#we said that’s cool we’ll just hang out here MOTHERFUCKER

[goldinavonlea]

pro trip for cheap train tickets in england there’s a ninety percent chance any train you get on is going to be frustratingly delayed enabling you to get money back!! i have received some level of refund on three of the last four train journeys i’ve taken! just assume that any train you get on is likely to be at minimum 25% cheaper than you paid for it in the end assuming you’re willing to go through the faff of claiming the compensation, and no, of course there’s no sensible centralised way to do this all in one place every single train operator has their own website with their own claims process!!!! alternatively for more reliable travel i recommend flagging down a passing truck, or stealing a car off the side of the road! hope this helps xxx

[the-iceni-bitch]

Happy Fucking New Year!

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader

Words: 5071

Summary: You and Bucky spend New Year’s Eve together in Paris!

Warnings: Explicit language, explicit sexual content (oral sex (F receiving), unprotected vaginal sex, anal play, cum eating), explicit descriptions of violence, minor character death, SMUT, 18+ only!!!

A/N: Well, my grandma ass passed out while literally writing this fic last night at like 10PM so sorry it’s late! But it’s still New Year’s Day so whatever. It’s kinda fun, I definitely enjoy having Bucky and Sam be complete idiots while our poor reader is the only one with common sense, so you may be seeing a lot of those two fucking things up in this series. Join my taglist here if you’re inclined and a Happy New Year to all you lovely hoes!

“Damn, Barnes. Look at your ass in that tux.”

He choked on his champagne when you snuck up behind him, grabbing one ass cheek and giving it a squeeze before he had a chance to turn around.

He didn’t know how you always managed to catch him off guard.  He was used to being able to pick up on any threat immediately, but you were always able to slip under his defenses.

The expression that came over his face when he finally saw you was priceless. You loved surprising him with shockingly revealing outfits, offending those sweet old man sensibilities he pretended to have in public. But you knew exactly what he was thinking as his eyes drank you in.

The gown you had picked was a deep blue velvet that hugged your curves. While the skirt was tight against your legs, it still could’ve possibly been considered modest. The top though…. The v of the neck wasn’t as deep as your usual style, but the back dipped so low he wondered how you could possibly be wearing panties. All he could think of was snapping those thin straps with his vibranium hand and watching the fabric slide over your soft skin before it pooled around your ankles.

He couldn’t believe the two of you were spending New Year’s Eve in Paris. You’d barely had a chance to speak to each other after your tryst in Stockholm, and now you were together in the city of lights on one of the most romantic nights of the year.

“Hey, Barnes, you still in there?”

“Yeah, sweetheart.” He grinned at you as he watched you take a sip of champagne. “Just wondering where you’re hiding your knives in that dress?”

“Mmm, if this night goes according to plan, maybe I’ll let you look for them later.” You teased him, giving him a wink as you walked your fingers across his chest.

“Alright, that’s enough. You two promised to cool it with the kinky shit over comms.”

The two of you turned to shrug apologetically at Sam, who was glaring murderously at you from across the foyer.

“Sorry Sammy.” You whispered, tittering to yourself.

“Yeah, sorry Sammy.” Bucky gave him a stupid grin as the three of you started slowly moving to one the hallways leading to the main building.

“You don’t get to call me that, Barnes. You keep getting me into these fucking stupid situations, and your poor girlfriend always has to get us out. We were almost home, man, and you just had to follow that shady fucker at the airport.”

“No, he was following me. And anyways, I was right about him. I told you HYDRA had various goon squads lurking around.”

“You guessed.”

“I guessed right.”

“So, you admit it, you guessed!”

“Hey, boys!” You furrowed your brow as you turned to glare at the two of them, a little annoyed at the bickering. “Isn’t there supposed to be a door here?”

They finally shut up and followed your line of sight to where all the intelligence indicated the access door to the arsenal should be located.

Bucky let out a deep sigh and clenched his jaw, his eyes moving up the wall until they found the tiny hatch in the corner, fifteen feet off the floor. He turned his head to Sam and growled.

“You were in charge of reconnaissance. Do you not know the difference between a door and a hatch? Do your little robot minions not know how to take measurements?”

“Hey, don’t blame the robots man! This was based on human intelligence, which I’m pretty sure is your responsibility.”

“Oh, fuck off.”

You ground your teeth together as you listened to the two of them, not sure how you were able to put up with this shit. You took in your surroundings, trying to figure out a way through this situation.

“Well one of us has to get up there.” You murmured to yourself.

“I nominate robot boy.”

“Ok, ya know what, they’re not robots. I might’ve been able to let it go but, heh, I can’t. They’re drones. And if you think me buzzing one of those through the party out there is inconspicuous…”

“Oh, not one of your robots, you. What if I throw you at the hatch?”

One glance at him let you know he was seriously considering throwing your friend at the hatch. You rolled your eyes as you slipped out of your pumps.

“Ok, now you’re trying to piss me off, I just told you they were drones. And you are not throwing me at that tiny door. It’s not even open.”

“Well, if I throw you hard enough, that won’t matter.”

“It’s a solid steel door, dumbass. And I’m pretty sure it opens outward. I vote we come back later with some tools.”

“We’re on a timetable. I say we settle this with some old-fashioned rock, paper, scissors.”

“Um, no, you cheat.”

“How can you cheat at rock, paper, scissors?”

You did your best to tune them out as you stretched, sighing as you gathered your dress up over your thighs and grumbling to yourself about ruining another outfit.

“I don’t know, but you do. Ok, if you use your normal hand, maybe that’ll work.”

“Whatever, I’ll still win.”

You walked back down the hall, then turned and sprinted past the two of them, vaulting off one leg when you reached the corner and using your momentum to spring yourself off the wall until you were able to brace yourself in the tiny alcove next to the hatch.

“Could one of you toss me the laser driver from my clutch?” You called down to them, now that they had finally stopped their incessant arguing.

Sam grinned up at you as he picked your clutch off the ground, tossing the driver to you when he found it.

“Man, every time.” He shook his head at Bucky as you started working on dismantling the door. “I don’t know how your dumbass has survived this long without us, Barnes. You can’t just punch your way through everything.”

“I’m sorry, ‘us’? Seems like she’s doing all the work while you’re just bossy.”

“Can you two just give it a rest? I’m in.” You pulled the hatch open and slid through it, hanging over the edge by your fingertips for just a second before softly dropping on the balls of your feet on the other side. “Fuck, that’s a lot of bombs.”

“What kinds of bombs?” Sam asked over the comms, all business now.

“Well, I’m not an expert, but this sure looks like tesseract related tech to me.”

“Shit.” Bucky hissed. “Any way to disarm?”

“Well, probably, sweetie, but there’s at least 100 of these fuckers, and I don’t really feel like spending all of New Year’s Eve playing ‘which wire?’”

“Alright, just give us a second.”

You heard a yelp from outside and all of a sudden Sam’s torso came flying through the open hatch, his hips catching on the edge.

“Did he just throw you?” You asked, not bothering to hide the grin that spread over you face as Sam looked for something to swing down with. You dragged over an empty shelf and he pulled himself through, climbing down gingerly to come stand beside you.

“Your boyfriend is a fucking menace.” He grumbled, brushing some debris off his shoulders. He whistled through his teeth when he got a good look at the stockpile you had uncovered. “Shit.”

“Fuck me.” Bucky murmured, suddenly behind the two of you, making Sam jump.

“Goddamn it Barnes, why you gotta always be so stealthy?”

“Maybe you just need to pay better attention, what if I’d been a goon?”

“You are a goon.”

“Oh my god, I cannot do another round of this. Sam, can you call this in please? Maybe Sharon will have some idea of what to do about the massive pile of shit we just stepped in.”

“Fine, Y/N. I’ll call the boss.”

You went to examine the bombs more closely. They all seemed to have remote triggers, but you didn’t want to take the chance that they were volatile, so you resisted the urge to pick one up.

“Yeah, this is definitely tesseract tech.” Bucky muttered, and your heart jumped into your throat when you turned to see him tossing one of the bombs into the air and catching it again in his vibranium hand.

“Motherfucker put that down you idiot! What if there had been a pressure sensor?”

Bucky stared at you for a second, then back at the bomb in his hand. “Right, whoops.” He placed it back on the pile gingerly and gave you a sheepish grin.

“I swear to god, the two of you are going to end up getting me killed.”

“Ok, boss said they have a remote drone about one minute out that should have the ability to disarm these. She just wanted us to open the skylight for it.”

“The what?” You hissed at him.

“Uh….”

“There’s a fucking skylight?” You looked up and scoffed, seeing a very large window right there in the ceiling.

“Nice, Wilson.” Bucky just shook his head at him.

“Fuck you, Barnes! You didn’t know about it either.”

“No more! One of you morons get up there and open it!” You were seething. “You’re lucky I like the two of you or I swear to god, I would stab the both of you right now.”

“Alright, rock, paper, scissors?”

“No!! Bucky, just fucking do it.” You screwed your eyes shut and pressed your fingers into the peaks of your eyebrows.

“You got it, beautiful. You’re so cute when you’re mad�� shit.”

He had to scramble up one of the shelves as you tried to charge at him, but Sam was able to hold you back at the last second.

“Ok, let’s all just take some deep breaths. It’s all good. The drones on the way. We didn’t have to fight anyone. And there’s still 25 minutes until midnight, so we’ll all get to toast the new year.”

Right as he uttered that last word, a large door on the opposite end of the room opened, and three goons carrying large guns entered.

“Goddamn it, Wilson, you jinxed us. And look, another fucking door!”

“Yeah, they do seem to be popping up everywhere.” He muttered under his breath. “Hey, fellas, we were just…. god, y’know what, I’m too tired to come up with something. Should we just fight?”

You sneered at him before hefting one of the bombs and chucking at the head of one of the guards, hitting him right between the eyes and knocking him out.

“OOHH! What if that had gone off?” Sam yelled at you as you charged the two standing goons who were still standing, diving at the last second to roll one of them over your shoulder.

“Oh, so only you and grandpa are allowed to make stupid decisions, then?” You said, pulling out a knife from under your skirt and trying to stab the guard who was still standing. You were just a little too slow and he dodged you, making you hiss. “Do you mind giving me a hand?”

“Shit, right.” He found a metal pipe leaning against the corner and walked over to where the first guard was starting to come to his senses, bringing it around in an arc to crash against his chin, knocking him out again.

“Drone’s here! Aww man, you guys started a fight without me?” Bucky had climbed back down to find the two of you grappling with your respective opponents.

He walked over and punched the asshole that had Sam in a chokehold in the face with his vibranium fist, feeling a satisfying crunch as he went down. Bucky started to stride over to give you a hand as Sam tried to catch his breath when you suddenly drove your knife up under your opponent’s ribs, giving it a twist before you withdrew it.

“Y’know,” He murmured as he watched you bend over to clean off the blade on the dead man’s jacket. “I’m a little mad at you now. I was looking forward to looking for that later tonight.” He grinned at you, nodding at the knife in your hand as you drew up your skirt to return it to the sheath on your thigh.

“Don’t worry sweetie, there’s plenty hiding under here for you to discover.” You teased him as he pulled you to him, pressing a deep kiss to your lips and moaning against your mouth. He always got so worked up after watching you fight.

“Ugh, I’m still here, you freaks!”

“Shit, sorry Sam!” You flashed an apologetic grin at your friend as he glared at you. Bucky was pulling at the front of his pants and screwing his eyes closed as he tried to fight his obvious erection.

“There’s something wrong with you two.” He muttered under his breath as he started climbing the shelves to leave through the skylight.

The drone had done its job. All the indicator lights on the bombs were off, showing there were no longer armed. You gave a small sigh of satisfaction before looking up at the skylight.

“Gimme a boost, Buck.”

“Yep.” He hooked his hands under one of your heels and grinned to himself as he brought his arms up a little faster than you had intended, flinging you up to the roof in one swift motion and making you yelp.

“You’re such a dick!” You shouted down to him as he started to climb out after you, making him laugh. “What time is it Sam?”

“Hey, we’ve still got 10 minutes to midnight!” He said, giving you a grin.

“Ooh, think we can make it back?”

“Yeah, it’s just a couple rooftops over! Barnes, move your ass!”

Bucky was just climbing onto the roof as you and Sam started jogging towards the adjacent building and cursed under his breath as he clambered to follow you.

Sam let out a whoop as he leaped between the buildings, one of his drones catching him halfway and carrying him to the other side.

“Oh my god was that waiting out here the whole time?” You scolded him as he swooped back to lift you across the gap, depositing you softly on the next roof.

“Yeah, why are you surprised?”

You just gave him a laugh as Bucky flung himself over the space between the structures, rolling in his landing and scowling at the two of you when he regained his feet.

“No thanks, I don’t need any help.” He growled at Sam, voice dripping with sarcasm as he brushed some pebbles off the shoulder of his tux jacket.

“You’re fine.” Sam waved a dismissive hand as the three of you walked to the next edge, which led to your hotel.

You dropped down first to the ledge that was 10 feet below, landing on the balls of your feet and twisting just a bit to gain your balance before you started gliding towards the window to your room.

“You good, Y/N?” Sam called as they watched you crouch as much as you could when you reached the end of the ledge.

“She’s got it.” Bucky muttered as you uncurled your body like a whip, shooting across the gap between the two buildings, latching onto the buttress above your window as you stretched down, your toes reaching for the lower sill. You found your purchase and released one hand to draw the window open, then slipped inside easily. “See?” He gave Sam a grin as he moved to follow you.

It only took the two of them a minute to join you, and you met them with champagne and a pleased smile on your face.

“Hello boys, just in time for the countdown!”

You passed out the drinks and took one for yourself before the three of you headed out to the small balcony that was around the corner from the window you had entered through.

“And 5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Happy New Year!” The three of you shouted.

You heard the city erupt in cheers and fireworks started exploding over the Eiffel tower. Bucky set his champagne flute down and drew you into his arms, bringing one hand up to cradle the back of your head as he pressed his lips to yours. You sighed as you opened up to him, welcoming the crisp taste of champagne on his tongue as he curled it against yours.

“Ooookay, that is my cue to leave.” Sam said, downing the rest of his drink and avoiding making eye contact with either of you as he made his exit.

“Mmm, Happy New Year, Sammy!” You called after him. Bucky just waved a hand at him as his mouth moved down to your neck, his lips trailing over your throat as his other hand pressed against the small of your back.

“Just, remember to take out your comms, I’m begging you.” Sam said before shutting the door behind him.

“Fuck, right.” You plucked yours out of your ear and set it next to your glass as Bucky drew you back into the room, sucking on the curve of your shoulder softly. He released you for just a second to remove his own comm and closed the door to the balcony before turning back to you.

“Oh, that fucking dress.” He growled as he took you in, his eyes dark with desire. “You know, I’ve been wanting to peel you out of that thing all night, you damn cock tease.”

You stepped into him and pressed your hand against the bulge in his pants as you nipped at his bottom lip. “Mmm, your always so good to me when I tease you though, baby. I can’t help it.” You moved your hands up to start undoing his tie. “Besides, I don’t know how you can blame me for teasing you when you’re walking around in this tux. I’ve been wet all night.” You whipped the tie off and started working on the buttons of his shirt as you took his earlobe between your lips and sucked on it.

His hands moved to your ass and squeezed as he ground his hips against you, making you gasp. “Don’t tell me that unless you want me to do something about it. Fuck, are you even wearing anything under here?”

You slid his jacket off his shoulders and followed it with his shirt, running your fingers over his bare torso before starting to undo his belt. “Why don’t you get it off me and find out?” You purred, gazing up at him through your lashes as you drew the belt through the loops and moved to unbutton his fly.

He leered at you and brought his hands up to your shoulders, running the thin straps of your gown through his fingers before snapping them easily. He sighed as he watched the material slither over your curves and pool at your feet. “I fucking knew it.”

You were completely bare under his gaze, aside from the two knife belts you had around your thighs, each of which contained 2 blades.

“Damn it, Barnes.” You scolded him.

“What?”

“Could we have one night where you don’t end up ruining at least one expensive item of clothing?” You sighed, bending over to pick up the dress and shooting him a soft look of reproval.

“Shit, baby. I’m sorry. I get too excited.” He did feel a little bad, but every time you wore something like that, all he could think of was ripping it off you.

“Well, now you’ll just have to make it up to me.” You teased, tossing the dress aside and drawing him closer.

“Yes, ma’am.” He murmured as his fingers moved to start undoing the belts around your thighs. He brushed his lips against the small hollow beneath your ear as he worked, flicking his tongue over the sensitive skin there as his fingers brushed over your legs, making your pussy clench around nothing. “You want me to show you how sorry I am with my tongue?” He set aside the two belts and moved a hand to cup your sex, groaning at how warm and wet he found you.

“God, just fucking do it.” You hissed as he teased a finger between your folds, barely brushing against your heat before withdrawing again.

“Well, since you asked so nicely…” He picked you up and carried you a few feet to lay you on the dining room table, kicking the chairs out of the way with a clatter.

He gave you a searing kiss, taking your breath with him when he withdrew to kneel between your thighs. His stubble tickled at your skin as he moved his lips and tongue up your inner thigh at an agonizing pace, moving to the other thigh when he had almost reached your cunt and making you whine.

“I’m so sorry I ruined your dress, pretty girl.” He finally dragged his tongue over your slit and you let out a low moan, your fingers burying themselves in his hair as he repeated the motion. “Wish I could promise it won’t happen again, but this pussy does things to me.”

He pressed the flat of his tongue against you and drew it over your entrance heavily, slurping up all the evidence of your arousal with an obscene sound before wrapping his lips around your clit and sucking. The whimper you let out made his cock twitch as your thighs clenched around his shoulders, drawing him into you even further.

“God, Bucky, right there.” You murmured as he increased the pressure on your bundle of nerves and inserted two fingers into your cunt, moaning at the feeling of your satiny walls clenching around him. He curled them just a bit and you wailed, arching your back into him as you started whispering “please” over and over like a prayer.

He grinned against you as he shook his head slightly, pressing himself even further into your heat and lapping up the juices that leaked from you as he fucked you with his fingers.

He added a third finger and crooked his wrist just slightly and that was it. Every muscle in your body went rigid as you came against his face, soaking him in your release as you clamped down on his fingers and sobbed with pleasure. You released him slightly, only to spasm again from the aftershocks as your muscles quivered around him. He finally managed to draw himself away and stood between your legs, grinning down as he watched you come down from your orgasm, shivering occasionally as a random jolt of pleasure shot through you.

“You think you can forgive me?” He asked wickedly as he finished undoing his slacks and slid them over his hips, followed by his boxer briefs. He drew his hand over his length as he waited for you to answer, nudging the tip of his cock against your folds and making you yelp.

“Fuck, yes. God Bucky.” You sat up and wrapped your hands around his neck, bringing his face to yours violently. You ground your hips against him, groaning as you felt his shaft slide through your slick easily. He started to lift you to bring you to the bedroom and you shook your head a bit before releasing him. “No, I need it now.”

He grinned at you as he teased his head against your clit, making you whine. “You want me to fuck you right here on the table?”

“God, yes please. Gimme that cock. I need you inside me.” It was driving you crazy. You brought a hand between the two of you and wrapped it around him, making him hiss as you lined him up. “I want you to split me open then fuck me until I can’t breathe.”

He let out a low growl from deep in his chest. He loved when you talked like this. He pushed into slowly with a groan until he was sheathed to the hilt, relishing in the feel of you clenching around him. “Fuck baby, you feel so good. So tight and warm. What else you want me to do to you?” He started moving his hips slowly, grinding them against you each time he was bottomed out.

“Shit,” You were panting with need as he moved inside you, his cock dragging against your g-spot over and over and making it hard to think. “I want your mouth on my tits. God, just like that.” He was following your instructions beautifully, dragging his tongue over the inner slope of your breast as his hips kept up their slow pace. “Fuck, baby, suck on my nipples now.”

He did as you asked, swirling his tongue over the sensitive buds as his lips closed around them, sucking softly and making you whine. He’d always been good at following orders.

“Mmm, move faster.” You commanded, wrapping your fingers in his hair as he continued lavishing attention on your breasts.

He obliged easily, picking up the pace until he was slamming into you, knocking the breath out of you. You met each of his thrusts with your own, mewling as you felt a coil starting to knot in your abdomen.

“God, I’m gonna cum.” You whined.

One more drive of his hips and the coil broke, making you scream. Your fingernails dug into his scalp as you went stiff for just a beat before everything released. He smiled into your neck as you vibrated against him, panting heavily as you came down.

He kept fucking into you like a man possessed. He brought his mouth back up to yours and kissed you softly as he felt you relax a bit. “Did I do good, sweetheart?”

“Yeah, baby, you did great.” You laughed into his mouth as he kept moving.

“You’re in charge, pretty girl. What do you want now?”

“God, work my clit. Fuck, just like that.” You were having trouble focusing as he did what you asked. “I need your mouth on my neck. Hngh, Bucky! That’s so good.”

“What else, beautiful?” he grinned against your throat, loving how easily you were coming apart around him. He picked up the pace with his hips a little more and felt you flutter around him.

“Shit, stick your thumb up my ass.”

He was not prepared for that and his hips faltered for a bit. He whipped his head up to stare at you as he regained his composure.

“What?”

“Ahh, fuck.” You were just a little embarrassed. You usually liked to ramp up to this type of thing, and especially with Bucky, you had wanted go really slow with this particular kink. You didn’t know how much of a thing anal play had been in the 40s. “Um, you can forget I said that.”

To your surprise, he broke out into an absolutely sinful grin and gave you a savage kiss as he laid you back on the table, stilling his hips but keeping himself sheathed in you as he drew your knees up to your shoulders.

“I’ve been dreaming about this ass, baby.” He said as he started moving his hips again, dragging his thumb through the slick that was leaking out around his cock and moving it down until it was pressing against your pretty hole, making you gasp.

“Bucky, don’t tease me.”

“Thinking about this tight little hole wrapped around my cock, I was worried you’d never let me in.” You moaned as he pressed himself through the tight ring of muscle and your eyes rolled up into your skull as you arched yourself into him. “But here you are, giving me a fucking invitation.”

He gave a groan when both your holes clenched around him, and he felt his cock moving in your cunt with his thumb through the thin lining between your passages. He drew himself out halfway and slammed back into violently, the tip of him barely kissing your cervix and making you whine.

His fingers on your clit pressed down hard and you flew apart around him, your orgasm ripping through you with abandon. The scream you let out was otherworldly as you creamed all over his cock.

The sight of you writhing beneath him sent him over his own edge and he shouted your name as his cum spurted inside of you, coating your walls and his dick as he collapsed on top of you.

You were still trembling as aftershocks rippled through your body. He kissed your neck and pulled out of you gently. You barely noticed, you were so fucked out.

“Shit sweetheart.” He muttered as he drew himself up. “This body treats me so fucking good. Damn, look at that.” He drew your knees apart and stared appreciatively at you pussy, still clenching as you came down. His cum was slowly leaking out of you and dribbling over your puckered hole. “Let’s clean you up.”

You had expected him to go get a towel, but he knelt down and dragged his tongue over first your asshole, then your slit, making you sob as he lapped up the mixture of your releases. When he drew his tongue over your clit, you came again immediately, it was so overstimulated.

“Fuck, you ok, Y/N?” He hadn’t expected you to be that sensitive and was worried he might have overdone it. He brought himself back up to look you in the eyes, cupping one cheek in the palm of his hand as he studied your face with concern.

“God, Bucky, I’m fucking great.” You gave him a sloppy grin as you stared up at him, turning your head to press a kiss into the palm of his hand. “I don’t think I can walk though.” Your legs were jelly.

He just laughed and scooped you into his arms, carrying you into the bedroom and laying on the bed. He covered you with the sheets and pressed a soft kiss to your temple before heading into the bathroom to clean himself up. He was only gone for a minute before he was sliding behind you and wrapping you in his arms.

“Happy New Year, beautiful.” He whispered into your hair as you drifted off to sleep, drowsy now that you were surrounded with his warmth.

“Happy fucking New Year, Bucky.” You murmured before you dozed off, blissfully satisfied.

Permanent Tags:

@drabblewithfrannybarnes​ @starlightcrystalline​ @stargazingfangirl18​ @buckysnumberonegirl​

[gogo-the-king]

Werewolf AU | Ymir x Reader | Fluff - One-Shot | 1.1 k Word count

Based off of @leonhardt-simp s Head cannon on 'Comforting a newly turned reader' (I hope it's good!)

CW: Blood ! Injury A/N: I'm not good at this. at all. so yeah um enjoy??? And I tried to make this as gender-neutral as possible so yeaaaah

“Ymir,” You groan, “I didn’t...I didn’t want this.” You had been touching your scars for half an hour, face scrunched up in your discontent. You were scared, angry, and so confused.

Ymir understood you because she wasn’t even born as a wolf. “You have some dope ass scars though.” You scoff at this, “Of course the scars are what you’re worried about,” you mumble. Ymir walked out of the kitchen with a pack of crackers in her hands, “Huh?” she popped a cracker into her mouth, “Sweetheart you act like I can change what happened!”

“Well, you can’t.” “Exactly, listen I’m gonna be here for you, especially with this.” Ymir takes her spot on the couch right next to you, “I have lived this,” Your hand slipped down into your lap, and Ymir holds it after some thought. “And I still am, so what am I going to do for my wonderful partner who’s going through the same thing?”

Ymir gives a gentle squeeze to your hand, “Support them every step of the way.” She smiles against your hand making you lean back into the cushions and sigh. “At least death spared me this time,” Ymir laughed at that, “See! That’s the spirit!”

Then you both sat in comfortable silence, Ymir the one to break it. “Now, there’s a full moon tomorrow and I wanted to be there for your first,” You winced at the news, you had forgotten about that. You had been too focused on your transformations in public that you had left out being forced to transform during the full moon.

“Is it going to hurt?” the brunette shook her head, “Not necessarily.”

“It’ll be very odd,” she starts, “You’ll very anxious, nausea is bound to happen, clothes might get uncomfortable too.”

“You might feel hot but also feel cold, want to be under blankets one second and then throw said blanket off the next,” Ymir went into fine details of what she feels during full moons. “BUT, and it’s a big but here, that’s just what I feel, so don’t think on it too hard.”

You just nodded, “God, this is gonna feel so weird.” You weren’t ready. At all. But Ymir was here with you so it wasn’t going to be all that bad.

“Do you have any favorites?” Maybe ask some questions, kill some time, distract yourself. “Spots I mean...In the forests?”

“Not really, never had time to take them in, I can barely remember them since I usually go on hunts with the others.”

Right. The others, you would have to meet up with them, but that was for another time. Think about it when the time finally comes around.

“And what about tomorrow?” “Eh?” “Tomorrow, when we go out?” Ymir chuckled and then frowned, “Sorry sweetheart, but I don’t think you’ll remember most of the night.” She sucked on her teeth and sneered at the empty air, “Damn wolf brain won’t let you, it would be a damn miracle if you do.”

“I do remember some of my first full moon!” She smiled at her first kills, thankfully she was on a full moon high so eating was on top of her list, fur and all. Ymir shivered as she remembered that she ate a rabbit whole but she was full and had a nice ten hours of sleep after so she couldn’t complain.

“We’ll just have to hope for the best, see what I can do!” Ymir wanted to grin ear to ear at your words, finally. Acceptance.

You would probably be so sore after tomorrow, you would hate that but Ymir would help you out

“My scars are probably gonna be so cool,” Ymir nodded in agreement, “With that big ass scratches hell yeah!”

“Your scars aren’t going to be covered in fur, with how big that wolf was, they probably destroyed most if not all of the hair follicles.”

When you had been running that night you had been thinking about your promotion, thinking about how much money you could bring in. How much you could provide for Ymir and yourself. As an added bonus you got to work from home unless you were called in for something important.

Running into those woods was both stupid and smart. You knew the damn place like the back of your hand so hopefully, you could make it to the cabins and have Pieck or one of the others help you out. And then the motherfucker had his damn claws on you, bit into your shoulder, and ripped apart your clothes, sealing your fate to live the rest of your life as one of them.

You screamed and kept screaming and then? You passed out, too much blood loss and a lack of oxygen made you too woozy.

Ymir was horrified when Pieck had called her. Annie was fucking livid, the Yaeger brothers stayed with you while you recovered until Ymir could take their place, the entire pack was furious when it had spread that you were attacked. You were good to them (too good) so naturally, most of them felt guilty for not being able to protect you even when you told them you knew better than to go out during the full moon.

You wanted to laugh for walking to a Mcdonald's at midnight. You had a working car but like an idiot, you hadn’t been paying attention to the moon and its cycle.

When Hange had that one on one talk with you about your injuries you knew it wouldn’t be good. They held themselves upright like everything was fine but as soon as they took off their glasses you could see it in their face. A mix of anger, sadness, and fear on their face, she couldn’t do anything but treat your wounds, keep you fed, and hope for the best.

You were silent on the outside but in your mind, it was so loud. You wanted to scream and be angry at the world but you couldn’t. Your stupid decision cost you a semi-regular life.

You sigh, “I’m gonna get a snack and head to bed, get my work done tomorrow…” You kept on mumbling about your plans leaving Ymir to pout about the lack of warmth. “No, come back,” Ymir had followed you, pouting like a child and wanting your attention. You give a warm smile, “Don’t worry, Dog-Breath, we can cuddle in a moment.”

