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helloalycia · 10 months

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𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐀𝐃𝐌𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐑 [𝐓𝐖𝐎] // 𝐋𝐔𝐂𝐘 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐘 𝐁𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐃

summary: as Lucy Gray begins to spend more time with you, you wonder if it's only because of obligation or if she actually wants to spend time with you.

warning/s: mentions of cheating.

author's note: just wanna say that i really appreciate reading everyone’s thoughts on my stuff, whether it be an anonymous message or a comment on the post! it’s harder to get feedback on tumblr vs. wattpad, so it means a lot when i do! that’s all – hope you like this part 🥰

one / three / masterlist / wattpad

It was sweltering out today, much hotter than usual, and for some insane reason, Y/S/N wanted to spend the day playing in the park with her friends and I. I couldn't exactly deny her cute little face when she asked, so that was how I found myself kicking around a ball with a bunch of ten-year-olds.

I was so focused on not kicking it too hard to hit them by accident that I didn't notice Maude Ivory running into the park and joining the kids' side to play. I looked where she ran from and spotted the rest of the Covey waltzing in, minus Billy Taupe of course. They joined Maude Ivory's side, chatting to the other kids and Y/S/N, as Lucy Gray approached me with an amused smile.

"Why, how cute," she commented, and I finished kicking the ball to one of the kids before glancing at her with a quirked brow.

"What?"

She smiled as she joined my side, nodding to the kids. "Taking Y/S/N out. Playin' with the kids."

"Well, it was either that or have her cooped up inside. And I'm sure she'd be more annoying there," I joked. "Feels kinda pointless though, since it's hotter out here than it is inside."

She chuckled, about to respond, but Y/S/N ran up to me eagerly, interrupting our conversation.

"Y/N, do you have the skipping rope?"

"Hold your horses," I said with a suppressed smile, before kneeling down to dig the skipping rope from my bag.

"Hey, Lucy Gray," she was greeting the singer enthusiastically. "I liked your song the other night!"

Lucy Gray quirked a brow exaggeratedly, hands on her hips. "And what were you doin' out that late to hear me sing, sugar?"

As I stood up, rope in hand, I caught Y/S/N smiling nervously.

"My mummy took me on a walk around town and I heard it from outside the Hob."

"Well, that's no good," Lucy Gray said with a frown. "No performance should be heard like that."

"I'm not allowed inside," Y/S/N said with flushed cheeks. "Mummy and daddy says it's for grown-ups. Like you and Y/N."

Sighing playfully, Lucy Gray said, "I guess it's time to change that, don't you?"

Y/S/N's smile grew into a hopeful one and I glanced at Lucy Gray, wondering what she meant by that.

"We're headin' down to the lake to cool off," she said, this time to me. "You wanna join?"

I opened my mouth, not sure what my answer would've been, but Y/S/N jumped up and down excitedly.

"Yes! Yes! Oh, Y/N, please let's go!"

I blinked. "Erm–"

"Oh, please, please, please," she continued to beg, shaking my arm.

"You gon' say no to that little face, darlin'?" Lucy Gray teased, putting me on the spot.

I gave her a disapproving look, before sighing and giving in to Y/S/N. "I guess we're going to the lake."

Y/S/N grinned and hugged me quickly before looking to Lucy Gray. "Let me just say bye to my friends."

Lucy Gray laughed and nodded, watching her run off to her friends.

"You know you're gonna have to sing for her now, right?" I asked Lucy Gray with amusement, putting the skipping rope back in my bag and grabbing it.

"I'm well aware," she answered. "Though, it'll have to be after a dip in the lake. I could just about melt right now."

And if that statement wasn't accurate then, it was on the walk down to the lake. A much longer walk than I thought, I was already sweating through my shirt, but it didn't seem to bother Y/S/N who was chatting and giggling excitedly with Maude Ivory and Clerk Carmine up ahead. It was a heartwarming sight, though it made me wonder why we were here at all.

Yes, Maude Ivory and Y/S/N were friends, but never close enough that Y/S/N had been invited to hang out with her and the rest of the Covey. And all the same, I'd worked with the lot of them, but had never gotten close enough to them that they'd invite me out also. Lucy Gray invited me, and I hated that it might have just been because of the fact that I'd looked out for her recently. An obligatory friendship, if you will.

"Someone's stuck in their head."

A testament to that statement, I failed to notice Lucy Gray slowing down her walking so she fell into step with me as we walked through the woods.

I smiled a little, though I was definitely still overthinking. And then I decided to just come out with it. "You don't need to do this, y'know."

"And what is it that I'm doin'?" she asked with a stifled smile.

I couldn't look at her as I said, "Feel like you owe me for the past few weeks. Hanging out because of it."

"Are we not friends?" she asked, and when I looked to her, I saw the teasing glint in her eyes. "Can friends not hang out?"

I swallowed hard the longer she held my stare, brown eyes glistening golden in the sunlight. "Well, I– before everything, I just thought– we weren't–"

Oh, gosh, why did she always have me flustered?

She started to laugh, eyes squinting as she did. "I'm only teasin'. But to answer your concerns, I'm not doin' this because I think I owe you. I just always found you interesting, and I suppose it was finally time to see why."

I breathed out through my nose, unsure how to reply, but my face was definitely heating up at her words. Goddamn the pretty girl with the ability to make everything sound so smooth.

After what felt like forever, we finally reached the lake, particularly a spot where there was a dock, a boat and a little cabin. It must have been used regularly by the Covey as it looked well-worn, but it was stunning nonetheless.

It didn't take long for everyone to strip out of their clothes and jump right in, savouring the refreshing cold water of the lake. After helping Y/S/N out of her dress, I jumped out of my trousers and shirt before the two of us jumped in together, splashing everyone and earning both groans and laughter. A smile was fixed on my lips as I looked over Y/S/N, who was swimming to Maude Ivory and splashing her playfully, the two of them giggling like the kids they were.

"Much better out here, right?" Lucy Gray swam from behind me, a grin on her face.

"It is," I agreed, pushing my hair from my eyes. "We've been out here a few times. It's where we learned to swim, though not on this side. I didn't even know this existed."

"Yeah, it's mainly a Covey secret," she said, glancing out at the cabin.

"It's pretty," I said, following her gaze to it. "Thanks for bringing us. But I'll probably forget where it is. It's easy to get lost out here."

"I can teach you the route if you want," she offered.

"You're gonna have to now that you've shown Y/S/N this place," I joked, before looking out at my sister, who was having the time of her life. "She'll never wanna leave."

Lucy Gray laughed, a vibrant melodious sound, as pretty as her singing voice, that sent a flutter of butterflies in my stomach and a fuzzy feeling in my chest.

We swam in the water until the pads of our fingers and toes were shrivelled, playing games and enjoying the coolness against our skin, then we got out and dried off under the sun. I was chatting to Barb Azure and Tam Amber about everything and nothing as Maude Ivory and Clerk Carmine went to pick some herbs.

Meanwhile, Lucy Gray was giving Y/S/N the performance of her life, serenading her with all her favourite songs and making her the most excited I'd ever seen her. Y/S/N was sat cross legged before the brunette, watching her with adoration, like she'd never seen someone so enchanting.

I caught myself glancing over too, unable to look away when Lucy Gray's voice was so rich and captivating, declaring everyone's attention. The Covey were used to it, but I wasn't sure I ever could be. And right now, as she strummed a few chords on her prized guitar, the most beautiful ballad escaping her lips, her curly hair wet but drying, dripping little droplets of water onto her dress... I was certain I was utterly and hopelessly enamoured by her.

Trying very hard to remain present in the conversation with the others, I brought my attention back to them, but not before my eyes caught sight of Maude Ivory and Clerk Carmine pulling at some roots in the distance. Clerk Carmine, in particular, didn't look very happy, and I realised he was a little quieter than usual today.

"Hey, is Clerk Carmine alright?" I asked the others.

Barb Azure followed my gaze before sighing quietly. "Yeah, he just misses Billy Taupe."

I fell quiet, feeling guilty for some reason, even though I hadn't done anything wrong. Billy Taupe was his brother, and I couldn't have imagined how difficult this whole situation was for him.

"He shouldn't," Tam Amber said bitterly. "Not after what he did to Lucy Gray. To all of us."

"Yeah, that wasn't very nice, was it?" I mumbled, and they shook their heads in response.

It was awkward, or maybe it was just awkward on my end. They used to come to the lake with him, and now they were here with me. Wasn't I intruding?

"Y/N!" Lucy Gray called to me, as Barb Azure nudged my arm.

I zoned back into reality, looking up and realising Lucy Gray had been calling me a few times, now stood up and waiting.

"Sorry, what?" I said, confused and still a little distracted by all the Billy Taupe talk.

"I said I need a hand getting the fishing pole," she said with a chuckle. "C'mon."

"Right, yeah, sure," I said with a nod, before standing up and dusting my trousers off.

Quickly glancing around, I spotted Y/S/N with Maude Ivory and Clerk Carmine, collecting herbs. Trusting them to it, I followed after Lucy Gray and into the cabin, where she led me to some floorboards that came loose, revealing the fishing rods.

As we kneeled down to get them, she said, "Why the long face?"

"Huh?"

"Back there," she said casually, reaching in for the fishing rods. "What happened? Did someone say something?"

"What? Oh, no, nothing, sorry," I said, realising I needed to get a better grip on my facial expressions.

"No need to be sorry," she said in a way that was lighthearted but didn't feel like it. "I was just worried."

I glanced at her, wondering why she cared about me all of a sudden. Yes, she said we were friends, but was it just that or an obligation? Again, I was getting lost in my head, so I tried to ignore it and instead helped her grab the rods.

We spent the remainder of the afternoon fishing, cooking our catch up over a fire, and then the others took a well-earned nap under the tree in the shade. Only Lucy Gray and I were awake, myself unable to sleep so freely, feeling the need to watch over Y/S/N, and Lucy Gray doodling in her notebook.

"You think a lot," she spoke up, startling me. And when I looked to her with confusion, she said, "You're always stuck in your head, darlin'."

I pursed my lips, shaking my head as if it would clear my thoughts. Billy Taupe came to mind, as did Clerk Carmine's sullen expression, and I couldn't help but ask Lucy Gray, "How have you been lately? Y'know, with the whole Billy Taupe thing?"

She closed her notebook, hands pressing to the top. "As good as can be."

I watched her, anticipating she wasn't finished.

"It was a bet, y'know," she said softly, though not as upset as I thought she would be. "What he did. He wanted to see if he could have the both of us. I don't think she knew, Mayfair, but she ain't sorry about it either."

I frowned, my dislike for Billy Taupe only growing the more I learnt about him. He sounded horrible, and I wondered if he was always like that. Surely not, if Lucy Gray had loved him once upon a time.

"That's awful," was all I could think to say. "I'm sorry."

She shrugged it off, and as much as she played it off like it didn't matter, I knew it did. Even just a little.

"He isn't causing you any trouble, is he?" I asked with a hint of concern. "Him or Mayfair?"

"And what if he is?" she asked right back, a playful smile tugging at her lips.

I shrugged, not picking up on her joke right away. "I don't know... I can try to have a word with him, I suppose."

She laughed softly. "You're too cute."

That's when I realised she was indeed joking, and I felt my cheeks heat up with embarrassment, looking ahead.

"I appreciate it, but no thank you," she continued, nudging my arm slightly. "You're not to get involved, remember?"

I exhaled quietly, nodding. "Okay. Forget him. What about you?"

"What about me?" she played along, leaning on her knees and looking at me.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, meeting her gaze.

She hummed, looking up in thought. "I was hurtin'. Still am, a little."

I nodded in ackownlgedgment, feeling bad for her. "Do you miss him?"

"For the Covey, yeah," she admitted. "He was family for a while. But not for me." Sucking up a breath, she leaned over her knees and looked out at the lake. "I may have once loved him, but not anymore. And I definitely can't trust him again."

I hummed softly, understanding what she meant. It couldn't have been easy to cut someone off who'd been so close to her and her family.

"Enough about him, anyway," she said, offering a smile my way. "He don't deserve my breath."

I returned her smile, deciding to change the subject. "Right... well, I guess now is the perfect time to thank you for today. For making Y/S/N the happiest I've seen her in a long time."

"She's lovely, and made me just as happy," she retorted nonchalantly.

My smile widened at her kind words, and then hers widened too.

"You have a pretty smile," she complimented.

I blinked, surprised and embarrassed, before mumbling an awkward thank you. She laughed at my dismay, before laying back against the blanket. I did the same, looking up at the sky peacefully.

"Y/N?" she said after a moment of quiet.

"Yeah?" I replied, not tearing my gaze from the lone cloud in the sky.

"I know we said we weren't gonna talk about it, but I'm kind of glad Billy Taupe did what he did."

I furrowed my brows together, confused. "Why?"

She paused, and then admitted, "Because I wouldn't have become better friends with you."

Naturally, a smile curled on my lips, and that familiar flurry of butterflies began making its way into my heart.

A few more weeks passed, and in that time, Lucy Gray was proving to be a great friend, though my crush on her was only growing bigger the more I spent time with her. As well as working together, the Covey would invite me to their place sometimes on our days off, merely just to hang out which was kind of them. It also meant spending more time with Lucy Gray, which wasn't a bad thing.

One evening, they begged me to let Y/S/N come see them perform, so after convincing my mum to bring her to see a few songs, they were both able to join me at work for a little while. I set them up at a nice table in the corner, away from any potential mischief that could occur and also giving them the best view of the stage.

"A drink for you," I said to my mum with a smile, setting down the tray on their table right before the Covey were due to perform. "And some crackers for you, squirt."

Y/S/N was practically shaking her chair as she eagerly awaited Maude Ivory's introduction onstage, and it was adorable to witness.

"Thanks, dear," my mum said, squeezing my hand. "You have time to sit with us?"

I chewed on my lip, glancing around. Everyone seemed to have a drink on them, and even Miles was looking at the stage, waiting for the evening to truly begin.

"I'm sure I can listen to one song," I decided, and Y/S/N grinned before tugging me onto the stool beside her.

I wrapped an arm around her shoulder before Maude Ivory walked from between the curtain, approaching the microphone. I'd seen their performances many times and yet it never got old.

"...and it's a special night tonight, because my friend, Y/S/N, is here to hear us perform," Maude Ivory gave a special shout-out to Y/S/N, who was ecstatic.

One by one, as the music built up, the Covey revealed themselves from behind the curtain, eliciting cheers and a round of applause from everyone, including us. It was Maude Ivory's solo first, and a great one at that, and I found my eyes naturally being drawn to Lucy Gray, as they always did, who was watching her with pride in her eyes.

After the song ended, we gave them another round of applause before I knew I had to get up.

"I've gotta work now, but if you need anything let me know," I told my mum, before offering Y/S/N a smile. "Remember, only a few more songs then you've got to go home. It can get rowdy in here when it's late."

"I know, I know," she waved me off, making me roll my eyes playfully.

I got back to work, keeping an eye out on my family and occasionally watching the Covey perform, and it was a wholesome experience. As more latecomers from the mines began to file in, the place was getting pretty packed, and I knew it was time for my family to head off.

"D'you enjoy the show?" I asked Y/S/N when we were all by the door.

She nodded with a grin. "It was amazing, Y/N, thank you!" Then she hugged my mum and added, "Thanks, mummy. Thanks for bringing me."

My mum chuckled as she hugged her back, glancing at me. "It was a fun evening, Y/N. And I'm proud of you. You're working hard, love."

I smiled shyly, appreciating the acknowledgment, and then someone's presence was beside me and I looked up to see the Covey stood there, having left the stage for a moment.

"We just wanted to say thank you for letting Y/S/N watch us perform tonight, Mrs Y/L/N," Maude Ivory said with a respectful nod.

"Yeah, thank you, ma'am," Tam Amber added. "We hope you liked the performance."

My mum chuckled. "Well, aren't you all adorable. It was no worry at all. And you're all very talented, you should be proud of yourselves. It's no wonder Y/N enjoys working here so much."

I felt my face heat up as they looked to me with teasing smiles. After saying our goodbyes to them, my mum left with Y/S/N and the Covey returned to the stage whilst I got back to work. They performed a few more songs before settling on a really cheery one, encouraging everyone in the audience to dance along. It was cute to watch everyone get involved, especially when they managed to hold a tune and still join the crowd, dancing along with them. Maude Ivory was still onstage, taking the lead with her drums and voice, and the Hob was suddenly transformed into a ray of excitement and laughter.

"Aren't you gonna join in?" Lucy Gray's voice made me turn around from a table I was cleaning, and she was standing there with a mischievous smile on her lips.

I couldn't help but smile back. "I'm working, sorry."

She gave me a disapproving look, before calling over to Miles behind the bar. "Miles, can I steal her for a song?"

He glanced at her, then at me, and I gave him a deadly warning look which only made him grin and nod his head.

"She's all yours, Lucy Gray!"

Lucy Gray's smile brightened the room in an instant. "I think you're free now, Y/N."

Before I could protest, she took the rag from my hand and threw it on the table before taking my hand properly and tugging me closer to the audience.

"I'm warning you right now, Lucy Gray, I have two left feet," I said weakly, both my hands growing sweaty as she kept ahold of one and placed the other on her shoulder.

"You'll just have to follow my lead, darlin'," she said with a grin, before suddenly waltzing me around the room at full speed, matching the beat of the song.

I let out a yelp, grip naturally tightening in hers as she manoeuvred us around the others, whisking us into a world that only consisted of my surprise, her melodious laughter, and the stare she wouldn't look away with. After a moment of getting used to it, it became enjoyable, and I began to smile nervously as she spun me around, her eyes sparkling with joy. Never in a million years did I see myself dancing with Lucy Gray, and now I didn't want anything else except that right now.

When the song finally ended, we came to a sudden halt, breathless and laughing, and then the whole room erupted into cheers.

My heart was beating ever so fast, and I knew it wasn't from the dancing.

"Can you take the rubbish outside, Y/N, please?" Miles asked as he finished stacking the chairs. "It's by the back door. Then you can head off."

"Will do," I told him, before heading to the back to do just that, already craving the sweet escape of my bed afterwards.

