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hhoneylemon · 1 month ago

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𝘣𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘵. 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢

jess mariano x reader

genre; fluff

word count; 896

summary; jess annotates a book for reader and then proceeds to rethink every decision he’s ever made.

reader pov

I had stopped by at Luke’s Diner to grab a coffee and have a small chat with Jess in the morning. He described a book he had recently read, saying it had been turned into a movie that disrespected the name.

“It’s so bad. Like, they changed multiple events and even one of the characters names. Don’t forget how everyone interacts with each other… it basically just shares the same name as the book is all.”

It was interesting seeing how frustrated he got about it, and I smiled at him.

“What book is this?”

His eyes widen a tad as he realizes he didn’t even say.

“I Know What You Did Last Summer. Lois Duncan.”

I nod, interested. I’d heard of the movie before, I think, in passing from my best friend. She and her mother watch a lot of things together, this might’ve been one she talked about.

“Did you like the book?”

I take a sip from my coffee, allowing the warmth of the drink to wake me up a bit more.

“Yeah, it was good. I annotated it as I read, if you want to borrow it.”

I smile at the offer, nodding along.

“I’d like that.”

And so here I sit, comfortably on my bed as I read the book. Jess’s annotations were always interesting. He didn’t only look at suspicious details in the story, he also had a soft spot for some of the romantic moments. It made me smile whenever I saw one, that goof.

The book was good, as he had said it was. I knew that Jess had written his full thoughts in the very back, so once I finished, I took everything in to form my opinions. I then open to the back to compare.

I didn’t expect a small folded paper to fall out. A little ‘huh’ escapes from my lips as I unfold it, reading it. I almost laugh at the simplicity of it. A note saying ‘Will you go on a date with me?’ with two boxes, one for yes and one for no. I snort in amusement, before placing it beside me to read his thoughts.

They were agreeable. It was well written and the. characters were developed. Barry was an asshole and Ray came off kinda creepy during some parts of the book.

Once I finish reading his thoughts, I turn my attention back to the note. I pick it up and walk to my desk, grabbing a pen. I checkmark the yes box and slide the note back into the book, knowing I’ll drop it off before dinner.

jess pov

What was I thinking.

Metallica pulses through the air as I stare at the ceiling. I’m lying on the floor as I collect my thoughts. I just asked out Y/n, and in probably the most stupid way possible.

What else can I do, I guess? And it’s too late anyways, they’re bound to have seen it by now.

Perhaps it isn’t the end of the world. If they say no, I’ll lose a close friend, but I’ll survive. Maybe I’ll be regretting who I am for a while, but I’ll survive.

The notes of Nothing Else Matters ring in my ears like a bell. I hum along faintly, occupying myself from my thoughts.

I pick myself up when there’s a knock on my bedroom door.

“Yes?”

Luke pops his head in, looking at me with tired eyes.

“C’mon. Dinner rush about to come in.”

And so I turn off my CD player and trudge down to the diner, ready to serve the rush. I head to the counter like my uncle asks me to and take peoples orders, scribbling in the notepad and dismissing them to a table. I hand the notepad to Luke to take to whoever’s cooking and repeat the process who knows how many times, when my attention is grabbed by a familiar face entering the diner.

Y/n approaches the counter with a friendly smile, brandishing my copy of I Know What You Did Last Summer. They place it on the counter, and I take it into my hands.

“Thoughts?”

I watch them lean against the counter and think for a moment.

“Well, I thought it was good. Barry was terrible to Helen, Ray was kinda freaky, Julie’s mom was a real one, some of the scenes were cool. The gunshot during the fireworks show was clever, I liked that. A crazed brother is a little silly, I wonder what happened to poor Megan. I feel bad for the parents of the little boy. I liked Helen but thought she was a little dim for not realizing what Barry was up to. His mom was annoying. I also like how you annotate books, by the way. Seeing your thought process is really interesting while I’m having my own, y’know?”

Y/n finishes, looking at me. Their look is knowing, so I know they read the note. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I wonder what they’ll say, if anything. The silence that follows what they say is awkward.

And then, “I’ll go out with you.”

They hand me the note, and I see that they checked off the yes box. I look up and see them smiling at me. I give a small smile back.

Maybe it wasn’t a mistake after all.

#jess mariano x reader #gilmore girls x reader #gn reader #male reader #female reader #repost!

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cameronspecial · 11 months ago

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Assisting In Deception (Part 1)

Pairing: Rafe Cameron x Reader

Warnings: People saying bad stuff about Rafe.

Pronouns: She/Her

Word Count: 2.4K

Summary: A wedding and rumours lead Y/N and Rafe in need of a partner.

Masterlist

The sound of the keyboard as Rafe types is the only thing that can be heard when Y/N enters the room. She places his coffee in front of him and opens the planner she designated for work as she sits on a chair facing his desk. “You have appointments at eleven, two, and five for today. I’ve booked your haircut at three tomorrow and your dad called saying he wants you to call him when you get off of work. Is there anything else you need me to do, right now?” she questions, leaving a checkmark beside each reminder she informed him about. Rafe takes a second to look up from his computer, “No, assuming you put all of that in my digital calendar with more information. That’s all, thank you.” He returns to work and Y/N retreats back to her desk outside of his office.

Rafe Cameron is a cold and distant boss. He is polite, but he never smiles. Everyone in the office is scared of him, except for Y/N. Her kind and warm personality makes him not as stern with her, but it doesn’t mean she has the privilege of getting past his hard exterior. No one knows anything about him. However, this doesn’t stop her from developing a tiny crush on her boss. She knows it is a cliche, but she recognizes it is probably only because he is handsome and polite. Even if it was based on real emotions, she would never try to develop a romantic relationship with him. She doesn’t believe in love anyway.

Y/N is taking calls for him when he leaves his office. “I’m going for lunch,” he informs her and she gives him a nod to signal she heard him. He is watching her as he waits for the elevator. “I’m not sure if Mr. Cameron can fit you in today. He already has meetings up until six today. No, he normally doesn’t go to meetings after that time, Mr. Rosa,” Y/N begins, but upon hearing the name, Rafe flashes seven fingers to her. “Actually, I just checked with Mr. Cameron and he is fine with the meeting beginning at seven. Is that okay for you? Great. Have a good day, Mr. Rosa. Thank you.” Y/N goes to get her lunch but is immediately stopped by another call coming through. Rafe observes from the elevator that she takes the call and doesn’t go to lunch.

——

When Rafe returns from lunch, Y/N is still on a phone call with the same client as when Rafe left. He takes note of that and reminds himself to have a chat with the client about holding up the phone line around lunchtime. She watches as Rafe approaches the desk and gives her attention to him, waiting for him to tell her what he needs. Instead, he places a paper bag on her desk and takes the phone from her. “Hello, Mrs. Matthews. Ms. Y/L/N has been very polite by letting you take up her lunch hour, but right now, I’m letting her go on lunch, so you can call back tomorrow. Thank you, goodbye,” he hangs up the phone and sets it to voicemail, then turns his attention towards Y/N. “I’ve bought you lunch, please, eat it. Take an hour and don’t call back Mrs. Matthews until tomorrow. I know you feel bad, but she never has anything important for me. And next time, just tell the client that you have lunch. If they have problems, then direct them to me.”

He enters the office and she opens the bag to see what he got her. Inside, she finds the creamy mushroom gnocchi from her favourite Italian place. She has it at least once a month when she treats herself to lunch that is not leftovers from the night before. Y/N didn’t know that he noticed. She moves a strand of hair behind her ear and heads to the break room to enjoy her lunch.

——

Y/N returns from lunch and is just settling down at her desk when Jenna approaches her. “Hey, how was your lunch?” Jenna asks. Y/N knows Jenna wants something so cuts to the chase, “What do you need?” Jenna gives Y/N relieved eyes at not having to keep up the charade. “Could you please tell him some contractors have been saying some pretty bad stuff about him on the news this morning? The media is going crazy about it,” Jenna begs, widening her eyes and pouting like a puppy dog.

“Why me? Aren’t you the head of PR? Last time I checked, that’s in your job description.”

“It is, but he’s scary. He doesn’t get as mad at you as he does with anyone else. Maybe he has a crush on you?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s because I don’t dance around telling him the truth. He likes my honesty.”

“Yeah, yeah, but can you pleaseeee do it? I’ll buy your coffee for the whole week if you do.”

“Fine, but I want that coffee. What have they been saying about him?”

“That he has a heart of stone, he’s rude and has secret children that he makes the mothers keep a secret.”

“Damn, that’s a lot. Only the first thing is kinda true, but the others are like so far out there. He barely leaves his office. How is he supposed to father children? I guess that’s why his dad wanted him to call him.”

“Probably, thank you so much. I owe you.”

Jenna runs back to the elevator to head down to the PR offices and Y/N makes her way into Rafe’s office. She doesn’t stick to pleasantries as she knows he has a meeting soon. “Contractors have been on the news all day saying crude things about you. PR wants a meeting to do damage control. You know before random women start popping up saying that you are their baby daddy,” she tells him, hoping the joke will soften the news. Rafe looks up from his computer with a confused look on his face, “They are saying I fathered children? Obviously, they don’t know me well enough to know that I barely leave my office.”