You wince at the use of the name and it doesn't go unnoticed, “Oh goddammit.” Ymir bursts into laughter, you sighed as you realized Ymir could tease you like you did her. You had been doing that for years so you were in for a fair amount of jests and jabs.

[onlydreamofmysoul]

Let Them Eat Cake: The Final

We made it! I want to thank you guys so so much for the fantastic support you've given this story, it means the world to me. Bake Off has a special place in my heart and so does this fic, so its been so great to share it with you all!

(Links to all previous chapters can be found pinned on my page under 'Let Them Eat Cake' or pop over to my AO3 - link in bio)

Without further ado, I give you... The Final!

This week on the final of The Great British Bake Off…

“It looks like you’re having a smashing time.”

“Tell us about your first kiss.”

“And the winner is…”

Remus Lupin was having a nice morning.

There had been nothing of interest to note, however he didn’t have an alarm blaring and he was warm and snuggly, so all in all, he took it as a win.

Until one Lily Evans took it upon herself to sneak into his room and throw herself on him like she was a kid on Christmas morning.

“Finals, finals, finals!” She exclaimed, managing to find a tone that was somehow both singing and chanting all at once.

“Jesus fucking Christ.” Remus groaned, covering his eyes with his forearms. “Can I go back in time and just never apply to this fucking competition?”

Lily rolled off him, her big green eyes staring at him concerned. “What's the matter? Do you not want to be here?”

Remus peeked out at her. “No, I don’t want you to be here.” He smirked as she rolled her eyes, flopping back on the pillows next to him.

“Asshat.” She grumbled, hitting his shoulder with a light ‘thwack’. “I was worried for a sec.”

Remus grinned at her and then stared up at the ceiling for a long moment, only the sounds of their breathing and his heartbeat in his ears to keep him company.

Finals, they had made it to the finals.

He still couldn’t quite believe it. “Welcome to the finals.” McGonagall had said to him just before he left the tent, the words playing over and over again in his head, as clear as if she had said them yesterday.

(Which in fact, she had. This was the first time Remus would go to the practice tent and Tonks wouldn’t be there, but there was still an undeniable elation blossoming in his chest).

Five days until filming resumed. Six until the winner was announced. It didn’t seem real.

(But if this were a fantasy, Remus never wanted to return to reality).

“So where’s Sirius on this fine morning?” Lily asked, breaking the silence. Remus turned his head to look at her, completely relaxed and sinking into the bed. It would seem his lazy morning mood had seeped into her instead of her vibrant energy going to him.

“We’re not together every night.” He said, looking at the freckles splashed across her nose. They were darker now than they had been when they arrived. “We’re taking things slow.”

Lily just stared at him sceptically.

“It’s true!” He defenced. “We are!”

“You’re such a bad liar.”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

Remus groaned and smacked her with a pillow. Victory.

“You never answered the question.” Lily said, muffled under the cushion. Or maybe victory had another champion in mind.

“Okay yes, he’s here most nights, but it doesn’t feel fast.” He defended, and it was true. Somehow it felt almost like they had known each other forever and yet still there was the thrill and excitement that came with everything being so new.

“It doesn’t seem fast either.” Lily reassured. “Maybe for others it would be, but I think it’s right for you two.”

Remus let out a little breath of relief. He hadn’t been worried exactly, but his thoughts had slipped in that direction a few times. More than anything, he just worried about scaring Sirius off, while still feeling secure in himself? Remus really didn’t know, the emotion centre of his body was really sending out mixed signals these days.

He had just decided to say fuck it to logic and stick to how he felt. And he felt good. Really good.

“Not that this little revelation wasn’t nice,” Lily said, “But you still haven’t answered the question I asked. Little tip? If this baking thing doesn’t work out, definitely don’t become a spy. If you were captured you’d accidentally reveal all the information without them even having to ask you.”

Remus groaned. “I hate you. He and James were hanging out last night.”

Lily grinned, satisfied and gave Remus another little shove. “Okay, come on I wanna go bake.”

“You’d think you’d have enough baking for a lifetime.” Remus grumbled but he got up all the same. In actuality, now that he was awake, Remus too was buzzing to get into the tent and get to work. “What’re you planning for this week?” He asked as he threw on a pair of jeans and a hoodie, having taken a shower the night before.

“I can’t give away my secrets!” Lily teased, holding open the door as Remus grabbed his key and they both swept out of the room and down the plush carpeted corridor.

“You are aware I’m gonna find out either way right? Cause if you still haven’t grasped that concept then I’m a little worried to be-”

“Oh hush,” Lily laughed, pressing her palm to Remus’ mouth. “I’m still not a hundred percent sure to be honest.”

They stepped outside, the cool crisp air falling over them, revitalizing them. Remus tucked his hands into his pockets and felt his shoulders hunch a little. His lungs liked the cold, the rest of his body - not so much.

“I’m not sure if I know what I’m doing either.” He admitted. “I have a few ideas, but none of them feel quite right, you know?”

Lily nodded as they reached the practice tent, pulling open the door. “Yeah I think that’s my issue too. There’s suddenly so much pressure and nothing I consider seems to be good enough.”

Remus sighed as he pulled two aprons off the hooks and tossed one to Lily. “I suppose we’ll have to figure it out.” He said, before taking out the recipe cards he had brought with him and began flicking through them for inspiration.

Five days. He could do this.

“Well, well, well, look who we have here.” Remus said with a grin as he trod through the grass, rounding the big oak tree to see Sirius waiting on their swing.

“I know,” Sirius drawled. “It’s almost like we planned it.”

Remus smiled, sitting by his side, holding the rope in one hand as he held out a Tupperware encased offering. “Want some cake?”

Sirius took the box gladly, his hair tied up but the wind had claimed a few loose strands, whipping them around his face like a dark halo. “Always. What kind?”

Remus tucked one foot into his chest, resting his cheek on his knee as he studied the other man. “Try it and find out.”

Sirius' lips quirked at Remus’ teasing tone, looking at the deep brown colour that really could only be one flavour. “Elderflower?” He joked.

Remus laughed and took a bite himself before holding out to Sirius. “Yes,” He said, completely deadpan. “That’s exactly what it is.”

Sirius smiled and kissed him, biting his lip as he pulled away. “You taste like chocolate.”

Remus flushed. “Don’t you mean elderflower?”

Sirius chuckled, rocking the swing a little more, tilting his head back to look at the twisting branches above them. “Look,” He murmured, pointing to a clump of twigs high in the tree. “A bird's nest.” Remus followed his line of sight and watched as a bird swooped overhead and landed in it gracefully.

“That was kinda cool.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t shit on us.”

“Sirius!” Remus exclaimed, elbowing the other man as he laughed. “Let’s hope your hair can take the hit and shield us.”

“Oi! My hair is what should be protected at all costs, it’s a national treasure. You know, I think I should replace you with Tonks, she knows the importance of hair care.”

Remus smiled, resting his head on Sirius’ shoulder, the fabric of his jacket soft against his cheek. “Tell me something I don't know about you.”

The wind whipped through the branches, but Remus wasn’t cold pressed up against Sirius. The tree sheltered them from the worst of it and the weather was slowly getting a little warmer, daffodils springing up all around the tent. There were many things Remus had always wanted but never saw himself actually achieving. Coming to bake off was one. Making it to the final was another. And perhaps the most notable - finding someone who might love him as much as he loved them. And yet, here he was with all three.

“When I was a kid, I used to want to be a dog so bad, I was always getting in trouble for wearing holes in my pants because I would crawl instead of walking normally. I even refused to answer to ‘Sirius’.”

“Oh yeah?” Remus asked, amused. “What was your alter ego’s name then?”

He could hear Sirius’ smile even if he couldn’t see it. “Padfoot. He was this big black dog. I got the idea after I read about ‘The Grimm’ in one of my cousin’s books and I guess it kind of stuck.”

“Padfoot,” Remus repeated, unable to stop himself. “I like that.”

“Your turn,” Sirius urged, nudging Remus lightly. “Tell me something I don’t know about you.”

Remus’ heart fluttered, stomach rolling a little, he had news for Sirius, and had honestly engineered the entire conversation just to tell him, but now that the moment was here, he was getting nervous.

“I’ve been offered a job in London.”

Sirius froze under Remus’ cheek. “In London?”

“Yeah.”

“London, England?”

Remus chuckled as he sat up to look at Sirius’ stunned face, grey eyes wide, lips parted. “Yes, London, England.”

Sirius blinked. “But I live in London.”

Remus pursed his lips, trying not to smile too much. “I’m aware of this, yes.”

“You… we… we’d be living in the same country. In the same city.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“Remus motherfucking Lupin, that's the best thing I’ve heard all week.”

“Your flour is about to tip over.” Tonks commented, carelessly filing her nails over facetime as Remus ran around his station, trying to do several things at once.

“Oh my god Lupin, you’re a disaster, how did you even get into this competition?” Tonks teased as Remus caught the flour but promptly dropped it on the flour, a white cloud erupting, coating everything in a two meter radius in powder.

“Not very helpful.” Remus grumbled as he shook flour out of his hair and grabbed a cloth to wipe down the counter.

“I wasn’t trying to be helpful.” Tonks paused and looked at the recipe Remus had sent her. “You’re gonna need at least double the vanilla extract than what you have there.” Remus grabbed the recipe and looked it over, seeing she was right. “See?” Tonks said gleefully as Remus scratched out the original amount. “That was me being helpful.”

Remus rolled his eyes, but blew her a kiss, wiping the dusty screen of his phone which had not escaped the great flour disaster.

“Come on,” He said as he walked with his phone to the store room, as if Tonks had any other choice than to accompany him. “We’re gonna get some more flour.” He set his phone down on a shelf as he looked for the right flour, Tonks chatting away. If Remus closed his eyes he could almost pretend she was right there with him, the pair of them practising for whatever challenges they were soon to face.

“So where’s Lily on this fine evening?” Tonks questioned. “Don’t you two usually practice together around now?”

“Yeah,” Remus grunted as he picked up his phone, tucking it under his chin with his hands full. “But she was busy tonight.”

“No fucking way, she’s with James?”

“Well, I don’t know for sure.” Remus admitted, “But she sounded pretty suspicious.”

“Ooh.” Tonks gasped and Remus began carefully measuring flour and continuing where he left off. “All the Bake Off love this year.”

Remus laughed as he folded in his sugar, putting the batter in the oven before beginning to prepare the icing. “Oh hush you.”

Tonks just winked, sticking out her tongue. “You know you love me.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased as punch to welcome you to this year's Great British Bake off; the final!”

Sirius groaned, head tipping back at James’ enthusiastic introduction. “You did not just say ‘pleased as punch’.”

James feigned being hurt, placing a hand over his heart. “What would you prefer? Pleased as pudding? Pleased as pie?”

Sirius looked straight into the camera, his face blank but his amused eyes giving him away. “Someone please give me a new co-host, I can’t take this anymore.”

James laughed as he threw an arm over Sirius’ shoulder, the two of them easing the nerves of everyone in the tent tenfold. “Don’t worry Sirius darling, you haven’t got too long left with me because, like I said, we’ve reached the final!”

Remus smiled, hiding the hands he was wringing together under the table. It was the weirdest feeling - he was at once completely calm and so incredibly nervous. He couldn’t help but giggle at the antics of the infamous marauders and recalled that morning, lying in bed when Sirius had queried how much bullshit he’d be able to spout without any prior preparation. Remus had told him to go get ready but had promptly led them to activities that were in no way helpful to the rest of the day's events.

(It had been a good way to start the day though).

McGonagall and Dumbledore stood at the front of the tent, looking out at the eerily empty work stations, only three now filled. Remus and Lily were in the front two and Kingsley had come up to slot in behind Lily.

“We have a very exciting two days lined up,” Sirius said as he clasped his hands together, a natural in front of the cameras. Our bakers have no overall theme, so we’re going to get to see a little splash of everything!”

“For our signature challenge, our bakers have been asked to bake something that fits in with the theme of ‘final’’.” James said, taking his turn to speak again. “It can be anything from a cake inspired by the final book in a series or the last thing you had to eat, because tonight, there are no limits other than your imagination.”

Remus snorted and Sirius’ eyes found his as he elbowed James lightly. “Dramatic much.” He drawled before rubbing his hands together gleefully. “Are you ready?”

“On your marks,”

“Get set.”

“Bake!”

Remus hadn’t realised how much he would miss Tonks in the tent. He had missed her all week, but it wasn’t as if they ever had much chance to chat while they were filming, so he had thought it would be a little easier. But the tent was unusually quiet without her clattering at her station, inevitably breaking at least one piece of crockery per challenge.

“It’s too quiet,” Lily murmured, echoing Remus’ thoughts. “I almost feel like we’re not allowed to talk.”

Remus chuckled, remembering exams in home economics when he had been in secondary school and the teacher who would happily dole out zero marks if she so much as saw your lips move.

He grinned, taking a bowl he didn’t need from his station and ‘accidentally’ dropping it on the ground, the ceramic splitting with a loud crack.

“Oops!” He said loudly, glad he hadn’t ever tried to go into the theatre business, he was truly a terrible actor, and ran to grab a broom, not without winking at Lily who blew him a kiss.

“Much better, thanks!” She yelled after him and he just chuckled, disposing of the broken bowl, but not without slipping a shard into his apron pockets to take home with him as a little reminder.

Sirius meandered over after a little while as Remus put a tin in the oven to cook the soon-to-be sponge fingers for his tiramisu.

“You seem to be having a smashing time.” Sirius teased, his eyes alight.

“James already made that joke a few weeks ago.” Remus said laughing as he poured double cream into a bowl. “It’s really not that funny.”

Sirius just stuck out his tongue and moved to the next station, but Remus knew that had it been just the two of them, it was far more likely that Sirius would have taken much offence to the attack on his sense of humour, and a good snog would have been needed to make up for it.

James arrived no sooner than Sirius had left, peering into the bowl of ingredients that Remus was whipping, looking very much like he was contemplating dipping his finger in for a taste.

Marlene arrived, camera on her shoulder, surveying Remus’ station, sceptically watching Remus grate his dark chocolate.

“So Remus,” She began, fiddling with the lens to zoom in on his hands. “What has tiramisu got to do with the ‘final’ theme?”

“Well,” He said, suddenly feeling shy, wishing he didn’t have to explain. “Tonks, Andromeda Tonks, that is, had been planning to make a tiramisu for this episode, but she unfortunately was eliminated last week, so instead I’m making it.”

Some of the crew members cooed softly and Remus rolled his eyes, even as he blushed. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m a big softie.” He glanced at Marlene once, smirking, then returned to his work, “Now fuck off and let me get on with it.”

“One of these days, Remus motherfucking Lupin,” Marlene grumbled as she walked away, not before snagging a square of chocolate to munch on, “One of these days I’m going to get you back.”

Remus’ dish was made pretty quickly, the most important part was leaving it in the fridge for as long as possible, so as soon as he had carefully layered the sponge and cream and chocolate of course, he set the fridge to the lowest temperature and put the big dish in. He had an idea of how he wanted to present it, but that all depended on whether or not it would be set properly.

He cleaned his station and set up everything he needed for when the dessert was set, but that only took ten minutes. Watching Lily and Kingsley rush around their stations while Remus had nothing left to do made him feel like he was back in school, the horrid panic of completing a test, thinking it was easy, then looking up to discover everyone else was still working intently. He put himself to work to avoid the fluttering in his chest, different to the loved up buzz he had been experiencing recently, no this tightness was more akin to the ‘oh no have I had ten shots of espresso’ variety. Remus wasn’t the biggest fan.

He made tea for the crew, including the judges and presenters, checked the progress of his dish, then made himself walk away from the fridge, lest he open it too often and slow down the cooling process. He chatted with Lily a bit while she worked and did an interview with James and Sirius, some more filler content now that there weren’t nearly as many bakers to keep up with, but the airing time of the show hadn’t changed.

“Need a hand?” He offered, turning to Lily who was crouched by her oven, gazing intently at her cake. “Nah I’m good.” She said, not looking up, “I don’t have anything to do until this little guy is cooked.”

“They never tell you how much waiting around there is.” Remus groaned, hopping up on his worktop. “I have been just sitting here for the best part of over an hour and I bet none of this is going to make the final cut.”

“You’d be right there!” Marlene chimed in, passing them on her way to video whatever complicated technique Kingsley was currently demonstrating. Remus raised an eyebrow at Lily, sighed and jumped off the counter. “I’m gonna check on my cakes now, thank you very much.”

Remus both loved and hated how there was no official ranking for the first challenge. He definitely loved it on days where he hadn’t done very well and didn’t want his failings it be broadcasted even more than they already had been, but today, with only three contestants left and the competition tangible, he wanted to know how much more impressive his next two bakes were going to have to be.

He supposed it didn’t really matter - he was going to do his very best no matter what.

Lily had made a cake shaped like a knitted hat, the piping terrifyingly realistic, in commemoration of the last hat her grandmother had made before she passed away. Kingsley had a coffee flavoured graduation cap to honour his girlfriend who was in her final year of college.

“We’re a bunch of sentimental saps.” Lily muttered to them both as they all walked out of the tent to go for lunch, the judges' praises ringing in their ears. They all seemed to be standing on equal footing for now.

“I know,” Remus groaned, throwing himself down on the grass under the sun. “I should have just done like, the final countdown or something.”

“Tonks is never gonna let you live this down.” Kinsley piped in.

“God, don’t remind me. I might just have to kill her before the episode airs, you know, save my reputation and all.”

“Oh, a spot of murder, how lovely.” James chirped as he and Sirius arrived, having been sent to retrieve all of their lunches, the three bakers claiming that they were too tired and as they always fed everyone else, it was time to switch it up.

James passed out sandwiches, pulling them from a bag, while Sirius handed Remus a salad.

Remus kissed Sirius on the cheek, “Thanks sweetheart.”

It took Remus a moment to realise what he had done, a moment more to remember that it was only Kingsley who hadn’t already known about their relationship. Kingsley who was looking very nonchalant and in no way surprised.

“Oh,” He said between bites, looking at Remus and Sirius’ panicked looks. “Was this meant to be a secret?”

Remus just burst out laughing, any tension that had appeared, vanishing in seconds. “I suppose we’re not very good at hiding it, huh?”

“Oi, speak for yourself.” Sirius jostled as he unwrapped his sandwich. “I’m an excellent secret keeper.”

“Alright everybody, welcome to the technical challenge of this year’s final!” James reintroduced them, everyone having returned to their stations, fresh aprons tied around their waist and judges standing at the top of the room watching over the proceedings.

“For our last technical challenge, the judges are asking you to make a classic sponge cake, but with a little twist.”

Remus eyed the mysterious pile of ingredients under the cloth on his table. He both loved and hated that blue and white gingham pattern, hated it because he wasn’t the biggest lover of surprises, and loved it because… well, because it was cute.

(Not every answer was super deep. The Pinterest boy in him was in love with the entire aesthetic of The Great British Bake Off).

“Our lovely judges have also requested that you make at least twelve meringue kisses to top your sponge cake.”

Remus raised his eyebrows in surprise - it wasn’t like the judges to add anything to something as classic as a sponge cake, but who was he to question? This was the final, anything was possible.

James and Sirius chattered on for a few more minutes, and then they were off, the three contestants whipping off their gingham cloths like a magician unveiling his assistant. Remus barely glanced at the vague recipe before setting off to make the meringues first. Their small size was deceptive and that’s why Remus thought the judges had included them - but they would take the most time to bake and cool.

He set about whipping egg whites and sugar as Marlene arrived by his side, taking a moment just to pan the camera over everything he was doing.

“Meringue kisses,” Marlene said, with a smug sounding tone. “Such a cute name. Go on Remus, tell us about your first kiss.”

Remus laughed, caught off guard, nearly spilling the extra sugar he was adding to the bowl. “Alright, which first kiss do you want to hear about? Cause technically I have a few.”

Marlene giggled with him and Remus felt like he was a schoolgirl, chatting about boys and kisses, like they were the beginning and end of everything. “The very first one.”

Remus could help but laugh again, shaking his head fondly at the memory. “It was awful.” he said, chuckling to himself. “I was thirteen and I kissed this girl called Mary on a dare.” He paused to look at the camera more directly. “Mary if you’re watching this, I’d apologise but we both know I’m right. That was a shit kiss.”

Remus grinned as he realised Marlene was going to let that explicative slide for the purpose of the story. Victorious at last.

“What about your other ‘first’ kisses.” Marlene prompted, overall looking thoroughly delighted by the stories. Remus paused for a moment to stop his mixer and run a spatula around the edge of the bowl to ensure everything was mixing well, before turning the mixer back on and stepping back.

“Well my first kiss with a boy was a year later and since my previous make-out experience consisted of the one kiss you already know about, I think it’s fair to say; that was pretty crap too.” He grinned at Marlene and started measuring the butter for his cake. “But it did solve the whole ‘sexuality crisis’ thing I had going on, so that was fun.”

He deemed his meringue mix whipped-enough so he carefully spooned batches into an icing bag and began piping tiny amounts onto a baking sheet.

“Then I suppose, there’s your first kiss with someone who really matters,” He said carefully, not looking up from his work. “With the person who’s so amazing that every kiss feels a little bit like the first one. Kinda makes you feel like every other kiss you’ve ever had was just practice for this exact moment.”

Remus was aware that his cheeks were a little pink, but then again, when were they not?

“And you’ve found that person?” Marlene asked softly, as Remus piped his last little swirl. He didn’t have to think about it, but he did suppose he should tell the person in question before quite literally broadcasting it to the nation. So instead he just winked.

“Sirius,” Remus said softly, later that night as they lay in bed, a movie playing in the background, Remus’ adrenaline still high from winning the technical challenge. “I know it’s early, so I'm not expecting anything back but since I might have just heavily implied it on national television I figured I should probably tell you that I’m in love with you.”

Sirius’ head didn’t move from Remus’ chest, instead he reached out and grabbed Remus’ free hand, pressing his knuckles to his soft lips. “I know.”

“You do?” Remus asked incredulously, trying (and failing) not to splutter.

Sirius chuckled, his voice deep. “Yeah, you said it in your sleep last night. Plus, I watched over the footage from today and I saw.”

Remus blushed. “Oh.”

Sirius twisted in his arms so Remus could finally see his eyes. They were sparkling and a playful smile twisted on Sirius’ lips.

“I love you too, you know.” Sirius said casually, as if commenting on the weather. Remus let his head drop back onto the pillow as a whoosh of relief escaped his mouth. Sure he hadn't expected to have Sirius say it back but this feeling was like nothing he had ever experienced before.

“Well no, I didn’t, actually.” Remus quipped, much to the ceiling’s amusement. “But it’s good to know.”

Suddenly Sirius was leaning over him, his hair falling around their faces like a dark curtain. “So are you gonna kiss me or what?”

Remus bit his lip, failing in his attempt not to smile. “Nah,” He said, a blatant lie as he raised himself onto his elbows and pressed their lips together. Sirius twisted so he could support himself on one arm, cupping Remus’ face with the other. “I loved what you said earlier,” He murmured against Remus’ lips. “About the first kiss thing. And I really, really love you.”

Remus just grinned against Sirius’ lips and pulled him closer. “Love you too. Now shut up and kiss me.”

“What’re you looking all smug about?” Lily teased, bumping their hips together as they strolled down to the tent. Remus had so many reasons for the butterflies in his chest, he could hardly stop his hands from shaking, but the smile hadn’t left his face since he woke up.

“Oh you know,” He said, waving his hand in feigned nonchalance. “I’m just a boy in love.”

“Fuck off, you said ‘I love you’?” Lily asked, her voice going up an octave.

“Mhm,” Remus confirmed, nodding. “So now you need to woman-up and kiss James fucking Potter like we both know you’ve wanted to do since the first day.” Lily looked as if she might protest, but Remus cut her off. “We both know I’m right. Plus, it’s fairly obvious that the feeling’s mutual, so for the love of all things holy, put the rest of us out of our misery and just snog the poor bugger.”

Lily laughed, even as she blushed and tried to shrug Remus off. “You know,” She started, shooting him a glare that was in no way intimidating. “I’m really not sure I like ‘in love Remus’.”

Remus just winked and kissed the top of her head, smirking wickedly. “I think we both know that’s a lie.”

“It’s here, the final.”

“We’ve already completed half of the final James.”

“Yeah but this is like… the final part of the final.”

“Someone please tell me why I’m friends with this bloke.”

“Oi!”

“Anyways!” Sirius interrupted. “I suppose James wasn’t fully wrong. We made it to the final stretch.”

“It’s time,” James took over, “For my personal favourite challenge. The showstopper.”

Sirius clasped his hands together in front of himself and Remus had to stop himself from staring at the movement. “For our final showstopper, our judges would like to see you recreate a memory.”

“It could be anything,” James continued, “From a chocolate Easter egg to a fondue waterfall, but it has to be your own memory and most importantly, it has to be edible.”

“Otherwise; we’d be the Great British Fake Off.” Sirius quipped and everyone in the tent collectively groaned, which only seemed to spur Sirius on even more.

“If our bakers are ready, I think we’ll begin. Ready Prongs?”

“Ready Pads.”

“On your marks,”

“Get set,”

“Bake!”

And maybe for the first time starting a challenge, Remus’ hands didn’t shake.

“Wotcha-makin?” Sirius asked, leaning around one side of Remus as James curved around the other.

“Cake.” Remus replied, not looking at either of them as he carefully evened out the batter in his tin before popping it in the oven. He then turned to face the two presenters, giving them exactly thirty seconds of his time for a round of rapid fire questions before he had to rush straight back into his work.

“What are you making?”

“A swing in a tree.”

“What kind of cake are you working with?”

“Mostly chocolate, but I have a few other elements working in.”

“What’s the memory you chose?”

Remus smiled softly. “One of my first real kisses.”

Sirius and James thanked him and left again, allowing him to get back to work. Remus had already filled Sirius in on all the details of his cake, he had even checked that it would be okay to use that idea in the first place. Sirius had just kissed him in response, enthusiastically and at length. The bakers had given all their details to the presenters and the camera crew before, so they could insert a voice-over effect to inform the audience of what was happening as the contestants were even more busy and focused than usual and weren’t giving too many interviews.

Remus had chosen several circular cake pans, in a range of different sizes and was going to stack all the cakes they produced on top of one another to create the tree trunk. The top of the tree was going to be made of a mix of white chocolate melted over Rice Krispies (with a little dash of green food dye thrown in) and moulded to look like the leafy crown of a tree in the summer. The swing would be the hardest to add, made of carefully moulded chocolate, Remus would have to be careful not to make the seat too heavy so that the ‘ropes’ and the actual tree itself would support its weight.

After taking all of his cakes out of the oven and setting them out to cool, and creating the swing set, Remus made the chocolate buttercream icing that would decorate the tree trunk. He carefully layered his cakes, using a knife to cut off the rough edges and make the cake slope gently upwards before slathering on thick layers of icing. Taking out a small, delicate knife, Remus carefully cut lines and patterns into the icing, aiming for it to look like the bark of a tree. Finally satisfied, he began melting the white chocolate to make the tree top.

“Looking good Re!” Lily enthused from behind her, forearms splattered in icing as she decorated her own cake, a letter with a bright red seal. Kingsley was working away too, apparently recreating the cover of the CD he bought the day his daughter was born.

“Celine Dion,” He had told Remus yesterday, chuckling. “I had never listened to her before, I don’t even know why I bought it, I just left the hospital with a need to celebrate and the music shop was the first place I came across. But what do you know? It turns out that my little girl loves it.”

Remus grinned at the memory, sweet even to him and admired Lily’s cake out loud. “It’s the acceptance letter to my college,” She was explaining to the camera. “I got a full scholarship, so it’s pretty special.”

Remus turned his attention to his now-melted chocolate and added the green carefully, not wanting to make it too light or two dark. He had found that five drops got him the colour he was looking for - the pale chocolate requiring that little extra for the colour to darken. He then added the cereal and stirred it in together, folding it in with his spatula.

He gave his hands a thorough wash again as he waited for the mixture to cool just enough that he could mould it, but not so much that it set, and got back to work, spooning the green mix on top of his tree trunk until there was enough for him to start shaping it. He attached the chocolate swing very carefully as soon as he was satisfied and brought it straight to the fridge to set.

And then he was done.

He looked around the tent, thinking surely this couldn’t be it, he must have something more to do, but no, there was nothing left. His cake was made and decorated and now only time could tell what would happen next.

Feeling a tad useless, Remus set about cleaning his station and clicked the kettle, fulfilling his tradition in providing the crew with tea. He had just made his own one when James announced the official ten minute warning. They were nearly done.

Suddenly Remus’ heart was in his chest. He had been impeccably calm until this moment, a fact that had surprised him but he hadn’t questioned as it was much easier to bake when your hands weren’t shaking and your heart wasn’t thundering. But all the adrenaline rushed into him now as he realised that one way or another, he was finished with the Great British Bake Off.

At the ‘two minutes’ call, Remus took his cake out of the fridge and gave it a final look over. He tweaked the carving in the tree trunk and double checked that the swing would hold its place and then Sirius asked everyone to step away from their creations.

Dumbledore and McGonagall re-entered the room. Remus’ pulse matched every step they took.

