#whenever she wants to tidy the room she forces me to do it and bosses me around and yells at me and shit but when /I/ want it tidy i cant

[whimsyfinny]

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: Charlie discovers the Winchester boys to be struggling with keeping the bunker tidy, looking after themselves and being able to do their job simultaneously. Luckily she has a friend who’s from a Hunter family that is in need of work and can help them with research. Or so she thought that’s what her job would be. When Dean sees your more domesticated side, his head won’t stop swimming with all the wrong ideas.

Slow burn, enemies to lovers, smut

Warnings: language, angst, depictions of blood

Chapter Word Count: 3327

—-MDNI—-

A/N: soooo this chapter felt weird to write, but hey I wanted it for the plot to thicken haha. It’s different, but things will feel a bit more normal after this chapter.

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Please read the below:

Prologue Chapter 1

Chapter 2 Chapter 3

Chapter 4 Chapter 5

Chapter 6 Chapter 7

Chapter 8pt.1

Chapter 8pt.2

Chapter 9 Chapter 10

I’m Not Your F*cking Maid

Chapter 11

By the time I’d passed the security check, introduced myself to the two other girls currently on shift and found my dressing room, the nerves were starting to dissipate. Through each step and each new room I’d entered I was making countless mental notes on every security camera and exit I could see. It wasn’t hard to tell that everyone except the bar and wait staff and the dancers were all vampires - their noses twitching and eyes widening whenever I’d walked past. I was clearly fresh meat - perhaps not in the immediate future, but I’m guessing that as soon as I’d served my purpose in luring unknowing human men to their untimely demise, I’d be next. Or at least kept as a blood bag, and I didn’t know which was worse.

A sharp knock on the door brought me back to reality, the vamp on the other side not even waiting for a reply as he barged in.

“You’re sure taking your time sweet cheeks, everything ok?” His sharp gaze twinkled as he looked at me, as if searching for any sort of vulnerability. I huffed out a final deep breath of nerves before standing straight and forcing a smile, shimmying out of my thick overcoat and throwing it over the back of the chair I was just leaning on. On the revelation of my figure and my outfit he let out a long, low whistle.

“Well don’t you just look good enough to eat?”

I swallowed despite my mouth being dry, trying my best to bring my confidence to the forefront and to ignore what he is.

“Well you wouldn’t be the first to say so,” I almost felt nauseous from having to sound so sweet. “Why don’t you lead the way and show me where I’m supposed to be?”

He didn’t take any convincing as he led me out the room and down a short corridor that was lined with what I’m assuming are other dressing rooms.

“What’s in there?” I asked, my gaze snagging on a metal door that didn’t look like the rest. It looked more like a vault, with an intricate lock system that seemed to need both keys and fingerprints.

“Errrrr, just the boss's office. Nothing to worry your pretty little head about,” he placed his hand on my hair, making me shudder.

“Oh ok… will I ever get to meet the boss?” I asked, tilting my head to the side. Keeping up with this cutie-pie act was going to be more draining than I thought. He stayed quiet for a moment before speaking up, an unsettling look on his face.

“Of course doll face! When the time is right.”

*

About two hours had passed since I arrived at the club and a steady stream of men (occasionally women) was filtering in. I was currently up on a podium and trying not to think too hard about how I should be dancing whilst keeping my eyes peeled on the crowd, every now and then making eye contact with the patrons and blowing them a sickening kiss with a sultry wink. Every time I slipped away for a ‘toilet break’ I'd unlock as many windows and doors as I could find whilst turning security cameras towards the wall. I'd counted around fifteen vampires milling around as I snuck about, and there were definitely more behind that metal door. This place was about as prepared as possible for Sam and Dean to sneak in, so I sent Charlie a text with all the details I had knowing full well she could no longer see me through the cameras she'd hacked into.

I'd been back on my podium for about ten minutes, moving my body to the loud bass of the blaring music under the erotic lighting which glowed all manner of pinks and reds, when the front door opened again to let another patron in. Except this wasn't a patron.

It was Dean.

I cursed under my breath, frowning at him across the dance floor despite the fact he hadn't seen me yet. What the actual fuck was he doing coming in through the front door? I didn't play mission impossible and find countless ways for him to break in just so that he could waltz in, bold as brass and blow our cover. I watched him as he stopped in the centre of the room, illuminated by the lights that cast angular shadows over his rugged face. He was alert, jaw clenched and eyes scouring the crowd until his gaze eventually landed on me. With my arms above my head and gripping the pole behind me he was able to get a good look at what was hiding underneath my overcoat when he last saw me. Eyes glazing over and Adam's apple bobbing, he was instantly ensnared. I focused entirely on him; sinking to my knees and crawling my hands forwards, beckoning him with a single finger to which he eagerly obliged. The older Winchester stood before me, eyes almost sparkling from the lustful lighting as he gaped up at me. His evergreen eyes shone in adoration as they bore into mine, almost completely disregarding the lasciviousness of the rest of my body. It was almost…

Romantic.

I leant forwards, my painted lips brushing against his ear and pulling a shiver from his spine. I could have been mistaken, but I’m sure I heard a groan.

“What the FUCK are you doing here, Dean?”

He blinked, suddenly remembering he was on earth.

“What?”

“The plan! What happened to the plan? You were supposed to go around the back - I made it easy for you to sneak in! This place is well guarded Dean.”

“Yeah well, I wanted to make sure you were- hang on- are you a MAID?” He stepped back to take a better look at me as I sat up, trying not to draw attention to myself for staying still for too long. My eyes rolled on their own accord.

“Dean now really isn’t the tim-”

“Holy crap you’re a maid. You’re a MAID. So there is a God,” he dramatically put his hands together as though in prayer and mouthed ‘thank you’ to the disco ball on the ceiling.

“Dean-”

“Nuh-uh, I’m not letting anyone ruin this for me - not even you. Carry on, pretend I’m not Dean and there aren’t any vamps to kill; just for two minutes,” he settled into one of the chairs in front of my podium, flagging a waitress down for a whiskey in the process. There was no arguing with Dean Winchester, especially when he was ticking something off his bucket list. Grasping the pole behind me I pulled myself to my feet, hooking my leg around it and spinning slowly.

“So, NOT-Dean, where’s not-Sam?”

He took a long sip from his liquor before licking his lips, his eyes transfixed on my thighs.

“He's uhhh…. He's sneaking in through some window round the back.”

“Oh, so like you should be?”

He smirked over the top of his glass, spreading his legs a little wider as he settled further into his chair, his other hand resting in his lap.

“Don't deny a man his pleasures sweetheart.”

A half hearted scoff left my lips before I climbed higher on the pole, leaning back so I was almost upside down, granting Dean the perfect view of my lingerie as my micro-skirt flipped over my belly. Spinning slightly, I caught him adjusting himself in his jeans right as I pulled myself back upright.

“You seem pretty at home in a strip club,” my voice came out more breathy than intended as I moved my body in time with the music.

“I can say the same about you,” he quipped back, dark eyes burning into my exposed skin. Licking the last drop of whiskey from his bottom lip, he placed his glass back on the table before standing; taking long, slow steps towards my podium, the toes of his boots touching the metal. I got down on my knees, bringing myself to his eye level before taking his chin between my thumb and index finger and drawing his bewitched face nearer. We ignored the shouts from security telling Dean he wasn’t allowed to touch as I ghosted my lips over his. I could feel his chest rising and falling in anticipation for a simple kiss, his mouth agape and eyes darting about my features - trying to take all of me in. His restraint snapped and he leant forward, pressing his mouth to mine - hot and needy. A large hand reached up and long fingers wrapped around my wrist, rough skin tickling at my pulse as he guided my hand from his chin to his hair, urging me to grip it. Just as I grasped at its softness he was forced away from me, two of the vamps shoving aggressively at his shoulders and putting some distance between us.

“Keep your hands off the girls! You know the rules,” one of them practically spat out his words to Dean, who in return had a feral look in his eye as I caught his hand inching closer and closer to the blade concealed within his jacket.

“Sorry it was my fault!” I blurted, all eyes now burning into me. “It's my first shift and I forgot I shouldn't let it get that far. Don't blame him, it was me who was too…. encouraging.” I flashed sickly-sweet doe eyes at the vamp sizing up Dean, biting my lip in apprehension before he sighed and let go, shaking his head.

“I’ll let you off this time as you’re the newbie, but don’t let it happen again.”

“Yes’sir!” I tapped my fingers to my forehead in a pretend salute, hearing the fanged ones curse under their breath before walking away, throwing one last warning look at Dean - who looked like the cat that got the cream - before returning to their posts. When I knew that they were definitely out of earshot, I snapped at Dean.

“You could’ve totally blown everything!”

Shrug.

“But I didn’t.”

“Dean, you need to go. Sam is going to be wondering where you are. Find him before you get caught.”

“And what about you?” He chewed his lip, unable to stop his eyes from wandering.

“I’m going to stay here and stick to the plan. I’ll run at the first sign of trouble, so please don’t worry about me,” I sighed, looking down at his puppy-dog eyes.

“(Y/n) I’m always gonna worry about you.”

*

It must have been about twenty minutes since Dean left to find Sam and my heart was pounding in my chest knowing how close they were and the possible danger they were in. I didn’t know what doors they were behind, or how many vamps they’d taken out, and I certainly didn’t know if they were unharmed. My palms felt sweaty on the pole as I danced, making it hard for me to grip and put on a good show. Now was as good a time as any to have a toilet break and grab some coffee. I hopped down from my podium as the song ended and hurried to the back of the club, darting through a ‘staff only’ door to the break room. I poured myself a small cup of coffee, adding an obscene amount of sugar to stop my knees from trembling. I’d barely swallowed my first mouthful when I heard shouts and crashing from down the hall, my fingers instantly loosening from the mug as my high-heeled feet carried me to the door where I peaked out, desperate to know what was going on yet mindful not to be seen. There was no one in the corridor that I could see, yet I checked left and right to make sure I wasn’t being watched before I slipped out, teetering on my platforms as I tiptoed to where I was sure the noise had come from.

It was the metal door.

I poked my head down the corridor where it was located and was grateful to see it unlocked and sitting ajar. Inching closer I could hear a scuffle from within and the sound of heavy bodies dropping like lead to the floor, followed by Sam and Deans unintelligible murmuring. A sigh of relief left my lips when I heard them, knowing it wasn’t their bodies hitting the cold tiles below. That relief froze in my veins however when I heard a third voice speak up. A voice that was smooth like butter. A voice that drew you in with a silky southern accent.

A voice that I knew to be dead.

Hesitation and reasoning left in the dust, I barged forwards and into the room, shoving the metal door wide and startling the Winchester brothers, their eyes widening at my sudden appearance. Before they even had the chance to open their mouths, slow clapping echoed through the ‘old money’ style office, emanating from behind a large mahogany desk.

“And there she is! The star of my show. It’s about time you showed up darlin’,” that southern voice dripped with charisma as a handsome man, around my age, sat in a crisp stone-coloured, three piece suit.

“Hey! Don’t you talk to her, you’re dealing with us,” Dean was quick to bite. The stranger threw him a sharp glare before rising to his feet, his cold gaze landed on me again and burned me through to my very soul.

“Y-y-you’re de-” I started before being immediately cut off.

“I bet you never thought you’d see me again, hm? Especially not like this,” he gestured to himself.

“(Y/n),” Sam’s cautious eyes landed on mine, “how do you know him? He’s a vampire.”

I opened my mouth to reply, but yet again I was interrupted before a sound passed my lips.

“Oh (Y/n) and I go waaaaaaaay back, don’t we darlin’?”

I could see Dean inching closer to me out of the corner of my eye, trying not to draw attention to himself in the process. I opened my mouth to speak again, my lips and tongue feeling dry and numb, like they didn’t want to utter the word about to be spoken.

“Daniel I-”

“BINGO!” He clapped loudly, “she DOES remember her old sweetheart.”

“WHAT!?” Both Sam and Dean spun to look at me with dumbfounded expressions, a whole array of emotions flitting across their features.

“(Y/n) you dated a vamp?” Sam asked, those big eyes of his glistening with concern.

“He wasn’t a vamp when I knew him; he’s supposed to be dead!” I turned from Sam to Daniel, the confusion clearly evident on my face, “you’re supposed to be dead - I watched you die - how are you here?”

A harsh laugh rippled from his chest.

“Paramedic was a vampire sweet-cheeks. He turned me on the way to the morgue after he pronounced me dead at the scene - stroke of genius really. Although,” he paused, walking around the desk to step towards me, the boys reaching for every weapon on their person to have at the ready, “what’s even more genius is that ad we put out for a dancer.”

“What?”

He scoffed.

“You think it’s a stroke of good luck that you just happen to look exactly like the description we posted? Honey I knew from the moment I turned what you and your uncle did for living - the dots seemed to connect all on their own. And I knew that one day - whether now or in a few years - that you or some other hunter you might know would pass through my nest and see it. I knew it would bring you back to me.”

“Whoa whoa whoa, hang on their sparkles; she’s not going anywhere with you,” Dean had pushed his way in between me and Daniel, the eldest Winchester standing a few inches taller than him as they went nose-to-nose.

Daniel grimaced, fangs threatening to show.

“Why is her scent all over you? Don’t tell me you two are involved?”

Dean smirked before I shoved him out the way, his thick fingers protectively wrapping around my wrist as a safety line.

“Daniel I-,” I took a deep breath, “I loved you once. A long, long time ago. But to me, in my world; you died. And I grieved you. God I grieved you for years, and then one day I woke up and my heart didn’t hurt as much anymore. I carried on with my life, the heartache easing a little everyday. Until there was no more heartache - no more pain. I was whole again. Daniel - you’re still dead in my world. Nothing is going to change.”

He reached for my hand but Dean put an arm between us, stopping him in his tracks.

“(Y/n), darlin’, I put that ad out because I still love you. We can still be together - forever. Just let me turn you-”

“Aannnd that’s it loverboy, times up,” Dean pushed me behind him and brandished the hunting blade he’d use to slice my underwear from my body about a week ago on our first hunt together. Right as Daniel bared his fangs and lunged for Dean, I felt another hand grab my arm. I spun and came toe-to-toe with Sam who was quietly beckoning for me to follow him whilst the vampire was distracted. We left the room quietly, running down corridors, twisting and turning and falling through one of the side doors I had unlocked earlier in the night and out into the fresh air. I took a few deep breaths, not realising how much the metallic scent of blood had filled my nostrils.

“Sam what about Dean?! We can't just leave him behind he-”

Sam laughed softly.

“If you want a vamp dead, Dean will always come out on top. He'll be just fine.”

Sam helped me to my feet, looking down at me, his gaze turning from reassuring to questionable. I sighed, weariness starting to settle into my bones.

“I know, I know. I can explain it all later,” I said, starting to shuffle back to the impala, seeking the comfort of its plush leather seats.

“What? No, (Y/n) you don’t owe me an explanation if you don’t want to. I just want to know if you’re ok?”

I stopped and looked up at him, and something about the kindness of his voice and the concern in his eyes had me falling to my knees, my body heaving out a sob. Then another. And another. Until I couldn’t stop for air and hot tears washed my makeup down my face and my hair stuck to the streaks they left behind. Sam simply crouched down and pulled me into him, rubbing my back and telling me softly that everything will be ok. It was a comfort to feel his chin on my head and his heartbeat beneath my fingertips, the steady thrum eventually soothing away my anguish.

I have no idea how long we were sat there for, but he eventually coaxed me to my feet and led me to the car where Charlie was waiting with a pained expression. She would have seen, or at least heard everything that went down through the security cameras linked to her tablet - she was one of the few people in this life that had met my ex.

I was gently manoeuvred into the back seat, my head resting on Charlie's lap as she played with my hair. Sam had waited outside the impala for a few minutes before climbing into the passenger seat, slamming the door closed. Not five minutes had passed when the door slammed again as Dean clambered in, the stench of blood thick on his clothes, however the comforting scent of his cologne still managed to waft through. He turned to face me, those mossy green eyes piercing into mine as he said with the gentlest tone he could muster:

“It’s done, sweetheart.”

