his head, but decides not to do it, though he wants to say what is truly important: Thank you, Olivia Tran, for giving me a family.

≫≫≪≪

Henry: Everyone, I have good news!

Henry: And no, Olivia is not pregnant, so you can unclench your butthole now.

Niki: Butthole unclenched, now tell us what the good news is.

Henry: I’m going to officially adopt Vanessa

Mom: Finally! I’m so happy for you, my dear!

Dad: So, she’s officially becoming a Cavill now?

Simon: Oh shit, Vanessa Cavill, I like that

Piers: You should marry Olivia as well, otherwise everyone is a Cavill, except for her and I don’t want her to feel left out.

Simon: Olivia Cavill, I like that too!

Henry: No, wait, stop!

Niki: Then they’re officially the Cavills. Wouldn’t that be cute?

Henry: You are all going way too fast now

Charlie: Why? You’re going to adopt Vanessa, right?

Henry: But they are used to be called Tran and I don’t want to take that away. We (and with we, I mean Olivia, Vanessa and I and that doesn’t involve any of you!) have to think about this.

Mom: I totally understand, sweetheart. I’m happy that the first step is there. Now everyone, say congratulations. I didn’t marry nor raised rude Cavills

≫≫≪≪

To celebrate the adoption, the three of them go to the ice skating range. Since Henry actually doesn’t like ice skating, he watches Vanessa and Olivia sliding on the ice. They do this every year a few times and from the looks of it, it’s a good thing that Henry doesn’t like ice skating. This is such a lovely mother daughter moment and he felt like he would ruin that, if he participated in this. He sometimes forget that they had a life together for six whole years, before he came even in the picture. Instead, he grabs his phone, so he can make some clips and pictures, so he can send this to his family.

It’s going to be official, he thinks to himself. He is going to be officially Vanessa’s father. He had to think about it for nearly two months, before he could voice his thoughts with Olivia, but now he is happy that he did tell her, even kind of regretting that he kept it to himself for so long.

‘Hi daddy!’ he hears Vanessa yell and he holds up his hand and she soars past him, Olivia holding tightly onto her hand. Henry keeps looking at them, especially at Olivia. For the past two months, they have been discussing the whole baby thing a bit more, and he is impressed that Vanessa has indeed kept her mouth shut and only mentions it when the three of them are together.

But Olivia is right: they should wait a bit more. There is so much for them to figure out and  and he truly doesn’t want to force it onto her. Besides, she has to do the hard work for nine months straight and he wants her to be totally ready.

But sometimes, when they are in bed and Vanessa is trying to sleep in her own room (has yet to work out, but she stays in her bed longer and longer, before she rushes back to them), he slips his hand underneath her shirt, placing a heavy on her belly. ‘What are you doing?’ Olivia would groggily ask every single time, knowing exactly what he was doing.

‘Go to sleep, sweetheart,’ he’d whisper, pressing kisses on her temple. She’d place her hand on his, before she’d fall asleep. He can’t wait for her to be pregnant, but he also knows that he would definitely not take another job, because he wants to be there every step of the way.

Olivia and Vanessa balance on the skates as they attempt to walk up to him and when they succeeded, they sit on the bench. ‘Dad,’ Vanessa says and it still gives him a happy feeling deep inside, hearing her call him dad, ‘mommy and I had an idea.’

‘Tell me all about it.’

‘We are going to drink hot chocolate with a lot of whipped cream.’

‘That, sunshine, sounds like an excellent idea and I’m totally here for it.’ He helps her taking off her skates and Vanessa slips on her shoes. ‘You need help, love?’ he asks Olivia, who can’t seem to get her left skate off.

Vanessa starts to giggle as she sits next to Olivia, while she sticks out her foot and says: ‘Yes, I need help.’

‘My mommy is a big baby,’ Vanessa chuckles.

Henry helps her take off the left skate and suggests: ‘How about you go find a spot at the restaurant, while I return the skates and bring back the hot chocolate?’

‘That is such a wonderful plan,’ Olivia says, slipping on her boot, before she and Vanessa walk off to the restaurant.

It’s funny, but they have the same walk. Lots of traits they have are nearly identical. They scrunch their noses the same way when they see something disgusting. The sideways glances they share. The way they walk. Even when they are concentrated, you can tell that Vanessa is the exact copy of Olivia: they both push the tip of their tongue in their bottom lip.

It makes him wonder: what traits would an eventual sibling have of both Olivia and him? Would there be certain things that Henry does, that Vanessa will copy?

After he returned the skates and ordered three hot chocolates, he walks to their table, where the two of them are babbling like they usually do. He sits next to Vanessa, giving her a kiss on top of her head and she giggles. ‘Thanks, daddy,’ she says with a smile, as she grabs the mug.

‘Thank you, honey,’ Olivia says and she leans back in the chair. ‘Alright, before we go back home, we need to do some groceries.’

‘Again?’ Vanessa asks. ‘We done groceries four days ago.’

‘I know, but since we have extra people in our house, we need more food. Besides, mister Cavill over here eats a lot.’

Vanessa chuckles. ‘Yes, he does. He always takes another portion.’

‘Wait a minute,’ Henry says, fake insulted. ‘I can’t help but get another portion. I’m a big man, I need to eat a lot.’ He looks at Vanessa and says: ‘If you want to grow tall and strong, you need to eat well.’

‘But… We don’t give Kal another portion, because otherwise he would get fat,’ Vanessa says.

Though Kal is almost at his ideal weight (he only has one more kilo to go!), the insults, how direct or indirect they are, about Kal’s weight, are still a very effective way to make Henry go quiet.

‘It’s a bit different for dogs and humans,’ Olivia says, placing her hand on top of Henry’s. ‘Dogs don’t go to the gym, like Henry does.’

‘Right,’ Vanessa says, nodding as she stares at her hot chocolate. ‘Can we buy those cookies?’

Henry bursts out in laughter. ‘Well, I want to, but we have to ask your mom.’

‘Like I’m able to say no to both of your cute faces,’ Olivia chuckles, before taking a sip of her hot chocolate.

In those past months that have flown by, he has barely spend a minute of it at his own house. Though it’s a lot bigger than Olivia’s, it doesn’t feel as homey as hers. He sometimes goes back to grab some clothing, some of Kal’s stuff or his own, but he could put that place up the market.

What would life be like, if he bought a new house for all of them?

Before he can finish his thought, he hears someone clear his throat. ‘Olivia?’

They all look up, but while Vanessa tilts her head and Henry wonders who this is, he nearly sees steam coming out of Olivia’s ears. ‘What are you doing here?’ It’s like the temperature of the entire restaurant has dropped quite a few degrees.

The man looks at Vanessa and asks: ‘Is this her?’

‘Don’t you dare look at her. I asked you a question and you better answer.’

Henry has never seen Olivia like this, her eyes dark like this and ready to kill from the looks of it.

‘Mommy, who is this?’ Vanessa asks.

‘This is Wesley,’ Olivia says, not stopping looking at the man. ‘He is the man that left me before you were even born.’

[missmorosis]

Bad Days

AHH hi everyone! So this was kinda all over the place- also @urmomoness​ i couldn’t put him in jail. I just couldn’t. Not even for his ponytail crime.

Enjoy another Zuko x Reader! Sorry for doing this to Zuko ahaha- I’m writing like two more Sokka x readers soon to MAYYYBEEE make up for it!! 💖

AHH also! I just reached 40 followers & this is my 200th post :) I love all of you guys, thank you so so so much!! 💖🧡🥺💛💚🥰💗😭✨💜

Pairing: Zuko x Reader

Word Count: 1.4k :)

Warnings: None!

Summary: Zuko was having a really bad day until Y/N came along to cheer him up!

Zuko was having a bad day. Scratch that, his day was worse than bad. 

To start off his day, he clicked his phone on to check the time. The time “7:49 AM” flashed up at him. He had 41 minutes to get to work, which was enough time since he just had to get in the car by 8:00. It was a thirty-minute drive, and his shift started at 8:30. He got ready, throwing on some clean clothes, brushing his teeth, and combing his hair. He hopped into the car, sticking his hand into his pocket, searching for his keys. 

Shoot. He forgot his keys. He ran back into the house, almost tripping over himself, frantically searching for his car keys. He looked under his mail, around the counter, and in every drawer. Where were they…? 

On the edge of his vision, he spotted something bright yellow, hidden under some papers. He shuffled them around and sighed. Thank goodness for Y/N. She had attached a neon yellow cat keychain onto his keys. Now slightly smiling at the memory, he ran back to his car, starting his engine. He pulled out of the driveway but frowned. 

Why was the engine making that sound? The car sputtered to a stop. Zuko cursed, jumping out of the car to try and see what was wrong. Smoke was blowing out of the front, and Zuko knew that he couldn’t take the car to work anymore. The only choice he had was to go on foot or catch a bus. The coffee shop was 12 miles away, so he decided to go with riding the bus. He Googled the nearest bus stop and went from there. The closest bus stop was 5 minutes away, and the bus was 3 minutes from reaching that stop! 

He ran as fast as he could in order to make it in time, rushing past trees and almost tripping over himself a couple of times. Breathing heavily, he plopped onto the bus stop bench as soon as he arrived. The bench was cold, but he didn’t mind. He was just relieved that he made it in time- 

What was that…? He squinted at something in the distance and cursed. The bus already left, and it was getting farther every second. Zuko pulled his hair in frustration. WHY. DID. EVERYTHING. SUCK. 

Sighing, he started jogging on the sidewalk, heading toward the coffee shop.

“Zuko?” A white car pulled up next to him after a good amount of time jogging. The window rolled down, revealing a smiling Y/N behind the wheel. 

“Y/N! Oh thank goodness, can you please drive me to work? I woke up on time, but I couldn’t find my keys and my car broke down, so I had to take the bus, but the bus left witho-” Y/N stopped Zuko from rambling and unlocked the car door.

“Get in, loser,” she said, laughing. Zuko let out a sigh of relief as he got in next to her, closing the car door behind him.

“Thank you so much, you’re a lifesaver.” He meant it. Zuko didn’t know what he would do if she wasn’t here right now.

“I know. You owe me some boba later, though.” Zuko rolled his eyes.

“Fine. Please take me to work, I’m going to be late.” Y/N started the engine and drove on course to the coffee shop. As soon as they arrived, Y/N blew Zuko a kiss goodbye as he ran into the shop. The bell jingled as he opened the door, rushing in as fast as he could. He glanced at the clock on the wall and cursed under his breath. He was an hour late.

“Zuko. Why were you late? We couldn’t open on time, since you’re our only worker today. I know we said it was going to be a slow day, but that doesn’t mean you can just show up whenever you want to.” His boss looked stern. Zuko looked at the floor, nervous for what was about to come.

“I’m sorry, my car broke down.”

“You missed one hour of your shift.”

“I know, I’m sorry.”

“Zuko. There are a lot of others who want this job. You aren’t exactly the best at making coffee either.” Zuko bit his lip. He knew what was coming.

“I- I know.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to give your job to someone else. I’ll send your last paycheck to you on Monday.” His heart sank. He was officially fired from his job for being late. He knew that the manager was really picky about their workers, but he didn’t know that being late was enough to get fired. 

“I... understand.” He opened the front door of the cafe, unable to look anyone in the eye as he walked out. The bell jingled again behind him when he closed the door, leaving the coffee shop behind. He walked away, biting his lip to stop himself from crying. He was just fired. He had no job. He let that sink it. He was just fired. He had no job. 

He looked around to see that Y/N’s car was still in the parking lot, and she was just getting ready to pull out. Zuko ran up (he was getting tired of running) and knocked on her car window. She looked up, giving him a perplexed look, but perhaps looking at the state Zuko was in, her face softened. She reached out to open the car door for him, and he fell in. 

They drove for a bit in silence, and Zuko thought about what just happened. What was he going to do…? He had no job, he needed a new source of income. He sighed, causing Y/N to glance at him. She kept driving until they pulled up at a boba shop, and now it was Zuko’s turn to look confused.

“Y/N, what are we doing here?” he asked. Y/N smiled at him.

“Well, I know you already owe me boba, but I decided to treat you since you look like you need it.” Y/N parked her car and got out. Zuko opened and closed the car door, making sure that Y/N locked the car, just in case, before he went on. Y/N grabbed his hand and pulled him with her into the boba shop. 

He had never been to this place before, and as he stood in line with Y/N by his side, he saw that the shop was called “The Jasmine Dragon.” Hm, interesting name… Zuko thought the name had a nice ring to it. 

When it was his turn to order, he had no idea what to get, but luckily, Y/N had his back. “We’ll take two White Lotus teas, please! One with boba, and one without.” Y/N turned to Zuko and whispered, “I promise you’ll like it! It’s totally your taste. Also, I know you hate boba, so yeah.” She remembered... Zuko’s heart felt warm. Y/N remembered the littlest details about him, and he was lucky to have her. 

Together, they sat down at a table for two, waiting for their order. When one of the employees called their order number, Y/N gestured for him to stay seated as she went to get their drinks. 

She was taking a lot of time to just pick up drinks… After another minute or so, she came back with two teas in her hands. They were aesthetically pleasing; some foamed milk floating to the top of the translucent drink, a bit of brown sugar falling down from the sides. Zuko almost wanted to “instagram” it, even though he wasn’t even that type of person. 

��Come on, try a sip.” Y/N pushed one closer to Zuko. He pulled it to his lips, trying a taste. Oh. Oh wow. It was sweet, but not too sweet. It was light and cold, refreshing his taste buds. The flavor was a perfect balance- 

“This… this is the best thing I’ve ever tasted.” His eyes widened. Was it possible for anything to taste this heavenly?

“I know, right?! It’s SO good! People say it’s the best in the entire city of Ba Sing Se and I agree.” She stuck the straw into her mouth, drinking the tea as if the straw was permanently stuck to her lips. 

Together, they walked out of The Jasmine Dragon, drinks still in their hands. 

“Oh!” Y/N turned around to face him. “There’s more!” Her eyes twinkled. More..? “I scored an interview on Tuesday for you! I saw that they were hiring, and I knew something happened to your job earlier.” That’s what she was doing… 

“Y/N…” His voice trailed off. “Thank you.” He smiled at her, unable to express his gratitude.

“You still owe me boba!” She laughed, getting into the car once more.

Zuko was having a bad day, but when he ran into Y/N, his day got a lot better.

A/N: hopefully this wasn’t too bad! firing zuko was honestly hard but ofc he has a y/n to cheer him up! LOVE YALL!! thank you for reading 🥺💖

again, thank you for 40 followers & 200 posts :)

Writing Masterlist

Taglist! @urmomoness​

[plutowrites]

Hey! Can I get actor! Levi x non - showbiz gf hcs?

I’m a big fan of your writing and I’m just inlove

wow ok this made my mind go places...i kinda wrote a lot for a silly little ask game but this is such a good prompt omg

sry this took a bit! i hope u like it cutie

++ ahhh you're so sweet plsss thank you thank you mwah mwah ♡♡♡

i see Levi being an incredibly talented actor who is so dedicated to his craft and as a result, becomes really popular. however, he honestly couldn't care less about all the other aspects of being famous—he just wants to read his lines, perform his best and get tf off of set and go home to relax and drink some tea w/ you.

before he got with you, his agent heavily pushed him to get with another well known actor to create some buzz and help his image but he honestly wasn't into forcing a relationship with someone just because they were in the same industry as him. he's really big on developing real, organic feelings for someone who intrigues him and that someone just so happens to be you!

he's always telling you how he's one bozo co-star away from leaving showbiz forever, running off with you and opening up his own tea shop somewhere in the northwest. you two both know that would never happen—at least the whole leaving showbiz part would never happen because acting is Levi's calling in life; it's his passion and he's so damn good at it.

he loves bringing you along to work and have you behind the scenes. you bring him a lot of comfort and for him to know you're near him at all times helps to keep him calm on set. whenever some intern raises an eyebrow at you suspiciously and asks what your job is, Levi's quick to jump in to say you're his personal assistant and that no one should bother you about anything. safe to say no one approaches you ever after that.

rarely ever does interviews. completely despises them. he does attend award shows occasionally for his agency's sake and if he has to accept an award, his speech is very short and he always, always mentions you in some way. you were ofc the love of his life and it only made sense to ♡

he would prefer you to be on the more private side, only because he knows how parasitic and toxic hollywood is but would never stop you from being in the spotlight if you so wish to be.

spoils you and is so nonchalant about it??? like Levi will drop a BAG on a gift for you and won't even think twice about it. that's not to say he's irresponsible with his money because he really isn't at all, it's just that when it comes to you he wants to show in you in any way that he can that you mean the world to him and he appreciates how much you have to put up with in being with him.

on that note, sometimes he feels as if his profession burdens you. there's a lot of instances where he has to spend time away from you for press conferences, meetings, or having to travel to shoot different scenes. you have to reassure him that you're not going anywhere and even though he's gone quite a bit, the love you two share only grows stronger because of it.

loves to rehearse scenes with you from his upcoming productions but gets so damn flustered when a spicy one comes up and it's like LEVI! YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY OKAY DOING THESE SCENES WITH YOUR CO-STARS WHY ARE YOU SO SHY NOW HMM?

you just make him so weak in the knees and you're the only one who has this effect on him

overall you're the perfect match for heartthrob levi and there's no one else he'd rather share his life with♡

[dolce-peach]

Hi! Could you do a Tom Hiddleston x reader where the reader is a director for the Loki series or any upcoming marvel movie and he slowly falls in love with her confidence and intelligence because she is a great thespian and a big marvel geek and they always go over the script together, making them become really close, and at one point he confesses his love for her :)

undeniable

pairing: tom hiddleston x reader

warnings: fluff?

a/n: ofc i had to write about the most charming man ever to exist 😉 thanks anon for the request -- hope you guys like it!! 💗

permanent taglist: @kaitlynmalikisnotonfire​ @just-another-loki-fanblog​

** TO MAKE A REQUEST -- please check the status in my bio **

masterlist

----

When you were asked by Marvel to be the main director for the upcoming Loki series, you couldn’t refuse.

You’d been a fan of the MCU for longer than you can remember.  Even though you were a director who made a name for herself despite everything else, you were first and foremost a consumer.  You loved how each movie stood on its own and, at the same time, wove together to create a true masterpiece.

Frankly, you didn’t care about the work load.  As long as you could give people the Loki content they wanted, that’s all that mattered.

Of course, you were incredibly nervous to work with Tom, mainly because he was one of your dream actors to work with.  You’d seen all of his works, from theater to the silver screen, and were always fascinated with his range of expression.

You were completely unprepared for the disarming charm he naturally had.

You decided to meet him in a small cafe to discuss the rough script so far before filming.  

You sat nervously in the corner with a couple cups of tea, the script in your bag beside you.  You already had in mind what you were going to say and how you were going to act, but that all went out the window the moment Tom walked in.

He wore a white button down shirt, black slacks, and a sweet smile.

“Hi, you must be Y/N,” he said as he held out his hand.

You shook away your awe, getting up to shake his hand.  “Yes, nice to meet you!”

“I’m a big fan of your work,” he started, sitting down.  “I’m truly excited to work with you on this series.”

You sat down and pushed Tom his cup of tea.  “Same here!  I fell in love with all of your roles, especially with Coriolanus and your recent work in The Night Manager.  I also really enjoyed Betrayal, and your other action movies as well, and...”  You stopped yourself.  “I’m rambling.  Sorry.”

He laughed, shaking his head.  “It’s fine.  Cute, actually.”

You bit your lip, looking down at your tea shyly.  “Anyhow, I have the script here,” you said, pulling the thick packet out.  “It’s subject to change, and if you have any suggestions, we’ll take it to heart.”

“Thanks,” he said, flipping through the pages.  

You spent the rest of the afternoon going through the script and possible scene ideas.  As expected, Tom had some incredible input, but for the most part, he let you have most of the creative reign.

You asked why, watching as he beat you to the bill.