“Kingsley,” They called, and the man in question carefully walked his cake to the table at the top of the tent. Remus watched as the judges 'oohed' and 'awed', admiring the level of detail, right down to the serial number Kingsley had apparently memorised.

Lily went next, her piping skills on display, demonstrating her lovely cursive handwriting that read her own name and an edited home address, signed and sealed by the headmaster. In their practice bakes, Remus had seen many versions of the cake on display but he had no doubt that this was her best work yet.

Finally it was Remus’ turn, and he walked up to the front carefully, trying to keep his breathing even. He had a mental image of himself falling and his cake going everywhere but he batted it out of his mind. His cake was the tallest by far and god, he could only hope, the best.

Sirius caught his eye as they cut the cake and winked. To anyone else, it would look like a presenter trying to calm the nerves of a contestant, but Remus heard the words that had been whispered to him that morning as the sun rose.

“You’re gonna win this.”

Remus had blushed and batted him away, but Sirius had looked at him earnestly. “No, Re, seriously. They base these things on who does best that week. And you’ve already won the technical. If you go and blow them away today, just like you always do, you’ve got this in the bag.”

Remus blushed and hit his face in a pillow but he linked their legs together.

“Besides,” Sirius teased, rolling on his back and tucking his arms under his head. Cocky. “You’ve already won the best prize.”

Remus had playfully kicked his ankle and Sirius’ resounding laugh still echoed in his ears.

“Ah, Mr Lupin,” Dumbledore began casually as he picked up a knife, perhaps unaware that he held Remus’ future in his hands. “This is rather impressive.”

Remus swallowed as the slices were cut and set onto plates. “Thank you.”

“You have no adventurous flavours for us I see,” McGonagall observed as she picked up her fork.

“No,” Remus confirmed. “Chocolate is my speciality, and well, I wanted to keep it simple.”

That seemed to be all the commentary they wanted as they both nodded with a small smile and took a bite.

“Excellent Mr Lupin.” McGonagall said. And that was it. They were done. The judges thanked them all and retreated to the back room to do whatever it is the judges do and make some decisions. The cast broke into a round of applause and Remus tugged Lily under his arm, Kingsley joining the little hug soon after.

“Can you believe that’s it?” Lily asked them and the two boys just shook their heads.

“No more non-stop baking.” Kingsley sighed. “I don’t know if I’m sad or relieved.”

“Both.” Remus laughed. “Definitely both.”

“Okay you lot,” James interrupted. “We have a little something for you outside.”

They all grinned. As loyal bake-off fans, they all knew what was coming. They walked outside the tent to picnic tables set up and laden with the cakes they made that day, along with all the eliminated contestants of that year and the families of the finalists.

Remus beamed at Tonks before sweeping his mother up into a hug.

“I’m so proud of you!” Hope said to him as she gripped him close. Remus chuckled as he bent to half his size, squeezing her just as tight. “Thanks Mam.”

“Now introduce me to this man of yours.” Hope teased, speaking low even though the microphones were elsewhere and they were surrounded by noise. Remus flushed, but he beckoned Sirius over with a tilt of his chin, so subtle no camera could have caught it. Remus had told his mom about everything and she had been begging for more information, only just stopping short of looking up celebrity gossip, although she did send Remus one or two pictures of Sirius on red carpets with the caption ‘your children would be beautiful’.

Sirius looked more nervous than Remus had ever seen him, holding his hand out to be shaken, but Hope just pulled him into a hug.

“It’s lovely to meet you Mrs Lupin,” Sirius said, looking a little surprised as Hope cupped his face in her hands and gave him a proper look. Remus hid his laugh in his elbow as Hope patted Sirius’ cheek fondly. “You’ve got good taste.” She said to him, tilting her head towards Remus, who blushed.

“The best.” Sirius agreed.

“Remus!” Tonks yelled, tired of being ignored and pulled Remus’ attention elsewhere. “Your cake was brilliant!”

Remus laughed running his fingers through his hair, the pink staining his cheeks permanent it would seem. “Thanks Tonks.”

The bright haired woman just grinned and wrapped an arm around Remus before cheerfully introducing herself to Hope. Sirius excused himself as he had to go with James to chat with the judges and Lily joined them with her parents, Kingsley standing with his family and talking to Fabian about knitting of all things. They sat in the garden, the sun shining bright, a few fluffy white clouds lazing their way across the sky. They chatted about everything and nothing as they munched on an endless amount of cake, Remus just sipping on tea as he hadn’t had the foresight to make anything gluten free. He was distracted, Lily and Kingsley were too and everyone around them knew it, not minding when they drifted in and out of the conversation. As nervous as he was, Remus knew this moment right here was his favourite, living his literal dream, surrounded by friends and family. That even gave him a sense of calm.

Until the presenters and judges emerged from the tent, all wearing welcoming smiles that revealed nothing. They stopped at the table draped in a pristine white cloth and topped with three beautiful flower bouquets and an engraved glass cake stand. There was no big cash prize in the bake-off, and Remus loved that. It made it all the more endearing to him, and it only allowed for the most passionate bakers to enter, the ones who baked for the love of it, not for money.

For once, James and Sirius were quiet, not needing to grab anyone's attention as the focus was already entirely on them. The three remaining bakers lined up before them as they had previously been instructed by the crew, and then the judges began speaking.

“This year, we had the most wonderful collection of bakers,” Dumbledore started, having to pause already as the applause had already commenced. “And our finalists even more so. I do believe this was the most difficult final we’ve had to judge in a long time, isn’t it Minerva?”

“It was,” McGonagall agreed, nodding. “We had a truly fine selection and the most beautiful array of cakes today. But in the end, there can only be one winner.”

Remus was certain everyone in attendance could hear his heartbeat. Lily’s hand was clammy in his own.

“It is with the greatest pleasure that I can announce that this year’s winner of The Great British Bake Off is…”

James and Sirius picked up a bouquet of flowers each, as did Dumbledore, McGonagall presenting the cake stand. Lily squeezed his hand, and Kingsley’s on the other side too he was sure.

“Remus Lupin.”

Remus blinked even as Lily threw herself on him in a bone-crushing hug, the judges approaching him to present him with his prize. Distantly he saw Sirius and James handing flowers to Kingsley and Lily, but he was in a daze. Dumbledore kissed him on the cheeks and McGonagall shook his hand with a knowing wink and suddenly Remus’ arms were heavy with flowers and expertly crafted glass.

Kingsley shook his hand, patting his shoulder in congratulations and James pulled him into a little side hug. Remus beamed at them, the crowd still cheering and clapping behind him as he reached forward and grabbed Sirius’ shirt, pulling him in for a kiss.

The crowd roared behind them and suddenly Remus realised where he was and what he was doing as he pulled away. “Shit, I’m sorry.” He said frantically. “I wasn’t thinking, I fucking shit- Christ- sorry!”

Sirius laughed and wrapped an arm around Remus’ waist. “I’m not. I love you, and I don’t care who knows. Now shut that filthy mouth of yours and kiss me, you absolute wanker.”

So Remus did.

The newspapers the next day had many headlines, but Remus’ personal favourite? ‘BRITISH BAKE OFF - STAR AND BAKER!’

THREE MONTHS LATER

The bakery was loud and busy and completely hectic and Remus loved every single second working there. Not a day went by that he wasn’t teased about his bake-off status and he was working on his degree here in London. Basically his life was everything he ever could have dreamed it would be.

“Remus, there’s someone here for you!” His co-worker, Katie, called from the front of the shop and Remus grinned, not even bothering to take off his apron as he wiped his hands against the fabric, opening the door with his shoulder, thanking Katie for the message even as his eyes scanned the shop floor.

Sirius.

Standing there in his leather jacket, his hands tucked into the pockets, motorcycle resting outside the door. “Hey,” He greeted, with a lazy smile. “You ready?”

“Yeah,” Remus nodded before freezing. “Wait no, I have to ice a few more pastries, they’re our best-seller.”

Sirius rolled his eyes laughing. “Oh,” He said, waving it off. “Let them eat cake.”

FIN.

[broadstbroskis]

thanksgiving | jeff skinner

a/n: it’s here!!! this is like 4k that i threw together in like a week after i took it as a personal challenge from @blueskrugs after i asked why we don’t write more thanksgiving fics. a huge shoutout to her and @danglesnipecelly, for inspiration and cheering me on for this, as well as literally anyone else who’s cheered me on to finish thing, you’re all the real mvps and i love you all 💚

-----

Jeff shrugs, and from across the table filled with pizza, beer, and a bunch of other things that are most definitely not on his approved list of foods, you stare at him.

“I dunno. I don’t really have plans, I guess? Probably just sit at home, relax a little?” He says. Your jaw drops. He has...he has what now? “You're going to your parent’s right?” You nod slowly, still stuck on the fact that he’s going to sit at home and do nothing on Thanksgiving, the best of all holidays. Not spend the day with some teammates, not make a quick trip to his family, nothing. “That’ll be fun!” Jeff grins, dimples popping. “What are you-”

“You’re doing nothing?” You get out finally, the words coming back to you.

Jeff’s smile falters, but only slightly, and he nods. “Yeah? I mean, there’s no practice, no games. I’ll just…” He trails off for a second and then shrugs. “Rest.”

“You’re not going to go, like, visit your parents? They’re right across the border!”

“It’s a Thursday.” Jeff says patiently and you abruptly remember that his Canadian-ness is the whole point of this conversation.

“Thanksgiving is the best holiday! You can’t sit at home alone on it; I forbid it!” Jeff’s smile grows again as he laughs and you try and fight your own grin as you shove at his shoulders, to no avail. “Come home with me!”

“What?” He laughs again, but this time, it’s more like disbelief.

But the idea is already growing in your mind. “Come home with me! You know my parents love you, they won’t mind at all!”

“I can’t just invite myself to your Thanksgiving!” Jeff protests.

You wave him off. “You’re not, I’m inviting you! Come on, we’d love to have you!” He still looks hesitant, so you add, “Our Thanksgiving is huge anyway; one extra mouth to feed isn’t going to put anyone out, Jeff.”

“Alright.” He caves, and you grin, pulling your phone close to you to text your mom and let her know. “But ask your mom, okay? Like, really ask her, don’t just, like, tell her I’m coming.”

“Too late!” You say cheerfully, showing him the text you’d sent in your family group chat, telling them you were bringing Jeff with you next week. Your mom’s already responded with a string of happy face emojis and your younger sister with a How I Met Your Mother gif about Canadian Thanksgiving. “Be prepared for a lot of Canada jokes!”

“Is that supposed to be different than any other time I see your family?’ Jeff deadpans, but you’re pretty sure he looks like, at least 50% more relaxed, so you count this as a win and ignore him completely, already mentally planning for the best holiday of the year.

-----

The drive back home to your parents takes about an hour longer than you’d like, stuck in the same godawful traffic as everyone else trying to leave Buffalo on Wednesday so that they can get back home in time to go out that night. 

When Jeff finally pulls his car up in front of your childhood home, you can already see that it’s bustling with activity, getting ready for tomorrow. Most of your siblings have already arrived- only your older brother, with his wife and daughters will come in tomorrow, with the rest of your family- but your younger brother and sister have already come home, a fact that’s even more evident when you and Jeff walk in the front door and immediately trip over three pairs of sneakers.

“Liam!” You cry, grabbing onto Jeff so you don’t fall. “Motherfucker, move your shoes!”

Your brother pops his head out of the living room, AirPods in his ears. “I’m on a call!” And just as you're marveling at the fact that your brother is a real person with a real job taking real work calls, said real person with a real job spots Jeff and lights up. “Jeff! Bro! What’s up, man?”

“I thought you were on a call.” You snap at him.

“I’m on mute.” Liam slaps his palm against Jeff’s pulling him in for a ridiculous handshake-bro hug combo, before he finally comes over and lifts you off the floor. “Yo!”

“Yo!” You repeat, honestly unable to believe you’re related to this kid. If the two of you didn’t look exactly alike, you’d probably think he was adopted. “You still coming out tonight?”

“Hell yeah, this is my last call. I’m ready to go.”

You snicker, looking down at his sweatpants and dress shirt combo- he must have taken a video call at some point today. “Yeah, okay, bud.”

He ruffles your hair, in that annoying way he’s been able to do ever since he grew taller than you. “Don’t you worry, I will be.”

You laugh, ducking under his arm, to let him get back to it. You’ve got no doubts about that. Liam’s always ready to party. “Finish your call so we can start pregaming.”

He grins, like you knew he would. “Now we’re talking.” And then he ducks back into your dad’s office.

Jeff is laughing when you look back at him and you give him a look. “What?”

“Nothing, just forgot how the two of you were when you got going.”

“Yup, and you’re stuck with us for next two days!” You grin.

Jeff rolls his eyes at you, but he’s still smiling when he follows you to the kitchen, in search of your mom. She’s at the counter, rolling dough for biscuits, her only other contribution to the annual Thanksgiving dinner that she hosts, besides the turkey; a holiday that she’d taken over hosting once it had become too much for your grandmother to handle, but only on the caveat that everyone began contributing food toward the meal. It’s been a potluck style holiday ever since.

She’s ultra-focused, the volume on her favorite playlist high (this wild mix of 80’s pop and today’s hits that’s actually kind of a banger), so you sneak up behind her and wrap your arms around her. “Hi!”

“Jesus!” Your mom jumps, elbowing you in the process, but you’re laughing too hard to care. “Don’t do that!”

“Just excited to see you!” You beam at her, squeezing her once more, before pulling away. “Where do you want the pie?” Jeff lifts the pie you’d made yesterday, showing your mom.

Your mom purses her lips, studying the kitchen around her. “Leave it on the counter for now; I’ll have your dad clear some space in the garage.” She gestures with her elbow. “Hi Jeff!” 

“Hi!” Jeff pulls out his best smile, a real one, dimples super popped. “Thank you for having me-”

Your mom cuts him off before he can finish, like you knew she would. “Oh, we’re so happy you could make it! You’re welcome anytime, Jeff!” She assures him.

“Is the guest room ready?” You ask. “We’ll throw our stuff upstairs before Dad sees it at the bottom of the steps and has a fit.”

Your mom fights back a laugh at that- a statement that everyone in your family knows all too well-but then looks almost apologetic as she finishes, “It is, but we gave it to Katie.”

“Oh, Katie’s here too?” Your sister’s roommate at college was, at this point, basically another sister to you. She hardly went home for breaks within the semesters, usually came up for at least a month during the summer, and more often than not came home with Abby when she was back for anything. The “guest room” really was more like Katie’s room at this point. 

“Where else would she be?” Abby appears, right on cue, with Katie right behind her, practically matching in leggings and oversized sorority shirts. “It’s Thanksgiving; she’s ready to rage tonight.”

You actually can’t wait for the babies to be hungover tomorrow-both were 21 for their first Thanksgiving Eve and you know they’re going to be in a super rough spot tomorrow-but you keep that thought to yourself. 

“It didn’t even occur to me!” Your mom says apologetically. “I just gave Katie her usual room.”

“No, it’s cool. Jeff and I can share. He doesn’t mind, right?” But you barely even wait for his shrug and nod in agreement. It’s not like you haven’t before, when you’re either too lazy or too drunk to go home. You’re both adults, it’s no big. “I’ve shared a bed with you before; I’ll spare Katie the bruised shins.” You tease your sister.

Katie cracks up as Abby sputters out how rude you are. “It’s a hazard!” Katie agrees, dodging the swat your sister sends towards her. It sets the two of them off, which you take as your cue to grab Jeff’s hand and drag him (and your stuff) up to your room.

Of course, usually when you’re sharing a bed with Jeff, it’s a king sized bed, or at least a queen- definitely not the double that your parents just shoved in your old room to replace the queen bed that had been in there until you moved out and took your furniture with you. You hadn’t realized how small it was though, not until today, until the idea of actually having to share it with someone, with Jeff, who might not be a giant, but isn’t tiny.  “Sorry.” You apologize, almost unsure of what you’re saying.

Jeff shrugs. “Well, at least you don’t kick.” He smiles, as then it’s like everything’s back to normal, that awkward feeling that was growing over you gone as quickly as it came. 

“She’s a bruiser, don’t let her tell you otherwise.” You throw your bag down, rifling through it for the sweater you were planning to wear tomorrow, to hang it up so it isn’t too wrinkled.

Jeff laughs. “I’ll take your word for it.” He’s holding up his shirt, a button down and a tie. “Where can I hang this?”

“You can’t wear that!”

He frowns, likely at the vehemence you’d just spoken that with. “Uhh, why not?”

“You’ll get roasted.” Seriously, you’d told him it wasn’t a dressy affair. God, what part of not dressy does he think requires a tie? “Don’t you have, like, a sweater?”

“I mean, yeah, but-”

“Sweater and jeans, that’s fine.”

Jeff gives you a look. “That doesn’t seem-”

“Sweater. And jeans.” You repeat. He’ll thank you tomorrow, when your uncle doesn’t ask him when tea is. When your cousin doesn’t talk to him only in a fake British accent for the entire night. 

Jeff hands over a sweater, a soft thing you’ve seen him wear on many occasions, and you smile your thanks at him, hanging it up next to yours. “Meet your standards?” He asks; you think he’s aiming for teasing but he kind of misses the mark, sounding a little more nervous than joking.

“Perfect.” He smiles back at you and you laugh. “Come on, you dork. Let’s go see what’s for dinner tonight.”

-----

“Don’t wake me up when you come in tonight!” Your dad calls, as he drops the five of you off at Mel’s, the bar for Thanksgiving Eve. Your friends are already at the bar, you’re anticipating a high school reunion for sure, and you’ve warned Jeff of this, even though he assured you that he could handle it, and he was just excited for a nice, chill night.

You’d actually laughed out loud at that. Oh Jeffrey. 

“Pshh.” Liam waves your dad off. “I haven’t done that since I was like 16 and still having to sneak out.”

Your dad gives him a look. “I was talking to your sister.” He looks over at Abby, who ignores him completely, in favor of taking a SnapChat with Katie, and he sighs resolutely. You all absolutely know she isn’t listening to a word he says. “Have fun, be safe. Uber home.”

Liam salutes him. “Will do.”

Inside the bar, the night starts exactly as you and Liam have started your last few Thanksgiving Eve’s-with a round of shots at the bar as you’re ordering drinks, before splitting off to find your respective friends to start the evening.

Jeff fits in with your friends fantastically, laughing and joking around with them like he’s known them forever, even though you’re sure the only one he’s met is your oldest friend, Ashley. But he greets Ashley and her husband, Brian, like old friends, and quickly joins conversations with all your other friends, and soon hours have passed before your brother is sliding up behind you. “Heads up.” Liam mutters as he passes. “Douche at 3 o’clock.”

You tense as it takes everything in you not to turn and look over. “Hey.” Jeff nudges you, concern clear in his eyes as he looks at you, and you’re not sure what he pulled himself away from, but you must look pretty bad. “You okay?”

You nod, kinda spacily, but leaning in closer to him, and he takes the cue to curl in toward you- you’re not really interested in shouting to the entire bar and you’re really not interested in drawing attention to yourself. “Yeah, just- my ex is over there.”

Jeff purses his lips for a minute and then schools his face back to neutral. “I take it things didn’t end well.”

“No.” You say, thinking of the demise of your relationship with Dylan. “It did not.”

You hadn’t even realized that Jeff grabbed your hand until he’s squeezing it gently. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” You shake your head. “It was...definitely for the best.” It might have taken you a while to see that, but you can now, even if the rare instances you still see Dylan sometimes rattles you. “I thought I was going to marry him, at one point, but I’m so much happier here now.”

Jeff smiles. “Good.”

You squeeze his hand once more, a thanks for his comfort and care, before both of you rejoin the conversation, and you forget about Dylan entirely for the next hour, until you physically run into him coming back from the bar with another round of drinks for you and Jeff.

“Hey!” Dylan beams at you, goes right in for a cheek kiss, like you’re still that familiar, and once again you stiffen up.

“Hi.” You return politely, ready to sidestep around him and return to Jeff and your friends.

“No, wait.” Dylan steps with you, blocking your path. “I haven’t seen you in forever. Let’s catch up a minute, what’s new?”

“No offense, Dylan, but I’m not really looking to catch up with you.” You say flatly.

He opens his mouth to respond, but before he can another voice cuts in. “Everything okay here?” Jeff asks politely, stepping very purposefully next to you, and Dylan’s eyes immediately fly over to him.

“Mhmm,” You nod. “Was just on my way back to you.”

“Good.” Jeff says, in a tone far more harsh than you usually hear him take. “Let’s get back.” He positions himself again, clearing a space for you to easily slip past Dylan, and then steps closely behind you, catching up quickly.

“Thanks.” You lean against him, gently, not looking to spill either of your drinks, but Jeff solves that problem by taking his.

“Any time.” Jeff says softly and you don’t have much else to say on the matter so you just nudge him once more in thanks and walk back toward your friends with him at your side.

-----

When you wake up the next morning, you’re warm and comfortable and only a little hungover, which you count as a huge success. There’s not too much noise going on downstairs yet, which means you definitely have some more time to sleep, so you curl back into your pillow, humming contently when it pulls you in closer.

And then your eyes pop open abruptly, because pillows don’t do that.

Except they do when they look like Jeff Skinner, who looks just as soft and warm and comfortable as you feel right now, still sleeping judging by the evenness of his breath. 

It’s just...it’s a really nice way to wake up, with Jeff’s kind-of smiling face, looking super soft and cozy as he breathes just on the wrong side of too loud, but not so loudly that it drives you nuts. 

It’s a little too early to unpack that, and your hangover might not be that bad but it’s definitely bad enough that you’re not ready to think on that, so you close your eyes and let yourself curl into Jeff and fall back asleep.

-----

When you do finally get out of bed, Thanksgiving morning is its usual chaos, running around with last minute errands, cleaning, and helping your mom in the kitchen. The last to shower for the day, by the time you arrive downstairs, the Lions vs. Bears game is well underway, your notoriously early grandparents have already arrived, and your grandmother is already asking your mom where that one turkey decoration she bought her one year is.

You bypass the kitchen entirely and move toward the living room, where you find your dad, grandfather, Jeff, and siblings all gathered, just as you’d expected. You slide down on the floor next to Jeff, knowing that it’s only a matter of time before more of your family arrives and you’re offering your set up anyway, and wait for the next round of chaos to begin.

It doesn’t take long. Your aunts, uncles, and cousins start pouring in and then it’s just introduction after introduction, as you wrap up showing off Jeff to one group just as the next arrives. You are absolutely confident he has no idea who anyone is, but it’s fine, because he’s still laughing and joking around with all your uncles and cousins that have joined you in watching football. 

The kitchen is its own brand of chaos, when you make a quick stop in on your back from a beer run, but chaos has never stopped your aunt before and it certainly isn’t today. “Oh my god!” She exclaims, after you’ve pressed a smacking kiss to the top of your grandmom’s head. “That boy!”

“What boy?” You ask, like an idiot, which is immediately clear from the looks you get from everyone in the kitchen, even your usually oblivious uncle, who’s doing...something...with the ham they’d brought. “Who, Jeff?”

“Yes.” Another aunt stresses. “He’s cute!”

You shrug. “Yeah, I mean-”

But your grandmom cuts you off this time. “And so friendly! Just the nicest boy! Oh, you couldn’t have found anyone better!” She exclaims.

“Well, I haven’t.” You announce, watching all of their faces fall. “So sorry to burst that bubble.”

“Why?” One of your older cousins frowns. “Girl. Get on that. You are not going to do better than that boy in there.”

“I truly don’t know if that was meant to be a dig at me or you all think that highly of Jeff already, but regardless. We are just friends.” Now everyone in the kitchen is giving you a look. You gather the beers and retreat, distributing them as you return to your spot on the floor near Jeff.

He’s giving you a look as you pass him his, but whatever’s on your face must not be too bad, because he just thanks you as you pass him the bottle, and you nod in return as you try to find the same comfortable spot as before, leaning against his thigh.

-----

Your dad catches you a bit later, as he’s coming back with beers this time and you’re coming out of the bathroom, and he nudges you carefully as you take a few bottles from his hand. “So Jeff?”

You groan. The tone of that statement was far too loaded. “Jesus, you too?”

Your dad laughs. “Who else?”

“Everyone.”

“Well maybe that should be your hint.” Your dad says teasingly, but also not? There’s definitely some seriousness to this. “That Jeff’s pretty perfect for you.”

You stare at him. “You’ve met Jeff, like, a hundred times. Why’s this coming out now?”

“I always thought you were my smart kid and that you’d figure it out yourself.” He muses. “Now I realize you’re only book-smart and you’d never figure this out on your own.” And then he leaves you there in the hallway, with your jaw dropped and too many thoughts, as he continues on, laughing at you.

-----

When the call to come serve yourselves echoes into the room, the usual mad scramble follows immediately. It’s only as you’re getting into line behind your brother that you realize that Jeff’s not with you anymore, and you abandon the long line waiting for food, in favor of seeking out Jeff.

You find Jeff upstairs, in your room, just kind of lounging on your bed, and you lean against the doorway. “Hey! Food’s ready.”

“Yeah.” Jeff nods, the smile he sends you back in return far too tight and forced to be genuine. “Be right down.”

But he doesn’t move, so you step in and climb into your bed next to him. “What’s wrong?”

Jeff laughs; it’s kind of hollow and doesn’t sound anything like his usual loud laugh or his giggles that you love. “What- nothing. Nothing’s wrong.”

“Jeff.” You say softly. “Come on.”

He sighs. “Why did you bring me here?”

That...was not at all what you expected. “What?”

“Why did you bring me here?” He repeats. “Why did you bring me home, to your family? I thought, maybe, finally…” He trails off for a minute. “Except, there’s like ten other randos here too!” He laughs again, that hollow thing that you’re already hating. “Everybody in this family just brings people home, and that’s awesome, okay? Please don’t ever change that about yourself. I just-I thought we had something special, is all.” He says, sounding almost sad? Melancholy? 

“You are special.” You hate this. Jeff should never be sad; he should always be happy and smiling and joking. This is worse than seeing him after losses, worse than seeing him at low points in the season, that one game when he realizes that shit’s done and they’re just playing to keep playing now, that playoffs won’t be coming this year, again. “Jeff, you’re-”

“I’m in love with you.” Jeff says and it’s so straight-up, matter-of-fact, like it’s never not been a fact for him. “And I’m sorry I’ve fucked things up here for tonight and made this so awkward. I just- being here with you and your family just made me want you that much more.”

There’s so so so much you want to say to Jeff, but it’s like time is frozen. You can’t speak, can’t move, can’t do anything except look at him in awe, until he starts to move off your bed, when you reach for him, finally, resting your hand on his thigh, relieved when he looks back at you. “My dad thinks I’m an idiot.” You blurt out and Jeff just gives you a look. “I’m sorry; that wasn’t what I wanted to say.” You take a deep breath, trying to gather the jumble of thoughts in your head. “Or at least, not the only thing. He thinks I’m an idiot because he thinks you’re perfect for me and I didn’t see it. My whole family thinks you’re perfect- cute and friendly and nice- and god, Jeff, you are! You’re all those things!” He’s still watching you, with like, barely the smallest hint of a smile on his face. “I just-didn’t realize you were perfect for me until we came here.”

Now he’s full on beaming, dimples showing, and you don’t even realize that you’re returning the grin until his hand comes up to your face, thumbing at the corner of your lip. “I’m sorry I’m a dumbass.” You finish lamely, too busy smiling at Jeff. “Please kiss me so we can make sure we get biscuits.”

Jeff hums. “I don’t know if I can kiss you now and just...stop.”

“Well I’m not going down to eat until you do.” You say stubbornly. “And you’ve been hyping up those biscuits since breakfast.”

“Fair enough.” Jeff laughs and then you’re smiling into the best first kiss you’ve ever had, tangling your hands into his hair and wondering if you may actually end up missing the meal this year.

[mldrgrl]

The New Addition

by: mldrgrl rating: PG-13 Summary: Hanella welcomes a guest for the weekend

Even more rare than a call from Becca was a FaceTime.  Texting was more her style.  So, when Hank picked up his phone and saw the incoming video call, he answered immediately.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“That’s how you answer your phone?” Becca said.  “Why does something have to be wrong?”

“Many apologies, Daughter, but the infrequency with which you grace us with your face from a remote location are rare as natural breasts on a porn star.”

“Do you think that’s an appropriate thing to say to a daughter, Father?”

“Fuck no, but surprise calls make me nervous.  What’s up, Kitten?”

“Don’t ever call me that again.  Is Stella there?”

“Yeah, I think she was grading some exams or something, hang on.”  Hank turned away from the phone and leaned over the sofa to try to see down the hall to the back room she was using as a study.  “Stella!  Stelllllllaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

“Oh my god, why are you screaming at her?” Becca said.

“I like to take the opportunity to rehearse my Stanley Kowalski impression when I can.  Here she comes.”

Stella came down the hall with her hands on her hips and her brows raised.  Hank held his phone up so she could see Becca on the screen and she immediately dropped her hands from her hips and softened her brows, but she quickened her step.

“Becca, darling,” Stella said.  “What’s the matter?”

“This is why I only text,” Becca said.

“Well, if you called more, we wouldn’t think shit had hit the fan somewhere.”

Hank opened up his arm as Stella came around to the sofa and sat down.  She leaned against him and he adjusted his grip on the phone so they were both in the frame and so that she could also see Becca.

“I have someone I want you to meet,” Becca said.