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Next: Chapter 12

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@suckitands33 @jackles010378 @aliceeinwonderland420 @tina-theslytherin @deans-queen @hobby27 @sobearcowboy @girls-alias @selfdestructionandrhum @ericasabe @lacilou @littlemadamred @anneanirac @deans-baby-momma @swimregulas @ashdoctor @littlemarvelstan8 @atcamillanorrman @deangirl96 @zannemes @kr804573 @foxyjwls007 @divadinag @cookiemonstermusic258 @mysterialee @ababy-girl @joonseuph0ria @mxltifxnd0m @deans-spinster-witch @st4bl3-ch40s @feyresqueen @roseblue373 @clusterfuck-meup @urinternetmom @rachiem4-blog @ceeshellecee @mojos-hidden-castle @snowayumi @evzyi @mymuseisbipolar @magssteenkamp @koharuheartfilia @spookyysinsanity @safiyas-world @uncle-eggy @happyt0exist @supernaturalstilinski @h0n3y-l3m0n05 @mrsjenniferwinchester

[omori-sv-au]

Some (gator) guys

Fredrick(he/him) is the most level headed one out this bunch. He deals with guests- be it complaints or them being lost. He is at his wits end with Helle due to their messing with guests- which just makes his life harder. He was there before Hero took over as boss, and is just waiting until he can retire. He knows a little about what goes on behind the scenes and will sometimes give a disappointed glance but could care less.

Damascus(She/they)(btw the name means sack of blood!) is here for two different jobs. 1: Take care of any decorative plants outside, and 2: deal with any corpses that somehow… turn up. They grow a bunch of protected plants and sell them as a side-gig, which is also a cover for their actual use in making it so that no one can easily legally dig up the graves. She is more than willing to suck up to Fern. All her clothes have either bleach or blood stains on them- comes with the territory of their work.

Fern(she/her) is rather reserved, but during lunch breaks will say the most absurd things- like the exact strength someone would need to punch the air to create such a ripple of force that it changes solar winds to an extent at which they can cause so much damage to the sun that it runs out of fuel and blows up. She plays a ton of card games on the side of the casino, and claims to be the best card counter on the staff(wether this is accurate or not has yet to be tested).

Oliver(he/him) he’s been working at LR for about a month now and is somehow still super enthusiastic about the job. He helps with finances and sometimes fixing the lights if fuses burn out- which he’s not supposed to or anything. He just does it to collect the lightbulbs for some terrifyingly sharp art project, and it saves money so he hasn’t been stopped yet.

Emmie(They/them) they do a lot of maintenance work at Last Resort, and have accidentally scared some folks a by coming tumbling out of a vent after fixing a wire. They work at night now to avoid alarming guests after that one. They’re actively trying to get a petition going to get a giant sting ray tank/petting area installed somewhere in Last Resort. Sometimes they’ll bring in little figurines of oceanic critters and put them on the desks of their coworkers they get along with.

Robert(he/him) is done with literally everything. He is planning to quit as soon as he makes sure he doesn’t owe anyone any favours, which based on the amount of times he has asked people for something with either caffeine or sugar in it could take the next few years. He works in accounting and usually says that “you aren’t counting dollars, you’re counting your reasons to live and currently the numbers are becoming less meaningful” whenever someone brings up that he needs some rest and to take care of himself for once.

Helle(he/they)(name is short for Hellebore which is a poisonous plant!) is on room service, they’re overly polite and mentally jot down every time someone is rude to him or their friends and is extremely careful to hide their things and move objects(which are provided by the hotel and upon movement cost you money) upon tidying up their room. He carries a Swiss Army knife all the time because they’re oddly useful in day-to-day life, and if due to timing he gets caught up I anything they have a knife and can weasel their way out.

OOOOUUUUGGGG OH MY GOD??? HOLY SHIT YOU MADE SO MANY THIS IS LITERALLY SO FUCKING COOL

fredrick seems pretty based tbh hes got the vibes of some dude whos been doing this for WAY too long and wants to go home LMAOO bro wants to retire

DAMASCUS IS SO SILLY LMAOOOO THE FUCKING PLANT THING MAKING IT SO ITS HARDER TO DIG UP GRAVES MADE ME LAUGH THATS SO SMART……. shoutout to any corpse hiders

AND FERN BEING THE BEST CARD COUNTER?!!?!!?! THATS ALSO SO FUNNY SHE IS SINGLE HANDEDLY RIGGING THE CASINOS…….. she seems so silly to hang out with id wanna be her friend

i like that oliver is still very enthusiastic abt working there that is very rare with gator guys i feel…… so many of them r roped into contracts by hero and then once they realize theyre stuck there they get all pissed LMAO i greatly encourage whatever his silly art project is

ALSO EMMIE IS SO BASED FINALLY SOMEONE WHO FULLY EMBRACES THE OCEAN AESTHETIC OF BEING A GATOR GUY AND THE LAST RESORT SO BASED….. i fully support their endeavours to get a sting ray tank thats so funny

I THINK ROBERT MIGHT BE MY FAVOURITE OUT OF ALL OF THEM THOUGH…….. i love a guy who hates his job. he knows whats goin on and wants no part of it LMAOO he wants out so bad……. so sorry my boy you signed the contract ur stuck here!

helle sounds like someone u do NOT wanna mess with bro has a hit list in their brain if everyone whos ever been mean to them and also carries around a swiss army knife LMAOOO also him moving shit around all the time is also so funny

[floralbfs]

me: *irons a shirt and is abt to iron another one*

me: oh this one is a bit dirty ill put it in the wash :)

my sister: *leaves my ironed shirt (WHICH I PUT IN A FUCKING HANGER) on a chair and puts like ten thousand things on top of it, crumpling it again*

me: :(

my sister: *leaves my newly washed shirt right at the bottom of the laundry basket, effectively crumpling it into oblivion*

[sheloooveswomen]

smexy situations - headcanon

masterlist

prompt: different kinda sorta roleplay related scenarios with your girlfriend.

includes: billie dean howard, lana winters, cordelia goode, sally mckenna, ally mayfair-richards, wilhemina venable, diane sherman, alice macray, tammy, and xandra terrell.

☆ billie dean howard ☆

sugar mama !

• billie buys you special lingerie whenever she plans to take you to an event, sort of a signal of the roles taking place

• "spin around for me. i wanna see all of you."

• she'll pick out your clothes (or have stylists do so if it's an award show)

• opens doors and orders your meals/drinks (somehow she always knows what you want)

• the look in her eyes- immediate gay panic

• always a fun evening filled with dirty talk, explicit praise, and light degradation whispered in your ear (more than the usual)

• a night where she consistently tries to make you stammer/blush

• "Who owns you?"

☆ lana winters ☆

artist + muse

• idk why i picture lana banana painting (like i said in the quarantine headcanon)

• i see her dabbling in watercolors or charcoal drawing, something loose to take her mind off of writers block

• it transforms from a pastime to a hobby

• she moves from landscape to still life to figure drawing

• who better to study than you, her beloved girlfriend??

• she's a bit shy asking you to pose, only because she's a perfectionist and she'd want you to like her work

• but this is lana mf winters so when she gets the nerves over with she asks you to strip and lay on the couch so she can loosely drape a sheet over you

• studying your form soon turns to admiring your figure and quickly leads to hands on exploration- in the name of art of course...

famous author + fan

• AU where your gf is a romance/fiction writer

• despite writing countless interactions this version of lana is quite the introvert so she has you accompany her to writing conventions

• you always have her sign a book for you to commemorate each event

• slip each other flirty notes when you pass her booth throughout the day

• the woman loves compliments and you lay it on thick at each event (signings, meet and greet, wine and cheese, lunch, dinner and dancing)

• obviously fans and other writers hit on her but because she's so private they don't know she has a partner

• you act like one of them before you eventually get to retire to your shared hotel room for the weekend with your favorite author

☆ cordelia goode ☆

head mistress + teacher/student

• she didn't know being addressed as miss/mistress/ma'am was a turn on but here we are

• classic 'punishment' for your work not meeting her standards (just for fun because you'd never dissapoint your supreme)

• or a reward for work well done

☆ sally mckenna ☆

strangers at a bar

• she uses all her best pick up lines

• loves when you play hard to get

• "Make me really work for what i already have."

• the pride she feels when you turn someone else down

(hotel) maid + guest

• oh no! you came to tidy the room and she's laying naked on the bed what ever will you do

• she goes absolutely feral for the maid costume and it's equally as satisfying when she puts it on

☆ ally mayfair-richards ☆

nanny + parent

• starts as a joke after a day of babysitting Oz

Ally: "Thank you for keeping an eye on him, honey."

Y/n: "It's no problem."

Ally: "His camp starts next week so he'll be off during the day."

Y/n: "I really don't mind. You owe me, though."

Ally: "Do I?"

Y/n: "Would you like to know my going rate, Ms.Mayfair?"

Ally: *smirks* "Ms.Mayfair?"

Y/n: "Mhm."

Ally: "Uh huh...what would you like in return for your services?"

☆ wilhemina venable ☆

boss + secretary ?

• starts as a way to tease her

• you hand deliver her mail to her home office...then a snack, then tea, then lunch, and linger a bit wanting some attention

Y/N: "Your afternoon tea, Miss Venable."

MINA: *smirks but doesn't look up* "You don't work for me anymore, you know."

Y/N: "Force of habit." *takes a seat*

MINA: "You're leering."

Y/N: "Admiring."

MINA: "Mhm..." *continues to type*

Y/N: *continues to stare*

MINA: "No."

Y/N: "I didn't even say anything!"

MINA: "We're not having sex on my desk. My desk is for work."

Y/N: "But you're not working right here..." *points to empty spot on the desk*

MINA: *looks at spot for a long time* "Not happening."

• you tried and that's all that matters

monarch/royalty + servant/bather

• her medieval time period books are a comfort so this feels the same for her

• when Mina has a rough day (emotionally or work related) she likes to be taken care of

• instead of closing herself off completely she sheds her clothes along with the days problems and let's you pamper her

• the roles allow her to put some distance between the weight of her emotions and fill the space with intimacy instead

• when she's finally unwinded and you're turning in for the night she may say what's wrong or a simple (yet meaningful) thank you

☆ diane sherman ☆

repairman/handyman + home owner

• happens when you're renovating your garden/yard together

• planting flowers/pulling weeds, laying out gravel/flat stones for the walkway, repainting the benches, hanging fairy lights

• sure she helps but she often stops just to watch you

• she cheekily asks "how will i ever repay you for your hard work?"

• when you laugh she continues with the cheesy porno lines "i have no money but i'm sure there's other ways i could show my appreciation?"

• *bats her eyelashes and unclips the top of her overalls*

• leads you to the shower to get all cleaned up

• make out in between? yes. although naked time sounds nice, she wants you to relax~

• fav dinner and fav movie and maybe a little more making out and lowkey grinding on the couch with your fav (non-kidnapper) gf

☆ alice macray ☆

the stars of your favorite movie/book

• the price of salt was a guilty pleasure book for Alice while discovering herself

• she admired and disliked parts of Carol and Therese for not only what she saw in herself but also how she wanted to be, what she wanted in her life

• it was a dream of hers to road trip with her lover like her beloved characters

• embodying Carol's class and sugar mommy energy as an almost alter ego with you makes her feel sensual, powerful...h word...

• long drives, stopping to eat in little diners, exchanging gifts, then glorious merry christmas and happy new year sex in a cute little hotel

• (all without a husband/divorce/custody battle/being stalked and recorded/a breakup!!)

☆ tammy ☆

yoga instructor

• your girlfriend always tries to get you to do yoga with her

• she'll put on an incredibly flattering sports bra and spandex set, make smoothies, and lay out two mats

• takes a very hands on approach to guiding you into proper form for each position

• turns your hips, pushes you lower, bends your legs a little farther, runs her hand down your back

• activates praise kink: "just like that" "perfect" "there you go, honey"

one shot version

jock + nerd

• starts as a couples costume reminiscent of your relationship in high school

• tammy puts her hair in a high ponytail and wears a volleyball jersey, short shorts, and knee high socks

• you wear a classic (but lowkey hot) nerd costume

• tam tam keeps up the roles as she leads you by your clip on tie to go make out in one of the spare bedrooms during Loubbie's party

☆ xandra terrell ☆

customer + bartender

• she loves when you come in on nights she's working late

• pretend you're a random customer like the other men and women fawning over her

• she makes sure to let you peek down her blouse when she leans over the counter to flirt with you

• will write dirty/flirty/sweet notes on the napkins delivered with your drinks depending on her mood

pool cleaner + housewife

• her actively trying to distract you while you tend to the pool

• she really leans into the cliches of this dynamic

• coyly asks you to apply her sunscreen

• brings you fresh lemonade

• tells you to keep quiet while she dips her hand in your shorts

• "wouldn't want the neighbors to hear, would you?"

[helaintoloki]

Meet the Family

pairing: Pietro Peter Maximoff x fem!reader

warnings: angst, manipulation, reader is a Westview hostage controlled by Wanda, etc., 2.5k in length

notes: writing a piece that takes place in the WandaVision universe was such a challenging and fun experience, and I really tried to capture the same dark undertones of the show so I hope you enjoy!

summary: An innocent family dinner with Pietro’s new girlfriend reveals that life in Westview is not what it seems. Uncle Pietro introduces y/n to the family!

Y/n almost feels like she’s being watched as the warm hand of her boyfriend— since when do I have a boyfriend?— carefully guides her trembling figure up the front steps of his sister’s house and rings the doorbell. Her grip on the glass dish of brownies in her hands is so impossibly tight she fears she might just break it, and when the silver haired man swoops down to steal a kiss from her cherry gloss stained lips she can’t help but to feel nauseated. The sickness morphs into guilt immediately, and when he looks down upon her with a gaze so tender and fond she forces herself to bat her eyes and smile at him. What kind of girlfriend is horrible enough to be disgusted by a kiss from her own boyfriend? Something isn’t right here...

“Don’t even sweat it, babe, my little sis is going to love you!” Pietro comforts with an easygoing grin plastered on his features.

“I hope so,” y/n murmurs quietly, nervously chewing at her bottom lip. This is the audition, her one shot at impressing the boss, and if even one tiny minuscule detail is thrown out of place then there goes her new house and fancy wardrobe and y/n is written out of the show. Permanently.

“My girlfriend is such a worrywart,” he laughs fondly with a gentle pinch of her cheek. It’s as if a switch is flipped inside of her, and this time when she smiles at him it is genuine and full of unadulterated love.

“I just want everything to be perfect, I know how much this means to you,” she replies earnestly, too dazed to notice the soft aww that drifts through the air from the audience. Pietro smiles.

“Man, did I luck out on finding the most perfect girl in the world or what?”

“Well us being together certainly isn’t a coincidence,” she notes with a small smile. The uneasiness begins to wash over her again, but y/n isn’t given a chance to dwell on the feeling as the front door swings open and a vibrant looking young woman stands in the doorway, almost beaming at the two with pure glee.

“Thank goodness you made it!” She exclaims, hand delicately resting on her chest to showcase her relief before she pulls the stranger her brother into a hug.

“Like we’d really miss Sunday dinner,” Pietro jokes before pressing a chaste kiss to his sister’s cheek. His hand returns to the small of y/n’s back and the fond smile pulls at his lips again. “Wanda, I’d like to introduce you to a very special little lady, my girlfriend y/n.”

“Oh, she’s very special indeed,” Wanda notes with an overzealous wink, ignoring the way in which the brownie dish begins to tremble in the poor girl’s hands. Just a little stage fright, that’s all. “It’s very nice to meet you, y/n. I’m Wanda.”

“It’s an honor to meet you,” the girl replies earnestly, “Pietro has told me so much about you.”

“Well aren’t you sweet! Please, come in,” Wanda grins, ushering the two inside before shutting the door. “Boys, Uncle Pietro is here!”

“What a lovely place you have,” y/n compliments. Her eyes scan the perfectly decorated home in wonder, awe, and a third thing she can’t quite place for if she dwells on it for too long her head begins to ache and her surroundings begin to grow fuzzy.

“Oh, please, it’s just a little something I threw together,” she jokes, canned laughter echoing distantly in the background of y/n’s mind.

“Uncle Pietro!” Two voices exclaim, and y/n watches curiously as her boyfriend lets out an ecstatic laugh before rushing forward to scoop the twin boys in his arms.

“If it isn’t my favorite little trouble makers!” He grins, making sure to ruffle both heads of hair. “Billy, Tommy, say hi to your aunt y/n.”

“Hi, aunt y/n,” Billy greets politely. Tommy is at her side in an instant, movements so quick y/n can’t help but to let out a startled yelp as he lunges for the dish in her hands.