I grabbed the bag of rubbish before carrying it outside and going to drop it in the giant metal bin next to the Hob. Only, as the lid dropped close, I heard footsteps from behind me and turned around, confused. That was when I spotted Billy Taupe, walking unsteadily towards me and stopping a few feet away.

"Look, Billy Taupe, I'm not in the mood," I told him tiredly.

He laughed, before slurring, "Too tired from spendin' all night with Lucy Gray?"

"What?"

"You didn't think she actually liked you, did you?" he asked with a feigned sympathy.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, not at all fazed by his imagination and jealousy. "I don't know what you're talking about. But I am tired, so–"

He scoffed sharply, cutting me off. "Sure you don't. Why would you have noticed the way she looks at you, or all this time she's been givin' you lately, or the flirty smiles she's sendin' you? Right?"

I narrowed my eyes at him, waiting for him to get to the point so he could leave. "What do you want?"

He shrugged, playing dumb. "I'm just doing my part, dear Y/N! Warnin' you is all!"

I rolled my eyes, patience worn thin, and turned to head back inside, but he said something that stopped me in my tracks, annoyingly enough.

"You're just the next best thing," he told me with a cocky, dazed smile. "A distraction from me. I mean, think about it. When has she ever paid you any attention before? She clung to you as soon as I wasn't in the picture! She needed a replacement for me. You."

I clenched my jaw, glaring at him. "Leave me alone, Billy Taupe, you don't know a damn thing."

He began to laugh again, but I didn't stay to entertain any more of his idiocy as I headed back inside, letting the door slam shut behind me. He was a drunk, jealous fool, and yet I couldn't stop replaying his words over and over in my head. Was there any truth to them? Lucy Gray had never been so close to me before, so what was different now? Was I really just a distraction? A replacement?

Admittedly, Billy Taupe's wish came true and I was distracted by his bold claims, unable to think of anything but. Whenever Lucy Gray hung around me so closely, or teased me in a way that could be perceived as more than platonic, I couldn't help but wonder if it was as Billy Taupe had said.

One evening, after work, I was finishing wiping down the tables when the Covey popped in, presumably to say their goodbyes to Miles and I. But instead, they came to me hopefully.

"We're gonna have ourselves a little bonfire when we head back home," Barb Azure said enthusiastically. "You wanna come?"

I smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, guys, but I have to wait until closing, and by the time I've finished cleaning, it'll be too late. You should go on ahead."

"Aw no, c'mon, Y/N!" Maude Ivory said hopefully. "We can wait!"

I chuckled, appreciating her kindness. "I don't wanna hold you up. Maybe next time."

"I can clean up tonight, Y/N, I don't mind," Miles suddenly chimed in from behind the bar, having heard our conversation. To be fair, we weren't exactly quiet and there was no one else here.

"Really?" I asked, surprised. He'd always been nice to me, but this was a little too much to offer to do.

"'Course," he insisted with a smile, before nodding encouragingly. "Go on, be a kid for the night."

The others cheered in appreciation as I gave him a grateful smile before running over to give him a hug. He was always so lovely to me when he didn't need to be, and I felt like if I ever had an older brother, I'd want it to be him.

"Thanks," I said once more, before grabbing my bag from the back and joining the others. "Okay, I'm ready."

Everybody was buzzing with excitement, both the adrenaline from their performances this evening still coursing through them and the eagerness to make the bonfire pushing them on. They were talking about the evening, myself merely listening in and smiling as they rambled excitedly, before Lucy Gray fell into step with me and nudged my arm slightly.

"How was work tonight?" she asked with a soft smile.

"I'm kinda relieved it finished early to be honest," I admitted with a sigh. "I've been picking up extra shifts and I'm certain my feet will fall off."

She rolled her eyes playfully. "It looked like there was a commotion between you and a customer this evening," she noticed. "What was that all about?"

I tried to rack my brain for memory of what she was talking about, and then I nodded in acknowledgement. "Ah, yes. That happens sometimes. A peacekeeper can't handle his booze and gets all touchy feely. Nothing to worry about. That's why Miles is there."

She frowned. "That's awful. Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah, of course," I reassured her with a small smile. "Miles has my back. And it doesn't always happen, honest."

"Still," she mumbled sympathetically, before shaking her head and grabbing my hand. "C'mon, you'll love this."

Goosebumps ran up my arm when she tugged me along to her house when it was in viewing distance. The six of us pulled the bonfire together pretty quickly, with Barb Azure doing the honours of lighting a match and starting the fire. It was cool outside, a usual summer evening in District 12, so the fire provided an additional warmth to an otherwise comforting evening.

We all sat in a circle around it, sitting on whatever chairs they had, all mismatched but well-loved.

"You know what this calls for," Lucy Gray said after a moment of quiet, the lot of us staring into the flames.

I was confused, but one by one they began to grin, and then they all jumped up at once to go and collect their instruments. I laughed when they returned and began to play yet again, though it was different to their usual stuff. Much more mellow, this music created the perfect ambience, and it was easy to see that they were playing for themselves rather than their usual upbeat tunes for an audience. It was refreshing, and oddly intimate.

I could have sat there forever merely watching them, all in sync with one another. Then Maude Ivory was tapping on her drum gently, with Clerk Carmine strumming at his fiddle absentmindedly, the two of them chatting. And Barb Azure was strumming loosely at her bass, Lucy Gray doing the same with her guitar, as they conversed with Tam Amber and I.

We stayed out there for a while, until the small bonfire was almost gone and the others began to get sleepy, heading in for the evening. Before I knew it, only Lucy Gray and I remained, and I knew it was late.

"I should probably go," I said to her when I noticed.

"A shame," she commented, making me roll my eyes playfully, a smile tugging at my lips.

She didn't speak, and when I looked over to her in the chair beside me, she was watching me closely.

"What?" I asked, curious and confused.

She shook her head and looked back to the fire.

"Well, that's not very nice," I said, feigning disappointment.

She cracked a smile, though didn't look my way. "Sorry, I was just thinking."

"And who's stuck in their head now?" I teased, making her smile widen. "Go on, what is it? What's on Lucy Gray Baird's mind so late at night?"

She pressed her lips together, exhaling quietly, and then her eyes found mine, but she wasn't quite meeting my gaze. "You're pretty cute, you know that?"

Certainly not expecting that, my mouth opened slightly, baffled.

She began to laugh quietly, cautious of the others who were asleep. "That's why I didn't say it."

I licked my lips nervously, looking to the fire. "I– never mind."

"I mean it though," she added, and I awkwardly mumbled a thanks in return, face flushing, and not because of the fire.

So trapped in my own nerves, I didn't hear her call my name until she repeated it again.

"Yeah?" I answered, risking looking up at her.

She was already watching me, flames of gold dancing in her brown eyes and catching me off guard. Instead of speaking, she suddenly leaned forward, capturing my bottom lip between hers.

It would have been so easy to fall right into it, the warmth of her skin sending shivers across mine, and the taste of her lips sending my heart into overdrive, but I pulled back suddenly. She tried to chase me down, but I moved back properly, dazed. Wasn't it too soon?

"What is it?" she asked worriedly.

I swallowed hard, unable to meet her eyes. "Lucy Gray–"

"Oh, no," she realised, growing embarrassed. "I read this wrong, didn't I?"

I couldn't think straight, not when my lips were still tingling from the kiss. "What?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Y/N," she said apologetically. "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

I shook my head, still in awe. "No, it's just–" I paused, trying to find the right words, and then Billy Taupe's conversation came to mind again. "It's not been long since you and Billy Taupe broke up. I'm not–" Embarrassed, I met her stare. "Whatever you're looking for, I can't be it."

It hurt me to say it, especially when the girl I'd been crushing on for years was finally liking me back. But I didn't want it to happen like this.

Her cheeks dusted pink, made visible by the dying light of the fire, and I immediately felt guilty.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly. "I didn't mean to–"

"You're right," she spoke, upset. "It's not fair on you."

I didn't know what to say, and then she stood up, so I did too.

"I'm sorry again," she said, not looking at me at all. "Goodnight."

Turning, she left me by the fire as she headed inside, and I felt a huge weight pressing on my chest as I left too, both confused and a little hurt with how everything just went down.

Why did things have to be so complicated?

#the hunger games #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #the ballad of songbirds and snakes imagine #the hunger games imagine #lucy gray x reader #lucy gray baird x reader #lucy gray baird imagine #lucy gray baird #rachel zegler

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jarofstyles · 11 months

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FICTOBER DAY 14- Cider

cute dadrry blurb right at ya!

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Harry sighed as he brought the sippy cup towards his daughter’s face. She turned, eying the Minnie Mouse cup warily before looking to her dad with a shake of the head. The winter festival was a big deal in their small town and Y/N had left Harry and their daughter at the picnic table while she grabbed some miniature donuts from the food truck.

“Don’t you like cider?” He tried, taking his own cup and taking a sip. “It’s good, sweetheart. S’like your apple juice, yeah?”

“Not apple juice.” She whispered, looking at the cup in front of her. Harry had placed it down, hoping she would take it when she wanted it. Her curls were up in little pigtails, the ringlets maintained with two orange hair ties and tiny pumpkin hair clips. Y/N had let him do her hair today and he thinks he did an alright job based on all the coos his little girl had gotten.”It’s wrong, Daddy.”

“What do you mean?” He asked, slightly exasperated. She was in a weird transition phase where she was skeptical of everything, curiosity not quite being the right name for it. “Of course it is. Tastes just like apples. Maybe a little sweeter.” He paused, brushing his finger over her slightly cool cheek. Her long sleeve thermal shirt and little overalls were adorable, but he knew when Y/N got back with the bag he would need to put a sweater on her.

“It’s not the right color!” She squeaked, looking at him with furrowed brows. A look that his wife said was his own karma, considering he had an almost identical one. He blamed genetics, but Y/N and his mum both swore it was his personal karma. “It’s dark and its not- it isn’t see through. I don’t like it!”

Harry shook his head, picking up the cup again. “No, no. It is made from apples, just like your juice, but it’s made a little differently. It’s a bit better for your tummy, too. We get it every year, and you had a sip of Mummy’s last year. You liked it, remember?” He tried to soothe his toddler, who seemed fraught with concern that the unfamiliar drink was somehow going to be ‘yucky’, as he knew she would put it.

Her expression fell a bit, looking at the drink and back to him. “I did?” Harry couldn’t blame her for not remembering, but it was a bit comical to see her try and place the memory.

“Mhm. You had some of Mummy’s. She’s going to get the little donuts, yeah? You remember those?” He smiled, giving her the cup which she took cautiously. Her little nod made her pigtails bounce, making him want to coo at her. Truly, she was the most adorable little thing and his heart had never felt more full of love. Every day, his heart worked overtime just for her and her Mum. “Yeah, so why don’t we try it? Put it in the Mickey cup too so you won’t spill. If you don’t like it I’ll drink it and let you have something else, yeah?”

That seemed to placate her well enough, her little lips taking a noisy sip from the red lid- and her eyes lit up. “It is apple juice! Daddy, it’s just like it.” She chirped, taking another sip as her body did a little dance.

“I told you, baby.” He had to laugh, watching Y/N approach with the bags of treats, slinging her leg over and taking a seat with a sigh.

“Sorry, love. Took forever.” She handed him the bag, going to open her mouth but interrupted by a small chirp.

“Mumma! Daddy got me this stuff and He said it was like apple juice n’I said no cause it- it doesn’t look right but then he told me, he told me to try and it and is like apple juice!” She peeped, lifting her cup to show her. “See? He says I tried it last time but I don’t member too much besides the donuts cause I was just a baby last year.”

Y/N’s brows rose, looking at her daughter with a little laugh. “Yeah? See, trying new foods can be fun. We can get some to bring home if you’d like.” She placed a few mini sugar donuts on the plate and handed Harry a napkin to clean the dribble of cider form her chin.

“Yes, please!”

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tteokdoroki · 2 years

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Just curious babe but are you in a baby fever mood? Loving all the things you’re posting and sharing but my own baby fever is raging from just imaging Katsuki as the soft and nearly perfect dad-even better if he’s a girl dad and is always down to throw on a tutu for his little princesses.

yes how did you know i have bakubaby-itis.

ok so my thing is, is that yourself and bakugou’s first kid is a baby girl and she’s the most spoiled little thing in the entire world :(

like he can never ever say no to her, it’s practically impossible because— she’s his first kid, he’s got a stable career, he can afford to take care of his family so of course that means bakugou is gonna do whatever he can to make his angel baby smile.

so you like come home from work one day, the agency having made you stay late to fill out damage request forms from your latest patrol or something and you cannot find your husband or your two year old anywhere.

there’s evidence of their activity all over the house — glitter in the living room that’ll be hard to remove, flour and sugar grains strewn across the kitchen where you think bakugou’s attempted to bake sugar cookies with your daughter (it smells like burning too), there’s crayon marks along some of the walls which you’ll have to have a word with him about later.

but the deeper you go into your home, the less evidence of them you find and your heart rate picks up— what if there’s been a break in? someone’s hurt? you know that your husband can handle himself, but katsuki using his quirk around your baby has always been a touchy subject, maybe something… maybe something has happened.

then you catch a glimpse of your daughter’s bedroom door open; and with your heart in your stomach you venture in, only to find your husband— the great and most feared dynamight passed out on the floor, drool on his bottom lip and stickers on his cheeks. there’s red glitter on the tips of bakugou’s hair and smeared across his eyelids, a pretty pink tutu snug on his slender hips and a plastic pink ‘alien queen’ themed tea cup hanging loose from his right hand ( courtesy of Aunty mimi or mina ).

you smoke and step further into your daughter’s room, hands on your hips when you catch her attempting to hold a tea cup to her red riot stuffie ( thank you uncle riot and bless her hand eye coordination ), still quite wide awake and babbling happily to herself. “c’mon sweetheart,” bed time,” you coo fondly, picking up your curly haired baby, lips smooshed into her chubby cheek as you hold her close despite the tutu she has on that matches her daddy’s. “it’s so late baby, must’ve worn daddy out s’much, huh?”

“mm!! mama!” she squeals in response, big red eyes full of love as you tuck her in and kiss her forehead goodnight. clean up will have to wait until tomorrow, you have to worry about getting katsuki into bed too now.

when you’ve woken him up ( embarrassed and almost as red as the glitter in his hair ), katsuki let’s you sit him down on the bed— swiping your makeup wipes over his stained cheeks while you sit in his lap, cleaning him up, you say. “you’ve spoiled her too much kats, s’nearly nine and a two year old has no business being up at that time.” you tell him, barely scolding him and smiling softly to yourself as the older bakugou starts to unbutton your hero costume from behind to help you out of it.

you still haven’t changed.

“where d’ya think she gets it from, hah? her momma’s a spoiled princess too,” bakugou tells you gruffly, voice laced with sleep, as you brush back his hair to remove stray glitter from his forehead. “b’sides, we wanted to wait up f’ya…” his warm fingers dig into the tense spot in your lower back, vermillion eyes looking up at you full of love and adoration. “can’t say no to her when she’s not the only one missin’ mummy.”

katsuki steals a kiss from you then, hot and a little sloppy like when you were teenagers and before you both became responsible parents— and you indulge him even though he oddly tastes like burnt sugar cookies and plastic, because you love katsuki, and sometimes it’s okay to spoil him back.

#bakugou x reader #bakugou fluff #bakugou drabbles #bakugo x reader #tteokdoroki #sorry this took so long AAA #📧. user anonymous #💌. you’ve got mail

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feraltuxedo · 3 months

Text

A Tentative WIP Wednesday

I'm in the throes of a serious bout of writer's block at the moment, but very slowly a new fic is emerging. I'm only getting a few sentences written each day, but it's better than nothing, right?

With this one, I'm sticking very firmly to my comfort zone.

Since there's been so much love for Intermezzo in the past few weeks (thank you to all of you who have read and enjoyed it), and this new fic is very much Intermezzo 2.0 in terms of tropes, vibes.... everything really... what better time to share a bit of it?

Anyway, here's a snippet of said WIP. Ex rockstar Crowley meets classical musician Aziraphale. Rock music and bickerflirting aplenty:

Aziraphale was still digging through the mess of cables on the search for one that didn’t look like it might electrocute his bass guitar, when the door opened again.

This time it really was Anthony Crowley who strode through it. In the flesh. God, he was striking. Taller than Aziraphale had imagined, and skinnier. In his Hellspawn days, he’d been dressed in heavy leather jackets and those impossibly tight jeans everyone insisted on wearing a decade ago. His hair had trailed behind him like a cloud made of pure fire when he’d strutted across the stage in snake-skin boots. Statuesque, drawn in sharp lines like a Picasso masterpiece come to life.

Present-day Crowley looked a lot more casual in a black hoodie, short hair, and, surprisingly, no sunglasses. A guitar case was slung over one shoulder, a messenger bag across the other. Like any other mortal walking the streets of London. Still outrageously good-looking, mind, middle age be damned. Aziraphale barely had time to notice the deep brown colour of his eyes, before they glared right at him.

‘Can’t get an espresso anywhere in this place. Oi Blondie, be an angel and go fetch one, would you? Double shot, no sugar.’

Aziraphale jumped to his feet. He’d never before felt quite so threatened by the words be an angel. The pathetic part of his brain that was still stuck in 2015 didn’t fail to point out that Anthony Crowley snapping at him to get coffee was the hottest thing that had happened to him all year.

Anathema stopped him with an outstretched arm before he reached the door, eyebrow raised in disapproval.

‘Don’t you fucking dare.’

He flinched at the fire in her voice before he realised it was aimed squarely at Anthony Crowley.

‘You don’t have the name, money, or credibility to boss people around these days, so shut up, sit down, and listen.’

Crowley waved his arms about to demonstrate the rehearsal room's utter lack of seating options. Even the drum stool was cluttered with assorted cardboard boxes. Anathema ignored him.

‘Aziraphale isn’t your personal coffee boy. He’s in the band, so you better treat him right or you’ll be playing without a bass, which is literally impossible.’

Crowley crossed his arms.

‘Jim Morrison managed.’

‘You’re not Jim Morrison.’

‘And the White Str—’

Anathema cut him off with a sound that could only be described as a hiss.