“I have a feeling I can trust you,” he replied.  “You’re incredibly talented and aware.  It’d be a shame to keep you locked in an artistic cage all the time.”

“I don’t intend to be,” you said quietly.  

He pursed his lips.  “Sorry.”

“Don’t be!” you said.  “It’s refreshing.  Most people ask me what it’s like to be a woman in a male-dominated field, so this is a good change of pace.”

“I wish you didn’t have to deal with that.”

You shrugged.  “Comes with the job,” you laughed.  “Anyhow, I’m glad to be working with you.”

“Likewise.”  Tom smiled, nodding as he put his wallet back in his pocket.  “So I’ll see you next week for filming?”

“Yeah,” you said, sliding him your card.  “If you have any questions or anything at all, you can call my cell.”

You glanced at him shyly as he immediately entered your number into his phone.  You jumped slightly, feeling your phone vibrating in your pocket.

“And that’s me,” he said.  “Can I give you a walk back, or...?”

You found yourself gaping.  He was just as kind a gentleman as people said he was.

“Oh, it’s okay!  I have to make a stop somewhere!”

“It’s really no trouble at all,” he insisted.

You felt some heat rush to your cheeks.  “Okay.”

--

The next week couldn’t have come sooner, with the entire set buzzing with excitement.  You were a bundle of nerves and adrenaline, walking around to check on the crew and the actors.  

You stopped by Tom’s trailer last, knocking as you entered.

“Ah, morning, Y/N,” he said, glancing at you sideways as his makeup artist continued applying his iconic wig.

“Morning, Tom,” you greeted.  “I think we’ll shoot mostly some action sequences today.”  You looked at your clipboard.  “Maybe get some close-up shots if we’re lucky.”

“Sounds good.”

He rose from his seat, donning his revamped costume.  To be able to see it in person with your own eyes, you were beginning to realize this wasn’t just a dream anymore.

“You alright, love?”

You blinked, shaking your head.  “Yeah, sorry!”  You turned to leave.  “You look great!  I’ll see you on set!”

You buried your head in your clipboard, checking over some last details.  Eventually that light feeling of embarrassment left you as you began to organize the first scene.  

As soon as Tom walked on set, everyone began to applaud, as did you.  There was no question that the entire team were fans of Tom and the character Loki.  He bowed graciously, grinning from ear to ear as he walked over to you to receive instruction.  

You began to explain what you were thinking of capturing, and Tom’s eyes were filled with concentration, glancing at the set once in a while to get a feel of what he was going to do.  

“Alright, so, any questions?” you asked.

He shook his head.  “None at all.”

You pat his shoulder before walking behind the camera, checking the angle.

“Action!”

--

You had no idea how fast time had really flown, even when you were at the premiere in front of hundreds of flashing cameras.

You managed to finish the show a few days earlier than expected, turning a few heads.  Anxiety hit when you thought to yourself, “Have I really done everything I could?”

When a few episodes were shown to a test audience, the feedback was immensely positive, proving your doubts to be fiction.

You smiled for the cameras, waving at fans in the back.

“Ah, there she is!” Tom exclaimed as he pulled you over to the interview he was in.  “Our fantastic director of the show.  The woman you have to thank.”

“I think that’s pushing it a little, Tom,” you laughed.

The interviewer perked up.  “Y/N, what was it like on set working with Tom?”

“He has an incredible work ethic, one I can only dream of having,” you began.  “There were a lot of tender moments from him on camera as well as a lot of great action sequences, all of which Tom was able to do.  I feel like fans will appreciate the turn Loki takes in this series.”  You looked up at his towering figure.  “He’s also become a good friend throughout this whole creative process.”

“Couldn’t have done it without you, love,” Tom said as he wrapped his arm around your shoulders, giving you a gentle squeeze.

Once you made it through the red carpet and the interviews, you had a brief moment in the empty backstage before you had to go out to address the theater filled with people.

As you adjusted your mic, Tom came to stand next to you.

“I can’t believe it,” you found yourself saying.  “We did it.”

“We did it,” he echoed before turning to you.  “Thank you.”

“For what?  You’re the star.”

He chuckled.  “For being steadfast in this,” he said.  “I was a bit nervous coming back to play Loki, but working with you, it’s been the best time of my life.”

“Same here,” you said.

Tom blushed in the low light.  “I don’t know how to say this, but with all this adrenaline going, I might as well.”  He drew a deep breath.  “Y/N, we haven’t known each other for very long, but I can’t deny how much I’ll miss being on set with you.  I’ll miss our chats and shared tea.  I’ll miss watching you work.”

You had no idea what to say.

“So please forgive me, but I feel like I need to do this.”

He leaned in, his lips brushing over yours in the sweetest instant before they were gone.

You blinked.  “What was that?”

“Sorry, I’ll just go --”

You stopped him by turning him back towards you, letting yourself rise to your tiptoes before laying a gentle kiss on his lips.

He laughed, holding you close.  “God, I really love you.”

You grinned.  “I love you too,” you said.  “But really, watching me work?”

He looked away guiltily.  “Well,” he trailed off.  “It’s a tad bit sexy.”

“Tom!” you exclaimed, feeling your heart skip a beat.  “You can’t say things like that!”

“Why not?”

“Because I’ll fall in love with you all over again.”

[royallyprincesslilly]

Title: Arranged {1}

Yahya Abdul Mateen II x OFC Nyorie Kane

Warning: Plot

Words: 1.4k

Summary: Yahya is thirty-three, and his friends and family all seem to believe that it is long overdue for him to have a wife. He’s been set up more times than he can count and with his busy schedule and rising Hollywood star, it is becoming even more difficult to meet people, well people who aren’t looking for a come up. In the beginning, he said he didn’t want anything serious; his motto was “I’m was here for a good time not a long time.” Then it became he didn’t want anything that would distract him from where he wanted to go and what he wanted to accomplish. Now that his fame is rising and he’s approaching a sweet spot in his career he decides what the hell the time might be right.

In comes “A Match”, an exclusive matchmaking company run by his best friend Ramel’s wife Tamika. He gives Tamika and Ramel free rein and all his trust to find him, someone, he’d mesh well with. Instead of going through her clientele Tamika has just the right woman in mind, her best friend, Nyorie. Things are done a little unorthodox at “A Match” though. This unconventional route is credited for a near-perfect success rate.

Note: I’ve only tagged those who have expressed to be on a forever tag list. 

****Also, please keep an open mind.

**Loosely Proofread/Edited**

✧*.。:。✧*.:。✧*✧*.。:。✧*.:。✧*✧*.。:。✧*.:。✧*

 Chapter One

  “Man, you not getting any younger. Plus we all know how important family is to you the rate you’re going you not even gonna have one till you fifty,” Ramel said as he came back into the living room with his hands full of food. Ramel stopped in front of the U-shaped sectional and handed out bags to their owners. He stood up and took the cream-colored plastic bag Ramel held out for him.

 “I don’t know how many times you’re going to keep saying this.”

 “As many times as need be. I mean really, is uncle Ya good enough bruh?”

 He pulled out the containers of food and thought about Ramel’s words for a few moments. He loved being uncle Ya, loved picking his niece Havea and nephew Rami up for their biweekly ice-cream and bowling night. He loved showing up to their school functions and trips to Disney and tagging along to kid movie premiers. He wouldn’t change anything about it.

“Look man, I know you love my kids. What’s not to love? I also know you want kids of your own. You can’t have that continuing on the way you are,” Ramel drilled home.

 He knew it. Truthfully, he’d been mulling the pros and cons over for months. Ramel wasn’t the only one in his life badgering him like this. His mother, sisters, and brother were all on his case too. His mother liked to pile on the guilt asking him when she’d get a grandchild and when she’d get to see him walk down the aisle and made it no secret she was praying for it before she died. What the hell was he to say to that?

 “Not everybody wanna be married Mel, you got half the squad on that ball and chain shit leave him alone,” Rashawn blurted out. The four of them laughed loudly. Normally they’d be keeping it down because of the kids but they were at a sleepover, so they were free to be as loud as they wanted.

 “Man, shut up. He the last one. Your ass bout to be on that ball and chain shit too. One-week fool,” Ramel added.

 “You don’t have to remind me. Torri has the house filled with everything wedding related. Man, this week needs to hurry up so we can get back to real life.”

 He leaned back and focused on his food. He was the last one in the group still single. The last one of the four musketeers, the lone wolf. It didn’t bother him before; it was just the way it was. Now—he wouldn’t focus on it, not now.

 They continued to watch the basketball game and talk like they always did when they got together. They’d been friends for a long time, and he valued their friendship and advice. He trusted them with everything and would always have their backs as he knew the same was true for them.

 Rashawn desperately stayed away from all and any talk about his wedding to Torri. He acted like he’d been caroused into the wedding when everyone knew damn well he was stupid in love and cried through the proposal. Ramel assumed the role of loudmouth big brother pretending like he knew everything; it was a role he’d played for most of their friendship. Tyrell didn’t pretend to not be the hopelessly devoted husband he was to Dacia; he was the one who was always caught texting her and secretly face-timing her during guys night out. When they got together, a lot of fun and a lot of shit-talking always happened and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

 By the time the game ended, the food finished, and Tamika came home it was close to two in the morning. Ramel wasted no time kicking everyone out when he saw how inebriated Tamika was.

 “Y’all don’t have to go home, but you got to get the hell up outta here. My woman is drunk, we got no kids for the night, some freaky shit bout to go down!”

 They all rolled their eyes and quickly began gathering their things.

 “How freaky?” He looked back to see Tamika crook her pointer and wiggle it to Ramel who smiled but pushed her hand down trying to hide her finger. He knew they were into some freaky shit and he did not need the details or the visuals.

 “Imma head out. I have an early day later anyway. Stay up man,” he said and went around the group giving each of them their handshake.

 “Think about what I said burh. We here for you,” Ramel finished. He nodded and walked over to Tamika and gave her a kiss on the cheek before he walked out the door to his car in the rounded driveway.

 The drive back to his house was a quick and quiet one. When he got home he showered and used the rest of his awake time to prep for the coming day. He knew it would be a long one.

  -The Next Day-

 Just as expected the day stretched on and on. He got maybe two hours of sleep before he was out of the house and on a set for a photoshoot. That shoot went on for eight hours, then he was off to a string of interviews then two meetings and yet another photoshoot.

 It was now close to one in the morning and they were just getting their last shots. He was exhausted. he knew this came with the territory. If he wanted to act he had to be okay with photoshoots, interviews, paparazzi, and everything else that came with fame. Some days it was a tough pill to swallow and he wondered what it would have been to continue on in architecture, and others he took it in stride and piled more onto his plate. Today was a mix of both.

 “All right Yahya, thank you that’s a wrap,” the photographer called out. He nodded and went around shaking hands with everyone who worked the shoot. A woman with dirty blond hair approached him with a wide smile.

 “I am such a fan, Yahya. I loved you in Aquaman.” He graciously smiled and thanked her. She bit her bottom lip and gave him a look he knew wasn’t strictly friendly. “Can I have a picture?”

 “Sure. No problem,” he cautiously responded as he stepped beside her and waited for her to angle her phone just right.

 “Say Black Manta.” He smiled at her request and held up his peace fingers. Once the photo was taken she turned to him again and thanked him.

 “Look, I know this is forward and normally I wouldn’t do this but it’s 2020, I’m gonna shoot my shot.” She held out a piece of paper to him and he could see a phone number scribbled across it.

 “This is my number. No pressure to use it, just—if you want to use it, I’d answer, and we could hang out.”

 She was attractive, he wasn’t going to deny that. Her skin reminded him of smooth chestnut. Coupled with the color of her hair she was a beautiful woman. He was just leery of her motives. Ninety percent of the women he’d met since his breakout roles all had ulterior motives.  Most just wanted to be seen out with him so the rumor mill could start circulating and give them their fifteen minutes. He wasn’t with that. That was the one thing about his newfound fame. He never knew what anyone wanted from him anymore.

 “Uh--.” He was speechless. He didn’t want to embarrass her by rejecting her, so he took the paper and nodded. “Thank—you.”

 She smiled and again bite her bottom lip. “Okay, great. See you around.” She walked off leaving him to look down at the paper with her name and number. “Thalia-954-389-3048.” She’d dotted her I with a star. It bothered him and he didn’t know why. He stuffed the paper in his pocket resolved in his decision not to take it there.  He didn’t have the time or energy to sift through the sea of clout chasers.

 He quickly finished up, got his things and left. He’d missed his workout for the day and needed to get one in. every little bit helped especially with him trying to get into Matrix shape.

 Luckily his trainer was up and was able to meet him at the gym to train. A few reps on the treadmill, another couple sets of weights, then some time on the bar and finally a brutal boxing session rounded out the hour and fifteen-minute rotation. By the end of it, he was dripping sweat and ready to just drop in bed which is just what he did. 

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

***If you want to be tagged please SEND AN ASK SO IT WILL BE EASIER FOR ME TO KEEP TRACK OF. Thank you for reading!!!

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

TagList:

@chrisgalore @thatrandomhetaliachick @missdeerstalker15 @queenbetter @jesseswartzwelder @briellableu @titty-teetee  @zaddysqueen7 @melaninhawtie  @simplyyamberr @airis-paris14 @ashanti-notthesinger @afraiddreamingandloving @ajspencer1892 @wakanda-inspired @chillavesss @drsunshine97 @cleothegoldfish @builtalongthewayside @theunsweetenedtruth @geeksareunique @aykanna @hanasamara @profilia @ollieveracity @autumn242 @missyperle @sup3rn0va13 @chaneajoyyy @forbeautyandlife @kreolemami @designerwriterchic  @laketaj24

[honeypiehotchner]

Beautiful Stranger (Chris Evans x OFC) -- part six

Hello! Now I know Chris doesn’t actually have Instagram, so I’m bending reality a little here. I wish he had Instagram though. Can you imagine the content?

Warnings: none!

Once I leave Chris’s apartment, I make it to the elevator before I’m calling Camile. She calls me back after listening to my voicemail where I told her I met Chris and we need to talk. Like now.

“How’d it go?” She blurts before even saying hello.

“Good, I think,” I reply through a breath, staring up at the ceiling as the elevator takes me down to the lobby. “I’m going back for dinner later tonight.”

“Ooh, dinner,” Camile teases. “Where are you guys going?”

“His place,” I chew on the inside of my cheek. “Cam, listen, I really need to talk to you about this in person, so…”

“I can be at The Nines in ten?”

“Perfect, me too,” I sigh in relief. The elevator dings as it reaches the lobby.

“Is it okay if Jack tags along?”

I think it over before deciding. “No, please, if that’s okay.” I don’t mind Jack at all, seriously. But I need to tell her first. And I know Jack will freak out and possibly scream the news without meaning to, and judging by what Chris told me, I need that to not happen right now.

“It’s okay,” she says, no an ounce of malice in her tone, but I can tell she’s confused -- and worried. “But you’re kinda scaring me now.”

“Trust me, once I tell you who Chris is, you’ll understand.”

“Okay, fine,” Camile replies. “I’ll be there in five, then.”

“I’m already walking,” I tease, pushing the doors open. “I’ll grab a table.”

“See you in a sec.”

“See you.”

+++

My leg bounces underneath the table while I wait impatiently for Camile to get here. I’ve got Google images pulled up on my phone with pictures of Chris (yes, I might have gotten distracted scrolling through them all). I found one of him on what looks like a movie set, so I’m assuming it’s Captain America, and that’s all I need.

The Nines is essentially a diner, and anyone who calls it a restaurant is always politely corrected. It’s away from the main city streets and small enough that it doesn’t attract many tourists, which means it’s nice and quiet.

Which is exactly what I need right now, especially for what I’m about to tell my best friend.

Speaking of her, Camile comes through the door looking like she ran in from her car (and she might have), though she calms herself to a walk when she sees me in our usual booth. The queen of not drawing any unnecessary attention to herself, ladies and gentlemen and everyone in between.

“Okay,” Cam throws her purse into the booth before sliding in. “You need to tell me right now what’s going on before I lose my mind from anticipation.”

All I do is turn my phone over, revealing the picture of Chris. I slide it toward her without even glancing down.

“Why are you showing me a picture of Steve Rogers?”

I shake my head, looking down to swipe to the side until I come to a picture of Chris at an interview.

“Okay, why are you showing me a picture of Chris Evans?”

“Because Chris…” I keep my voice as quiet as possible. “Is who I’m meeting for dinner.”

It takes a moment to sink in, but I know the second it does because her eyes widen and her hand slaps over her mouth -- I’m sure to stop herself from screaming. 

I just nod, a small grin creeping onto my face at the thought of it. Not really at the thought of my soulmate being Chris Evans, though. Just...that I have a soulmate. And so far he doesn’t seem to hate me. And that I can finally, finally after so many years of hiding myself away, I can finally have this conversation with my best friend. The one she had with me when she told me she met Jack for the first time and showed me pictures from his Instagram.

Wait.

“Does Chris have Instagram?”

“What do you mean does Chris have Instagram?” She almost yells. “He’s Chris Evans, of course he has Instagram!”

“Keep your voice down!” I scold, pulling my phone back toward me to open up the app. “I just got curious.” I find his page easily -- it’s the only verified one with his name, and he has a picture of Dodger posted from four days ago -- but then I pause. “Is it weird if I follow him?”

“Of course not!”

“But all we’ve had is one awkward conversation. And we played with his dog.”

“You got to play with Dodger?!”

“Shh!”

“There’s literally no one else in here.”

“Still,” I glance around, seeing she’s right. “He said his publicist has him on house arrest or something. I don’t want anything to get anywhere.”

“House arrest? What the hell did he do?”

“I don’t know,” I shrug.

“Well, check the news.”

“What?”

“He’s famous, Bluebird. If you wanna know why his publicist told him to keep his ass inside, then it’s probably because he needs to avoid paparazzi as much as possible, which means something else already caught fire.”

“How do you know this?”

“Because I had to tell my boss the same thing.”

My eyebrows shoot up. “You didn’t tell me you were a publicist.”

“I’m not, but I might as well be. Anywho, you need to follow him,” she points to my phone. “And while you look through his Instagram like I know you’re dying to do, I’ll see what trouble he got himself into.”

“This feels weird,” I blurt. “I shouldn’t be snooping around like this. Those things probably aren’t even true.”

“Fine, I’ll snoop, and I won’t tell you.”

“I guess.”

She tucks her phone away, sensing my indifference. “I’ll snoop later, then.” She nods to my phone. “Any cute pictures?”

I glare at her. “Yes.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop,” she waves her hands in front of her face, settling back down. “God, how does it feel?”

“Really...weird,” I admit. “I mean, I already told him about my parents.”

Her eyebrows raise. “That didn’t take long.”

“Exactly, that’s my point,” I breathe. “It didn’t take long for me to feel comfortable enough to say that stuff. It’s weird. You know I don’t run around telling people that.”

“He’s your soulmate,” Camile leans forward, giving me a look. “It’s different-- He’s different. It’s going to feel different. That’s just how it works.”

“It’s weird,” I say firmly.

“Well, you better get over yourself quickly. You’re having dinner with him.”

“Don’t remind me,” I smack my forehead with my hand. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

“No, no, no, don’t start,” Cam shakes her head. “You weren’t having any regrets before this. Don’t start overthinking.”

But I do anyway, completely ignoring Camile’s warning. “I mean, come on, his publicist has him on house arrest. Figuratively or not, I don’t know what that’s like -- or how to handle it. He probably wants-- He probably wanted his soulmate to be someone, like an actress, you know? Someone who gets it. I don’t get it--”

“You don’t ‘get it,’ and yet you’re going to have dinner at his place because he can’t go out right now.”

“Because he offered,” I protest.

“But you agreed,” Cam fires back, raising an eyebrow. “You understood. It doesn’t matter if you don’t totally get it or relate to it. He doesn’t expect you to get it because you’re not a famous actress.”