“Are those brownies?!”

“Tommy, where are your manners?” Wanda chides gently, shaking her head with a laugh and reaching for the pastries. “Boys will be boys. I’ll take these off your hands.”

“Oh, uh, yes, thank you...” y/n murmurs softly, brows stitched together in discomfort.

“You’ll have to excuse my husband’s absence, another late night at the office. You know how it is, don’t you?”

“I can’t say I do.”

“Hmm... Well, make yourself comfortable. Dinner will be ready soon, I’ll just go put these in the kitchen.”

“Oh, do you need any h-“

“No,” Wanda blurts out abruptly, startling everyone in the room. She plasters on a smile, “No thank you. How can I be a good hostess if my guest is doing all the work for me?”

“You’re right, I’m so sorry,” y/n flounders, panic clear amongst her features. “I-I didn’t mean to impose at all.”

“No apologies,” the woman murmurs quietly, a small smile on her lips and an admonitory glimmer in her eyes, “we’re going to have a nice family dinner, and everything is going to be just perfect.”

The tension in the air is suffocating, wrapping itself in a slow growing hold around y/n’s neck. Her eyes begin to water, bottom lip quivering in fear as she looks around the room that suddenly feels too big and too bright. She doesn’t belong here with these people, something is wrong, the man she came here with is not hers, and as Wanda’s figure retreats behind the kitchen door y/n makes a mad dash towards the nearest exit.

“Whoa!” Pietro exclaims with an uneasy laugh, and in a blue flash she suddenly finds herself being scooped up off her feet and tossed back down on the couch in between the apprehensive twins faster than her fried brain can even comprehend. “Not so fast there, missy. Just where do you think you’re going?”

“I... I don’t feel right,” the young woman murmurs, wincing at the uncomfortable dryness of her throat as she swallows. “I want to go home and lie down.”

“Don’t be like that, babe,” he chides with a disappointed frown, “this is my family.”

“But what about my family?” Y/n whispers, tears welling in her eyes as she realizes that whenever she attempts to picture the life she once lived not a single thing comes to mind. “I don’t have a family.”

“This is your family now. We talked about this, remember? We came to Westview to make Wanda happy, and you don’t want to upset her, do you?”

“No,” she replies meekly, shuddering when the calloused pad of his thumb swipes across her warm cheek to remove any evidence of tears. No, I don’t want to make her unhappy, because if I do then I’m written off the show and I don’t know what will happen to me if I am. “I want to spend time with my new family.”

“Atta girl,” Pietro grins as he cups her face with both hands and brings her in for a kiss.

“Yuck!” Tommy exclaims in disgust from beside the couple, and this time y/n can’t help the bubbly laughter that escapes her at the young boy’s antics. Any memory of her previous meltdown is quickly wiped from her mind, and all she can think of now is how utterly grateful she is to be loved by such a wonderful man and be taken in by his wonderful family.