Anthony Crowley turned to face him again, and god-in-heaven, Aziraphale was not prepared for the effect of the man he’d spent many a lonely night fantasising about actually acknowledging his existence.

Admittedly, he didn’t look all that pleased about it.

‘So you’re actually a bass player? Like a proper one?’

Alright, that wasn’t the tone he’d hoped to hear out of Anthony Crowley’s mouth. Aziraphale picked up his bass guitar and clutched it tight, with the sinking feeling that perhaps there was truth to that saying about never meeting one’s heroes.

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘You look like you’ve just passed your grade four exam, paid for by mummy.’

‘Actually, I have an MMus in Performance.’

‘A what?’

‘A Master’s degree.’

Which is more than Anthony Crowley had managed. 3 GCSEs, and none of them in music, if Wikipedia was to be believed. Aziraphale held onto just enough tact not to point that out. He raised his chin a fraction and noticed a shift in Anthony Crowley’s gaze, perhaps a smidgen of respect creeping into those deep brown eyes.

‘You can get a degree in bass guitar?’

‘You can, though mine’s in cello.’

Crowley’s eyes narrowed and the trace of respect vanished, as if he had a personal vendetta against the cello. That certainly didn’t bode well for Aziraphale’s prospects in his band.

‘Yeah, well, I don’t think faffing about with an overpriced bit of wood between your legs qualifies you to play in my band. Not that I wouldn’t pay good money to see that, mind…’

The mix of embarrassment, indignation, and the hot flush of feeling star struck did strange things to Aziraphale. It made him drop his bass, which landed on his foot. This was great news for the bass, since Aziraphale’s foot was a good deal softer than the thin carpet.

Not such great news, however, for his toes.

‘Botheration,’ he yelped, grabbing the bass to lean it against one of the many amps that surrounded him.

‘Botheration?’ Crowley repeated. ‘Fucking hell, Anathema, where d’you find these people?’

Anathema’s disapproving eyebrow rose a little higher.

‘I found him at a strip club, actually.’

‘I was playing the cello!’ Aziraphale corrected hastily, as he wiggled his toes, just to make sure they were all still attached.

The G String was London’s only classical-music themed strip club. Or at least that was what the manager claimed, and Aziraphale had never bothered googling the matter. The music was easy, the audience distracted enough not to notice when he hadn’t practiced that week.

Crowley’s gaze shot back to Aziraphale, raking over him from head to throbbing toe and back. The irritation from just a moment ago made way to… admiration? Sweet Jesus, he was looking at him, and he clearly liked what he saw, judging by the small smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth.

‘With your clothes on?’

‘Of course with my clothes on,’ Aziraphale huffed, trying his hardest not to look too pleased with the once-over he was receiving.

#wip wednesday #good omens #good omens au #musician crowley #musician aziraphale #my writing

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nynitust · 3 months

Text

What i want to see in season 3 of iwtv

Lestat rock era in this tight leather sexy pants

Louis finally embracing himself and start to live a normal life, probably killing some vamps,

Daniel my baby became batshit crazy best reporter with power of reading minds(probably more insufferable than before)

Armand being depressed lying in tears in some deep hole after divorse.

Danny and Armand being fucked up together

old hot Gabrielle, and her meeting with Louis.

My cold murderous mummy Akasha, or at least mention of her.

Marius became sugar daddy to Dan and steal him from Armand.

Best tracks of Sam

Jesse bein lesbian

And a lot of vampire sex

I mean a lot.

please

just please

#interview with the vampire #am i asking for too much?#iwtv #amc iwtv #iwtv spoilers #lestat de lioncourt #louis de pointe du lac #daniel molloy #armand #marius de romanus #devils minion

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sapphire-heart-tippy · 1 month

Text

Sugar Crash Void Bash: The Fanfic!

chapter 1 chapter 2 chapter 3

CWs: Anxiety, snake mention

Chapter Four: Strawberry Shortquake

chapter 5 chapter 6 chapter 7 chapter 8

“Hngh!” Tippy hoists a large, sparkly blue suitcase onto the bed, “Alright, that’s the last of it.”

“Sweetie, you’ve said that three times now.” Vanilla rubs his husband’s royal blue hair.

“I know, Vans, but this time I mean it.” Ze chuckles. Ice looks around, then puts his hands on his hips,

“Did you pack any shoes, Termite?”

Tippy’s eyes widen and ze quickly unzips the suitcase. Ice lightly covers his mouth with a small chuckle as he watches his husband. Ramón walks into the bedroom’s open door, looking a little nervous. Ice turns to his son, while his husband picks out some shoes to bring,

“Hey, Foofs. Are you all packed up?”

“Oh, uh, yeah, papa.” The teen nods then clasps his hands together, “So. We’re going on some kind of vacation or business trip or…?”

Ice frowns his brows, looking a little nervous. He gives a polite smile to his son, while his husband tries in vain to press zeir suitcase closed,

“Oh, we’re simply visiting my home country to…” Vanilla looks to his upper right, “expose you to a part of my culture which– that y-you have never seen before. You- this is for your enrichment and education.” Ramón nods slowly then looks away nonchalantly. What is the point in lying to me about what’s really going on? I’m not stupid, papa…

After the plane trip

Ramón and his fathers leave the plane. The teenager looks outside the airport’s window with confusion, something he has also been feeling as he looked out of the plane’s window.

“Is something the matter, child?” Ice asks his son.

“Yeah uh… I always thought Egypt was just, like, nothing but sand. There's also... grass?” Ramón asks. Tippy immediately starts laughing. Vanilla sighs with an exhausted look, not only from the fact that his son has obviously not been paying attention in class, but because he knows a barrage of puns or plays on words are coming from his husband.

“Well, I guess you better get your grass to the table tonight, because we're gonna have sandwiches for dinner!” Tippy snickers.

“Oh boy...” Ice speaks with an exasperated expression. Tippy giggles and looks up at Vanilla. Ice gives his husband a scolding look. Tippy cackles loudly, making some people turn to look at what’s happening.

“J-just-” Tippy holds onto Vanilla’s arm while Ramón cracks a smile, biting his lip trying not to laugh. The blue haired man continues, “J-just make sure you don’t wake up Vanilla’s mummy!”

“I don’t have a– ugh. Be quiet, Termite. Not another word from you until we get to the manor.” Ice shakes his head, a little annoyed, but also curious about what other puns his husband has to offer.

“What? Oh that’s not… Fair-oh.” Tippy’s hyena laughs are contagious, causing Ramón to giggle along with him, “G-get it? Pharaoh? Because–” He keeps laughing, “No? Well, I have more puns to keep you sarcopha-guessing!”

“Tippy.” Vanilla turns sharply to his husband, stifling a chuckle and cracking a smile against his will, “Enough. *chuckle* That is inappropriate.”

“Sorry, sorry. You know how I get when I’m nervous, baby.” Tippy pats Vanilla on the back. He mumbles, “N’Doul would make even worse puns.”

Ramón chuckles and looks around at the airport. It has been years since the teen had been out of the country.

“Ice?” A familiar voice speaks, making Vanilla’s head turn in an instant.

“Oh, Terence.” Vanilla replies, “It’s been years.” He touches the small of his partner’s back, “Tippy, you remember Terence, hm? Oh, and this is my son. Ramón.”

Ramón shyly but coolly waves to Terence.

“It’s nice to meet you, Ramón. Wow… You look just like your papa. The resemblance is almost uncanny.” Terence nods at Ramón and glances over at Ice. Ramón smiles then looks away, very perplexed as to why he said that… Terence then turns his attention back to Ice, “Lord Dio has given me specific orders to bring you three back to the mansion. So follow me, you all.”

In the car

Ramón looks out the window of the car. He hears his fathers speak to Terence but doesn’t pay attention to what words they are saying exactly. Instead, he is more focused on the new country he is in. Soon enough, they arrive at the mansion. Terence parks the car and steps out. Vanilla opens the door for his son and smiles at him,

“Well, Foofy, we’re here. What do you think?”

“Whoa!” Ramón looks at the outside of the mansion. Tippy skips around in the little yard and up to the front door. Ice gently pushes Ramón’s back up to the stairs leading up to the door of the mansion. The family and Terence enter the mansion. It’s bitter cold and dark inside, save for a few electric lamps and candles scattered around. Tippy scoffs and leans toward Ramón,

“Tch, wow, and it looks like your ‘tío Dio’ still doesn’t believe in dusting.”

Terence glances over to him,

“Yeah, well– yeah.” He brings the family up to Dio’s boudoir. Ramón can’t help but feel a bit uneasy when they reach their destination.

“Ah… there you are.” The golden locked, ivory fleshed man speaks as the door opens. A toothy, fang filled grin spreads across his ancient yet youthful face. He trots over to Ice, planting gentle kisses on either of his cheeks. He leans down and kisses the back of Tippy’s hand, with a grin. Suddenly, his amber eyes land on the bubblegum haired adolescent before him,

“And this… this is the fabled Ramón.” The pasty white man stretches out his hand, tipped with inky black claws, to the young boy. Ramón looks to his papa for reassurance. Ice nods at his son. Ramón hesitantly shakes Dio’s hand, feeling the cold, clammy, corpse-like flesh on his own.

“Well, well, well…” Dio speaks, his voice low and sultry, soothing to the ears yet something is eerily off about it… very inhuman, quite divine yet unholy. Everything about this man is a walking contradiction it seems, “How are you enjoying your vacation thus far? Hm?”

“O-oh, uh…” Ramón looks to his parents then back at Dio. He gulps then sheepishly replies, “It’s pretty cool, heh!” Dio nods his head, turning to Ice and Tippy,

“It’s uncanny how much he is like the two of you… both in appearance and demeanor. Even as an infant, it was just mystifying, the resemblance.” This makes Ramón confused yet again. This is the second time he has been physically compared to his adopted fathers. E-even as an infant?! What?! Ramón’s heart rate skyrockets.

Dio inhales and speaks again, “At any rate, I suppose it’s time I introduce you to your rooms, hm?”

That’s when an equally as large and buff older man, albeit just a bit chubbier, with blue hair and beard stubble, walks by the room, reading a book.

“Or better yet,” Dio snaps his fingers, “Jojo.”

“What is it–? Oh! Guests!” He closes the book shut, “How quaint, I–” He pauses, “Oh my stars… it can’t be! Mr Ice? Gratuity?”

“Jonny!” Tippy runs over to him and gives him a hug. Jonathan wraps his arms around the petite man, giving a hearty chuckle, “Man, I am never gonna get used to you being so tall… or having arms! And legs! And… everything below the neck! Haha, and you have a beard now!” Ze takes Jonathan’s arm and pulls him to zeir family, “Look, look. Vans and I got married and had an itty bitty!” Ze points to Ice and Ramón. Jonathan clasps his hands together,

“Oh, how precious! What a darling little family you have here, dear friend.” Jonathan shakes Ramón’s hand with a polite smile, “What an honor to meet the child of Mr Ice and Gratuity.”

“Jojo, show them to their rooms. The happy couple will stay in Ice’s old room, Ramón will stay in Gratuity’s old room.” Dio dismisses the four.

On the way to the rooms

“Wait, wait, hold on a second,” Ramón speaks, “So let me get this straight; you were a severed head in a jar. My papa and daddo used to take care of you, and Mr Dio is a vampire?!”

“That is correct, dear boy.” Jonathan confirms.

“...What is going on here exactly?!” Ramón shakes his head in confusion. The three adult men all exchange looks with each other, turn to Ramón and speak in unison,

“We don’t know.”

“H-huh–?!” Ramón gives them all an incredulous look. Jonathan raises his hands up and speaks cheerfully,

“Oh, it certainly is spectacular to have you two in the manor once again!” He shows them around, “It has been a while, yes indeed. As you may notice, we have made some adjustments to our living quarters.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed there’s different people working here too,” Tippy begins, “Terence and N’Doul are still here though.” Jonathan nods and points to some new decorations,

“Of course. Oh, look at these, so delightful. Mr Ice?”

“Yes, Mr Jojo?” Vanilla responds.

“I hope you don’t mind, but we spruced up your old room a bit.” Jonathan opens the door to Vanilla’s old room. It’s clean and pretty fancy as opposed to how dark and gloomy it used to look, “Dear brother didn’t tell me that you all were arriving, so pardon the dust.”

“No, no, it’s alright, Jonathan.” Ice looks around, memories of his time in the mansion flooding back to him. Nostalgia and dismay of the recollections fill his heart. Tippy immediately jumps face first on the bed while Ice looks around and touches his old sliding closet doors. Ramón points to the right side of the room,

“What’s in there?”

“Oh, that’s the bathroom, Foofy. Your papa had his own bathroom too.” Ice turns to look at the bathroom door across the room, remembering the first time he and Tippy had showered together. A small smile creeps upon his lips as he looks back on that memory fondly.

“So… you were basically Mr Dio’s…?” Ramón asks slowly, his voice trails off at the end of his sentence.

“Servant.” Ice glances back at his son, “Yes, I… I was Lord D– ahem, Mr Dio’s servant for a time.”

“Lord Dio?” Ramón tilts his head, much like Tippy does when he’s confused. Ice feels his cheeks grow hot and he nibbles the inside of his cheek,

“Yes, because he is the ‘lord’ of this mansion, my child. You know how there are lords and ladies? Well, he is a ‘lord’.”

Tippy pipes up,

“Oooh, I thought it was because you practically worshipped the guy–”

“Tippy.” Ice grits his teeth and scolds his husband softly. The blue haired gentleman looks back and forth between Ramón and Vanilla,

“I-I’m just kidding! I was just joking, Ramón!”

It’s a little bit of an awkward silence. Jonathan rubs his neck and turns away,

“It’s such a pleasure to have you back, old friend. Alright, dear boy,” He turns his attention to Ramón, “Come with me and I shall show you where you will be staying.”

The two of them leave the room.

Ice sighs and sits on the bed, hanging his head and looking ashamed. Tippy gently touches zeir husband’s shoulder. The brunette looks over at zem with a dejected expression,

“Please don’t tell him…” he looks down at his hands, “about who I used to be. I don’t– *sigh* I don’t want him to think of me in such a bad light.”

“I’m sorry, Vans. I wasn’t thinking.” Tippy rubs Ice’s shoulder.

“It’s alright.” He touches zeir hand, “I was at my lowest point. I did things I’m not proud of. I let L– Dio, goddamn it, humiliate me… sometimes in front of guests. I-I was so blinded by what I thought was love to even think for myself.”

Vanilla looks up at the top of the door frame for a while, then back down at his hands,

“I worshipped him like a god because he saved my life… you know what I did. He treated me so kindly, with a tenderness I have never felt in my life…” he turns to his husband with a warm smile, “That is… until I fell in love with you.”

“Awww, Vanilla. You soft serve.” Tippy gives Vanilla a little peck on the lips. The brunette holds both of Tippy’s hands gently,

“Then you showed me what real love is like. What it actually feels like to have somebody care about me…” He delicately caresses the cheek of his lover, “I couldn’t ask for a happier ending to this fairytale.”

Tippy chuckles and happily hums against the touch of Vanilla’s knuckles. Ze lightly touches Ice’s left bang, admiring the grey and white streaks mixed with the original brown hair,

“I’ll love you forever and ever… you’ve become such a handsome older man, you know? I’m looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you.”

Ice chuckles, a pleased smile plastered across his face. Those beautiful smile lines on his face, indicating how many years he has spent smiling and laughing rather than frowning and sulking, crease on the corners of his mouth. The delicate little crow's feet on the corners of his honey sunset brown eyes scrunch up with joy. He presses his lips, lightly glossed with his favorite vanilla scented lip oil, right in the middle of his husband’s forehead.

Meanwhile

“Alright, lad.” Jonathan opens the door to a bedroom, “This one used to be your father’s room! Er, your other father’s room. The one with the blue hair that is.” Ramón enters the guest room and looks around. It’s a little smaller than his papa’s old room. The bed is up against the wall, as opposed to being in the center like in the other bedroom. Ramón sets his luggage down and turns to Jonathan,

“Thank you, Mr Jonathan.”

“Oh, it’s never a problem, dear boy!” Jonathan gives him a warm smile, about to close the door, but he remembers something, “Ah, and feel free to raid the fridge. Just don’t disturb my wife!”

“W-what?!” Ramón recoils in shock.

“Ahahahohoho! I jest, my boy, I jest!” Jonathan chuckles, “Have a pleasant stay, and a good night.” He closes the door gently. Ramón sits on his bed, relaxing a bit. He touches the blanket a little…

“Something tells me he wasn’t joking.”

It’s a restless night, filled with tossing and turning. Chills crawl down Ramón’s back, yet beads of sweat pool across his face. The teen trembles with fear of an unknown threat, clutching his chest with shaking breath as he stares up at the ceiling. Behind his eyes, a cryptic dream of snakes coiling around his limbs plays, all with eyes of crystal, until they make their way to his throat, strangling the life out of him until his eyes go grey. The young boy lays on his side, clinging to his pillow for any semblance of comfort.

After what seems like an eternity,

Tuk tuk tuk

Ramón jolts up and gasps sharply.

Tuk tuk tuk

“Foofy?” his papa’s voice speaks through the door. Ramón hesitantly climbs out of bed. His hand trembles as he reaches for the doorknob.

Krrrrrrrr

The door opens with a creak. Ice looks down at his son with a sweet, adoring smile. Ramón internally breathes a sigh of relief,

“G-good morning, papa. What’s up?”

“Hmhm, we need you to go ahead and get dressed for the day.” Ice softly rubs his son’s curly pink hair, “Mr Dio wants us all to meet in the dining hall for breakfast. He has some important news to tell us.”

“Oh, y-yeah! Sure. I’ll be right there.” Ramón rubs his neck. Vanilla leans down, about to plant a kiss on his son’s forehead, but he catches himself. Instead, he gives Ramón a polite smile and nods,

“Of course, dear. I love you.”

Ramón gives a nod and a smile right back before closing the door and getting ready.

In the dining hall

Dio is sitting down at the end of the table, daintily sipping on a mimosa. Vanilla and Tippy are sitting next to each other, touching hands and chuckling between themselves. Jonathan is finishing up setting the table with many different breakfast food options.