“No, I’m just a secretary for an asshole of a boss,” I roll my eyes, absolutely dreading the fact that I have to work tomorrow.

“At least that asshole gave you some days off,” Camile groans, but she’s not defending him. She’s offered a few times to give me a job where she works, but it would be a little difficult considering she works at an attorney’s office and all I have is a degree in English.

Then, I see Camile get a wild idea and I know because her eyebrows raise, her eyes twinkle, and her smile strains as she tries to fight it.

“What.” I deadpan. “I know that look. What?”

“Chris could come to your office,” she starts, continuing despite my protest. “Pick you up for lunch and everything. Make your boss jealous.”

“No!” I point an accusing finger at her. “Absolutely not. You’ve lost your goddamn mind.”

“Come on!” She yells back. “It’s perfect.”

“It’s ridiculous,” I correct her. “And I don’t have anything to prove to my boss.”

“I never said that,” she says. “I’m just saying, maybe he’ll realize he has no chance and he’ll leave you alone.”

“Doubtful.”

My boss -- whose actual name is Mr. Johnson, though I never refer to him by name out in public because he’s, well, a bit of a big name around here and not in a necessarily positive light -- has been pursuing me from the day I started. If I didn’t need this job so bad, and if it wasn’t as hard as it is to find another one with the pay I’m making, then I would leave. And maybe one day I will. I’ve come close a few times, but then Mr. Johnson will go off on a business trip and I’ll stay. He always goes on trips and sometimes goes through periods where he isn’t as annoying, but regardless, as of late, he has been a particular pain in my ass.

“It wouldn’t be a bad idea, maybe as you and Chris get closer,” Camile suggests. “That is, if you don’t quit and come work with me.”

“I told you I can’t.”

“And I told you we have a position open and my bosses know your situation, and they’d be willing to match your pay,” she replies, adding the pitch she’s had perfected for the last six months. “Janae is about to go on maternity leave, too. Like next month.”

I give her a look. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

But this is enough to make Camile cheer. “That’s not a yes and it’s not a no, so I’ll take it.” She suddenly looks very serious as she leans forward on the table on her elbows. “Alright, what are you wearing tonight?”

I raise an eyebrow. “What I’m wearing now?”

“No--”

“It’s not a date.”

“It’s dinner!”

“Not a dinner-date. Just dinner.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” I reply firmly. “Just dinner.”

“I heard you the first time,” she chuckles. “You trying to convince yourself there?”

“Shut up,” I glare, looking around. “I should actually eat something.”

We get the attention of our favorite waiter, Kevin, who comes over with a strange look on his face.

“You looked too far into a heated conversation,” he explains. “I didn’t wanna be in the middle of that shit.”

“Good idea,” Camile nods, sharing a wink with me before ordering.

+++

Chris had gotten away with not answering any of the guys when they texted about going out tonight, but sending Scarlett to voicemail just isn’t an option. He knows better than to do that.

“Hello?”

“Finally,” she laughs. “We’ve been trying to get ahold of you.”

“Yeah, sorry,” Chris says, opening the fridge to see if he needs to go to the store (he hopes not). “Been busy.”

“Okay…” Scarlett pauses. “So. Are you up for going out?”

“I can’t, I’ve got plans.”

“Chris has plans,” she teases. “With who?”

“Uh…” He sighs. “My soulmate.”

“Holy shit!” Scarlett yells. “You’re serious?!”

“Yep,” Chris can’t stop himself from grinning despite the lack of anything to really make dinner with. “We met last night in the elevator, but I didn’t know it was her. I went to check on her today and found out then.” He pauses, shutting the door. “She came to my door and Dodger was at her feet and she just started laughing-- Wow.”

“Okay, don’t make me sick,” Scarlett stops him. “Well, have fun tonight. I won’t tell the guys.”

“Thanks,” Chris replies sincerely. “I’ll tell them later.”

“Whenever you’re ready,” she tells him. “Do I need to bring you groceries?”

“What?”

“I know you, and I know you don’t have a damn thing in your fridge.”

Sometimes Chris hates the fact that he’s known Scarlett for so long. Because she does this, using her “big sister” tone despite Chris being three years older. She sees right through him all the time in the best and worst of ways. 

“Uh, yeah,” Chris kicks himself for the fact that she caught him. “Can I text you a list?”

“Sure,” she chuckles. “I’ll text you when I get it.”

“Thank you,” he breathes. “I’ll pay you back.”

“You better.”

Chris ends the call and begins texting Scarlett a list of what he needs to cook dinner for his soulmate.

[10boys]

MLQC : Oral (receving)

♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡

Gavin:

-Ugh ok so Gavin is 100% a giver

-He loves you more than life literally and theres nothing he wouldn’t do to show you.

-Naturally , hes a super bashful guy and gets a bit embarrassed when its time for he himself to be taken care of. He’s so used to being responsible for others that showing his vulnerability is something that took time, which you gladly gave him. You and Gavin have such a comfortable bond now he could do anything infront of you but ya know only things that make him look cool infront of you

-He came to your house superr late at night since after being on one of his week-long missons, still in uniform and smelling of “outside” to his airborn location

-after quick ilys and imys you offer him a shower to wined him down of his journeys

-The moment he stepped in and left you alone with your thoughts, they went wild

-His thick body fit into his uniform so well, his chest heaving from fatigue of his flight. His masculine smell filled your nose when you first embraced, the same one emanating from his steamy shower. Your thighs twiched as you imagined his body elongated and streached out to wash himself in the shower. His musclier arms reached above to rub the conditioner into his hair, the white bubbles dripping down his muscles coming together in the creases of his back. They’d dip into his V-line , as if showing your eyes where to go. Just as your were getting to the most delicious spot..

-“Babe..what are you looking at?”

-Actions speak louder than words......

-He layed beneath you on the bed as you kissed and sucked at his neck and ears. His fresh wet scent was tantalizing, his skin was soft and delicate beneath your fingertips. He held a tight grip on your waste, seemingly trying to keep you close as possible to him.

-Feeling your breast smothered onto his chest , nipples supply poking into his skin made the heat rush to his dick at an unbelievable speed

-Gavin has a very...active imagination. A small peak at your collar bones or the back of your lower thighs and he already has a saucy full-body image of you in his head. Saying something vaguely suggestive to him is the equivalent of your whimpers in his ear. You’ve ever wondered why those cheeks are always red?

-Plus the boys just super horny in general lol he always wants saucy times when hes with you. You don’t even have to ask and at the blink of an eye he’s shirtless ( he loves being shirtless for you ‘baby pls look at my hot bod pls love me the most’ )

-He poked you from beneath his navy boxers, hips slightly bucking into you as you continued to grope as suck at his neck and chest. His face flushed pink as his head started to cloud in his light waves of pleasure.

-As you began to kiss him lower, golden eyes poured into your own. He watched the way your lips connect and parted with his skin, leaving sheen pelts of spit his torso. Your tongue danced down his happy trail as you sucked light purple circles onto his lower abdomen.

-Gavin is a grunt and groner. He’s still shy, so he’ll be quiet at the beginning, but its hard to keep his cool when your figure is present to use at his leasure. Heavy breaths and pants will escape as he lets himself roam. His hands will never stay in the same spot when you’re around...They’ll start on your thighs, then to your waste, then your chest, then behind your head, then back to your chest, then to your ass, waist and chest, thighs and chest you get the idea

-Actually, most of the moans you hear from him are simply cause he failed at holding them in

-Btw Gavins v gentle with you but his ass grabs are superr hard. He probably just gets carried away at the sensation of it filling his palm but you usually still feel his grip long after he’s let go.

-He just wants to be everywhere, to take and claim all of you.

-You kiss and smell along his length, palming him over his briefs. The smell was so intoxicating you couldn’t help but clench your thighs, trying to create a heat of your own. You quickly disregard of his boxers revealing his beautiful fully erected cock. Pre-cum dribbes down as the cold hair hits his tip, or maybe cause the view of your face so close to his cock is just that hot.

“Mmm Babe stop looking” srry baby ur just so beautiful. Ofc you can’t look for long without him getting bashful.

-He has a large vein ranging from ball to tip and it feels amazing when you run your tongue across it. Like Victor, Gavin loves watching you play with it. Its almost too much for him to watch. Lick him all around with as much spit on your tongue as you can get, kiss his tip with his balls in your hand. And for the sake of our boy make alllll the dick-sucking noises too- They’re his favorite. He even trys to stay quiet to hear them better.

-You don’t tease Gavin as much as you do the others. Although he would take it for you, hes way too impatient. He’s got great stamina from his daily workouts and could fuck for years, but his first nut usually comes rather quickly. Like i said, it doesn’t take much to rile him up.

-A wet mouth and hollow cheeks get the job done for him. His grip in your hair is kinda massage like, he rakes along your scalp in un-rythmic patterns. In other words, he totally fucks up your hair everytime.

-In usual circumstances, your body is usually draped over him in the 69 position while you suck. Gavin absolutely, and i mean absolutely loves the smell of pussy. He is 100% a panty stealer. He loves to have your backside smothering his face as he thrusts up into your mouth. The smell is absolutely engulfing to him, he can’t help to suck at you from over your panties.

-But for sessions created just for catering to him, he likes to sit on the edge of the bed with your naked body quivering below him. He likes watching the liquids from your mouth dribbling off your chin to rest on your bouncing chest. But his favorite part is your legs spread wide for him exposing your opened heat. His tongue often peaks out in in-voluntarily licking motions before he can bite his lips. Your clit is his eye candy as he thrusts himself closer to his release.

-Typically lf hes layed across the bed he uses his forarm to hide his erotic faces from you he must not know how orgasmic you find them

-Gavins orgasims come on strong, erupting a deep growl from his throat as he shoots his loud into your mouth. His tense face softens , eyebrows rising showing his state of complete bliss. He stiffens, holding you down on him until his very last wave.

-Once he’s done, he releases his grip resulting in an erotic view of his white semen spilling out from your mouth, it drips down onto your breast piling up with the rest of your liquids. Your wattering eyes look up into his sending an intense blush across his cheeks

-If Gavin were in an anime he would be the boy with massive nose bleeds when he see’s you

-ooh no he’s horny again

-yes he will clean u up first

Kiro:

- Kiro is also a giver in theory

- Now dont get me wrong- this bright bubbly ball of sunshine loves to give his acts of service to you, but he is , very much so, a boy. He loves when you go down on him, he loves being the center of your attention and all your gestures.

-Kiros definitely a pint up boy- going from show to show and interview to interview, he barley has enough time to sleep let alone relive himself. When you two first got together, he was very modest and a bit shy to show his manly desires for you. He respects you for being such an important person in his life, having ungodly thoughts about you made him feel like a nasty boy. But as time passed and you escalated in your intamacy, he is absolutely shameless in letting you know what he wants or if he’s ‘in the mood~” “babee.. stop working..i wanna play~” “Those shorts look very good on you miss chips...so... short”

-Kiro doesnt talk much to let you know what he wants anyway, in fact, one glance into those ocean blue orbs and you know his intentions. He’ll act super cutesy at first, slowly inching his body closer to yours for ‘innocent cuddles’. Kiro is a very hands-on affectionate, so this part was normal. But soon his hands will start to wonder and grope while a devious smirk spreads across his face he knows you see him as a sweet little angel and he will play that role to his advantage

-He’ll nuzzle his head into your chest demanding you take notice to his actions like a freaking puppy, And once you lower your gaze to find his figure latched around yours, his seemly sensual orbs pour into you, sending you notice of his want for you. When kiro uses his cuteness to fight for dominance he will always win.Always. And you’re okay with that.

-Kiros not necessarily shy about his noises for you , especially after all the praises you’ve whispered to him about how good they sound. He’ll moan and whimper to you as your hands massage his length over his boxers, peppering kisses down his neck and across his chest. Your kisses feel like heaven to him, leaving small waves of heat at every peck and nibble left on him.

-With that said, when you start kissing and sucking at his lower abdomen , his mouth immediately hangs releasing a steady breathy moan for you. The view when you looked up at him was godly..

-Kiros pleasure face is absolutely erotic. His pleasure state in general is mouth watering. His eyes are dark and low, his face twists and contorts, he grabs at everything; His hair, the sheets, the pillows, you, anything that might fall into his grasp is being pulled and scratched at. As much as you would love to spend all your time planting kisses on his skin, you quickly relocate to different spots making sure not to leave any marks. Kiros shirt lifts a considerable amount of times from him jumping around on stage, so its better not to ruin any of his fans’ day by new-found knowledge of his intamacys. This service is for you but that is fan-service for them.

-Kiro loves being teased :)

-Blow your heat onto his head from over his boxers for a easy and quick way to wake up little kiro. Kiss him around the spots he wants you too, and make sure to keep eye contact. He gets super off from you watching him he just loves attention

-Please pay all attention to his balls. Lick them up and down for a while with his legs spread wide, nibble and suck at them. This will make his hips a thrusting mess as he trys to create more friction for himself.

-He’ll use his own hand to push his dick in your mouth, but first, he’ll watch as you lay there mouth wide and tongue hung for him. He’ll press his tip against your face, letting it roll over all your features. He lets out a soft giggle before letting the tip roll over your hot wet tongue. The wave immediately made his cock twich infront of you, a dribble of pre-cum leaking from his tip.

-Kiro is def a hand holder. Pls expect him to want your fingers interlocked to bring a loving gesture to your vile actions. He’s internally lovey-dovey during sex. Even if he’s not verbally spitting soft phrases at you, his mind is filled with fluffy thoughts of you “ahh.. so pretty” “she uses her mouth so good..” “she’s so lovely” “im so lucky” “..m-more there...ah...perfect” “i love her so much”

-Kiro nuts very well <3

- The boys orgasims...are mighty. His hip thrusts might get a little rough as his head fills with waves of pleasure, subconsciously bobbing your head down a little harder than intended. Short moans tumble over eatch other as his breath quickens considerably. He trys his hardest to keep his eyes open, the view of you teary-eyed engulfing his length is enough to finish him and it does .

- A few more deep sucks and his back arches, his body stiffens as waves of hypnotizing pleasure take him over. His moans were as pretty as his singing coming close, but as the shocks of heated kisses reminisce through his nerves , he sits silent, mouth hung open only to release small high-pitched gasps and a maybe dribble of drool.

-As he comes down from his high he’ll wipe your face and spit beautiful praises at you. He’s a fluff after sex so expect lots of mushy gushy cuddles and pillow talk <3

“Wow...that was the best one...”

“you said that the last time...and the time before...”

“Yeah !!! Until next time too~ !!”

-

Yayyy the continuation is done! Pls lmk what you think, and my ask is currently open ! Gavins is a bit short cause he’s my fav, so im a perfectionist in representing his image lol. Will add the links once im off work -Myk

[crazy-little-cool-cat]

Hand in Glove - Chapter 24 | Ben Hardy x OFC

A/N: I’m a shooting star leaping through the skies like a tiger, defying the laws of gravity. Don’t stop me now. Also, y’all can thank the Jewish holidays for giving me so much free time to write. This chapter was written in collaboration with @ramibaby​. My dear, thank you for sacrificing your fics for this chapter. You are a champion. 

Word Count: Laughs nervously.

Warnings: There’s smut. Also, I’m kind of making fun of fanfics in this one, which means I’m making fun of myself, mostly, so please, fellow writer - do not take this seriously. This is pure fun. If you’re confused by this statement, just read the chapter and your issues will be resolved. 

Chapter 1, Chapter 2,  Chapter 3,  Chapter 4,  Chapter 5,  Chapter 6,  Chapter 7,  Chapter 8,  Chapter 9,  Chapter 10,  Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14 , Chapter 15 , Chapter 16 , Chapter 17 , Chapter 18 , Chapter 19 , Chapter 20 , Chapter 21 , Chapter 22 , Chapter 23

“Bullocks.”

“I’m telling you, Jamie. They hated it.”

“Sweet Clara,” Jamie shook his head and pursed his lips, “they’re lying. At least one of them is.”

“Who’s lying?” Annie startled them both.

“You are.” Jamie said, tongue in cheek.

“Enlighten me.” Annie crossed her arms.

“We’ve kissed, what, trillions of times?” Jamie asked. “Not one of them was like kissing a croc. Or an eel.”

“How do you even know -”

“The Snitcher here told me all about it.” Jamie patted Clara’s head. “Anyways, someone’s lying.”

Annie took a deep breath.

“Well, then?” Jamie tapped his foot as he waited for Annie to either tear him a new asshole or come clean. “Which one is it?”

“I mean, it wasn’t that bad.” Annie said, looking at the ground.

“Oh, no…” Clara took a step back while Jamie lifted his closed fist and released it, dropping an invisible mic. “Annie, what are you saying?”

“It wasn’t that bad.” Annie shrugged. “Did I make a whole show of it to get you knuckleheads to stop? Yes. But so did Joe.”

“Wait, what?”

“Oh, the plot thickens!” Jamie leered.

“Fuck off, Jamie.” Annie shot back. “Look, did I like the way Joe kissed me? No. Not really. He’s too gentle.”

“But?” Clara prodded on.

“But it wasn’t as horrible as we both said it was.” Annie said casually. “Will I do it again now that I know what it’s like? Nope.”

“Jamie?” Clara looked at the tall redhead.

Jamie squinted suspiciously at Annie, scrutinizing her from head to toe.

“She’s telling the truth.”

###

“How many more of these do we have left?” Ben rubbed his face with both hands and threw his head back against the back of the sofa he, Gwilym, Rami and Joe were crammed in since the morning. “If I have to answer the same bloody questions again…”

They finally got a break. Gwilym decided to go stretch his legs a bit and Rami went out for a smoke, leaving Ben and Joe alone in the room.

“I know, right?” Joe grumbled.

“Can I ask you something?” Ben removed his hands and turned his head to look at Joe.

“Shoot.”

“You liked kissing her, didn’t you?”

“Look, Ben, I don’t want to hurt your feelings…”

“So, you did.”

“It wasn’t as horrible as we made it seem, no.” Joe started. “But I didn’t like the way she kissed me, man.”

“What?”

“She’s too aggressive.” Joe shrugged. “The lip biting thing? I don’t like it.”

“Wait -”

“I mean, she’s not a bad kisser at all.” Joe rephrased. “Very... passionate.”

“Huh.”

“Just a bit too much for my liking.”

“Good. That’s good.” Ben straightened up. “So it won’t happen again?”

“No.” Joe smiled. “Although, her kiss did make me wonder what your sex life is like.”

“Amazing, actually.”

###

Annie stared at her phone, scratching her head in confusion. After looking through her texts while Ben filled the car with petrol, she had half a mind to pay someone to build a flying saucer for her and her family leave this planet forever.

“What’s wrong?” Ben said as he put on his seat-belt.

“The world.”

“Uh?”

“There’s people out there pining over Clara and me. Like, romantically.”

“Come again?” Ben adjusted the rear view mirror and smiled when Rory’s reflection appeared. “What are you on about?”

“They call us Clannie, Ben.”

“What?”

“They’re writing stories about Clara and me as a couple. Graphic stuff.”

“Can you send me a link to one of them?” Ben smirked.

“No!” Annie shuddered. “You sick, sick man!”

“Could be hot.” He shrugged.

“So could the stories about you, Gwilly and Joe.” Annie smirked back.

“What, like Gwil and me, Joe and me, and Gwil and Joe?”

“No, no,” Annie stifled a chuckle. “All three of you at once.”

Ben blinked, staring at the road ahead.

“Da!”

“Yeah, baby?” Ben replied instinctively, before slamming his foot on the breaks. “Did she just call me Da?”

“She’s six months old, I’m not sure babies start talking at that age.”

“She called me Da.” Ben insisted.

“She’s a babbling blob, Ben.” Annie rolled her eyes. “She didn’t call you Da.”

“She said her first word and it was Da.”

“Ben, you’re being irrational.”

“You’re jealous.”

“Da! Ba! Bfffffffffff!” Rory continued.

“I know, Rory,” Annie turned around in her seat, “but doing press interviews can make anyone hear things.”

“Sssssssseeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

“You’re absolutely right.” Annie replied. “But we love him anyways.”

###

If there’s one thing Annie hated the most about promoting season two of Greensleeves, it’s doing the interviews and late-night talk shows. Same questions, different people. It got tiresome. She managed to play the “Baby Card” more times than she’d expected... Until the producers realised what she was doing and the proverbial party was officially over.

“So, is the cast really that close?” Jason, the host, asked Clara and Annie.

“Some are closer than others.” Annie replied, surprisingly diplomatically. “Jamie and I have known each other before and Clara and I basically grew up together, so that was inevitable.”

“The previous George Boleyn was alright, I suppose. He didn’t last too long, though.” Clara chimed in. “But the new guy? We love Mike.”

“Oh yeah, he fit right in.” Annie smiled. “As far as the older cast members - we look up to them, but we don’t share our nonsense with them too much.”

“What about Jane Seymour’s character?” Jason asked.

“Well, we haven’t met her yet.” Annie confessed. “The production team’s goal was for art to truly imitate life and they want my reaction to be as genuine as possible. We haven’t filmed the part she comes into the picture just yet.”

“We don’t even know who she is, to be honest.” Clara added.

“I suspect someone messed up and forgot to cast a Jane, really.” Annie shrugged.

“Careful, there, Annabelle.” Jason chuckled. “Keep calling the production team out like that and you’ll end up fired.”

“I’ll be beheaded either way.”

“And what a glorious sight it will be.” Clara cheekily teased her.

“You two seem to have an amazing bond.” Jason admitted. “Do you ever fight?”

“All couples do.” Clara answered and Jason audibly gasped. “We don’t like to be too public about our tiffs.”

“Clara, you blithering fool…” Annie smacked her own forehead dramatically.

“Well, since you ladies brought it up -”

“Not this lady.” Annie muttered, pointing at herself.

“- what exactly is Clannie? I assume you’ve heard the term before.”

Clara and Annie exchanged amused smiles and sighed simultaneously.

“The bane of my existence.” Annie replied.

“Basically, I stumbled upon it the other day after a fan sent me a private message on Instagram, saying there’s an actual hashtag people use when they talk about Annie and I.”

“Sounds innocent enough.” Jason shrugged.

“Oh, you dirty, dirty man.” Clara joked. “You know damn well where this is going.”

“You seem to be enjoying this!” Jason laughed.

“Believe me, she loves every bloody minute of it.” Annie chimed in.

“Right, so as I snooped around I found that Clannie is like a code name for Annie and I as a couple.”

“Aha.”

“And the more I delved in, the more entertaining it got. People are writing some pretty wild fanfiction stories about us.”

“Is it really all fiction?” Jason asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, if you’ll look at the screen here,” Jason turned back a little where a huge image behind the scenes of Greensleeves appeared. It was one of Annie licking cake off Clara’s face, “the show’s Instagram page is like fodder for the Clannie enthusiasts.”

“Oh my God, I forgot about that!” Annie burst out laughing. “It was Clara’s birthday! Season one! Jamie took this picture, actually. Right after I smashed Clara’s face into that cake.”

“It’s tradition.” Clara explained. “The cake licking part was definitely improvised.”

###

“Ben?”

“In here!”

Annie followed the sound of Ben’s voice and found him in the living room, folding laundry while watching whatever was on the telly.

“I am absolutely shattered.” Annie wrapped her hands around Ben’s waist and looked up at him. “Longest day in my entire life.”

“Likewise.” Ben murmured and kissed her. “Just got home a couple of hours ago. When I picked Rory up from my mum’s she was already asleep.”

“God, I wish I could be her for a day.”

“Yeah? Want me to give you baths and carry you in my arms and nibble on your little bum after I change your nappy?” Ben raised an eyebrow. “Just say the word. Also Joe and Gwil shot a weird little bit today when they read what Tumblr users said about the movie and cast and do people not wank anymore?”

“I, uh…” Annie was at a loss for words.

“How was your day?”

“If I have to hear about Clannie again I will definitely clock someone.” Annie released her grip on Ben and collapsed on the sofa. “Why are people so obsessed with this?”

“Two hot birds doing naughty things?” Ben shrugged. “I can see the appeal of it.”

“Ben, no.”

“Don’t be such a prude, now, love.” He put the last item of folded clothing in the hamper and flopped down next to Annie, his hand trailing up her thigh.

“Ben…”

“I missed you, alright?” his fingers poked their way under the waistband of her leggings. “I can’t stop missing you.”

“Ben, seriously, I’m so tired.” She grumped as he slid off the sofa and positioned himself in front of her, nudging her legs open. “I missed you too but -”

“Let me do all the work.” He looked up at her through his eyelashes as his hands gripped her waistband again. He looked up at Annie with his best puppy dog eyes and waited for her consent. With a sigh, she lifted her bum up, letting Ben pull her leggings and knickers down in one swift motion. “Good girl.”

###

When Ben’s phone rang for the fifth time and Gwilym’s name showed up on the screen yet again, he knew something was either horribly wrong or that Gwilym is drunk and emotional. Glancing at Annie, they both sighed in resignation before taking the FaceTime call.

“Have you been drinking?” Annie asked when Clara showed up on the screen. “What kind of fuckery is this?”

“We found a good story and we just had to share, alright? Calm your tits, Annie. It’s not a Clannie.” Clara rolled her eyes. “Why won’t Joe pick up?”

“I just texted him to pick up.” Ben shoved the screen into view. “As his husband, he’ll surely listen to me.”

“Bugger off!” Gwil turned his phone around and flipped him the bird.

“Why have I been summoned?” Joe asked, his face appearing on the screen.

“Well, we have a treat for you!” Clara practically sang.

“A treat?”

“Yours socks are going to fly right off, mate.” Gwil added as Clara pulled the story up on her phone. “You’re not ready for this.”

With a devilish smile to the camera, Clara cleared her throat and began.

“’Joe…?’ Ben croaked, eyes still closed, brow low and fingers wrapped firmly around his length over his jeans.” Clara started reading.

“Off to a good start.” Annie teased.

“It gets better.” Clara commented. “Right, where was I? Ah. There.” She snickered. “Suddenly, his eyes shot open and they landed on you once again; glassy and dazed they were as he stared you down, stroking himself with more purpose. He looked at you with such focus and intent, it was as though he was about to devour you whole. You looked at him with such longing, it was as though you were about to let him. ‘Undress… h-her.’ His words came out in a strangled whine and he bit his lip, looking over your body expectantly as Joe wordlessly obliged.” Clara raised her eyes from the screen and huffed. “Gwil, stop smiling like that!”

“What in the bloody hell is this?” Ben was visibly annoyed. “I do not whine. Annie, tell them I don’t whine!”

“He really doesn’t.” Annie nodded. “But Joe doing everything Ben says? That person hit the nail on the head right there.”

“Hey!” Joe’s brows knotted. “I don’t do everything he says!”

“But you do.” Ben and Annie choired.

“Shut up, you two-headed-monster.”

“People, can we please focus on the important stuff? There’s more to read here.” Clara scolded them. “Let’s see… Oh, this is good! Your nerves grew as a pair of warm hands rounded your shoulders from behind. Joe must have felt you tense up a little as he leaned down to murmur in your ear, ‘Alright, Y/N?’ The ghost of his words made you shiver on their way past.”

“Who the fuck is Whyanne?” Ben interrupted.

“Sounds like some hillbilly from a West Virginian trailer park with a potato gun and a cousin with missing teeth.” Joe added.

“What?” Clara was visibly confused.

“Who’s Whyanne and why did I tell Joe to undress her? This makes no bloody sense.”

“It’s written as Y-slash-N, you knobs.” Gwil explained. “Carry on, doll.”

“Anyways.” Clara continued. “You smiled at his redundant question - of course you weren’t.”

“I don’t like where this is going.” Joe commented. “Sounds a bit rapey.”

“Just let me finish!” Clara groaned. “You were certain your panties were soaked through at the mere sight of them - a fact you felt too compelling to keep to yourself. With that in mind, you shook your head slowly from side to side, eyes still on Ben before you, your chest inflating as you drew in a deep breath. Ben shot you a confused look, concerned you were having second thoughts.”

“Yeah, this is definitely rapey.” Joe concluded.

“Joe, if you won’t let her finish a bloody paragraph, so help me God…” Annie threatened, clearly invested in the story.

“Thank you, Banana!” Clara put a hand over her heart with a grateful smile. “Wait I lost my spot again… duh-duh-duh… there it is!” She smiled triumphantly. “Here we go. Hold on to your manties, gentlemen, this is about to get steamy.” She took a deep breath and got into character. “‘No,’ you breathed, tilting your head back to look at Joe. You reached a hand up to cup his jaw as he looked down at you, a look of worry overtaking his soft features.”

“My features aren’t soft.” Joe muttered. “They’re manly and feral.”

“Of course they are, bub.” Annie reassured him.

“Guys! Come on!” Clara snapped her fingers at the camera. “Focus!”

“Sorry.” Annie said sheepishly.

“’I’m so fucking wet and…”

“Whoa, whoa!” Ben cut her off. “Gwilym, control your woman!”

“She’s reading the story, you saggy tit.” Gwil explained.

“Joe emitted a soft whine -” Clara paused, knowing an interruption is due. “Joe, sweetheart, this sounds like something you’d do, don’t even think about denying it.” She pointed at the camera. “- Joe emitted a soft whine and his expression shifted; his eyes dark and nostrils flaring as his grip on your shoulders tightened. Pushing your ass back against his crotch, you disclosed, ‘…I think I’ve ruined my favourite…” Clara burst out laughing. “Sorry. ‘I’ve ruined my favourite -” the pitch in her voice rose ten octaves at the last syllable as she tried to stop laughing like a madwoman. “My favourite…” Clara was absolutely wheezing. She tried to finish the sentence, but all that came out of her was a screechy, “laaaaaace-pannnnneeeeeeeeeeeeeee”.

“What?” Ben looked at Annie in utter bewilderment. Annie shrugged in response.

“What was that last part?” Joe scratched his head as he tried to make sense of Clara’s incoherent shrieking.

“Lace panties.” Gwilym’s voice saved the day and translated his hysterical girlfriend’s nonsensical mumbling. “She ruined her favourite lace panties.”

“Oh.” Joe, Ben and Annie choired.

“Clara, compose yourself.” Gwil chuckled as she physically doubled over, tears running down, her laughter leaving her breathless. Moving to sit next to her and switch to the front camera on his device, he took Clara’s phone from her. “Right, guess I’m going to take charge now. You furrowed your brow, your mouth ajar as you began to slowly grind against him, your hand never leaving the side of his face as his eyes bore into yours.” Gwilym paused. “Seems anatomically impossible if her back is against you unless you have a freakishly long neck.”

“I thought she was looking at Ben?” Joe asked.

“She’s clearly looking at you, Joe.” Annie quipped.

“Joe tried to keep his composure - to play along in the same teasingly innocent tone as yours, but the feeling of you moving against him must have been a little to much to bear as he stuttered ‘oh n-no…” Gwilym snorted. “Wow Joe, got a little excited there, hm? His hands trailed down your waist before resting on your hips. He held onto them tight as he pushed his clothed hard on against you with such force you drew in a deep breath.”

“Oh, wow.” Annie leaned back, her eyes wide. “The power of Joe’s boner really got her there.”

“His voice was low as he murmured, ‘surely we can - ugh,” he licked his bottom lip, eyes closing a moment as you felt his cock twitch against your ass - he was just as worked up as you.” Gwilym paused there, mulling over what he had just read aloud. “Joe, whoever wrote this seems to think you have a speech impediment.”

“Right?!” Joe asked, “Why do I keep stuttering?! I’m the most charismatic one!”

“Anyways.” Gwilym said, ignoring Joe’s last comment. “His eyes fluttered open and he continued, ‘surely we can make it up to you’. ‘I’d like that Joey…’ you smiled.”

Joe, Ben and Annie waited, not sure if that was it or if there’s more to the story. After a minute of Clara’s heaving and the rest sitting in silence, Annie finally spoke.

“To be fair,” she looked at Ben, “if it weren’t for the lace panties, I’d be willing to bet cold hard cash that Gwil wrote that for himself to read.”

###

“Hey, Joe! I bought something for you to take on your tour!” Annie beamed mischievously.

It was the night the guys - minus Ben - were leaving for the press tour and Annie went out on a whim earlier that day and decided to tease Joe in the best way she could possibly imagine.

“Well? What is it?” Joe asked impatiently.

They were all gathered at Annie and Ben’s, from which the car to the airport was picking the rest of the guys up. Ben was mopey and miserable, a stark contrast to Annie’s cheeriness.

“Close your eyes.” Annie drawled.

“I’d rather keep them open, actually.”

“Alright then.” Annie shrugged and left the room to fetch Joe’s present. She returned with a life-sized cardboard cutout of Ben. “Ta-daaa!”

“I love it!” Joe gushed and rushed over to her, taking the present and looking it over. “What’s his name?”

“I call him Ben Cardy.” Annie said proudly. “You’re welcome.”

“Oh Ben!” Joe’s smile was so wide, his face could split in half. “It’s like you’ll be with us after all!”

###

Ben was staring at his phone intently, his hand lazily palming his crotch. He knew he shouldn’t have done that. He should not have gone down the Clannie rabbit-hole. But Annie was away at work, Rory was napping, and he just felt compelled to at least give it a look. He almost hung from the bedroom ceiling fan when Annie cleared her throat, announcing her presence. He dropped his phone with a yelp.

“Jesus, Annie!”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.” Annie choked back a chuckle. “Also, surprise!”

“Why are you home?” Ben fumbled for his phone.

“Well, this is not what I was hoping you’d say.”

“Sorry, I mean -”

“I can leave if you want me to.” Annie suggested.

“What? No. Shut up.” Ben rambled. “Why are you home so early?”

“I figured you’d be sad and lonely now that the guys are away and decided to surprise you and come home early.” Annie shrugged. “Clearly, this isn’t the reaction I was expecting.”

“Christ. I’m sorry.” Ben’s face was beet-red. “I’m happy you’re home, obviously.”

“What do you have there?”

“Nothing.” Ben powered the screen off and tossed his phone aside. “C’mere.”

“No, there’s definitely something.” Annie stepped back and shook her head. “Was that porn?”

Ben had only a split second to think about a satisfactory answer that wasn’t also a total lie.

“Yes.”

“Well, that explains the tent you’re sporting.” Annie smirked. “Were you just getting started?”

“Uh.” Ben furrowed his brows.

“Alright. What’s up?” Annie pointed at Ben’s crotch. “Other than that.”

“Nothing. It’s nothing.” Shame flashed in Ben’s eyes. “Just regular porn, y’know.”

“Ben.”

“Annie.”

“Give me the phone.”

“No.”

“Are you…” Annie grimaced. “Are you sexting someone?”

“What? No!”

“You’re hiding something.”

“Annie, just let it go.”

“Fuck off. Give me the phone.”

Ben bit his bottom lip as he contemplated his next course of action. Either he tells Annie what’s on his phone, or he tries to distract her long enough for her to forget about it. When Annie lunged forward and made grabby-hands at his phone, his instincts kicked in. He physically blocked her.

“Annie, stop.”

“What the fuck!”

“It’s a Clannie story, alright?!” he almost growled at her. “There. Now you know.”

“You’re joking.”

“I’m not.”

“Ben, that’s…” Annie struggled to find the proper adjective.

“I know. I’m sorry.” Ben looked mortified. “I was bored and lonely. It’s horrible.”

“Then why are you hard?”

“Because it turns me on.”

“I’m confused.”

“Look, it’s not Hemingway, alright?” Ben groaned. “But the stuff this person wrote? The mental image I have planted in my brain now?”

“Good Lord.”

“Just come here. Listen.”

“Have you gone utterly bonkers, Jones?”

“Seriously. Come here.” He patted the empty space on the bed next to him.

Muttering to herself, Annie did as asked and snuggled up to her boyfriend.

“Right, so I’m skipping the beginning because that was just all kinds of blah.” Ben’s voice had an animated quality to it as he scrolled. “There. Listen.”

“You’re awful.” Annie mumbled. “This is domestic abuse.”

“Shut up.” Ben got comfortable and began. “’I’ve never been with a woman before…’ Clara confessed shyly, avoiding Annie’s piercing gaze.”

“Starting off with a lie, I see.” Annie scoffed and rolled her eyes, trying to stop Ben from reading any further.

“Annie simply smiled at how bashful Clara had become. Reaching out, Annie tucked a wayward strand of hair behind Clara’s ear. Clara leaned into it smiling softly as her eyes met Annie’s once again. ‘Would you like to?’ Annie asked boldly -”

“Alright, stop right there.” Annie sat up straighter. “I am sick and tired of everyone feeling like Clara is this sweet, innocent, baby angel all the time and I’m some she-devil, maneater, sex-crazed banshee.”

“You were cast as Anne Boleyn for a reason, love.”

“That’s besides the point! Clara is a filthy, naughty little elf!”

“Right. Anyhow.” Ben cleared his throat. “‘Would you like to?’ Annie asked boldly sitting up on her heels so their faces were only inches apart. She could feel Clara’s warm breath ghost her cheeks as she replied quietly, ‘yes.’”

Ben paused and waited for Annie’s outraged reaction.

“No comment?” He asked, genuinely surprised.

“Nope. You know, with me being such a bloody whore and enticing sweet blondes into sex all the time and whatnot. Carry on.”

“I mean, where’s the lie, though?”

“In case you forgot, you kissed me on our first date. And convinced me to have unprotected sex.”

“You should thank me for it.” Ben booped Annie’s nose with his finger. “Gave us Rory.”

“Goddamn it. You’re right.”

“Let me just find where I was when you so rudely interrupted me and scared the shit out of me…” he scrolled through the story. “There. ‘Fuck Clara, so good!’ Annie moaned, bare chest heaving as she grasped at the bed sheets beneath her. For someone who had never been with a woman before, Clara certainly knew how to use her tongue in a way that had Annie screaming in delight.”

“This? This makes you horny?” Annie snorted.

“Shut up.” Ben kept scrolling. “Oh, this bit is juicy. ‘Thought about this for so long.’ Annie breathed, her fingers parting Clara’s slick folds and spreading her wetness around. Slick folds?” Ben blinked at the screen.

“My ears feel like they’ve been sexually assaulted.”

“Slick folds. Okay.” Ben took a second to recover. “Hmmm… ‘Thought about what your sweet voice would sound like moaning my name.” Annie continued. Clara’s breath hitched and hips jerked as Annie began lazily circling her engorged clit -”

“Oh my God that’s not even remotely sexy.” Annie covered her mouth with her hand. “Engorged clit?!”

“-’Fuck, Annie, make me cum!’ Clara almost sobbed.”

“Alright, stop. I’m the one almost sobbing.” Annie looked up at Ben as if she’d seen a ghost. “What the fuck was that?”

“I don’t know, but my cock is throbbing.”

###

“Do you two even realise what you’ve done?” Greensleeves’ executive producers were beyond livid. “The fans are furious!”

“They’re furious?!” Annie barked back. “Did you even see the utter shit that’s out there?!”

“It’s not that bad.” Clara shrugged. “Some of it’s pretty good.”

“Clara, if you don’t zip it -” Annie muttered, clenching her fists.

“Ben seemed to like it.” Clara blurted out in anger.

“Oh?” Jamie’s ears perked up. “Our little Benny Boy wants to see his girl get it on with her best friend?”

“Stay out of it, James.” If looks could kill, Jamie would be dead, resurrected and killed again, for good measure.

“Not a chance, Annabelle.”

“You imbeciles need to stop being so rude to our fans.” The executive leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, pointing at the trio. “If they want to write porn about the three of you, you shut up and look the other way. You don’t go on national television and bitch about it!” he stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

“I’m guessing Ben won’t be into any Jannie stories, then?” Jamie quipped and earned a slap to the back of his head. “Ow!”