She pulls Pietro in for another kiss and giggles uncontrollably when he responds by tickling her sides, all while Wanda watches carefully from behind the scenes.

~~~

“Dream of better lives, the kind which never hate. Trapped in a state of imaginary grace.”

Her voice is quiet and serene as she hums along to the Modern English song playing on the radio, a content smile on her face as she washes the dishes leftover from dinner. It was the least she could do after the lovely evening Wanda had hosted; her sister-in-law had been called upon by the neighbor Agnes for a task that hadn’t quite been specified, so y/n was happy to tidy up while her boyfriend spent quality time with the boys. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt as happy and content as she did now— she couldn’t remember anything, really— and y/n knew then and there that moving to Westview with Pietro had been the right decision for the family, for his sister and themselves, and for the children, too. Yes, everything was just peachy keen.

The kitchen door swings open and in walks a man y/n has never seen before. He looks just as surprised as she is when their eyes meet, an awkward smile on his red face and the morning paper in his hands, and y/n slowly drops the dish she had been washing back into the sink.

“Hello,” the man greets curtly, “I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure of meeting before.”

“I’m afraid not,” y/n agrees with a bashful smile, quickly removing her rubber gloves so that she may extend her hand towards him for a shake, “I’m y/n, Pietro’s girlfriend.”

“Ah, yes...” he murmurs lowly, cautiously shaking her hand and sizing the woman up and down until she shrinks under his gaze. He means her no harm, but he isn’t sure whether or not she’s part of this cooky little play or just another victim cast under Wanda’s spell. He smiles suddenly, the gesture startling the girl. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Vision.”

“Oh, yes! Of course. It’s so nice to finally meet you.”

“May I ask where my wife is?” Vision asks.

“She went off to the neighbor’s,” y/n explains before promptly returning to her dish washing. The radio sounds distant and warbled now, the song she had been singing along to now nothing but static and jumbled up syllables, but to Vision’s dismay she doesn’t seem to notice in the slightest.

“How are you enjoying Westview?”

“I’m having the best time. Pietro and I have been talking and we might just have to hunker down in our own little place,” she says with a giggle. “It would be nice to be closer to you all.”

“I must say, having you and Pietro here was quite the surprise.”

“Not a bad one I hope,” she frowns. Vision guiltily refuses to meet her gaze.

“No, not at all. But, might I ask how you two came to be?” Vision asks apprehensively, adding on so that she doesn’t feel cornered, “I’m sure it must be a lovely story.”

“Oh, yes! I remember it like it was yesterday,” y/n swoons dreamily, a fond smile plastered on her face and her gaze casted out towards the living room where Pietro sits playing video games with the boys. She blinks once, twice, eyes never once leaving the silver haired stranger in the couch. A pregnant pause hovers over the two, the porcelain plate trembles in her hands, and Vision watches in silent horror as her eyes begin to well with tears.

“Y/n?” He calls gently, fingertips carefully brushing against her elbow in an attempt to bring her focus back to him. He removes the plate from her iron grip and sets it back carefully in the sink before turning the girl by the shoulders to face him; she still wears that same adoring smile despite the tears that silently fall down her cheeks.

“Forgive me,” she murmurs quietly, “I can’t seem to gather my thoughts properly.”

“Who did this to you? Was it Wanda? Pietro?” Vision press urgently. Y/n sways slightly when he shakes her by the shoulders in a desperate attempt to break her from her trance but still her smile remains.

“Pietro? Oh, he loves me, and I love him.”

“My dear, I don’t think you do,” the man utters sympathetically.

“Of course I do, silly. We were made for each other.”

“Perhaps you were, but not in the way you think. Y/n-“

“Please let go,” she interrupts in a soft, steady voice, looking up at him like a scorned child, “you’re scaring me.”

“If you would just let me,” Vision begins to say, fingertips reaching for her temple in preparation to break her from the spell only to be interrupted by another presence in the room.

“Whoa, what’s going on in here?” Pietro asks with a raised brow and uneasy laugh. “Hey toaster oven, you mind maybe letting go of my girlfriend?”

“Of course, my apologies,” Vision murmurs, stepping away from the girl and allowing her to run into the arms of her boyfriend.

“You okay, babe?” He asks with a raised brow. She isn’t, not in the slightest, but she has a job to do and a role to play, so she merely bats her eyes at him before leaning up and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Never been better. Hey, how does dessert sound?”

“I think that sounds lovely,” Wanda chimes, her sudden appearance in the kitchen doorway startling the already present trio. Vision looks like a deer caught in headlights when Wanda saunters over and gifts him with an innocent kiss to the cheek. “Why don’t you and Pietro get the boys settled down while y/n and I prepare the dessert?”

“What a lovely idea, darling,” Vision chimes with an easy smile— y/n isn’t the only one with a role to play. “Come now, dear brother-in-law.”

“Take good care of my girl, little sis,” Pietro calls on his way out. Wanda smiles, her eyes never once leaving y/n’s trembling frame.

“But of course. What is family for? Y/n, be a dear and grab the plates, won’t you?”

“Yes, Wanda,” the girl chimes obediently. She smiles.

“I noticed you seemed a little shaken up just now, is everything alright?” Wanda asks, feigning obliviousness.

“Oh, you know, just some friendly questioning from my new brother-in-law. I’m sure he just wanted to make sure Pietro had found the right match,” she explains with a passive wave of her hand. Wanda hums softly.

“Well we don’t need to worry about that,” she notes. “You’re here for a reason, y/n. Do you know that?”

“For Pietro, and for you,” she replies earnestly, smiling when Wanda takes her hands in her own and gives them a gentle squeeze. “You’ve always wanted a big family, a real family, one that would never turn its back on you or leave you behind ever again. You want a sister and nieces and nephews and love, and I’m here because I can do all of that and more for you.”

“Exactly right. Family is forever, y/n. Are you ready for the commitment that comes with being a Maximoff?”

“I’ve never been more ready,” y/n responds eagerly. Wanda smiles.

“I’m so relieved you said that,” she utters gently, pulling y/n in for a hug so that she may not see the way in which her eyes begin to glow red and waves of energy begin to emit from her fingertips as she carefully settles herself fully into the girl’s mind. She fills her head with thoughts of Pietro and family, with memories she’s never lived and feelings she’s never had, she fills her with love, and y/n is none the wiser.

“Congratulations, y/n,” Wanda utters quietly, comfortingly stroking the girl’s hair, “you’re a Maximoff now.”

[gladerwolfstarkimagines]

Imagine being Lin Beifong's only daughter and developing a crush on your fellow officer Mako. You finally managed to get the firebender alone but your family keeps accidentally ruining your efforts making for a very awkward night. 

Being a part of Republic City’s elite defence you’d seen the avatar and her friends often and sure you’d noticed the handsome firebender she’d dated but that wasn’t all you’d seen. You’d seen the way Mako had treated Korra and Asami and it angered you but it wasn’t your place to judge. So you treated him as you did every citizen, formally and with respect, the few times you had to interact with him and it was all fine. Until Mako asked your mom for a job. When Mako joined the force you were determined he wouldn’t be able to use his good looks and celebrity reputation on the force and were extra hard on him to compensate any favouritism he might recieve. You gave him the hardest assessments, most boring shifts and worst cases and yet he beat all of your obstacles. It annoyed you at first until you realised you weren’t really annoyed. You were mad at him, for being such a redeemable guy when his previous actions didn’t indicate that. Sure he’d apologised and Asami and Korra had forgiven him but still that didn’t mean you had to trust him...but it didn’t stop you liking him. You struggled with your growing respect for the man and even more so with your admiration of him. On stake outs he genuinely seemed smart and sweet. You tried not to develop an interest in him but you couldn’t help it. Mako seemed to take an interest in you too and soon you were working cases together by choice. You were efficient and had similar thought processes so were a match made in heaven (detective wise atleast).  You were working on the new airbender case together when your mom told you she wanted you both to accompany the avatar on her search for airbenders and protect her together. You nodded your head professional and composed when on the inside you felt all warm and excited. The time spent travelling with Mako and his friends was the best tine of your life. The avatar and her friends were so nice and you’d quickly bonded with them all, especially Asami and Korra, which shocked you as you didn’t usually get on well with other people. Becoming friends with two intelligent women had it’s set backs and it didn’t take long for them to notice your interest in Mako. You thought they might be judgemental but they were so sweet and sometimes annoyingly infavour of your crush sending you smirks and grins anytime you and Mako interacted. Korra and Asami made it their mission to get you and Mako together before you returned to Republic City and you were on board, when it came to dating you needed all the help you could get...

Asami came up with the idea of you getting some alone time with Mako by organising a movie night. Bolin was always begging Mako to watch his movers and he hadn’t gotten around to it. So Asami bought them for you and told you to ask Mako to watch it with you. Her and Korra (mostly Asami) coached you on flirting and what to say until you felt ready.  Judgement day here and Asami hiding behind a wall after shoving you towards Mako you approached him nervously. “Hi Mako” you called and he smiled “hey y/n, what are you doing out here? I thought you were guarding Korra”. “No my mom’s got that covered” you explained and Mako nodded “ow good”. Silence fell and you resisted the urge to run away and carried on. "So" you said getting the speech you’d prepared ready "i recently bought Bolin’s mover to see what it’s like and i wondered if you wanted to watch it too, with me...". Mako looked at you and you felt your cheeks redden "don’t worry if not i just thought it’d get him off your back if you’d actually..you know seen it". "No that actually sounds like a really good idea" Mako smiled "thanks y/n". You blushed but nodded "no problem...so when do you wanna watch it?". "How about tonight?" Mako asked and you panicked. Tonight? That was so soon! You weren’t ready! Asami had only coached you up until this point not the actual date! "Or not..." Mako said seeing your reaction and you shook your head feeling brave suddenly "no tonight’s fine i’ll just have to move some things around and tidy my room cus it’s a bit of a mess". "Well we can do it in my room?" Mako asked "Bolin’s got a date with Opal so we'll have it all to ourselves" he smirked slightly and you felt your stomach dip. "Yeah that sounds great thanks" you blushed and Mako smiled again "great so i'll see you tonight". "You will see me there" you agreed and then cringed inwardly. How were you literally more cool in a chase or fight than chatting to a cute boy? Mako just chuckled slightly when he looked behind you and straightened "chief" he said and you jumped to see your mom right behind you. Your mom had turned up at Zaofu claiming to help but you thought she was probably just checking up on you and Mako. Needless to say your mom’s presence had not helped the situation with Mako. Reminding Mako not only was your grandmother the greatest earth bender who ever lived but your mom was his boss who could and would fire him for any mistake...such as dating her daughter for instance was not great romantically. "Mom...i mean chief" you saluted her and she looked at you confused. "Erm yeah hi y/n". "We were discussing official police buisness, can we help you with anything?" you said awkwardly and your mom narrowed her eyes "no i only needed Mako so you could go sleep or eat or whatever just fix what’s causing this" she said gesturing to your weird behaviour. You laughed awkwardly and hurried away to Asami who looked as mortified as you.

Asami and Korra told you sooner was better and so you tried to absorb all their tips on dates as they helped you dress and gave you a confidence boost. They left you with smirks and giggles outside Mako’s door and you sighed before knocking. Mako opened the door and you got the familiar warm feeling whenever you saw him. “Hey right on time” he smirked “come in!”. You walked inside cautiously and looked around. There were two beds, one very neat and one with lots of clothes and stuff piled on it. “Sorry that’s Bolin’s side of the room” Mako said following your eye “he’s not very...neat”. “It’s okay” you smiled and Mako nodded “so let’s get started”. He set the projector up against the wall and turned the lights off as you tried to act natural sat on his bed. Mako sat next to you and played the movie. “You know you don’t have to sit on the edge” Mako commented seeing you perched on the edge of the bed and you blushed “ow okay” and moved closer. You and Mako sat beside one another and it felt awkward at first but soon it felt more normal and you found yourself laughing and enjoying the movie, sharing popcorn with Mako, when the door went.  

You and Mako both looked at one another. "Are you expecting someone?" you asked and Mako shook his head "Bolin said he wouldn’t be back for hours" Mako said getting up to go open it when the door burst open. "So you are watching Nuktuk!" your cousin Wei cried "why didn’t you invite us?". Your counsins Wei, Wing and Huan all stared at you from the door and you looked to Mako awkwardly. You both just stammered you didn’t think to and they walked further into the room. "Of course we’d want to watch it cous!" Wing laughed elbowing you. Wing and Wei sat on either side of you and Mako forcing you to move closer so they could fit.  Huan followed but frowned "was it just you two in here? Alone?". You blushed not looking at Mako but nodded. "That’s not awkward' Huan sighed sitting down too and you were grateful Mako hastily played the movie. Watching a movie with your crush which was then crashed by your extended family was very awkward. You and Mako were sat so close he couldn’t move his arm without knocking you. Not to mention Wei and Wing kept leaning over to grab the popcorn pushing you into Mako or Mako into you. Huan critiqued the film so much you didn’t even hear most of it. You were completely lost in what was going on when suddenly it ended and you frowned. "Is anyone else lost?" Mako asked and Huan shook his head "it was a pretty basic film plot". "Well if i’d actually been able to hear it' Mako said under his breath and you smirked. Huan didn’t hear him as he’d gone back to arguing with Wei and Wing. 'Well the movers over we should go" Wei said jumping up and Wing and Huan nodded following him to the door. You sighed in relief thinking you’d be able to salvage something from this night when they all looked at you expectantly. "Y/n aren’t you coming?" Wei asked "it’s late" and Huan raised an eyebrow. "No of course I am" you nodded standing up too "goodnight Mako" you said formally and turned to follow your cousins who were practically escorting you back to your room. As soon as you were shut up in your room you slumped against the door and laughed. This was not how you wanted this night to go. You’d been so nervous about spending time alone with Mako when you hadn’t even managed to spend any time alone with him. This was your one excuse to get Mako alone and now it was ruined and there was no way Mako would ask you back for a second date. You jumped as there was a knock on your door and you snapped it open to see Mako stood there. "Mako" you blushed "what are you...". "You left your mover" Mako said holding out the tape to you. You nodded "ow sorry" and took it. "It’s fine" mako smiled "also i was wondering if you wanted to watch it again some time seeing as we both didn’t hear much". You smirked but nodded in disbelief "that’d be good". Mako smiled "good...y/n can i ask you something? I don’t want to read too much into this, especially because i really enjoy working with you and would hate to ruin our profesional relationship but y/n was this a date?". You froze and bit your lip "possibly i mean...it was just casual, it doesn’t have to be if you didn’t want it to be" you frowned but Mako shook his head "no i did want it to be...if you did". You blushed "you do?". Mako nodded "I’ve always respected you as a fellow officer but this trip seeing you away from republic city and actually acting like a normal teenager for once” he smirked at your frown ”well I started crushing on you but i didn’t want to read into something too much but if you want this to be a date then...". "Yes" you said cutting him off and then blushed how eager that sounded. "Good" Mako chuckled "i’m sorry our first date was so awkward i’ll make sure nobody bothers us on our second one" Mako grinned. You smirked "that sounds nice but tonight wasn’t all bad". Mako shrugged "true but I know something that will make it better". You looked at him confused when he kissed you swiftly. The guy was smooth which didn’t suprise you. What did suprise you was how confidently you kissed him back, how you didn’t feel nervous or vulnerable kissing him but confident and excited. Mako seemed suprised too but kissed you back undeterred. You seperated but Mako didn’t move away from you "now that was worth being sandwiched between your cousins". You chuckled and smirked up at him when someone came around the corner. Your mom looked from Mako’s arms around you to, to the way Mako was looking at you, to your close proximity to one another and sighed. You and Mako held your breath waiting for death threats, to be fired, a lecture or all three but none of that happened. "So this is why you were acting so weird" you mom said undetered "atleast he’s a good guy but really y/n a cop?". You went to argue but she smirked making you realise she was joking. "Just don’t let it effect your work okay?". You and Mako nodded stunned as you mom turned away. "Ow and Mako? You hurt my daughter I’ll break your face" Lin called "got it?". You cringed as Mako winced "got it" he called back awkwardly. "Still want that second date?" You asked only half joking but Mako grinned as soon as he looked at you "totally your mom can’t scare me away that easily". You blushed and mako smiled "it’s cute when you do that". You blushed even more and Mako grinned "so i’ll see you tomorrow night for the do over?". "Sounds good" you nodded and Mako smirked "it’s a date" and winked turning away down the coridoor. You blushed and felt the excitement in your stomach, your lips still tingling from the kiss. Tomorrow night couldn’t come quickly enough.

[xbaebsae]

“You think too much.”

I was lucky to get another commission from the extremely talented @reidreamer​! Honestly she’s one of my favorite artists ever, go commission her if you get the chance, I mean look at this?! Hot damn, I love it so much!

If you want to read the whole scene for this you can do so under the cut :’) ♥

________________________________

A plethora of crates unfolded in front of me as I stepped into storage room four. I couldn’t say I was surprised that nobody else had volunteered to tidy up that mess but, unbeknownst to them, they had actually done me a favor. Mundane, annoying tasks like these were the perfect distraction from all the mess going on in my head. I’d thought that finally accepting this whole whatever-it-was between Jakob and me would improve my mind situation. But once again, it hadn’t exactly worked out as I’d hoped. I should’ve been mad because he hurt me - kind of - , but instead I was mad that he was mad that he had hurt me. What sense did that make? How twisted was I at this point?

Angry at myself, I pried open the first crate only to find it filled with illegal bottles. Wine, Whiskey, I even found a bottle of Champagne - what a disgrace. It was one of those days where I’d let it slide. The ‘No Alcohol’ rule in the project had always bothered me anyway, especially considering John’s expansive cellar repertoire of only the priciest of brands; and Jakob’s fridge that never missed beer. Faith, and even Joseph himself, probably had their own storage of whatever their favorite drinks were, making them all hypocrites. 

Just as I was about to close the lid, I couldn’t fight the urge to steal one of the whiskey bottles anymore. Nobody would notice and I really needed it. Yeah, solving problems with alcohol was never a good thing but the mere thought of it numbing at least some of the confusion was too tempting. I hopped onto the crate, opened the bottle and took a large sip, large enough to burn a little in the throat and to give me the warm feeling of getting tipsy. And after another few, the day suddenly seemed a lot less bad.

“Why’s it that half the time I run into ya there’s alc involved?” I stood corrected, the day was bad. The one fucking voice I didn’t want to hear, owned by the source of my problems. “Weren’t you supposed to be in the Henbane today?”, I asked dryly and refused to look at him. “I guess we’re both not doin’ what we’re supposed to do, Shorty.” “I’m tidying up, that’s what Tucker asked me to do. So the only person in the wrong place is you.” From the corner of my eye I could see that he was leaning against the door frame, arms crossed and if I had actually bothered to look properly, I’d have found him staring me down. This wouldn’t end well, it never did. “Y’know the good thing ‘bout being the boss is that I can change my plans whenever I wanna.” “And why exactly did you decide getting on my nerves is the better option? The Henbane business sounded important.” I needed more whiskey for this. 

Jakob remained silent for a moment that felt like an eternity. Not that I desperately wanted him to talk, but whenever he got caught up in his thoughts I didn’t know what to make of him. Part of me expected him to get angry again, this time shouting at me for going radio silent for a couple of days. Though, I did have to admit that it was a stupid and childish thing to do. I needed to learn how to talk things out at least as much as he did, but instead we were both unbelievably bad at it. “You finally gonna tell me why the fuck ya left the other day.” The demanding tone in his voice bothered me immediately and I swallowed an unspoken ‘or what?’. 