Ramón shyly and hesitantly walks into the large room through the open archway. Dio chuckles,

“Ohohoho, there he is.”

Ramón makes an awkward smile and lazily waves at those at the table. Ice gestures for his son to sit nearby. The pink haired boy obeys and sits next to his fathers. Dio takes a sip of his mimosa and hums a bit,

“Mmm… try some of those pancakes, lad. Add a little bit of powdered sugar, berries, and maple syrup on top,” he does a chef’s kiss, “divine.”

Ramón nods and helps himself to some breakfast along with his fathers. Everyone begins to feast for a while. Dio clears his throat and turns to Vanilla,

“Ice.”

“Yes, sire?” Ice instinctively asks. Ramón tilts his head,

“Sire?”

Dio chuckles and takes another sip of his drink as Vanilla’s cheeks heat up. Dio speaks before Ice can say anything,

“Something important I have been meaning to tell you,” He stands up and approaches the brunette. He drags his hand along Ice’s shoulders, stopping at his right shoulder. The blonde leans down and speaks into his ear softly,

“There is… somebody I’d like you to meet…” the vampire pats his shoulder and walks away. As he’s halfway to the archway, he glances behind him at the others,

“I’d like the rest of you to meet him as well. I’m certain he will make an important ally.”

When Dio says that, Vanilla gets tense. He was under the impression that this all was supposed to be a secret from Ramón. It looks like all of that just went out the window now.

Important ally? Okay, this just got weirder. What is going on?! Ramón thinks to himself.

To be continued…

#sugar crash void bash fanfic #sugar crash void bash #ramón ice jjba oc #tipvans #sapphire heartverse #jjba au #jjba au fanfic #selfship fanfic #selfship au fanfic #safeship #safe ship #fankid #fanchild #ask to cw if i missed something!#dio the vampire dude #jonathan the joestar #snake mention

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collidescopeeyes · 19 days

Note

Hey so I'm kind of in a tm-not-so-good place right now, so if possible can I get a Heartsteel Aphelios x reader who's dealing with a narcissistic/emotionally abusive parent? Or if possible it's Aphelios and their S/O but they also have the rest of the Heartsteel members and Alune to help them through it. As you can see by the request, I'm dealing with this right now and i kinda need the comfort, thank you!

As someone whose dealt with far too much of that myself recently, my heart goes out to you anon ❤️ hope things get easier soon.

---

You have ‘hey, are you awake?’ typed into the chatbox, thumb hovering indecisively over the send button, for a good fifteen minutes before Aphelios messages you. You aren't expecting it–it’s almost midnight, and Phel might be a night owl, but he also has a job. Part of the reason you'd been reluctant to text him–he’s busy, and you'd hate to wake him.

‘You okay?’ the text reads. You spend a moment wondering why he'd ask that, and then realize if he was texting you this late at night he also would have seen your typing notification hovering there for god knows how long. Which also means pretending you're fine is probably out of the picture as well–even if he didn't know you were visiting your parents this weekend, he's always been had a knack for seeing straight through you. May as well be honest, then.

‘not really tbh’ you type back. ‘like I'm fine I'm just…….blehhh. y'know.’

‘Want company?’ comes the immediate reply, because Phel puts sugar to shame. Too sweet for his own good, probably, because he really shouldn't be driving around at fuck o’clock at night to keep you company– ‘I missed you :(‘ comes the follow up text, neatly defeating the argument you were just building up in your head.

‘...can I come over?’ you ask anyway. ‘i don't really want to be at home right now’

‘ofc. I'm already putting my shoes on, I'll see you soon ❤️’

You send a heart back, click your phone off, and stare blankly up at the fading afterimage of the bright screen against your dark ceiling. You have no idea what time you'd gotten home, but you'd had about enough energy to crawl into bed and not much else. As such, you're pretty much still dressed, plus you're pretty sure you have clean clothes at Phel’s place. Even if you didn't, you'd steal one of his shirts to sleep in and Alune would have something to lend you in the morning. You're pretty sure she likes dressing you up, or at least, she has a habit of leveraging her industry connections to get amazing deals on clothes she just happens to think you'd look cute in. Kayn likes to joke she's trying to steal you away from Aphelios.

A knock on your front door startles you to attention, followed by jingling keys as Phel lets himself in. How long had you been zoning out for? He lived like fifteen minutes away, and it felt like it'd barely been five. You drag yourself out of bed as he pushes open your bedroom door, and even in the dim light from the street lamp outside your window you see him smile when he sees you. Immediately, you're wrapped up in a hug, and you feel him press a kiss to your hairline. The anxious knot that's been in your chest ever since you left this weekend eases a little, and you clutch at his hoodie trying to absorb that feeling. He smells like fresh laundry and comfort and home.

“...hi,” you offer after a moment, your voice slightly muffled from where you're pressing your face into his chest. You lean back, reaching over to fumble with your lamp so you can actually see him. “You got here faster than I thought, sorry.”

He shrugs. “I was at Yone’s, the bands having a movie night,” he signs. “We can join them, if you're feeling up for it, or we can just go back to mine and chill. It's up to you.”

You blink up at him. “What movie?”

“The mummy series,” he signs. “Ez is getting super offended, it's really funny.”

You huff a laugh. “That sounds…perfect, actually. You're sure nobody will mind?”

He waves a hand at you. “Of course not, the guys love you.” A smile curves your lips, and he pauses, a fond look in his eye before he ducks his head to press a kiss to your lips. “Not that I wouldn't be happy to monopolize you, but, y'know.”

You laugh. “I think Alune would have words about that.”

He shrugs. “Gotta flex my older brother privileges sometime. You good to go?”

You glance at your still unpacked bag, then nod–that was a tomorrow problem. Maybe the day after. His car is parked outside, still warm from the drive over–he must've cranked the heater for you, because left to his own devices Aphelios wouldn't feel the need for a jacket in a walk in freezer.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He signs as you pull out onto the quiet streets, one hand on the wheel.

You sigh deeply. “It's…nothing new, and I probably should've expected this because this is what always happens, but…I dunno, I was hoping we could have a mature conversation this time? But no, same old song and dance. Nothing is ever their fault, and if I get them to stop deflecting long enough to actually admit they did something wrong, I must only be bringing it up because I'm an terrible daughter who's just trying to hurt them, and then the whole thing turns into a big confrontation when all I wanted was…I dunno, some acknowledgement that ‘hey, that was a fucked up thing I did,’” you gesture vaguely at the dashboard, frustrated, and then deflate with a defeated sigh. He reaches over and squeezes your hand in wordless comfort. You offer him a weak smile. “It's fine. I'll be fine. It's just…exhausting, you know?"

He nods, and with a final squeeze you let his hand go so he can sign “I'm sorry. It's not fair, and you deserve better.” He glances at you, brow pulled together in worry. “If you ever need anything, comfort or company or help, I'm here for you. We all are. Doesn't matter how late it is or how far away you are, I'll come running.”

You probably shouldn't try to kiss him while he's driving. “Thanks,” you say instead, voice soft. “I…can't tell you how much that means to me.”

He smiles, but if he has a reply his hands are occupied pulling into Yone’s driveway. Still, he's not driving anymore, so that makes it fair game to lean across the console to kiss the life out of him.

--Right up until you hear Yone's door open. You break apart, only to see Alune standing on the doorstep, hands on her hips. She signs something too fast for you to catch in the dim streetlight, and then flounces back inside. Phel laughs, and you look at him curiously. “She called me an attention hog,” he signs, chuckling.

You laugh. “Well, we better not keep her waiting.”

The sound of the movie filters in as you enter the house and make your way to the living room, coupled with familiar voices and laughter. “--and codex style books weren't even invented until the Roman Empire!” Ezreal is arguing as you walk in, gesturing at the screen animatedly. “It would’ve been a papyrus scroll!” A chorus of greetings sounds over the tail end of his sentence, apparently dismissing what's no doubt the tail end of a long rant. They're scattered around the room–Alune and Ezreal on the long couch, K'Sante and Yone in the twin armchairs on either side, Sett lounging on the beanbag in the corner and Kayn laying directly on the carpeted floor, ankles crossed on the edge of the couch and watching the movie upside-down.

“He's been going on like this the whole time,” Sett informs you by way of greeting, grinning.

“Someone has to hold Hollywood accountable for their blatant disregard for historical accuracy!” Ezreal insists hotly, before fixing you with a pleading look. “Back me up here, you think papyrus scrolls are cool, right?”

“Pretty cool, yeah,” you agree. Alune animatedly gestures you over to two free spaces on the couch with a beaming grin, which you have no doubt she pulled rank to acquire. Kayn offers you a wave as you step over him.

“I saved some snacks,” she whispers as you settle by her side, Phel on your other. True to her word, she has a bowl of chips in one hand and a punnet of chocolate dipped strawberries in the other. Ezreal tries to sneak one of the latter while she's distracted, only for her to whip her head around and give him a narrow eyed look, to which he immediately begins to feign stretching instead.

“How was your trip?” Yone asks. You must make a face, because he frowns. “Ah. My condolences. Family matters are often... uniquely troubling."

You wince. “It was…not great, yeah. I don't...really want to get into it.”

“I'm just putting this out there, but if you want someone vanished you can just say the word, I know a guy,” Kayn offers from the floor.

You stifle a laugh. “Are you the guy?”

“Me or one of my siblings,” he qualifies. “Depends, how many people you want killed?”

“You cannot keep threatening to sic your family members on people you don't like simply because your father teaches all his foster children martial arts,” K'Sante points out dryly.

“It's not just because of that,” Kayn argues. “It's part of the pact–everyone gets one favor, no questions asked, everybody has to chip in if they can."

“And you…haven't used yours yet?” Yone asks skeptically.

“Nope,” Kayn says cheerfully. “I covered up my fuckups and achieved my numerous impressive exploits by my own merits, thank you.”

“I do not need anyone killed,” you confirm.

“Yet,” Ezreal corrects sagely, only to interrupt himself with an aghast gasp. “He's reading hieroglyphs in the wrong direction!” he cries, pointing accusingly at the screen. Phel puts an arm around your shoulder and pulls you into his side, and like this–snuggled up with him, surrounded by your friends and terrible movie–it was suddenly a lot easier to believe everything was going to be okay.

#league of legends x reader #league x reader #leauge of legends #reader fic #x reader #reader #aphelios lol #aphelios x reader #heartsteel

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the-fiction-witch · 8 months

Text

Mummy P17

Media TMR X PHYSCO 1960s

Character Newt

Couple Newt X Reader

Rating Sad / Spooky/ Dark AF

Warnings stuff gets... bad, / rape/ sexual crimes/ sexual assult/ abuse/

I kneeled on the bathroom rug retching into the toilet bowl I had given up counting the days since discovering I was pregnant but it seemed like every time I looked down my stomach had grown bigger, I knew time was running out, each time my stomach grew even an inch I knew we had less time to find out way out before baby would be born.

Newt had woken up with me and he gently put my hair into a braid to keep it out of my face, soothing his hands on my back, often muttering sweet things to me to try and help me feel better.

I got a moment of rest so I moved to sit on the rug and leaned my back against the bathtub

"You weren't this bad with JR"

"I know. I don't know why, but everything is just double as intense as with JR."

"Double?"

"Sure feels like it."

"No. You- you can't be-"

"What?"

"Double as intense. Could be... double, Babies."

"Newt that's not how that works"

"You have been saying it's a lot worse, more intense, your stomach has been growing so much faster than it ever did with Jr" he says moving his hand to my stomach "Do you want me to?"

"Try," I nodded

"I'll be gentle" he reassured kissing my forehead he carefully pushed his hand on my stomach doing his best to feel across my stomach

"ahhh" I hissed

"I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you" he says "One little one" he says and moves slightly to the other side "Two little ones." He says "I- I'm not the smartest boy and I could be wrong but I think there might be two"

"Two. Okay... two. That certainly means we are going to need some more things"

"We definitely will do."

"I'm sorry newt"

"Sorry? what on earth are you sorry for sugar cookie? If it's not true it's fine we get one little baby nothing will change if it is true and we get two, then we get two little ones to love." he smiled "I couldn't be happier if we get more little ones"

"You do?"

"of course. I know it can't.... replace JR. Nothing ever will but it'll be nice to have, like our own little family"

"It will be newt" I smiled giving him a sweet kiss "I just hope they don't have to know this place"

"I hope so too. you ready to get back to bed now?"

"I think I need some juice from downstairs before bed"

"You get to bed I'll get it for you"

"It's alright I can go"

"Then at least let me come with you sugar cookie"

"I'll be fine newt" I smiled he helped me to my feet but stopped me before I reached the door

"What if she's downstairs." He says

"I'm just getting juice newt."

"Yeah... you were just getting a drink last time." he says "I don't trust her alone with you. Not for a moment. Not after what she's done."

"Okay, we'll go down together."

"Okay, hold my hand and please don't let go"

"I won't I promise" I smiled holding his hand tightly before we left the bathroom

Newt held my hand in a tight grip, as we headed down the corridor and down the stairwell. We both breathed a sigh of relief when we found the living room and kitchen empty, "You check the door I'll make you some juice" Newt said kissing my head

"Get the stuff out for waffles too"

"I will do Sugarcube" he smiled as he headed to the kitchen, I went and did our usual check of the door, the windows, the usual places we always checked but found nothing useful to us, I checked the chairs but all had been used to try and open the door so much if we used them any more they'd break, I checked the sofa and table but they where bolted to the floor as much as I hate Ava she was smart everything is bolted and screwed down so we couldn't move things. I stopped a moment as I saw a shoe box on the table, it was dusty with a few cobwebs on it I sat down where she usually sits and I opened the box finding it filled to the brim with pictures mostly polaroids of newts before I knew him, pictures of him playing, of him in the tub, of him with a man I could only guess was Janson and of course ava I moved deeper into the box finding a small box of his teeth, cuttings of his hair, little things she had collected over his life, I found a small hospital bracelet for WCKD Hospital Maternity department with a date across it

06/ 09 / 1939 Inpatient -

For a moment I was puzzled but the piece of paper I found under it, a strong cream cardstock with watermarks and shiny holograms meaning it was official, it was a birth certificate.

Birth: 07/ 09 / 1939 11:00am

Sex: Male

Given name/s: Isaac Lewis

Family Name: Anderson

Mother: Liza Anderson

Father: Simon Anderson

"Newt?" I asked

"Yeah?" He asked as he came over with my juice

"Look," I told him handing him the paper

"Uhhh... Isaac? Who's Isaac?"

"I think... that's you."

"me?"

"I think so."

"1939? That can't be I'd be- that would-"

"Make you Thirty years old newt."

"I'm thirty!"

"Apparently"

"Why wouldn't my mother have told me that?"

"I don't know, maybe if she made sure you didn't know how old you were you'd never grow up"

"How old are you?"

"What?"

"I can't believe I never asked how old are you?!"

"Uhh I'd be twenty-five now."

"I hope I'm not too old for you"

"I'll make an exception" I smiled giving him a kiss

"Liza Anderson, You think that's my mother's name?"

"I guess it must be, I remember her saying your father's name was Simon."

"Simon, Simon Anderson. I never met him, I wonder if he was a nice man?"

"I hope he was," I said doing my best not to speak given I knew more than I should

"I feel like I've heard the name Liza, once before."

"Maybe my mother told you once?"

"Maybe. I don't remember"

"What is going on!" Her voice shouted as she rushed down the stairs we quickly tried to hide that we had seen what was in the box but it was too late "You! you wicked little girl how dare you look into my personal things!" she screamed coming to me and grabbing my hair forcing me down by the fire

"You will not touch her!" Newt yelled forcing his mother from me and standing between us as tears welled up "why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what? Whatever she's told you are lies!"

"Paperwork doesn't lie mother!" He yelled back freezing her in place "All this time... and not once did you tell me his name. How many nights did I beg you to tell me about my father! I begged you for anything you could tell me, anything you could show me, anything at all. Not once you told me his name. I never knew the name of my father let alone the family name I should have!"

"He didn't want you! we had to go it alone my little baby that's why I never told you he didn't want you he didn't he left us-"

"I still wanna know! Whether or not he wanted me is irrelevant I begged you to tell me his name and you never did. You never told me Our family name. you never even told me my real birthday!"

"Of course I did-"

"I'm thirty years old!" He shouted "and I didn't even know that. you kept all of this from me for thirty years."

"I- I hadn't realized it had been so long-"

"yes you did. Don't lie to me and tell me you didn't" He said "You never even told me my name... Let me guess my father picked it so as soon as he was gone you changed it?"

"why should I keep what that bastard called you! you were mine. mine alone. so I picked my baby a better name"

"My father named me. and you hid that from me. The only thing that could have kept me close to a man I never got to meet. And you... In your stubborn greed changed it. to something you'd prefer. Hid the reality away hoping I'd never find it."

"Newt dartling-"

"My name is Isaac! and you knew it. all this time, You've lied to me. You've hurt me. you've hurt the woman I love. I shouldn't even have her here with me if it wasn't for you!" He yelled tears streaming

"I'm sorry my dartling I truly am-"

"no! No you're not sorry you can never be sorry for this!" He yelled, "Unlock the door."

"What?" she asked

"Unlock the front door. Tell me where the key is and open the door. We're leaving."

"No- No you can't leave me" she begged to try to hug him but he forced her away

"OPEN THE DOOR!" He screamed, "Open the door, Now. and let us go or I will force it open and I don't care what I break."

"You can't leave"

"I warned you. and I gave you more chance when you deserved. Open the door. Or else."

"You can't leave me" she cried

"Fine" He snapped as he marched to the table picked up the strongest of the chairs and threw it with all his strength at the front door and I heard the clink of a broken door lock, the door still bolted but this proved the door would open but before he could land another blow I screamed as she grabbed my hair and dress forcing my face inches from the flames of the fire "Let her go!"

"Drop. the chair Darling"

"You hurt her I'll use this on you"

"You wouldn't dream to hurt your mummy newtie"

"Wanna bet?" he asked "Let. Her. go."