“How the hell did you meet someone during a pandemic?” Hanks asked.  “Oh my god, are you online dating?  You know those people usually turn out to be serial killers.”

“Dad!”

“Darling, don’t worry, it’s still statistically a very low probability even if related crimes have been on the rise.  Give me his name and social security number and I’ll run a background check.”

“Or her,” Hank interjected.  “We’re still holding out hope she’s a lesbian.”

“This is the last time I am ever calling you,” Becca said.

“Does your mother know about this guy?”

“Or girl,” Stella added.

Becca sighed and rolled her eyes.  She leaned down and tilted her phone at the same time so the view was of her ceiling and then she came back into frame with a small, brown poodle.  “This is Ziggy,” she said.  “A friend of a friend of mine was giving away her dog’s puppies and I picked him up this morning.”

“Lovely,” Stella said.  “He’s very handsome.”

“I haven’t even met him, but I guarantee this is my favorite guy you’ve ever introduced me to,” Hank added.  “Now you’ll be far too busy for online dating.”

“I’m not online dating, but I’m wondering if you can do me a favor?”

“What’s the favor?”

“Next month I have the writer’s retreat scheduled upstate.  It’s just for a long weekend, Friday to Monday, can you watch Ziggy for me?  He’ll probably be housetrained by then.  Maybe.  Hopefully.”

“Of course,” Stella answered, as Hank also said “Not a chance.”

Becca grimaced slightly.  “It’s just that I’d really rather not have to put him in a kennel.  I guess I can call Mom and see if she can pick him up, but it’s so far.”

Stella squeezed Hank’s knee.  “You don’t need to call Karen,” she said.  “We would love to watch him.”

“Fine,” Hank said.

“Thank you.”  Becca smiled and held the dog closer to the phone.  “Ziggy says thank you as well.”

Hank ended the call and then turned to look at Stella.  She tipped her head back to look at him as well.  He tried to scowl and she smiled.

“Why did you say no?” Stella asked.

“Why did you say yes?” he countered.

“I asked you first.”

“I asked you second.”

“Because I don’t see a reason to say no.”

“Because I got her a dog once and where do you think that dog is now?”

“I wouldn’t know, where is it?”

“I have no fucking idea, that’s the point.  I went through all the trouble to steal the little fucker from the boyfriend of this woman I was...uh, actually it’s irrelevant how I acquired the dog, let’s just say I got a dog for Becca and fuck if I know what happened to the late, great Cat Stevens.”

“What in the world does Cat Stevens have to do with it?”

“That was the dog.”

Stella patted Hank on the knee and then tried to get up from the couch, but Hank pulled her back down.  “I have to grade papers,” she said.

“I just wanted to make sure you knew about the naked shower party I’m having tonight.”

“Wouldn’t any shower party be naked by virtue of being a shower party?”

“That’s a very good point, Sherlock.  I’d revise the invitation, but I’d rather just be redundant.”

“Mmhm.”  She pushed on his knee and this time he let her up.  “Text me the details, I need to get back to grading.”

“What, like a dick pic?” he called after her.

She glanced over her shoulder at him with one eyebrow raised.  He waited until she was back in the study to unbutton his jeans.

*****

Becca dropped the dog off on a Friday morning, bright and early.  Stella was awake to prepare for one of her classes, but Hank was still asleep.  He didn’t hear the drop-off, but when he woke up and wandered into the kitchen to make coffee, he tripped over the dog, stubbed his toe, and shouted a ‘motherfucker’ so loud he was pretty sure he was going to get scolded for it later.  The dog ran away.

“Yeah, you better run,” Hank mumbled, limping to the coffeemaker.  “Fuck.”

Stella startled him not a minute later when she smacked him on the ass.  He jumped and rubbed at his stinging backside, turning to her with a pout.  She was holding the dog in her arms and it was whimpering and holding on to her neck with its head turned away from him.

“What was that for?” he grumbled.

“First, for shouting expletives whilst I was on a lecture.”

“I’m sorry, Sherlock, I didn’t mean to.  Did they hear me?”

“No, fortunately, I was on mute.  There are student presentations today.  Which I must return to.”

“The damn dog tripped me and I stubbed my toe.  It might be broken.”  He leaned against the counter and lifted his foot up to show her his foot.  “See.”

Stella reached out and took a light hold on his toe.  He made a face at her and she gave it a rough tug to which he yelped and pulled his foot back.

“You’re fine,” she said.

“You’re mean.”

“Please don’t make enemies with Becca’s dog for the weekend.”

“He started it.”

Stella handed the dog over to Hank and gave it a scratch on the head before she walked away.  “I put the instructions on the refrigerator,” she said.  “Give them a read and then make yourself useful and take him for a walk.”

Hank pulled a sheet of instructions out from the magnet on the refrigerator and read through them.  They were very detailed.  Too detailed.  He wanted to crumble them up into a little ball and burn them.

“Ridiculous,” he said to the dog.  “When we left Becca with the babysitter the only unwritten rule was just not to kill her.  You’re a dog, you should be pretty self-sufficient.  Just don’t piss on the rug and don’t shit in any of my shoes and we’ll get along fine.  Deal?”

The dog twisted and wriggled in Hank’s arms to be put down and so Hank put him on the floor.  The dog sat down and then lifted a paw to scratch at Hank’s knee.

“Make up your mind, Zig.  Up or down, what do you want?”

The dog barked once and then sneezed.

“I don’t speak canine.”  

Ziggy whined softly and pawed at Hank’s knee again.  The coffeemaker beeped behind Hank and he turned around to shut it off.  He poured the coffee into a travel mug and left the cap off so it could cool a bit.

“Okay, Stella says you need a walk,” he said.  “I need to put some pants on.  Don’t lay anywhere where you blend into the floor.  I need my toes.”

The dog followed Hank into the bedroom and immediately jumped on the bed.  Hank shooed him off and undaunted, he explored from corner to corner, sniffing the walls and the furniture and the clothes on the floor.  Hank snatched up the jeans Ziggy was nosing and put them on.  He grabbed a fresh t-shirt from the closet and then went to dig through a duffel bag that Becca left for the dog’s leash.

It took Hank several attempts at getting the harness onto the dog.  Number one, because he kept stepping out of it as soon as Hank got it on one foot.  Number two, because he initially put it on backwards and didn’t know how the clip could possibly work when it was under the dog’s chest.  He finally figured it out though and it seemed secure.  He grabbed his keys, his wallet, a mask, and the coffee and headed to the elevator.

The half an hour walk with Ziggy made Hank understand the meaning of the term ‘boundless energy.’  If it wasn’t for the coffee, he couldn’t be sure he’d have made it.  When they got back, he unclipped the dog from his harness and even though it felt like they’d just run a marathon, Ziggy dashed across the room and hurdled himself onto the sofa where Stella was now sitting.  To Hank’s surprise, Stella laughed as she dodged excited kisses from the dog and didn’t scold him at all or tell him to get down.

“I am exhausted,” Hank said, collapsing onto the sofa beside Stella.  He grimaced and let out a pained ‘oof’ as the dog stepped on his crotch and up onto his chest.  “Fuck me, this dog is trying to kill me.”

“Have a nice walk?” Stella asked.

“That thing had to piss every five feet and terrorize all the squirrels and pigeons in the neighborhood.”  Hank pushed Ziggy away when he tried to lick his chin and the dog laid down on his chest, panting hot and heavy in his face.

“How’s your toe?”

“What toe?  Oh.  Not broken, I guess.”

“Lovely.”

“He is a total chick magnet though,” Hank said, waggling his eyebrows at Stella.  “Ladies were flocking to me like flies to honey.  Almost got a few numbers.”

“Oh?”

“Don’t worry I told them my wife would kick my ass before she let me take a hot girl’s phone number.”

“I think I might join you for this afternoon’s walk.”

Hank chuckled and nudged Stella’s leg with his knee.  “Kidding, Sherlock.  Some kid did ask me if Ziggy had an Insta and then had to explain to me that any dog who’s anydog has an Instagram account and we should get on it the sooner the better if we want him to be a doggie influencer.”

“A what?”

“That’s what I said.”

“Looks like you have a new nap partner.”  Stella inclined her chin towards the dog, who had dropped his head down to Hank’s shoulder and let out a deep sigh as his eyes closed.  She smiled a little and stroked the dog’s back a few times.

“I didn’t know you liked dogs so much,” Hank said.

“More of a cat person, really.  I don’t mind them though.”

“Did you read that list Becca left?  It’s more complicated than the Treaty of Versailles.”

Stella chuckled.  “It is a rather overly complicated schedule.  For a dog.”

“I say fuck the list.  I kept her ass alive for the requisite 18 years without a list, I can probably handle a dog for a weekend.”

“Tell that to Cat Stevens.”

“Oh yeah.  Wherever the fuck he is.  Okay, maybe we better stick to the list.  Though I would like to point out, Cat was Becca’s dog.”

“Maybe that’s why she made a list this time.”

*****

Ziggy was sound asleep when Hank turned off the lights in the main room.  The dog was passed out on his back, in his bed beside the couch, tongue lolling out of his mouth.  Hank tiptoed past him into the bedroom and quietly shut the door.  Stella was in the bathroom brushing her teeth.  He came up behind her and pressed her into the counter with his hips, sneaking his hands up her shirt to massage her breasts.

Stella grunted slightly through her nose and pushed her hips back into Hank’s.  She put her hand up to hold her hair back and Hank pulled his hands out from her shirt to do it for her.  She leaned over to spit into the sink and he held her hair with one hand and stroked her neck with the other.

“Thank you,” she said.

Hank finger-combed Stella’s hair up into his fist at the top of her head while she wiped her mouth and then he let it go and rubbed her shoulders.  She turned around and he held her by the hips.

“Where’s the dog?” she asked.

“Outside smoking a cigarette.”

“Do you think he should go outside once more?”

“He’s dead asleep.  He was like…”  Hank imitated the dog, rolling his eyes back and sticking his tongue out of the side of his mouth.

“You’re the one that was worried about him urinating on the rug.”

Hank pouted his lips and then nodded.  “Fine, I’ll take him upstairs.  But, you better be naked when I come back, or else I’m sleeping on the couch with the dog.”

“I don’t think that’s the threat you believe it to be.”

Hank narrowed his eyes and pinched Stella’s hip before putting his mouth to her neck and nipping lightly at the back of her jaw.  She laughed and pushed at his chest until he let her go.  He playfully slapped at her backside on the way out of the bathroom and she swatted his hands away.

The dog was still sleeping when he opened the door, but he whistled softly and Ziggy startled to his feet and then shook himself.  “Come on, hairball, we’re going outside.”  He snapped his fingers a few times and the dog followed him to the door to the roof.

Ziggy was hesitant on the stairs, taking them slowly and pausing every few steps to get his footing as he hopped up.  He ran around the newly landscaped deck, sniffing just about every nook and cranny and lifting his leg on half of them.  It had gotten chilly since the sun went down and Hank, in bare feet and a t-shirt, hopped up and down a few times and rubbed his arms as he called the dog back.

Hank was forced to carry the dog down the stairs when he wouldn’t budge from the top.  He made a few false starts, but ultimately sat down and wouldn’t move.  When he put him down, Ziggy stared up at him and then stayed closed to his legs as he went back to the bedroom.

“You, stay,” Hank said, pointing to the dog bed.

Ziggy sat down next to the bed.  Hank closed the door.  Stella was sitting up in bed, reading a magazine or journal, which she set down on her lap and took her reading glasses off.

“Did you really think that’s going to work?” she asked.

“He’s fine.”

Before Hank even finished, Ziggy was yelping and scratching at the door.  Stella raised her brows and Hank sighed.  He opened the door and the dog came flying through, jumped on the bed and leapt onto Stella with his paws on her chest, wagging his tail and kissing her cheek and chin.

“Settle, darling,” Stella said, turning her face away and pushing the dog back.  He gave a whining bark as he dropped down.

“Do they make ritalin for dogs?”

“He’s just a baby.”

Hank kicked the dog bed into the bedroom and then pushed it against the wall with his foot.  “Go get in your bed,” he said.

Ziggy laid down where he was, next to Stella.  He put his head on his paws and lifted his eyes up at Hank.

“Now he’s giving me puppy dog eyes,” Hank said.

“Shockingly, I believe that’s where that term came from.”

“Well, I don’t like it.  It’s too effective.”

“Resign yourself to the fact that we have a little guest for the weekend.”

Hank grumbled under his breath as he went to the bathroom to get ready for bed.  He stripped to his jockey shorts and snapped off the overhead lights on his way back.  Ziggy looked up from beside Stella like Hank was the intruder.  He even had the audacity to give a little growl when Hank leaned over to give his wife a kiss.  Annoyed, Hank flopped onto his back and the dog scooted closer and rested his head on his arm.

“Oh, now you want to be nice,” Hank said, reaching over to scratch the dog on the head.  “I’m surprised Becca hasn’t called.”

“What do you mean?”

“To check up on the dog or let us know she made it to the retreat.”

“She’s been texting me all day.”

“What?  What did she want?”

“Checking up on the dog.”

“She doesn’t trust us?”

“You didn’t question her motivations five seconds ago when you were surprised she hadn’t called.”

“I like to be fickle to keep you on your toes.”

Ziggy sighed and squirmed until he was on his back, all four paws limp in the air.  Stella chuckled and rubbed his chest before she closed her magazine and tossed it onto the nightstand.

“We’re letting this thing stay up here, then?” Hank asked.

“Yes.”

“I think I’m more of a cat person too.”

*****

Hank was surprised that the dog was no trouble during the night.  He woke briefly when Stella, always an early riser, got up and said she was going to take Ziggy for his morning walk and when she got back, would be entering in project results into her electronic gradebook for a bit.  He grunted in response and mumbled a reminder to leave him some coffee.

When he finally woke fully, left the bedroom far more cautiously than he had the previous morning.  Ziggy was nowhere to be found, but as soon as he started puttering in the kitchen, the dog appeared.  Hank crouched down and gave him a few scratches.

“What were you up to, hm?” he asked.  “Getting into trouble?”

Ziggy followed Hank as he went to the bedroom, most likely interested in the piece of toast in his hand.  Hank held the toast between his teeth, wiped his hands on his jeans, and picked up his phone from the nightstand to text Becca.

Morning sweetheart.  The furball is good.  Not to worry.  Haven’t shipped him off to a kennel yet and probably won’t.  Have a good time at the retreat.

Hank took a bite of his toast and then tore a piece off and tossed it to the dog.  Ziggy caught it mid-air.  About thirty seconds later, he heard Stella calling his name and he snapped his fingers at the dog to get him to follow him out of the bedroom.

“What’s up?” Hank asked, and shoved the rest of the toast into his mouth.

“What did you say to Becca?”

“Hm?” he mumbled, mouth full.

“She just texted me and said you’ve implied the dog has been sent to a kennel and wants proof of life.”

“No I didn’t,” he said.  “I said I haven’t sent the dog to a kennel so she doesn’t need to worry.”

“Why would you say that to her?”

“So she wouldn’t worry.”

“Well, she’s worried.”

“That’s not my fault.”

“I’ll send her a photo.  Ziggy, come here, darling.”  

Stella kissed the air a few times, but Ziggy thought trying to be caught was a game.  He bounded away from Stella and then stopped and bowed down, his hind end in the air and tail wagging.  She patted her knee for him to come, but he just jumped a few feet to the left and went back into the same pose.

“I’ll get him.”  Hank started towards the dog and Ziggy barked and then ran to the kitchen.  Hank ended up chasing him around the butcher’s block several times before he was able to catch him, but keeping hold of him was difficult.  “Stay still, Zig.”

Stella knelt down and quickly opened the camera on her phone.

“What’re you doing?” Hank asked.

“Taking a photo.”

“A selfie?”

“Do you have another suggestion?”

“I don’t know, I don’t do selfies.  Unless they’re dick pics.”

“Yes, I am aware, but we won’t be sending your daughter a photo of your penis.”

“Well hurry up, this guy is a bitch to hold onto.”

“Smile, darling.”  Both Stella and Hank smiled as she held down the photo button, but Ziggy wriggled and squirmed.  

“Anything usable?” Hank asked, setting the dog free.

“A little blurry, but they should suffice.”  Stella got up and texted the photos to Becca.  “She says thank you, and for you to never fucking text her again.”

“Brat.”

“You started it.”

*****

The day passed.  They took the dog to the park.  He napped when they got back.  Hank worked on his book.  Stella worked on a report for her class.  In the evening, they lit a fire in the new firepit on the roof and cuddled up on the daybed with the dog between them.

“Should we get a cat?” Hank asked.

“Do you want a cat?”  Stella countered.

“Not really.”

“Me neither.”

“It is kind of nice having this little hairball around though.  Not that I want him to stay.  He’s also annoying as fuck.  But, nice to have around.  For an hour or two.  When he’s asleep.”

“Kind of like you.”

“Hey!”

Stella laughed and Hank pushed her down onto the bed, rising to his knees to lean over and nuzzle her neck.  It was a ticklish spot for her, especially when caressed lightly, and it made her laugh harder.  Ziggy barked from where he was wedged beside Stella and under Hank.  He wiggled out from under them and then jumped on Hank’s back with his front paws, barking and growling.

“Relax, man,” Hank said, rolling to one hip off of Stella.  

“He’s being a good protector,” Stella said, laughing when Ziggy nipped at the blanket over their legs and tried to pull it away.

“He’s being a cockblocker.”  Hank wrestled the blanket back from the dog and then grabbed him under the chin, giving him a few firm scratches.  “You know what, Zig?  You be a cockblocker.  You be the best cockblocker you can be, at Becca’s place.  Cockblock the shit out of Becca, okay?”

Ziggy barked and wagged his tail.

“Good boy,” Hank said.  “Good little cockblocker.”

“Don’t say that to him,” Stella said.

“Why not?”

“One day you will need to face the fact that your daughter is a grown woman who deserves a healthy sex life.”

“Oh my god, I’m going to throw up.”  Hank groaned and flopped down onto the bed with his arm over his eyes.  “Consider me officially cockblocked.”

Stella moved up onto her hip this time and put her arm over Hank’s chest.  She kissed his chin and then pulled his bottom lip between her teeth.  He grabbed her around the waist and grunted softly into her mouth.  Ziggy trampled the both of them and stuck his cold nose into Hank’s cheek.

“Gah!” Hank groaned.  

The licked furiously at the both of them and Stella released Hank’s lip with a laugh and a scrunched face.  She buried her head down into Hank’s neck while curling into his side and Ziggy tried to wedge his snout down to keep licking her face.

“We are officially never, ever, ever, ever getting a dog,” Hank said.

“No argument from me,” Stella answered, sliding away from the dog and Hank and stepping off the bed.  “Meet me downstairs and I guarantee you won’t be cockblocked.”

“Oh?”

“Naked shower party for two in ten minutes.”

“The naked is redundant!” he called after her as she walked away.  He waited until she had started down the stairs to take Ziggy’s face in his hands.  “Listen.  This is a cockblock free zone, you got that?  Keep it up and you just may end up like Cat Stevens.  We good?”

Ziggy gave a short, gruff bark and then lifted his paw.  Hank nodded and they shook on it.  He got up and let Ziggy explore the roof for a few minutes while he folded the blanket up and put out the fire.  Not for long though.  He had a naked party to get to and he didn’t want to be late.

The End

[mudhorn-djarin19]

Camping Trip - Chp 3 (Frankie “Catfish” Morales x f!reader)

Summary: The boys take a couple retreat weekend and Frankie doesn’t want to be the only one going alone. So he invites you his best friend since high school to come along. Will the trip finally push you two who have had crushes on each other for years together? Warnings: mutual pining, language Rating: General. Will change in future chapters. AO3 Link Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 Masterlist Join my taglist via here! ______________________________________________________________ You awake to find you are alone in the bed. You frown wondering where Frankie went cause you wanted to ask him about the interaction last night. You recall quickly though today was the day the boys were going off for most of the day to do some shooting. So they were up early to eat and get their gear together probably. You crawled out of bed, got changed and ready for the day before heading down to meet the rest of the gang. You were just in time for the boys were just about to head out. Frankie walked up to you suited up in his usual attire with an added on tactical vest, rifle slung across his back and two pistol strapped to his hips. You’ve seen him suited up like this before but you’ve always found it hot. “Hey, you sure you’re okay with me going along? I feel bad for bringing you here and ditching you.” He says. “Fish I’ll be fine. I get to spend time with the girls. I’ve gotten to know them fairly well so far and I really like them. We’ll have our own fun. Go. Have your fun.” You chuckle. “Okay okay. We’ll be back later this evening.” He says before giving your head a pat and heading out to meet the others in the van. You and the girls decide to have a relaxing day and head down to the lake. You all had packed some food and drinks to enjoy. You were excited to get to know them even more and have just some girl time. It’s been a while since you’ve done such a thing. You guys get your picnic table set up and have already started to sip on the alcohol packed by the time you finally make it into the water to swim around. You were all having some good hearted chats about life, sharing more about what you all do for a living, how met the guys and etc when Will’s girl finally nails you with a question. “So what’s up with you and Frankie?” She asks. You look up at her a bit wide eyed. “Huh? What do you mean?” “Girl, please. I see how you two look at each other.” She chuckles. “Mhm hm. And he was very clingy to you last night at the hot tub with his arms wrapped around you.” Santiago’s girl said. You sit unsure what to say, trying to think. “I… I mean we’re best friends. We’ve known each other for half of our lives. Since high school.” You chuckle. “We’re just very close friends.” Benny’s girl chuckles. “You sure there’s nothing more going on? I see the way you look at him and I’ve only known you for two days.” “I mean…” You sigh. They all eye you, egging you to continue. “There isn’t anything going on. Honestly but I do wish there was.” You say. “So why don’t you make a move? He’s single right?” Will’s girl says. “Yes. I just… I’ve never said anything in fear of ruining what we have. Plus I don’t even know if he feels the same way back. I mean if he did wouldn’t he have made a move years ago? Only move he made was last night.” “Last night?” The girls all question. You bite you lip and sigh. “Yea. Last night after we all went back to our rooms he was complimenting me and pulled me in close to him. I think he was about to kiss me until Pope knocked.” “Fucking Santi….I told him to leave it be.” Santiago’s girl groans. “Sorry.” You chuckle. “It’s okay. I-I wanted to question him this morning about the interaction but he was already up when I awoke and I didn’t want to question him in front of everyone. I doubt it was anything real or meaningful. He was drunk so…” You trail off. “Even so I think those feelings were real hun. You may not notice the way he looks at you but I do. He looks at you like you're an angel.” Benny’s girl chimes in and the others nod in agreement. “Flirt with him! It can be subtle but out yourself out there more.” Santiago’s girl says. “Yes definitely! Tonight would be a perfect night to be a bit flirty too. We were planning to go watch the stars and a meteor shower.” Will’s girl smiles. “A perfect romantic setting.” “Yes definitely!” Santiago’s girl replies. You sigh and nod. “O-okay. Yea that sounds like a good idea. I um… I’ll try. God I hope he feels the same back and I don’t ruin anything.” “Everything will be fine! I am sure of it.” Santiago’s girl smiles. You girls spent the rest of the day swimming and chatting. Them successfully convincing you to make a move on your crush with Frankie. Little did you know the guys were giving Frankie the same torture on their day out. “So when are you gonna finally ask out Y/N?” Santiago asked as he lined up his shot. “What?” Frankie whipped his head around to look at him. “Fish… We all know it. You’ve told us before and we can see it just through your actions and the way you look at her.” Santiago said, firing his shot. Benny fired a shot too. “Yup. You’re an open book man.” Frankie sighed and fired his shot next. “Look yes. I do like her. I have for years.” “So then why the hell haven’t you done anything about it man?” Will questioned. “I don’t want to ruin what we have. What if she doesn’t feel the same back?” Frankie replied. “For fucks sake Fish… She wouldn’t have come along on this trip with you, be sharing a bed with you and let you hang all over her like you did last night if she didn’t feel the same.” Santiago groaned, lining up his next shot. “I don’t know man. She’s used to all that shit. We’ve known each other for years so none of that is really out of the ordinary.” Frankie says. “Plus, I was drunk last night. So anything I did she probably just thinks was from that.“ “My point still stands.” Santiago said. “Give it a shot man. I don’t think you’ll scare her off. There’s far worse you’ve done and she’s put up with out of you over the years.” Benny says. Frankie groans and rubs a hand down his face.  He’s in his mid early forties, asked out plenty of women, and done so much too. Why is he so afraid to do anything with you. Benny’s right. You’ve put up with so much worse out of him that should have scared you off but it hasn’t. “So what the hell should I do?” Frankie groans. “It’s been fucking years since I asked anyone out.” “Just flirt with her more openly. Make some movies man. You’re fucking you man. You’re a slick motherfucker who knows how to pick up the ladies. I’ve seen it first hand. Just apply those moves but … maybe less of a cocky asshole since she’s a friend and not some chick at the bar. Maybe be just more your normal self.” Will chuckles. The other boys nod in agreement causing Frankie to sigh. “Fine. I’ll give it a shot. Don’t give me any shit though.” Frankie jokes, pointing a finger at them. “You got this man.” Santiago gives him a pat on the back. “Now let’s continue our day so we can get you back, he chuckles. You girls had returned to the cabin in the early evening having arrived back just a few minutes before the boys. All of you were starving from your adventurous day so once the boys got all their gear off and put away Benny worked on starting up the grill to cook some burgers for everyone. “So what did you girls do today?” Santiago asked. “We took a trip down to the lake. Had a nice relaxing day swimming and chatting.” His girl replies. “You guys have fun on your day out?” You asked. “Great. Good to be behind a gun again with my boys.” Will says, patting Frankie who passes by him on the back. “Right guys?” They all nod in agreement. Frankie plops down on the bench next to you. “Hey. Have fun today?” He asks. “Yes, we had a great day. I think I have some new friends.” You smile. “See I told you not to worry.” He smiles back and nods. Will calls that burgers are done and to come get them. You start to get up to go grab yours but Frankie protests against telling you to stay put he’ll grab yours. He returns with 2 burgers and chips for himself and a burger and chips for you as well. He sets the plate down for you and sits himself down next to you. “You remembered how I like my burgers.” You smiled. Happy that he recalled you like ketchup, mayo and pickles on yours. “Well of course.” He smiles back. “The girls said they heard about a meteor shower tonight. They were going to go watch it and the stars with the guys. I thought it sounded really cool. Want to go?” You asked him. Frankie finishes his one burger and looks at you nodding. “Yea! That sounds really cool. We can take the truck and make a cot in the back to watch it.” He smiles. “Oh that sounds fun!” You perk up. “Let’s do it!” He nods. “Alright. We definitely will. It’s a d- uh… it’s a plan.” He quickly corrects himself to not say date.

[fbfh]

“forever” paxton hall-yoshida x reader

genre: fluffy romance + mutual pining (not too slowburn tho lol)

word count: 3.4k

au: none?? jock x theatre nerd ig

pairing: Paxton x broadway baby!reader 

requested: yes !! i hope u like it uwu

warnings: one hell one motherfucking and i think that’s it for swearing?? um brief self deprecating/talking bad abt urself from paxton (bby boy needs a self love boost), reader and paxton are home alone together for a little while but nothing bad happens, uh,,, i think that’s it

summary: when Eleanor can’t run lines with you, she sends over a very attractive, mutually pining substitute.

reccomended songs: “Seventeen” - Tuck everlasting OBC, “The Kiss” -The Princess Diaries score

a/n: i’m p sure i kept the reader p gender neutral but there’s implied slightly long hair, and you play the lead (a girl named winnie) in ur schools production of tuck everlasting but like it’s theatre so anyone can play anyone lol,, this took so got dam long bc i’m fucking s o f t for jock x artist and it just sorta happened lol aLsO,, not super thoroughly edited so there might be a typo or two?? im tired lol

requests r open <3

You had only ever seen two athletes present during rehearsals. Once when Madeline (who at the time was playing Penny in your production of Hairspray) was dating a guy from the soccer team. The other was when the star of the basketball team had come in to give your choreographer pointers for the basketball scenes during High School Musical. 

Until now.

You had run onstage part of the way through “Live Like This”, which wasn’t out of the ordinary since so much progress had been made on the costumes. You were still tying the ribbon on your pinafore as you jumped into the song, but when your eyes met a face in the usually empty auditorium, you faltered. You almost sang the wrong verse, but recovered quickly, continuing with the blocking. What felt like a moment later, the number was almost done and you were nearing the end of your counterpoint with Mae Tuck - played by Eleanor, of course. Who could be better for the part? You held out the last note, trying to stay in character despite all the distractions in the back of your mind. You had to talk to Eleanor when the director called for 10; she’d started telling you how Devi was being weird recently. Also, what the Hadestown was Paxton Hall-Yoshida doing chilling in the auditorium? You shoved all that away, focusing on staying in character until the director called for a break. 

‘I want to go to the fair. I want to go so badly! I just need a change, need to get out of this house for a little while. I never do anything, so this can’t be asking for too much, right?’ 

You projected all that into your everything - face, voice, mannerisms, energy.

“Hold!” 

Everyone froze.

The director wrote a few things on his paper, sighed, and underlined something several times. 

“Okay, good job! I need to revise some of the blocking, then we’ll do notes, so take ten.” Your sudden nerves had definitely made you pitchy, you knew that would be one of your notes for sure. 