When I didn’t answer right away he came closer, too close. He rested his palms on each side next to me on the crate and I finally looked him in the eyes. “I’ll get ya to talk one way or the other, you know that.” I knew that. But instead of talking I rolled up my sleeve and held up my bruised arm in front of him. The one that hit the counter when he pushed me away the other day. “This is why.” He immediately pressed his lips together and I could see the anger he tried to suppress. It wasn’t anger towards me. “Ya said we’re good”, slipped through his teeth. “I’m not mad at you.” “Then why?” I averted my eyes. “I’m mad at myself.” “What?” He didn’t understand and I couldn’t blame him. “I should be more bothered by this Jake! It’s not fucking okay! But instead I... “ Not even knowing how I had initially planned to finish the sentence I clung onto the bottle once more. Finishing it would knock me out enough to not give a fuck anymore for sure. 

Unfortunately he picked up on my thoughts and swiftly pulled it out of my hands. “Give it back for fucks sake!” But he ignored me. As usual. I let out a sigh and gave up my effort to not look at him. “It’s not okay, you right. Though, we both beat each other up worse before in training.” “Intentions, Jakob. They matter. They should matter. And that’s the god damn problem!” Another hopeless attempt to get the bottle back failed. “I should be fucking mad that you pushed me. For fucks sake, that’s what normal people would do, right? But you know what I do? I feel mad because ...because you got mad, because at the end of the day I don't care about it. I know you weren't...you. And that makes me angry because it’s wrong!” 

He raised an eyebrow and frowned, then finally shook his head. “You think too much.” “Well, I can’t help it. You do see what’s wrong here don’t you?” “Does it really matter, Rheese?” Now I was the one who didn’t understand. “If ya start with that right or wrong bullshit, I think ya gonna find a lot more wrong here than right about everythin’.” After a short pause he added: “Hell, almost all of this is wrong anyway.” Now he was the one taking a giant sip out of the whiskey bottle. Pouting, I watched him lower it while making damn sure to keep it out of my reach. “So I wanna know, does it really matter?” 

After my own moment of silence I shook my head. “It’s just a damn mess”, I said in defeat and he gave me the hint of a smile. “Can I have my bottle back now? I need more drinks for this.” “Ain’t yours when ya stole it.” His smile turned into the cursed one I always wanted to rip out of his face. My blood started to boil. “Stop being an ass! I had it first!” “Thief complaining about being robbed, if it were someone else I’d have called it cute.” I punched his arm. “Fucking asshole! I just want more whiskey and I damn right deserve it for putting up with you!” He roughly grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. “Didn’t I tell ya to be careful ‘bout how you talk to me?” “Where’s the fun in that?”, my voice sounded more seductive than I wanted it to, but I couldn’t deny that I missed certain things between us. 

He took another sip from the bottle but I realized he didn’t swallow. Instead, he held my face in place and I’d already opened my mouth in anticipation as our lips met. The Bourbon tasted sweeter than before and a strange feeling of urgency overcame me. I leaned into the kiss more and the hasty movement caused some of it to drip out of my mouth. Jake moved his hand further back and tightened his grip, making sure I wouldn’t pull away. Not that I had any intention to. My fingers started to cling onto his shirt and I made damn sure he wouldn’t move away from me either.

After a long while that still felt too short, he stopped and fixed his posture. “You’re disgusting’’, I laughed, still holding onto his shirt. “The one time I do what ya ask me for.” He smiled meanly, removing my hands from his shirt and resting them on my own lap. “Not a very efficient way to get drunk, but I could live with it”, my voice sounded a little weaker than I’d liked. Slowly he moved away from me and towards the door, where he stopped and looked back at my flustered self with that damned smug smile on his face. “If ya wanna continue, come home tonight.” He was sure I would agree, with the face expression of someone too used to getting what he wanted. 

And maybe he would win this time. But he didn’t need to know that just yet. “Maybe, if I don’t have anything better to do.”

[frustratedpoetwrites]

Sins of the Fathers Update

This is a story set at the same time as Teddy Lupin starts Hogwarts, and the mystery of a muggleborn girl he meets on the train. 

I will be updating this story Monthly.

Chapter One: Hogwarts

Chapter Two: Portraits and Memories

Chapter three: Dear Mr. Potter

Chapter Three. Dear Mr. Potter

Harry sat at the kitchen table of his home surrounded by his family. Lily was sitting in her high chair happily working on some buttered toast, Albus was stirring his porridge in imitation of his father who was doing the same without paying much attention to it. His focus was on a field-report that had been hand-delivered to his home early this morning. James kept taking sideways glances at his mother then looking down sheepishly spooning enormous mouthfuls into himself. Ginny was sitting between her two boys, this morning's daily profit in front of her, a slight thinning of her mouth whenever she glanced at her oldest son, the only indication she was still mad at him. 

If anyone had seen this family only ten minutes earlier it would have been a completely different scene. Sparing a thought for his wife he glanced at the ceiling and spotted a rather stubborn blob of porridge still stuck there. He casually took out his wand from his inside pocket and vanished the offending blob. Ginny pretended not to notice although she had looked at him as he’d taken his wand out. He rolled up the scroll and placed it with the others in the bag at his feet, then tried to enjoy his porridge. He was stopped from eating more than a few mouthfuls by the post bell ringing. 

They had been forced to install a drop-off point for owls due to the volume of mail they received, although they had few neighbours, it was always best to be cautious. It was kind of like a letterbox for owls on their roof, along with a small roost for owls to take a rest if they needed it. He gathered up the stack of letters from the collection point in their shared office and brought them back into the kitchen. He put them on the table and started sorting them into his and hers. “Oh look, daddy,” James exclaimed pointing to one of the letters. “That one has a sticker with a face on it, but it’s not moving.” He looked curiously at his parents. Harry leaned over and picked it up. The letter had a Muggle stamp in the corner and was addressed simply to Mr. Harry Potter in a very neat script. His curiosity peaked, he opened this one first. Ginny tsked at him slightly for opening it without doing any safety checks first, but he knew that any jinxed letter would not get through the charms he had placed upon the owl shoot. When he finished reading it he handed it to her without speaking. 

Dear Mr. Harry Potter 

I hope you and your family are well. My name is Camilla Winters and I met your godson, Teddy on the train to Hogwarts. He was very kind to me and we are friends now, but I’m very worried about him as he keeps searching the castle for a portrait of his mother.

 I feel terrible as it’s my fault this happened, I gave him a message from a portrait of a woman with pink hair that looked like him. She told me she had promised not to distract him from his lessons and that’s why she is hiding now I think. I wish I hadn’t told him the message as he has been so sad and distracted ever since. Please don’t let him know it was me that told you, when I suggested asking a teacher where her portrait was he got a little angry with me and told me to drop it. 

I hope this gets to you. I’ve never used an owl before I added a stamp just in case. A fourth-year assured me all I needed was a name, but I didn’t tell her who I was sending it to. Teddy says you understand him because you lost your parents too. If you could let me know what I should do, I would be very grateful as I am worried the teachers are going to start noticing he’s not concentrating.

Camilla

“I thought it odd we hadn’t heard from him yet.” She mused, “just thought he was too busy having fun. This Camilla sounds like she has her head on right.” She looked at her husband knowing exactly what he was thinking about doing. “You can’t just go march up there and snap him out of it. Even if you could find an excuse to get into the school. You don’t even know what house he’s in love.” He turned to her as if to argue then thought better of it. 

“I wasn’t going to go to the school.” He lied, she gave him a disbelieving snort in response. “Ok maybe I thought about it but you're right it’s not the way to go.” He noticed two out of their three children were no longer interested in breakfast. Albus was sliding a finger through the dollops that had escaped his bowl, and James was screwing his eyes up tight like when Teddy changed his appearance, then looking at his reflection in his spoon. “I’ll speak to Neville, I would have thought he would already have this sorted. I spoke to him before term started thinking this might be a problem.”

“Neville can only do so much, especially if Teddy isn’t in his house. He has to let that teacher sort it out.” She lifted lily out of her high chair and placed her on the floor next to her building blocks. “I’m seeing Andromeda today. I'll ask if Teddy has mentioned this to her.” She cleared the table and cleaned it with a couple of swift flicks of her wand. Albus looked up slightly disappointed that his drawing material had vanished. “Mum’s coming to take the boys for the day, and Lily needs shoes now she’s walking.” She reminded him, he hadn’t forgotten, but she liked reminding him and he nodded and gave both the boys a kiss on the head and a murmur to behave as he walked back into their study, taking the pile of his letters with him. 

The room was spacious for a study, big enough to comfortably fit two desks and a studded leather sofa and still not feel cluttered. Apart from his desk, that always looked cluttered.

“Sirius.” He said to the portrait of his godfather that hung on the wall while placing Ginny’s post on her tidy desk. The image of Sirius used to make the picture had been taken the day of Harry’s parents wedding, before Azkaban had drained him of his vitality, handsome and often smiling with long black hair. He appeared to be at his ease, lounging in an armchair one leg hooked over the side, eyes half closed, but at the sound of his name he sat up straight and alert . “Can you go to Hogwarts and tell Professor Longbottom I would like to speak to him if he is free for lunch. I will most likely be at my work before you return. I will make sure I can speak to you there.” 

“My pleasure to help,” he said and walked to the edge of his frame and disappeared. The couple in the other picture just smiled serenely down at him while he rummaged around in his desk. Ginny walked in with Lily on her hip while he was still searching.

“That’s the boys at mums.” She glanced at the empty frame but said nothing about it. “Are you working from home today?” He shook his head, continuing to search. “If you organised, and took the files you no longer need back to work, you might have a better chance of finding things.” She said it in a very patient tone like she had said it many times before, she turned to their daughter who was trying to stuff her fist in her mouth. “Is daddy a messy boy!” She said in a silly voice smiling and making a face, Lily giggled, brown eyes sparkling. Harry made a noise at his wife but knew she was right, he needed to find time to clear out his desk. 

“If you are out as well today then I won’t be home for lunch. I will do my best to be home for dinner.” Finding what he was looking for he slipped it into his pocket, then came over and blew a few raspberries on his daughters neck and planted a few kisses on her cheek, she giggled even more slapping a hand against his cheek. He turned and gave his wife a kiss wrapping an arm around her briefly whispering “love you” into her neck, before grabbing his bag and walking to the door and apparating to work.

When Harry arrived at the atrium he kept his eyes forward deliberately not paying attention to anyone else who might try to catch his eye. He did it without even thinking about it anymore.

“Morning boss.” The young Auror who had been standing leaning against the memorial fountain looking completely at ease, joined in step with him as he made his way towards the lifts. The brisk pace did nothing to stop his swagger.

“Morning Caldwell.” He acknowledged his companion. Now that he was with company he started scanning the various wizards moving about the atrium. The busy morning rush had now passed and there were only a few stragglers like himself. Owen Caldwell might act like a bit of an arrogant sod but he was a very good guard dog, and a very good Auror, he had taken very well to the lesson that confidence breeds confidence. Harry was much less likely to be intercepted on his way into the office when he was seen talking to someone else. He used to take the time to speak to people when he came into work until he realised it was taking him longer and longer to actually get to his desk. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to help, the problem was that people would want him to deal with every issue the ministry dealt with, regardless of who they were supposed to report to. He had never asked them to do it but one morning he started being met by someone from headquarters in the atrium, and all of a sudden he got to his desk before noon. “Has anyone at Bodmin made it in for the scheduled update yet?” The easy smile on Owens’s face faulted for a moment as he replied.

“Not yet boss no, and it’s getting pretty close to the deadline. Maybe we should send someone to check?” He meant himself, rumours were he was getting quite close to one of the agents currently out on mission. Harry knew how reckless people could become when they are trying to save those they love. He was a prime example of that, he shook his head.

“The reason why we have 24 hours to check in is because, as you very well know, you can’t always just pop back here and say hi.” There were a few people standing waiting when they got to the lifts so they ended the conversation. He recognised one as his brother in law Percy who looked to be deep in discussions with a witch he didn’t know. They nodded to each other in greeting but Percy didn’t stop to talk to him or slow down his conversation. Harry tried not to listen, knowing Percy it would be about something very important to him, and incredibly dull to anyone else. When they stepped into the lift Harry noticed there were already a handful of memos flying in lazy circles above his head. One of them dropped down and started to gently bump him on the side of the head. Taking the memo he put it in his pocket without reading. He knew who it would be from, no one else’s memos came to him directly.

The Auror office was the usual bustling place, memos zoomed about like they were supercharged a few Aurors stood chatting over the top of their cubicles. Nobody took much notice of him walking in. He would say there were still a lot more of his staff who were older than him, but his youth had never been a problem, there were far fewer now that were more experienced than him. The problem had been filling the spaces left by the devastation after the war, not everyone was suited to being an Auror, even those that thought they wanted it didn’t always after a few harsh reality checks. And Harry refused to let anyone qualify that wasn’t up to standard, even before he was made head of the department, standards had been improved when he was placed in charge of selection and training. Finally the Auror office was back to the strength it had been before Voldermort’s resurrection, still not at full strength in his eyes but the foundations were strong.

“Get everyone who’s working on the Bodmin case in the conference room in fifteen minutes. I have to take care of a few things first. I'll meet you there.” Owen wandered off then with a loud “you got it boss” Harry, his mind already back on Teddy didn’t respond. When Harry entered his office he was pleased nobody was waiting for him, he took the small picture frame he had been searching for in his desk at home and placed it on his desk, along with the memo he had nearly forgotten about. Sighing, he opened it.

Harry

Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you are avoiding me! I really need to speak to you about Kreacher. It's very important and I’m not going to take no or silence for an answer. If I have to I will bring it up out of work but neither of us want that as it’s a delicate matter. It’s nothing to worry about either.

Hermione 

He ran a hand through his hair and decided that although Hermione wasn’t a high priority he couldn’t keep putting her off, he had a rough idea what it was about. He was about to reply to her when Sirius’ face turned up in the frame. 

“Professor Longbottom says he will be at the three broomsticks for lunch today and he is going to bring Professor Mcallister along too.”

“Did he say why he’s bringing him?” Harry didn’t really know the charms Professor, he had only met him the handful of times he and Ginny had gone to the annual memorial service. Then he answered his own question “He is head of Teddy’s house isn’t he?” Harry shook his head and knew he wasn’t going to get anymore from the painting. He looked back down at the memo from Hermione and decided now would be as good a time as any to go see his boss.

Her office wasn’t that far away from his. Magical law enforcement was a big department and they pretty much had this entire floor. He knew the Bodmin meeting would be waiting for him soon, but he also hoped that it would give him an excuse to get away from Hermione if he needed one. 

She was standing outside her office when he arrived talking with her assistant. He was pleased he wouldn’t have to argue about making appointments with the assistant once again. That reminded Harry he needed to do something about finding a temp replacement for his own assistant, who had gone on maternity.

Hermione smiled at him when she saw him approach. “Well I’m glad my last memo finally did the trick, come and take a seat.”

“Will this take long? Only I have a mission briefing starting in about…”

“It’s alright this won't take long your department can manage without you for a moment. She lifted a scroll from a pigeon hole behind her and handed it to him.

“What’s this?” he asked, feeling the weight of it.

“Read it and see”

“I’d rather you gave me the abbreviated highlights,” he complained, opening it and sitting down, the scroll unfurled and rolled along the ground stopping only when it bumped against Hermione’s desk.

“It’s Kreacher’s will.” She explained sitting down herself with another stack of papers.

“He made a will?” Harry was surprised, Kreacher hadn’t had a great deal of possessions; those he did had been mainly forced on him by Harry and the kids giving him presents every christmas. He had received the letter about a month earlier telling him the ancient Elf had finally passed away peacefully. The truth was Harry had no idea how long Elves normally lived, he knew Dobby was still fit and well and living at Hogwarts, Harry made sure to send him socks every year. “Anything he left us can be sent to the house ill make arrangements from there,”

“It’s not as simple as that,” she went on quickly realising that he was about to leave. “Kreacher made some arrangements in his will for his Legacy care to be passed on.”

Harry fought the urge to roll his eyes at her, “Meaning?”

“You are getting a new house elf.”

“What?”

“It will take some time. The elves themselves sort this kind of thing out. Kreacher was part of a quite expansive family line, but all are already with households as far as I’ve been informed.”

“I thought it was one of your missions to stop elf slavery, and them being treated like property.”

Hermione sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “It is something I am still working on, and things have improved greatly, but the elves themselves are very proud of their service and you can’t change their minds over centuries of traditions overnight. Elves are in a better position than they were, they have recognised rights to fair treatment, holidays and living conditions, they are allowed to report their family of any wrongdoing within it without punishment. A basic right to me but scandalous to nearly all the elves i have spoken to about this. But anyway I digress. Expect yourself to have an elf living in your home very soon.

“I’m not sure how Ginny is going to take that.”

“Better you tell her quick before one turns up”

“Anything else?” He rolled up the scroll as he stood up to go.

“No, I think that’s everything. I'll see you at dinner on Sunday?”

“Barring a catastrophe, we’ll be there.”

*

Very little had changed in hogsmeade over the years since Harry was at school. It had survived relatively uncathed from the devastation during the battle of Hogwarts. The small village was sunlight when Harry apparated at the small square with it’s equally discreet memorial stone. Harry paused a moment and refreshed the wreath of snow white Lilies that was laid against it.

It was not a long walk over to the three broomsticks but still Harry was greeted by a few people as he made his way along the cobbled street. None of them looked familiar to him so he didn’t stop, just nodded his head politely and moved on.

Harry spotted his old friend immediately as he entered the cosy pub. He was sitting at a table away from the bar with the enormous frame of Professor Mcallister. They both stood to greet him as he approached. Neville and Harry shoulder bumped as they shook hands and slapped each other on the back in a very well practiced way. When Harry offered his hand to the other man it was enveloped by two large and surprisingly powerful hands. “Nice to see you again professor.” Harry greeted.

“Bartemius, please call me Bartemius.” They all sat down and Madame Rosemerta came over to take their food order bringing Harry a butterbeer without having to be told, she squeezed his shoulder as she left. “So I take it you are here to talk about Ted Lupin?” Mcallister began without prompting. “I was hoping this would be sorted without you having to be told.”

“His friend wrote to me. Camilla?” Mcallister smiled as Harry fished the letter from his pocket. 