"You won't leave, without your precious little wife" She said she grabbed a scarf that had been left over the sofa and used it to tie my hands so tight I had no escape she forced me to the basement door unlocking it and opening the door with a creek "You open that door she goes with the rest of your broken toys"

"Let her go. and I'll put the chair down. That fair?"

"Alrtight" she smiled before she threw my body down the stairs hitting the washing machine at the bottom it was a miracle nothing was broken or at least I didn't think it was

"Y/N!" Newt yelled dropping the chair and bolting down the stairs to hold me "Arte you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so" I nodded

"You will not leave me." Her voice said and as we turned she stood at the top locking the door to the rest of the house with a butcher knife in her hand

"Put the knife down" he tried to reason with her

"You will not leave me" she muttered tears falling as she came down the stairs putting the knife at a point forcing us to step back until my back hit the ice cold of the basement room.

"You're my mother. I don't want to hurt you. But if you don't let us go-"

"You will not leave me!" she screamed grabbing the door behind us forcing it open and kicking us inside so our bodies landed on the floor before we could get to court feet she rushed in and picked up the chains that used to hold me all those years ago she used one to connect my ankle to the left wall and the other to connect newts wrist to the right wall we tried to fight but it was too late we tried to reach for once another but fully stretched we were only an inch apart "You're my baby. I don't want to hurt you. I've never wanted to hurt you. But the man she had made you... is not my son anymore. Both of you still stay down here until your attitude is adjusted" she said

"Let us go!" I screamed "Please!"

"Let her go, you can keep me here forever if that's what you want but please... please just let y/n go." Newt begged

"I will give you three chances. if by the third your attitudes are not adjusted... you can join your son by the roses" she said before she slammed the door locking it behind her.

I sat my body weak and tried, we hadn't eaten, we had barely slept, and all the while I was stretched as far as possible but still we could not hold one another. I don't know how long we had been down here but the days had lost meaning, she would visit to torment us to ask us if we were willing to submit to her and her rules but we would not, she would give us the scraps of food and water enough to keep us alive and nothing more, she had beaten us, tortured us, and things I would not dare to recall, mostly to me as a way to hurt him, but he was not left unscathed either by her horrors, we knew the next time she came would be our third chance... and we knew what would happen when we denied her again.

"My mother is a monster..."

"I mean-"

"No. there is nothing else. She is a monster." He explained, "And all this time I never knew... I... I just thought my mother was normal, that this was normal, that my life was normal..."

"I-I'm sorry newt."

"Sorry? Sugar cookie you open my eyes. Without you... I'd have become my mother. I would have lived thinking she was normal, thinking all this was how life was meant to be," He said tears slipping down his face, "Without you... I'd be a monster worse than her."

"I don't think that's true,"

"No?"

"No. Even in the deepest of her madness, you have always had... at least a shred of humility, I do not think you would have been a monster worse than her... I think even without me, In time you would have seen her for what she is." I explained, "I am sorry I revealed it-"

"Don't be. Please don't be sorry for what you've done. you let me see beyond the silk and softness I viewed my mother and showed me her spikes." He explained, "To think of all she has done to me, all I thought was normal." He cried,

"Newt-"

"I am a thirty-year-old man, I have never met my father, I have never been outside this fucking house! My mother has coddled me and indulged me more than she ever should, she bathed me, dressed me, and breastfed me even after I told her I didn't want to anymore she still fed me it in secret, and she ripped out my teeth, she made me sit on her lap, made me beg like a child, made me sleep in her bed with her, she convinced me that mothers pleasure their sons and she did it EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT." he explained through his tears, "She is a monster... the most vile monster in this world, and she did it all... because she loved me." He explained "She kidnapped people for me. She kept a man who wished for death just to give me company... She took you, chained you up, tortured you... just to please me."

"Newt... It's not your fault. You're mother and her madness are not your fault"

"Yes, they are." He said, "If it wasn't for me... she would never have done this... if it wasn't for me, Tommy would still be alive. Janson would still be alive. Lilly would still be okay. and you... Y/n, My sweet sugar cookie, you would be home, with your family, we may never have met, you would never have had to suffer, our child... Jr... he... he wouldn't ever have existed, nor the child you hold now. All of this pain... all of this suffering she has inflicted... for me. It is my fault. it is all my fault. Her attempts to keep me happy, to keep me small, young, sweet, passive, to keep me her happy child. My joy has caused nothing but suffering."

"... I think your right," I nodded, "But- like you said, I would not be here, I would not be with you, and Newt even after all of this I love you endlessly, I carry your child inside me at this moment, and I do not wish it away, your joy has brought us together, brought us joy and brought life. Even though the suffering and pain." I explained, "Newt... You cannot prevent evil, you can only try to make enough good in this world to counter it out even just for a few moments." I told him, "Even just the fact you know she is a monster and you are trying to distance yourself from her and her cruelty, makes you a better man."

"All thanks to you. I mean it... truly, without you. I don't know what hell I'd be in." He said, "I have never for a moment deserved you and your love. and it just makes me... so desperate to never lose you."

"Well, we don't have to worry about that." I sighed looking at your chains,

"No matter what, no matter what she does to us... I will not lose you." He said reaching out as close as he could, "No matter what happens... together." he cried,

I nodded tears flooding down my face as I too reached out our fingers inches from one another, "Together."

"Dinner time." Her voice rang from the top of the stairs,

#thomasbrodiesangster #tbs imagine #tbs imagines #tbs smut #thomas brodie sangster imagine #thomas sangster imagine #thomas brodie sangster smut #thomas brodie sangster #tbs #thomas sangster

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hopewriteszstuff · 4 months

Text

Chapter 2: The Borrower and The Monster

First chapter here:

Tags: @the-ellia-west

I look up at the big human who found me, He can't be talking to me now, can he? Then I realize that there's nobody else but me and him.

The big human's name is Lumen, I think it's a weird name for a human, but it's also very nice.

The other human was really scary, and mean too.

Mr. Lumen's eyes were grey, like when the sky is cloudy before it rains, and also like cement, it makes me nervous that he is looking at me, But it also feels safe. Like someone was making sure I won't get hurt?

He looked weird, his face was wrapped, like a mummy, I don't remember anything but his eyes and face.

"Let's begin with something simple first, What's your name?"

His voice was all around me, I thought for a while if I should answer or not.

A borrower shouldn't reveal themselves, I already did but I shouldn't reveal more than that..right?

I don't trust you yet, you can't have my name.

I take steps away from the human, then I realize there is a wall behind me, so I hug myself and look away.

================

She is being uncooperative, I wonder what Arsen did to her.

I stand up and walk around the room, trying to get my thoughts in order, until I was able to figure out something.

Perhaps if I fed her, she might talk? The more I think about it the more I feel that I'm interrogating a mouse or a feral kitten.

Regardless, I don't have any better ideas, so I walk to the kitchen cabinet and rummage through it, seeing what I can find.

My hands hit a carton box, and the familiar, lovely noise of plastic wrappers crinkles under my grip.

Chocolate cookies, my beloved.

I snatch one packet from the back and try to hide the box again, Arsen will fume at the idea of bringing such an unhealthy, sugar-packed snack to our apartment, but I deserve to satisfy my sweet tooth now and then.

I walk back to the glass cage, and I open the packet.

The little one perked up immediately at the noise, so I take one cookie and break a small piece for her, emptying the rest of the packet into my mouth. I made sure that no crumbs fell or stayed on my fingers.

================

He..he ate the whole thing! Just like that!! His mouth is big..his teeth are so..sharp.. huge.

His fangs are as tall as me! Are all humans like that?! He...

He could eat me if he wanted to, I could fit right there and it won't take him a second.

I stay as far as I could from his hands.

He..did share with me though, he had so many chances to hurt me and he didn't, maybe he is just big like that? Maybe?

My heart and my brain are confused and are fighting, my brain says that I should run away or I will be hurt Or killed.

But my heart says that if he had this many chances to hurt me..eat me even..and he didn't, why would he now?

He also ate the whole thing, so it's probably not poisoned Or spoiled.

I take a mouthful of the thing he gave me.

Chocolate! I never get to eat it! The only time I ever had this was when papa brought it home once.

Mama..papa.

I miss them...

"May I have your name now, little miss?"

I look at him and I answer with my mouth full.

"Hmmm....Navarra!"

"Navarra?" He repeats.

"Yes! My name is Navarra!"

I see him smiling, a small smile but it's still a smile!

I did a good thing, right? He looks happy, so it means I did a good thing!

"You have a beautiful name, Navarra"

He said my name is beautiful! Maybe he IS a nice person if he is so polite to me.

"Where is your family? Your home?"

Oh..family.

I..I was with them this morning, and then..they came...they took away everyone.

My eyes hurt now, it hurts to remember, I want to cry, I shouldn't cry, I can't cry in front of a stranger..no..not now.

I try eating more, but I feel sick, And it hurts.

================

I should have not asked that, I should have stayed quiet, now the poor girl is crying because of me.

"Oh dear, I apologize if it's something you don't want to talk about."

But it was too late, she already broke into tears, what shall I do? What do I do?

I tap my foot as I think of how do I calm the borrower down. I don't want to get too close so I won't scare her.

But she is so small, and fragile, and the urge to just keep her close to my heart and protect her was overwhelming me. She surely must prefer being somewhere warm instead of being in a cold hamster cage, right?

I open the cage and reach inside it, leaving my palm open for the little one to climb on.

================

No!! No!! Stay away! Stay away from me!!

Wait...why isn't he grabbing me? His hand is just open.

He was wearing gloves, his hands were big, and his fingers were thin and long...Like spider legs. Creepy!

I look at his eyes, I forgot how nice they were, and he nods at me like he was telling me it's alright to get in, so I give him the crumb I was eating, and I climb too.

================

Here she is, in my hand, leaning on my thumb for support.

I finally understand what being gentle truly means, I have to be strong so I can offer safety to this little one, and be her protector and shelter.

I am holding a very precious creature, and I hope from the bottom of my unbeating heart that I am worthy of this little creature's trust.

As soon as I feel the impossibly tiny hands on my own, I smell blood from her. A powerful urge comes over me. At first, it was as if I wanted to hug the little one and absorb her.

Then it became more monstrous, thoughts that weren't my own. I try my best to ignore it as it pooled inside my guts.

If I can just, put the little creature in my mouth, and swallow her, she will never feel any of this pain again, and if I was as big as a house to her, then I should act as one, she is such a small creature that it wouldn't take a second. Come on, Lumen, you haven't eaten anything in a while, isn't she just so cute you could just scoop her and eat her? Don't you just want to keep her as close as you can? She already went through too much, she doesn't deserve to suffer more, she deserves for you to love her, make her a part of you, embrace her, and cherish her.

These blasted thoughts, that damned beast inside me, Shut it! Zip it!

I shake my head and try to ignore it, instead, I focus entirely on the girl in my hand, Navarra.

I bring her closer, and only silence was heard for a moment.

"Don't hesitate to tell me if you aren't comfortable or if you are scared."

I remind her, and she nods understandingly, although she refused to continue eating, only looking upwards at me.

I look into her innocent, trustful eyes. But I didn't dare to keep looking, I don't deserve to be looked at with such hope, the most innocent and hopeful look I have ever seen, it was...

..wrong.

"Dunno where my family is.." She breaks the silence.

"I think they are... far away now"

"Where am I anyways?"

"New York, A very big city"

"And this is me and my brother's apartment, it's where we live.. and for now, it will be where you live too."

The girl looked around her when she was told she will live there.

"But..but_"

"I know you would prefer to be home now, but like you just said, home is far away now."

"I promise I will try my best to bring you back home, or at least find you another."

She sulks and I can feel the weight of her emotions on me as she just refused to speak further. She lets out a sigh and lays down, to which I tense at first, but then I allowed myself to relax for her sake.

I still wonder why is she so comfortable with me, especially that she was frightened at first.

"I'm sorry about what happened to you."

"It's ok, don't be, it wasn't your fault."

A little hand is gently touching my fingers as if reassuring me.

Bless her, she has a beautiful heart.

"You seem unsure of what to do next." I try to start a conversation.

"I dunno what to do. I was always with my family, this is my first time being alone."

"And it hurts, it really hurts. I just wanna go home again."

I sigh deeply, I want to tell her that was nearly impossible to go back to her family. There was a lot I can't help but think about, like how I probably shouldn't be holding her in my hand like this.

But do I want her to go through that?

At the end of my thought stream, I finally decided that we will cross these bridges when we get to them and that for now, I should focus on learning more about her.

"You speak well, Navarra," I tell her.

"What do you mean?"

"Well.."

I shove the plastic wrapper that I promptly forgot about into my pocket, then I point at the book next to me.

"It says here that your kind speaks a language that humans can't hear, yet you can speak to me as I speak to you, in perfect, clear English."

"...Papa taught me to speak human."

"He said that we don't hate humans, we learn from them, we are a part of their lives just like they make our lives.."

"But humans won't get it..and it's why we hide from them."

She pauses a bit.

"..Mister, Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead, little one."

"Why..why do you and the other mister look different from other humans?"

"That is..not an easy question to answer."

Fuck, I knew this was coming, but it still hurts to hear her from her mouth.

This will be quite tricky to explain.

#g/t #g/t writing #gt #sfw g/t #g/t community #vampire the masquerade #writing #writers #writeblr #creative writing #writeblr community #writers on tumblr #novel #Hopewrites #nosferatu

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domsideencourager · 5 months

Text

This story disappeared. I hope its okay to repost.

University was really fucking expensive, Noah had quickly realised. Between paying for his halls, food and all the surprising little costs of living away from home, his student grant was rapidly dwindling, and he was starting to worry about making it last until reading week, nevermind the next payment after Christmas - he'd gotten a bar job, but even with that it was hard to make ends meet. Parents, teachers, older friends had all warned him not to spend all of his money going out, but chance would be a fine thing.

"Daddy told me that he's literally not going to give me any more money!" Noah's flatmate Cissy wailed at Becca and Will, two of his somewhat more financially fortunate new living mates. "He said that three hundred a week should be enough, but I told him that he just doesn't understand what it's like to budget!" Noah bit his tongue and focussed on buttering his toast while keeping an eye on his pan of baked beans.

Becca nodded sympathetically. "They just absolutely do not understand what it's like to be working class students like us," she told Cissy sagely.

"Does this mean you can't buy us coke tonight?" Will asked, the concern clear in his voice.

This only made Cissy cry harder. "I'm not thinking about fucking coke right now Will!" she cried. "I don't even know if I can afford brunch tomorrow!"

"I could probably try and get some ket?" Will suggested.

"You know I can't have ketamine Will!!" Cissy yelled. "I'm a fucking aquarius! Obviously I don't react well to ket!" She buried her face in her hands and wept. Noah poured his beans onto his toast and gathered his cutlery. He considered topping his meal with some cheese, but decided it was too much of a luxury right now.

"Besides," Becca said as Noah began to take his meager dinner to his room. "Ketamine reminds me too much of my horse Diana, so I'll be far too sad to do any."

The door closed as Cissy comforted Becca about the dear departed Diana. Noah let out a sigh. He wished he had a "daddy" who would "only" give him £300 a week. He laughed as he sat down at his desk and looked for a show to watch on his laptop. He'd remembered earlier that week when some of his mates were saying they'd have to look for sugar mummies and daddies to make it through the term. He'd joined in laughing at the time, but the prospect was starting to look less and less absurd as the term went on and his finances dwindled.

He paused, wondering. He knew sugar daddies existed of course, but he couldn't quite convince himself that there really were older men out there just waiting to give someone money.

After a while, his curiosity got the better of him and he pulled out his phone. How to get a sugar daddy he typed in. He was surprised how many websites and apps there were. Surely the idea wasn't really this popular? He clicked on a couple of links; they all seemed to cater for older men looking for young women. He tapped his search bar again and added gay to his search. The first result was an app called The Sugar Bowl, advertising itself as the UK's premier gay sugar dating app. He downloaded it. He had to entertain himself somehow, he supposed, while all his flatmates were out getting drunk and high - a luxury he just couldn't afford.

The app was asking him to make a profile. He quickly tapped in all his details, chose a username and clicked next, giving short, vague answers for any that needed more than basic information. Photos next; he scrolled through his phone looking for some good recent photos. He appraised himself as he scrolled - he was a bit of a catch, if he did say so himself. Just over six feet with naturally broad shoulders, with a handsome face and a strong, square jaw. The vivid ginger hair on his head was mirrored on his chest and trailing down his stomach, a shock of orange against his pale, freckled skin.

He finished his profile and was immediately shown a man who was at least eighty. A bubble of text at the bottom of his screen informed him he could "Ask for a taste" or "Carry on looking at the menu", and only the men he selected would be able to message him. Noah rolled his eyes and tapped the cross. The man's profile whisked itself away and was replaced with another.

Now this was more like it - mid-40s maybe, salt and pepper hair, bit of a gut but Noah didn't mind that necessarily. His fingers moved to tap the tick before he noticed the short blurb of text below the photos: Discrete! Married with children, but would love to add you to the family. Noah cringed and rejected him.

The next one wasn't too bad. Bald, a nice square face, pictures showing him dressed in sharp suits in what looked like various cities across the world, and, to Noah's surprise, a screenshot of what looked like a banking app, all of the details removed apart from the dizzyingly large balance. Noah tapped, accepting him. Nothing happened - presumably he'd have to wait for a match or for the man to be notified before he'd get a response.

He spent a couple of hours idly swiping through profiles. It was almost like a game, really. He was surprised to find how handsome he found some of the men; he'd never really considered himself attracted to older guys before but there was something about some of them. He particularly appreciated some of the dad bods on show - always something he'd liked before on guys his own age, and there were plenty on offer here.

He snapped out of his app-induced reverie as he heard his flat mates leave for the night, stampeding towards the door. He closed the app and decided to watch a movie for the night as he heard Cissy loudly proclaim to everyone "You know what? Fuck it. I'm buying coke. Daddy can fuck off. I have to be true to myself and I know that I am not a ketamine queen!" This was met with one of the poshest cheers Noah had ever heard.

The app left Noah's mind entirely as he watched his film and then fell asleep. He woke up to a notification.

SilverFoxDom: Hello handsome. You know, my hair used to be that exact same shade, before succumbing to the ravages of time.