“Any publicity is good publicity?” Clara asked timidly.

“I mean, some of our fans loved our honesty. They’re all about Team Clannie now.” Annie said.

“Yeah, and some of them are planning to assassinate you for being evil enough to seduce Ben Hardy and Gwilym Lee with your witch-magic superpowers.” Mike finally spoke. “You two are in for some serious rounds of online shit-talking, ladies. Enjoy.”

#########

TAGLIST:  @ramibaby @xgoingdownx @qweenly @violetpond @sweeterthancheese @drummerqueenrmt @westansstuff @justgivemethekeys  @blondecarfucker @cheeseedreams47 @deacy-dearest @pinkmarvel @onceuponadetectivedemigod

[winterisakiller]

Get Better - Chapter Five

Title: Get Better

Chapter: 5/18

Character: Tom Hiddleston/Cath Richardson (OFC)

Genre: Romance

Rating: Teen and up

Summary: Love. Companionship. Family. These are all of the things Tom Hiddleston desperately wanted. But his life and his choices left that a distant and unlikely prospect. So he did his best to move on and live his life as is. When an opportunity to return to the theater arises, he jumps at the chance and along the way finds that maybe, just maybe, those distant and unlikely prospects are closer than he could have imagined. Sequel to Brave Face.

Authors Notes/Warnings: So as I was writing Brave Face I knew that Tom’s story wasn’t over, even if that particular part of it was. And while I knew, more or less, what the overall ending to the story would be, its taken me a while to figure out the time in between. Thanks to @redfoxwritesstuff for letting me continually throw ideas off and at you. I still can’t fathom why you put up with it, but I am eternally grateful you do. This story will update on Thursdays.

Tag list: @tinchentitri @theheartofpenelope @noplacelikehome77 @messy-insomniac-bookgirl @nonsensicalobsessions @blacksuitofdoom @just-the-hiddles @theoneanna @wolfsmom1

Previous Chapter

CHAPTER FIVE

 There was something about the start of full dress rehearsals Cath had always found fascinating. It was the chaos which ensued, keeping everyone on their toes and running like mad, that she found enjoyed like nothing else. She’d arrived at the theater early, as had become her habit, to get her station to rights. And, honestly, to clear her head for the task at hand. This wasn’t her first production by any stretch but it was her first as lead make-up artist and the thought both pleased and terrified her. It wasn’t a huge production a la Wicked or any other number of large scale musical productions she’d done grunt work on, but it was still a major step forward career-wise. The butterfly-like nerves in her stomach fluttered uneasily at the thought.

 Cath had been working exclusively in theatre, with the occasional dabble in television production (hey the money was decent and a steady gig was something she certainly wouldn’t turn her nose up at), for the last five years. When she’d told her mother she’d wanted to pursue an actual career in theatrical make-up and design rather than just mess around with it in her spare time (as she’d done throughout secondary school and her first year of uni), Cath wasn’t terribly shocked by her lack of enthusiasm. Her mother was a practical woman, having raised three children mostly on her own after her divorce, and while she supported and encouraged her children, she had always instilled in them the need to make sound and responsible choices. And true to form, she had made her concerns quite clear.

 “Darling, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that you are talented. I’ve seen the work you’ve put in for school productions and the local theatre…But how steady will the work actually be? I just want to make sure you’ve honestly thought this through and can make it work.”

 Her concerns were valid and in those first few years Cath struggled to make ends meet. She’d taken any job she could find, often working hellishly long hours for frustratingly little pay. But slowly things started to take off. She’d landed a steady gig at one of the smaller theatres in the West End and had worked herself as hard as she could; learning not only to improve her craft but dabbling in costuming and whatever else she could get her hands on. That job had led to another and another until she found herself booked for most of the year. Television gigs paid well and she enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the sets but theatre had always held her heart. Probably always would.

 She took a long, slow sip of her coffee, enjoying the smooth warmth as it slid down her throat. It was one of her guilty pleasures….Well, maybe not guilty but certainly a pleasure. Take away coffee…Lattes in particular where something she tried very hard to not indulge in; save for when she was starting a new show. During that time the coffee shop around the corner from her flat frankly saw more of her paycheck than she did. It was just simply easier to let someone else make her the caffeine she desperately needed. She let out a soft sigh and tried hard not to feel too guilty about the coffee press sitting unused on her counter.  

 The sound of the door opening pulled Cath back to herself. She turned to find Maggie and Lorna making their way into the small workspace draped with bags and take away coffees which they quickly divested themselves of on the table by the door. Cath had worked with both women on previous projects and had been thrilled when their names appeared on her work log. Both were exceptionally talented and made the often hectic hours much more bearable.

 “Cath!” Lorna cried, launching herself at the shorter woman and wrapping her in tight embrace. Cath stumbled backwards and nearly fell into one of the lighted workstations. “I’m so glad you’re here!”

 Laughter tumbled from her throat as Cath returned the embrace. “I’m glad to be here. Let’s try to keep it that way, eh?”

 Maggie snorted a laugh. “Yeah, let’s not kill our boss on the first day. Wouldn’t send the best message to the production team, now would it?”

 Lorna shrugged, “Fair enough.”

 The rest of the morning passed with little fanfare. Bags were piled in the corner near the curtained dressing areas, one for each actor, filled with costume pieces and various accessories waiting final approval from the production team. As workstations were slowly set to rights and their coffees consumed, the three women bustled around the small room waiting for the rest of the production team to arrive; the actors weren’t due in until closer to eleven.  A quick glance at the wall clock told Cath it was rapidly approaching nine.

 Lorna puttered around the various bags and pulled the pieces of clothing from them one at a time, hanging them up along the back wall. Simple pieces that fit with the ideas that Jaime had thrown around during pre-production; jeans and blouses for Emma and various jeans, suits, shirts, and blazers for Robert and Jerry. Cath and Lorna worked together ironing and steaming the pieces so they wrinkle free and ready to grab and go once the actors arrived.

 Maggie flitted around the room, getting the remaining loose ends settled; extra kits and pieces of clothing that would be used if alterations were needed. Humming to herself, Maggie moved around the small room. Humming turned to singing and soon Cath and Lorna joined in, belting out the words to ridiculous late 90’s/early 2000’s pop songs. Laughing, Cath wandered to her own bag, pulling out her mobile to provide actually music for their impromptu karaoke session. The three women danced around the room, laughing, dancing, and singing at the top of their lungs.

 Applause from the doorway was the first clue that the three of them were no longer alone. Cath squeaked in alarm as she spun around, finding the play’s director, Jaime, laughing hysterically at the door, Zawe standing beside him doubled over in laughter as well. She quickly grabbed her mobile from the table and paused the music. “So um…Welcome!” Cath started, laughing as well, “We’re here all week.”  

 Zawe clapped and darted forward to pull Cath into a tight hug. “I’m so thrilled you’re here!”

 Cath laughed and returned the embrace, “Me too! So come on in, let me introduce you to my team.” She beamed at the fact that she had a team; that would certainly take some getting used to. Cath made quick introductions and the four women fell quickly into conversation regarding theatre in general.

 There was another knock on the doorframe and looking up, Cath found a moderately tall, bearded brunette man standing in the doorway, whom she recognized as Charlie Cox, smiling warmly. He was quickly ushered over and introductions were made once more. Jaime joined the fray and he and Charlie were quickly pulled into conversation with Lorna regarding costumes and character ideas.

 Seeing everyone sufficiently occupied, Zawe had taken Cath by the hand and led her to one of the opened stations. The two women quickly fell into conversation, joking and catching up on what had been happening in each other’s lives. Cath hadn’t had the chance to speak with Zawe since the gala a few months back and was thrilled to hear that the book she’d been working on was finally preparing for release. Cath had worked with Zawe on a handful of projects over the past several years and they’d hit it off almost immediately. They were close in age, had similar tastes in books and movies, and shared a similar sense of humor. They’d passed many an early morning shoot laughing themselves silly.

 “…So there I was standing there with the back of my dress wide open, trying to grab at the bleeding zipper when Darren, our director, walks in with some poor bloke from the local paper.” Cath threw back her head, laughing at the image Zawe had painted. “Needless to say that was certainly one interview I’ll never forget.”

 “God, Zawe, I can only imagine. At least you were mostly dressed. And it certainly gave the show write up a bit of color.” Cath joked, dodging the playful swat Zawe threw her way. “Besides, you remember that morning in Devon? When I got locked out of my hotel room and had to go on set in my dress from the night before…The very one that had gotten soaked in wine when that man lost his balance and fell into our table?” She waved her hands wildly, mimicking her panicked reaction to the flying wine. “I still don’t know how I didn’t get crucified for that. You remember how bloody strict Jaz was.”

 Zawe laughed and nodded. “Yes! Oh that was quite the talk of the set.” Her attention waivered at something over Cath’s shoulder, face breaking into a smile as she waved at the doorway behind them.

 Cath turned, finding herself standing face to chest with a tall, auburn haired man. His blue eyes were hidden behind a pair of black square framed glasses, but they were no less arresting for it. There was something about the way in which they took her in, the colors swirling between blue and green, which fascinated her. A scruffy beard covered his cheeks and chin, recently trimmed she noted given its length. His hair was just a touch too long, curly and just this side of disarray. He looked completely different from the clean faced, strong jawed man she’d seen on film posters but she’d recognized him all the same. The show’s second leading man, Tom Hiddleston.

                                                            —

 The door closed behind him with a bang, causing Tom to wince as he glanced back to make sure he’d not caused any permanent damage to either door or frame. All looked well enough and that would have to do. He glanced once more at his watch, cursing out loud as he took in the time. Fucking hell, he was late. But if...Just maybe if he could make it to the underground station and catch the next arriving train, he would make it to the theatre close enough to call time.

 He hadn’t meant to be late; he’d had every intention of making it out of the house and to the theatre on time. That obviously wasn’t going to happen now. He let out an exasperated sigh. Possibly going out the night before had been a mistake. But it had been Daniel’s birthday and he hadn’t seen him in ages. They’d been friends since RADA and did their best to keep in touch over the years; which had been difficult considering their hectic schedules and life in general. When Daniel called the night before and asked if Tom could swing by the pub for a few drinks in honor of his birthday, he had eagerly agreed; looking forward to spending a few hours with old friends. But as these things tended to go, a few drinks turned into talking and suddenly it was nearing midnight and last call.

 Tom had made it home and to bed slightly after one and woke at nearly ten to discover that the alarm he’d sworn he’d set either hadn’t been set or hadn’t gone off. He cursed profusely, earning him a confused look from Bobby. He’d thrown on the first clean pair of jeans and jumper he found (the perks of minimalizing his wardrobe) and shoved his feet hastily into his boots before charging down the stairs, Bobby following quickly at his heels. Rounding the corner, he skidded into the kitchen and then through to the back room. He pushed open the back garden door, Bobby barked once and trotted out to do his business. Once Bobby was fed and shut in his kennel, Tom had grabbed his keys and wallet from the side table by the front door and sprinted out of it, the door slamming behind him.

 His jog to the underground station was thankfully uneventful and he’d managed to catch the next arriving train, though it was a very near thing. The crowd in Leister Square was easy enough to navigate and he’d only bumped into one or two people in his flight, apologizing as he jogged through the square and onto a side street. Tom felt himself fill with relief as the Harold Pinter theatre came into view. He made his way across the street and up into the stage door entrance, greeting the staff mulling around it warmly. He raced up the stairs as quickly as his feet could carry him, hoping he wasn’t as late as he feared.

 Tom could hear laughter echoing from the opened dressing room door as he climbed the last few steps and onto the landing. He was mostly on time, the quick glance at his watch showed it was only a few minutes past eleven. Not the best impression he’d ever made, but certainly not the worst and there was nothing he could do about it presently. With a smile, he made his way through the doorway and into the brightly lit dressing room.

 His attention fell first on Zawe, perched on a stool and chatting animatedly with a short woman in dark jeans and an oversized light green jumper. There was something familiar about her, even with her back was turned to him, but he couldn’t quite seem to put a finger on why. It wasn’t until she’d thrown her head back and laughed, a bright and rich sound, when realization struck him. The woman from the Pinter Gala in October. Cath. He laughed despite himself. What were the odds?

 She looked absolutely lovely; laughing warmly at whatever she and Zawe had been discussing. Her voice animated and full of warmth as she waved her hands around to emphasize the point she was making. Her long, dark hair was pulled back and piled in a lop-sided bun, though a few stray strands had fallen out of their bindings and had been pushed behind her ear. Zawe smiled at him when she’d turned her head and found him standing by the door and quickly waved him over.

 His breath caught in his throat as she turned around, confusion painted across her face. Her dark blue eyes flashing first in surprise then in recognition. Her face broke into a warm and welcoming smile. God, she is stunning.

 “Cath this is Tom, my long suffering cuckold of a husband….For the next few months at least.” Zawe gestured at Tom, a playful and warm smile spreading across her face. “Tom, this is Cath. She’s going to be responsible for making us look pretty. Though for you, I suspect she has her work cut out for her.” There was a brief pause before all three burst into laughter.

 God, the thought stole across Tom’s mind, she has a wonderful laugh. He quickly shook the thought away, extending his hand to hers. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

 “Likewise.” Cath took his hand, smiling, and shook it firmly. Her hand was small, dwarfed in his own, smooth and warm. He had no desire to let her or it go.

 “Alright,” Jaime yelled, standing up and clapping his hands. The three of them turned to face the director. “Since we’re all here, let’s get started.”

                                                        —

 Tom poured himself into the make-up chair, quite ready to be done for the day. He’d forgotten how draining theatre could be, no matter how much he enjoyed it. Their first official rehearsal had gone well; they’d ran through the play twice, stopping occasionally to work on blocking or change a delivery of a line. It was comforting, being in costume (even if the costume was close enough to what he’d wear outside of the theatre) and full make-up (God, though it made face itch something fierce), it made things feel more…real. But blast it all, he was tired.

 Cath smiled at him, make-up remover in hand. “Long day?” she joked, handing him the soaked wash cloth. Tom smiled and took it gratefully, wiping his face with a sigh.

 “I’d forgotten how much this stuff itches.”

 “But it makes you look oh so pretty,” Cath teased, taking the wash cloth back and getting the bits he’d missed the first time around. “You guys are quite good,” she murmured, placing the cloth into the dirty linen bin by her feet and pulling out a bottle of light moisturizer. She pumped a small amount onto her hands, rubbing it between them before reaching and applying it to his slightly reddened face.

 “Thank you,” he answered, trying not to think about how nice her touch felt on his skin.

 They’d chatted quite a bit in the run up to actually getting himself, Charlie, and Zawe on the stage; and he’d found he very much enjoyed her company. She made him laugh with an ease that he hadn’t felt in a long time. She was warm and genuine; what you saw was you got. They’d talked briefly about his work; she’d seen him in Coriolanus, a friend of a friend had gotten tickets and invited her along, and she’d confessed to being quite impressed with his work in it, even if he was a fair bit shouty at times. She’d seen one or two of the Marvel films and had a fair grasp on his role in them, but they hadn’t really been her cup of tea.

 He’d been almost grateful for her lack of response to his fame, or infamy depending on how you looked at it. It was a wonderful change of pace. She asked him questions about his experiences on set and what had lead him to acting in the first place. He, in turn, asked her about the work she’d done, in theatre and in television, he’d been pleased to find out, and they’d shared stories about long days on set or backstage antics they’d encountered.

 “Alright,” she declared, leaning back with a soft smile. “All done. You, good sir, are free to go.”

 The loss of her warmth against him was disheartening in a way he did not wish to explore anytime soon.

 He returned her smile. “Thank you, my lady. I look forward to working with you in future.” Tom stood and headed back to the screened area in the far corner of the room to change back into his street clothes. Had he turned back, he would have caught the faint blush that spread across Cath’s face at his words.

                                                             —

 Tom cursed as he caught sight of the time. He was late. Of fucking course he was late. God, what a mess. His hair was plastered to his head and he hadn’t had time to do anything save brush it from his face as he ran from the house and down the street towards the Underground station.

 Bobby, the little shit, had been an unholy terror. He’d rushed out the garden door that morning, with complete disregard for the sheets of rain that were belting down (at the rate it was falling, Tom was thrilled to death it wasn’t snow), and dived head first into the muddy flower beds instead of calmly doing his business and rushing back inside for breakfast. Tom, knowing the horror it was to wash the foul beast, charged after him, winding up soaked in the process. Both muddy and thoroughly pissed at each other, man and beast made their way inside the house. Bathing Bobby had been an exercise in mutual frustration. The spaniel whined and growled through the whole process, swiping paws at his master in a fruitless attempt at escape. The bathroom was a disaster, water and mud splashed over the floors and walls and Tom groaned, knowing what a nightmare it would be to clean. Toweled dry and still growling intermittently, Bobby was unceremoniously shut in his kennel and his food bowl shoved in after.

 Grumbling, Tom took the stairs two at a time and made as quick a work of cleaning the guest bath as he could. He’d just loaded the remaining towels into the washer when he caught sight of the time off the clock in his kitchen. His eyes bugged, how had it gotten so late?

 Another string of curses followed Tom up the stairs once again as he dashed into his bedroom and grabbed clean clothing from the wardrobe (his usual dark jeans and a jumper). He ran into the bathroom, cursing the fact that he didn’t have time for a proper shower. And certainly no thanks to the beast in his backroom.

 He grabbed a wash cloth and wiped the mud and dirt from his face and arms as best he could before pulling his jeans and jumper on. He sat on his bed to get himself settled in his socks and boots, knowing that with his luck, if he tried to do this while standing he’d fall and break his neck. That would be the icing on the cake of this foul day.

 Dressed and still rather cross, Tom grabbed his keys and wallet from the side table and then his umbrella from the hall tree, quickly shrugging into his wool coat, before dashing out the door. The rain was still coming down in unrelenting sheets and the jog from his front door to the station had his boots and the cuffs of his jeans soaked through. He grimaced but knew there was little he could do for it now. At the ticket gate he paused and pulled his mobile from his pocket, quickly dialing the theatre, hoping to catch someone and inform them of his tardiness.

 The phone rang once. Then twice before the line clicked and a warm female voice answered. “Hello?”

 He recognized Cath’s voice immediately and made a determined effort to keep his frustration in check. Absolutely none of this was her fault. He took a deep breath and explained as quickly as he could. “It’s Tom, I’m running late. It’s been…A fair bit hectic this morning. But I am on my way.”

 “Alright, Tom.” There was a clear hint of laughter in her voice, but she held it back remarkably well. “Take care. See you when you get here.”

 Tom echoed her statement and ended the call, shoving his mobile back into his pocket. He made his way hastily through the barrier and down the escalator towards the filling platform. He brushed his wet hair from his face as he waited for the next train. He mentally cursed his lack of coffee but there hadn’t been any time and hoped against hope that there would be some at the theatre. Or that he could possibly duck out at some point and hit the Costa a few streets down. As long as he got caffeine somewhere (and in the relatively near future) he didn’t care.

 By the time the train had pulled into the station and Tom had made his way from the platform and onto the street, the rain had died to a slow drizzle. He rushed from the station towards the theatre passing the aforementioned Costa with a longing look; he was far too late to risk stopping now, no matter how badly he wanted to. He nodded at John, one of the security at the stage door, and climbed the stairs two at a time. His watch had him at twenty minutes late and he cringed. He’d been doing so well with his time management in the last few weeks and this blip stung.

 He burst through the dressing room door, pulling off his coat, hanging it up, and dropping the umbrella by the door. “So sorry,” he called. Charlie and Zawe were dressed and sitting at their respective stations, chatting with each other and with Lorna and Maggie. They looked up at his entrance and called greetings out.

 Cath emerged from the back, smiling. “You made it!”

 She quickly ushered him over towards his station. His eyes widened as he took in the waiting take away cup of coffee and brownie awaiting him. Gods, he could have kissed her for her thoughtfulness. He blinked the thought away and settled quickly into his chair before turning back to her. “You are a lifesaver. Honestly, thank you.”