“Ah yes she’s a bright young witch. So sad about her own past, I had a feeling they would be drawn to each other, especially as they have been sorted into the same house. I do wish she had come to me, but now I see the reason why she hasn’t.” Neville took the letter once Mcallister had finished with it and scanned it quickly. “The portraits of Dora and Remus Lupin are in locations that Teddy doesn’t have access to. We were prepared to move Professor Lupin's portrait if he had been sorted into Gryffindor.” Mcallister added in a tone that said he thought it was highly doubtful. “All the portraits of those who died in the war hold very little of the true selves, although I think some of the students have been teaching them their history. I am surprised to read that the portrait felt strongly enough to send him a message.”

“The photograph used by the artist was the one taken with Teddy in her arms, the maternal bond must have been transferred through.” Harry explained, he had become quite knowledgeable on this subject over the years. Neville leaned back in his chair taking a long dink from his cup.

“The students teach them all sorts of things.” He said with a slight smirk, then continued more seriously “It’s always a disappointment to find out it’s not truly them. Professor Lupin’s picture knows loads about defensive spells and the correct way to deal with various dangerous creatures, but ask him about his wedding, or his friendships in school and the answers dry up.”

“Probably for the best he doesn’t know much about the marauders, from what I’ve heard of them they were quite a handful” Mcallister chuckled then seemed to realise whos company he was in, “No offence Harry.”

“None taken I assure you.” Harry knew all too well that disappointment. He had thought, like so many others did, that all portraits were as true a representation of their living selves as the old headmasters portraits were. It had only been when he had been fighting to get Severus Snape’s portrait hung as a rightful former headmaster, that he had found the truth, that it took years of the former headmasters teaching their hidden image everything they could, as Severus had only been headmaster a year he had not had the time to impart much of his knowledge. The more the artist drawing the picture knew of the model also helped. Harry squashed down his mild irritation at the memory.

“My godson is stubborn, and keeping him from these pictures is not going to make him any less determined.” He thought for a moment. “Could you move them to a place he does have access to, so he can speak with them privately?” He looked at their faces and they nodded. “I doubt it will take more than a couple of hours this weekend for him to realise that it’s not truly them, but if it does take him longer we can tell him he can only visit that room at the weekends, and keep it locked the rest of the time?” 

“That shouldn’t be too difficult to do. Dora's picture is currently in the staff room. Remus’ in the Gryffindor common room. Some students might comment on its removal but pictures wander all the time and we could just put a blank canvas. The last few years have had smaller intakes, this is the smallest group in my time at the school.”

“There will probably be an upswing next year,” Harry added with a smirk taking a swig of the beer he then asked. “So what have the students been teaching the pictures?”

[cosmiclatte28]

TEMPO (racer reader x sehun, nct, exo) #3

Hi you made it this far... 

read the previous chapters here 1 / 2 

Meanwhile..

“Yes Kai! It’s a big win tonight. Come on let’s party. Drinks are on Kai tonight!” Baekhyun cheers loudly when Kai returns to them with the money.

“Easy game tonight?” Lay speaks up.

Kai ponders for a moment “It’s a rough game.. I’m surprised by the 127 racer. It’s a girl right? I saw her small body .. I must say she’s a tough one. Though I managed to kick her and made her lost her balance. She fell right before the finish line.”

“Not really a gentleman are you?” Chanyeol teases him. “Anyways it’s a competition. Someone’s bound to win and someone’s bound to lose. Tonight the spotlight is yours! Shall we party?”

Kai, Chanyeol, Baekhyun, Lay, and the others made their way to the nearest bar to celebrate Kai’s first win in the new cage.

“I think I saw Sehun earlier.. he has changed! He goes to street racing now.. what is he doing..” Lay blurts out when they finished several bottles down.

“Oh right! You saw him too? I thought I was seeing things.” Kai abruptly sit up straight.

“Maybe it’s someone like Sehun. I don’t think this place is his style.” Baekhyun cuts the wild imaginations and the two men seem to agree they’re just seeing things.

--

Kai becomes the new star player after (y/n). Because (y/n) is in hiatus.. Kai actually dominates the track. Yuta does beat him in most of the races, but in other programs where Yuta did not sign up, Kai is the favorite player.

Apparently for Kai, the competitors here are too easy for him. He is looking for that one player. The mysterious girl he knocked off on his first race. He knows she’s not playing probably because of what he did, but Kai has never seen her properly. Let alone know her name or status here. Funny how deep in his heart he feels bad whenever he remembers the scene. Kai knows it’s coward for him to kick a girl opponent.. and most importantly she looks smaller than the other players.

After finishing his race, he walks to Kris who acts as his manager and asks “Hyung. Do you know where is the 127 girl that I beat on my first race here?”

“Oh that girl.. she’s on break. Her left hand is fractured.. she’s actually the ace player here before you come.”

“Whose team is she in?” Kai looks around the crowd.

“I’m pretty sure that young boys.. over there.. sharp gazes tight pants leather jackets.. pink and purple hair” Kris points to Taeyong and Jaehyun.

“Wait.. I know them..” Kai puts his vision to the small group. He knows the other two.. it’s Johnny and Yuta.

“Apparently the brunette boy is also their racer for the short track program. He beats you several time right?” Kris shifts his gaze to the small team too.

Kai nods “Yeah. Yuta is a tough racer. Where is their ace.. shouldn’t she come and watch?”

Kris shrugs his shoulder “I don’t know Kai.. anyways I see Sehun was with them on that day.”

Kai freezes in his place. So he and Lay were not seeing things. Sehun was there on that day. Hmm funny how the world makes them see each other again.

“I’m curious. What makes a boy like Sehun jumps into this muddy lifestyle.” Kai grins slyly.

That keeps on going on until one day.. (y/n) is back on track. Kai has his golden opportunity to talk with her and ask her some more about herself. She welcomes him nicely.. without realizing Kai is actually an enemy of Sehun.. the man she starts to grow fond with.

“You’re too young to be here.” Kai puts on his favorite boy mask. I mean he’s a homme fatale. Of course girls will get head over heels for him… and this cute racer in front of him catches his attention since day one.

“That’s what people will always say as their first impression. I’m seventeen. Legal to drive.” She proudly smirks.

Kai chuckles “Let’s make a deal.”

“What deal? I’m on for challenges.” She arrogantly folds her hand on her chest.

It’s been a while since someone dares to challenge and mess up with her.. people all stop challenging her when they know the real color of this cute girl. Plus Kai looks tempting and nice.

“We play fair and square tonight. If you win I’ll let you do what you want.. if I win.. you’ll do what I want you to do.” Kai raises his brow.

“Does that means you’re ready to be my personal butler? I really need one right now and you look perfect!” She puts on her cat eyes. Kai definitely curses in his heart when he melts at those eyes.

He sighs. Of course her bets will be something silly like this.. she’s seventeen after all. What do you expect Kai.

He sighs “Okay. And if I win.. you’ll do what I want. I’ll think about it later.”

“Don’t bother thinking. You’ll be my butler! For a whole month! Be prepared Kai.” She playfully pinches his cheek and walks away to Sehun. Kai’s eyes follow her and he smiles in secret when he sees Sehun.

Old friend he missed. Is there any way to annoy him again? Maybe by winning the race and force her to be his girl? Or just by losing and being her personal butler. That means Kai will have more time with her than Sehun did right? And with his skills he can make sure Sehun knows about it and gets jealous.

Kai laughs hysterically to himself and make his way to his team. He told them to bet low on him, tonight he has a plan. The whole team just follow his words. They know Kai is probably up for a silly business deals he made for fun.

The race starts, after a secret goodluck kiss from Sehun, (y/n) sits on her bike and glances at Kai. She growls her engine and winks when the MC queue the count down. The number hits one and they all push their gas to the limit.

Tonight marks the first return of the Ace Queen (y/n) and she lives to her name. The money tonight is a huge amount, people are excited seeing Kai and (y/n) in the race together once again.. the fact that she wins brings her over the moon, not because of the money, but the silly deal she made with Kai.

She quickly slips away when no one is watching and Kai sees her move, so he swiftly make his way too. The two meet again on the same quiet spot they talked earlier.

“Congratulations Ace! You really played nice today. I’m sad yet honored to lose before you.” Kai jokingly gets down on one of his knee and looks deep into her eyes.

She blushes from the intense stare. Kai is really attractive and cool. Different from Sehun who makes her feel comfortable, she feels a burning desire in her heart and turning stomach whenever Kai throws her that smoldering look.

“Okay Kai! You’re officially my butler for one month! Give me your number.”

“Eager are we? Smooth way to get my number.” Kai winks.

“Not that! I need your number to call you if I need anything.” Kai inputs his number to her phone and place it under the name Kai, “Perfect! Now get ready to answer my calls in random times. We should meet to make more agreements. I don’t want my butler to be lazy and a handful.”

Kai begins to regret his choice. If she’s only bossing over him, where’s the fun? But he’ll see how this go.

“Alright Kai oppa.. see you!” she waves her hand and jogs to her team.

Kai happily descends to his friends and acts like nothing happens.

(y/n) keeps the deal in secret. The whole world knows if Jaehyun heard this, he won’t allow his sister to have a butler like Kai. Come on people like Jaehyun knows how dangerous Kai and his populations are. So she keeps it low to herself.

--

(y/n) POV

I return to my small apartment alone. My friends live in another floor, but I have a small studio for myself. Maybe because I enjoy living alone with my mess. Oh yeah Jaehyun has been lecturing me about cleaning my room, but I’m a busy girl. I have no time to clean my mess. Morning until noon I study at school, then I have a lesson date with Sehun (since he treated me every time.. I cannot turn the offer down.. it’s a good way to save money) then at night I have to study for my tests and do my works just to make it in time to race the night and earn my money. Then I will go home, smoke a bit, and sleep my 6 hours sleep and wake up and repeat the cycle. Except some days I don’t race.

So having Kai as my butler.. means a free house cleaner, chef, and laundry man.

I welcome him on a peaceful Monday night. He shows up by 7 and we agree on our rules.

“No feelings attached… no complaining… no sleeping in my room… and no inappropriate acts.”

He easily agrees and I told him he will have to help me for my cleaning, laundry, and maybe cooking. But turns out he can’t cook, so I have to cook by myself to avoid food poisoning.

“(Y/n) I swear.. your room is super unlike you. How can a cute girl like you live in this dirty room?!” Kai is shocked when he needs to start cleaning.

I shrug my shoulder as I pick one stick of cigarette and lights it up “I’m busy.. and I have not enough time to clean up.”

Kai stops his activity of vacuuming when he sees me blows a smoke “You.. you even smoke!”

I Roll my eyes “Like you yourself don’t… come on Kai.. you’re not my boyfriend or my father.. don’t lecture me.”

“I mean.. I did not expect anything like this coming from you..” He continues vacuuming.

I grin “Nice. That means you will not try to win my heart. A good sign.. I can sleep peacefully without worrying you will take the chance to fuck me.”

Kai smirks “Be careful.. I never said I don’t like girls like that.. besides these things might have turned me on.”

I Hit his back “Cut it off. There’s more to do.”

After vacuuming the floors, he cleans up the cigarette buds while wondering “Do you really finish this much? It’s like two box worth of buds..”

“No.. my brother and his friends sometimes come here.. they smoke too.. plus my friends.. everyone leaves their buds here.. so don’t think I’m that maniac. I have to live a week with this one box.. my money is limited to number of races I won remember?”

Kai seems to get it now.. that I am living half independently. My parents are still funding my tuition fees and apartment rental costs, but for my exclusives I have to earn my own money.

“Why don’t you share a room with your brother? I heard he’s a tidy guy.” Kai actually knows Jaehyun and the others: they were once on the same dance group, but Kai left to focus on his racing more.

“Seriously.. they share a house for 4 people. I have no more space. And I am not living with those loud boys. I mean I also can’t live peacefully seeing Taeyong’s handsome face.. Yuta’s smile and Johnny’s attention. I’ll fail all my tests and make it awkward. “

Kai laughs at my tacky remarks. But deep inside his heart, Kai finds this small girl interesting and challenging.

They talk more and laugh about many different things. She told Kai that for the laundry, she has separated the piles of the private ones and the ones he can clean. She told him which basket he has to take for laundry, the soap and softener she likes, and Kai notes how adorable she is when she gets happy over small things : like the smell of her softener.

“Which floor is it again?”

“Fifth floor. Now go. I’ll cook us some ramyeon. I’m sure you’re hungry.. besides you did quite well.”

Kai finds her unique and adorable rather than annoying. He sees her as the living proof of younger sister he had always imagined. Cute but at the same time sassy and playful.

After an hour, he returns with a pile of clean and fresh laundry. She also finishes cooking the meal and welcomes Kai to sit across her.

“Thanks! I thought you’ll let me eat on the floor.”

she laughs “Aigo.. I’m not that mean. Let’s eat.”

They dig in and afterwards the clock shows it’s already 9.30. Kai knows the rule, he got to go home. That’s the manners. She offers him a cigarette and he accepts it. With that one lighted bar, Kai goes home with a warm heart and big smile.

ON the other hand, (y/n) is busy replying the texts Sehun sent but she did not reply before.

Chapter 4

[etlunainmorte]

"You really sure you don't wanna come?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Thanks for inviting me, anyway."

"Alright, then! See ya!"

You waved goodbye at your new colleagues, wishing them well, and watching them with a slight smile as they went, in groups, to the theatres to see the latest Marvel movie.

What was it again? Oh. Doctor Strange, The Multiverse of Madness.

"Would you like that movie?" You asked yourself in a low voice as you turned around and walked straight to the opposite direction. "Huh,... V?"

As a matter of fact, you would never know the answer to that question. Or maybe you could, if you invite him over to see it with him. The man has an undeniably great taste in the arts, you couldn't help but wonder what his reaction would be upon seeing it.

If he would come, that is.

For one thing, he's always busy with his work as a Devil Hunter. Second, said job ate most of his free time.

Third, he lived far away from you.

You sighed as you noticed the young couple sweet talking with each other inside your favorite coffee house to your left. Clicking your tongue and cursing yourself with your luck, you decided not to torture yourself and skipped your favorite frappe for the day.

How could anyone blame you, though? It's not as if you wanted to move away from him in the first place, no.

It's this job. This job you've been dreaming of for years. Well, you loved your previous job, yes. But, the moment this great opportunity came knocking on your door, you just couldn't help but accept. However, it required you to move away from your boyfriend.

Well, the distance would mean nothing to you if the new job was only a few blocks away from home but, no. It required you to move three districts away from Red Grave. Past rustic Swan Lane and rural Gaol Town to a bustling district called Wifmann.

Your heart twitched in pain the moment you remembered V's face when he found out. Of course, the man was beyond sad, and because of that, you were willing to refuse the offer. Hell, you just can't choose career over the person you loved, no!

However, he made a selfless decision and told you it's alright to grab this once in a lifetime opportunity. He was well aware of your dreams, and he wanted you to succeed in your chosen career. And in life. 

And so, here you were, living your daily life without the man you love, waking up each morning without him by your side, going to work without him to kiss you, going back home without him to hug you, and going to sleep without him to whisper sweet nothings to your ear and lull you to sleep with his soothing voice as he read to you your favorite poems.

Sometimes, you were wondering: was it really a good idea to live like this? Sure, you were getting the best things in life, your dream job, an amazingly generous pay check, the most friendly and competitive colleagues, decent bosses ( at least ), a wonderful urban neighborhood that was so different from what you were used to in Red Grave, and, very soon, a house you would call as your very own.

But, all these wonderful things,... in exchange for your one true happiness in the world.

It was very easy to say that, with each passing day, you were steadily getting bored of your monotonous, successful career woman schedule. With each passing day, you found yourself getting closer, and closer, to the inevitable. All that glitters is not gold, indeed. For once, you were lured by this shimmering bait, and now, you felt nothing. You were no longer happy with this empty existence.

And exactly eleven months later, you've had enough. You have made your decision, and you would definitely see this through.

Tomorrow, you would pass the resignation letter you made the other night. You would pass it and go home to V. You couldn't care less that you're turning your back on this so - called wonderful dream life. You're going back to your real home, and that's it.

Back to where your true happiness is.

Suppressing the tears that was brought upon by mere thoughts of your beloved, his deep, calm voice, his ever - charming smile, and his gentle green eyes, you entered the quiet suburban neighborhood and walked straight to the right where your little house was. You opened your hand bag, and took the key from it. You were about to open the door when you heard an achingly familiar sound coming from the living room inside. It was the sound of a violin, and a piano accompanying it. Someone entered your home! And,… not just someone!

The music,…

Was it,... Elgar?

Wait, if it is Elgar, then that only means - !

You grabbed the brass door knob, yelped when the door, itself, fell off its hinges, as if something forced it to open, and bolted inside, not bothering to take off your coat and bonnet,...

And there, standing in the, once, tidy kitchen and making a complete mess of it, was the man, himself, and his two familiars, who were most probably the suspects to blame for your damaged door, standing ( or flying ) right next to him, watching whatever he was making.

"I think you should put in the egg yolks, first, Shakespeare." The demonic bird instructed, as if he knew everything about baking.

"I,... don't think that's what the,... manual,... states." Came his deep voice.

"We should have watched a tutorial on the internet like what that noisy mechanic says,..." The bird answered, and as if something burned his back, he looked behind him and realized you were standing there, eyes blurry with tears and lips trembling with mirth. "Hey! Hey, V! She's here!"

The man called V turned around, green eyes wide with surprise, and pale face and jet - black hair a bit messy with flour and bits of some mysterious gooey – like red substance. And when he saw how,... emotional,... you were upon finally seeing him after such a long time, he couldn't help but tear up a little, as well.

"I,... ah,... " V stuttered, a hint of pink coloring his once pale cheeks. "Oh, my,... I,... please forgive me about the mess! I - "

"And the door," You cut him off. "And the sink. And the floor."

"Forgive me, I could clean afterwards - "

"And the music. And the surprise."

"Oh, dear! I hope you don't mind Elgar, my love,..."

"And the speaker." You sighed and smiled, finally letting your tears fall freely from your tired eyes. "Oh, V,..."

"Well, I - "

Everything happened in a matter of seconds. You running towards him and throwing yourself at him, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him close to you without even a single care for your pristine clothes. And him reciprocating the warm hello you gave him as his arms went around your waist, holding you close, and burying his face in your fragrant hair.

Then, giving your head a tiny kiss, he whispered to your ear, his emotions overflowing in his voice, "Salut,... d'amour."

"Hello to you, too, my love." You answered, kissing him on his flour - powdered cheek. Then, looking up at him with a raised eyebrow, you asked, your curiosity getting the better of you, "What are you making?"

V gulped nervously. Letting you go for a while, he looked back at the mess that he and his familiars have created on the kitchen counter, and said, "I was,... going to make you a pie. Do you,... perhaps,... love cherry, my love?"

"Cherry pie, huh?" You said, and with a smug look on your proud face, you removed your bonnet, threw it carelessly aside along with your signature handbag, rolled up your sleeves, and tied your hair up in a ponytail. "I'll gladly help." Giving a sly look to the demonic bird on V's arm, you added, "What could a Demon bird possibly know about baking?"

"HEY! AT LEAST, I'M HELPING HERE!" Griffon squawked. Then, pointing with his wing at the feline familiar who elected to rest on the floor next to the table, he said, "LOOK AT THAT KITTY! SHE'S USELESS!"