He looked at the name and sighed. He must not have looked very close last night.

RedFox: Nice. Listen, I'm sorry, I must not have really read your name last night. I'm not really into the whole sub/dom thing.

He closed the app and checked the news, reading through a few stories. Within a few minutes, another notification popped up.

SilverFoxDom: Neither am I. My actual name's Dominic, or Dom. I didn't really consider the implications until I'd made the profile, and now I can't figure out how to change it.

Noah smiled a little. At least this guy seemed sweet, and hadn't immediately asked for nudes - an improvement on more conventional dating apps, in fact. He went back to the app to check his profile. The guy was okay-looking, Noah thought; probably mid-50s, with a head of receding white hair and a beard to match, and warm, crinkled eyes surrounded by laughter-lines on a rugged, square face. Noah could see faded freckles across his nose and cheeks, the only remaining evidence of the ginger hair in his youth that he'd mentioned. A bit of a dad-bod, with a thickness evident beneath the expensive looking suits he wore in each photo, but Noah had met up with bigger guys before.

RedFox: Sorry to hear that, not-a-dom Dom. I bet that's led to a few sticky situations.

SilverFoxDom: Oh no, no sticky business over here! I'm very content to offer what aid I can to fellow foxes in need without it going any further. I've got to say little fox, you're looking more underfed than most. A particularly cruel winter, perhaps?

RedFox: Yeah, I've always found it pretty difficult to put on weight, especially living on beans on toast at uni, haha.

SilverFoxDom: Something I can help with, perhaps? Well then, young fox, what brings you to this rather niche corner of the internet?

Noah decided to be honest. This guy seemed genuinely nice.

RedFox: Some mates were joking about needing a sugar daddy to get through the term. I thought it'd be a bit of a laugh, but I was sort of curious what it's all about.

SilverFoxDom: Well I heard it's only cats that need to be wary of curiosity; us foxes should be fine.

How about you let me take you out for a meal a little more elaborate beans on toast? At least then you'll have gotten something out of this whole experience.

RedFox: That's very kind. Honestly though, I really did just make an account out of curiosity. I don't think I'm into this whole sugar daddy/baby thing.

SilverFoxDom: And I am also being honest when I say there is no obligation or hint towards anything other than a good meal and some company for an hour or two. I can guarantee a finer meal than anything else you'll rustle up during your time at university.

Noah's stomach grumbled. It would be good to have a proper meal, and really, it was no more dangerous than meeting someone off grindr or tinder.

RedFox: Sounds great then, thank you. When were you thinking?

They arranged to meet that evening at half past six, a little early Noah thought, but he wasn't about to argue. He put on his nicest shirt and his cleanest jeans, and walked into the center of town to a restaurant he'd never heard of.

Noah walked up the stairs to the large entrance, with a small sign next to it with the name of the restaurant - Pastures Green - and was met by a thick-set man in a three-piece suit. "Hi," Noah said as he approached. "I'm meeting someone - Dominic?"

"Of course sir, welcome," the man said. "I've been told to ask you for your favourite animal."

Noah was taken aback, feeling like he was back in primary school and being asked about his favourite shape (hexagon) or dinosaur (triceratops). "My favourite animal? What the- Oh! Right, no, I see. A fox. My favourite animal's a fox."

The man smiled and his eyes flicked to Noah's hair for a moment. "It suits you. This way then." He turned on his heel and walked through a thick wooden door. Noah followed into a large, expensive looking room. The room seemed underfilled, with only ten or so tables, and plenty of space between them all. Noah was led between them all, to a table at the back, wth Dominic sat in one seat.

Dominic stood up as Noah approached. In person, he had a warm energy that seemed to enhance all his features, and made him look quite handsome, if you could get over the age thing. He looked a couple of inches shorter than Noah, maybe at about 6 foot, and a few pounds lighter than in his photos, though still with a broad frame and a slight gut rounding out his waistcoat. Noah didn't know much about suits, but he could tell the one Dominic wore was expensive - light grey with barely-there pinstripes, and seemingly tailored to perfectly highlight or hide different parts of his body.

Dominic moved towards Noah and stuck his hand out for Noah to shake. "Gosh, but you really are handsome aren't you, little fox?" he said with a twinkle in his eye. He gestured for Noah to sit. "Now, this is very foolish of me, but I don't actually know your name."

"Noah," Noah answered as he took his seat.

"Noah!" Dominic almost bellowed. "A good strong name." He sat down opposite and handed a menu to Noah. "But you didn't come to introduce yourself to old men Noah. I believe you were promised a slap-up meal."

Noah opened the menu and noted that there weren't any prices. A note at the top assured customers that all the food was grown and produced locally. "A, uhh, a steak maybe," he said, deciding it wasn't too far removed from his usual safety option of burger and chips.

"Good choice," Dominic said with a smile. "But we'll get to that in good time. What about something to start?" he asked. "Or I could choose a few things I think you should taste?"

Noah put the menu down and gave a small smile. "Sounds great."

"Excellent!" Dominic said, as a waiter seemed to appear out of thin air. "Now Michael," he said to the waiter. "We'll start with some drinks,-" he turned to Noah. "A beer?" Noah nodded. "Two beers, I'll try something new. Something Belgian maybe? Now my friend here," he gestured towards Noah, "has never had the pleasure, so I really think he should sample as much of your fare as is reasonable, don't you? We'll start with a few small-plates - those lamb ribs you did last time, definitely, that pork belly with the fennel, do you remember? Yes, yes, those. Some of those crispy twelve-hour potatoes, that wonderful asparagus you do. I think I remember some artichoke concoction a few weeks ago? Perfect. And what fish do you have today? Yes, a small serving of that." His eyes flicked back to Noah and seemed to appraise him for a moment. "Perhaps that'll be it for starters this time Michael. And then my young friend here wanted the twenty-ounce rib-eye, and I'll have, hmmm…" For the first time he actually opened the menu himself and looked, although only for a second or two. "A salad, I think. Whatever chef thinks will work." He patted his slight belly and looked over at Noah briefly. "Doctor's orders," he said with a wink. "I'm afraid I can't overindulge like I once could."

Noah swallowed hard - it definitely sounded like he'd be overindulging, even if Dominic wasn't.

"The steak, sir?" the waiter - Michael - asked Noah.

"Oh, uh, yeah. That's great," Noah replied.

Michael smiled thinly. "How would you like the steak cooked?" he elaborated.

"Oh! Right, yeah, well." Noah stammered for a moment. He'd never had a proper, high-quality steak before, what did he know about how.it should be cooked. "Medium-rare?" He said it as a question as much as an answer.

"Excellent," Michael said. "Your drinks will be out presently." He turned on his heel and walked away.

Dominic turned to Noah and beamed. "So, little fox, why don't you tell me about yourself," he said. "You mentioned you were at university?"

Noah nodded. "First year, studying engineering," he replied, as Michael reappeared with two glasses.

"Thank you Michael," Dominic said. "First year, eh? Very exciting, first time away from home, discovering independence for the first time. Exhilarating really." He took a small sip of his beer and closed his eyes. "Mhm, perfect. Do take a taste." Noah did as instructed. The beer was odd - it was almost thick, and tasted strongly like wheat, with just a hint of sweetness. He smiled and nodded, wordlessly answering Dominic's inquisitive look. "I'm glad you like it," Dominic continued. "And engineering? Very impressive. I was never one for science and maths and all that myself. It was PPE at Oxford for me." Noah just smiled and took another swig of beer - the taste was starting to grow on him. "Not much of a talker, eh?" Dominic prompted.

Noah swallowed yet another swig of beer. "Sorry, no, it's not that I - it's just -" He decided it was best to play coy a little, play up to the guy offering a slap up dinner and who knows what else. "Just nervous, I guess."

"Oh fox, no need to be nervous," Dominic said with a growing smile. "In fact, I remember when I was your age and met up with a man, who, ah, shall we say, had a little more life-experience than me…"

Noah realised that what Dominic really wanted was someone to talk at, rather than any real expectation for Noah to contribute outside of an occasional reply. He was fine with that, happy to sit and drink his beer and give a nod or encouraging "hmm" when prompted. By the time the starters arrived, his beer was nearly empty and he was already beginning to feel the effects, having not been able to afford to drink for a while, and having not eaten much that day.

Noah's eyes went wide as the starters got put down. When Dominic had ordered, he'd expected morsel-sized portions, and while the servings weren't enormous, the six dishes added up to a lot more than Noah would usually eat in any given meal, and this was just the starter!

Dominic must have seen Noah's reaction. "Don't worry too much about finishing it all, little fox. I might take a sliver to taste, and I suppose the kitchen can dispose of any leftovers," he said.

"No, no, I can, I mean, it's fine," Noah said. "I can finish it, it's not too much." Not only could Noah not stand to waste food, particularly nowadays when he was living within such meager means, but he got the sense that Dominic was testing him somehow, seeing how willing he was to play along.

"Another beer sir?" the waiter asked, gesturing towards Noah's glass.

"Oh, uh, yeah, cheers, umm, Michael," Noah replied, picking up his fork to start.

"Certainly," Michael replied simply and walked away.

As Dominic looked on eagerly, Noah took his first bite, starting with the lamb ribs. As the meat reached his tongue he actually moaned - he couldn't stop himself. It was almost certainly the best food he'd ever had, and it made him realise suddenly just how hungry he was.

"Good?" Dominic asked simply, his eyebrows raising in a smug expression.

Noah could only give a short "hmm", as the second mouthful of lamb was already in his mouth. It was perfectly cooked - tender and juicy and seemed to be roasted with rosemary and something Noah couldn't identify. He cut off some pork belly, even as he was still chewing, and brought it up to his mouth the second he swallowed his lamb. It was just as good, and Noah closed his eyes as he chewed, trying his best to slow down to savour the taste.

Dominic let out a small chuckle. "Very good," he said. "I do hate to see a young man without a healthy appetite. Yes, very nice indeed." He paused for a moment, watching as Noah chased a mouthful of potato with some beer. "Now, where was I? Ah, yes, the thing people don't understand about John Major you see…"

Noah did his best to pay attention, but Dominic’s tales of Tories past weren't exactly Noah's bag, and they had to vie for his attention with the exquisite flavours in front of him. He built up a rhythm, alternating dishes with each bite, dipping the potatoes in all of the various sauces and juices from the other plates. He did his best to eat slowly but he just couldn't help himself. He was almost surprised when he looked down to see all of the plates were empty.

“... Which is why, of course, Thatcher's right-to-buy scheme was so beneficial,” Dominic finished. His smile grew as he saw Noah lean back in his seat, his breathing slow. “Oh, well done. Yes, very good indeed. You know, a lesser man would have given up on that, but not you, no.” Noah rubbed his stomach in wide slow circles. “Now, time for mains perhaps?”

Noah belched, the sound erupting out of him without warning. “Oh god,” he said. “I'm sorry I-”

“No apology needed! None at all, no, no, it's the sign of a good meal well-enjoyed,” Dominic said as his smile grew. “You know, when I was part of the trade delegation to China, I was told that burping was a sign of respect! Now, the steak?”

Noah nodded blearily. “Yeah,” he said. “Yeah, I'll give it a go.” He downed the rest of his beer, hoping the liquid might help soothe his stomach.

“That's all that any of us can do, isn't it?” Dominic proclaimed wisely. He waved down the waiter. “We’re ready now. And my guest here will have another beer.”

The steak arrived all too soon, looking even bigger than it had sounded earlier. Noah steeled himself, knowing that this was the best meal he'd had in a long time, and might have for a while yet. Dominic spoke constantly, picking at his own salad while

After Noah had finished the selection of desserts Dominic had ordered, he was drunk, stuffed and tired. Dominic helped him to his feet and guided him to a waiting car, which took Noah directly to his uni halls. Noah unbuckled his too tight trousers and collapsed straight into bed.

He awoke the next morning to Cissy knocking on his door and passing over a large hamper that had been left for him. He looked inside to find a selection of expensive cheese, crackers, desserts and several ales. Looking closer he found a note.

Little Fox,

I so enjoyed our evening last night. I've included some small treats that I think you might enjoy until the next time we meet.

Your Silver Fox

This went on for a while. Two or three times a week, Dominic would invite Noah to some restaurant he'd never be able to afford to go to by himself, order an inordinate amount of food, plus a salad for himself, then watch as Noah stuffed himself silly. The next morning, a hamper would get delivered to Noah's flat, each time with something different in it - expensive cheeses, cured meats, selections from Dominic's current favourite bakery or deli, each delivery coming with several bottles of stout or ale that Dominic thought would pair with the food - Noah's room rapidly filled with more wicker baskets than he could handle. One time, Noah had off-handedly mentioned how much he liked ice-cream, and the next morning a delivery man handed over a miniature freezer for his room, stocked full of Ben and Jerry's. Each time, he considered sharing with his flat mates, but each time he'd sample one of the exquisite treats and immediately change his mind. Dominic, for his part, never suggested anything more - he really did seem to just genuinely want to help out a struggling uni student. Noah knew he'd have some ulterior motive, but as sexual deviances went, this one felt fairly benign and Noah wasn't about to turn down a few free meals a week.

As the end of the semester rolled around, Noah pulled a Christmas jumper out of one of the hampers that he'd repurposed as a clothes basket, and noted with a wince a developing tightness as he put it on. The jumper still fit, thankfully, but he worried about Dominic losing interest - Noah was quickly losing his thin figure that first attracted the older man.

Noah looked in the mirror and assessed himself. He wasn't fat, per se, not even chubby really. A bit more solid looking, that's all. He looked better, if anything; not quite so rail thin, or like a strong wind would blow him over.

Noah sighed. Tonight was the first time Dominic had invited him around to his own house, and he was a little nervous. Noah felt he knew Dominic well enough by now to trust that nothing untoward would happen, but it felt like a big step up in their strange friendship.

Noah smoothed down his jumper, laying his hands flat against his midsection. He was being silly - Dominic probably wouldn't even be able to notice anything.

"I've noticed you've been putting on some weight," Dominic said that evening, taking a sip of wine and smiling across the table.

Noah took a moment to swallow the mashed potatoes he'd just put in his mouth - perfectly creamy, and with a hint of rosemary and garlic - and looked down at himself. As stuffed as he was, his shirt had begun to get noticeably tighter. "I uh…," he started, trying to form words. "I suppose I've put on a little weight, yeah. I was pretty skinny before though - too skinny, some people think." He'd started talking faster, trying to convince Dominic it wasn't so bad. He hit upon the idea to appeal to Dominic's ego. "And uh, it's all this great food - I'm so grateful, you've been so generous."

Dominic's smile widened a touch and he laughed softly. "You've no need to worry, my little fox. Merely a comment." He drank some more wine and seemed to look Noah up and down. "It looks good on you, you know. You really were too thin when I met you - quite ghastly really, like a wraith. No, you look much healthier now." He set his wine glass down and leant back in his chair, one eyebrow raised. Noah got the distinct impression that he was trying to appear as nonchalant as possible. "I don't suppose you know how, ah, much weight exactly you've put on?"

Noah shrugged. "Not too much, my clothes all still fit, just about. And I've not got a scale at my flat."

Dominic stood up suddenly. "Well then we'll have to find out, won't we?"

"Will we?" Noah asked around a mouthful of turkey and gravy.

"Aren't you curious?" Dominic asked, moving around the table to usher Noah out of his seat. "We're having this little tete-a-tete about these rather charming, wonderful little changes to your body, and you don't want to know?" For the first time since Noah had met him, Dominic seemed to have a strange nervous energy about him, as if he'd rehearsed this moment. Dominic gave a short laugh. "And you the engineer! I thought your head would be full of numbers and precise measurements."

Noah decided to play along - whatever was happening, it wasn't worth losing out on his meal ticket. He pulled himself heavily out of his chair, his full stomach making him sluggish. Dominic left the room and Noah followed.

After climbing several flights of stairs and walking down a couple of corridors, Dominic stopped outside a door. "Sorry for the hike," he said with a smile. "This is the only bathroom with scales in." Noah wondered if Dominic had put the scales in there (or more likely had someone put them in there for him), so that he could show off the house to Noah - he remembered some quiet comment Dominic had made about this being "just the city house".

Dominic opened the door and ushered Noah in, flourishing an arm towards a set of scales. "Do you, ah, know what you weighed when you first arrived at university?" he asked.

Noah shrugged. "Probably about twelve stone, I think," he answered. That sounded about right, anyway.

Dominic tutted. "See? Far too thin. Shall we, ah, call that 170 pounds then, do you think?"

"Sure," Noah said. "Call it what you like I suppose."

"Call it what you- oh yes, very dry, very dry indeed little fox," Dominic chuckled. "Yes, well, ah, would you, that is to say, if you'd care to, ah…"

Noah was surprised to see Dominic so ill-at-ease. He always seemed so unflappable, and now he was a stammering mess about asking Noah to step on some scales. Noah did the honours, and looked down at the numbers on the scale. They rapidly climbed for a moment before stopping at 193.

"Oh my," Dominic said. "Well I suppose if we take off your- that is, if we account for your clothes, and what you've eaten tonight of course." He reached out and touched Noah's slightly distended stomach through his jumper. Noah felt a jolt - it was the first time Dominic had touched him at all, aside from shaking hands, and it felt like there'd just been some significant change in their relationship from that brief touch. "Shall we say one-ninety?"

"If you like, sure," Noah said, stepping back off the scale. He was starting to doubt whether these free meals were really worth it.

Dominic took out his phone and started tapping it. "Twenty pounds in, what, two months?" he muttered, seemingly to himself more than to Noah. "Very impressive, very impressive indeed."

Noah's own phone buzzed as Dominic put his away. Noah looked confused and reached into his pocket to pull it out. His eyes widened. A notification from his bank informed him that £2000 had just been added to his account by D. Berkeley. Noah looked up at Dominic, dumbfounded. "What?" Noah asked. "Why?"

Dominic smiled coolly, all of his nervous energy suddenly dissipated. "One hundred pounds for each pound you've put on," he said calmly. He seemed back to his usual self, like he'd just taken back control of the conversation. "Something of a mea culpa, if you'd like. After all, this," he once again reached out a poked Noah's slightly softer middle, "is rather my fault."