“That’s what I said, but it’s what I’ve been told to tell you. Do you want me to cancel your other meetings this afternoon so you can head to PR?”

“Yes, please. Why are you telling me this and not Ms. Walsh?”

“Uh, she had to get everything ready for the meeting. She had her assistant relay the message to me.”

“I see. So it wasn’t Ms. Walsh that I heard a few minutes ago.”

“No, sir.”

“Well, then I guess you’ll need someone to get you coffee for the next week.”

Her eyes widen at being caught in the lie and quickly leaves the office after his teasing. He only ever teases her.

——

Y/N leaves work at five o’clock on the dot after being told by Rafe that it is okay to leave. Before she left, he was still in the meeting with the PR team. She wonders what they could possibly be talking about to be in a meeting for so long. She enters her apartment to find Juni at the small kitchen island. Their small New York apartment doesn’t have much, but the view is incredible. It almost makes the absurd rent worth it. “So your hot boss was on the news today, Sweetie. How is he? Does he really have a million baby mamas?” Juni jests, pointing her pen at her roommate. Y/N just shakes her head at her friend, “He’s still in a meeting with the PR team. You know none of that is true, Juni. He literally never leaves his office, so unless he can get his work pregnant, then he is the father of nothing.”

Juniper Cresswell has been Y/N’s best friend since they were ten years old. Juni had just been adopted by the Cresswells and started attending the same school as Y/N. The pair instantly bonded over not having a traditional family. Y/N’s mother, Phoebe, had her at a young age and her biological father was non-existent in her life. Her mom did get remarried though to Nate and they had Nancy two years later. Nate treated her like his own daughter and even changed his last name to Phoebe’s so that they could all have the same last name. Y/N grew up in Queens and when she moved out, she was able to rent an apartment close to home with Juni.

The knock on the door and the quick opening of it pull the attention of the girls. Standing at the entryway is Alexander. “Sup neighbours. How was our day?” he questions, leaving the doorway to sit at the kitchen island with the girls. “Mine was good. I got to help a mom get custody of her children from her wealthy asshole ex-husband, who only wanted the kids to get back at his ex-wife,” Juni retells, going back to her paperwork. Y/N walks over to him, “It was okay. Mr. Cameron got me lunch and he is being accused of having more children than Nick Canon.” This causes Juni to look up from her work, which goes unnoticed by Y/N because she is going through the mail that Alexander brought up. “How come you didn’t tell me your hot boss got you lunch, Sweetie?” Juni interrogates. Y/N stops at one particular letter, “Because it’s not that big of a deal. He knew I couldn’t eat mine. A client wouldn’t let me get off of the phone.”

Alexander and Juni give each other a look and then stare at her as she ignores them. She opens the pink envelope to find a wedding invitation from her cousin. Francine has been dating Gwen for eight years now, so it isn’t a surprise that she is getting married. Y/N loves her cousin, but she can’t help groaning. She hates the idea of having to go to another family event alone. She doesn’t mind being single, the issue is that family events come with constant badgering from relatives. Why are you still single? Don’t you want to start your family soon? Aren’t you lonely? You only have a few more years to have a baby. Juni looks over Y/N’s shoulder to see the invitation. “Ooh, another event you have to go to by yourself,” Juni wisecracks, taking the invitation out of Y/N’s hand to show Alexander. She gives him a pleading look that asks if he could go with her. He shakes his head with pity, “Damn, I wish I could go with you, but that’s when I have to get my wisdom teeth removed.”

Y/N turns to Juni in the hope of finding someone to be a buffer at the wedding. Juni sadly makes her lose that hope. “Sorry, Sweetie. That’s my dad’s birthday. My mom is planning a big party and everything.” The other girl sighs, resting her chin on her hand, “I guess I’ll just fly solo. Again.” Juni shrugs, “You never know. Maybe you’ll meet a handsome stranger, who you fall so head over heels for that you’ll be married before Francine.”

——

The PR meeting finishes at eight and Rafe is home a half hour later. It was an unproductive meeting of just going around in circles with the same weak idea of him making donations to various organizations and suing the contractors for defamation. Donating probably isn’t going to do much in the eyes of the public; they would say he is doing it just for how it would look during a so-called scandal. Suing won’t do much because the damage is already done. Dax greets Rafe at the door with an excited wag of the tail. “Hey bud, I miss you,” Rafe pets the German shepherd, moving over to the kitchen to get something to eat.

He gets Dax’s food ready first and watches as the dog devours the food soon after it is placed in his bowl. Rafe then moves over to the stove to make himself grilled salmon, fondant potatoes and steamed broccoli. He makes his way to the living room and turns on the TV. He quickly changes the channel from the news, which has his face plastered on it. He knows his issues aren’t the worst problem in the world. He’s a wealthy, white, male; this society is designed for him, but he can’t help feeling disappointed that people would blindly believe things about him they hear on TV, especially if they aren’t true. Rafe had to deal with enough prejudices when he was growing up and he went through a little bit of a wild phase. He might have been a little rebellious, but not so much that he should have been judged harshly by the media.

He settles on the couch, remembering he has to call his dad. He takes his phone out, dialling the number he needs. The phone stops ringing after a few seconds, “I know most of what they are saying is not true, but we need to workshop how we are going to fix this.” Rafe shakes his head at his dad’s direct approach.

“Hello to you too, Dad. And Jenna thinks it would be good if I make some donations and sue the contractors.”

“Okay, that’s all fine, but you need to do something more. It’s too bad that you don’t have a girlfriend. You could show just how dedicated you are to her and that might distract the media.”

Rafe frowns at his dad’s slight disappointment and quickly wants to rectify the issue, “Actually, I’ve been meaning to tell you. I’m dating someone.”

“Really? Since when? How come you haven’t told me about her?”

“Um, we’ve been dating for about a month. And I haven’t told you because I wanted to see where it is going. But it’s going good so I guess this is as good of a time as ever.”

“This is great, Rafe. How about I come over later this week and we can talk to the PR team about making appearances with your new mystery girl? Talk to your girl about this too. Tell her how important this is going to be for your media image. ”

Rafe nods at his father's suggestion, “Yeah, Dad. That sounds great. I’ll see you later, bye.” Ward utters his own goodbyes and hangs up his phone. Rafe moans, sitting back on the couch. He looks at his now cold dinner in dissatisfaction. “What am I going to do now?” he whispers to himself.

Taglist: @loves0phelia @thelomlisrafecameron @wickedlovely121 @aprilrudgate @loving-and-dreaming @victory-in-the-llama

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thebibliosphere · 2 years ago

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Hi to the some 500+ followers I gained in the last 24 hours. If you don't know me, I'm the editor behind Crucifix Nail Nipples (NSFW) and various other Tumblr heritage shit posts.

If you're a fan of paranormal romance, I also have a bestselling bisexual, polyamorous romance series, Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites ('Phangs' for short), featuring a neurodivergent, mad scientist dandy vampire, a deaf, disabled werewolf with a heart of gold, and a third secret option who officially becomes their additional love interest in the next book.

The series comes in two editions, The Flirting with Fangs edition (high heat) and the Fluff and Fangs edition (medium heat), for those who prefer less or more spice in their romance.

Buy the (high heat) Flirting With Fangs Edition Here.

Buy the (medium heat) Fluff and Fangs Edition Here.

Why did I write two editions, and what's the exact difference? Glad you asked!

Set in a pseudo-regency meets fake-Victorian Gaslamp Fantasy world, complete with gothic castles, enchanted forests, and just a smidge of industrial coal dust, Phangs has been described as "like reading the queer, goth love child of Terry Pratchett meets Jane Austen." Just, y'know, in case any of that sounds interesting to you.

Anyway. I've peddled my weres enough for one night. Welcome. I hope you like it here. I'm going back to staring at the ever-mounting number of checkmarks taking over my URL.

#indie author stuff #state of the blog

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scenteddelusion5 · 9 months ago

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"Two households, both unalike in dignity, In our unsightly hell, where we lay our scene," PART 2

Vox x gn reader (Alastor's child)

Note: I learned how to do ť̷̛̠̝͐̀͗̈̎̐h̵̢͎̥͙̳͚͉̮̊̿̋͑̃͜͝ị̵͖͉̈́͂̾̽s̷̮͖͕̞͉̲̝̿̈́͗̿̏́̚͜͠

Also this is definitly going to be a 4 or 5 parter.

Word count: 3385

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

Y/n was sitting on their bed, looking at the surprisingly tin device in their hand. These smart phones looked so different compared to the phones in their time. Turning the thing on was a bit of a struggle, but thanks to Vox choosing the settings were easy and his phone number was already saved.

Hello Vox, this is Y/n. I hope you get this message.

The man on the receiving end hadn't read it yet, which they learned they could see bases on colour of the checkmarks, so instead they started exploring the unfamiliar tech a bit, mainly the internet. It wasn't invented yet when they were alive but with the amount of books they read, they were familiar with how it worked.