 “Can’t have you falling off stage because you’ve not had the requisite amount of caffeine in your system, now can we?” They both laughed and Tom reached gratefully for the gently steaming coffee, taking a tentative sip. It burned, but in the best way and he closed his eyes, savoring the warmth and the smooth bitterness. “Would you two like a moment alone?”

 Cath’s teasing words snapped Tom back to himself and he blushed, quickly putting the cup back onto the counter. “Nah,” he quipped, once he’d recovered himself. “I trust your discretion.”

 “Well that certainly explains a lot, Hiddleston,” she teased, not bothering to hide her laughter. “Who would have thought you were into exhibition?”

 Tom shrugged, enjoying the playful if not slightly evocative teasing. “Why do you think I got into acting?”

 Cath only laughed harder, shaking her head as she turned to grab a towel. “What happened to you, Tom? Your hair’s a mess.”

 “It’s a long story,” he grumbled, grabbing the coffee once more and taking another long sip. “Involving a stubborn dog and far too much rain.”

 “Yikes.” She rubbed the towel over his head, drying his hair as best she could. A smirk spread across her face as she spotted a muddy paw print on the side of his neck. “Looks like the dog won, though.” She pointed at the spot and Tom let out a groan. “He marked you.”

 “Stupid bloody dog.”

 Cath chuckled to herself, wiping the mark from his neck and dropping the towel into the dirty linen bin. She reached down and grabbed the hairdryer, making sure it was plugged in before running it over Tom’s unruly hair, making sure it was well and truly dry. “Alright,” she announced, shutting off the hairdryer and placing it back in its holster. “That’s about as good as we can get. Now scoot.”

 Tom laughed, thanking her again for the coffee and for fixing the mess his morning had made of his hair. “You really are a lifesaver, Cath.”

 “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like I haven’t heard that one before. Now off with you, before we both get yelled at for your tardiness.”

 With a smile and a wave, Tom made his way from the dressing room towards the stairs leading to the stage. Cath watched as he went, a warm smile spreading across her face as she caught sight of an errant curl sticking up at the back of his head. Silly man, she thought to herself. You are going to be a world of trouble, aren’t you?

Next Chapter

[keanureevesisbae]

The alluring charm of Henry Cavill - Chapter 5

Summary: After a short two day break, Adelaide finally comes back to the cottage. During their next challenge however, things don’t go to plan. 

Henry Cavill x Adelaide Park (ofc)

Wordcount: 7.9k (I know, this is a lot, but I don’t know what happened to me

Warnings: Descriptions of a haunted house and what can be found in them.

Masterlist // Previous chapter // Next chapter

I’ve been here in Italy for a week and a half now, but I have to take a small break, because the I had to travel to Switzerland. It was only for two days, to sign some papers and meet up with the director. The filming process isn’t starting for three more months, but it’s nice to know a bit more about it and to finally see the director in real life.

Plus it felt like I finally had time to breath, when I’m not being surrounded by camera’s. Henry and I prerecorded our challenges, so the schedule isn’t messed up.

Two days ago, the second episode aired and I actually liked the way people write about us and me. For once I’m not the ditz, but I’m the daredevil and actually quite smart.

I’m in the back of a taxi, as the driver soars over the roads. Thankfully he can’t hear me because of the plastic that separates us and from the looks of it, he doesn’t want to talk to me. That’s a good thing, because I see my dad wants to FaceTime me. ‘Hi,’ I say when I pick up.

Ever since I have been making a lot of money, he started to look even better and better. Not because I’m paying for his botox, but because he finally can relax. Years of overworking himself, stressing over me and my mom, it took a toll on him. Though he still works hard to make sure my mom is happy, it’s nothing compared to what he had to do.

The smile on my father’s face when he sees me is priceless. Even when I was younger, his entire face would light up when he saw me. I’m happy to know that I still have that effect on my dad, even when there is an ocean in between us and we’re on FaceTime. ‘You look so pretty,’ is the first thing he tells me.

He is an absolute sweetheart. ‘Thank you.’

‘Where are you?’

‘I’m in a taxi, appa. I went to Switzerland for my new movie. Now I’m on my way back to Italy, to the cottage I’m staying at.’

‘Right,’ he says. He tilts his head. ‘You okay?’

‘I’m totally fine,’ I tell him. ‘Why? Don’t you like the show?’

He smiles, holding his phone very close to his face, as if he is closer to me then. ‘I do, but you look tired.’

I simply shrug. ‘I’m okay. How is eomma? She likes the show?’

Dad nods. ‘She is resting now, but she loves the show. Tell me, you like this Henry guy?’

Why am I blushing? What a way to give yourself away, Adelaide Park. ‘I like being around him, yes.’

‘Don’t lie,’ he says. ‘I taught you better than to lie to your appa. You like like him, right? I can tell, you know. Your smile when you’re with him tells me enough and you do that thing.’

My brows furrow together. ‘What thing?’

‘You touchy.’

‘That sounds perverted,’ I say. ‘And by the way, I’m not touchy.’

‘You are,’ dad tells me and this man is dead serious. ‘You touch his arm in your sleep. You always do that when you sleep, touch the other person. I remember when you were little girl, maybe five, and it was summer. It was very hot. Normally at that age, you always lay next to me, very close, because you were scared. But it was too hot, so you only placed your hand on my arm, because you couldn’t sleep without psychically knowing that I was there.’

I’m so grateful that there are no camera’s around, because this is one way to get exposed.

‘Also, you are happy around him. I haven’t seen you like that in a long time,’ he says with a smile.

I lean my head against the head rest. ‘I’m always happy,’ I tell him. ‘Not just because of him.’

He simply nods. ‘I see you don’t want to talk about it. That’s okay, I understand. You don’t want to talk about your love life with your appa.’

‘This is barely a love life,’ I chuckle.

‘It’s more than you have now.’

I purse my lips together, to not burst out into laughter. ‘Thanks for putting it into perspective.’

‘You take good care of yourself?’

‘Yes, dad.’

He nods. ‘I’m very proud of you,’ he says in all seriousness. ‘Only a daughter of mine eats fried spider like it’s nothing.’

I keep thinking about that challenge. It was disgusting, sure, but it’s true what I said: I can eat anything. One time, we didn’t have anything to eat and my dad was desperate. After spending an entire day at school, with only half an apple, I was starving and crying. It was pretty rough weather outside, so he couldn’t go on his usual round of finding food behind the restaurants, something he did when it was a situation like this. He went to the garden and found us some earthworms. My mom refused to eat it, after dad sort of made a meal out of it. She told him she wasn’t going to accept that we were that poor that we needed to eat earthworms.

What was next? He was going to snatch the snails out of the yard? He was going to catch a pigeon? Go fishing in the lake a few kilometers from our house?

They started fighting. My mom was mad at my dad, my dad thought she was being ungrateful. Just to stop them from fighting, I ate the fried earthworm and despite it being disgusting, I was too hungry and needed something in my stomach. It instantly stopped them from fighting and my dad was proud of me eating it. My mom even ate one, because she didn’t want me to think any less of her, she told me years later.

We talk for a bit and then he has to hang up, since he needs to do some groceries. I stare at the picture he send me yesterday. We don’t have many pictures of us from when I was younger, but he actually found the only one we have of the three of us. It was during Christmas. Both him and my mom were home when I was seven and the neighbor came over with her polaroid camera. She made a picture of us and during a clean up session, my dad found it again.

I remember what he texted with the picture: I loved you when you were born, I loved you when you were my little princess and I still love you now you are my hardworking princess. I’m so proud of you.

I’m pulled out of my thoughts, when I see that Henry wants to FaceTime. I answer the call and see his handsome face appear on my screen. ‘There you are,’ he says, a grin spread across his face. ‘Are you almost home?’

Home. I never had a place that I called home. It was always the people that made a place home. My parents were my home and since I moved out for my career in the acting industry, I have an apartment where I stay, but it’s never a home. I can’t seem to turn it into a home.

But staying in this cottage with Henry, felt homey, but I didn’t dare to call it a home, not wanting to come across weird or desperate.

However Henry does it now and it makes my heart skip a beat.

I look at the navigation screen and say: ‘Forty minutes.’

‘I miss you,’ he admits.

This shouldn’t make me blush like it does right now. I can’t stop my smile. ‘You miss me?’ I teasingly ask.

‘A whole lot, Addy. The place is so quiet without you here.’ He flashes me a dashing smile and sits outside on the doorstep, in the nice evening sun. ‘How was Switzerland?’

‘It was okay,’ I tell him. ‘The place where we are going to shoot is beautiful.’

‘Did the director have someone in mind for the love interest?’

I nod. ‘Yes, he is thinking about asking David Castañeda again. We also starred in another movie together and he liked our chemistry.’

When I told Henry about what the movie was about, he simply raised his eyebrows. It’s about a woman who goes to Switzerland, she is a journalist and needs to write a story about a mysterious man who owns way too many dogs and no one seems to understand him.

I don’t really need to explain how the rest of the movie will go, since it’s still a romantic comedy, thus pretty self explanatory what is going to happen.

‘But if David says no…?’

‘We’re back at square one,’ I say. ‘You sure I can’t pursue you?’

‘You, Addy, can pursue me any day.’ He winks at me, but I don’t understand the joke. ‘I think you wanted to persuade me, not pursue me.’

Oh shit, this is embarrassing. I’m tempted to open the car door while we’re going this fast, simply to throw myself out. ‘Yeah, I meant persuade. Sorry, English is hard.’

Henry smiles, but it disappears when he looks at me on his screen and he tilts his head in the process. ‘Are you okay?’

‘I’m fine.’

‘You have watery eyes.’

I clear my throat, before I blink away the tears in my eyes, because I indeed have watery eyes. ‘Really, it’s fine.’

‘Sure?’

Though I want to tell him a bit more about my private life, the words never roll out of my mouth. Like something is physically stopping me. However, now I say: ‘My dad called me. Just wanted to know how I was.’

Henry nods. ‘When was the last time you saw him?’

‘Think eight months ago. I just miss him a lot, just like I miss my mom.’

‘Understandably so.’ He leans against the doorframe, while he simply stares at his screen. ‘What did they think of the show?’

‘They liked it, but they like every single thing I’m in. They rewatch interviews, movies and episodes of Remembering High School when they miss me.’ I smile, thinking about the millions of videos that my dad send me of them rewatching episodes. He would film himself and say sweet things about how his daughter is the most talented one on the screen, or that his daughter is the prettiest. I know that he sends those videos to me, but he also sends them to friends. ‘I think I just realized now how much I miss them.’

‘That’s totally understandable,’ Henry says. ‘Are you going to visit them once this is over?’

‘I think so.’

Henry smiles. ‘Well, they can be proud of you and they should be. I am proud of you too,’ he says. ‘I mean, you totally put me to shame with that food challenge. I even got a message from Angela Bassett, saying how you are by far the coolest and that I’m a wimp.’

I chuckle. ‘That’s sweet and she is right.’

We talk for a while and those forty minutes fly by. The taxi stops in front of the cottage and Henry stands up with a bright smile. He always looks so happy to see me. The chauffeur hands me my bag and after I thanked him, he gets in again and drives off. Henry walks over to me and snakes his arms around my waist, lifting me up after he pulled me close to his body. ‘I’m happy to know that you aren’t going to leave me here again in this cottage,’ he says. ‘It felt like every second went by at least seven times.’

Sure, what he said was sweet, but I can’t seem to focus on those words, since this is the tightest hug someone has given me, apart from my parents of course. This is actually the first time he is hugging me. I press my nose in his shoulder, taking in his familiar scent and I close my eyes.

I’m really home now.

He lets go of me way too quickly. ‘I made you dinner.’

‘Really?’ I ask. ‘What did you make me?’

‘Pasta bolognese. When in Rome, right?’ He points a daring finger at me and says: ‘Don’t you dare say we aren’t in Rome.’

‘I wouldn’t dare,’ I chuckle. He holds out his hand and I give him my bag, before we walk into the cottage. During dinner, I tell him more about the movie and how beautiful the little town was where we’re going to film.

‘Isn’t it tiring, though?’ Henry asks. ‘To constantly play in romantic comedies?’

He asked me this before, but I didn’t know him that well to answer truthfully. Now I do know him well enough, to at least be sort of honest, without sounding like an ungrateful bitch. I simply shrug. ‘Sometimes I wished I would get other offers, but I guess I just have the face for romantic comedies.’

‘What kind of genre would you like to play in?’

‘Like a thriller or an action movie,’ I say. ‘More serious, you know? Maybe even Lara Croft one day. That would be amazing.’

‘You would nail Lara Croft,’ he says. ‘I feel like you have a lot of potential to play in tons of different movies. You would do great in a drama too, but a thriller is something I would like you to star in. Really different from what you do now.’

‘Don’t you ever want to play in a romantic comedy or something really serious?’ I ask him. ‘A drama for example?’

‘I would like to try it out one day,’ he says.

‘I think you would be great in a romantic comedy. You have that charm that women fall for.’

Henry cocks an eyebrow. ‘A charm you say?’

‘Yeah, exactly.’ I smile at him, stirring through my pasta. ‘What is a role you really want to portray one day? I mean, you already played Superman, that was pretty awesome.’

He nods. ‘Maybe James Bond one day.’

‘Why would you want to do that?’

‘I mean… It’s James Bond. That’s almost every men’s dream.’ Henry takes a sip of his water, as he clearly is studying my face. ‘Why? Don’t you like James Bond?’

I shake my head. ‘My mom hated the movies with a passion when I was growing up. It’s kind of sexist, really. I feel like, if you should ever play a movie with something like that, you should look into a movie where they create a whole new legendary character. Just like Keanu Reeves is the start of a John Wick legacy, you could be the start of something else.’ I smile at him, before adding: ‘You deserve better than to portray James Bond, Henry.’

He plays with his food for a second, before he looks at me again. ‘You think so?’

I nod. ‘Of course. I wouldn’t lie to you.’

Henry smiles. ‘Well, I’ll consider it.’

After we finish our dinner, I take a shower and get dressed in my pajamas. Despite the fact that I only drove back to the cottage today from Switzerland, I am really tired. Before I would go to bed early, simply to avoid falling in sleep in front of him, but now we usually get in bed together. We talk about tons of stuff before we actually fall asleep, still with the wall of pillows between us.

My mind is nearly in Dreamland already. I turn on my side and wrap my leg and arm around the pillows, my fingertips accidentally caressing his soft skin. ‘You don’t mind me doing this?’ I groggily whisper, still remembering my dad’s words that I’m apparently doing that thing.

‘I don’t,’ Henry says. ‘I think it’s sweet.’

I open my eyes for a brief second and I see him already looking at me, a smile toying on his face.

‘Go to sleep, Addy. Tomorrow you and I go swimming in the morning, remember?’

‘Oh right,’ I yawn, closing my eyes again. Somehow my hand finds his and I hesitate for a second. Should I pull my hand back or just leave it here? Thankfully I don’t have to think about that, because Henry wraps his fingers through mine and whispers: ‘Good night, Adelaide.’

‘Good night,’ I mumble, slowly drifting off to sleep.

◎ ◎ ◎

The next morning, I’m back in the insanely cold pool again with Henry. We’ve done this two times before now, but I still don’t trust myself enough to do something alone in the water. Even if it’s just holding the edge, as I’m sort of swimming by myself, Henry close by. I know that even if I do that, he wouldn’t let anything happen to me.

‘No, no, no,’ I quickly say, when he suggests that same idea, for the second time this morning. ‘Don’t let go of me, please.’

‘Addy, have I ever let go of you, when you didn’t want me to?’ he asks me. He decides to answer his own question. ‘No, I have never done that, so I’m not going to do that now. I’m just going to remove one hand from your waist to hold your hand, okay?’

‘No,’ I whine.

Henry starts to chuckle. ‘What’s up with you today?’ he asks. ‘You’re shaking. Is the water that cold or are you scared?’

‘I’m scared,’ I admit. ‘I know that I have to do it myself one day and at least try a bit alone, but not today. Please.’

‘Okay, not today,’ he assures me. ‘You seem a bit tense. Is everything okay?’

I sigh. ‘I just got a text from my dad this morning,’ I whisper, but loud enough for him to hear it, maybe not loud enough for the “hidden” camera’s that are stationed in the garden to pick up. ‘It’s just that my mom has a cold and that always worries me.’

‘Why?’ he asks, as he stops walking in the water.

I don’t want to tell him, but I know that I eventually will. My arms are wrapped around his shoulders, while his fingers are circling on my skin. It’s such a small, yet caring gesture from his side. ‘My mom is paralyzed from the waist down,’ I tell him. ‘But… She… After she got paralyzed, she never got back to her old health, if that makes sense. She is very prone to colds and a simply cold can turn into a nasty flu and that can result into her needing to go to the hospital. She ended up in the emergency room a few times and each time I wasn’t home. My dad always tells me not to worry about her, just like my mom tells me not to worry, but it’s hard. I worry a lot about them all the time, especially when she’s sick.’

Henry doesn’t say anything, he simply studies my face. ‘I had no idea,’ he tells me. ‘Come here.’ He pulls me towards his body and I nuzzle my face in his neck. ‘I’m so sorry, Addy. I understand you worry a lot about them, but… I just have to ask: why don’t you tone it down with the movies, so you can be with them?’

I pull back and say: ‘Because… I want to provide for them.’

‘Why?’ His blue eyes almost look innocent. I have to hold myself in, not to brush the wet curls out of his face, not to press my nose against his cheek, to kiss his jaw, feeling the short hairs puncture my lips. I can’t stop myself falling in love with him. He is everything that I was apparently looking for in a man. He is kind, he is patient and he is caring. He knows how to cook, he can read me like the back of his hand and yesterday, the way he held my hand when I went to sleep, is making me feel all sorts of things.

But there is one thing that I know: if he ever becomes a bigger part of my life, he should know more about me. I have been dodging it for too long now, but I should tell him. And even if we don’t become an item, I know that we will end up as friends. I know that after the Celebrity Project ends, I don’t ever want him out of my life again.

‘When I grew up, we were very poor,’ I say. ‘Like, my dad had to work long hours in a factory, my mom became a live in nanny and I had to raise myself. My dad barely ate after a long day of work, so mom and I could have most of it, when my mom would be home to eat it. I went to one of the only schools that was close by and was free. It wasn’t a great school, I don’t even think my teachers remember me at all. We couldn’t afford testing for me, something that my parents didn’t even know about, because they couldn’t miss a day at their jobs and I did my own parent teacher meetings.’

‘Geez, Adelaide,’ he says. ‘I’m so sorry.’

I clear my throat, because I don’t want to cry. ‘When I was nineteen, I was working at a diner, to help meet ends back at home, since I couldn’t go to college, my mom was hit by a car and left paralyzed. The medical bills were out of the roof and she needed physical therapy, but we couldn’t afford it. And that’s the whole reason I started acting in ‘Remembering High School’. I had zero acting experience, but I needed the money. After I made that money and my year on the show was up, I got offered two different movies. A romantic comedy or a thriller, but from the looks of it, the romantic comedy would definitely make more. Thankfully I chose that movie, because the thriller was a big flop. Every penny I earned from that movie and a few after that, went to my parents, for their bills.’

Henry nods and removes his hand from my waist, so he can wipe the tears of my cheeks.  Not that it helps, since his hand is still wet from the water. ‘You are amazing,’ he says. ‘I think you are by far the most amazing woman on this earth. Do you still do that? Give your money to your parents?’

I nod. ‘I don’t really know what I should do with it and my parents worked so hard for me. This is my way of thanking them.’

Henry pulls me closer to him, his arms around my body and I let out a tiny sob that I was holding in, when I bury my face in his strong shoulder. ‘It’s okay,’ he whispers. ‘If you want to go home, you just go home, okay? I totally understand. Your family is more important than this show.’