A chorus of “Thank you ten”s erupted, and you immediately ran to Eleanor, telling the others good job as you passed. 

You leaned in and started speaking to her, quietly.

“Okay you need to finish telling me about Devi, and that other news you’re being so cryptic about! Also, what’s up with Fierro over there?” you nodded towards Paxton hoping he wouldn’t see, and you noticed Fab is sitting near him. You realized they’re probably waiting for Eleanor and/or Devi. That must be it, he’s been hanging out with them lately, right? Eleanor gasped.

“You’re right! Paxton is such a Fierro!”

You cringed inwardly a little bit as her voice carried through the auditorium, mixing with the others. Your eyes darted over to him for a fraction of a second. Oh god. He was looking at you. Or in your general direction at least. Lena, the costumer, walked around the set gingerly, following you around and getting you out of your dress incredibly carefully as you and Eleanor walked off stage. 

“No! Well, yes- but no. What’s he doing here? Jocks never come here during rehearsals. I saw Fab too, are you guys and Devi getting dinner or something?” You said, entering the auditorium, and stepping out of the dress. You grabbed sweatpants and a silky, floral kimono jacket from your bag to throw over your leotard and tights. She waved back at Fab before sitting down in the front. You both grabbed your fans and dramatically flicked them open in sync. Your wrists fluttered, cooling both of you off.  A knowing, and slightly mischievous, look came on her face. 

“Devi and Fab and I are. Paxton must be here for something… else.” she shrugged, nodding towards Paxton. You looked over again. He was staring at you. You did a double take and tried to hold back your smile. 

“Wh- I do not know to what you are referring.” 

“To what I am referring is the blush on his cheeks.”

You barely held back a nervous, bubbling laugh.

“He is not blushing! Why would he be blushing!”

“I don’t know,” She shrugged, “Just like how I don’t know that he’s been loitering in the halls outside the music room during your last three solo music rehearsals.”

You struggled for an answer. Before you could form one, you were interrupted.

“Okay, okay what is the best Lin Manuel Miranda musical? Because Kathryn thinks it’s Hamilton-” 

“Duh!”

“-But I think it’s In the Heights! It’s an underrated jewel!” Jonah interjected, still wearing his Jesse Tuck hat. 

You considered for a moment.

“I mean, they’re too different to compare. In the Heights has the same energy as Rent - showcasing what goes on in ordinary people’s lives, and how love ties us all together,” he nodded in agreement, “But Hamilton is on a way larger scale, almost Les Mis meets Fun Home vibes. But in terms of personal preference…” Eleanor scoffed at your answer, and Jonah went back to debate further with Kathryn.

“Anyway,” you turned back to Eleanor to ask her what the hell she meant by Paxton Hall-Yoshida was blushing. But before you could-

“Eleanor, we need you to try on your blue dress again,” Lena was already pulling her away, “I had the empire waist in the right place but half the pins fell out, and it’s just...” And she was whisked away before you could finish the thought. You just had time to help Holly get out her wig pins and drink some lemon water before notes. Eleanor still wasn’t back, so you made sure to write down hers for her. It was pretty standard; be quiet backstage, go over your lines, don’t touch props that aren’t yours, don’t eat in costume, and a couple blocking changes you made note of. After your end of rehearsal warm downs and huddle, everyone left relatively quickly. You ducked into the bathroom to freshen up a little. Sometimes it was hard coming down from such intense energy after rehearsal. You mentally ran through your to do list. You needed to get some more tea, write that essay when you got home, go over your notes- You gasped, cutting off your own train of thought. You ran out of the bathroom to look for Eleanor, still clutching her notes in hand. 

~

Your voice still echoed in Paxton’s ears. He wished he had a whole album of you singing. Your voice made him want to ruin his spotify algorithm by listening to nothing else. You had looked at him a couple times, and his heart had almost stopped. He didn’t know eye contact could be so intense. It’s probably just cause you’re like, the only person in the audience. Where else is she supposed to look? He deflated a little. He heard his name and looked over to you and Eleanor talking together. Hopefully it was about him. Hopefully it was good. He checked his phone, trying to look busy. When he glanced up to see if you were looking, you were gone. He started to look around for you when he saw Eleanor waving at Fab, and sure enough, you were next to her. What he didn’t expect was you dropping your dress to the ground. Time slowed down (and his heart sped up) as you stretched a little, and pulled out sweatpants from your bag.

Wow.

 You had on what looked like a bathing suit on underneath, and a few other people had done the same, but he knew that image would be in his memory, probably forever. His heart was beating in his ears and he knew he must be blushing.

“You okay, Paxton?” Fab asked, a seat or two away. Oh god, he didn’t want people asking why he blushed every time he looked at you! He muttered something about needing to make a call and headed for the doors. Don’t look back at her, don’t look back at her… His eyes involuntarily darted in your direction right before he left. You had on a flowy translucent jacket, your hair thrown back supermodel style as you fanned yourself to cool down. He needed to cool down too. Maybe a cold shower, a really cold shower.

~

You managed to find Eleanor just before she left. Two girls were with her, you had seen Fab once, and you’d heard a lot about Devi, but had never been introduced. 

You gave Eleanor her notes, and she hugged you.

“You’re a lifesaver!” 

“Of course, I-”

“Uh, who’s this?” you looked over, and the shorter girl - Devi, based on what you’d heard about her -  was giving you a weird look. You introduced yourself. 

“Nice to meet you. How do you know Eleanor?” said the taller girl - definitely Fab.

“Oh,” you smiled, “she’s my almost mother in law. And my arch rival,” you counted on your fingers, “my sister, my niece, my lover, my husband, and…” you trailed off, trying to think of the other dynamics your characters had had in past shows.

“Your co-conspirator.” 

“Right,” you laughed. Devi and Fab looked at you two.

“We’re in the musical together.” you clarified. You were about to part ways when you called to Eleanor, “Hey, we’re still on for running lines tomorrow night?” 

“Uh… Sounds good!” she walked away quickly, speaking to Devi and Fab in hushed tones. Something was definitely up. That was typical Eleanor Scheming behavior. 

~

That night, you almost couldn’t sleep. This wasn’t the normal post rehearsal can’t sleep. In fact, Tuck Everlasting was the last thing on your mind as you readjusted your pillows and snuggled into your duvet. You stared at the neon blue stars projected and swirling on your ceiling. You sighed. Again. Your brain was a 24/7 livestream of Paxton Hall-Yoshida to relax/study to. You saw him again, his face in the dimly lit auditorium, Adonis in a sea of faded seats. If you hadn’t been sure before, you knew now that red was definitely his color. You rolled onto your side. Your heart picked up speed as a thought crossed your mind. You could almost see Paxton now, kneeling next to you, his fingertips brushing your cheek. The piano underscore to “Seventeen” ran through your mind. You could imagine him saying “Wait with me, we could share the world…” so vividly it almost hurt. He leaned in, and… 

You let out a loud sigh and rolled over again. Your heart was fully saturated. That’s more than enough pining for tonight. 

~

“Paxton!” 

He was a little surprised when Eleanor just walked up to him at lunch the next day. Most people were too intimidated to approach him out of the blue. 

“I have a plan.”

“Uh, I don’t know what you-”

“Cut the crap, I know you like her.” 

His face blanched. Well, yeah of course he did. Who wouldn’t? He was going to ask Eleanor if there was something he could do to win you over, just not here, not now. Not where everyone could watch and jeer and rib him for it. Just like they were doing now. 

“Woah, dude, who is it?” Trent asked. He fumbled for words. He couldn’t believe this was happening. He hadn’t kept his crush a secret because he was embarrased of you, he’d kept it a secret because his dumbass friends wouldn’t get you. Hell, he barely got you. You were so deep, and emotive, and artistic... 

“Bro, if you like her as much as it seems like you do,” Trent continued, “you gotta win her over.” He was a little shocked at the agreement murmuring through his group of friends. He didn’t know how to respond. Trent turned to Eleanor.

“What’s the plan, drama mama?”

“First of all,” she said, an almost humorously dangerous look on her face, “never call me that again. Second,” she shoved some papers into Paxton’s hands, “meet me in the music room immediately after school.” She started back for her table. Trent looked back over to Paxton. 

“You gotta do it, dude. We’ll cover for you at swim.” 

The rest of his friends agreed. He was pleasantly surprised at how supportive they were being. 

“Yeah, I guess... we’ve got a plan.”

~

The next day went by pretty smoothly. No rehearsal was scheduled since they were finishing construction for some of the sets, but everyone was instructed to do a couple read throughs of the script, focusing on scenes they’re still forgetting, to make sure everyone’s off book. You stopped by 7 Eleven to get a blue slurpee (for homework) and a couple coconut waters (for run throughs). You texted Eleanor on your way to the slurpee machine. 

okay so do you like the mango coconut water or the pineapple one?? It’s the mango one right?? i always forget lmao

sent at 4:16 pm

btw I don’t have that much homework so you can probs come by around 5:30 if you’re ready by then

sent at 4:16 pm

Bae Tuck

OMFG!! I totally forgot about running lines tonight, I can’t make it! :( but I’ll send someone over to help you out. :)

sent at 4:17 pm

You squinted at your screen. That was weird. Eleanor never used colon parentheses smilies. Like, ever. She always used emojis, and usually way more than two per text. 

yeah np, are u good? ♡

sent at 4:17 pm

Bae Tuck

Yes :)

sent at 4:18 pm

Bae Tuck

Also get the passionfruit one 🥥🍠 👀

sent at 4:18

that’s,,, el that’s a sweet potato,,

sent at 4:19 pm

Bae Tuck

Close enough 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

sent at 4:19pm

...Okay? That was definitely weird. You shook it off and headed for the counter to pay. You stopped half way there, and turned back to swap the mango for passionfruit. 

Not long after you had finished your homework and tidied up your room a little, the doorbell rang. You exited the kitchen, drinks in hand, and opened the door. Your heart caught in your throat. Paxton Hall-Yoshida was standing outside. And you were pretty sure he looked nervous. You both just stood there for a second. No one breathed, no one spoke. 

“Uh, hi, do you want to…” you backed up, motioning for him to come inside. 

“Yeah, thanks,” he said, entering the doorway. Paxton motherfucking Hall-Yoshida was in your living room. You held out a hand to him.

“Coconut water?” he took the box, looked at the label, and smiled. 

“Yeah, thanks,” he said again, this time a faint, yet unmistakable note of joy in his voice. He took a sip. He smiled.

“Passionfruit’s my favorite.” You silently thanked Eleanor, who you knew must have planned all this. Most of the evening was a blur, and you thanked god your family wasn’t home right now. You went upstairs, texted Eleanor asking what the actual fuck, made some surprisingly comfortable small talk, then filled him in on how to run lines. 

“Do you think playing the soundtrack would help you… get into character?” he asked. 

“I would probably just end up singing the whole thing,” You laughed and tried to ignore the butterflies in your chest. The main scene you struggled with was before “Seventeen”. It was harder to get into Winnie’s head because you had no romantic feelings for Jonah, and you always just made each other laugh. You had started with a few easier scenes of Winnie and Jesse, like the fair, and the dialogue before “Top of the World”. 

“That was really good,” he said, and you felt the sincerity of his words. 

“Thanks…” you smiled and took a sip of coconut water, hoping you weren’t blushing too hard. 

“So what next?” he asked. 

“Probably the scene before ‘Seventeen’,” you said, giving him the page and scene number, “it’s one of the hardest ones for me. I guess I just can’t connect to Jonah the way Winnie does.” 

“Huh,” he said, skimming the page. When you looked up at him, he had something between a smile and a smirk playing at his lips. You made yourself look away before you got too distracted. You refused to think about the fact that you were sitting across from Paxton Hall-Yoshida on your bed, in your room, like you were… close with each other. His eyes skimmed the script, finding the dialogue. He glanced up at you and nodded, indicating he found his place. You began.

“I was so afraid you wouldn’t get away,” you said, jumping into character.

“I may be 102, but I can still outrun anyone,” a smile played at his lips. You smiled, then let your face fall.

“I’m so sorry, I-I tried to warn you-”

“No, no,” he interjected almost seamlessly, “It’s okay, it’s… refreshing having someone look after me who isn’t my mom.” His eyes flickered between your face and the page. You smiled with him for a second, then let distress cloud your face.

“Jesse… that man came by my house today. He heard the music box, he knows about you-”

“I know he knows…” 

You continued on with the scene and he trailed off when he came to the sheet music for the song Seventeen. You took in a breath to start the dialogue in the middle of the song, but before you could…

“Six years from now you will turn seventeen,

Turn seventeen,

The same age as me,

Six years from now,

Go to the spring,

Go to the spring and drink…”

He was singing to you. He was looking at you and singing to you. His eyes only flickered down to the page to confirm the lyrics. He was nervous, you could tell. But through his hesitance, the emotion in his voice was sincere. Your heart was beating faster. You didn’t even notice your pulse was ringing in your ears, you were too focused on Paxton. 

“I'll wait for you till you turn seventeen,

Turn seventeen,

The same age as me,

Six years from now,

Go to the spring,

Go to the spring and drink…” Your hand rose to cover your mouth. He hesitated, and you remembered your dialogue.

“Uh, wh-what if I… forget where the spring is?” He reached out and took your free hand in his. Your pulse was off the charts. “I’ll go get you some water. Just… remember to keep it somewhere safe. Somewhere no one will find it.” You got the feeling he wasn’t just talking about the water. You knew he had never really been in a serious relationship before, and it clicked suddenly - if he learned an entire song to duet with you, just how much he must like you. You exhaled a breathy laugh, unsure how to process the sudden euphoria you felt. 

“You make the world sound so… exciting. I just want to drink the water right now!”

“Uh, no. You have to wait.” you both smiled, anticipating the upcoming joke.

“Why?” you ask, “What’s the difference?” You held your breath as he tried not to laugh through the delivery of the punchline. 

“Believe me,” he rubbed his thumb over your hand, “there’s a difference.” You both chuckled, and he continued singing. You were so focused on him, so… touched that he would do all this for you. 

“Winnie, wait with me,

And we could be married,

Winnie, wait with me,

And we'll share the world,

Winnie, you can stop time,

And live like this,

Forever…”

“I could live like this forever,” you echoed.

“Live like this...” you sang in tandem.

“What do you say, Winnie? Do you want to…” he broke character suddenly, and asked, his eyes boring into yours, “Do you want to go out some time?” 

He could see the adorable smile blooming on your face, even from behind your hand. You nodded.

“Yes, I-I would love that,” and you began to sing the last line in the song, “Forever-” 

But before you finished holding out the note, his lips were on yours. His mouth moved slowly, intentionally, against yours. You followed his lead, flustered. He leaned further forward, his palm caressing your cheek. It was everything you imagined it would be, and you had quite the imagination. Your head was angled up and your hands rested themselves on his back, one tracing little shapes. Your shoulders were pressed against each other and neither of you could think. He was so warm. He tasted like coconut and passion fruit, and a distant part of your mind silently thanked Eleanor again. 

You really could live like this forever.

[spooky-luvur]

Could y'all write an Arthur fic with the reader being a fan and got sucked into the game and kinda mouthed off to colm and gets himself captured :O

This was really fun lol

———

“Well,”

You turn in circles, putting your hands on your hips. “At least I don’t have to worry about taxes.”

The people in town stare, obviously, and whisper, but they don’t point and they don’t yell or do something else mean someone from modern day Detroit would do. You’re not exactly blending in with your current clothes.

But really...what the fuck? Last thing you remember is turning the gaming console off, taking a shower, then you think you hit your head when you stumbled but it definitely wasn’t hard enough to send you through time???

You reach the edge of the dusty town and pause, looking over the vast land. Nice fields. No factories in sight. You try to remember every little detail...sat on the left side of the couch...used the controller to turn the console on...picked the game-

...

Oh shit.

Of course.

You were playing the second Red Dead Redemption.

Balls, how in the-!

It’s fine, it’s fine. This is cool, actually.

You don’t bother to hide your grin and unbelieving laugh, raking your hands through your hair. This is cool as shit! You were so interested in the 19-20th century anyway and to be *living* in it?! Damn. But we’re you just in the century, or was I in the game too?

You turn back to the small town and take a good look around, eyes falling onto a large white parlor house. It’s Rhodes! Incredible. Excited like a little kid on Christmas, you hurriedly make your way back into town, taking everything in and spinning in circles like some lunatic.

The general store, the gun shop with that guy locked in the basement- wait a minute.

When in the game was it? If you were magically set in Rhodes wouldn’t that mean the gang was at the camp by the lake? What’s it called, Clemens Point? Clement? But you didn’t really know how to get there from here, and even if you did somehow manage to find it, you’d likely be shot on sight. But you’re inside your favorite game. It only makes sense you’d want to meet and bond with the main characters.

With a stomach full of butterflies, you set off onto the road leading out of town, hoping to stumble upon something- or someone.

———

God, it was hot. Why was it so hot? Damn sun, making me all sweaty and gross. Don’t you have better things to do?

Pulling at your collar, you stop to rest for a few minutes, surrounded by the tall trees. Okay, there’s the water, the stones, old dilapidated church or whatever that is, the sound of a gun cocking, the nice breeze- wait.

“Put your hands up, boy.”

Great. Great. Great. You put your hands up by your head, mentally cursing yourself and everyone who’s ever existed. You didn’t know that voice and that voice didn’t know you.

“You got any cash? Jewelry? Guns?”

“No, I don’t. I got nothing.”

“Bullshit, turn around!”

Slowly turning, you’re met with the barrel of a gun and a very rowdy-looking man. Two other men with guns also pointed at you are a few feet behind him.

“I know you got somethin, your clothes are reeeeeal fancy mister.”

“You can check, but I ain’t got nothin, mister.” Yeah. That’s right. You tried to make yourself sound more cowboy-y, and by the looks of it, he bought it. He did look kinda dumb. No offense, cowboy. Or whatever you were.

The dirty man scoffs. “You ain’t-“

“Come on now boy, it wouldn’t be smart to hide things from us now would it?”

Another guy? Damn, was he hot at least- ohhhhhh. Ohhhhh shit. Oh shit oh shit.

Colm O’Driscoll stares you right in the face, a small, evil smirk on his own. Ugly fucker.

“We’ll ask you again, friend. Do you got anything?”

“I said no damnit! God do your looks match your brain?? Horrible?? Well that wasn’t a very good insult but damn you fugly!!”

The men glance at each other white you babble on.

“My grandpa looks finer than you and he’s dust! Ha! Musty motherfucker- you look like my foot!”

“Enough outta you!”

Colm O’Dick grabs you by the front of your collar and yanks you forward, pushing you onto the dirt.

“Tie him up and bring him back. Maybe we’ll cut out that dirty little tongue of his.”

Damn.

———

Ugh, shit.

The throbbing in your head blurs your vision for several moments. When you finally blink it away, you whine and hang your head from the numerous spots of pain blooming all over your body. Hanging from your bloodied worth’s in just your underwear, feet barley brushing the dirt-covered floor. You remember what happened last night. They beat you, burned you, poked and prodded, nearly poisoned you if Colm hadn’t stopped them, saying something like “it would kill him too quick.”

Damn, if this was how it was always gonna be, you wanted to go back home.

You didn’t know what time it was. Or if it was any more than just a day. You were in some kind of cracked stone walled, rat shit covered basement. A single candle is lit on the blood stained table with a variety of things that make you go ‘ouch.’

Using nearly all your strength to lift your head, you try to find a door or something else you could crawl through. There’s a moldy door in front of you. Seemingly unlocked.

“God, I can’t get down,” you mumble, nearly out of hope. This was supposed to be your story! Your special adventure! Filled with love and drama and literally anything but you getting tortured by men who stink like piss!

The door suddenly starts clicking, and you squeeze your eyes shut the best you can. Was it the dirty men? Or your hero? Heroine? A crazy hermit? The door swings aside, making you cautiously crack your heavy eyes open. Oh please be hot please be hot please be-

“Hey! They got someone!”

Hot.

Your jaw nearly embarrassingly falls open as a man in a pretty blue shirt puts his gun down and pulls out a knife. Hot murder man? Yes please-

“You a prisoner?”

“Sure,” is all you manage.

The man comes closer to cut the ropes suspending you and yes, like in the movies, you can’t really hold yourself up therefore fall forward again the chest of the wow you’re buff.

“You alright, boy?”

Call me that again please.

“Fine, fine.”

Hands gripping the sleeves of the pretty blue shirt, your lift your head to see your hunk of a hero, only to come face-to-face the Arthur fucking Morgan.

Of course, that’s when you pass out.

———

“Is he dead?”

“What? No Jack, he ain’t dead.”

“But he’s all bloody.”

“Damn O’Driscoll’s. He’s just a boy. Lenny’s age.”

You’re like, 23 thank you very much.

“What’re we supposed to do with him?”

“He’s nearly dead, we gotta keep him here for now. Now shoo! All you got chores! Get!”

Something warm and wet yet scratchy is dabbed onto your forehead and a few spots around your face, making you sigh lightly.

Your eyes felt like heavy weights, but you eventually got them open. You wanted to see what was going on really badly.

A Susan Grimshaw. In your face.

Your eyes widen only barely and a very unattractive noise sounding like a confused cat escaped your mouth. The old woman’s brow furrows.

“Hush, boy. I ain’t hurting you.”

Blinking, you look around without moving your head. You were in a tent, on a cot, in your underwear, a random shirt that went past your butt, I’m keeping this forever, and your body hurt very much.

“I’m alright, ma’am,” you look into Grimshaw’s pretty eyes.

She huffs. “Like hell. But fine, you can get up. Nothings broken.”

She leaves the tent, making you slowly swing your bare legs over the side and hoist yourself up, staggering out as well.

“Ugh,” shielding your eyes from the harsh sun, you take a deep breath that makes your chest ache. Welcome to the 19th century, (M/n).

“You’re awake, my boy. How are you feeling?”

It’s too early for this shi-

Never mind it’s never too early for Dutch Van der Linde.

You nod, blinking up at the raven-haired man.

“Just fine, sir. Thank you for saving me. I thought I was a goner.”

“No thanks needed, my boy. I got a sayin’: we shoot fellers as need shooting, save fellers as need saving, and feed ‘em as need feeding. I’m sure we all know, just what you need.”

You really just heard that.

“Oh, I have an idea.”

Dutch laughs, patting your shoulder. “Mr. Pearson! Get this fine boy some food! What’s your name, son?”

“(M/n). (M/n) (L/n).”

“Well Mr. (L/n), do you mind telling us what you were doing all bloody and bruised in Colm O’Driscoll’s basement?” He uses the hand on your shoulder to guide you further to the center of camp.

“I got captured once they realized I didn’t have any money. They beat me good.”

“Yes, well, let’s hope nothing of the sort ever happens again.”

Pearson comes over and places a hot bowl of stew in your shaky hands, nodding at you before heading off.

“Ladies! Would you please help (M/n) get some food in his belly, he’s not too good right now,”

Mary-Beth hurries over, cupping your hands around the bowl to keep it from falling. “Course, Dutch. Come along now...”

———

“Okay, you can do this, come on. You know everything about him! Everything...about...them...”

You shake your head to get rid of the negative thoughts, straightening your back. “Okay, let’s go.”

You keep your eyes locked on Arthur, your target, as you march over to where he’s sitting on his bed, nose buried in his journal. Wow this is really happening-

“Excuse me?”

Way to sound like a 14 year old girl (M/n). Your heart nearly stops once the burly man looks up, blue-green eyes meeting your own. He doesn’t say anything, only stares at you expectingly. You wrong to hands nervously.

“Um...I just wanted to say thank you. For helping me, you know.”

He nods. “You’re welcome.”

You panic, not wanting to lose his attention.

“Dutch said I could stay! With you...er, with the gang! Dutch said I could stay with the gang, they don’t really see me as a threat, so...” your voice trails off.

“Well, that’s great. They’re good people, don’t mess it up.”

“Of course! I’m very grateful, I just...was hoping I could see more of you...?”

No, you definitely weren’t asking him out. Yet.

Arthur looks at you weirdly, before quietly chuckling and turning back to his journal.

“Sure, kid.”

I’m in love.

———

That night, the gang is celebrating a new edition. You weren’t like Kieran. You weren’t nothing bad, neither. Most of them actually trust you already. Thankfully. Those who don’t, weren’t celebrating. Or it was all just an excuse to get blackout drunk

You believed it to be the latter when you left the log by the fire and no one noticed. Everyone kept singing and ‘celebrating.’ Pausing by one of the tents, you slightly duck back behind it. The radio in Dutch’s tent was quietly singing an opera song, and Dutch and Miss Molly O’Shea we’re gently dancing along, gazing into each other’s eyes with the look of the lovers. Good for them. They deserve it. It makes you smile sadly.

You retreat and continue looking around all the tents and everything. Where’s Arthur? He wasn’t at the fire. He’s not in his tent either. Or, wagon. Lean-to? Whatever, but you can’t find him. You circle around the edge of camp for a bit until you find him behind the big tree near the horses.

“Arthur?”

He looks away from the sky and at you.

“Hey, (M/n).”

“Hey Arthur,” you take a few steps closer. “Not a party person?”

He shrugs. “Not tonight, I guess.”

“That’s a shame. I was...hoping you’d might care to dance? With me?”

It takes him a few moments to realize just what you said but once he does, he open his mouth in surprise.

“What?”

You hold out a hand, giving him a mischievous grin.

He shakes his head, looking away for a moment before back at you, pushing himself off the tree.

“What the hell.”

When he takes your hand, it feels like it was meant to be. Where you were meant to be. When you were meant to be! Call you crazy, but with this? Dancing to nearly inaudible music with a fictional cowboy on the outskirts of the camp containing the people that saved you from other fictional outlaws? You never wanted anything more.

[your-highnessmarvel]

OMG Ellen You Didn’t!

Requested by Anonymous: Absolutely, so Chris x reader met at an industry party, she’s a newbie, he’s smitten when he first lays eyes on her dark chocolate skin.She a fan but she’s hesitant, she doesn’t know if he’s as cool as he seems. He approaches her, they hang out, she opens up about her past struggle with anxiety &he’s there for her &helps her navigate the craziness of the industry. Their friendship develops into a relationship, Chris falls hard for the one person he thought he’d never find...her, his future wife.

AN: THIS IS THE TYPE OF SPECIFIC I ABSOLUTELY LOVE UGH YAS. I made this comedic because i’ve been writing fluff and angst all day and my pretty poor heart hurts lol. i’ve struggled with anxiety my whole life without knowing, and when i finally put a word on it, it’s like i finally came to terms with who i was. to whoever suffers anxiety, past or present, my blog is a safe zone and so are my messages.

Warnings: angst, mentions of anxiety

*gif not mine

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MASTERLIST

Ellen gives a hug to Chris and they share a knowing laugh. She shakes your hand because she sees how nervous you are; what with the applauding audience and the screaming women. 

Wow, you think, this is what it’s like being famous. Or more, being married to a famous guy.

Ellen encourages you both to sit. “Chris, so good to have you back,” she says. 

Chris smiles, devilishly handsome as always. “Always good to be here, Ellen.”

“And Y/N, welcome to the show.”

You smile nervously, thankful for your sleeveless top for airing out your armpits. “Thank you for having me.”

Ellen smiles, crosses her leg over her knee, settles in. You take it as a cue to lean back into the couch, and Chris puts his arm comfortably behind you. From afar, it looks like regular couple stuff. But you know Chris is doing it for you; to make you feel safe with him, to let you know he is there. It is your first TV interview after all. 

“So, it’s my understanding that Chris was the one running after you, Y/N?” Ellen asks. The audience laughs, and Chris gives you that puppy dog stare that makes your tummy fill with hot butterflies.

“Yeah he was like... head over heels for me.” You laugh when Ellen gives Chris a look. 

“I mean,” Chris says, “look at her. How could I not?”