Y/n was looking up pictures of the TV Demon when a knock came from their door. "Little fawn, we need to talk." They swiftly hid the smartphone under their pillow.

Y/n sighed, "come in."

Alastor walked in and sat on the edge of the bed. "Fawn, I would first like to apologize for the way that I acted yesterday, it was unbecoming, however, I need you to understand that you can't trust Vox." His shadow grabbed one of their romance books and brought it to him. "He only wants to get close to you, to get to me and I don't want you to get hurt. Not only does he already have such a relation with his colleague Valentino but me and him have been in a long feud. You see..." Their father proceeded the tell them the same story Vox had.

"So that's why, I'm sorry this wasn't the novel worthy romance you hoped it was, but if you wished to meet new people, I would gladly take you out of the house sometime."

"Thanks for telling me dad." They put their head on his shoulder. "I forgive you... So where would we be going?"

"Hmm, that's a surprise. Put on something decent and come down for breakfast." Alastor stood up and left the room.

As soon as the door closed, Y/n reached for the phone. A message popped up from the screen.

God, I got to teach you how to text Anyway I was thinking There's this new restaurant opening up, want to go?

I see, Y/n thought, texting is very casual.

I would love too but my father is taking me out today to make up for yesterday. We could go tomorrow

Sure I'll see you at the edge of the forest

Y/n was casually dressed, their phone hidden in their jacket. Alastor and them were walking down a familiar street. "I've already been to Cannibal Town, you know that."

"Yes, yes, I know, little fawn. That isn't the surprise." Alastor waved them off.

The two made their way to Rosie's Emporium. Rosie was standing outside with a younger looking man standing next to her. He wore a brown waistcoat, matching pants and a bowtie. His eyes were pitch black like Rosie's.

"Alastor! You really kept us waiting!" Rosie laughed. "And here I thought you were a gentleman."

"Yes, yes, we took a bit longer. Anyway speaking of gentleman, Y/n, meet Paris." Alastor pushed the man in front of them. "He's a young, stand-up, cannibal demon. I thought that you surely didn't want to explore the rest of hell with your old man, so I asked Paris here to go instead."

"It's an honour to meet you." Paris kissed Y/n on the hand. "I would love to show you around the rest of hell."

"Uhm... I..." Y/n looked between him and their father. "Sure, let's go," they sighed.

Alastor and Rosie watched the two leave. "Once they've spend their day with him, Y/n'll forget all about Vox. Now come inside. I've got a new shipment of livers." Rosie invited her old friend inside.

Vox was still removing the thorns and branches from his favourite suit when Velvette entered his room.

"Wait, so you did go after them?!" She pulled one of the branches out of his hat. "You're sooo whipped. Did you find some dirt on Alastor?"

"No, I didn't." Vox stood up and straightened his suit. "But I do need to prepare for tomorrow."

"No-" Velvette jumped onto him and held his screen between her hands. "- you have a DATE!!! OMG, you two should totally get married, could you imagine the Radio Demon's face. Hahaha." She pulled up her phone and started typing something in google. "So where are you taking them? What are you wearing?"

"We're going to that new restaurant and I'm wearing my usual suit." He pulled away from the other Vee.

"You're not wearing your work clothes. Follow me, we're going shopping."

"So yeah that was the first time I had ever eaten a human heart, it was quite experience, hahaha." Paris was rambling on and on. "Rosie had introduced me to your father, he seemed have approved of me. I, mean, that's crazy, he is THE Radio Demon and all... Oh, have I already told you about my cooking? I-"

The whole time this demon had been talking about himself, oh and the Radio Demon of course. Paris seemed to idolize him, which only put Y/n off more. At least they got to see the rest of hell. The two were walking down the road, a unfamiliar city standing in the distance.

"We should go the other direction." Paris was about to walk the other way.

"Why?

"Oh that's like, uhm, the three Vees territory. It's not a place to take a fair maiden to."

"Dad told you to show me around hell and I want to go there." They continued to walk to the city and it's flashy lights. "Are you coming or am I going alone?"

The two were heading towards the shopping centre. The whole way Paris was trying to convince them to go back. But Y/n was stubborn.

"This really isn't a place for civilized people as you can see, I can show you around another circle in hell." As Paris was talking, they walked up to a window.

The shop window showed a total of ten TV's. Vox 2 Night was on. He looked so handsome in his suit talking about VoxTech's newest invention. They were immediately pulled away from their conversation with the cannibal and lovingly stared at the demon on the broadcast.

"Hey, Y/n." That wasn't Paris' voice.

"Velvette, why are we going to the mall when you can just conjure an outfit for me?" Vox asked.

Velvette pulled up her Sinstagram and showed it to Vox. "Because it's part of the EXPERIANCE, just look. Shopping pics are all over everyone's for-you-page and if we say we're preparing you for a date, we'll totally go viral."

"That's no, we're not telling anyone I'm going on a date." Vox grabbed her phone out of her hands. "Who knows how Val will do when he finds out. No, nope."

"But-"

"No!" Vox's screen zoomed in on his left eye, black circles spiralled in it. As he was using his hypnotising powers, he caught sight of a familiar figure standing in the distance.

"Fine," Velvette sighed, "but at lea-"

But Vox wasn't paying attention to his colleague again. He was walking to the person standing in front of one of his techshops. They were intently watching his night show. Their eyes sparkled.

"Hey, Y/n," he greeted them.

"Vox! What are you doing here?" Y/n's face immediately brightened seeing the TV Demon.

"Hello, I'm Paris." The demon stepped in between the two lovebirds. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Yes, you can fuck off." Vox pushed past him.

Y/n, me and Vox were just about to go shopping. Do you want to come with?" Velvette asked.

"I would love to." They pushed a hairlock behind their ear.

"Another time, I was showing Y/n around and we were just on our way to doomsday district." Paris butted in again. "Besides, aren't you and the Radio Demon rivals? It's highly inappropriate for someone who has not been approved by their father to be around them."

"And I don't think a wannabe, cannibal who doesn't know his place is worthy of being seen with them." Vox retorted. "So Y/n, what do you think?"

"I would love to go shopping with you!" They turned to the other cannibal. "I'm going to hang out with them, you can either come with or leave us alone."

"But-" Before Paris could make another objection, Y/n dragged the overlord by the arm to the shopping centre.

"So what's up with hollow eyes over there?" Velvette asked as Vox and Paris were fighting about a suit or something.

"Oh yeah," Y/n's nervous laugh filled the room, "dad wanted him to come with me while going out, I've never been here before. I didn't really get a choice in the matter."

"Hmm, don't worry. I got ya!!" Velvette walked up to the bickering boys. "Hey, Paris! I saw this polo that would suit you. Come on." She winked at her colleague while pulling him away.

"I never realised Velvette's taste is stuck-up bitchass," Vox murmured.

Y/n linked their arm around the TV's. "It isn't, that's why we should make a run for it now before she gets sick of him."

The mall was giant, every corner held a store a different store. The two were looking around a souvenir store.

"How about this?" Y/n asked as they held up a keychain of a hung rat.

"That's disgusting, wh- HEY HEY!!" Vox screamed as they held the dead animal close to his face. "Stop it!"

"Fine..." Y/n took a step back. "Hey, how do your hypnosis powers work? I know you use them for your shows, but I didn't sense anything at all."

"Indirect hypnosis isn't as strong as direct. My shows only work on lowly denizens, so you have nothing to worry about in that regard." Vox looked at the snow globes decorated with death animals.

"And direct."

Vox looked away from them. "I could make you do anything I wanted but I'm not going to do that. I like you just the way you are."

His words shot straight through their heart. "Stop saying corny stuff like that." A red blush decorated their face.

"But I love your reactions, sweetie."

"Stop."

"Sweetheart."

"Vox..."

"My love~"

"VOX!" Their face was brighter than Alastor's hair. "S̴̹͎͗̈́͂̏͛̈̿͝͝T̸̡̛̼̥͓͖͂͛́̒̈́̄̀͛̏̔͒̎̌̕͝͝O̵͂̈́͑̅��̖̖͍͕͔͈P̸̢̥̝̦͎̂̌̽ Ȉ̴̟̗̗̗̖̟̞͍̙͊͑̐̋̂̀̆̋T̵̺͉͔̮̺̩̔͌̽͊̔̍̆̿́̔̇̇͘." Their ears fell back, eyes glowed and their teeth got sharper.

Vox was stunned by this reaction, they were terrifying yes, but they were also kind of cute? Pixel hearts floated across his screen. "Wow, you're so hot."

"I, I- uhm, you're handsome too." They twirled a hairlock around their finger.

...

"So." Vox broke the awkward silence. "How is that phone suiting you?"

"Oh." They pulled the little device out of their pocket. "Yeah, I'm still figuring out what the apps are all about but I think I understand the chatting and goulgle." They opened their phone and showed it to him

"You still have the standard VoxTech background?" Vox asked.

"You can change it?"

"Yes." Vox grabbed their phone and posed for a selfie. Y/n, not completely understanding what's going on, copied him. "Wait," the overlord said as he was focused on their phone, "here."