‘I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before.’

‘No, no, no, don’t say something like that. I understand. It’s very personal and this isn’t something that you just tell people. You are amazing, Addy, please remember that, okay?’

I nod, before slowly pulling back, so I can look at him again. Henry is smiling. ‘What?’ I ask.

‘You just keep on surprising,’ he says. ‘And in these days that I’m spending time with you, I’ve gotten to know you in a way that I never thought would be possible. Angela spoke so highly of you, though she barely knew you. Now I know you quite well and I can’t speak anything but highly of you.’

I let out a nervous chuckle. ‘You don’t have to.’

‘But I will anyways,’ he smiles. ‘Let’s get out of the pool now, you are freezing.’ We go to the edge and when I climbed out, I grab my towel and wrap it around me. Henry’s perfectly shaped body, with the right hip-shoulder ratio… I can’t help but look.

‘Henry,’ I say, causing him to look up. ‘Thank you.’

He chuckles. ‘Not a single problem, Adelaide.’

◎ ◎ ◎

Dad: No need to worry. Eomma will make it, it’s a tiny flu.

Adelaide: Sure?

Dad: More than sure. Enjoy your time.

Dad: I love you 😘

Adelaide: I love you too 😘

I keep thinking about my dad’s texts. I mean, he tells me that it will be alright and I should believe him. Back in the day, he was always right and that shouldn’t change now.

After our little swimming adventure, Henry and I got ready for the day and now we’re standing in front of a haunted house, waiting for the host of today to get ready. What exactly the challenge is for today, I don’t know, but I’m not looking forward to it at all.

The rest on the other hand seem to be totally fine. Henry places both of his hands on my shoulders and I look back, placing the top of my head against his chest. Even upside down, he is beautiful looking. I bet I look like a moron. ‘Are you okay?’ he quietly asks.

‘I’m fine.’ Thankfully over the course of the years, I have become a better liar, which I think is a skill thanks to my acting career. I have always been a master at hiding my emotions, but when people get closer to me (just my parents, but nowadays Henry too), it’s harder, because they see right through me.

And right now, I’m not fine. My mom is sick and I don’t know how she is doing as we speak. We have to go through the haunted house and I’m afraid that they are going to make us go individually. I really want to go with Henry, because then I can just hop on his back, bury my face in his neck and not look.

However, this show is the stupidest thing I’ve ever participated in, because we have to go through the haunted house all by ourselves, while even doing some challenges while we’re inside.

My heart is racing and I can’t even look at the big screen outside of the house, without jumping. Henry is still standing behind me, with his hands still on my shoulders, his thumbs pressing into the tight muscles to make them less tense. ‘Relax,’ he whispers, when someone else is going inside. ‘You’re going to be fine.’

But I can’t believe him. I’m not going to be fine. Justin screams his lungs out when someone pops up in front of him, as he is trying to solve a Rubik’s cube. Jennifer is hiding in a corner, while she is singing one of her own songs. And when it’s Henry’s turn, he has to solve a sudoku, but he jumps at every little sound and that is really not easing my mind. If a man like him, who nearly tripped over his own feet because I moved the fried tarantula in his face, screams like this when he hears water drip on the floor, how the hell am I supposed to do this?

After watching everyone else go, it’s time for me. I feel like my petite frame reminds them of a kindergartner, because they all wish me extra good luck. Jennifer even pulls me into a motherly hug and whispers that I’ve got this.

But do I have it in me to finish this?

I push open the door and I step into the house of horrors. I could eat the most disgusting looking snacks and people called me a daredevil. I can manage this. This isn’t that terrifying. It’s just fake, it’s like acting.

Only this set looks scary as hell and there is no one out here to say cut.

The lights start to flicker, something they didn’t do before. How am I supposed to read and answer eventual questions if I have to do that? I take a step forward, but my heart is pounding so loud, that my eardrums hurt.

The steps are minuscule, but at least I’m taking steps forward. Every door, every corner, every closed window… It makes me hesitant, but so far, nothing has happened. Maybe the actors that work here feel sorry for me.

I could crawl over the floor, I think to myself. Maybe that would be—

Something falls down from the ceiling and bounces on the floor. I jump backwards, letting out a scream that is more a high whistle note. When I finally can open my eyes again, I notice it’s a head and just a head. ‘It’s fake,’ I tell myself out loud. ‘It’s fake.

But then the head starts to scream, causing me to scream and a tiny sob escapes my lips. No, no, no, this can’t be happening.

I quickly jump over it and hurry myself through the rest of the hall.

Because I’m simply just walking and not paying attention, I bump into a wall and I go left, but someone with a fucking knife comes out of the door and I stumble backwards. Thankfully this person keeps standing in the doorframe and I crawl past them, but he or she keeps standing in the doorway, not attacking me. ‘Thank you,’ I squeak, my throat tightening, almost like someone is physically choking me.

Okay, I managed this and I see a clipboard with some questions on a table. I press my back against the wall, so I can see everyone.

What is the capital of Russia? Easy peasy, lemon squeezy, I think to myself. If these are the questions, I’m out of here within a minute.

I hear footsteps and the light that was flickering two seconds ago, is completely out. It’s dark. Oh no, oh no, oh no.

I can’t see anything, but I hear screams and dark voices. I try to catch my breath, when the light come back on and I’m surrounded by a bloody nurse, a creepy clown and oh my, is that not one, but three zombies? They are really close to me and I can’t help up but scream bloody murder, as I hide my face behind the clipboard. ‘No, go away, go away!’

Is that a fucking chainsaw?

I open my eyes for a second, only to see that someone who looks like Chucky is really close now with a chainsaw. This doesn’t seem fake anymore. This seems way too real and my brain is going crazy. What is happening? Am I dying?

I start to cough, as the tears run over my cheeks. ‘No, stop, please!’

I hear something, but the pounding of my heart is too hard for me to hear what is happening. All I can do is cry, shake and cough as the tears nearly make me choke.

‘Addy, I’m here,’ I hear a voice say, but I keep hiding my face in my face, kicking my feet and I hit something. ‘Ouch, no, no, it’s me, Henry. Don’t worry, it’s all over.’

I peek through my fingers, to see the lights are on and all the scary people that cornered me, are gone. The only one I see now, is Henry. My cheeks are flushed and my eyes hurt from crying. I try to say something, but my breathing is all over the place.

Henry holds my hands and places one on my own chest and the other on his. ‘Try to breath with me, Adelaide,’ he says to me. ‘Now breath in deeply.’ He takes a deep breath, holds it for a second, before slowly breathing out. I try to copy him, but my breathing is too erratic. It takes at least ten times before I’m finally sort of managing. ‘Very good,’ he says in a soft tone. ‘Very good.’

‘Is it over?’ I whimper.

Henry nods, holding my hand tightly in his. ‘It’s all over. I’m so sorry that this happened to you and I’m sorry I didn’t come in here way sooner. I should’ve noticed that this was too much.’

‘Did we lose?’

‘Doesn’t matter,’ he says sternly. ‘You shouldn’t worry about that.’ Henry stands up and pulls me with him, but my legs feel like jello and simply give out, because of all the adrenaline that is breaking down. I cling onto his shirt, as he holds me up by my waist.

‘I can’t anymore,’ I cry, as I bury my face into his shirt, not caring about wiping my tears on the fabric. ‘I’m so scared.’

‘I know,’ he sighs. ‘Fuck, I know.’ He hoists me up in his arms, guiding me into wrapping my legs around his waist. ‘Don’t look,’ he tells me.

I don’t even want to look at this awful, awful place anymore, so I bury my face into his neck, as he walks out of the haunted house. He places me on the soft grass and he runs his fingers through my disheveled hair. ‘Addy, listen to me,’ he says, ‘you’re breathing is good, but you need to make sure that it stays like this okay?’

I simply nod. ‘I’m just so embarrassed.’

‘There is absolutely no need to be embarrassed,’ he tells me. ‘You can stop with this program if you want. I mean, I totally understand that you want to quit.’

‘I think I just want tomorrow off,’ I whisper. ‘And do nothing.’

‘I understand,’ he says. ‘You want to go home?’

Home. ‘As long as you are there.’

Henry smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. ‘I’m not leaving you, Addy. Not after this.’

◎ ◎ ◎

When Henry and I are home, I feel disgusting. I could actually use a shower, but I’m too afraid of standing in the shower cabin by myself and I don’t want to shower with Henry (our friendship is too fragile for that), so a simple washing cloth should do the trick.

The producers of the Celebrity Project gave me the next day off and depending on how I feel after tomorrow, I will decide whether or not I’m staying here. I don’t want to give up and I think I can overcome this.

Henry sits next to me on the couch, as we both stare at the television. We have been watching Mamma Mia, simply because of the ABBA songs and the story line is predictable and predictability is exactly what I need right now. ‘You want something to drink?’ he asks me, when the credits are rolling on the screen.

I shake my head. ‘No, thank you.’

‘How are you feeling?’

‘I don’t know,’ I whisper.

‘Do you want to go to bed?’ he suggests. ‘We could do that. I bet you are tired.’

I am tired and the fact that he said that we could do that, must indicate that he is going to stay with me, right? I simply nod and he says he is going to close off. To be alone is not what I want right now, so I follow him around the cottage like a puppy.

When we’re in bed, I ask him if he wants to leave the light on his nightstand on. I still sit up straight in bed, my arms wrapped around my knees. Henry places a hand on my back.

‘I’m scared,’ I whisper, as I feel my heart pounding painfully in my chest.

He sighs deeply. ‘I know. Is there anything I can do for you?’

I turn my head to the side, so I can look at him. ‘Can… Can you… Can you hold me, please?’ Tears burn in my eyes. ‘I’m so scared, Henry.’

He throws the pillows from the bed, before I crawl into his inviting arms. I place my head on his chest, my arm wrapped around his waist. ‘Breath, Addy,’ he whispers. ‘It’s all okay now, I’m right here with you. Nothing can happen to you now.’

However, the tears come again and they aren’t stopping. His large hand cups my cheek, his thumb caressing the skin right underneath my eye. He lets me cry, even though I have been crying a lot for the past few hours.

I force myself to stop, because I’m out of breath and I’m just too tired to cry anymore. Henry pulls me closer to his broad and heavy frame.

‘There, there,’ he says in a soft tone. ‘You are all okay now.’

‘I’m so sorry,’ I whisper.

‘No need to be sorry, Addy. You just try and go to sleep, because you are really tired and after this day… You should just sleep, okay?’

During the night, I wake up a few times, but every single time I’m closely tugged into Henry’s protective arms. Sometimes he is behind me, his face buried in my neck or my hair, our hands linked. Sometimes I have my head on his shoulder and then my face is nuzzled in his neck. But every time I wake up, he is still awake. ‘Go back to sleep,’ he whispers, his fingers drawing soothing circles on my skin.

And as if his voice is working like hypnosis, I drift off right back to sleep.

◎ ◎ ◎

The next day, Henry has been nothing but a sweetheart to me and halfway through the day, I feel a whole lot better and decide to stay here and finish the competition. I don’t care that we are last and that we are probably going to lose anyways.

The two of us decide to take a walk through a large orchard, with trees filled with apples and oranges. We end up on a lovely field and I plop down in the grass. The sun is burning on my skin, but I chose a spot near a tree, so we can alternate between sitting in the sun and the shadows.

Henry and I lean against the tree when the sun is too hot for us to sit in, as we stare ahead of us. ‘You know,’ he says, ‘I was wondering something.’

‘Tell me.’

‘You kept your personal life very private over the course of the years. Why was that?’

‘I thought it wasn’t anyones business.’ I look to the side and chuckle. ‘That’s the I try to be really tough-answer, but the truth is: I was embarrassed. No one at school knew about my situation at home and I certainly didn’t want the entire world to know.’

‘You didn’t have any friends?’

I shake my head. ‘Yet again: I was too embarrassed to share this with anyone. Besides, I was the weird girl who wore the same clothes for three days on end.’

‘Kids can be cruel,’ he says, referring to his own past.

I wrap my arms around his strong one, pressing my cheek against his bicep. ‘They can.’

‘Can I ask something else?’

‘You can.’

‘Have you ever dated?’

I place my chin on his arm, so I can actually look at him again. ‘No, I have never.’

‘You have played alongside quite a few single guys. Was there not a spark in real life?’

‘Goodness gracious, Henry, you sound like you’re in a retirement home. A spark in real life? Really?’

He chuckles. ‘You get what I’m saying.’

‘I do,’ I say with a smile. ‘But to answer your question, no, there wasn’t. I mean, I remain in contact with some of them and we’re still friendly, but I never let them in. Not like how I’m with you.’ I place my cheek against his bicep again, but one of my hands slides down his arm. He intertwines his fingers with mine and his thumb draws soft figures on my skin.

Henry nods. ‘You know,’ he says, ‘you are really one of a kind.’

‘Why?’

‘Because you do something that no one else does. You haven’t mentioned my appearance once since we are here.’

‘Really?’ I ask frowning. ‘I thought about your appearance quite a few times.’

He smiles. ‘But you never voiced it. You know, it’s flattering that people comment about my appearance, but you don’t do that. You comment about my personality traits and I don’t want to become all sappy, but… It means a lot.’

‘You are sappy,’ I mumble, causing him to laugh. ‘But since we are being sappy with one another, I should tell you that… You are one of a kind too. You give me a chance. I remember one of the first times I was having issues with speaking and you didn’t fill in the rest. You just waited till I could finish my sentence. That means… a lot. Also, Henry, you… You ran into the haunted house for me.’

‘How…’

‘I saw the footage,’ I say with a smile, remembering what I saw this morning.

He was standing outside, his arms crossed in front of his chest, a deep frown between his brows. ‘Can you just leave the lights on?’ he asked. ‘Flickering lights make it harder for Adelaide to concentrate.’

But there was no response. He shook his head, clenched his jaw and eventually he simply walked away. He went in the haunted house, pressed the “Stop” button, before rushing towards me, pulling some of the actors away. ‘It’s over,’ he told them. ‘Get the fuck out of here.’

After seeing the footage, it made my heart swell like crazy. ‘Quite romantic, really,’ I chuckle.

He laughs, but it sounds more nervous this time. ‘Well… It was nothing.’

‘It meant the world to me,’ I retort. And because of that, I think I’m even more in love with you than I already was. However it doesn’t leave my lips. I don’t want to scare him off.

‘This never happened to me before,’ Henry says. ‘Feeling about someone like this.’

‘Like what?’

‘Like how I feel about you.’ He squeezes my hand, before continuing by saying: ‘I care so much about you, Adelaide. Before you told me about your life, after you told me about your life. Even if we don’t win this contest, I did win something else. I won the privilege to get to know you.’

‘You care for me,’ I repeat, letting those words process for a bit. But that’s not falling in love with me.

‘And,’ he continues, ‘I’m slowly falling for you too.’

I resit, so I don’t strain my neck when I look at him. ‘What?’

He holds my hand tightly in his, as if he is afraid that I might slip away. ‘I’m falling in love with you, Adelaide Park.’

I bite my lip. ‘You are?’

‘I am,’ he confirms. ‘Even if we don’t win this show, I want to figure out how we can manage after this. Maybe you can even tone it down with your movies.’

I chuckle, hiding my face in my hand. ‘Maybe I can do that.’ I look at our linked hands and I whisper: ‘I’m falling love with you too, Henry Cavill.’

‘You are?’ he asks with a smile. ‘Lucky me.’

We don’t say anything. I just look into his eyes, trying to figure out what he is thinking. I can see him staring at my lips, before he moistens his own. ‘When I kiss you,’ he says, ‘there is one problem. I fear that I can’t stop then, but I also want us to remain a little secret. For time being of course.’

I nod. ‘Then you don’t kiss me.’

‘But I want to,’ he chuckles.

‘You have to pick one of the options.’

‘What do you want?’

‘I mean…’ I purse my lips together. ‘I wouldn’t mind if we kissed.’

Henry pulls me closer by my hand. I lose a bit of my balance, so I fall against his chest. ‘Careful now, Addy,’ he chuckles. ‘We don’t want any injuries, now do we?’

‘Shut up.’ I finally place my hand on his cheek and as my thumb is slowly caressing his soft skin, I accidentally graze over his velvety lips. He turns his head, to kiss the palm of my hand.

‘Can I kiss you?’ he asks against my skin, as he places his hand on mine, so he can press another, but more firm kiss on the inside of my hand. ‘You can say no.’

‘I want to kiss you,’ I hoarsely whisper. ‘Badly so.’

‘Badly so,’ he repeats with a self fulfilled grin on his face. He leans in closer to me and teasingly kisses my cheek, the tip of my nose and even my forehead. ‘Where?’ he whispers. ‘Where do you want me to kiss you?’

‘Right here,’ I whisper, before pressing my lips on his. They fit perfectly on each other. I cradle his face in my hands, as he pulls me closer to his body, though my legs are in the way. Without even thinking about it, I sit on his lap, causing him to smile underneath the kiss.

‘Badly so it was,’ he mumbles against my lips, his hands slipping underneath my shirt. He opens his mouth and carefully his tongue invades my mouth. I whimper, as his fingers dig into my back, his thumbs softly circling my stomach.

How many on screen kisses have I done?

Billions.

How many felt like this?

None.

I pull back, so I can catch my breath, but he is not giving me a break. He buries his face in the crook of my neck, pressing wet kisses on my delicate skin. ‘Can we stay here forever?’ he asks against my collarbone. ‘I don’t want to go back to the camera’s.’

‘Me neither,’ I whisper. I place my pointer finger underneath his chin, lifting his face. ‘How are we going to do this back at the cottage?’

‘Well,’ he chuckles, ‘we are already behaving like a cute couple, so we don’t have to change a lot about that. Just have to hold back the kisses.’

My fingers run through his curls, messing them up a little, but he doesn’t seem to mind. Henry simply smiles at me. ‘I think we can manage that,’ I say, smiling back at him.

‘Can I have another kiss?’ he asks.

‘You can,’ I whisper, before he captures my lips again. This kiss is even more intense and my fingers toy with the buttons of his shirt, when we hear someone clear their throat. We look up, to see a little boy staring at us, while his grandmother is screaming something in the back. ‘Maybe we should find another place,’ I suggest, stepping off his lap.

‘Yeah,’ Henry says, ‘maybe we should.’

◎ ◎ ◎

Adelaide: You were right.

Adelaide: I like Henry a lot

Dad: I’m always right

Adelaide: And I kissed him.

Dad: You didn’t?

Adelaide: I did, but please keep this a secret.

Dad: I can tell your eomma right?

Adelaide: Yes you can

Adelaide: I love you 😘

Dad: I love you too, future mrs. Cavill

Adelaide: Please, don’t.

◎ ◎ ◎

Taglist: @thelastsock​ // @jolly-polly​ // @henrythickcavill​ // @maan24​ // @diegos-butt​ / @agniavateira​ // @onlyhenrys​ // @turkish276​ //

[winterisakillerwrites]

Get Better - Chapter Five

Title: Get Better

Chapter: 5/18

Character: Tom Hiddleston/Cath Richardson (OFC)

Genre: Romance

Rating: Teen and up

Summary: Love. Companionship. Family. These are all of the things Tom Hiddleston desperately wanted. But his life and his choices left that a distant and unlikely prospect. So he did his best to move on and live his life as is. When an opportunity to return to the theater arises, he jumps at the chance and along the way finds that maybe, just maybe, those distant and unlikely prospects are closer than he could have imagined. Sequel to Brave Face.

Authors Notes/Warnings: So as I was writing Brave Face I knew that Tom’s story wasn’t over, even if that particular part of it was. And while I knew, more or less, what the overall ending to the story would be, its taken me a while to figure out the time in between. Thanks to @redfoxwritesstuff for letting me continually throw ideas off and at you. I still can’t fathom why you put up with it, but I am eternally grateful you do.