"Well, I mean, you don't need to-" Noah began.

"And I do actually rather like it, if I'm being honest, little fox," Dominic interrupted. "Which is to say, I rather think that young men such as yourself do look rather more handsome with some weight about their person."

"Right," Noah said. "Okay then, well, thank you, I guess. I'll, umm, put it towards a gym membership."

"Oh, well if you'd like to lose it, I do of course understand,” Dominic said. “I could even pay for a private trainer if you’d like? As it is my fault.” He paused for a moment and seemed to be analysing Noah's body, looking it up and down. Noah felt like some sort of prey animal. “But then again, I really do think it suits you, you know. I could even, if you were amenable, continue these little apologies? Same rate of course, one thousand sterling for every ten pounds - best exchange rate you’ll get while the current government is in power.” He laughed at his own joke before looking expectantly at Noah waiting for his answer.

Noah stood still for a while, the only sound in the room that of the other shoe finally dropping. He'd known, of course, that there was no such thing as a free lunch, but he'd rather hoped his payment would have been keeping an agreeable older man company during those lunches. Clearly, Dominic was taking payment by pound of flesh.

Was the money worth it? Noah was in the prime of his life - he should be taking advantage of his young, fit body, not wasting it for a few measly quid. But then, a thousand pounds wasn't something to scoff at, and he could make a fair amount more, not to mention all the food he didn't have to worry about buying. Maybe he should just get back on the app and find some other old rich guy who just wanted something simpler, like a blow job or feet pics. But then, did Noah really care? He'd been attracted to plenty of other big guys, he'd just not ever thought of himself that way. He wasn't even really a big guy himself yet, he could easily ring this guy for another few grand and bounce before it was really noticeable, and then he could lose any excess weight easily enough.

Dominic cleared his throat, snapping Noah out of his rambling train of thought. “I'll, uhh, think about it,” Noah said. “Over Christmas.”

“Of course!” Dominic boomed, clapping a hand around Noah's shoulders and guiding him back out into the corridor. “You think about it while you're back home, and message me with your thoughts on my offer. For now though, I hope you have some space for dessert and the cheese board.”

A few hours later Noah swayed towards the front door, Dominic's hand on his back guiding him. The sheer amount of food and drink Noah had consumed was making him bleary-eyed, and he'd had to undo his belt sometime during the cheese course.

“Noah, one final thing,” Dominic said, as Noah stumbled his way outside towards the waiting car. He held out an envelope towards Noah. “It's a card.”

“I forgot to get you a Christmas card,” Noah said around burps.

Dominic laughed. “No, no, a credit card,” he explained. He pushed it into Noah's hand. “I’ll pay it off each month, of course, but it is yours.” Noah burped in response, which Dominic seemed to take as understanding. “I'd appreciate it if you only used it for food and drink - I don't mind how much you spend, you understand, but I would appreciate it nonetheless. Respect, more than anything, you see.”

Noah looked at the envelope for a while before looking up at Dominic and smiling. “Merry Christmas,” he mumbled before he belched and collapsed through the open car door.

It was the card that tipped it, for Noah. He decided he could live without the free extravagant dinners, even the offered grand for each ten pounds didn't seem that worth it in the cold light of day, but that credit card seemed to fix all of his money worries overnight. Trips to the supermarket weren't spent agonising over how much he had left or whether he could afford the tin of tomatoes that cost 15p more, he could treat himself, go out with mates on nights out. He still couldn't get over the look on his mum's face when he offered to pay for everything for Christmas dinner, or when she opened the present he'd bought her with some of the two grand Dominic had given him. So he was probably going to put on a bit of weight, who cared? He got back in contact with Dominic once he was back in halls, and their dinners recommenced, Noah's personal discomfort with the situation ebbing away all the time, even while the physical discomfort of his clothes mounted.

"Why aren't you eating more?" Dominic asked.

Noah swallowed his mouthful on noodles and looked down at the plates in front of him. He'd almost finished his bowl of donburi, and there was a small stack of small plates next to it which until recently had held a selection of dumplings and sushi.

“Well, uh, I thought maybe we'd have dessert, I guess,” he said, placing a hand gingerly on his bloated belly. “Or, I mean, if you wanted me to order some more sides?” He'd gotten used to pushing himself past his limits recently, focussing on the money he knew Dominic would be happy to part with, but that didn't make it any easier.

“Not tonight,” Dominic said, smiling. “No, you've rather impressed me tonight. The card I gave you, I mean. I'd expected a young man like you, away from home and enjoying all the pleasures of university life had to offer to be living off of take-aways and beers.”

Noah furrowed his brow. “I mean, I've been using it, you know, for shops and stuff,” he explained. “I didn't want to take the piss I guess.”

“You've no need to worry my dear little fox!” Dominic said. “It would take quite a lot of eating indeed to make me regret my decision. No, no, you've no need to be concerned about your impact on my finances. You should be enjoying yourself - dinners out, big lunches, deliveroos.” He said this last word as if it was an unfamiliar foreign term he was impressed with himself for learning while on holiday.

“Right, yeah, I'll keep that in mind I guess,” Noah said, before bringing the bowl up to his mouth to drain the last of the broth. “Thanks again,” he said. He placed both hands on his stomach and began to massage it, as much to soothe it as much as to put in a bit of a show for Dominic.

Dominic licked his lips. “You know, I had rather noticed that your, ah, wardrobe perhaps needed an update,” he said. “Perhaps it wouldn't go amiss if you were to use the card for clothes as well, when needed. I'd only ask that you let me know ahead of time, when you, ah, well, when you outgrow your clothes, I suppose.”

Noah nodded and ran a hand along the hem of his t-shirt to feel the strip of skin that had started showing beneath it in the last week or so. “Thanks, that’ll be helpful. These jeans are killing me.” He made a show of unbuttoning them and sighing with relief. “Sorry, hope you don't mind.” Dominic shook his head while making some posh clucking noises.

“Why don't you weigh yourself tonight?” Dominic asked. “With that scale I sent. You could send me a picture and I could send some money, if needed.”

“Sounds great,” Noah said, leaning back. “Don't suppose you could get the waiter's attention could you? See if they could bring over the dessert menu?”

That night, Noah sent Dominic a picture of the scale reading 202, and smiled as a notification appeared in his banking app less than a minute later.

Fancy going interrailing this summer? Just me and you? Mum’s given me some money for “self betterment and actualisation”, thought I'd go get pissed in Prague.

Noah's heart sank as he read the message. Just last week he'd spent most of the money he'd saved up from Dominic on a used car. He loved it, but now wished he'd held off a little longer. Him and his mate Stuart from school had talked about going interrailing for years; Noah had always thought of it as little more than a pipe dream, but suddenly it felt like it was all too attainable, if only Stu had text a week earlier.

Noah was about to text back, telling Stu he was skint, when he paused. No reason he couldn't save up a bit more money - he'd have until the summer to put on some more weight, and get as much money as he could from Dominic. Okay, so 220 pounds was bigger than he ever imagined getting, and having a genuine belly bloating out the front of large t-shirts, even when he'd not eaten, was something of a surprise, but he was hardly that big yet, he could afford to put on another twenty pounds before it was that bad, couldn't he? Besides, Stu was always the “fat friend” at school; he'd hardly judge Noah, and might even get a kick out of seeing him the same size as him.

I'd have to sort a bit of money, but count me in! August will be better than July maybe - gives me a bit of time to bank some extra pounds.

Noah chuckled at his own small joke as he grabbed the iPad Dominic had sent him a few weeks before, ready for some research. He started off simple, typing How much does it cost to go interrailing into Google and searching through some sites. He started to worry a little about how much it might cost and increased his imagine future body by another ten pounds or so. Would 30 pounds put him bigger than Stu? It was a strange prospect, but he found himself getting hard. As much as they'd all taken the piss out of Stu, he'd always commanded a bit of respect because of his size - he was the big one, the one who always got mistaken for being a bit older, the one who could eat the most and would probably win in most fights. The idea that Noah could usurp Stu in that way excited him.

How to gain weight fast he typed into the search bar. If he wanted to enjoy himself, he'd need to earn as much money as he could before summer.

A couple of mornings later, Noah pulled a carton out of one of the crates he’d ordered. He cracked it open and took a sip. This Boost stuff wasn't too bad, he thought. It was sweet and creamy, but not as thick as he thought, and he was surprised by how small it was considering the number of calories in it. He downed the rest of it in a few large gulps.

He’d read that some people had gotten incredible results from just one or two a day, so he thought one after every meal would do the trick nicely. Then, he'd finish the day with a pint or two of ice cream from the freezer that Dominic made sure to keep stocked. All of that, on top of his newly formed habit of getting every meal delivered - McDonald’s breakfast in the morning, a burger or burrito for lunch, and then a different take away each night for dinner - would surely help him make the money he needed for Europe.

While he was researching all of this, he'd been surprised to discover the communities of men who seemed to get off on this kind of stuff. He’d thought Dominic was some kind of one-off, the result of whatever crazy repression results from being gay and posh, but it seemed like these gainer guys were fairly common. He took some perverse pleasure in realising he was already bigger than some of the men who'd been trying to put on weight. He did his best to ignore men around 250 pounds, knowing he'd be that size soon enough, if everything went to plan - surely he'd not look that big? Obviously these guys would try and make themselves look as big as possible in their photos. No, he'd be fine, he told himself, just a little more weight would be barely noticeable.

“Do you think we could stop off somewhere and get something to eat?” Noah asked, his stomach rumbling. It was the first time Dominic had taken Noah for a weekend away, and he was regretting not remembering to bring some cartons of Boost.

“Well, we have dinner reservations in a couple of hours. Did the restaurant not look to your liking?” Dominic asked.

“No, it's fine, I'm not saying instead of dinner, I just mean, I haven't eaten since lunch, I'm not used to starving myself like this,” Noah replied. He was starting to get a little grouchy.

“Starving your- ah, yes well, perhaps we could find somewhere nearby, a cafe or bistro perhaps.” Dominic began to look around the row of shops along the beachfront.

“It's fine,” Noah said, crossing the road already. “I'll just grab something and eat while we walk. There's a place there look, I'll just grab a couple of burritos.”

Noah ate his first burrito in silence, only occasionally pausing to nod or give an approving grunt to one of Dominic's long stories. It was only when he started pulling the foil off the second burrito that Dominic asked for more of Noah's attention.

“You know, I do rather like this beard you've grown, little fox,” he started. “But I do wonder if it’s purpose might be to hide a certain developing feature? A certain roundness of the jawline perhaps.”

Noah felt his cheeks flush red. He had indeed grown the beard to distract from the double chin that had developed recently. The last twenty pounds seemed to take him from “slightly chubby” to “fat” in a way he wasn't expecting. With each step his round gut shook inside his XL shirt, which hugged a pair of budding moobs. He even realised that weekend with some shock that he was quite a bit bigger than Dominic now, so while he knew that the beard wasn't doing much to hide his weight gain, he'd hoped it wouldn't be too obvious why he'd grown it.

“Umm, yeah, I mean, some other guys in halls have grown a beard too, you know, and I thought I'd give it a go too, but, well, yeah, I guess it's to kind of cover the chin as well,” he admitted.

Dominic clapped a hand on Noah's shoulder. “While I really do think it's handsome, I always think it's such a shame when handsome growing men such as yourself try to hide the fullness of their face,” he said. “You should be proud of it! Have you not worked hard for your changing face? Earned it? Perhaps you'll shave it for me tonight? Show me what's underneath?”

“Oh, yeah, sure, I guess I can, I mean, it's just, I didn't pack a razor or anything,” Noah said, hoping Dominic would drop the matter.

“That's no concern! We can buy one for you, no matter at all. Look, there's a pharmacy there, I'll go in while you finish your little snack,” Dominic instructed.

Noah sighed and took a big bite of his burrito as he leant against the window of the pharmacy. He patted his gut and felt it jiggle. Just a little more weight and he'd have enough to go to Europe with Stu, and then he could block Dominic's number and lose all this weight.

That night, Noah's beardless face showed off just how round his cheeks were getting as he stuffed food into them. At Dominic's suggestion, Noah left himself with a moustache, which he was finding quite sexy. Dominic had ordered the entire starter list for Noah, followed by a roast dinner and a burger for mains, and a selection of desserts, while he ate a small serving of monkfish. Noah wiped his moustache with his napkin and leant back, resting a hand on his gut. “I don't suppose anywhere will be open, do you think?” he asked Dominic. “I usually like to have some ice cream before bed.”

Dominic clinked his wine glass with Noah’s. “Here's to a grand tour around Europe, and to two-hundred and seventy pounds,” he said.

Noah smiled and continued eating his fifth dessert of the night, thinking idly that he shouldn't have let the waiter take away the dessert menu just yet. While he'd overshot his target weight a little, the five thousand pounds he'd accrued would make sure that he wouldn't have to worry about scrimping and saving while interrailing, and he'd hopefully have some money left over afterwards for a gym membership, hell, maybe even a personal trainer. If nothing else, Noah thought ruefully as he adjusted his belt, he'd need to buy yet another new wardrobe, if he gained anymore weight.

“I've been thinking,” Dominic said. “I know that gallivanting about like this can be rather tough on the old purse strings, especially when one is young and wants to experience as much as possible of all these wonderful places you'll be going.”

Noah nodded, his cheeks full of tiramisu. “Yeah, you know, you've been a massive help with money and stuff, I definitely think I'll have a great time,” he said, truthfully. While he still found their arrangement a little creepy, Dominic seemed like a genuinely sweet guy, Tory proclivities and fetish for fattening up men aside, and Noah knew he'd have had a much worse year without him.

“Of course, of course, no need to thank me, anyone else would have done the same, faced with a young person in need such as yourself” Dominic said. Noah's eyebrows flew up; this situation fell very firmly under the category of things most people would not do, but he knew better than to protest. “Well, I was rather thinking, as this is such a marvelous opportunity for experiencing new places, meeting new people, learning languages, and of course, trying new food,” he waggled his eyebrows at this last point. “Well, I thought, as your patron, as it were, it would be remiss to not fund the trip.”

“Sorry, I'm not sure I follow,” Noah said, as he started on a rich sticky toffee pudding. “You are funding it - I wouldn't be able to go without you.”

“But I want you to keep that money! No, I want to pay for your trip,” Dominic said. “All of it. You and your friend. You can put everything on the card I gave you, the food and drink of course, as per usual, but the hotels, the trains, the flights, all of it. Anything you've paid for already, send it over to my office, I'll have my man expense it for you.”

Noah's gawped. Here he was, approaching twenty stone, one hundred pounds heavier than when he’d first arrived at uni, and Dominic was telling him all that money he'd saved was for nothing?

“Well, that's very generous Dom,” Noah said slowly, ruefully spooning some custard into his mouth.

“Think nothing of it, little fox! You know, when we first met, I must admit, I had rather hoped you might put on a little weight,” he understated. “But I really have been so impressed with how you've taken to it! Yes, I'm more than happy to pay for a man such as yourself who’s so readily taken up my little challenge.”

There it was, of course. The other side of the coin. Noah the twelve stone twink would never have been offered an all expenses trip around Europe. A catch-22: Noah had only saved enough to afford to go interrailing because he'd gotten so fat, and because he'd gotten so fat, he needn't have saved any money at all.

“Fucking hell!” Stu said as Noah walked up to him in St Pancras station. Dominic had arranged for a car to take him right up to the front, so Noah wasn’t nearly as sweaty as he would have been if he'd had to drag his backpack through the tube. “Louis said you'd gotten fat when he saw you at Easter but he didn't say you had tits! And what's with the porn-stache?”

“Nice to see you too,” Noah said. “Why weren't you back for Easter, anyway?”

“Fuck off, don't try and change the fucking subject,” Stu insisted. “You’re bigger than me!”

Noah had to admit that. He was surprised how small Stu looked - he’d always been one of the biggest guys in the year at school, but now he just looked a bit husky and had a beer belly. “Yeah, but you've lost weight, haven't you?” Noah pointed out.

“I've put on weight mate!” Stu laughed. “But I've put on about a stone like everyone else at uni, not about ten.”

Noah was shocked, and found himself getting hard. Not only had he surpassed Stu like he thought he might, he'd absolutely eclipsed him. “Go on, how much do you weigh then, Mr Skinny?” Noah asked, wondering how much he outweighed him by.

“Like seventeen stone mate,” Stu replied. “You must be, what, twenty? More?”

“Like two-seventy pounds. Probably a bit more now,” he admitted, thinking that he'd not exactly slowed down his eating in the week since he'd last seen Dominic.

“What? What's that in stone?” Stu asked. “Who weighs themselves in pounds?”

“Oh, right, yeah, like, nineteen and a half, maybe,” Dominic said.

“Christ,” Stu said in a low voice reaching out and poking a finger into Noah's gut. “That's fucking huge mate. You were tiny at school.”

“Well, you know, I'm taller than you, so that's a bit of weight isn't it,” Noah pointed out.

Stu laughed. “And the rest! You’re like an inch taller than me, two at most. That hardly adds up to two extra stone, does it?”

“Fuck off,” Noah said, returning Stu’s gut poke with one of his own. “Is there anywhere to buy breakfast around here before we get on the train?”

“Yeah, but you've already eaten haven't you?” Stu said.

“What? What makes you think that?” Noah asked.

Stu laughed. “I saw you throw a McDonalds coffee cup in the bin when you came in, big guy. A bloke your size doesn't go to McDonalds for just a coffee, do you?”

“Oh, yeah, well you know, that wasn't really breakfast, that was just something to eat after I woke up,” Noah protested, thinking back to the two mcmuffins he'd eaten on the way.

“Also known as fucking breakfast,” Stu howled with laughter.

“I'm just thinking we’ll be on the train a while,” Noah said, his cheeks flushing red. “And then we’ve got to get to the hotel, we might not have lunch until late.”

“Yeah, yeah, I'm sure it's a very thoughtfully considered second fucking breakfast,” Stu said while shaking his head. “Come on, yeah, I could eat too. We don't want you dying of hunger, do we, you fat git.”

Sat on the train, Noah regretted not getting as much as he'd like, but Stu had started gawping at him as he'd ordered, and he thought it best to limit himself to a light breakfast today, while Stu got his head around Noah's enhanced size.