He showed them their new background; a picture of the both of them smiling, Y/n looking straight into the camera and Vox glancing lovingly to them, a edited in, glowing heart surrounding the both of them.

"That's so cute!" They stared at the picture now decorating the background of their little picture device.

"I also downloaded 666+ for you along with a free account. you can watch any 666 show on there."

"Even your shows?" Their eyes sparkled.

"Of course." Vox was definitely going to download that image of them to his hard drive once he got home. "Anyway, let's leave. I don't think we're going to buy something here."

"Velvette? Where did Y/n go?" Paris asked.

"I don't know," she answered, "oh look at this shirt." She held up a striped polo.

"I promised their dad I would look after them. Oh, if the Radio Demon finds out I lost them, he's going to hate me!" The cannibal started to panic. "No, I should go to him, if I tell him in time maybe he won't kill me."

"Relax." She rolled her eyes. "Let's go find them, they couldn't have gone far. Besides what would the Radio Demon say if you left them lost and alone now?"

"Right, yeah right." Paris started searching throughout the entire shopping mall.

Vox! I can't keep distracting this guy He's dead set on finding them

We'll come Meet you at the restrooms on the Westside

"Hey! Paris, I know where they are!" She yelled at the still freaked out man.

"Right, lead the way!"

When they arrived, Vox and Y/n were already there.

Paris rushed up to them. "Y/n are you alright? You're not hurt are you? What would your father say if he knew you ran off?"

"I don't care what he would say. I'm my own person." They retorted and then turned to Velvette. "Are you hungry too? Me and Vox wanted to go get some food."

"Sure, I could use a snack."

Paris' face brightened. "I know this great restaurant close by that I just know you would love." He tried to hide his smirk when they agreed to go there.

The restaurant looked nice enough but there didn't seem many people inside. But that also meant they got a table of four immediately. The inside was decorated with abstract paintings and decorative, animal skeletons.

"I've never been in this place. It's rather nice." Vox studied a squirl skull. He couldn't understand why Paris was looking so smug. The waiter passed around the menu and left again. Even the staff was polite, what was going on? But when he opened the menu, it clicked...

It was a cannibal restaurant.

Vox was about to protest when Y/n spoke up. "Oehhh, I didn't think they had places like this outside of Cannibal Town. They even have my favourite!"

He looked over the menu again, looking for anything he could possibly stomach. There weren't any vegan options... shit. This was going to be a loooong lunch.

Velvette shot a concerned look at Vox, when the waiter came back. "Have you made a decision?"

"Yes, I'll have the legbeef, medium rare, and the lady will have the smoked heart." Paris ordered for the two of them.

"Uhm-" Vox glitched, hastily trying to make a decision. I'll have the smoked heart too." It was their favourite dish, he should've at least tried it once.

Velvette was still in utter shock that her colleague was going along with this. "I'll have the uhm... Liver bolognaise." She quickly chose the least horrible sounding dish, at least there would be a shit ton of cheese and sauce on it. The girl still couldn’t believe she was doing this and for Vox of all people!!!

The dinner went fairly well all things considered. Velvette barely touched her dish, while Vox did take a full bite and it didn't taste as bad as he'd expected, actually it tasted great! But knowing he was eating an actual demon spoiled the dish for him. Still, he finished it.

After lunch the group split up again, Paris and Y/n going back to Cannibal Town while Vox and Velvette went back to the V-tower.

Alastor had brought some of his daughters romance books to Rosie, one of them laying open on the table. He wanted to at least try to understand what got Y/n so hung up about Vox and romance.

"So, they basically get threatened and stalked by this vampire and they fall in love with him? I can't believe Y/n has been reading this nonsense." Alastor rolled his eyes and reached out for the next novel. "And this one, to get over her heartbreak, a young demoness writes heartfelt letters, confessing her love for the sinners, never intending to send them. However, when she opens her box one morning she finds all her letters gone, send out. How will she deal with the 5 denizens she accidentally confessed to? Is this supposed to be interesting, I don't get it."

"Come on, Alastor. You want to bond more with her, right? This is part of it." Rosie picked up one of the books to and reads the back. "This one doesn't seem too bad, it's about the love between two demons who look back on their living years as young champs."

"Ugh," the Radio Demon complained. "Luckily I don't need to worry about them and Vox anymore. I must say that Paris boy is quite the charming man, a perfect addition to our home, tell me how did you find him?"

"Oh, Paris is a BIG fan of yours and came to Cannibal Town in the hopes to meet you. For the last few months he has been admired by ALL the ladies in town. Dapper, charming, smart, looks, he got it all as they say, " Rosie laughed, "so when I heard your little conundrum I just knew he was going to be perfect for them."

"Yes, he would make quite the son-in-law but we'll have to see how the date went first." Alastor almost spit out his coffee when he read the backside of the next book; an older Cannibal and younger tech demon falling in love despite being from rivalling families. Was this were Y/n got the idea of falling in love with vox? "Seems like I'll have to have a talk with y/n about fiction and reality."

When Velvette and Vox got back, the last Vee was waiting on them. "Did you two go out without me? You're hurting my feelings."

"Oh, fuck off Val, we just went out for a new suit." She held up her middle finger as she left for her department.

"Oh really?" Val asked, "you went out for a new suit? And you weren't with that whore?" He held up his phone showing Sinstagram. A blurry picture of Vox and Y/n could be seen.

"Yes, I was buying a new suit Valentino, we just ran into them is all." Vox tried to keep back his blush. "Besides, what do you care?"

His colleague's answer infuriated him. "What do I care? Since you met that useless whore, you've kept me dry."

"Not everything is about sex and I highly doubt you're dry, you've got enough playthings." Vox walked towards the elevator. "You don't need me, get over it."

The elevator doors closed again, leaving Valentino all alone. "That fucking doe-eyed BITCH!! I'm going to kill them! Kill their whole fucking family!!!" He grabbed a glass from his assistant and threw it against de wall. "But I'm going to start with them..."

"It's unfortunate our date was interrupted by those two, but no matter we could always meet again," Paris spoke as the two of them were on their way back to Cannibal Town. "I am free this wee-"

"Wait!" They yelled. "This was supposed to be a date?"

"Well, yes."

"No, not happening! Listen up, I am in no way shape or form, interested in you that way!"

"Hmm, I see, what a shame." Paris put on a seemingly fake frown. "You know I was going to keep quiet about Vox and you but it seems like I'm more devoted to the Radio Demon. I wonder how he is going to react... What he'll do to that bastard... Oh well."

"What? I... Please don't tell dad!" Y/n begged.

"Hmm, how about this, I keep quiet about your little rendezvous, your affair, and you become my girlfriend."

"I... Uhmm..."

"How about this I'll give you two days to think about it." The cannibal put on an atrocious smile. "Choose wisely, or you might never see Vox ever again."

"There is my favourite demon." Alastor patted their head. "Did you have a good time, little fawn?"

"Yes, I did. It was great." Y/n smiled widely, doing their absolute best to hide their nervousness.

"That's amazing dear." Their father turned to Paris. "Thank you, I hope you will show them around some more another time."

"I would love to sir!"

Part 3

I'm an unoriginal ass. I know, I know, <3

JK here's part 3

Masterlist/request guidelines

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel vox #hazbin hotel alastor #hazbin hotel requests #hazbin hotel vox x reader #vox x reader #vox x you #hazbin vox #hazbin alastor #reader requests

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silentglassbreak · 10 months ago

Text

Anonymous

Noah Sebastian x OFC

+It goes without saying. This is a work of fiction. My words are mine. Plagiarism is a crime.

Taglist: @flowery-mess @lma1986 @myownthoughts12 @poisongirl616 @missduffsblog @reidsblessing

Epilogue

All I wanted, so desperately, was to keep napping. The temperature in the room was perfect, the blankets were soft, Angel was lightly snoring behind me, creating the perfect white noise. It was one of the rarest occasions that I was actually comfortable enough to sleep.

That is, until the loud voices drifted up the staircase.

“It doesn’t need to be this complicated Noah!”

“Yes, Laura, I agree!”

“She said she wanted a neutral color, nothing feminine.”

“How is pastel green not neutral!?”

“It’s pastel!”

“Jesus, fuck, dude! It’s better than fucking grey!”

“Grey is the actual definition of neutral! With green accents, it’s the perfect color palette! You should know, you named a song after it!

“Oh my fucking God, it’s ugly!”

“I really liked the forest green, myself.”

“Stay out of this, Nick!”

And that was it. I was now trying my damndest to sit up, my legs sliding off the side of the bed. I stood up, my large belly weighing heavy on my spine, and stomped down the hall, to the staircase.

Holding the railing, I trotted down the stairs, rage filling my eyes. Those bastards were keeping me from my much-needed nap.

I walked into the kitchen, the dining room table scattered with paint swatch cards. Noah stood on one end, leaning with his knuckles down on the table. Laura stood on the other, hip jutting out, hands in the air.

“Dude, the baby is due in less than two weeks! Just listen to me on this!” Laura was holding up a swatch of several shades of grey.