“What did he even do?” Ellen asks with a devilish smirk.

~~~ 

You wade your way through the crowd of faces, nervously biting the inside of your cheek. This party - this party with Hollywood figures - was filled with faces you’d seen on the Oscars stage as well as on the big screen. Your mind was going half a mile an hour and every time someone addressed a word to you, you’d stammer. 

So you opted for staying on your own to avoid any more social suicide. You took a half full bottle of tequila and all but ran into a corner where there was a love seat and a perfect view of downtown New York. You sat with a relieved sigh, readjusting your top. 

One more thing about Hollywood; everyone dressing fucking fancy for hella casual evenings. Like, this was a lowkey chilling that you were at, which you’d been invited by your staff team leader on the movie you were working on. Chilling means casual, right? Boy oh boy. Leonardo DiCaprio was wearing a full tux over there, hanging with his girl in a hot red dress. 

You scratched the inside of your elbow nervously. You had opted for an over-sized sweater and leggings with fuzzy socks. Even the butler was dressed better than you were. 

Ugh, you thought, I should have stayed home, but no, I wanted to get to know some celebs. Idiot. 

You could feel the judgment from some people, but most of them treated you as if you were a fly on the wall. 

You took a swing of the bottle, wincing because who the fuck can drink straight up tequila and remain stoic? Psychopaths. 

A shadow glided over the floor in front of you, catching your attention, and you looked up midway through your grimace.

And almost spat the tequila right back up. 

It was motherfucking Chris Evans. Of all the dorks that could have stood before you, holding his Stella Artoise and staring out the window like a Dad, it was good old Chris E.

“Wow.”

You hadn’t meant for that to come out. It was more an interior dialogue. Had you drank that much already?

Chris turned to you with a smirk, showing off broad shoulders under a nice crimson suit. “Tequila don’t go down easy, huh?”

“It’s more like my pride.”

He snorted. ��Don’t mind the people judging you for your sweater,” he said, giving you a wink. “I find it rather cute. And rather refreshing. I get invited to these things, and I always think someone’s gonna wake up and realize we could be in our pijamas. But pictures for instagram and whatnot get taken here. We have to look our best.”

You looked up, mystified by the man. He was staring back unabashedly, and maybe because he was a little tipsy and that’s why his inhibitions flew right out the fucking window. But his cheeks were pink. His eyes were so blue, and he dragged them along any inch of exposed skin he could find. All while remaining the most respectable man. 

“You look - uh - good,” you said. Then you frowned, shook your head. What the hell kinda thing is that to say?

He chuckled. “Thank you.” Then he plopped right down next to you. “I find you look absolutely ravishing.”

Your cheeks became so hot you thought they’d peel right off. “Okay.”

His eyes went wide just as you all but slapped your forehead. “Man, I’m so dumb,” you groaned, feeling the heat crawl down your neck and chest. “I meant thank you, obviously. It’s just... like wow, you’re Chris Evans and you’re wearing a blood red suit and your hair looks so soft!”

He threw his head back and laughed, exposing pale flesh at the neck. “Can I say something too?”

“Yeah.”

“Your skin is breathtaking.” Then his eyes went serious, looking at you as if he was trying to open the doors to your mind. “May I?” he asked, pointer finger hovering over the chocolate flesh of your wrist. 

Oh my God! Chris was going to touch you!

“Y-yeah.”

He pressed two fingers along your wrist, caressing the skin. “I saw you walk in,” he admitted. “And I just - when I saw you with your sweater and skin the color of coffee and hair in braids and eyes so bright. I thought... I’m sorry, am I being too much?” His serious tone quickly turned concerned. 

You hadn’t noticed you were staring, mouth agape, heart beating like dad’s when they hammer a stubborn nail. “No, it’s fine,” you stammered. 

He licked his lips before continuing. “I thought you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.”

Wow, okay, he was drunk. Surely he’d seen Margot Robbie and Ana de Armas and every single other Hollywood actress. 

“If you say okay, I’m going to cry.”

You laughed, his fingers still skimming the skin of your wrist. “Thank you, Chris.”

He smiled, eyes crinkling. “I want to be your friend,” he stated, fishing out his phone. “Is it alright if I ask for your number, and we can go grab coffee or walk my dog together sometime?”

His dog. It was an automatic, “Yes.”

~~~

“So, if I understand correctly, Chris was totally smitten by you?”

“Oh, Ellen,” you answer with an exaggerated tone, “he was already planning the wedding.”

“Oh!” Chris left-boob-grabs and throws his head back in laughter. “She was the one staring at me with googly eyes!”

“Yeah, right!”

“And, what?” Ellen continues to pry. “Right away, you both fell in love?”

“Well,” Chris says, smoothing his beard in thought. “We started by trying to be friends, as these things go, you know. Make sure we’re compatible. But it was clear, like, oh, right away that she was meant for me.”

You rolled your eyes. “Wow, Chris, so poetic.”

~~~

You stuffed your mouth with the doughnut, giving Dodger smiles and pats on the head as you walked beside him. You looked up at Chris, giving him also a cute smile.

“Never met anyone who actively eats strawberry-stuffed white-powdered doughnuts,” he said. It was cold outside and grey, what with is raining all weekend, so Chris wore a big blue hoodie and trousers, looking warm and cozy.

“That’s because you’ve never met anyone like me,” you answered. You tightened the scarf around your neck. 

“That’s damn right.”

This was your third date with Chris, and you still had trouble making thoughts into proper phrases. First date had gone swimmingly because Chris was a sweetheart who knew exactly how to make someone comfortable. He’d brought you to the aquarium, and he’d displayed subtle but intricate knowledge on puffer fish. Second date, he’d brought you to watch a local baseball game and then he bought you ice cream, which sealed the deal because a man who buys you ice cream is a man you want to keep. 

And now, walking with Dodger after you’d made the drive all the way to Chris’s house. You’d waited outside, feeling like an impostor standing before Chris Evans’s front fucking door with your wool sweater and scarf and mittens. 

“What say you to a tour of my grand home afterwards?” he asked now, giving you a side glance. 

You were holding Dodger’s leash, and you were watching him waddle beside you like a good boy. When Chris proposed that, your cheeks went white hot. “Um, yeah, that sounds good,” you said, swallowing thickly. 

“You don’t have to come in,” he said. “I just got a new deck of cards I want to try out.”

Chris’s house was huge. Inside, there was a lot of sunlight from the immense windows. A lot of airy spaces for lounging, eating, exercising. He was careful in avoiding his bedroom, giving you a tour with his hands inside his trouser pockets. He showed you where Dodger likes to sleep; the head of the couch, by the backdoor window where the sun cooks him, and on his doggy bed that is settled in Chris’s office. 

“He snores,” Chris said as he directed you to the kitchen. “And he dreams all the time.”

“Like father like son, huh.” 

“I don’t think I snore.”

You winked, the first time you’d ever been cocky and confident in front of him. “We’ll see.”

He brushed a hand through his hair, laughing. He reached into a cupboard and took out a card game. “Ever played Brisc?” he asked. 

“No.”

“Then sit.” He sat at the table, encouraging you to sit directly in front of him. He explained the game to you very simply, and you tried your best to memorize all the rules. “How are you taking it in the industry,” he asked, seemingly absentminded. 

You looked up in surprise. Had he been asking about you? How did he know you were very new in the show business? “I’m doing... okay?”

“I used to have nightmares about it when I was younger?”

“Nightmares?” 

He won the first round. 

“Yeah, and panic attacks before going to auditions or premiers,” he continued, giving you shy half smiles. “I’ve been in this business quite a while to know that the demands are incredibly high. And especially for women.”

You bit your lip, holding your cards against your chest. Hesitantly, you put one down. Was it okay for you to unpack everything onto him? Was it okay to tell him how bad your anxiety had gotten to you in the past and how it still got to you? This was a big A-list celebrity with paparazzi waiting for him on every corner so much so that he had to wear sunglasses and caps wherever he went. 

“It’s just so demanding,” you sighed. “It’s just status, and higher ups, and big names, and they all feel like they have the right to tell me what to do and how to do my job correctly. The bar is set so high. There is no room for mistakes, and if you make just one false move, they look at you like you killed a puppy.”

Chris nodded understandingly. “It’s so hard to navigate this industry,” he answered. “And it’s because they call it business and not personal, but some things, they just... ah, they just feel real personal, don’t they?”

You huffed. “My anxiety used to be through the roof,” you went on. “It still is. Sometimes, I have no idea how to calm the wave that comes through my chest.”

Chris reaches across the vast expanse of wood, palm up, eyes blue and open. “I can help you,” he said. “I know what it’s like to feel like you’re drowning. I can help you find resources and people to put on your personal team, to build a support. There’s no shame in reaching out.”

He was being so sincere that your chest tightened with a new emotion once unbeknownst to you. “Thank you,” you whispered sincerely. 

After the card game, Chris walked you to your car, hands in his pockets. Shy. Timid. 

“I really like our friendship,” he said. Your heart contracted, as if lead had been poured down into your arteries, and you smiled tightly. 

Friendship?

“Yeah.”

He hesitated, eyes searching your face, but you were looking down. He scuffed the toe of his boot on the gravel. “I don’t wanna be friends, though,” he mumbled.

As soon as the hurt had entered your system, it flew right the fuck out and you looked up expectantly. Eyes wide. Cheeks on fire. Heart hammering. “Me n-neither.”

He took a step forward, and your chin went up, keeping up with his impressive height. He put each palm on the side of your burning face. When he kissed you, his lips were hesitant and soft, careful and warm. The tip of his tongue on your bottom lip. You leaned into him, grasping his waist, heart hammering, thoughts reeling. 

He smelled so good.

His lips were so perfect, chapped yet warm and delicate. 

He pulled back slowly, resting his forehead on yours, laughing a little. “I feel like this is the start of something good,” he whispered. 

You smiled shyly, and he picked you up into his arms, pinning you to his chest, feet dangling off the ground

~~~

“That’s so sweet,” Ellen said. “You two are so sweet on twitter. The first picture you ever posted of Y/N was this.”

“Oh no,” you mumbled, quite to the audience’s laughter. 

A photo of you, one that Chris had taken from a film-type camera, appeared on the monitor. It was in the dead of night, at a park you and Chris had sneaked off to during a party. You were brightly illuminated by the flash of the camera. You wore a bright red hoodie, low jeans, and white shoes. Your left leg was brought up, showing the curve of your ass. Your tongue was sticking out, grimacing, and your hands were up in two peace signs. 

“He could have easily picked pictures of us on red carpet events when I actually look good, but no, he posted this absolute gem,” you laughed, feeling Chris squeezing your shoulder tenderly. 

“But she’s so gorgeous in this!” Chris defended. “She looks like herself, the girl I’m with every day.”

“Okay yes, but Y/N posted something much better,” Ellen said, pointing to the monitor.

Another picture of you, sitting behind Dodger, smiling all your pearly whites. Your skin was glowing, and you remembered feeling good about yourself that day. Dodger was being crazy, licking under your chin, and in the far, far corner of the picture, one could see half of Chris’s body. 

“And you posted that,” Ellen continued, “with the caption reading, “Love my Valentine so much. Chris, you are a wonder.”.” 

You burst out laughing with the audience, watching as Chris made a sarcastic face and shook his head. 

When the audience died down, Chris said, “No no, we joke a lot, but I love this woman so much. I mean, I married her for a reason. She’s my best friend, my lover, my confidant. I couldn’t imagine spending the rest of my life with anybody else.” 

You patted his knee, aware that if you full on kissed him, it would be all over social media. 

Ellen said something about what would happen after the break, but you were looking Chris in the eyes. Leaning into his shoulder, the world around you fell away, stripped, and it was just you and him. You and him against the world.

[keig-hoe-takami]

Chapter 6

Masterlist

‘Are we sure this is all of them?’ Ichirou said, looking anxiously around the room as her heart pounded in her chest,

‘We’ll just have to make sure we’re ready on the way down, now come on. We’ve gotta go save the others!’ Kirishima replied, ‘Since we got warped here, that must mean the others are also still inside USJ.’

‘But Kiri-‘ Ichirou started,

‘Chirou, we rushed ahead to attack, so Sensei was forced to hang back when they could have been sucking up the black mist. We need to take responsibility.’

‘And we are, but we-‘

“If you wanna go, go by yourself. I’m just gonna go murder that warp gate motherfucker.’ Bakugou finally spoke,

‘Now of all times, you come out with lines a little kid would say… plus physical attacks against that guy are…’

‘Shut  it!’

‘Both of you shut it!’ Ichirou barged in, hushing the two boys, ‘We need to help Aizawa- Sensei as soon as possible.’

‘What?’ Kirishima looked confused,

‘Didn’t you see- he’s against all those villains and eventually one of them is gonna sneak up behind him and he wont be able to use his quirk.’

‘But what about the rest of our class.’ Kiri replied,

‘I mean,’ Bakugou began, setting off an explosion at an approaching villain that had Ichirou’s ears ringing, ‘If he assigned these useless idiots to us, they oughta be fine.’

‘I think this is the first time I’ve seen you so calm, man.’ Kirishima smiled,

‘I’m always calm, you fucking hair for brains!!!’ Bakugou exclaimed as Kiri and Ichirou shared an amused look,

‘We need to get going. Do you agree, Bakugou?’ Ichirou said, rubbing at her sensitive ears,

‘As long as I still get to murder that damn warp gate.’ He replied,

‘Cool, I’ll set off first then!’

‘Wait, what do you mean?’ Kirishima looked anxious,

‘’M gonna run super fast- I’ll be fine!’ Ichirou said, already halfway to the door and completely ignoring Kirishima’s protests.

Unluckily for Ichirou, the destruction zone seemed to be located at the back corner of the USJ, meaning she had some way to run before reaching Aizawa. Okay girl, Ichirou thought at her wolf brain, we cant go too fast, need to conserve energy. Halfway towards her goal, Ichirou ran almost completely into Todoroki, who also seemed to be making his way to Aizawa’s battle.

‘Hey! Todoroki.’ Ichirou waved as she tried to slow down,

‘Hello, Sato.’ Todoroki replied,

‘You know Kirishima and Bakugou are probably right behind us, you could wait for them.’ The girl blurted, unsure of what else to say to her classmate.

‘So could you.’ He responded, bluntly,

‘Oh well yeah, I suppose I could. But I’m trying to run fast is all. For Sensei’

‘That’s helpful.’

‘Yes, yes it is. Bye then.’ Ichirou cringed inwardly at her awkwardness towards the handsome boy,

‘Goodbye.’

Ichirou finally stopped. Surveying the scene in front of her. Aizawa was being torn, practically limb from limb by the terrifying bird-like monster the villains had brought with them. His head being crushed repeatedly into the ground as he hung limp. From her insecure hiding space behind a tree, Ichirou could make out the silhouettes of three students in the water. There was another man, slouched over and seemingly weighed down by the arms decorating his body. He was the one who wanted them dead. Without thinking, Ichirou burst out from the tree, running at top speed towards the scene in front of her, ‘Sensei!” she screamed as she propelled herself into the air, nearing her target. Eyes flashed red as claws sprung from her fingertips. The villains looked at her, the inhuman brute raising its head to search for its attacker and in turn exposing its neck. Ichirou took her chance, bringing her claws down in the tender flesh as she heard a cry from the water behind her. Suddenly, the world around her snap, she was whipped from her trajectory as a huge hand enveloped itself around her body, tearing her away as she felt a seeming pain in her fingers. She couldn’t breath, couldn’t move, couldn’t feel a thing except a the crushing pain in her torso.

‘NO!’ Ichirou cried out as her world turned upside down, ‘No, No! Stop.’ Her voice was hoarse and croaking as the blue haired villain made his way towards her.

‘Oh my, so brave aren’t you? Trying to save your dear teacher. The Symbol of Peace would be so proud.’ He laughed. A cold, heartless laugh as he reached forward. ‘I suppose we’ll have to make an example out of you then.’ Suddenly, the black mist appeared behind the villains head, ‘Shigaraki Tomura.’

Shigaraki turned away from Ichirou, and the girl didn’t think she’d been so glad to see a villain in a long time. ‘Black mist. Then is No 13 dead?’

‘I have incapacitated him. However, I’m afraid the students whom I could not scatter impeded me… and he was therefore able to escape with his life.’ Ichirou smiled through the pain, making eye contact with the students in the water. Tsuyu smiled back, though Ichirou could tell the girl was just as terrified as she was.

‘Its game over,’ Shigaraki groaned, ‘Its game over… for now. Shall we hop back?’

Hop? Ichirou questioned, and what the hell did he mean by ‘game over’

‘Actually, before that why don’t we use this opportunity to take the Symbol of Peace’s pride down a notch!’ The villain finished as he lunged at the students in the water,

‘No!! Stop!’ Ichirou yelled as she swung in the monsters grip, legs kicking as she tried to ignore the pulsing pain in her hand.

A hand covered Tsuyu’s face, but nothing was happening. Ichirou looked down at her teacher who seemed to be nearly awake. Was he erasing the villains quirk? Even in his state?

‘You really are a cool guy Erasurehead.’ Shigaraki said, defeatedly.        

Suddenly, a splash sounded from besides the commotion as Midoriya rushed forward.

‘Let go of her!’ He screamed as he aimed for Shigaraki’s head. He was going to use his quirk, break his arm- and then what? He was just as foolish as Ichirou had been.

‘Nomu.’ Shigaraki whispered, and Ichirou felt flying through the air impossibly fast, the Nomu still clutching her as he came to a stop in front of the boy. No.

Everything seemed to happen at once, Tsuyus tongue flew towards Midoriya as Shigaraki lunged forwards again, aiming his hands for Ichirou’s classmates faces. And all she could do was sit there, suspended in midair.

‘Have no fear. For I have come!’ Ichirou could barely make out All Mights figure from her position, but she had never been happier to hear those words in her life.

‘Looks like we got a continue.’ Shigaraki smiled beneath the hand, ‘Drop her.’

At his command, Ichirou felt herself flung through the air, pain blooming throughout her body as she finally took in a full breath. Her sweet freedom didn’t last long as she was met with the back of her head cracking against a pure concrete wall, the rest of her body slumping to the rough ground. Fucks sake she thought to herself as she saw All Might pick up the other students through blurry eyes, ‘I missed the bus!’ The bruised girl giggled at her own stupid joke as she felt her eyes droop lower, ears pounding as she lay her head back.

‘Rou! Rou, can you hear me?’ A concerned voice brought Ichirou back to the real world,

‘She’s unconscious, shitty hair’ Ichirou felt herself shifted as a gruff voice sounded above her

‘You’re supposed to talk to them still! I read it in a book!’

‘Tch whatever.’

“Just let me carry her man!’ The other voice seemed to plead as Ichirou felt a hand grab her own, she groaned in discomfort,

‘Stop moving her, dammit! We’ll hurt her more if we move her.’

‘But that means she awake? Right? She groaned so she’s alive!’ Ichirou’s eyelids fluttered open slowly, barely able to make a move,

‘Wha- I. What?’ Ichirou could barely form a sentence as she looked up at the blonde angel above her,

‘You hurt yourself, okay? We’re taking you home.’ Ichirou nodded slightly at the boy carrying her in his arms, ‘Now go to sleep, runt.’

‘Kay, boom-boom’ Ichirou mumbled as she pressed her head further into the crook of the boys elbow.

authors note: Sorry this chapters kinda short, I wanted to save the next part for ch7 so hopefully that will be longer!! Also peep erasurdust 💘💖💝💗

Taglist @jazzylove

[nthngbxtfanfics]

The MONSTA Office - IM (Changkyun)

START A RIOT

You suddenly felt something hitting your forehead. Looking down, you noticed a small piece of paper, crumpled into a small ball. Your eyebrows started to meet each other, as another crumple hit your face, this time closer to your eyes. Your eyes lifted to the direction it came from. 

You met your coworkers eyes, who wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. His smirk was hidden from the screen in front of him. Your eyes shot him a glare, being annoyed by the man sitting opposite from you.

You decided to ignore him and continued on your task. Changkyun didn’t like it and thought about a way to get your attention back. He nudged his foot against your leg multiple times. But you continued to act like you felt nothing. Your coworker clicked on his pen, while lifting his arm to push it in front of your face. He threw more paper crumples towards you, all abandoned on the floor. 

A new idea plopped up in his head, he opened the intern chat function for the company and spammed your messenger with random sentences. First some random facts that plopped up in his mind then some stupid dad jokes. His last card were cringe pickup lines that he found on the internet.

You thought he grew bored as your messenger stopped giving you notifications. But you were wrong. 

Changkyun was convinced he would get your attention, he tried one last thing. Even though he had to pull up all his encouragement and will power to do it.

“Y/N-ssi noona~ give me attention juseyo~” you couldn’t hold back the snort coming out of you, that was the last end of the straw. Your head met with the surface of your table, trying to hold back your laughter.

Despite being embarrassed by his attempt of doing aegyo, Changykun was still satisfied of you breaking your stone wall. A smirk placed over his lips as he stood up from his chair to examine your state.  Your forehead still sticked to the wood and your shoulders were shaking from laughing.

“So, since I got your attention, wanna have some fun?” you lifted your head, as your laughter slowly died down. Brushing away the small tears from the corner of your eyes, you met your table mates eyes, who was waiting for your response. 

A thought plopped up in your mind, why not annoy him a little? Your face became stone hard and a resting bitch-face placed over your features.

“No.” You looked him dead in the eyes. As the word left your lips, your eyes looked back down onto your screen. Missing Changkyuns reaction.

“Yah, Y/N-ssi~ I did not wasted my time, trying to catch your attention, only for you to respond like that. I called you a fucking Noona, even though I’m older than you!”

“Changkyun.” you exhaled before you continued your rant. But as you lifted your eyes back up, you only saw a pouting puppy with crossed arms in front of you. You couldn’t help yourself and feel defeated. No win for you this day. You hated it the most whenever Changkyun pulled out that card, but it’s better than him being some kind of perverted, horny teenage boy. “What do you want?” Changkyuns smile grew wide and his eyes started to sparkle, but were replaced in a matter of seconds into a devilish grin. His eyes got darker and his confident-level was rising.

You knew what it meant.

“I want you to get wasted with me, tonight!”

“Changkyun, I-”

“Nuh uh! You, me, that barbecue place and plenty of soju. Tonight! I want you to cancel all your plans cuz tonight is Changkyun time and all your attention will be on me” he emphasized every word with his circulating finger and the eyes of Satan. That just calls trouble for the whole night. The scenarios already playing in your mind, as your memories from the last time came up. The night just ended in Changkyun being the one completely wasted, throwing up all mixtures of alcohol he consumed that night, you taking him back to your Apartment, since you didn’t knew where he lived. And taking care of him for a whole day, because of his hangover. You also remembered what kind of drunk he was, a clingy motherfucker, who’s a mixture of I wanna cuddle you and I want my dick balls-deep in you.  And you were sure you wouldn’t need that. 

“Changkyun! I have to finish that and meet Shownu.” There was the pout again. His eyes narrowed at your low excuse, he just wasn’t having it.

“Is Shownu really more important than your best table and drinking mate?”

“Shownu is my boss and also yours, I can’t tell him no.”

“Who you can’t tell no?” a sudden presence made itself clear, you recognized the voice and turned your head to the person behind you. Speaking of said man, Shownu in his whole glory, stood behind you.

“Oh well-”

“Y/N-ssi, can’t finish the task today and was just too scared to cancel your meeting.” you shot Changkyun a glare as the male interrupted you and got amused by your little struggle.

“Y/N-ssi, I don’t mind, you can talk to me. If you can’t finish it, it’s ok. We can arrange it on a different day.” Shownu placed his warm palm on your shoulder, as you couldn’t hold back a curse under your breath. Gladly it went unnoticed by your boss.

“No Shownu-”

“Y/N-ssi, Shownu-hyung said it’s fine. Don’t worry.” the amusement rose within Changkyun and watched your frustration taking over your features.

“I’ll leave you then, come to my office when you’re done. You don’t have to tell Minhyuk to let you in. My doors are always open for you.” Shownu send you a warm smile, a pat on your shoulder and left you alone with Changkyun.

As soon as Shownu left, Changkyun couldn’t hold back his devilish laughter. “Looks like you’re free tonight, Babygirl! I told you to cancel all your plan. We’re going hard tonight!” a heavy sigh left your chest. You loved Changkyun, but going out with him is too risky for your well being. At this moment you just wished you had a boyfriend to avoid him, but it wouldn’t stop Changkyun anyway.

You leaned back on your chair, in the corner of your eyes you saw Jooheon walking by. You needed an excuse, an really good excuse to not go out.

“Jooheon!” you shouted, catching the males attention. Jooheon got startled by your sudden outburst. Changkyuns features grew hard, as he understood your attempts. But his goal was to get you for tonight and Jooheon won’t be the reason for his plans to get to waste. He watched you jumping up from your chair and walking straight to the overly confused Jooheon.

“Don’t you wanted me to look after your cats? Hm? Should I pick them up or should I stay at your place?” your small arm framed Jooheons shoulder, pulling him close to your side.

“Ehm. Y/N-ssi, that was last week you already looked after them.” his eyes grew wide as he noticed how close you were.

“Ah right, I forgot- ” you laughed nervously, catching glances at Changkyun “Don’t you want to visit your parents again? I can look after them though.” your arm grew tighter around him and Jooheon became flustered, not understanding the whole situation.

“Actually not. Why are you asking? Did you fell in love with Yoshi and Gucci?” your eyes glared at him annoyed, as a sneaky grin grew over his lips.

“Hey Jooheon!” you both turned to Changkyun. “Wanna have a drink tonight?”

“Yes! You see? You can go out with Changkyun and I take care of Yoshi and Gucci, ok?” you slapped Jooheons back, in an attempt to convince him.

“What the hell? As if they can’t stay alone for one night.”

“Y/N-ssi, I didn’t mean on going alone with Jooheon. I’m just inviting him to hang out with us.” Changkyun stood now next to you and Jooheon.

“Oh you both planned on going out? Why do you ask to take care of my cats then?” Jooheon turned to you and saw your displeased face. 

“Yea Y/N, did you forget about our meet up?” Changkyun teasing voice, was like annoying elevator music in your ears. You shot him a glare, earning a chuckle from the male. Now all clicked in Jooheons head, your behavior made now sense to the male. His mouth shot slightly open, his head turned aside as he nodded it along. Jooheon knew what your problem was and was ready to add more fuel to your annoyed state. Why not help his best friend and tease the shit out of you.

“Changkyun, I’ll gladly accept your offer.” Jooheon nodded along his words and shot a smile towards you.

“So you guys shall plan your night, I’ll continue to work then ok?” you tried to sneak out and head to the restroom. But Changkyun caught your arm and pulled you back, to hinder your escape.

“No No Y/N-ssi~ Like I said, we three will hang out together.” You pulled your arm out of Changkyuns grip and tsked at his annoying grin. You said nothing and walked to the kitchen office. Both mens eyes followed your leaving figure, a smirk over both lips and an triumphed handshake, emphasizing their partnership in this crime.

You reached the kitchen, to make yourself some coffee. You needed to cool down.

“Why do I have to deal with them now?” you mumbled to yourself, as your coffee was getting ready.

“Do you mean Changkyun and Jooheon?” Your head snapped to the side as you got startled by the sudden voice.

“Hoseok~” you whined into the males side, you were glad he was next to you. Your forehead met the strong shoulder of your friend. Wonho laughed at your distressed state and patted your head. “They want to go out drinking again. Hoseok~ I can’t handle another night with Changkyun and now Jooheon is joining us. What should I do?” your forehead got replaced by your chin.

“Well, I can’t help you with that issue. I mean it’s Changkyun, he always gets what he wants and you know that.” Wonho prepared your coffee and made himself a cup too.

“I know...Can I get a hug? I need comfort.” you held your arms up, to signal your desire for his soft muscles. Wonho chuckled and pulled you in his arms, he couldn’t help but smile at your cuteness. He felt bad for liking it when you’re frustrated.

“Here you are!” your cuddle session got interrupted by the said man, Changkyun. You groaned as your arms separated themselves from the radiating warmth of Wonhos body.

“What do you want?”

“We have to discuss what food we’ll eat, you idiot.”

“Changkyun, I really don’t wanna go. I’d rather finish that task, talk to Shownu, go home, eat and sleep.” you took your cup of coffee and walked out of the office kitchen. Changkyun followed your steps and continued to annoy your remaining brain cells.

“Y/N-ssi, but I want to go get a drink with you. Y/N-ssi Noona~ Please go with me. Don’t you wanna go out with your cutest table mate? Honey-hyung wants to spend time with you too. Noona~ don’t ignore me juseyo~” Changkyun followed you throughout the whole day, annoying you with his aegyo voice. You ignored the male, but I wasn’t going to back down.. Changkyuns behavior amused the people around the office. By now, everyone knew what was going on between you and him. Until you walked into the kitchen a second time, this time both of you alone.

Kihyun concentrated on his task, he was glad that you and Changkyun have left. He grew annoyed by the Maknaes constant whining. Kihyun wanted to help you, but with Changkyun attached to your butt would have been his biggest struggle. Now, he was glad you both left and hoped you’ll do something about and talk some sense into the boy. Sadly, the peace in the office got destroyed as a loud crashing sound came from the, normally quite room. All heads looked towards the door of their shared kitchen. The whole floor grew quite, waiting for the next impact.

“Fuck.” It seemed like Jooheons word started a  snow avalanche as loud noises, screaming, smashing and other non-human noises came from the kitchen.

“Leave me alone! For fucks sake!” your voice was loud and clear through those walls.

“No, only if you stop making excuses and go to that damn barbecue place with me!” Changkyun tried to be louder than you to overpower your voice.

“But I don’t want to go Changkyun, I have to finish that damn task!”

“Fuck that task! Fuck Shownu! I want you to fucking go and get fucking wasted!”

“I’d rather fuck Shownu than go and take care of your drunk ass!” Minhyuk snorted loudly, he tried his best holding back his laughter.

“My drunk ass is more entertaining than that task!”

“Changkyun! Maybe for you, since you can glue to my ass the whole night. But I’m not having it!”

“For fucks sake Y/N! Do what I’m telling you and go fucking out with me!” After this sentence, a loud noise erupted like an earthquake and many more. You threw everything that landed between your fingertips at Changkyun. More shouting erupted between you both. Madness, filled the small space, no one dared to go inside and stop you two. Too scared for their own life and then, the door smashed opened revealing a frightened man walking backwards in defense.

“Yah, Y/N-ssi put that down. Ow!” you hit Changkyun repeatedly with the towel in your hand. As you both walked out of the kitchen, you took new items to throw at Changkyun. The man looked to the side, the bin with shredded paper, looking at him, telling him to throw that at you. So he did and ran away afterwards. The content hit your face, coating the floor with little snippets. As your vision was clear again, you ran after Changkyun around the office. Changkyun tried his best to keep the distance between you two, pulling chairs behind him. Hiding behind coworkers, throwing more paper in to you. Yea it did looked childish, but that was kinda normal, especially when Changkyun goes onto your nerves. Normally he’s your chillest male friend who makes you laugh. But today, he either way someone put something in his coffee that turned him into an annoying brat or you just needed sleep. 