Previous

CHAPTER FIVE

There was something about the start of full dress rehearsals Cath had always found fascinating. It was the chaos which ensued, keeping everyone on their toes and running like mad, that she found enjoyed like nothing else. She’d arrived at the theater early, as had become her habit, to get her station to rights. And, honestly, to clear her head for the task at hand. This wasn’t her first production by any stretch but it was her first as lead make-up artist and the thought both pleased and terrified her. It wasn’t a huge production a la Wicked or any other number of large scale musical productions she’d done grunt work on, but it was still a major step forward career-wise. The butterfly-like nerves in her stomach fluttered uneasily at the thought.

Cath had been working exclusively in theatre, with the occasional dabble in television production (hey the money was decent and a steady gig was something she certainly wouldn’t turn her nose up at), for the last five years. When she’d told her mother she’d wanted to pursue an actual career in theatrical make-up and design rather than just mess around with it in her spare time (as she’d done throughout secondary school and her first year of uni), Cath wasn’t terribly shocked by her lack of enthusiasm. Her mother was a practical woman, having raised three children mostly on her own after her divorce, and while she supported and encouraged her children, she had always instilled in them the need to make sound and responsible choices. And true to form, she had made her concerns quite clear.

“Darling, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that you are talented. I’ve seen the work you’ve put in for school productions and the local theatre…But how steady will the work actually be? I just want to make sure you’ve honestly thought this through and can make it work.”

Her concerns were valid and in those first few years Cath struggled to make ends meet. She’d taken any job she could find, often working hellishly long hours for frustratingly little pay. But slowly things started to take off. She’d landed a steady gig at one of the smaller theatres in the West End and had worked herself as hard as she could; learning not only to improve her craft but dabbling in costuming and whatever else she could get her hands on. That job had led to another and another until she found herself booked for most of the year. Television gigs paid well and she enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the sets but theatre had always held her heart. Probably always would.

She took a long, slow sip of her coffee, enjoying the smooth warmth as it slid down her throat. It was one of her guilty pleasures….Well, maybe not guilty but certainly a pleasure. Take away coffee…Lattes in particular where something she tried very hard to not indulge in; save for when she was starting a new show. During that time the coffee shop around the corner from her flat frankly saw more of her paycheck than she did. It was just simply easier to let someone else make her the caffeine she desperately needed. She let out a soft sigh and tried hard not to feel too guilty about the coffee press sitting unused on her counter.  

The sound of the door opening pulled Cath back to herself. She turned to find Maggie and Lorna making their way into the small workspace draped with bags and take away coffees which they quickly divested themselves of on the table by the door. Cath had worked with both women on previous projects and had been thrilled when their names appeared on her work log. Both were exceptionally talented and made the often hectic hours much more bearable.

“Cath!” Lorna cried, launching herself at the shorter woman and wrapping her in tight embrace. Cath stumbled backwards and nearly fell into one of the lighted workstations. “I’m so glad you’re here!”

Laughter tumbled from her throat as Cath returned the embrace. “I’m glad to be here. Let’s try to keep it that way, eh?”

Maggie snorted a laugh. “Yeah, let’s not kill our boss on the first day. Wouldn’t send the best message to the production team, now would it?”

Lorna shrugged, “Fair enough.”

The rest of the morning passed with little fanfare. Bags were piled in the corner near the curtained dressing areas, one for each actor, filled with costume pieces and various accessories waiting final approval from the production team. As workstations were slowly set to rights and their coffees consumed, the three women bustled around the small room waiting for the rest of the production team to arrive; the actors weren’t due in until closer to eleven.  A quick glance at the wall clock told Cath it was rapidly approaching nine.

Lorna puttered around the various bags and pulled the pieces of clothing from them one at a time, hanging them up along the back wall. Simple pieces that fit with the ideas that Jaime had thrown around during pre-production; jeans and blouses for Emma and various jeans, suits, shirts, and blazers for Robert and Jerry. Cath and Lorna worked together ironing and steaming the pieces so they wrinkle free and ready to grab and go once the actors arrived.

Maggie flitted around the room, getting the remaining loose ends settled; extra kits and pieces of clothing that would be used if alterations were needed. Humming to herself, Maggie moved around the small room. Humming turned to singing and soon Cath and Lorna joined in, belting out the words to ridiculous late 90’s/early 2000’s pop songs. Laughing, Cath wandered to her own bag, pulling out her mobile to provide actually music for their impromptu karaoke session. The three women danced around the room, laughing, dancing, and singing at the top of their lungs.

Applause from the doorway was the first clue that the three of them were no longer alone. Cath squeaked in alarm as she spun around, finding the play’s director, Jaime, laughing hysterically at the door, Zawe standing beside him doubled over in laughter as well. She quickly grabbed her mobile from the table and paused the music. “So um…Welcome!” Cath started, laughing as well, “We’re here all week.”  

Zawe clapped and darted forward to pull Cath into a tight hug. “I’m so thrilled you’re here!”

Cath laughed and returned the embrace, “Me too! So come on in, let me introduce you to my team.” She beamed at the fact that she had a team; that would certainly take some getting used to. Cath made quick introductions and the four women fell quickly into conversation regarding theatre in general.

There was another knock on the doorframe and looking up, Cath found a moderately tall, bearded brunette man standing in the doorway, whom she recognized as Charlie Cox, smiling warmly. He was quickly ushered over and introductions were made once more. Jaime joined the fray and he and Charlie were quickly pulled into conversation with Lorna regarding costumes and character ideas.

Seeing everyone sufficiently occupied, Zawe had taken Cath by the hand and led her to one of the opened stations. The two women quickly fell into conversation, joking and catching up on what had been happening in each other’s lives. Cath hadn’t had the chance to speak with Zawe since the gala a few months back and was thrilled to hear that the book she’d been working on was finally preparing for release. Cath had worked with Zawe on a handful of projects over the past several years and they’d hit it off almost immediately. They were close in age, had similar tastes in books and movies, and shared a similar sense of humor. They’d passed many an early morning shoot laughing themselves silly.

“…So there I was standing there with the back of my dress wide open, trying to grab at the bleeding zipper when Darren, our director, walks in with some poor bloke from the local paper.” Cath threw back her head, laughing at the image Zawe had painted. “Needless to say that was certainly one interview I’ll never forget.”

“God, Zawe, I can only imagine. At least you were mostly dressed. And it certainly gave the show write up a bit of color.” Cath joked, dodging the playful swat Zawe threw her way. “Besides, you remember that morning in Devon? When I got locked out of my hotel room and had to go on set in my dress from the night before…The very one that had gotten soaked in wine when that man lost his balance and fell into our table?” She waved her hands wildly, mimicking her panicked reaction to the flying wine. “I still don’t know how I didn’t get crucified for that. You remember how bloody strict Jaz was.”

Zawe laughed and nodded. “Yes! Oh that was quite the talk of the set.” Her attention waivered at something over Cath’s shoulder, face breaking into a smile as she waved at the doorway behind them.

Cath turned, finding herself standing face to chest with a tall, auburn haired man. His blue eyes were hidden behind a pair of black square framed glasses, but they were no less arresting for it. There was something about the way in which they took her in, the colors swirling between blue and green, which fascinated her. A scruffy beard covered his cheeks and chin, recently trimmed she noted given its length. His hair was just a touch too long, curly and just this side of disarray. He looked completely different from the clean faced, strong jawed man she’d seen on film posters but she’d recognized him all the same. The show’s second leading man, Tom Hiddleston.

                                                          —

The door closed behind him with a bang, causing Tom to wince as he glanced back to make sure he’d not caused any permanent damage to either door or frame. All looked well enough and that would have to do. He glanced once more at his watch, cursing out loud as he took in the time. Fucking hell, he was late. But if…Just maybe if he could make it to the underground station and catch the next arriving train, he would make it to the theatre close enough to call time.

He hadn’t meant to be late; he’d had every intention of making it out of the house and to the theatre on time. That obviously wasn’t going to happen now. He let out an exasperated sigh. Possibly going out the night before had been a mistake. But it had been Daniel’s birthday and he hadn’t seen him in ages. They’d been friends since RADA and did their best to keep in touch over the years; which had been difficult considering their hectic schedules and life in general. When Daniel called the night before and asked if Tom could swing by the pub for a few drinks in honor of his birthday, he had eagerly agreed; looking forward to spending a few hours with old friends. But as these things tended to go, a few drinks turned into talking and suddenly it was nearing midnight and last call.

Tom had made it home and to bed slightly after one and woke at nearly ten to discover that the alarm he’d sworn he’d set either hadn’t been set or hadn’t gone off. He cursed profusely, earning him a confused look from Bobby. He’d thrown on the first clean pair of jeans and jumper he found (the perks of minimalizing his wardrobe) and shoved his feet hastily into his boots before charging down the stairs, Bobby following quickly at his heels. Rounding the corner, he skidded into the kitchen and then through to the back room. He pushed open the back garden door, Bobby barked once and trotted out to do his business. Once Bobby was fed and shut in his kennel, Tom had grabbed his keys and wallet from the side table by the front door and sprinted out of it, the door slamming behind him.

His jog to the underground station was thankfully uneventful and he’d managed to catch the next arriving train, though it was a very near thing. The crowd in Leister Square was easy enough to navigate and he’d only bumped into one or two people in his flight, apologizing as he jogged through the square and onto a side street. Tom felt himself fill with relief as the Harold Pinter theatre came into view. He made his way across the street and up into the stage door entrance, greeting the staff mulling around it warmly. He raced up the stairs as quickly as his feet could carry him, hoping he wasn’t as late as he feared.

Tom could hear laughter echoing from the opened dressing room door as he climbed the last few steps and onto the landing. He was mostly on time, the quick glance at his watch showed it was only a few minutes past eleven. Not the best impression he’d ever made, but certainly not the worst and there was nothing he could do about it presently. With a smile, he made his way through the doorway and into the brightly lit dressing room.

His attention fell first on Zawe, perched on a stool and chatting animatedly with a short woman in dark jeans and an oversized light green jumper. There was something familiar about her, even with her back was turned to him, but he couldn’t quite seem to put a finger on why. It wasn’t until she’d thrown her head back and laughed, a bright and rich sound, when realization struck him. The woman from the Pinter Gala in October. Cath. He laughed despite himself. What were the odds?

She looked absolutely lovely; laughing warmly at whatever she and Zawe had been discussing. Her voice animated and full of warmth as she waved her hands around to emphasize the point she was making. Her long, dark hair was pulled back and piled in a lop-sided bun, though a few stray strands had fallen out of their bindings and had been pushed behind her ear. Zawe smiled at him when she’d turned her head and found him standing by the door and quickly waved him over.

His breath caught in his throat as she turned around, confusion painted across her face. Her dark blue eyes flashing first in surprise then in recognition. Her face broke into a warm and welcoming smile. God, she is stunning.

“Cath this is Tom, my long suffering cuckold of a husband….For the next few months at least.” Zawe gestured at Tom, a playful and warm smile spreading across her face. “Tom, this is Cath. She’s going to be responsible for making us look pretty. Though for you, I suspect she has her work cut out for her.” There was a brief pause before all three burst into laughter.

God, the thought stole across Tom’s mind, she has a wonderful laugh. He quickly shook the thought away, extending his hand to hers. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Cath took his hand, smiling, and shook it firmly. Her hand was small, dwarfed in his own, smooth and warm. He had no desire to let her or it go.

“Alright,” Jaime yelled, standing up and clapping his hands. The three of them turned to face the director. “Since we’re all here, let’s get started.”

                                                      —

Tom poured himself into the make-up chair, quite ready to be done for the day. He’d forgotten how draining theatre could be, no matter how much he enjoyed it. Their first official rehearsal had gone well; they’d ran through the play twice, stopping occasionally to work on blocking or change a delivery of a line. It was comforting, being in costume (even if the costume was close enough to what he’d wear outside of the theatre) and full make-up (God, though it made face itch something fierce), it made things feel more…real. But blast it all, he was tired.

Cath smiled at him, make-up remover in hand. “Long day?” she joked, handing him the soaked wash cloth. Tom smiled and took it gratefully, wiping his face with a sigh.

“I’d forgotten how much this stuff itches.”

“But it makes you look oh so pretty,” Cath teased, taking the wash cloth back and getting the bits he’d missed the first time around. “You guys are quite good,” she murmured, placing the cloth into the dirty linen bin by her feet and pulling out a bottle of light moisturizer. She pumped a small amount onto her hands, rubbing it between them before reaching and applying it to his slightly reddened face.

“Thank you,” he answered, trying not to think about how nice her touch felt on his skin.

They’d chatted quite a bit in the run up to actually getting himself, Charlie, and Zawe on the stage; and he’d found he very much enjoyed her company. She made him laugh with an ease that he hadn’t felt in a long time. She was warm and genuine; what you saw was you got. They’d talked briefly about his work; she’d seen him in Coriolanus, a friend of a friend had gotten tickets and invited her along, and she’d confessed to being quite impressed with his work in it, even if he was a fair bit shouty at times. She’d seen one or two of the Marvel films and had a fair grasp on his role in them, but they hadn’t really been her cup of tea.

He’d been almost grateful for her lack of response to his fame, or infamy depending on how you looked at it. It was a wonderful change of pace. She asked him questions about his experiences on set and what had lead him to acting in the first place. He, in turn, asked her about the work she’d done, in theatre and in television, he’d been pleased to find out, and they’d shared stories about long days on set or backstage antics they’d encountered.

“Alright,” she declared, leaning back with a soft smile. “All done. You, good sir, are free to go.”

The loss of her warmth against him was disheartening in a way he did not wish to explore anytime soon.

He returned her smile. “Thank you, my lady. I look forward to working with you in future.” Tom stood and headed back to the screened area in the far corner of the room to change back into his street clothes. Had he turned back, he would have caught the faint blush that spread across Cath’s face at his words.

                                                           —

Tom cursed as he caught sight of the time. He was late. Of fucking course he was late. God, what a mess. His hair was plastered to his head and he hadn’t had time to do anything save brush it from his face as he ran from the house and down the street towards the Underground station.

Bobby, the little shit, had been an unholy terror. He’d rushed out the garden door that morning, with complete disregard for the sheets of rain that were belting down (at the rate it was falling, Tom was thrilled to death it wasn’t snow), and dived head first into the muddy flower beds instead of calmly doing his business and rushing back inside for breakfast. Tom, knowing the horror it was to wash the foul beast, charged after him, winding up soaked in the process. Both muddy and thoroughly pissed at each other, man and beast made their way inside the house. Bathing Bobby had been an exercise in mutual frustration. The spaniel whined and growled through the whole process, swiping paws at his master in a fruitless attempt at escape. The bathroom was a disaster, water and mud splashed over the floors and walls and Tom groaned, knowing what a nightmare it would be to clean. Toweled dry and still growling intermittently, Bobby was unceremoniously shut in his kennel and his food bowl shoved in after.

Grumbling, Tom took the stairs two at a time and made as quick a work of cleaning the guest bath as he could. He’d just loaded the remaining towels into the washer when he caught sight of the time off the clock in his kitchen. His eyes bugged, how had it gotten so late?

Another string of curses followed Tom up the stairs once again as he dashed into his bedroom and grabbed clean clothing from the wardrobe (his usual dark jeans and a jumper). He ran into the bathroom, cursing the fact that he didn’t have time for a proper shower. And certainly no thanks to the beast in his backroom.

He grabbed a wash cloth and wiped the mud and dirt from his face and arms as best he could before pulling his jeans and jumper on. He sat on his bed to get himself settled in his socks and boots, knowing that with his luck, if he tried to do this while standing he’d fall and break his neck. That would be the icing on the cake of this foul day.

Dressed and still rather cross, Tom grabbed his keys and wallet from the side table and then his umbrella from the hall tree, quickly shrugging into his wool coat, before dashing out the door. The rain was still coming down in unrelenting sheets and the jog from his front door to the station had his boots and the cuffs of his jeans soaked through. He grimaced but knew there was little he could do for it now. At the ticket gate he paused and pulled his mobile from his pocket, quickly dialing the theatre, hoping to catch someone and inform them of his tardiness.

The phone rang once. Then twice before the line clicked and a warm female voice answered. “Hello?”

He recognized Cath’s voice immediately and made a determined effort to keep his frustration in check. Absolutely none of this was her fault. He took a deep breath and explained as quickly as he could. “It’s Tom, I’m running late. It’s been…A fair bit hectic this morning. But I am on my way.”

“Alright, Tom.” There was a clear hint of laughter in her voice, but she held it back remarkably well. “Take care. See you when you get here.”

Tom echoed her statement and ended the call, shoving his mobile back into his pocket. He made his way hastily through the barrier and down the escalator towards the filling platform. He brushed his wet hair from his face as he waited for the next train. He mentally cursed his lack of coffee but there hadn’t been any time and hoped against hope that there would be some at the theatre. Or that he could possibly duck out at some point and hit the Costa a few streets down. As long as he got caffeine somewhere (and in the relatively near future) he didn’t care.

By the time the train had pulled into the station and Tom had made his way from the platform and onto the street, the rain had died to a slow drizzle. He rushed from the station towards the theatre passing the aforementioned Costa with a longing look; he was far too late to risk stopping now, no matter how badly he wanted to. He nodded at John, one of the security at the stage door, and climbed the stairs two at a time. His watch had him at twenty minutes late and he cringed. He’d been doing so well with his time management in the last few weeks and this blip stung.

He burst through the dressing room door, pulling off his coat, hanging it up, and dropping the umbrella by the door. “So sorry,” he called. Charlie and Zawe were dressed and sitting at their respective stations, chatting with each other and with Lorna and Maggie. They looked up at his entrance and called greetings out.

Cath emerged from the back, smiling. “You made it!”

She quickly ushered him over towards his station. His eyes widened as he took in the waiting take away cup of coffee and brownie awaiting him. Gods, he could have kissed her for her thoughtfulness. He blinked the thought away and settled quickly into his chair before turning back to her. “You are a lifesaver. Honestly, thank you.”

“Can’t have you falling off stage because you’ve not had the requisite amount of caffeine in your system, now can we?” They both laughed and Tom reached gratefully for the gently steaming coffee, taking a tentative sip. It burned, but in the best way and he closed his eyes, savoring the warmth and the smooth bitterness. “Would you two like a moment alone?”

Cath’s teasing words snapped Tom back to himself and he blushed, quickly putting the cup back onto the counter. “Nah,” he quipped, once he’d recovered himself. “I trust your discretion.”

“Well that certainly explains a lot, Hiddleston,” she teased, not bothering to hide her laughter. “Who would have thought you were into exhibition?”

Tom shrugged, enjoying the playful if not slightly evocative teasing. “Why do you think I got into acting?”

Cath only laughed harder, shaking her head as she turned to grab a towel. “What happened to you, Tom? Your hair’s a mess.”

“It’s a long story,” he grumbled, grabbing the coffee once more and taking another long sip. “Involving a stubborn dog and far too much rain.”

“Yikes.” She rubbed the towel over his head, drying his hair as best she could. A smirk spread across her face as she spotted a muddy paw print on the side of his neck. “Looks like the dog won, though.” She pointed at the spot and Tom let out a groan. “He marked you.”

“Stupid bloody dog.”

Cath chuckled to herself, wiping the mark from his neck and dropping the towel into the dirty linen bin. She reached down and grabbed the hairdryer, making sure it was plugged in before running it over Tom’s unruly hair, making sure it was well and truly dry. “Alright,” she announced, shutting off the hairdryer and placing it back in its holster. “That’s about as good as we can get. Now scoot.”

Tom laughed, thanking her again for the coffee and for fixing the mess his morning had made of his hair. “You really are a lifesaver, Cath.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like I haven’t heard that one before. Now off with you, before we both get yelled at for your tardiness.”

With a smile and a wave, Tom made his way from the dressing room towards the stairs leading to the stage. Cath watched as he went, a warm smile spreading across her face as she caught sight of an errant curl sticking up at the back of his head. Silly man, she thought to herself. You are going to be a world of trouble, aren’t you?

Next