“No! My daughter is not getting a prison-colored room!”

“It will have accents!”

“Enough!” My voice rang throughout the room, making them both whip their heads over to look at me.

Nick was sat helplessly at the table between them, looking absolutely terrified to see me. I didn’t blame him, I was one cranky pregnant bitch.

“Babe! I’m so fucking sorry, did we wake you?” Noah was walking over to me, but I held a hand up to him. He stopped dead in his tracks, having learned over the last eight and a half months not to test me.

I stepped slowly to the table, all three sets of eyes watching me.

I approached the cards, scanning the wide array of colors. After a quick survey, I held my hand out for the card in Nick’s hand; three shades of forest green. He handed it to me obediently.

I snatched the sharpie off of the table, and scratched a small checkmark on the middle shade, labeled ‘Pine’, and slapped both down on the table.

“Now, I am going back upstairs to try and salvage what is left of my nap.” My teeth were grit together tightly. “I had better not hear either of you bitching down here, or so help me I will make you understand the miracle of childbirth personally!” I pointed back and forth between both of them. Laura and Noah looked absolutely horrified.

“Am I clear?”

They both just nodded silently, and I turned around, making my way back toward the stairs.

“I told you grey was a bad idea.” I could hear Noah bragging.

“Yeah? Well so was pastel, so shut the fuck up.”

“I’ll go get the paint. We should only need like 2 gallons, right?”

“Yeah, I’ll ride with you.”

I heard the boys headed for the front door, as I was already walking up the staircase.

Once I landed on the top step, putting my weight onto my foot before stepping into the upstairs hallway, a sudden, warm, gushing liquid came flooding out of me, running through my underwear and down my legs.

I stopped, looking down to see the clear liquid pouring out, and I nearly toppled over at the sight.

“Noah!”

I heard his footsteps running on the wood, and he appeared at the staircase in a flash, booking up to me.

“What happened?” He grabbed my hand that wasn’t secured to the railing. He looked down, seeing what I was seeing. “Is that…?”

“My water is broken.”

He looked into my eyes, sheer terror and panic filling his.

“Oh fuck…”

Surreal is the only way to describe seeing my daughter. The feeling is indescribable, laying eyes on your own child for the first time. Noah stood next to the bed, staring at the tiny bundle, which looked comically tiny in his giant arms. Tears rolled freely down his face, his smile big enough to light up an entire major metropolitan area. His voice was so soft when he spoke to her, it was almost hard to hear.

"Hi there. It's so good to finally meet you." Her little sounds were making him bounce her gently. "Yeah, I know. Rough day."

I chuckled, laying my head back on the pillow.

"We're so happy you're here, baby girl. Your Mom and I have been waiting a long time to meet you." He ran one of his long fingers down her pink, perfect face. "You're getting anything you'll ever want, you just ask Daddy."

"Hey now, let's not start spoiling her before she even gets old enough to ask for stuff."

"Mm, too bad." He didn't look at me, he just stroked the soft black hairs below the beanie on her head.

Noah handed her back to me gently, and I eagerly took her in my arms. She made a soft cooing noise before her face began contorting into a cry.

"Oh, it's okay. I've got you." I bounced her in my arms lightly.

"She's probably hungry, Mama." The nurse was pulling a blood pressure cuff off of me. "We're about to move you to your new room. Want to let Dad hold her for a second while I get you into a wheelchair?"

I nodded, regrettably handing her back to Noah. The nurse pulled my blankets off, and helped me sit up on the edge of the bed.

"Think you can stand?"

I nodded, attempting to put weight on my shaky legs. The lack of drugs had my abdomen throbbing, and I gripped the nurse's arms for support. She helped lower me into the wheelchair, replacing a blanket over my lap.

Noah pushed my wheelchair down the hallway while the nurse led us with the bassinet. Once in the room, I was once again helped into bed, this time with Noah's assistance. I winced when I leaned back, feeling the exhaustion of the trauma my body had just gone through.

"Okay, do either of you need anything?" We both looked at her, Noah now holding the baby again, and shook our heads. "Okay, I'll let you guys have some time. Dad, that chair behind you folds out into a bed and there are blankets in the cupboard."

She turned her attention back to me. "I'll be back in about an hour to do a quick exam, and do the baby's first bath."

She left the room, a calm silence falling over us. Only moments later, small cries began coming from the blanket in his arms.

"Okay, I think it's time to eat." He walked over to me, lowering her into my arms.

I popped open the front of my gown, frowning at Noah. "I haven't started making milk yet."

"Remember they said that in the beginning she eats very little? And if we need help to call them? We got this."

Her face nuzzled into my chest, mouth open. I led her to my breast, her mouth latching like a suction cup. The sensation startled me.

"Woah! She definitely knows what to do."

Noah smiled proudly. "She's a smart girl, gets it from her Daddy."

I scowled at him, a smirk on my face. I looked back down at the baby, watching her eyes close slowly.

"For someone whose been relaxing in my belly for thirty-eight weeks, she sure is sleepy."

Noah was looking at the chair now, attempting to transform it into the bed he was promised.

"Well, she had a big day. I mean, how often do you get evicted from a nice warm house, and everyone's grabbing you and looking at you? She's exhausted."

My head leaned back, feeling the weight of the day pressing on me. The clock on the wall read 2:30AM.

"I get that."

Finally getting the 'bed' put together, Noah sat down heavily and sighed hard. "How you feeling, love?"

I shrugged. "As good as I can. Really sore." He nodded. "Really gross too. Like, I would kill for a shower."

"Well, the nurse said earlier that you can shower four hours after. That's at about 3:15." He laid back on the bed, looking over at me. "I brought swim trunks so I can get in with you, and help you."

The look on his face was painted with a mix of fatigue, wonder, and love. He looked happy, regardless of the lack of sleep.

I felt the baby's mouth pull off of me, and I looked down to see her eyes closed and mouth open slightly. I pulled the blanket a little tighter around her, and shifted my gown to cover my chest.

"She's asleep?" I looked at Noah, smiling. "Yeah, nice and cozy."

"You want me to take her?"

I shook my head. "I can't stop looking at her."

"You think she looks like me?"

I peered down at my daughter, scanning her features. "It's a little early to tell, but I think she has your eyes."

He flashed his teeth in response.

The door opened, and the nurse stepped in, glancing at us.

"Hey guys, I've got to take a look at Mileena, and then I'll take the little lady for her bath."

Noah got up, coming over to take the baby from me. His eyes were locked on her face, which made me more comfortable when the nurse pulled open the blanket and checked to see if I was still bleeding.

"Alright Mama, you look good. You should be okay to shower here in a bit." She looked at Noah, snapping her gloves off. "Okay Dad, let's get the baby laid in the carrier."

"Can I go with her?" Noah's eyes showed concern. The thought of her not being in our line of sight must've scared him as much as it did me.

"Of course. Just follow me, we're going down the hall."

Noah set the baby down and walked back over to me to leave a soft kiss on my lips. "I'll be right back, babe. You going to be okay?"

I slumped down into my bed and nodded.

"Oh, I needed to ask, do we have a name yet? We need something to put on the bassinet card."

Noah and I looked to each other.

"Like we discussed?" I asked him.

"I think so. That fits her."

I smiled at the nurse, who was holding a pen to the chart in front of her.

"Addison."

She raised an eyebrow. "Full name?"

Noah answered for me.

"Addison Jane Sebastian."

#noah sebastian fic #noah sebastian #bad omens #bad omens fanfiction #fanfic

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gemsofgreece · 1 year ago

Note

Hello!!! I was reading this post of yours (for my research) and i'm truly wondering how did Byzantine princesses wanted to take a bath?? Do you have a post for that?

I don't but I managed to find a few pieces of information about the general habits of Byzantine bathing and grooming, and particularly that of the empresses and the princesses.

"The wealthy and noble women of the empire were concerned with their looks and Christianity cast no pall on the baths nor the sale of cosmetics and perfumes. (...) Byzantine gardens, therefore, had areas set aside for aromatic flowers from which could be distilled some of the more fragrant oils. (...) Mirrors, tweezers and similar hygiene equipment would have been commonplace in a Byzantine home. (...) Michael Psellos wrote that (Empress) Zoe turned her chambers into cosmetics laboratory in which she created cosmetics and ointments to preserve her beauty well into old age. (...) Byzantine women did not use as heavy cosmetics as their earlier Roman counterparts. (...) For eye liner and darkening eye brows and lashes, kohl was very popular."

Source: http://gretchenbrownauthor.com/2018/04/08/cleanliness-and-hygiene-among-the-byzantines/

"Women washed their hair in special fragranced solutions that naturally lightened it, including saffron, turmeric, fern roots and citrin-colored sandalwood and rhubarb. The cloths they wrapped their hair in were usually brushed with perfume. People made their own scents at home. Lotions and creams were made fresh from natural sources and had to be used in a few days. (...) There were many public baths; the Byzantines - even monks and nuns - bathed frequently. One was expected to bathe twice a week. (...) The Byzantines had a wide variety of cleaning products for bodies and clothes."