You gave out an over exaggerated sigh as you placed your hands on your hips and hummed, wondering how to patch up your beloved's mistake. Somehow, he has already messed up the whole process of making the dough, and the cherry filling he has prepared and set aside for later looked suspiciously like Slimer's middle - aged elder sister.

"But, you're tired, my love." V said as he hugged you from behind, the thing he always does to distract you whenever you're busy doing something in the kitchen. Either to tease you or do something else entirely. Either way, it always worked in the past. But, not today. "I'm sure you want to take a rest."

"Yeah, let Romeo and I handle the rest, Juliet." Griffon agreed.

"No can do, Iago." You answered with a smile as you took a clean bowl and some of the eggs from the carton. "Let me help. I insist. You've come all this way to visit me, so I want to feed you a proper meal." Turning to V and giving him a sweet smile, you added, "And I think it's about time I teach you how to bake, V."

"Would it,... take long? You must be famished by now." The man asked, tightening his hold on you as if he doesn't want to let you go anymore.

Ah, how you missed his touch, his voice, his warmth,...

... his smile and his caress,...

You missed V so, so much,...

"It doesn't matter." You simply answered as you focused on the task ahead. "We have time. We would have all the time in the world, I promise."

It took him a few moments before he realized what you just said, and when he did, his eyes widened and burned at the same time.

Did you just - ?

But, what about - ?!

"I missed you, V." You told the man, your face away from him, your eyes starting to blur once more with tears of happiness.

V smiled, feeling the same emotions as you did, and pressed his lips against your left cheek. "I missed you too, my sweet, little lady."

"I love you, V."

"I love you more, (Y/N)."

***

🌸 My short but sweet prize for @dreaming-gamer . I hope I did justice to your request. 😅😅😅🙈🙈🙈 Did a little twist. I hope you like it. ❤❤❤😊😊😊 🌸

***

🌸🌸🌸

***

[littleredwritinghoodxx]

From the Ashes

Original Publication Date: April 12th, 2020

Rating: T

Genre: Romance/Angst

Summary: Her hero loved adventures. Upon returning from his latest adventure, Link brings back something shiny for Zelda.

Word Count: 4,300

--

Her hero loved adventures.

It was something that came with the territory of holding the Tri-Force of Courage, and yet, it was something Zelda really didn't notice until after the Great Calamity – after one hundred years.

After her hero had completely lost his memory.

She supposed, in a way, some things never changed, and yet: she did not remember him to be as adventurous a century prior than he was now. It could be pinpointed back to his duty one hundred years prior: he did not have the flexibility before to drop everything, and take down that lone Talus, or to go help some random person in some far corner of the continent with some menial task. No, he had always been guarding her, always been assisting her, and thus had to swallow his pride and send his men off to take care of the quest, instead of having the opportunity to do it himself.

With the loss of his memories came the loss of his inhibitions: she found that Link was much more open with her now than he was as her appointed knight. With the threat eliminated, he no longer had the weight of protecting the world on his shoulders, and her need for an appointed knight was completely unnecessary.

Though, if you asked him, he would very clearly reiterate, once again, that he would protect her until the day his blade fell.

Her hero was also one for the theatrics.

She would always nod and smile, as he would tell her with great, swooping gestures of rumors he had heard of a long lost treasure, with only an antagonizing riddle as his guide. His enthusiasm was like a wildfire – constantly burning, and ceaselessly contagious. She would rest her head upon her hand, her eyes shimmering in complete adoration, as her knight would tell her of legendary quests, where the treasure was still undiscovered. Sometimes, she would join him on these quests – "You'll never be able to decipher these riddles without me, so I might as well go with you." – and other times, she politely declined – "You want to go fight that silver Hinox in the Lanayru Wetlands? Well, you be sure to be home by supper."

Her hero would always dive head first into whatever quest he had stumbled upon, and would always emerge with that same stupid grin on his face, even as he was covered in Hinox guts or scratched and bruised up from a dungeon. He would always return to their little home in Hateno with some grand story – probably a little over embellished. His smile would light up the room, as he trekked in monster guts and blood and dirt all over the floors – even after she had specifically told him to keep his boots outside after such an adventure.

But it didn't matter – any scolding she had on the tip of her tongue would vanish upon seeing the pure, unfiltered joy on his face: and that was something that, even a year after the Calamity was vanquished, she was always desperate to see.

Most of his adventures he would tell her about were fairly predictable: a Lynel here, a dungeon there, or helping out Koyin with their Bokoblin infestation down by the beach.

However, when he had suggested he venture into Hyrule Castle, she felt all of the blood drain from her face.

"Why would you want to go back there?" Zelda had blurted out, her heart racing in a way she hadn't felt since the months following the Calamity – waking in a cold sweat against some unwelcome nightmare.

"It's filed to the brim with treasures and secrets," Link was explaining, his eyes lighting up in a way she had never seen before, "When I came in to rescue you –"

"I never needed rescuing."

"– I passed by so many treasure chests and hidden passage ways," Link continued, as though she hadn't said a word, "Just to get to you sooner. Just so I could see you smile again. Just think of what we could find."

"Probably things that belong to me and my family, since it was our castle," Zelda said, pointedly, earning a bashful look from her knight.

"Well, yes, but if I don't go in and snatch all that for you, imagine who will. It will be thieves and robbers and people with not the best intentions at heart, and they will take things that had been yours, and you might never see them again."

"Oh," that thought hadn't crossed Zelda's mind, "Well, I hadn't thought about that."

"I've thought about it a lot," Link admitted, standing up and resorting to pacing. He always got like this, whenever he got too excited. He had to be moving, to get that energy flowing. Otherwise, he would completely burst, "It's been a year since we've defeated the Calamity – it's about time that we go back and take whatever relics survived the century and the malice."

"Link –"

"Just think," he rambled on, "the last time you were in the castle, you were fighting Ganon, and now, a year later, we get to go back and take back what is rightfully ours – I mean yours, of course!"

"Link…!"

"We could show him who's boss, one final time, and show him that he can't reign supreme over this land any longer."

"Link!"

Zelda's hands were shaking, her tone pleading as she stared at Link from across the kitchen. During this time, Link had all but strapped the Master Sword to his back – he had already donned his boots and his pack. He looked up from his spot near the front door, confusion evident on his face, until he saw Zelda's trembling form, and his face quickly melted into concern.

Her heart was pounding against her ribcage as she was brought back to the castle: back to the cold hallways with molding tapestries, back to destroyed rooms with broken chandeliers, back to the library – her library – with the pages of her books all faded away to ashes. The memories made her body tremble in ways she had yet to be able to control, and she found herself gripping the back of her chair and the table to stabilize herself.

"Oh Zel," he strode over to her in two long strides, kneeling down before her trembling form, "Shit, I should have known better."

"I'm not going back there," Zelda whispered, the promise like a mantra on her lips.

"And you don't have to," Link reaffirmed, rubbing the tops of her arms with his hands, "I didn't realize – I wasn't thinking. That was stupid of me, and I'm sorry."

He knew that memories of her constant vigilance against the Calamity still plagued her even a year after his demise. He knew that the thought of returning to the castle made her palms sweat and made her heart race despite any constant reassurance that the threat was gone. He knew better – he just didn't think half the time, and that was the problem.

When Impa had suggested not long after they had returned from the castle to Kakariko, that Zelda regain the throne and rebuild the castle, it had taken hours for Link to talk her down from whatever panic riddled notion she had set off in her head. From that moment forward, Link had kept Zelda clear of Impa's suggestions and foremost thoughts, and had to pointedly agree with the old hag when she had suggested that the two make for his little cottage in Hateno Village – away from the castle and away from any reminder of the past one hundred years.

Zelda sniffed, cooling her frayed nerves and giving her hero a brave smile. She was getting quite good at this, after all, "But don't let me stop you," she whispered, grasping his shoulder and giving it a little shake, "You – go – bring me back something shiny."

"Zel, I don't have to go, I can stay here with you," Link tried to reason, but Zelda had already made up her mind. She knew that her hero loved adventures.

"Who else is going to man down the fort while you're gone?" Zelda teased, the corners of her lips turning upwards despite the few lone tears still present on her face.

"I won't be gone long," Link promised, leaning in to press his lips lightly to hers in a chaste kiss, "You'll barely even know I'm gone."

"I'm going to hold you to that promise," Zelda said, the light from the candles shining off of her eyes.

"Alright," Link said, before he stood up, grabbing the Master Sword from its spot by the door, "Something shiny," Link whispered, almost to himself, before he ran out the door, a faint "love you," just barely audible on the wind.

Oh, her hero certainly loved adventures.

The next few days passed in a monotonous routine as Zelda kept herself busy. Most days, she went up towards the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab, as desperate to keep herself busy with the ancient Sheikah relics as she was for the company it provided. In the year that she had lived with Link in Hateno Village, she was reluctant to say she really hadn't made the attempt to make friends throughout the town. Her circle really only consisted of Link and Purah, with the occasional word from Symin. But to her, that was perfect. They were the only ones that she could be open and honest with.

Still, it didn't mean that she didn't long for the company of others from time to time.

Other times, when she didn't want to overstay her welcome at the lab – though Purah had made it quite clear to her that she was always welcome – she would busy herself around the house, either tidying their already immaculate kitchen and living area, busying herself with various tasks or chores that she probably could have done well enough without, or she would find herself with her journal in hand, under the canopies outside the cottage. Writing was soothing to her, and it was a way for her to cope through the trauma of the last one hundred years without the judgment she felt she received from others.

Again, it had been made very clear to her that she would never be judged for the horrors she faced, but still – she worried.

And then finally – finally – after days of isolation, she saw her hero coming up the hill towards their little house on Epona, his smile positively blinding in the late afternoon sunset. His satchel was bursting beside him, and Zelda could not help but grin that he had, indeed, brought back some trinkets from the castle.

He leapt down from the back of Epona and landed just before her, embracing her gently and placing a light kiss on her forehead. The gesture was enough to make Zelda swoon. She couldn't help but still be positively head over heels for him.

"Welcome home," Zelda whispered, tilting her head back slightly and pressing forward on her tiptoes, her lips inching towards his.

His lips met hers instantly, and Zelda felt the world stop spinning around them as butterflies erupted in her belly. He smelled of sweat and campfire, with a thin layer of grime covering his skin. He was absolutely disgusting, and yet she found herself pulling him in even closer, closing the space between their bodies.

It had only been a few days, yet it felt like a lifetime. She always felt like this every time he returned from one of his grand adventures. She never wanted another moment to go by without him if she didn't have to.

"I got you something," Link's breath fanned out over her lips and nose, and she giggled pulling back as he reached into his satchel.

"What did you find?" She asked, her eyes lighting up as Link began pulling things out.

"Well, I raided the Royal Treasury," Link began, pulling out silver and gold rupees, amongst various diamonds, rubies, and sapphires.

"Thief," Zelda shot back, the corners of her lips turning upward.

"Guilty as charged," Link grinned, "You had said to bring you back something shiny."

"Indeed I did."

"But this isn't it."

"No?" Zelda laughed, as she followed Link back inside their little Hateno home, as he placed the rupees and jewels down on their table.

"Not quite," a small smile brushed against his lips, his eyes glimmering with the prospect of a well-kept secret. He looked like a little boy with a gift for his beloved, "My intent was to simply raid the treasury, but then I got an idea."

"What idea was that?"

"Well, I went up into your room to see if I could find anything worth bringing back to you," Link began, "However, nothing in there would have survived a trip out of the castle and back to Hateno, so I left it all there. That is, until we can figure out a way to get them safely moved without destroying them."

"Okay…" Zelda prompted.

"So," Link said, his hand reaching into his satchel, "I went in search of other rooms, and I found this."

From his satchel, he pulled out an exquisite silver necklace, with the Hyrulean Royal Crest engraved on it. It was adorned in sapphires and diamonds, and Zelda would know that necklace anywhere because –

"That's my mother's necklace," Zelda whispered, tears springing to her eyes as she gently held the shining metal, watching the way the jewels glimmered and sparkled in the candlelight, "I haven't seen this in… well, over a century, of course, but before my mother passed away."

"I thought you might like it," Link whispered, his hand reaching up to her arm, his thumb rubbing small circles in it, "I wasn't quite sure whose it was, but I found it in your father's chambers, hidden in a jewelry box, and I had a feeling it must be important."

"Oh, it's more than important."

"Yeah, it's shiny too."

Zelda looked up at him then, a faint glimmer in her eye as the tops of her lips tugged upwards, clutching the necklace to her chest. She had nothing – nothing from her time before the calamity, save for Link and his lack of memories. This… this was even better. Not only was it something tangible – something she could feel and touch and smell – from her life so long ago, but also it dated even far enough back to her mother. The only thing she had from her mother were memories addled by time. She had only been six years old when she had passed on.

But now, she had her mother's necklace, which now roared to life in her memories, complimenting her royal blue gowns. Now, she had something tangible to remember her mother by. The sapphires reminded her of her mother's eyes – how had she forgotten them? The shape of it reminded her of how it rested on her chest, with shoulders held back, neck held high. She truly was divine, the pride and joy of her people.

It was no wonder that her death had sent her father spiraling, and he was from then on scarce to look at her.

The tears began falling before Zelda could stop them, each droplet hitting her hands and the pure silver of the pendant. Try as she may to convince herself that they were happy tears, anguish accompanied each sob that threatened to break her chest in half. Instantly, Link's hands were on her shoulders, and she was being led to a chair. He sat her down and knelt before her, his thumbs caressed away each tear, smoothing out each line of her face, calming each frayed nerve that threatened to explode in sparks.

"Oh, Zelda," Link whispered, his words like a prayer, and it only made Zelda cry even harder, clutching the necklace to her chest, fruitlessly hoping that in the next moment, her mother would be there, clutching her baby girl to her chest and singing her favorite lullaby.

She couldn't help but miss her.

"I'm sorry, Zel," Link said, his forehead creasing with deep lines. He looked regretful, almost, and looked towards the door of their little house, "I didn't realize. I thought you would like it."

Her head snapped towards his, eyes puffy and lips swollen. He thought she didn't like it.

"I do like it," Zelda whispered, looking achingly at the long lost necklace, "That doesn't do it justice. I love it, Link. This is the greatest gift you could have brought me."

Link looked in her eyes then, an understanding look on his face, "I understand. It doesn't make it hurt any less, though, does it?"

"No, it doesn't," Zelda nodded, before placing the necklace down on the table, leaning forward to wrap her arms around his neck, "Thank you for bringing this to me. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"You never told me what happened to her," Link breathed against her hairline, placing a small kiss there.

"No, I didn't," Zelda said, a tone of finality in her voice.

"I understand," Link said, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I understand far too well the pain that comes with reliving a memory."

She pushed back from his shoulder, looking him in the eyes for a moment before lowering herself to the ground beside him. They leaned back, so their backs were against the small little wall before the stairs, "I was young," Zelda whispered, "So at the time, much of it had been sheltered away for me."

She shifted, wringing her hands out in her lap, "Yet, by the next year, excavation on the Divine Beasts had come into full swing, and I was destined to unlock this power without a teacher. Without mother," she clutched at her chest, the lack of necklace jarring as it still sat upon the table, "Father called me to his study and explained that I was to learn this power, and quickly at that, for the same forces that killed mother would be out to kill me too."

She pulled in a shaking breath, and shuddered, a lone tear falling across her cheekbone. Her hands began to shake, "Father then told me that mother had been the target of a successful assassination attempt from the Yiga Clan. He told a seven year old this. He told a seven year old that the same people that killed mother were out to kill her too."

Her shoulders caved in, shaking with each sob she tried to suppress, and Link moved forward to grip her shoulders and steady her in his embrace, "And I… I never got to say goodbye. I didn't realize that my last memory with her would be my last."

Link pulled her into his lap, as he sat crisscrossed on the wooden floor of their little home. He rubbed her back gently, tucking her hair behind her ears to keep it out of her face, "You're the first person I've ever told about this. I didn't even tell you about this before the calamity struck."

Link breathed, in, his eyes once fixated on a point above the fireplace, turned back towards her, meeting her puffy, red eyes, with his own blue ones, "I'm glad you've told me," Link whispered, his thumb caressing her arm, "Has this been hurting you for the last century?"

"Well, I had been a bit distracted for most of the century," she bit out a laugh, pushing the heel of her hand into her cheek to wipe away the tears, "And really, I had kept most of this pain down for the last century. It only really bubbled up now upon seeing her necklace."

Link looked thoughtful for a moment, before hoisting her up so she sat up in his lap, "Tell me," he murmured, "What's your favorite memory of your mother?"

Zelda looked down at the floor for a moment, as she stretched her mind back – far back to her childhood. During her time sealing the Calamity within the castle, she had nothing but memories to sustain her. However, it was mostly memories of Link and the other Champions that fueled her onwards. Very rarely did she dive farther back into her memories – for most of her memories of her childhood were ill met with sorrow and rigorous training while the other children of Castle Town got to be just that: children. However, one memory popped out amongst the rest, something she hadn't thought about in over a decade – well, one hundred and ten years, to be exact.

"There was one night," Zelda began, "I must have been four or five, and I couldn't sleep. I had snuck out of my room that night – I was very good at sneaking out."

"I know you were," Link whispered with a knowing glint in his eyes.

Zelda rolled her eyes, "Anyways, I made my way to the library. It was my favorite place to be. Though I was young, I loved to read, and was slowly devouring every book that the library had to offer. I went in there, and made my way to where my favorite books were – the ones that comforted me the most. That's when I heard mother's voice echo out, 'young lady'.

"I was frozen. I was out past bedtime, so I knew I was in trouble, and I thought, 'well, maybe if I don't move, she won't be able to see me,'" Link laughed at this, adjusting his arm around her, "Well, she did, and she walked over to me, her skirts billowing and as majestic as every queen's should be. She had asked me what I was doing up, that 'Princesses should not be awake at this hour'. And I told her honestly that I couldn't sleep.

"I thought she was going to march me back to my room and make my nurse stay up and watch me with a careful eye. But she didn't. Instead, she held out her hand and said, 'Come with me'. She took me to the kitchens and began taking stuff out of the pantry. I said, 'Mother, what are you doing?' and she looked at me and said, 'When I can't sleep, I like to keep myself busy. Pass me the sugar, would you?'

"We started mixing things like Tabantha flour and sugar and eggs and butter and milk together," Zelda whispered, a light in her eye, "And then she showed me how to light the castle oven's fire and how to place the baking pan in the oven without burning myself. After twenty minutes of me asking her what we were making and her saying 'You'll see', we finally took it out of the oven, and mother gave me the task to frost the cake while she went to the ice box."