“So I've been meaning to say,” Noah started. “I've swapped some of our hostel reservations.”

“What? Why?” Stu asked.

“For nicer hotels,” Noah said. “Don't worry, it's all paid for.”

“What do you mean it's all paid for?” Stu asked. “How are you affording to pay extra for hotels? I thought we agreed the cheapest hostels we could find?”

“It's fine,” Noah reiterated. “It's sorted.”

“Yeah, but I'm asking how,” Stu said. “Go on, you can't just show up suddenly fat and rich and expect me not to ask anything. Did you win some kind of million pound eating contest or what?"

“Haha, very funny,” Noah said, rolling his eyes. “It's just, there's this, well there's this guy, alright, and he's said he's happy to pay for us both. Sees it as some enriching experience for us.”

“What the fuck do you mean ‘some guy’?” Stu asked, eyes boggling. “I'd have been less confused if you had said it was the eating contest, to be honest.”

Noah tried to look as nonchalant as possible as he fidgeted in his seat. “It's just this guy I know who's happy to give me some money as, you know, charity or a patronage or whatever, for young people to, I don't know, enrich themselves or whatever.”

Stu narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean a charit- wait, patronage?” He leant forward. “Do you have a fucking sugar daddy?” he whispered harshly.

Noah looked around to see if anyone was listening. “Look, he's not a sugar daddy, alright? He's just this older guy who pays for some stuff for me,” he said, cringing at his own words as he said them.

“You mean like a sugar daddy?” Stu pointed out.

“No!” Noah insisted. “He's just this older guy who wants a bit of company sometimes.”

“Like a sugar daddy.”

“Shut up. We don't, you know, we've never fucked or anything,” Noah said. “He's not interested in any of that. It's just conversation.”

“Conversation he pays you for,” Stu said. “Go on then, where did you meet this not-at-all-a-sugar-daddy?”

Noah flushed red. “An app,” he mumbled after a while.

Stu laughed. “And what was this app called exactly?”

Noah sighed. “Okay, it was a fucking sugar daddy app, okay? I've got a sugar daddy.”

Stu cackled. “I fucking knew it!” he yelled, receiving glares in response. “It's always the quiet ones, isn't it?” He shook his head, laughing to himself.

“Yeah, well, you're getting a free holiday out of it, aren't you?” Noah said, slumping down in his seat and pulling some snacks out of his bag.

The two began to eat their way across Europe. Two nights in Paris first, with wine and cheese and bread and fine restaurants. Then Geneva - the original plan was to just spend a few hours there, being too expensive for two poor travelling students, but Dominic's card opened the city and it's restaurants up to them; they booked a hotel for a few of nights of luxury, before moving on to Interlaken.

Noah's gut shook as he pulled his t-shirt off at the side of the lake. Stu whistled and shook his head. Noah laughed and slapped his gut for show; after Stu’s initial shock, he'd gotten used to Noah's larger frame, and the two had settled into an easy rhythm of teasing.

Noah waded into the shallows of the lake and lay back so that he floated with his gut and moobs sticking out of the water in front of him. He closed his eyes, paddled for a moment or two into some clear water further from the shore and lay floating in the sun.

After a while, he heard some splashing and cracked an eye open to see Stu swimming over to him. He allowed himself to sink slightly so that he was treading water and Stu did the same. It was the first time Noah had been swimming since he'd started putting on weight, and he was astonished by how alien it felt. He was so much more buoyant than previously, his fat rising up around him. Each time he moved, he felt the same heaviness and resistance he'd gotten used to on land magnified, his heavier body moving slowly through the water. Noah was happy for the cover of the water and his overhanging gut; the sensations were causing him to get hard in his swimming shorts.

“I think it's time we really need to talk about this mate,” Stu said, gesturing at Noah.

Noah looked down, not seeing anything amiss. “Talk about what?” he asked.

Stu leant forward and poked Noah's gut under the water. “This! Bloody hell, talk about the elephant in the room.”

Noah shrugged. “We've talked about it,” he said.

“Yeah, we've joked about it” Stu agreed. “But we've hardly, I mean, we've not properly talked about it, have we?”

“What's there to talk about?” Noah asked, feigning ignorance. Obviously he knew that Stu would eventually want to ask questions about his shocking weight gain, but it was just so much easier to make jokes about it.

Stu sighed and allowed himself to fall back. Noah noticed that his own small beer belly rose out of the water like Noah's did, though not nearly to the same extent. Noah appreciated the lack of eye-contact the position granted. “Are you alright?” Stu asked. “Like, really alright? Nothing’s wrong?”

Noah floated on his back too, mirroring Stu's position. “Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Really. It's just, being at uni, beer weight and stuff.”

Stu laughed. “No mate. This” he slapped his gut for emphasis, “is beer weight.” He leant over and slapped Noah's much larger gut. “This is a fucking eating disorder.” He was quiet for a while. “It's not, is it? An eating disorder? Or you're not depressed or ill or something?”

“Definitely not depressed or ill,” Noah reassured Stu. He was quiet for a while though. Did he have an eating disorder? He didn't feel like he could control it anymore, that was for sure. “I don't think it's an eating disorder either,” he said after a while. “Like I know I'm not eating normal amounts but…” He paused, gathering courage. “I'm enjoying it, I guess? Eating whatever I like, not worrying about what it's doing to my waistline.”

Stu nodded. “Good,” he said after a while. “Good,” he repeated. The two floated quietly for a while. “Has it got something to do with your sugar daddy?” he asked after a few minutes.

“I don't have a-”

“Yeah, yeah, we've done this bit already,” Stu interrupted Noah. “Whatever, has it got something to do with your older gentleman friend who takes you out to nice restaurants and pays for you to go on holiday and gives you money and who you met on a sugar daddy website but who is not a sugar daddy, somehow?”

Noah huffed. “Why do you ask that?” he asked eventually.

“Because no offense,” Stu replied. “But you're hardly sugar baby material these days, are you?”

“Oi!”

“Look, I'm not saying I am either!” Stu protested. “I'm just saying that the Noah that went off to uni was a little more conventionally sugar baby material, and the one that I'm interrailing with is a bit more high-blood-sugar baby.”

“You've been saving that one up, haven't you?” Noah said.

“Thought of it the other day,” Stu said, the pride evident in his voice. “But it is, isn't it? Your sugar daddy likes you with a bit more padding.”

Noah sighed. No point denying it, really. “Yes,” he admitted. “We started going out for these massive dinners and he'd send me treats and pay for all my food shops and then after a while, Dom told me that-”

“Fuck off!” Stu yelled, twisted to tread water again and face Noah. “You do not call your sugar daddy ‘Dom’!”

“That's his actual name you twat,” Noah said, moving to tread water as well. “Anyway, Dom- Dominic eventually said that he liked that I'd put on some weight and…”

“And what?” Stu said, filling the gap Noah had left. “He started paying you to get fat?” Noah held his breath. “Oh my god, he's paying you to get fat, isn't he?”

Noah clenched his teeth. “It's not… It's not prostitution or anything,” he said. “He pays for food and takes me for dinner, I've put on some weight because I'm eating well, he likes me bigger. It’s- I mean it's separate things, you know? He's not giving me money to get fat, he's giving me money because I am fat.”

Stu laughed. “You can fucking say that again,” he said. “Alright, alright, you're not the heftiest whore in Halifax, fine, whatever you say.”

“I've never been to Halifax,” Noah pointed out.

“Alliteration, innit?” Stu said. “Go on then, how much does he pay you?” Stu asked quietly, moving toward Noah a little, seemingly forgetting how loud their conversation was just moments prior.

Noah shifted uncomfortably. “Hundred pounds for every pound, or well, we usually do a grand for ten,” he said.

Stu almost sank under the water in shock, and came back up coughing. “Fuck off! A grand for ten pounds?” He realised how loud he was being and looked around at the people swimming away from them towards the shore. “Go on then, how much have you earned?” he asked, much quieter.

Noah sighed. “Ten grand,” he said.

Stu’s eyes went wide. “Ten gra- that's, No, mate, I mean, that's a hundred pounds,” he whispered. “What's that in stone?”

Noah tilted his head back and winced. “Seven or so,” he said. He looked up at Stu. “I wanted to pay for the trip, you know, but I spent some of it on a car, and then a bit into savings, and then,” he floated back and sighed. “Fuck me, last time I saw him, he said he'd pay for everything. That he didn't want me spending the money I'd saved up.”

Stu almost sank beneath the surface again as he laughed. “So you've put on, and I'm going to slow down for this bit, you've put on one hundred actual pounds to earn ten grand to not spend around Europe?”

“Well, see,” Noah said, placing a hand thoughtfully on the ledge of his gut. “No. Well, yes. But no. If I hadn't put on a hundred pounds, he wouldn't have offered to pay. One way or another, I needed to get fat to go interrailing.”

Stu’s eyes went wide. “Fuck,” he said. “You're right, you know.” He reached his hands out and placed them on Noah's gut. Noah’s cock twitched beneath his gut at the touch, and he hoped Stu hadn't noticed. “I reckon you didn't actually need ten grand either way though.”

Noah sighed and closed his eyes. “I know, I know,” he agreed. “I can't control my appetite anymore. After I bought the car I kind of thought I could just do with two or three grand, but then…” He motioned down at himself.

“One hundred pounds later,” Stu finished for him. They were both quiet for a while, until Stu laughed to himself. “Here, I don't reckon he'd pay me to putting on weight as well, do you?”

“Fuck off,” Noah said, laughing. When Stu didn't respond, just carrying on looking questioningly, Noah continued. “You're not serious?” he asked. “You'd want to get fat for a few grand.”

Stu shrugged. “Why not? You've done it and you were a shrimp at school. I'd blow you out of the water.”

Noah laughed. “Oh you would, would you?”

Stu nodded. “Absolutely,” he said. “And yeah, why not? I could put on some weight. I can barely keep it off anyway, especially the way you've been making me fucking eat on this trip, might as well make some cash while I do it.”

“The way I've been making you eat? You were planning on doing weight watchers before, were you?” Noah asked. “Anyway, you're too skinny for him,” he said. “And you're not even gay anyway!”

Stu laughed. “Well not being gay doesn't matter if there's no funny business, right?” Noah grumbled at having gotten caught out. “Alright, alright big guy,” he said, raising his hands up. “I won't steal your sugar daddy.” He laughed again.

After Interlaken, the two of them went north to Germany, first to Munich, which they experienced by slowly wandering from beer hall to beer hall all day, taking in history and culture largely incidentally to the beer, sausages and bread they consumed. Then north again to Berlin, where Noah was disheartened to find Stu had actually planned non-eating based activities for the two of them.

“Fuck me, but it's good to get off my feet,” Noah said as he shuffled into a booth at a restaurant on their first evening. He was surprised at the way the table of the booth bumped into the crest of his gut. “I’m starved,” he told Stu, who shook his head.

“You've been eating all day,” Stu pointed out.

“Hardly!” Noah protested. “Okay, so we had lunch-”

“Two lunches,” Stu pointed out.

“Then we went to that currywurst stall, and that's it,” Noah said.

“We went to three currywurst stalls.”

“Whatever,” Noah said, finding himself growing irritable as his stomach growled at him. “That was hours ago. And besides, I've been on my feet all day!”

Stu laughed. “So have I!”

“Yeah well you're not…” Noah grumbled quietly.

“Go on,” Stu said as a grin spread across his face. “I'm not what?”

“Not as bloody fat as me, are you?” Noah said, blushing. The two hadn't talked again about Noah's weight since Interlaken, even to joke about it. Noah got the impression that Stu was waiting for him to bring it up.

Stu laughed. “He finally admits it!”

“Well I can hardly bloody hide it at this point, can I?” Noah snapped. Despite having talked about it, Noah still couldn't help feeling embarrassed about how far he'd let himself go. “Look, sorry, I'm just hangry,” he apologised. He passed a menu over to Stu. “Let’s order, yeah?”

“Don't worry about it mate,” Stu said. “I've been on the receiving end of fat jokes for years, it's nice that someone else can take over for once.” He looked at the menu for a while. “I'll probably just go for a burger. Fancy a starter?”

“Yeah, I'll probably do the same,” he said absentmindedly. “Couple of starters, couple of burgers, couple of sides.”

“Fucking hell mate,” Stu laughed.

“What?”

“I don't even think you know how much you're eating these days, do you?” Stu asked. “I said I might get a starter and a burger, you mentally double it and add extras. And I bet you'll want a döner on the way back."

Noah blushed. “Yeah, alright, I get it,” he mumbled. “I should start cutting back.”

“No, I don't mean…” Stu considered for a moment. “Maybe I could have a second burger too, you know? You're right, we have been walking about all day.”

Noah raised an eyebrow and smiled to himself. He'd noticed Stu doing this a lot - pushing himself beyond what he initially wanted to eat, trying to match Noah bite for bite. Each time Noah suggested they stop for street food, or grab a quick dessert or even extra meal, Stu would protest, and then quietly acquiesce. He never managed to keep up with Noah of course, but he made a valiant effort nonetheless. Noah was starting to wonder if Stu felt threatened - he'd been the big guy for years, and now previously skinny Noah was running rings around him. Metaphorically of course - Noah struggled to run anywhere these days.

“No, no,” Noah teased. “If you can't manage it, just order the one.”

Stu bristled. “I can manage two easy,” he insisted. “I think you're right about a couple of sides as well, those onion rings look good. If you want to just get one, you go ahead.”

Noah shrugged. “Maybe I should just order one,” he agreed. “After all, I'll end up having to eat your second one for you anyway.”

Stu’s mouth dropped open, before he hurriedly hailed a waiter and proceeded to order double what he wanted.

After Berlin, Prague and its cheap beer, roast meat and heavy dumplings. Noah discovered a love for a dessert of a tower of pastry filled with cream, which he would eat non-stop between beers and snacks.

Then east, on an overnight train to Warsaw, where the two men had to convince two Spaniards to allow them to sleep on the bottom bunk - Noah in particular was concerned that the berth might not take his girth. Poland brought more heavy food and more beer. South, after Warsaw, to Krakow for a few days, and then continuing on, through Slovakia to Hungary, and Budapest.

“You need bigger clothes mate,” Noah told Stu, poking the sliver of fat hanging out the bottom of his t-shirt as they left the train.

“Says you!” Stu retorted, grabbing Noah's much larger wedge of fat at the bottom of his t-shirt. “And you broke that button in Warsaw.”

“Yeah, well, this is the biggest I have right now,” Noah said. “You could at least start wearing my clothes.”

Stu patted his gut and sighed. “You think it's that bad?” he asked.

“Oh fuck off,” Noah said, elbowing Stu in his side.

“I'm serious!” Stu said. “I'm not the size you were when we left are you?”

Noah looked him up and down. “Probably not far off mate,” he told him. “Catching me up.”

Stu laughed and slapped Noah's gut. “I think I'm still a while off that, don't you worry. You've not exactly been losing weight either, have you.”

“I suppose you're right,” Noah said, caressing the soft fat spilling out the bottom of his t-shirt, and doing his best to ignore his hardening and confusing erection.

“I kind of get it, though,” Stu said, as the two crammed into the back seat of a taxi.

“Get what?” Noah said, his mouth full of a chocolate bar.

“I kind of get why you like it,” Stu clarified. “Being fat.”

“Fuck off,” Noah blustered. “I don't- what do you- I don't like being fat.”

“Okay, fine, whatever,” Stu appeased him. “I get why you like eating so much then, and not giving a shit about the consequences.” Neither said anything for a few moments. “It feels kind of manly though, doesn't it?”

Noah looked over and then quickly looked away again to pretend he hadn't seen Stu's hard-on in his too tight trousers. “Yeah,” he agreed quietly. “Really manly. And soft. To touch I mean. It feels good.”

“Yeah,” Stu said, growing quiet. “It’s nice. How soft it is.”

“Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, you know,” Noah said. “To gain-”

At that moment the taxi arrived at their hotel, and the driver thrust a card reader in their faces. Noah dutifully tapped Dominic's card and the two collected their suitcases.

Noah lay in his pants on the bed of their hotel room while Stu had a shower.

“They've got a scale,” Stu called through the bathroom door.

“A what?”

“A scale,” Stu repeated, sticking his head through the door. “You know, for weighing yourself.”

Noah clambered off the bed, doing his best not to show how excited he was. “Go on then,” he told Stu. “You first, what's the damage.”

Stu stood with a towel wrapped around his waist, water still dripping down his body hair, around the curve of his gut. He nudged the scale with a toe to turn it on then, swallowed nervously and then stepped on.

“It's in kilograms,” he said. “I don't really…”

“What does it say?” Noah asked, grabbing his phone.

“One hundred and twenty.”

Noah typed the number into Google and showed Stu the result. “Two hundred and sixty five pounds,” he told him. “A little under nineteen stone.”

“Fuck me,” Stu said. “That's almost two stone since we left.” Noah once again did his best to act like he didn't notice the growing bulge of Stu’s erection. “Go on,” he told Noah. “You next.”

Noah stood on the scales and sucked in his gut to see the numbers.

“What does it say?” Stu asked.

“Just give me a moment,” Noah said, typing the conversion into Google. “I'm just… oh fuck me.”

“What? How much is it?”

“Three hundred and thirteen,” Noah said. “I weigh three hundred and thirteen pounds.” He lifted his gut and let go, watching as it bounced and rippled. “I've put on forty pounds.” He did his best to stop his own growing hard-on.

Stu gave a low whistle. “No wonder none of your clothes are fitting.” He reached out and ran a hand over Noah's belly, before raising his hand to his chest and lightly lifting a moob. “And we've still got a while before we go back. It uh…” He swallowed hard. “It looks good on you though mate. Like we were saying in the taxi, you know. Manly.”

Noah nodded. “You too,” he said. He reached a hand out and placed it on Stu’s own gut.

Stu abruptly walked away, back into the room, and started hurriedly getting changed.

“You alright mate?” Noah asked, confused about the sudden change in demeanor.

“Yeah, why wouldn't I be?” Stu said, determinedly facing away from Noah. Noah saw him adjust crotch.

#fat gainer

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