Source: https://www.pallasweb.com/deesis/daily-life-in-constantinople.html

"Byzantines in the capital city of Constantinople developed public baths similar to those found in Rome, and public bathing was a daily ritual for many. (...) Unlike the Romans, who used a lot of makeup and cosmetics, the Byzantines avoided heavy preparations for their skin. Instead, they developed rich perfumes using ingredients obtained in trade from China, India, and Persia, modern-day Iran. Perfume making was developed as an esteemed trade."

Sources:

Baltoyianni, Chryssanthi. "Byzantine Jewelry." Hellenic Ministry of Culture. http://www.culture.gr/2/22/225/22501/225013/e013intro.html (accessed on July 29, 2003).

Cosgrave, Bronwyn. The Complete History of Costume and Fashion: From Ancient Egypt to the Present Day. New York: Checkmark Books, 2000.

"Let us now place ourselves in the second half of the 11th century, when a Byzantine princess arrives in Italy again; not in Rome but in Venice, although with the same nuptial purpose. This time she is Theodora Doukaina, daughter of Emperor Constantine X Doukas and Eudokia Makrembolitissa (the niece of Patriarch Michael I Cerularius) who is to marry Doge Domenico Selvo. (...) The Byzantine stravaganza of Theodora was reflected not only in the colossal retinue she led or the impressive tiara she wore at the ceremony (the one worn by her brother Michael VII, who had just inherited the imperial throne) but also in her own daily behaviour, which included such whims as bathing in the dew that his servants collected or – and here is what interests us – the refusal to touch food with her hands, so that she made use of a golden fork to prick the bites that her eunuchs had previously cut off."

Source: https://www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2020/06/how-two-byzantine-princesses-scandalized-europe-by-using-a-fork/

"While the Germans like Theophano, many of them thought her odd. The Byzantine empire was known for its luxurious, decadent ways, and Theophano was a product of that 'decadence'. She talked too much, she bathed every day, and, strangest of all, she used a two pronged utensil to bring food to her mouth (aka a fork), instead of eating with her hands like everyone else."

Source: http://www.thathistorynerd.com/2017/07/damn-girl-holy-roman-empress-theophano.html

Check here for a great link with detailed description of Byzantine public baths, how they worked and how they were taken

Peter Damian, the Cardinal Bishop of Ostia, wrote a chapter entitled "De Veneti ducis uxore quae prius nimium delicata, demum toto corpore computruit" ("Of the Venetian Doge's wife, whose body, after her excessive delicacy, entirely rotted away.") about an unnamed Byzantine princess whose manners he considered scandalously lavish and which brought to her a horrible death as a divine punishment. This woman has been mistakenly (since Damian died 1072) identified with Domenico Selvo's wife by later Venetian chroniclers (incl. Andrea Dandolo and Marino Sanuto the Younger) followed afterwards by various modern authors; however since the work in which Damianus' chapter is contained is dated ca 1059 it refers probably to Maria Argyropoulaina who had died a half century before.

From Wikipedia. Irrelevant but Maria Argyropoulaina might be the most modern Greek name I have seen in a medieval woman ever.

When, three days after the wedding, the new empress left her rooms to take her bath in the Palace of Magnaura, the court and the commonwealth gathered in queues behind her in the gardens. And when the empress passed with the servants who showed off the robes, the boxes with the perfumes, walking first, accompanied by three ladies of waiting who held apples decorated with pearls, as a symbol of erotic love, the commonwealth would cheer, the jesters of the court would make inappropriate jokes and the most important officers of the empire would escort the empress all the way to the entrance of the bath, where they waited for her to finish, and escorted her back to her bridal chambers.

Source: From The History of the Byzantine Empire by Charles Diehl, translated by me here.

They don't go into great detail as you see but I guess they are enough to give you an idea. Reminder to check the link I added above about the detailed description of the public baths - it is very interesting!

#history #middle ages #byzantine empire #byzantine culture #eastern roman empire #greek history #byzantine history #greek culture #anon #ask

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drabbles-mc · 1 year ago

Text

House Special

Walt Breslin x F!Reader

For @narcosfandomdiscord's Day of International Relations: utilize that country in your work in some way: a character is from that country, a food from that country shows up, there’s international politics, etc. (The country I chose is Japan!)

Warnings: 18+, language, some angst, deals with the topic of reader taking care of her grandmother

Word Count: 3k

A/N: This story had no business getting as long as it did but oh well. Shout-out to my obaachan for all the little nuggets of inspo. I miss her all the time. Represent all day every day. 😌🇯🇵 (as per usual this is unedited and unbeta'd sksksk)

Narcos Mexico Taglist: @ashlingnarcos @hausofmamadas @garbinge @narcolini @cositapreciosa @artemiseamoon (If you want to be added to any of my taglists, please let me know!)

You told him not to come over, that it wasn’t a good time. Granted, with the way things were you didn’t know if there was ever going to be a good time. The point still stood, though. It was a good point, great one even—if only Walt would’ve fucking listened to it. That was his thing, though, and he was ever consistent about it. There was no talking him out of things once he’d decided to do them, and there was no talking him into things once he’d made up his mind that it wasn’t for him.

So, despite your best efforts to keep things to a phone call, or better yet convince him to not even bother booking a flight with a layover by you, he still told you the time when his plane was going to be landing, and when he was going to show up at your door. At the time you’d made some snide remark, one that you more than earned the right to make, about how all that time went by when you were together and he refused to come and meet your grandmother, but now that you two had been broken up for an amount of time you didn’t want to think about, he was refusing to not stop by. Of course. Fucking Walt.

The cats alerted you to his presence before the knock at the door did. Those two little creatures who seemed to be nearly as old as your grandmother, knew each person as they came and went. They knew the nurses that stopped in so that you could go and get groceries, the neighbors who still stopped over every couple of weeks to drop off some kind of homemade meal or baked good. They especially knew your assistant who stopped by a couple times a week to swap out paperwork—he was their favorite because he always brought some kind of treat for them. But they didn’t know Walt. He wasn’t one of the people on their roster, so they lingered by the door, but far enough away to make a run for it if they didn’t like whoever was coming inside. You wished that you could take off and hide, too.

You took a deep breath as you undid the lock on the door. Pulling it open, you came face-to-face with Walt on your doorstep, hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans. A smile pulled at your lips out of reflex in direct contrast to all of the conflicting feelings you had about him in that moment.

“You weren’t kidding when you said you were way out here,” he said, skipping over stilted greetings.

It put one checkmark in the column of things about him that you were grateful. A tired laugh slipped out of you. “Yeah, it’s a bit of a hike for sure.” You opened the door a little wider and stepped off to the side. “Come on, before the cats try to sneak out.”

He chuckled as he walked in, watching where he was putting his feet because of the aforementioned pets now taking up residence in your house. “Forgot about that part.”

You smiled as you were locking the door. “They’re really not that bad. It’s nice, you know, since I’m actually home to enjoy them now.”

It was a little ironic, and Walt knew it, that your grandmother was how you ended up with two pets. Living on the go working crazy hours meant that you never actually committed to getting any kind of pet—you didn’t think it would be fair to you or whatever animal you ended up bringing home from the shelter. It was on your list of things to do once you settled down, though. Your grandmother, on the other hand, had always said she was adamant about not wanting pets. Claimed she wasn’t an animal person, which you knew was a lie based on the fact that she would leave whatever scraps of food she could outside her back door for the feral cats by her house. Which is how she ended up with the two that were now living in your house with you, and with her. There was no moving her in without also taking the cats. So here you were, all four of you. And now Walt at least for the evening.

He left his boots by the door, and you didn’t miss the amused look on his face as he watched the cats slink out of the shadows to come and inspect them. You watched him watching them for a moment before clearing your throat to regain his attention. You nodded in the direction in the kitchen like he already knew the layout of your house.

“We can talk while I cook.”

He nodded as he followed you through the living room, taking quick stock of it before it led you into the kitchen. “Need help?”

You chuckled and shook your head. “Most help you can give me is sitting right,” you pointed at the small table set up with a couple chairs just out of the work zone area of the kitchen, “there and not touching my stuff.”

He did what you said, even if he was chuckling while he did it. “Missed that.”

You rolled your eyes as you turned the stove on. “Not from what I remember. Besides, even if I wanted you to help,” you plucked your chopsticks up off the counter, clicking them at him a couple times, “you can’t use chopsticks so you can’t.”

“Think they sell a thing called tongs,” he said jokingly.

You scoffed, a grin tugging at your lips. “Why would I waste my money on those when I’ve got so many pairs of these?” You turned back to the stove. “You should’ve learned how to use them.”

“Missed opportunities.” He said it lightly enough, easier to say it about something seemingly inconsequential as chopstick use rather than saying it about anything else having to do with the two of you.

There were a few beats of silence as he watched you pour a splash of oil into the frying pan. You could feel his stare and you didn’t allow yourself to think too much about how it made you feel. What good would it do?

“If you had to pick a day to drop by,” you finally said to break the silence, “this was a pretty good one.”

“Why’s that?” the twinge of amusement in his voice was audible, probably more amused by your statement because he knew you hadn’t wanted him to show up on any day.