You catched him after a two minute race and hit him multiple times. Changkyun tired to stop you, he wouldn’t hurt you and tried not to hit you. He found it quite amusing how he managed to make you go rampage on him. But when you hit a very sensitive spot, the grin on his face disappeared and was ready to go hard. But you got pulled apart before he could lift his arm.

Wonho pulled you away from Changkyun, stopping you from your outburst. And Changkyun got pulled away by Jooheon and Mihyuk, a startled look left on both your faces. Embarrassment creeped up in you and you could feel your cheeks heating up, coloring them in deep pink.

“I’m good.” Changkyun came back from confusion and pulled away from his friends.

“You both sure are a lot of trouble, look at the office.” Kihyun nagged at you two and pointed around the room, showing the mess you made. “Because of you, no one could concentrate and you both had nothing better to do then make this mess.”

Your head hung low out of embarrassment, Changkyun avoided the older ones eyes.

“Sorry.” you both said in unison. Kihyun nodded in response, as a sigh escaped his chest.

“What should we do about this mess now?” Jooheon questioned.

“Clean up. Both of you.” Shownu came into display, viewing the mess you both made. His voice was stern, but calm.

“But-”

“You made this mess together. I want you to clean up the mess and after you finished your shift, you both stay and do the work of Mrs Lee.”

“What?” Changkyun and you looked up to Shownu, disbelieved.

“I want you to take responsibility for this and get your punishment. I want to see you both tomorrow in my Office at 10.” Shownus gaze was strong and you felt small, but his eyes were more intense as they laid on you. You nodded and Shownu took it as a sign and left.

“You sure are a lot of trouble though.” stated Kihyun.

“Well Y/N-ssi you may have luck and Shownu-hyung and you will be alone so you can fuck him tomorrow.” Minhyuk laughed at his own joke, making the others snicker around him. More heat rushed to your cheeks and the redness becoming deeper. Your hands hid your face and Wonho hugged you from behind.

“I don’t wanna do this.” you whined as you squished the water out of the cloth in your hand. 

“We could have been eating grilled meet at your favorite place with some nice drinks. But no you needed to start a fucking riot and brought us to this situation.” Changkyun wasn’t amused about the punishment not even by your whining. He himself wanted to be somewhere else.

“How could I not? You’ve been annoying me the whole day even though I told I don’t wanted to.” you were mad and threw the wet cloth onto the table and looked to the man.

“But I wanted to spend some time with you.” Changkyun stopped sweeping the floor as he met your eyes.

“But why?” the same frustration from earlier came back as Changkyun seemed to not back down from his wish.

“I wanted you to relax and have some time off. You’ve been working on this task like a madman, as if your whole life depended on it. You looked extremely slim, I thought you haven’t been eating well. All I wanted was to treat you and loosen up a bit.” Changkyuns words filled your chest guilt. He fiddled with his fingers as his head hung low, avoiding your gaze. You thought you wouldn’t be too obvious.

“Changkyun. I’m sorry.” were the only words you could tell him in this moment.

“Don’t be, I should’ve made a different approach and not annoy you till the end. But I knew you wouldn’t give in and I thought this would be the only option.” your feet dragged you to Changkyun, your arms flew out and embraced the man. Your arms squeezed his shoulders, mumbling a “Thank you” into his shoulder. You pulled back after some time and looked into his eyes. You both smiled warmly.

“Still wanna go out and eat? My treat.” Your smile grew wider followed by a nod.

“But first let’s finish here.” Changkyun nodded and stepped out of your embrace, walking away from you.

“Not without some entertainment.” your friend walked up to Minhyuks desk turning on the speakers, turning them as high as possible. Loud music filled the room together with your laughter.

“May I have that dance.” Changkyun stretched his arm out for you. You reached out, lying your fingers gently into his palm. He pulled you along onto a free space in the room. As the song switched the son Riot by Hollywood Undead started to play. And your cleaning riot had started.

Your day finished with a warm meal, alcohol in your system and a spaced out Changkyun on your lap. 

What a day.

[waywardodysseys]

Unconditionally - Chapter Four

Warnings: SMUT, oral receiving (m & f), unprotected sex (wrap it up), cussing, mention of anxiety

Word count: 5.7+k 

Author’s note #1: because everyone deserves to be loved unconditionally

Author’s note #2: I included links for a couple of things and they are linked in the story where appropriate! And this is Valentine’s Day overload! 

Unconditionally: Chp. 1, Chp. 2, Chp. 3

~   ~   ~

Over the following weeks the days go by quickly like a runaway freight train. Pedro and you are full steam ahead as you spend the days getting to know each other mentally and emotionally, he and you then spend the nights getting to know each other intimately.

He doesn’t want this feeling to end, he doesn’t want to leave for Brazil – he was to begin shooting a movie. Pedro wants to convince you, needs to convince you to join him in Brazil. Maybe even take a short trip down to Chile and visit his father and younger brothers. He wants them to meet the woman who has become, and is, his forever.

José Pedro Balmaceda Pascal is in love. He is headfirst, head over heels in love with you.

From the moment your hand was inside of his at Kendrick’s birthday he had an inkling of emotions towards you. He wasn’t sure what they were but when you two shared the passionate kiss under the mistletoe six months later he knew, without question, he was in love with you. And he barely even knew you.

Walking along the sidewalk, Pedro glances into a store front. Bouquets of roses and red heart balloons fill the window. It then clicks in his mind; Valentine’s Day is around the corner. His mind begins formulating a plan then he pulls out his cell phone.

He waits till his best friend answers with a rough good morning before saying with excitement, “Oscar!”

“Pedro.”

“I need help!”

“With what?”

“A surprise for Y/N!”

“What kind of surprise?”

“I’d rather explain it in person.”

“Come on over. I’ve got the kids though.”

Pedro shrugs and laughs. “Hey! I’m cool uncle Pepe!”

Oscar laughs, “I’ll get the coffee brewing. See you soon.”

Pedro hangs up his phone and begins walking again. He couldn’t contain the excitement inside of himself with the plan he had come up with.

-------

You sit in your usual spot at the café a couple of blocks from the apartment you share with your old college friend. You were staring at a blank document, trying to find the words for the scene you were working on. You kept hovering your fingers over the keyboard, hoping the words would come but they didn’t.

The scene involved a character from Kendrick’s show. She’s based off you, and then there’s her ex, who is based off Will. You had to write a good, no, a great sending off scene for them both because the final episode was going to introduce a new love interest for the character, who would be based off Pedro.

You take a sip of your lukewarm tea and then hover your fingers over the keyboard again. You had no clue where to start but something came forth and your fingers started moving across the keyboard in a flourish.

You are in your zone when your phone vibrates on the table. You sigh and stop typing. You turn the phone over and recognize the number.

Why the fuck would Evans be calling you?

You swallow and hit accept. “Hello?”

“Y/N!” Evans’ loud voice exclaims on the other end. “How are you?”

Dandy. “Good. What do you want?”

Chris laughs, “straight to the point, eh?”

“Move it along Evans. I don’t have all day.” You sigh as you begin bouncing your left leg under the table. Anxiety’s crawling through your body.

You hear the smile in his voice when he says, “I want to direct all six episodes of The House that Built Us.”

What. The. Fuck., you think as your heart races.

“Oh really?” Your voice squeaks out.

“Yes. I do.” Chris pauses. “I want us to get together for dinner. I want to discuss some stuff with you.”

You know he means more than just the show. “Just follow the script Evans. It’s what a director is to do.”

“Come on Y/N. Please. If we are to work on this together, I need to know we are good.”

We’ll never be good, you think.

“Kendrick know you want to direct?” You ask.

“Yes. He said he would call you, but I told him it might be best to hear it from me personally. If you don’t want me to direct, I understand but you do know I’ve wanted to get back into directing,” Chris pauses, his voice is light as he says, “you know this. We were working on a script together. A fantastic script! I know you are still working on the last two episodes, but I want this, I need this!” Chris pauses again. “Please.”

You’re quiet as your eyes dart around the café, then down at your laptop. Your leg’s still bouncing under the table, your heart is racing. If Evans wants this badly then maybe all he wants is to be director of the show. He knows you hate him. He ruined everything, yet he had also freed you from the man, you had slowly begun to realize, you weren’t in love with anymore.

“Dinner?” You ground out. “When?”

Chris smiles, “how about this weekend?”

“It’s Valentine’s Day weekend Chris. I’m busy.”

“Oh, are you with someone?” Disappointment laces Chris’ voice.

“Yes.”

“Who?”

“Doesn’t matter.” You don’t want to tell him who it is because you don’t want Chris to ruin what you and Pedro have. “What about the following weekend?”

“Hold on.” Chris comes back on, “next weekend is fine. I’ll text you a place and time.”

“Good.” Your eyes land on Pedro walking in. Your anxiety is gone instantly. “I have to go Chris. Bye.”

You stand and wrap your arms around Pedro once he approaches the table. You squeeze him tightly and inhale his sandalwood cologne. You’re calm, at ease.

Pedro hugs you tightly back. He then cups your cheek and brushes his soft mouth across yours. “Everything okay?”

You smile, “now that you’re here. Yes.”

-------

“How Pedro handle your history with Evans?” Kendrick asks you the following day at lunch. You two are at your usual spot for your weekly lunch. It’s been a ritual for years, at least when you two are in town at the same time.

You had also told Pedro about Chris calling you. You weren’t going to leave him in the dark about the call or your history with Evans.

“Fine.” You answer.

Kendrick raises his eyebrows. “Spill it Y/N.”

You sip at some water, then sigh. “He thinks Evans wants another shot and I told Pedro that wasn’t going to happen, will never happen because I am with him.”

“Yet you didn’t tell Evans it’s Pedro you’re seeing?”

You glare at Kendrick. “I don’t need the motherfucking asshole to get any ideas Kendrick. Chris doesn’t need to know. All he needs to know is I’m in a relationship. I am off limits!”

“Didn’t stop him last time,” Kendrick whispers.

“Yeah well that fucking kiss between us did happen and I should’ve let it happen.” You hold the tears in. “I almost slept with him Kendrick!”

“Yet you told me you were beginning to fall out of love with Will. You felt horrible because part of you was glad it was over because you couldn’t muster the courage, or strength, to tell Will yourself. As I recall, you told me Chris did you a favor, but you would never admit it to anyone else. Not even to Evans himself.”

Your heart cracks inside your chest. Kendrick’s correct.

Kendrick reaches out and grabs your hand. “You are not a horrible person Y/N. Eventually I would’ve kicked your ass and told you to tell Will.” Kendrick grins. “Just do the dinner with Chris, then go and be in Pedro’s arms. You’ll only have a week with him until he leaves for Brazil.”

“I think he wants me to go with him.”

Kendrick raises his eyebrows. “What makes you say that?”

“He’s been leaving subtle hints in conversations or little things around my apartment, his apartment.” You smile, “the other day he left an interesting drawing of the Brazilian flag on my fridge. This morning there was a small Christ the Redeemer statue on the table in his kitchen.”

“Has he, like, officially asked you if you’d go?”

You shake your head. “No. He’s asked about my passport. What countries I’m missing, which are a lot. Wants to know if I like ocean views, or city views.”

“Maybe he’s mustering the courage to ask, or maybe he wants you to ask him,” Kendrick shrugs as he finishes his sandwich. “What are you two doing for Valentine’s Day?”

“He won’t tell me. All he said was to keep my afternoon and evening open. And to make sure I am at my apartment all day.” You glance over Kendrick. “You know anything?”

“I do not!” Kendrick laughs and smiles. “For once I have no clue what the man has planned. Though I’m sure the evening will end with you both in bed.”

“Oh, god. Please stop!” You smile and laugh. Your mind running rapid with thoughts as to what Pedro could possibly have planned.

-------

On Valentine’s Day at three o’clock in the afternoon, your doorbell chimes. You walk to the door in your favorite hoodie and pair of sweatpants. You open the door to Kendrick, his boyfriend Jonathan, and a woman you have no idea who is.

“Uh, what are you doing here?” You ask with curiosity.

Jonathan steps forward, “we’re here to get you ready.”

You eye Kendrick. “So, you did know?”

Kendrick shrugs. “It was to be a surprise. I couldn’t say anything!”

Jonathan grabs your hand, dragging you towards your bedroom. “Bring in the racks!”

Minutes later you are sitting in your desk chair looking at dresses. “I can’t make up my mind!”

“Hun,” Jonathan begins, “what do you like?”

“Yes, you.” Kendrick states.

“Don’t think of what Pedro wants, or likes. He already has you. He’ll love whatever you wear because it’s on you,” Jonathan states.

You stand and walk down both racks slowly. The colors of dresses range from sunshine yellow to cherry red, then from sky blue to midnight black. You stop once you see an ombre color dress. It weaves black and what appears magenta together perfectly. You pull it out.

“This one.”

Jonathan takes it from you, “let’s try it on!”

A couple of hours later you are standing in front of mirror, looking at your reflection. Your Y/H/C hair is parted on the left side, light waves roll down the soft locks. Your face is painted with makeup, but not too much. Your Y/E/C eyes pop because of the eyeliner and eyeshadow Jonathan used. The dress you picked fits you perfectly, hugging every curve of your body, it sweeps the floor as you walk. You lift up the material to look at the one-inch heels. Nothing too fancy there either, you didn’t want to fall or trip walking in stilettos.

You smooth out the material as Kendrick walks up behind you.

“Lovely as ever Y/N.” Kendrick notes.

You turn and smile. “Thank you. Now don’t you and Jonathan have a date?”

“We do.” Kendrick hands you a jacket. “Stay warm, be safe both out there and in the bedroom!”

“Kendrick.” You ground out as you take the jacket.

Kendrick kisses your cheek. “Have fun love. Talk tomorrow?”

You nod. “Talk tomorrow.”

Kendrick leaves as you put on your jacket. Minutes later your doorbell chimes for the second time of the day.

You let out a breath and walk towards the front door.

-------

Pedro exits the elevator on your floor. He walks down the hallway and rings the doorbell. Seconds later you open the door, standing there looking beautiful and radiant. He knows you are beautiful without the makeup, without the fancy dress.

He steps forward and captures your mouth with his. Drinking you in, becoming intoxicated with you, only you. He pulls you up against him and never wants to let go.

Pedro pulls faintly away from your lips. “Hermosa, mi querida.” His voice is light and enriched with desire, and love.

You smile at his words. You had seen what he was wearing before he pulled you into his arms. “You should wear a tux more often. It suits you.” You add with a laugh.

Pedro grins as he palms your cheek. He loves you. He is in love with you. “Ready?”

“As ever.”

Pedro grabs your hand as you close your apartment door. He pulls you onto the elevator then you exit into the lobby once the elevator opens to the main floor of your apartment building. He pulls you out into a N.Y.C. winter evening, towards the curb where a black town car is waiting for you.

The driver nods his head and opens the back-passenger door for you. Pedro lets you get in first then he settles in beside you before pulling you into his arms once again.

The driver gets in the car and pulls away from the curb.

“Where are we going Pedro?” You whisper resting your head on his chest above his heart.

“It’s a surprise.”

“Not even a hint? Or clue?”

Pedro kisses your temple. “No clues Y/N.”

You sigh and rest against Pedro. You close your eyes and take in his warmth, take in the smell of his sandalwood cologne. You’d recognize the scent anywhere and you know you’d think of Pedro. You listen to his steady heartbeat.

Pedro keeps his eyes on the buildings and once the car approaches the destination, he pulls out a blindfold from his tux.

“Don’t open your eyes mi querida.”

You swallow. “Okay.”

Pedro places the blindfold over your head, making sure it covers your eyes.

Your heart faintly quickens as you hear the car door open. You feel cold as Pedro removes himself from the car.

“Grab my hand,” Pedro whispers as he runs his hand down your arm.

You find and grasp it tightly as you scoot out of the car and into the cold air.

Pedro pulls you up against him as he begins walking.

“Where are we?” You whisper.

“You’ll see.”

You hear the jingling of keys and you’re inside the warmth of a building within seconds. All you can hear is a fire crackling close by. Your nose is tickled with the smells of roses and lavender, and a hint of vanilla. He pulls you further inside the warmth and the wonderful smells.

Pedro stops, so do you. He takes off your jacket. “Stay here.”

Like you could go anywhere. “Um, okay.”

Soft instrumental music begins softly playing and you hear Pedro walk up to you and grab your face in his hands. He brushes his mouth lightly against yours as his thumbs rub your cheeks.

You place your hands on his hands and brush your thumbs over them.

Pedro pulls back and looks at you. He traces a thumb over your soft lips then he walks around you and pulls you back up against him. His fingers roam over the open back of your dress. Your skin is delicate and warm under his touch.

“Pedro,” you whisper as you feel his front against your back.

“Yes, mi querida?”

You laugh lightly, “you do know I still can’t see?”

Pedro smiles, “yes. I want to take you in before I do the reveal.”

Your mind begins to race, and your heart slightly quickens.

“It’s just us. No one else is here,” Pedro whispers against your ear.

You breathe in and out. “I would hope so Pedro, otherwise I think if I was to move out of your grasp, they’d noticed what you have.”

Pedro laughs. Standing behind you and having his arms wrapped around you has given him a hard on. He’s ready to devour you again and again before the sun comes up in the morning.

“Keep your eyes closed Y/N,” Pedro reaches in front of your face and lifts the blindfold up and over your head.

Your eyes are still closed as Pedro wraps his arms around you.

Pedro places his head next to yours, “open them mi querida.”

You open your eyes. You gasp as you take in the view of the East River and the Manhattan skyline through the floor to ceiling windows. The city looks peaceful and spectacular from where you are standing.

You then sweep your eyes around the room you are standing in.

Several blankets make one large rug on the hardwood floor you are standing on. You notice a basket in the middle of the floor. Two champagne flutes accent the basket along with an ice bucket and a bottle of champagne.

You smile as you take in rose pedals strewn around on the floor and the candles creating a path towards the picnic basket.

“This is lovely Pedro,” you whisper.

“You deserve this mi querida,” Pedro whispers back.

You wonder who’s place this is. “Don’t tell me you’ve kicked someone out for the night.”

Pedro laughs as he holds you close. “No. They are elsewhere in the world tonight. Oscar knew of this place, knows the owners.”

You wonder who would want to miss out on this view every night. The Manhattan skyline, the East River, the Brooklyn Bridge. Then with the added effort Pedro put into this place – the romanticism, the candlelight, the music, the picnic, the love.

Every aspect of this evening is perfection, and you know there’s more to come.

You sigh happily as you rest your head back against Pedro, searing this view into memory and all the intricate details as well. In all your years alive this is the first Valentine’s Day you want to remember for eternity.

-------

After eating the picnic dinner and toasting to one another with the champagne, you sit in between Pedro’s legs on the blankets. Pedro’s arms are wrapped around you and as you rest against him.

“This is wonderful,” you sigh contently. “Thank you for this. It’s perfect. You’re perfect.”

Pedro tilts your head and brushes his mouth against yours. He presses his forehead against yours as he cups your cheek.

“I love you Y/N.”

Your heart quickens.

Pedro continues, “all I want is you, all I need is you. Mi amor.”

You watch him lift a blanket and pull out a Tiffany Blue box.

This better not be, you think as your mind flashes with pictures of engagement rings.

You weren’t ready for this again. You and Pedro weren’t ready to take this gigantic leap. You look at him. Could he though?

Pedro holds the box in his hands. “Open it.”

“Pedro,” your voice squeaks, “if this is a ring—”

Pedro presses his lips against your temple. “It’s not but now…”

“Pedro please don’t joke.”

He smiles, “open it.”

You take the box from his hands and place it in your lap. You untie the silk white bow and take off the lid. You turn the box over and out slides a black velvet box.

“Pedro,” you whisper as you open the black velvet box.      

Inside is a heart shaped pendant with an olive branch design in sterling silver on a same color chain.

“It’s beautiful,” you whisper as you touch the necklace.

Pedro grabs the piece of jewelry gently, taking it out of its home and unhooks it. He brings it around your neck – its new and forever home.

“I saw this and knew I had to give it to you,” Pedro whispers as he clasps the chain together and kisses the side of your neck. “Olive branch signifies peace and abundance. You’ve told me I am your calm, your peace. My love for you will always be bountiful.”

Your fingers reach for the necklace. You touch it lightly as Pedro stands up.

He holds his hand out for you and wiggles his fingers.

You look up at him and smile.

Once on your feet, Pedro pulls you into his arms and the tune over the speakers becomes familiar to your ears.

The piano and cello complimenting one another as they make a lovely sound.

Pedro begins singing along with the music, “wise men say only fools rush in, but I can’t help falling in love with you.”

Your heart melts instantaneously. You know in this precise moment you are in love with this man.

“Would it be a sin, if I can’t help falling in love with you,” Pedro continues to sing.

This is the song Pedro asked you to dance to at Kendrick’s Christmas party. It was the same one he had the pianist play on your first date.

“Like a river flows surely to the sea. Darling so it goes, some things are meant to be,” Pedro grabs your hand and places it over his heart, “so take my hand, take my whole life too. For I can’t help falling in love with you.”

Tears spring to your eyes. Yes, you are in love. Your heart is calm, you are at peace. You reach up and touch his cheek.

“Some things are meant to be,” you sing in a weak voice.

Pedro smiles at you.

“Take my hand, take my whole life too. For I can’t help falling in love with you,” you sing to him.

“For I can’t help falling in love with you,” Pedro and you sing in unison.

When the music ends, you look at Pedro and touch his cheek, “I love you Pedro.”

“I love you Y/N,” Pedro whispers before crushing his mouth against yours, kissing you feverishly.

Pedro’s heart soars inside of his chest. He has found the one. You.

He knew you were the answer when he first laid his coffee colored eyes on your all those months ago.

Pedro runs his hands down the open back of your dress. His fingers find the zipper and they begin to move it slowly down. Pedro moves his fingers up and pulls down the straps of your dress, which fall freely down your arms.

Pedro faintly pulls away as his fingers run along the collar of your dress. He pulls down the material, pushes it slowly down your chest, revealing you have no bra on.

Pedro moans as he leans down and nuzzles your neck.

You suck in a breath as your fingers reach up and move through his soft hair. His feather light touches are driving you insane. You’re already on fire and he’s adding to the flame.

“Pedro,” you moan.

“Y/N,” Pedro whispers as his fingers reach up and touch the necklace he placed around your neck minutes before, “this is the only thing I want you to wear tonight when I claim you.”

You nod as your hands move up his chest, your fingers touch his bowtie. You reach under the collar of his shirt and unhook it, tossing it to the floor. You begin to slowly unbutton the white button-top he’s wearing.

Pedro keeps you pulled close to him. His fingers running up and down your back as your fingers finally unbutton the last button. Pedro sucks in a breath as your hands travel up his soft stomach and over his chest.

“Y/N,” Pedro whispers as he kisses your temple.

Your hands reach his shoulders. You push the jacket and top off Pedro’s body together. Your hands return to his shoulders and you let your fingers drum against his skin lightly down to the base of his neck. You move your fingers up his long neck and along his jawline.

Pedro pushes your dress further down your body. The dress falls slowly to the floor, pooling around your feet.

His fingers run down your chest, through the valley between your breasts and down your stomach. They trace the waistband of your panties. Pedro palms your core.

“Pedro,” you let out in a soft gasping moan.

Pedro pulls you up against him and runs a hand down your back and over your ass. You are his now and forever.

“Y/N,” Pedro whispers against your ear. “Eres mia, mi amor.”

You smile as you rest your head against his chest. “Eres mio Pedro.”

You and Pedro stand wrapped in one another for a few minutes before you move your hands down his back. Your own fingers trace the waistband of his pants. They unbutton and unzip the material with ease.

Pedro hisses as your hand reaches in and begins stroking his cock.

You moan as you feel his cock harden at your touch.

You use your free hand to push down his clothing. Once his pants are around his hips, you kiss Pedro at the base of his neck then move your mouth down his chest and stomach.

You settle comfortably on your knees as you use your tongue to lick up and down his length then swirl your tongue around the tip.

“Yes,” Pedro grounds out as he runs his fingers through your hair.

You engulf his cock slowly into your mouth, inch by inch. You use your tongue to swirl around the girth of his cock. You moan as it hits the back of your throat.

“Oh—mmm,” Pedro moans as he feels your hand reach up and cup his balls.

His hands try to hold your head steady as you begin moving up and down his cock. Pedro’s orgasm is rising inside of him as he tilts his head back, savoring the way your mouth feels on him.

“Fu—Y/N—mmm—oh—yes,” Pedro pants out as you continue lathering his cock with your saliva.

You move your head up his length and your tongue swirls around the tip fast then slowly.

“I—mmm—let me—mmm—return the favor,” Pedro moans as he places a hand under your chin, making you look up at him.

You release his cock from your mouth, staying on your knees.  You move back on the blankets, lying down on them. You kick off your shoes as you watch Pedro push his pants and underwear down.

Pedro kicks his shoes off as he takes in your naked body on the floor.

Mine, is all he thinks as he takes in your glowing skin, your steady pulse at the base of your neck. The necklace laying on your upper chest.

Pedro moves your dress out of the way as he kneels between your open legs. He kisses his way up your stomach, moving his mouth between the valley of your breasts. He flicks one nipple with his tongue, then the other.

He moves up your chest and kisses you along the base of your neck. He reaches up and cups your cheek as he brushes his mouth against yours.

You smile as you pull faintly away. You reach up and trace his mouth with your fingers.

Mine, is all you think as you look deeply into his coffee colored eyes.

You two stare into each other’s eyes. The moment is intimate. Both of you smile as you both know you love one another. All there is in this moment, and for the rest of your days, is each other and the love you have for one another.

You move your fingers along his cheeks and jawline. You reach up and weave them through his hair. You will never tire of him. Never.

Pedro captures your mouth as he smiles. He sees the love in your eyes. He sees the woman he fell in love, the woman he loves.

He roams a hand down your body and palms your core. He moans as he finds you hot and wet. Pedro slips in a finger, glides a finger over your clit.

“Pedro,” you moan as his finger touches your sensitive nub.

Pedro kisses his way back down your body. He moves his mouth over your skin, making sure he glides his cheeks over your skin as well so you can feel more pleasure from the light fuzz on them.

You suck in a breath as your fingers remain threaded in his hair as he moves his mouth further down your body.

Pedro slides his fingers over your folds as he places his head against one of your inner thighs. He looks up at you and you already have your eyes on him.

Pedro grazes his cheek against your inner thigh before he dips his head and begins circling your clit with his tongue.

Your toes instantly curl at the contact and you moan out, “Pedro.”

Your body’s been in overdrive since Pedro told you he loved you. His kisses, his touches along with him gliding his fuzzy hair jawline and cheeks across your flesh has set your pleasure sensors off. They were craving more; you were craving more. You craved him above everything, and everyone else.

Your orgasm crests inside of you as Pedro’s tongue moves against your clit. The pleasure inside of you is at maximum speed and you know it’s only a matter of minutes.

“Ped—Pedro,” you moan as you release one hand from the blankets and weave them through his hair.

You moan loudly as your orgasm crashes throughout you. Your toes curl again, and your hands clasp the blanket as Pedro lightly flicks your clit as the aftershocks of your orgasm make your body tremble.

“Pedro,” you pant as you feel him kiss both of your inner thighs before moving back up your body.

“Y/N,” Pedro whispers as mouth moves across your skin slowly. He wants to savor the aftershocks of the orgasm he gave you rolling through your body.

You reach up and run your fingers through his chestnut brown hair as you catch your breath. Your eyes locked onto his as he moves his mouth up your chest through the valley between your breasts.

Pedro grabs one of your hands and brings your wrist to his lips.

You moan at feeling his mustache tickle your skin.

“Mi amor,” Pedro whispers as he looks into your Y/E/C eyes.

“My love,” you smile at him.

You and Pedro drink in one another.

Your hands travel up his stomach and chest then around to his back. Your fingers moving lightly across his warm flesh.

Pedro sucks in a breath as he leans down and nuzzles your neck.

You pull him close to your body then bring his mouth to yours, not caring about tasting yourself on his lips. You take the advantage to push him onto his back.

Pedro moans as you pull away and straddled him.

He reaches up with a hand. Strokes your cheek, moves his fingers down your neck. He touches the necklace then moves his hand down your chest and over your stomach.

“Hermosa Y/N,” Pedro whispers.

You blush as you lean down and nip at his neck, “and I’m all yours Pedro.”

Pedro places his hands on your hips and squeezes gently, “yes you are.”

You smile as you reach back and find his hard cock. You keep your hand at the base as you rise your hips then slowly sink your pussy onto his length.

“Y/N,” Pedro hisses at finally being inside of your slick canal.

You moan loudly as you begin rolling your hips once you feel Pedro’s cock entirely inside of you. You close your eyes as you move your hands up and down his chest and stomach.

Pedro begins thrusting up into you, meeting the rolling of your hips, matching your rhythm as his orgasm rises inside of him. His hands remain on your hips as he takes you in with his eyes.