“Gyoza and miso soup,” you responded, like you were a waiter at a restaurant. “Twice a week.”

“You sayin’ I should come ba—”

“No,” you cut him off with a chuckle as you started plucking the uncooked dumplings from the counter and placing them into the pan, the sizzle accompanying your simple statement of, “That’s not what I’m saying.”

“What if she likes me and wants me to come back? What then?”

You rolled your eyes even though your back was to him. “I doubt that would happen.”

“That’s not what you used to say.”

“Yeah, well, she’s not who she used to be, either,” you replied, weariness creeping into your voice without your permission.

The pause that followed was longer than it should’ve been. Without turning you still knew exactly what the look on Walt’s face was. You were glad for the lack of eye contact. Clearing your throat, you tried to do damage control. “Besides, you think the boys down in Guadalajara were giving you a hard time? She’ll make them seem like choir boys.”

“That where you get it from?” he quipped back without hesitation. Balance restored.

You laughed, nodding. “Had to get it from somewhere.”

Walt drummed his fingertips against the tabletop, not accustomed to sitting still and attempting to just relax in someone else’s home. Least of all your home, although he did that one to himself. “Anything I can…you know…”

His voice had quieted as the sentence went on, and you couldn’t help but to find it the tiniest bit funny. “That what you stopped in for, Breslin? To ask if you can help around the house?” Another pause, another silence that spoke volumes. “What’s up? You look like shit, so something must’ve happened.”

The sound he let out was somewhere between a laugh and a cough, choked by surprise at the blunt shift in conversation. “Shit. Alright.”

“What? I’m being nice. I said you don’t normally look like shit. Only when something happens.”

“Not what you said.”

Back still turned, you gave a dismissive wave with your chopsticks. “Close enough.”

This time you let the pause linger until he was brave enough to break it. “Shit went bad real fast.”

You frowned, an ache in your chest before you even knew what was coming next. “Where?”

“Chiapas.”

You knew better than to expect him to elaborate without being prompted. “What happened?” you asked, giving him the gift of no eye contact as you flipped your dumplings over in the pan.

“Ambush.” He sniffed, not because he was crying but because he was trying to make sure he kept it that way. “Lost a,” he sighed, “a lot of my fuckin’ guys.”

Your head dropped, eyes closing. “Fuck.”

“Yeah.” He let out a tired laugh, one that you both knew he didn’t mean but he just didn’t know what else to do. “Only time I was ever glad that you left.”

You knew the sentiment behind what he was saying, but it didn’t stop your knee-jerk reply of, “I didn’t leave.”

You heard the puff of an exhale he let out. He knew his next move was crucial. Red wire or blue wire. The only advantage he had this time around, whether he knew it or not, was that you weren’t going to get loud and risk waking up your grandmother a few rooms over.

“I didn’t—” he stopped himself, knowing that regardless of the explanation the damage was already done.

Finally looking over your shoulder at him, you said, “I’m sorry about your team.”

He gave a tight nod. “Thanks.”

“What now?” you asked as your attention returned to the stove, moving the cooked dumplings from the pan to their own plate.

He shook his head. “I don’t fucking know. Figure out some other way, I guess.”

“You will,” you said with a nod. “Or if you don’t, Sal will. One of the two.”

It got a weak chuckle out of him. “Yeah.”

You wanted to follow up and ask him again what exactly he was looking for from you, what he wanted out of this whole interaction, but in a way you already knew. He was a glutton for punishment—always had been. Losing his team wasn’t enough, he wanted to remind himself of all the other stuff he lost too. Ultimate Misery Tour, headliner Walt Breslin. Normally you’d try to snap him out of it, but you were tired too. Different kind of tired from a different kind of work, but still tired. You knew Walt could see that in you too.

The silence that followed felt heavy, but not unbearably so. It wasn’t a uncomfortable as it could’ve been, as it probably should’ve been. You moved onto the next part of the routine. Making the soup wasn’t going to take very long. If there was one thing about your grandmother, it was that every recipe she used on a regular basis could be completed, top to bottom, in twenty minutes or less. She never had the patience for anything else.

While you were waiting for it to finish, you grabbed one of the dumplings off the plate and placed it on a paper towel before stepping over and handing it to Walt. No words were exchanged as he took it, just offering a nod in thanks, which you returned before going back to the stove again. You heard the quiet chuckle he let out a few moments later, and you smiled. Good food couldn’t fix everything but in the moment it was about all you had to offer.

“Alright,” you finally spoke up again when the soup was done, “I’m gonna go get her.” You pointed at him. “Best behavior.”

He smiled, clasping his hands on top of the table. “Always.”

You rolled your eyes with a laugh as you walked by. “Fuck off.”

He listened as you walked out of the kitchen and into some distant part of the house that he’d never seen, probably never would. He strained his ear to see if he could catch any snippets of conversation, but came up with nothing. He glanced around the kitchen, looking at the art that was up on the far wall, away from the stove and the sink and any potential messes. The pieces weren’t framed, just tacked up to the wall. He knew you weren’t much into art, at least no into making it. He wondered if the paintings had been done by your grandmother. He was sure at some point or another you’d told him the name of the art style. Another on the long list of things that he should’ve paid more attention to while he had you.

It wasn’t long until the two of you came walking into the kitchen. Walt’s entire expression softened at the sight of the two of you. Your grandmother was still able to walk with relative ease as long as she had your arm to hold onto. She was small, hardly even coming up to your shoulder, and looked even smaller because of the large sweater that she was wearing.

Her expression didn’t match Walt’s as she looked at him skeptically. You chuckled and shook your head. You rested your hand on hers as you facilitated the introduction. “Obaachan, this is Walt. We used to work together.”

He gave a small wave. “Nice to meet you.”

She nodded slightly as she looked him over. You watched as she studied his face, knowing exactly what she was going to say before she said it. “You like this?” she asked him, touching the side of her own face.

Walt tilted his head as he processed what she was saying. You couldn’t help your laughter as you answered on his behalf. “I told you, some guys just like their facial hair.”

He laughed then, a real laugh for once. He shrugged as he nodded in agreement with your statement. “Just easier to let it grow.”

She shook her head slightly as she continued on towards the counter where the food was. “You could be so handsome if—”

“Obaachan,” you chastised with a laugh. Shaking your head, you asked her, “You wanna eat out here with us? Or in your room?”

She gestured to herself. “My room.”

You smiled, figuring that was going to be the answer. “You got it. C’mon.”

You helped her get her meal together, carrying it for her as you started the return trip to her room. As the two of you were walking past Walt, you thought that she might offer him some sort of a goodbye, perhaps more unsolicited commentary about his stubble. Instead, she took one of the dumplings on her plate and set it on the paper towel that was still in front of him.

“Eat—you need it.”

You tried to contain your laughter and failed, the sound coming out more like a sputter than anything. It got a smile out of Walt too as he nodded. “Yes ma’am.”

You nodded back towards everything. “Help yourself—I’ll be right back.”

You were still smiling and shaking your head over the entire thing when you walked back into the kitchen. Walt was just setting your plate and his on the table when you walked in, so you made yourself busy grabbing a drink for each of you. You never kept much alcohol in the house, so he was just going to have to make due with water for the time being. He probably needed that too.

“So,” he said as you both sat down, “she doesn’t like facial hair, huh?”

You burst out laughing. Shaking your head, you said, “What would give you that impression?” You reined in your laughter enough to say, “She never has. When my cousins started growing theirs out she would tell them all the time to shave it. Relentless.”

“Least it’s with everyone,” he said, almost like an offer.

You nodded. “That’s true.”

“It’s good that she has you.” He made it sound like he was admitting something, like up until now he was still on the fence about the legitimacy of you leaving. Maybe he really had to see it with his own two eyes.

“Took her awhile to admit that,” you said, remembering what a fight it was at first, with her, with Walt, with damn near everyone. “But she’s come around. All goes full-circle, you know? She used to be the one feeding me all the time.” You chuckled a you thought about it. “We’d be running around her house and she would reach out, stop us, cup our face and just put food in our mouths with her chopsticks. Didn’t matter what it was—rice, gyoza, tempura. If she could pick it up with chopsticks we were getting fed on the go.”

“At least you don’t have to chase her down and do that,” he said with a shake of his head.

“This is true. I’m much faster than her.” You were about to start eating when you realized that Walt hadn’t grabbed silverware. You hummed in amusement. “I’ll get you a fork for the rice and everything.”

“Not gonna make me struggle with your chopsticks?” he joked.

You grabbed a fork from the drawer and tossed it to him. “We’re both struggling enough. Eat your food before my grandmother comes out and force-feeds you the way she used to do with us.”

Neither of you said anything for a few minutes as you started to eat. Maybe Walt had more to say before all of that, things he wanted to ask, arguments he wanted to get into. Maybe you’d get into it all when you were done eating. Or, maybe, he’d let the rest of it lie—it wasn’t as though there was much you could do for each other at this point anyway, aside from sharing a meal together, the cats just beginning to creep their way into the kitchen.

#narcoctober #day of international relations #walt breslin #narcos mexico #narcos: mexico #nmx #narcos mexico fanfiction #nmx fanfiction #x reader #x reader fic #walt breslin x reader #walt breslin x you #my writing #fanfiction #drabblesmc

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0perfectimperfections0 · 1 year ago

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what if lou won the gauntlet

MMM, ya'll really want a happy ending...

Okay, okay...I will dig into the very recesses of my soul and see if I can keep Lou from being emotionally scarred and tormented--

<><><><>

It was green. As green as Ox's felt. There was a checkmark and everything right beside his face. It wasn't the most glorious picture of him, but the green surrounding it made it his favorite. Yes, green was absolutely his favorite color for numerous reasons.

Those Uglies were talking. Nothing reached his awareness. It was white noise in the background. White. Not green, so it wasn't important. Only green things were important.

The portal opened up. Its light drowned out the darkness around it. It even managed to suck away some of the darkness that had settled inside of Lou. His name was vaguely heard behind him. It was Ox.

Green things were important.

Lou stared at the open portal. Could he go through it? Would it really let him? The robots edged closer to him. They looked threatening. Was...was he not supposed to win? It was against the rule book for him to run the Gauntlet.

"You wanna try it?" The voice was beside him now. Ox. The green thing. As green as that checkmark on the screen. He was looking up at Lou who still stared at the portal. "Maybe you can get through." Ox knew. A precious secret between brothers. No longer brothers, but at one point. "You can finally leave."

"What if I can't?" Lou's voice was distant.

"But what if ya can?"

"If...If it fails to let me through...everyone will know I'm fake. They'll know something is different about me." Lou felt the eyes of the crowd on him already. There was no way to do it discreetly. He looked down at the bunny. "I need you to pass."

"Huh?"

"The Gauntlet. We'll redo it and I need you to pass. We'll both walk to the portal and if something goes wrong I'll make something up."

"Your secret will get out anyway once they see an Ugly can pass."

He was right. No matter how he played his cards everyone would know he was different.

"Lou," Ox whispered. The bunny had a wary eye on the robot to their left. It rolled closer slowly, something in its hand that was sparking. "Take it or leave it. But somethin' tells me they're gonna try and stop ya."

Honestly, if those stupid robots didn't exist, the place wouldn't be half as bad. Lou tapped his fingers against his legs. "I'm gonna take it," he whispered breathlessly. "If anything goes wrong--"

"I've got your back, Kid. You never stopped me when I wanted to go. I ain't gonna do that to ya."

"Ox?" Moxy stepped toward them, her eyes glancing between the two. "What's going on?"

The bunny didn't answer her. He looked ahead but kept an eye on the robots trying to close in. A few dolls from the crowd began to notice the strange devices in their hands. Lou, as discreetly as he could, passed the remote to Ox. The Uglies narrowed in on the device, confused as to what was going on. Ox held it firmly. "Go."

Lou bolted forward. The robots took immediate action and charged after him. Ox slammed a finger down on the button and the Gauntlet began to sink into the ground. Ox ran after Lou and the robots. Surely this stupid remote had to control more than just the Gauntlet. There was another button below the top one and Ox pressed down on it. There was a siren that went off before the portal began to close.

"Darn it all," Ox cursed under his breath. "Lou, hurry!"

Lou nearly tripped running up the steps, but he manages to keep pushing forward. He slowed down in front of the portal. The robots that weren't chasing after him were beginning to round up the Uglies. One of the robots in pursuit grabbed Ox by the ears. His yelp made Lou freeze, hand inches from the light. The walls were still closing.

"Ox?"

The bunny was just inches from the portal. It called to him. Like an instinct. An itch. Or anything else that had to be resolved in order to the desire to go away. But Lou's voice made him freeze. He turned to see wide, hurt blue eyes staring at him from the base of the platform.

Guilt struck him harshly. He'd made a promise.

Despite the longing and tug, he forced himself to walk back to the leader. He couldn't leave. He'd made a promise. As much as he wanted to go...

As much as he wanted to go...he still had a reason for being here. The Uglies would get discarded. The Pretty Dolls would not get trained. Ox would be burned. This same feeling was what Ox had felt. He couldn't blame the bunny for that. Because the second the opportunity presented itself to Lou, he literally lunged forward to take it. Just like Ox had done.

But Ox still resisted that temptation.

He still loved and cared about Lou enough to throw away such an opportunity as having a kid.

Lou withdrew his hand. The portal was nearly closed, now, but Lou didn't spare a moment to watch his freedom disappear as he turned back around. The robots that had pursued him were on the platform, but that wasn't his concern. Ox was fighting for his life as one robot had a death grip on his ears. The other uglies were at a standstill. Robots held out strange devices that only Lou knew the result of. Still, having a strange weapon pointed at them was debilitating.

In the next moment, Ox was released and fell to the ground. The crowd of dolls gasped and watched sparks fly from the base of the robot's head. It sparked, rolled, and eventually came to a stop a few feet from its body. The rest of itself collapsed to the ground not a second later. Lou stood behind it, breathing ragged and a sewing needle raised above his shoulders.

He met eyes with Ox. "I'm sorry." They said at the same time.

Ox assumed Lou hadn't made it through. Lou was apologizing for something that happened years ago.

"I'm sorry it didn't work." Ox clarified.

Lou lowered his arms, breathing still out of sync. "I...I didn't try it."

The bunny gaped for words. "B-But that was your chance--"

"I know...but you had yours too, remember? A-And you didn't take it. You stayed. And if it hadn't been for me this would've been your home, too."

Ox noticed more robots beginning to close in on them from all sides. Moxy and her gang were forced to join the two dolls as sparking boxes were directed at them. Lou turned on his heel, back-to-back with Ox whilst trying to keep an eye on all of the robots. "I don't think you're the enemy here, Kid."

"I'm starting to think that, too..." Lou gripped the needle tightly.

"Prototype Model 12. Stand down." One robot demanded. Murmurs from the crowd began.

Great. Even after all that, his blasted secret was still out. It didn't even matter if he had done the right thing. This factory was still out to ruin everything he'd built here.

Wage managed a glare at the blond despite their circumstances. "You filthy liar! You ain't even a real doll!"

"He is a real doll!" Ox surprised her by coming to Lou's defense. "I don't wanna hear that nonsense. He's as real as the rest of us. Lou, ya can't call these cans off?"

"They don't listen to me. I'm not their boss."

"Then who is?" Mandy panicked as a robot edged closer to her and Moxy.

Lou swallowed. He stared down in his peripheral toward Ox. "Do you still have the remote?"

"Yeah, why?"

"There's a small switch on the back. Push it up and then hit the third button from the top down. I wasn't allowed to know about it...but it opens the portal."

Ox pushed the switch up on the back and flipped the remote in his hand again. He paused. "And what if ya can't get through?"

"I didn't plan on going through."

"You're an idiot if ya think I'm leavin' ya again."

"You don't have a choice, Bunny, now do it!" Lou had half a mind to insult or push or hurt Ox in some way. Something that would make Ox want to leave him. "Take these dolls with you. They'll be thrown into recycling if they stay. Mandy, you have to go, too. The robots have seen your glasses, now, they're programmed to get rid of any imperfect dolls."

"And whatdya think'll happen the second we're gone, huh?" Ox challenged, back still pressing against Lou's legs.

"That's not your concern--" Lou was cut off as Ox suddenly turned, grabbed the needle from his hands, and swung it to knock out one of the bots. It sparked and collapsed to the ground.

The bunny whirled around to glare up at Lou, swinging the needle toward another robot in the process. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard come out o' your mouth, Kid. I ain't goin' anywhere!"

Lou barely dodged a robot reaching out to grab him. He ended up behind Ox who swung at the tin can harshly. "You have to! And stop calling me kid! I'm not your kid!"

Another robot stretched an arm out, the device pointed right at Lou, but Ox broke its arm off with another hit. "Well, you're my kid! That's why I never went through the portal! I wanted to have a kid in the Big World, I really did!" Another swing as they were closed in by more robots. "But I didn't cause my kid needed me. I made him a promise that I'd always be there for 'im and I failed every time I looked at that portal. But darn it all, Lou, I loved ya and I still do and you're my kid!"

Lou grabbed the needle, holding the end of it even as Ox gripped tightly to the bottom. "Then your kid is telling you to leave! I'm not watching my doll walk to the recycling again!"

Green things were important.

<><><>

Okay...Imma put a pause on this. I like, daydreamed about all the different ways it could play out after Lou ran to the portal and it erupted into this.

Um...😅let me know if ya'll want a continuation of it or if any of ya'll want to be the one to write a continuation of it.

ON THAT NOTE, I wanna mention that if there's any prompt/ask/story that ya'll see from my feed and are like "Hey, I'd like to write my own spin on that or change something about how she wrote it" then, by all means, do so. You don't have to credit me or anything, but I'd like an @ so I can read what you write!

#lou #uglydolls #fanfiction #writing #ox #ask #answer #mmm maybe series?#I'm working on so many series XD #its okay #I love it

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