He burns this moment to his mind. Your beautifully naked body riding him as the necklace he gave you glimmers in the candlelight. Your Y/H/C hair falling around your face as you tilt your head back and bite your lip as his cock inside of your depths gives you pleasure.

He has burned the whole night into his mind. He doesn’t ever want to forget this night, doesn’t ever want to forget the moment when you uttered ‘I love you’ to him. He doesn’t want to forget how much he loves you, doesn’t want you to forget he loves you as much as you love him – possibly more.

Pedro knows if things were to fizzle out, or if hell decided to come for you in any form, he’d battle whoever and whatever to get you back, to get you to stay. He had dived deep, like you had, into the deepest ravine and knew there was no chance of ever escaping.

“Pedro,” you moan as your fingers tighten against Pedro’s chest because another orgasm is cresting inside of you rapidly.

“Y/N,” Pedro moans as his fingers tighten on your hips.

You open your eyes and look down at him. You roll your hips and moan loudly as your second orgasm jumps off the cliff it had approached.

“Fu—,” you can’t complete the word as your orgasm makes your body tremble.

Pedro sits up and gathers you in his arms as he thrusts up into you and explodes, emptying himself inside of you.

You’re breathless as you loop your arms around Pedro’s neck and lean down to nuzzle his neck. You feel your pussy clench around his cock as he cums inside of you.

“Y/N,” Pedro pants as he brushes some of your hair aside and nips at your neck.

Your emotions are high. Your pleasure is high.

Pedro Pascal is your drug. You never want to come down from the highs he’s given, will continue to give.

Pedro wraps his arms around you and pulls you against him. He lies back against the blankets and holds you in his arms. His fingers travel down your back then up into your hair.

“There’s nobody like you Pedro. Will never be nobody but you,” you whisper against his neck.

“You are my one Y/N. My one and only. There is nobody but you.” Pedro whispers.

You move to your side, keeping your head in the crook of his neck. Your hand travels down his chest as Pedro grabs a free blanket and covers you both.

Pedro turns his head and looks at you. “Will you come to Brazil with me?”

You smile, knowing this was the one true question he wanted to ask you tonight. You know you can go; you want to go.

You brush your lips against his, whispering, “yes.”

Unconditionally Tags: @holyground1996, @bonkybaaarnes, @blushingwueen, @dindjarinshelmet​, @stand-on-your-feet

Pedro Tags: @pascalisthepunkest, @kaelyn-lobrutto24, @jokersdoll, @knight-of-heart44, @mandadl0rian, @cosmo-bear, @caitlincat-95, @random066, @longitud-de-onda, @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead, @earl-01

[zoppzoop]

3 and 27:))

Hello ma'am! Ily and imy!!!! I hope you're doing good!!

03: Do you regret anything?

Seriously speaking, not getting studying done sooner because of procrastination. And also not having talked to my parents about architecture sooner. I literally started thinking about it seriously day before yesterday after talking to mom and dad. But ehh i just gotta study hared now.

And non-seriously, not taking the chance and going to the stationery with dad to buy stuff lmao

I went with mom and got just one fineliner pen.

27: Have you ever broken someone’s heart?

Tbh yes and twice. Or maybe thrice? Four times??? idk if one of them was a hearbreak or actually just a prank.

Anyways buckle the fuck up we're in for a story time and this is gonna be a stupid ride

Okay, first the 'prank' (now that i think about it it was definitely not a prank). i was in the 7th grade and this one dude from my class came up to me while i was boarding the bus to go home and handed me a piece of paper. And im here confused as to what the f u c k? The dude was kinda like in the competition for the top rank in class (we were very competetive, there were like 5 of us) so i was just confused. I got in the bus and opened the paper. And it had a bunch of stuffs that i dint bother reading because the first thing my eyes landed on was 'will you be the annabeth to my percy?' And (yes i was a huge pjo fan that the time) i got out of the bus and literally yote the paper in the trash (cruel, yes i know. But listen. The dude used to tease me by literally shipping me with another classmate (thats also another story) and GOD that was so fucking ａｎｎｏｙｉｎｇso yes i was angry. And i legit didnt like any of the people in my class. All of them were just,,,, nah. Sobyea next day he asked me 'so?' And i said ',,,so what??' And he's like 'whats your reply?' And i straight up said 'uh i threw the paper' and he just turned around and left.

And then we became enemies-ish and literally fought hand-to-hand once (i was kicking so hand to foot i guess?) But ye that happened. And then a bunch of more stuff happened and by the time my dad was gonna get a promotional transfer to another place half the class became like one big group of friends and we became pretty good friends in the end.

Now lets talk about the dude who i got shipped with. I got teased for a whole year and like we were all pretty good friends right? So i didnt mind it in the beginning but then it got too overwhelming in the middle and it literally made me hate every single one of them. But then it got subdued and we decided we'll maybe date? And we didnt exactly say that out loud but he used to walk me to my bus (okay so the bus system at my old schoom was like a few buses were inside the campus and a few were outside. His was inside and mine out, so he used to walk me there. And then one day he said lets hold hands (and we did it was cute and we held hands and walked to my bus for like 2-3 days but then had to stop bc people started teasing us, we didnt end it on bitter terms btw. He used to have like taekwondo practice int he last period and we usually had english then so while going to the buses i used to give him my notes for the day.)

And like a few days later we realised that sure this is nice but he was gonna move schools soon and i legit wasnt that interested in relationships at the time so we 'ended' whatever that was. And on his last day when he dropped me off to my bus he asked me if i had a phone so we could keep in touch and i didnt have it so i said no and he was like 'hmm okay, bye take care' and left. And then his best friend stayed behind and jokingly said 'ah you broke his heart'

Yea okay two down two to go.

Third dude was in my bus and in my class and the friend group which was made up of half the class and wow i feel bad about everything w/ everyone now lmao

Anyways this was in 8th grade. So we were pretty good friends because we were in the same bus and class for the past 3 years now and considering my dad's profession thats a long time in the same place (its usually just one year) and ye so we were pretty close. Everyone in the bus used to olay team up games like charades and stuff

(ah shit i remember a fifth one in the colony damn i hate this)

Anyways number three, so we used to talk a lot. I'd gotten instagram by this time for art stuff so we talked there a lot. Like we sent each other memes and he got my weird and cursed meme shit and also got into anime and bts a bit to understand what the fuck i was saying. And he used to get teased because middle schoolers and junior highschoolers are stupid kids in those terms so ye there was a lot of teasibg which i tried to instantly shoot down because i didnt want a 7th grade repeat when there were chances of dad getting transfered soon coz i want good memories of the place y'know? So ye that happened. And i found out last year (in 11th grade and after dad got the transfer (i started 10th grade after the transfer) and apparently he got teased because he did actually like me and me shooting all that stuff down was literally just a rejection itself so that happened.

And number 4 was a similar thing but way more stressy because last year some random dude hit me up on Instagram and im here confused as to what the fuck? Ｗｈｏｍｓｔ？ and he says he's a friend of the first dude, second dude and the fourth dude (all of them are in the same coaching institute and 1,2 and 4 were also in my class in the past right. They were 3 of the 5 who were in the competition for top rank) and he legit says he wants to talk to the girl that two of his friends fought over and i'm like sir WHAT the Actual ＦＵＣＫ. because in the begining they were good friends in class right? And they had some unknown falling out and im like bitch literally WHAT the FUCK. So he brings up proof and shut because i didnt believe him and fuck off he also broght in another classmate who knew and im here losing my mind because the actual fuck you motherfuckers. Anyways apparently since i didnt like 4 back, he had his heart broken so eh. It was literally a 4 year old thing which those idiots were fighting over even now like dude the hell???

So ye that happened and a whole gc was made and shit was solved and cleared out blah blah freindship rebuilt yadda yadda bullcrap i got so tired by now that i literally am still kinda ignoring everyone rn. (half the reason why i deleted ig was because its distracting and half bc i wanna ignore them all lmao)

Anyways number 5 was in my colony and also in my bus when he used to go to the same school (he shifted to a boarding school later bc some stuff happened w his dad which is a whole another wild thing) and ooh he was also my neighbor! We used to go and play badminton in the clubhouse (literally all the kids of our age group and older used to go there. And after badminton when it was like 7:30 or 8 we used to just sit around in a circle and play truth or dare or red hands or kabbadi or literally anything we could think of. Fun times ngl.) So ye he was on a trip home on a long weekend i think and we ended up cycling around the colony, just us two hanging out. And we were talking and this one girl who he told me was his crush when he was still in school came up and he then told me that that was actually a codename thing he and his friend created and that was their codename for me and he also said he was over it now and i was just there completely shook because i honestly thought he hated me in the middle somewhere lmao. And he said he was just annoyed because another mutual friend of ours in the colony told him that i had a crush on this other guy like one house away from mine (my best friends house was in the middle lmao) (anyways that mutual frined the traitorous mf i truStEd her (actually i'd already confessed to the dude and got turned down i legit wasnt even that invested so it wasnt a big deal. I just wanted to kinda get done with this crush thing once and for all. He turned me down politely. He's a sweet guy he used to be there i the club after i was done with my coaching stuff around 7:30 and then us two played till like 9. It was nice) so ye he told me about his crush on me which lasted a few months??? and that he was over it and i also told him that i'd gotten the rejection from my crush a loooong time ago and he's like huh cool. and ye we kept cycling and talking ab more random stuff till it was time to head home .

ｗｈｅｗ ANYWAYS THERE WAS A LOT TO UNPACK HERE. Anyways- sjdvskdb thanks for the ask this was a wild ride down memory lane. I didnt even remember half the shit till it came down to it.

[twonewkidsonesouthpark]

Birthday fic for Buttlord

So, day late, dollar short, but cut me some slack I have TWO birthdays to celebrate the 28th and I’ve been out for the past 12 hours doing so XD

Happy birthday @justcallmebuttlord​, have some cute twin bday fic ^^

“Happy birthday to you,”

“Happy birthday to you,”

“Happy birthday dear Lynnie,”/“Happy birthday dear Lyssie,”

“Happy birthday to us.”

--

Alyssa and Lynnea Ostenmeyer could be forgiven for being confused when they walked downstairs to a veritable feast waiting for them for breakfast. They glanced at each other, identical confusion in their eyes. Finally, Alyssa shrugged, making for the table to sit down. This was hardly the weirdest thing that had happened since the ill-fated ‘hero’ game. With their father having taken up cooking instead of pot brownies, they had a lot better meals (with a lot less drugs slipped into their meatloaf).

“Good morning girls!” Kelly sing-songed, coming into the kitchen.

“Morning mom,” Lynn replied, glancing at Alyssa, Did we slip into an alternate timeline in our sleep or something?

Alyssa shrugged, face clearly as confused as Lynnea felt. Both of them were distracted as two piled high stacks of pancakes were set down in front of them.

“We forgot to tell you, we’re having the house cleaned today, so you’ll have to spend the day out,” Chris said from the counter, cracking a couple of eggs into a bowl of batter, “Hope you don’t mind!”

So, same thing we do every weekend, then? Alyssa took a bite of bacon.

Kelly and Chris shared an indecipherable glance over their heads, “Well, once you’re done with breakfast, get dressed and head out. We’ll message the two of you when it’s all done, okay?”

-

“That was weird, right?” Lynnea asked as they stepped down off their front porch steps, “Like, that wasn’t just me?”

Alyssa shook her head. No, definitely weird. Mom and dad are up to something.

“...you don’t think we have to move again, do you?” Lynnea asked, voice suddenly taking on a panicked edge, “I thought we’d been taking care of the government guys so they wouldn’t notice.”

No, I don’t think so at least, Alyssa cocked her head to the side. It was enough to get Lynn to relax as they headed down the street.

“Wanna see if the guys are busy?” Lynn asked, not waiting before heading across the front yard to Butters’ house and knocking on the door.

Both twins were grateful that it was Mrs. Stotch who opened the door, “Oh! Hello there you two,” she greeted, “I’m afraid Butters is --” Please don’t say grounded, “--n’t home right now.”

“Oh, that’s alright,” Lynn said, hopping down the steps, “He’s probably at Cartman’s if he’s not here.”

Alyssa nodded, leading the trudge through the snow this time to the next house down, “Hello Dee, Lynnea. I’m sorry, but Eric’s gone out already.”

Curiouser and curiouser, Alyssa thought, nodding and going back down the driveway to meet Lynn.

“Cartman too?” She asked, surprised. Alyssa nodded, “Kyle and Stan’s, maybe?”

Alyssa frowned slightly, but nodded, following her sister down the street.

“Okay, what the fuck,” Lynnea asked emphatically as Mrs. McCormick shut the door, “Is going on today? Butters, Cartman, Kyle, Stan, AND Kenny are all out?”

Can’t get ahold of Clyde’s gang either, Alyssa turned her phone screen toward Lynnea, showing unanswered messages to Clyde, Token, Tweek, and Craig.

“Tricia, Karen, and Ike aren’t answering me, either,” Lynn said, frowning at her phone, “Well… alright, fuck the boys too, they can do whatever it is they’re doing without us. Feel like hanging out with Wendy?”

Wendy’s always cool, Alyssa nodded, watching as her twin’s fingers flew over her phone keyboard, then pause.

“Wendy’s busy too,” she said, “And she went offline after I messaged, what the heck? Since when does Wendy Testaburger go radio silent?”

Ooookay this is officially donkey balls levels of weird, Alyssa frowned, looking at her friends list. Their usual gang of miscreants was all offline… or invisible, she wasn’t sure which.

“This blows,” Lynn muttered. They had relocated to the park, with Lynn peeking into the girls room to see if there’d been a meeting today she didn’t know about in the Sunshine Sparkle Club, but they’d found it empty. So now, they sat on the swings in sullen, confused silence.

Fuck ‘em, Alyssa reached over to squeeze Lynn’s hand, Not the first time we’ve gotten by alone. We don’t need those cock guzzling taint munchers anyway.

Lynn squeezed back, her grip noticeably weaker, as she continued to scroll through her phone. Alyssa rolled her eyes, and grabbed the phone with her free hand, “Hey!”

No more phone for you, you’re just getting upset.

“At least give it back so I can play something while we wait,” Lynn pouted. Alyssa gave her a flat, disbelieving look, “I won’t even open facebook or instagram, okay?”

Uh huh, Alyssa didn’t believe THAT line for a second, but she handed Lynn her phone back. Probably a wise choice, given that it was nearly another two hours before their phones simultaneously ‘pinged’ with messages from either parent that it was time to come home now.

“I’m half tempted not to,” Lynn admitted, skipping a rock across the top of the pond, “But they’d probably just come looking for us like the time we got lost in the forest.”

Given that they discovered that the forest was full of non-linear paths, satanic fauna, and aggressive wolves. Alyssa wasn’t necessarily complaining about THAT particular rescue. But the two of them threw the last of their gathered pebbles skittering across the top of the water’s half-frozen surface before heading back to their street, and past the bus stop back to their home.

Lynnea got to the door first, skipping over all the icy bits of the walkway up the stairs, and stomping her boots free of dirty snow on the mat before shoving the door open and --

“SURPRISE!”

Alyssa isn’t sure which of them react first -- either way, they both had the SAME reaction; time freezes, suspended with the smell that could burn hair off anyone too close by. It was probably a good thing that they were both immune -- sort of -- by now to their particular brand of… superpower.

“Wha -- oh my god,” Lynnea said, as they surveyed the scene that they had just ripped one on, “Oh my god. It’s our birthday.”

...fuck me running, it is, Alyssa realized, looking around the living room.A banner hung above the kitchen doorway reading HAPPY BIRTHDAY in vibrant letters, a veritable mountain of presents below it on the table. It looked like EVERY kid their parents had ever seen them so much as look at for more than a few seconds was in there.

There was a sniffle from beside her, and Alyssa looked over to see Lynn tearing up, “Wh -- whoa, hey, what’s with the waterworks?” she asked, safe to speak with no one to hear her but her twin.

“We -- we’ve never celebrated it before,” Lynn hiccuped, wiping at her eyes.

Alyssa didn’t have time to say much else -- she could feel the air straining around them, like a rubber band about to snap. It was always disconcerting to snap back into place as time began to flow forward again, even if she hadn’t really moved all that much.

“Aw, dude, c’mon!” Stan said, waving a hand over his nose as, with time unfreezing, the smell of using their powers hit the rest of the party as well. Alyssa shrugged at him, scooting around the gaggle of girls that had surrounded Lynnea the moment they’d noticed the burgeoning waterworks, Motherfucker you all should know what happens when you surprise us, you’re lucky you didn’t get hit and we were still out on the step. Now one of you want to explain the fresh FUCK is happening here?

“Your parents invited all of us over,” Kyle expounded without much more prompting than her raised eyebrow.

“Why didn’t you two ever tell us when your birthday is?” Stan asks, which gets him a look, “Okay, why didn’t LYNN tell us when your birthday is, wise ass?”

Alyssa shrugged, You never asked.

“Lame excuse man,” Kenny said, “Wendy had to dig this shit up and suggest the party to your parents.”

And depending on how this goes, I owe that girl SO many cookies, or a punch in the face, Alyssa glanced over the boys’ heads, at the gaggle of girls surrounding her sister, who looked a lot less wet-eyed now, laughing and accepting gentle scoldings for likely the same thing the boys were digging at her about. Wendy caught her looking and grinned unapologetically, ...maybe cookies AND a punch in the face, she amended privately.

“Whatever, not like it’s a big deal anyway,” Cartman grumped, distracting her from Wendy and her smug ass grinning, “No kewl party has girls at it.”

“Dude. They’re twins. And Lynn’s a girl,” Craig deadpanned.

“Y-yeah, it’s b-both their parties, of c-course the girls are gonna be here,” Tweek said.

Cartman huffed, “Whatever. I’m gonna be over HERE, NOT getting cooties,” he said, shuffling off to the other side of the room.

“Ignore him,” Kyle said, rolling his eyes, “He’s just bitter that you two get more presents.”

“And that people actually want to give you presents that aren’t off an itemized list,” Kenny snickered.

Alyssa raised a brow, Okay, gonna have to fill me in on that one --

“Who wants to break the pinata?” Chris called from the direction of the backdoor.

--after I beat a paper mache donkey to death, move it assholes.

[alarawriting]

Inktober 2020 #17: Storm

Iris was laughing as she got in the car. “Weather reports say it’s gonna be a big one!”

Caitlyn had just met this woman. This was a ridiculous idea. Chasing a violent thunderstorm had to be the dumbest idea any human ever had, surpassed only by chasing tornados, which apparently Iris also did when she was further west. There was no way in which it was a good idea to get into the passenger seat of the car.

Caitlyn slid into the passenger seat. “Just so you know, I feel like this is probably a dumb idea.”

“Of course it’s a dumb idea!” Iris started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. “Humanity only progresses by having dumb ideas!”

Her laughter, her cheer, was infectious. Iris was nearly six feet tall and easily two hundred eighty pounds, her hair buzzed short and her arms tattooed. She was everything Caitlyn’s mother would have told her to be wary of. She was also sunlight in human form. Her force of personality was blinding, overwhelming, but warm, and it lit up the world.

On the interstate, the miles per hour crossed the 55 line and continued to go up. “Where are we going?” Caitlyn asked. “I mean, yeah, a thunderstorm, but physically where?”

“We’re going south to intercept it. Probably hit it near the Maryland border, so we’ll take the bypass to the wild side of Delaware and follow it down on local roads.”

“This is crazy. You know that, right? It’s just a storm.”

“They’re never just storms, Caity.” Caitlyn could have gone a long time not knowing how Iris was spelling that, but unfortunately, Iris had addressed her by name in the text she’d sent to provide her number and email address. “Storms can kill people. They don’t have to be hurricanes. They knock down trees, they take out the power, they cause accidents. So I hunt them down.”

“That… really doesn’t make any sense.”

“Oh, you’ll see! It’ll be fun, I haven’t had a friend along on one of these trips in a year!”

Iris cut off a tractor trailer, causing the bellow of an air horn behind them. Small wonder no one wanted to go with her. “What happened with the last friend?”

“We broke up. She thought I was reckless! Can you imagine?” The smile Iris briefly flashed at Caitlyn before turning back to the road knew exactly why her ex thought her reckless, and was self-mocking about it.

“No, I can’t imagine it,” Caitlyn said, deadpan.

“But you know I’m reckless and you got in the car with me anyway, so if sometime in the future you say to me, ‘you’re too reckless’, I can say, ‘you knew that about me on the first date.’”

“This is a date?”

Iris’s laughter this time was almost a bark. “Pretty sure it must be! You’re not in love with storm chasing and you don’t like the way I drive, so you must have gotten in the car on the strength of my beauty and charisma, or something.”

“Something,” Caitlyn agreed, though in fact that was exactly why she got in the car. There was no way Iris could be considered beautiful by airbrushed Hollywood standards, but Caitlyn had always thought those women seemed somehow plastic, unreal, and now she knew why. Iris was realer than real, larger than life, and since they’d met and started talking at the mixer less than an hour ago, she’d known she was willing to get in Iris’s car and go anywhere. Including to Maryland to find a thunderstorm.

“You must be looking to add some chaos and recklessness to your life. Every woman who gets in my car is looking for that, or they wouldn’t get in the car.”

“How many women have gotten in your car like that?” Caitlyn asked, somewhat taken aback.

“Oh, only three.” Iris wove in and out of a wolfpack of cars. “Four, now, counting you. I don’t exactly run around luring all the women in with my siren song.” She laughed. “How about you, any ex-girlfriends? Or boyfriends, I don’t judge.”

“One boyfriend when I was fifteen, back before I knew I was a lesbian. One girlfriend. We were together for ten years.”

“Oh no! What happened?”

Caitlyn shrugged. “She thought I was boring. And not very good in bed. She wasn’t rude enough to say it in those words, but I can read between the lines.” Strange; Caitlyn hadn’t told anyone else that, and would normally have thought it oversharing. She wasn’t entirely sure why she was telling Iris, now. It didn’t seem like a great idea to warn a woman you were interested in that your last girlfriend thought you were boring in bed.

“Well, my philosophy is, if your girlfriend is bad in bed, it’s usually because you’re a lousy communicator and you never told her what you wanted, or else you’re a picky picky princess and you have a very narrow range of tolerance for what you like. At least, if she’s a cool human being in the first place, which you seem like you probably are.”

“No, it – she was wilder than me, and she wanted more than I could give.”

“Then it just sounds like you were incompatible,” Iris declared.

She glanced down at her tablet. “Huh. It’s changing course. We’re going to take the highway all the way down, Caity, be faster that way. I think we’ll be able to intersect it at Delaware House.”

“At where?”

“It’s a rest stop on I-95 near the Maryland border. I’m gonna need somewhere to pull over and it’s not a great idea to do that on the highway itself if you have any choice in the matter.”

“What’re you going to do when you catch it?” Caitlyn asked.

“I’m gonna punch it in the nose!” Iris laughed.

Caitlyn chuckled. “Okay, but seriously. You take pictures of them? Do you send them to NOAA or something? What do you do when you catch the storm you’re chasing?”

“You’ll see!”

***

An hour later and they were inside the storm, according to Iris’ tablet, which was set to a live feed of satellite imaging from weather.com or someplace. They’d just crossed the Delaware Memorial Bridge, and it was raining hard. The tablet said it was eleven minutes to Delaware House, but that was probably assuming normal highway speed, and despite the rain, Iris was still driving at least 75 miles an hour.

“So you wanna get some food or something after we’re done here? Delaware House has a Popeye’s, we could get fried chicken.”

“Sure, why not.” Caitlyn had spent the past hour talking about herself, which was weird, because usually she was quiet and would hang back in any conversation, and she usually preferred to listen rather than talk. And you’d think Iris’ boisterousness would make it so she’d always be the one talking, but in fact she’d said almost nothing about herself. She’d talked a lot, but mostly questions for Caitlyn, who’d found herself as a result telling Iris her entire life story. “Maybe you can tell me some things about yourself. I feel like I’ve been talking and talking. You must be sick of hearing my voice.”

“I would never get sick of that voice, Caity. You have a lovely voice.”

“Most people don’t think so. They think I’m quiet and monotonous. Or, sometimes, loud and monotonous.”

“Some people have no grasp of subtlety,” Iris said. “Oh, good, the timing’s perfect. Looks like the center of the storm’s going to be passing over here in minutes. If I speed up just a little, we should get to Delaware House in time.”

“Why is the center of the storm so important? Does it look any different than the rest of the storm?”

“Not to most people,” Iris said cryptically, and leaned forward like a race car driver, her foot presumably turning into a block of lead from how the car sped up.

“Uh, aren’t you worried about hydroplaning?” Caitlyn yelled over the sound of the engine revving as they accelerated.

“Water knows better than to do that to me!” Iris yelled back, grinning.

“No, but seriously--!”

“Don’t worry about it, I’ve got the car under control!”

Caitlyn held onto the handle above the car door, awkwardly – it really wasn’t positioned well to be a safety handle – as Iris raced through the storm, only slowing down when she reached Delaware House. She coasted onto the left-side exit and allowed momentum to carry her to the parking lot, only braking once she was there.

As she pulled into a parking spot in the back, she said, “I don’t know if you wanna stay in the car or come out with me, but you can do whatever you like. I gotta get a move on, though, the storm center’s almost here.”

“I’ll stay in the car for now,” Caitlyn said, wondering if all of this was a terrible mistake. Maybe Iris was right and she was looking to add some recklessness and chaos to her life, but maybe this was too much.

“Okay.” Iris got out of the car, and looked up at the sky. The rain was coming down in sheets so thick, it was hard for Caitlyn to actually see her through it – she was a blob of color, not a clear human shape. But she heard Iris’ voice with surprising clarity.

“OKAY, MOTHERFUCKER! IT’S ON, NOW!”

What.

“COME ON, YOU LITTLE PISS TRICKLE! YOU CALL THIS RAIN, MY MOMMA DUMPED MORE WATER DOWN MY THROAT WHEN SHE GAVE ME A SIPPY CUP TO DRINK FROM! GET OVER HERE, YOU COWARD, AND FACE ME!”

The wind moaned, making the car creak.

“YEAH? YOU WANNA SAY THAT TO MY FACE, YOU DUMB SHIT? COME ON! LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!”

And then, as Caitlyn stared in absolute shock, Iris punched the sky… and the sky reeled, the clouds parting for a bare moment, before thunder rolled and lightning slammed down, hitting a nearby tree.

“YOUR AIM’S WORSE THAN A BLIND GRANDMA THROWING A DISHRAG! THINK YOU CAN HIT ME? COME AT ME, FUCKER!” Iris punched the clouds again – impossibly, because they were however many thousands of feet in the air and she was here on the ground, but the clouds roiled as if they’d been struck. Then she went to the ground, rolling, and came up to a sitting position next to an oversized pickup truck. Lightning struck the truck, and Iris sprang up and swung her fists at the sky again, her body language suggesting that she was putting all of her body’s force into the punches, and meeting resistance. One, two, three punches, and a gap opened in the clouds and stayed that way. Lightning came down again and hit a tree in the picnic area.

“OH, YEAH! GOTCHA ON THE ROPES NOW! GIVE IT UP, YOU SUMBITCH, IT’S ALL OVER FOR YOU!”

She swung her left arm out in a blocking gesture. A moment later, lightning struck inches away from the arm. Iris followed up with multiple punches, clearing more of the sky. The rain had significantly diminished, making it much easier to see what she was doing. “GET OUT OF MY GODDAMN SKY, MOFO! DID I GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO BE HERE? WELL, DID I, DIPSHIT?” More punches, more clear sky. Another lightning strike, and an increase in the wind, blowing hard enough that the car actually rocked in it. And then Iris swung her arm out against the wind, and it dissipated. “THAT’S RIGHT, YOU LITTLE SHIT CREEK, WHO’S YOUR MAMA? WHO’S YOUR MAMA? I’M THE GODDAMN MOTHERFUCKING RAINBOW, KIDDO, NOW GET BACK TO YOUR FUCKING PLAYPEN AND DRINK YOUR BABA!”

There was, in fact, a rainbow glittering in the sky, as the storm turned to mist.

Iris pulled the car door open. She was completely drenched. “Well, I kicked that thing’s ass,” she reported gleefully. “You up for fried chicken?”

“How – how did you –”

“Hon. You are the Greek mythology expert. How do you think? I said I was the goddamn rainbow, and I know you heard me, right?” She grinned widely.

“Iris was the goddess of the rainbow, and messenger of the gods,” Caitlyn said, mechanically, “but there was nothing in mythology about her fighting storms.”

“That’s because the Greeks were a bunch of patriarchal assholes. They saw Zeus throw some lightning bolts around one time and decided he was the god of storms. Never thought about the fact that rainbows come out after a storm’s over, did they?” She took a step back from the car and shook herself, like a dog, sending raindrops flying everywhere. “So. Do I drive you home now or do we go get fried chicken?”

Caitlyn took a deep breath. “Fried chicken. I have so many questions.”

“And I’ve got so many answers, so this will work out great!”

The storm had turned into nothing but a misty drizzle. Caitlyn got out of the car and followed Iris toward the glassed-in building that was Delaware House.

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

While this is far from the only story idea of mine inspired by it, I definitely do have to credit “Fear for the Storm” by Jessica Best, from the podcast series “Starship Iris”, for inspiring this story. Also the Holly Near song “How Bold”, but with a happier outcome.