The corners of Zelda lips turned upwards, as the memory played in front of her, "Mother came back with grapes, raspberries, blueberries, limes, and oranges. She sliced up the limes and oranges and told me how to decorate the delicate cake. I had my first slice of fruitcake that night," Zelda whispered, "And to this day, it is still my favorite dessert."

She tucked her head under Link's chin, listening to the way his heart beat against her cheek, "That's my favorite memory of mother."

"That's what you should remember every time you look at that necklace," Link replied back, resting his cheek against the top of her head, "Never forget the bad things, of course, but never forget the good, either. It sounds like your mother loved you… so much. Also, it explains a lot about where you get your rebellious side from."

That earned Link a well deserved hit in the chest. He laughed.

She sighed, "I feel better, now," she said, lifting herself up from Link's lap. Link followed suit, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Link whispered, as he gently leaned in to steal a quick kiss, "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"I know," Zelda whispered back, as she turned towards the table, picking up the necklace. She fingered the corner of the silver pendant, frowning, "Sometimes it's hard though, reliving past memories."

"But you don't have to do it alone," Link whispered, as he took the necklace from her, moving her hair out of the way. He gently clasped it behind her neck.

She turned around, placing her hand near the pendant on her chest, "Well? How do I look?"

"Divine," Link whispered, and it was true: she looked like a queen.

She sighed, her eyes lighting with joy, before they stole away, as they looked towards the door. Her fingers gripped the pendant lightly.

"I think…" Zelda whispered, her eyes tentatively coming back to meet his, "I think I would like to go with you… next time… to Hyrule Castle."

"Are you sure?" Link asked, "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

"I want to," Zelda whispered in reply, "Where there's one of my mother's things, there's bound to be more to have survived in the last one hundred years. And things of my father's. I want to recover them. I want to see them."

She looked at him then, a mischievous look in her eye, "And I know my way around that castle better than anyone, so you're going to need me if you want to find all of the secret passageways."

Link smiled then, his eyes shimmering with joy.

Her hero loved adventures.

[exobiasaday]

Roomies  -  Part III

[[ // Masterlist // ]]

[[  Read Part I here!  ]]  // [[  Read Part II here!  ]]

1430 words

Contains: fluff / no angst! / a private room / a private lesson / a private dance

After teaching your three classes for the day, you found out that the Indoor Sports tournament had been cancelled and replaced with a two hour meeting about “changes.”  Almost none of them made sense, and would likely make everything more difficult for you, your fellow teachers, and worst of all, the students.  But it didn’t seem to be a meeting where the new boss wanted anyone’s opinion.

It was easy to brush off the bad news because Yixing was coming to the hotel for his private lesson!  You listened to his latest mini album as you drove from the ESL center back to your luxury suite.

Once there, you flopped onto the freshly made bed and texted him that you were ready whenever he was.

Cool, I’ll come in 45 minutes :)

After tidying your things in the bathroom and putting your tote bag the closet, you didn’t have much to do but wait.  You considered driving to the house to get cuter clothes, because you were 90% sure neither of your roommates were there, but decided watching YouTube was easier that risking running into Mike or Jeff.  Maybe for the next in-person lesson, you’d wear that new corset top that made your curves pop and...

The more you thought about it, the more it didn’t make a difference what you wore.  You were his teacher, and so it only mattered what you taught him, not how you looked.

You sprang out of bed as soon as you heard the knock at the door.  You looked through the peep hole, even though you knew who it was.  He was early!

You hugged him and his personal assistant.  You invited her to come inside, but she said she had work to do in the lobby.

“If you change your mind, you can always join in.”  It’d be difficult to teach them both at the same time, since she didn’t speak much English, but you always wanted to offer.  She left and Yixing entered the room.

“Wow, it’s really nice!” he said a few times, looking around the main room, the bathroom, the kitchen area, and the main room again.  “I stayed here before, but my room wasn’t this good.”

“Next time don’t give me a better room than the one you’d get for yourself!  And don’t let there be a next time.”  You hugged him.  “I’m so thankful for this.  You really didn’t have to, but I so appreciate that you did.”

He hugged you back.  He gave the best hugs.  Nice and long, hands rubbing up and down your back, and just the right amount of squeeze not to crush you, but you knew he could because he was strong.  You’d never seen his muscles in person, but you’d seen his bare body in many repeat watches of his music videos.  You tried not to think about that as you hugged him, but it was really difficult.

Really difficult.

Almost impossible.

“I wanted you to be comfortable and not worried.  I was really concern when you told me about the roommates, and I wish I could help more.”  He said all this before letting you go and pulling away.  You weren’t sure whether to go back for another hug or correct his grammar.  You chose the hug.

“Oh Yixing,” was all you could think to say.  He did his cute, wheezy laugh and it made you laugh too, rather than start crying into his shirt about how sweet he was.  He always smelled nice, but today it was like he’d just had a bath in cinnamon water.  You wanted to tell him so, but you were reminded of the night before when Jeff had said the same thing to you.  You just held him tighter and it was silent until he spoke again.

“If your roommates make you upset again, I want you to tell me, okay?”

You nodded and let go.  He put his hands on your shoulders and looked you in the eye.  “Please promise.”

“What are you going to do?”

He looked away, then said, “I don’t know.  I hope I don’t need to do something.  But promise.”

“I promise.”

You also hoped you wouldn’t have to tell him about anything, but with just under five months left in your rental agreement, you doubted it.  Unless you stayed in your locked room at all times, never cooked, and never watched movies in the living room, you were bound to run into Mike or Jeff and be disappointed again.

But not today, and not the next day.

The least you could do for the man who’d given you this amazing gift was to give all your attention toward improving his English.  He’d come so far since your first lesson together, and you were so proud of him.  He still had a bit of a Chinese accent he was working on getting rid of, so you helped him make his vowels clearer and further distinguished L and R.

“They’re not the same at arr.  They’le not the same at all.  Try that.”

It was difficult, slow progress, but it was progress!  He also had questions about words and phrases he was considering using in a new song, and he asked whether his lyrics made sense.

“Except for those two, which can be easily changed, the rest of the lines are perfectly fine!”

He’d worked so hard, and you almost couldn’t believe he’d written these all himself.  He’d needed a lot of help with his first album that had a lot of English, but he was becoming more and more independent.

It’d been over an hour of English practice, and he wanted to show you the dance for the song you’d helped him change.  He took off his jacket and sweater, leaving just an undershirt.  Then he put on the demo track, and you sat on the edge of the bed as he performed just a meter away from you.  You couldn’t stand to watch his constant body rolling, crotch grabbing, lip biting nonsense when it was on a screen, but the feeling of “unable to look away from sheer sexiness” was amplified by 100 whenever you were lucky enough to have him dance for you.  It was like he’d scheduled a concert and only sold one ticket, to you, for free.

“What do you think?” he asked, panting, when the song was over.  He’d worked up a sweat and wiped his face with his shirt, flashing his abs.  It didn’t matter how many times you saw him perform, it never got easier.  How did he expect you to form a complete sentence after all that??

You smiled and gave a thumbs up before forcing out the words,  “Xingmis will love that.”

He smiled back and sat on the bed next to you, fanning himself with the paper pad that came with the hotel room.  “I hope you’re right.”

“You work so hard, Yixing.  And it shows in everything you do, so they’ll love it.”

He gave a shy laugh that made you want to melt.  Everything he did was so enchanting.  He could probably walk onto stage, fart into the microphone, and walk off, and he’d get a standing ovation.  You’d be cheering right along with everyone else if that happened, but he would never put anything less than 1000% percent into his performances.

He probably needed to get going soon, to record or practice or take photos or, if there was nothing else on his schedule, sleep.  So you prepared to say goodbye, but then you got a surprise.

“Want to get food?  I’m treating.”

“No, my treat!”

“No, my treat!” he repeated.

“Yixing, don’t pay for my meal, don’t even pay for the lesson!  You’ve already done too much.”

You forced him to leave his wallet in the hotel safe so it’d be impossible for him to pay.  How could he want to spend this much money on you?

He put his shirt and jacket back on and you grabbed your own sweatshirt.  He made sure you had the room key and you left and got in the elevator.  Your stomach rumbled and you realized just how hungry you were.

Once in the lobby, Yixing looked around until he found his assistant.  He spoke to her in Mandarin, and you thought was just telling her you’d be back after grabbing food.

“Bye!” she said.  You were relieved she didn’t seem to say anything about hurrying.

The two of you waved to her and exited the hotel, without a restaurant in mind, but very eager to get food.

[themurphyzone]

Dooferella Ch 2

Summary: Heinz has to read to children at the local library as community service, but things go awry when Heinz uses a Fairy Tale-inator to spice up the story of Cinderella. Unfortunately, something malfunctions and Heinz is transported into a strange fairy tale world! Now Dooferella, he’s stuck with a long list of chores for his parents and goody two shoes brother until a summons from the kingdom’s headquarters arrives….

Ch 2: Make the Fire, Fix the Breakfast, Wash the Dishes, Do the Mopping

“A little clumsy today, are we?”

Heinz groaned, which quickly turned into a cough that made his entire chest ache. That smug, self-assured voice was the absolute last thing he wanted to hear.

“Shut up, Roger. I’ll ask for your opinion when I want it. Which is usually never,” Heinz muttered, folding his arms across his chest petulantly. “Besides, you’re terrible at keeping your fireplace clean. It’s like you let five years of dust build up in there.”

“I believe that would be your duty. My job is to play the gracious host for the social gathering tonight. And I require this manor to be nice and tidy for my esteemed guests. You know how much Mother can’t tolerate filthiness. Now, when you’ve finished with the fireplace, sweep the parlor and dust the bannisters. There are plenty of other areas you’ve neglected for the past few days, but focus on the parlor for now, Dooferella,” Roger continued.

He checked the time with an expensive golden pocket watch, which Heinz rolled his eyes at. Digital watches were a thing now. There was no need to be so pretentiously old-fashioned. While Roger always wore nice suits in public, it was just weird to see him in a fancy green dinner jacket when nobody else was around.

Heinz scowled. “You’re not the boss of me. And my name’s not Dooferella!”

But Roger only raised an annoyingly perfect eyebrow, as if he were just observing a persistent fly. “You spend far too much time tinkering with your silly machines,” he chided. “Your head can only take so much damage.”

Roger clasped his white-gloved hands behind his back and left the room, leaving Heinz alone with a dusty fireplace, broom, and a pile of rags.

“Joke’s on you, Roger!” Heinz called, not caring if Roger heard him or not. “Someday I’m gonna overthrow you and order you around like a lowly servant! See how you like it! And guess what? I can leave whenever I want thanks to…the Fairy Tale-inator!”

He opened the flap of his lab coat, but his fingers brushed against his black turtleneck instead, which was somewhat ragged from the rough winds that had battered him around earlier.

His lab coat was gone. And so was the Fairy Tale-inator.

“Right, I put the Fairy Tale-inator on the chair. Which is back in the library. On the other side of the portal. Curse you, lack of foresight!” Heinz shook his fist in the air out of habit. “And curse the portal too for stealing my lab coat!”

He’d just have to build another Fairy Tale-inator.

“This shouldn’t be too hard. I can build another Fairy Tale-inator and get out of here in half an hour tops!” Heinz exclaimed. “Then actually make it home in time for my scheme. I don’t want Perry the Platypus to turn one of my complaints on his occasional non-punctuality back on me.”

                                                ----------------

Okay, so there was a flaw in his plan.

The Fairy Tale-inator was powered by a combination of batteries and spite.

While Heinz could easily provide the spite, there was a significant lack of batteries in the manor. Also, Roger’s not-so-humble abode seemed impractical to live in. Heinz got lost at least five times on the way to the kitchen, then broke an expensive Ming Dynasty vase when he tried to retrace his steps. He swept the broken pieces under a lush Persian rug and convinced himself that Roger probably had a ton of fancy vases and wouldn’t notice if he was down a fancy knickknack or two.

Heinz turned left on another long corridor, balling his fists when he came face to face with a painting of Roger playing kickball.

“Sure, he gets recognition for a sport nobody except Mother cares about, and I get nothing for cup stacking,” Heinz scowled. “There’s more practical applications for cup stacking than kickball. I can’t think of any right now, but I’m sure there’s something!”

As he walked down a flight of stairs, he smelled something delicious and rich, with just a hint of cinnamon and rosemary. His stomach rumbled.

“Alright, just a quick hunger detour,” Heinz conceded. “Then I’ll look for batteries. And possibly find a phone. Cause I don’t have my cell anymore. I’m cursing you a second time, portal!”

The kitchen was full of servants, each of them meticulously preparing various food dishes that Heinz didn’t recognize. He was pretty sure each dish would have some weird French name he’d never be able to pronounce.

Heinz reached for one of the pastries on a large platter, but something hard and flat smacked the back of his hand.

“That hurts!” Heinz protested, cradling his stinging hand against his body.

“Exactly why I did it,” the maid raised the spatula again. “If you hadn’t skipped lunch to work on another ridiculous doohickey, you would actually be focused on cleaning the parlor like Lord Roger ordered and not on causing trouble.”

“Lord Roger? What, being universally admired isn’t good enough for him anymore? Now he’s gotta be worshipped too?” Heinz complained.

The maid rolled her eyes. “I don’t like this job any more than you. I’m just the one who keeps everything organized so the other maids can have a place of employment and the socialites can flirt with the world’s handsomest bachelor at dinner parties.”

Given how the other maids were giggling over their handsome employer, Heinz was just glad he found the only other sane person in this stupid manor.

Besides, if Roger was so rich, he should at least give them better uniforms.

Like a lab coat, for instance.

“And no, none of us worship Lord Roger. It’s just a title. I can’t speak for the socialites though,” the maid shrugged. “Let me guess. You hit your head and need a brief refresher on stuff again.”

“Why does everyone think I hit my head?” Heinz scowled. “I’ve been concussion-free for the past month!”

The smell of the pastries was too delicious to resist, and Heinz reached for the platter again.

This time, the maid just sighed and rolled her eyes. “Fine. You can have two, on the condition that you clean the parlor afterwards. The dinner party starts at seven tonight, so make sure it’s done by then.”

Heinz snagged two pastries, which flaked in his hand as he bit down on them. He had to hand it to Roger. He definitely knew how to hire good cooks.

“I can do that,” Heinz agreed. “You got a phone? I gotta order some batteries for my Fairy Tale-inator because I couldn’t find any in this house. What’s up with that? Batteries are a lifesaver. It’s like you’re living in medieval Drusselstein! Though there really isn’t much of a difference between medieval and modern Drusselstein, since they’ve both never had the wonders of indoor plumbing. If I have time maybe I could rig up some Sweep-inator or Featherduster-inator up and have the parlor clean in a jiffy.”

“Okay, now you’re just making words up,” the maid sighed. “No idea what a phone is and I don’t really care.”

“You know, a phone! That thing you use to call people so you’re not an antisocial shut-in! It’s got a bunch of buttons with numbers?”

Heinz would’ve pulled out his own cell phone as a reference, but the jerk portal had stolen it too.

“Melanie, I’m almost done with the roast beef!” one of the maids shouted, grunting as she hefted a large pot onto the counter. “Leave the weirdo alone so you can make sure this can satisfy Lord Roger’s taste!”

“Alright, you’ve had your food,” Melanie snapped as she pushed him out of the kitchen. Heinz grabbed a muffin from a nearby counter, shoving it into his mouth before Melanie could force him to put it down. “Get to the parlor and let the rest of us work in peace.”

“Funny how your name is Melanie, cause Roger’s got a secretary with a name like yours. Though maybe it was Melody or Mariana in her case. I know it started with ‘M’,” Heinz said, his words somewhat garbled by the crumbs in his mouth.

Melanie shoved a broom into his hands and forcefully pointed upstairs, tapping the spatula against her thigh as if itching for an excuse to use it.

Heinz scurried back to the parlor, not wanting to be on the receiving end of Melanie’s spatula for a second time.

                                                       ----------

Half an hour later, Heinz developed a burning hatred for mahogany. The mantle was mahogany. The upholstery was mahogany. The bannisters were mahogany.

Everything seemed to be made of the luxurious, expensive wood.

Heinz sneezed as he wiped a thin layer of dust off a couch leg. “This isn’t gonna be good for my allergies,” he muttered. “Not to mention, Roger totally lied. I don’t know why he was saying this place was neglected. Looks fine to me. But I guess that’s the nice thing about being the boss. Make your underlings perform menial tasks. When I’m ruler of the Tri-State Area, I’m going to make Roger dust the inator room. Which is going to be huge. Probably gonna need another wing on City Hall for that.”

The repetitive work of dusting, polishing, and waxing the wood wouldn’t be as bad with the appropriate soundtrack. But since he couldn’t get cell service in this place to contact the Danville Chorus Girl Union, he’d just have to provide his own music.

Good thing he knew the Love Handel Reunion Album with Special Thanks to the Flynn-Fletcher Family by heart. The title was a bit long, but hey, it was the best album they put out since Albuquerque ’83.

He mopped the floor to the tune of You Snuck Your Way Right Into My Heart, making a mental note to hire the band for another musical number within a flashback. They did a good job with it the first time around, not even complaining about the copyright infringement.

Just as he finished the second verse, heavy footsteps thundered on the staircase, accompanied by loud barking.

Heinz knew that cold, unfeeling stomp, even if he hadn’t heard it since his teenage years.

He fumbled with the mop handle he’d been using as a microphone, his knuckles turning chalk-white from his tight grip. He could almost pretend that the mop handle would prevent his heart from leaping out of his throat.

Heinz was aware that he was just moving the mop in small, repetitive circles and not getting any actual cleaning done, but the motion prevented him from looking at the staircase.

It was bad enough that he was stuck as Roger’s servant, and now his father had to be here too.

This would definitely set him back on the whole ‘make my family respect me’ thing.

A small nose poked around the corner of a fancy cabinet, and a small mouse crawled away from its hiding spot, stopping occasionally to scent the air.

Then a dog growled, which sent the entire pack into a chorus of excited barking. The mouse scampered back to the cabinet.

For a brief moment, Heinz heard the scrabble of paws on the freshly mopped tile, then a white blur slammed into the bucket, splashing soap and water all over the floor and couch. The rest of the dogs gathered around the cabinet, sniffing around the empty space between the wood and floor and barking at the mouse as if that would somehow lure it out of hiding.

The entire pack of dogs were large, white spitzenhounds that looked exactly like Only Son.

“Whoa, how many games of Poke the Goozim with a Stick did you have to play to get all those dogs?” Heinz asked before he could stop himself.

“HALT!” Father roared.

Heinz stiffened, the mop falling to the floor with an echoing clatter. The dogs whined and curled their tails between their legs, slinking back to Father with their heads down. While the command didn’t seem directed at him, he still instinctively snapped upright into a militaristic stance, unable to control his body’s reaction from that primal fear of harsh punishment.

Father’s hair and beard were white from advanced age, but it didn’t relieve Heinz’s fear of his wrath. Father jabbed a bony finger into Heinz’s chest.

Heinz didn’t make eye contact. It would only make him angrier.

“Get rid of him, Dooferella,” Father pointed to the soaking wet dog that had knocked over the bucket. The wet dog nosed Father’s hand, but that only earned him a harsh slap to the nose.

The rest of the dogs gathered around Father as he marched out of the room, leaving a trail of muddy bootprints behind him.

“Disappointment,” Father sneered, the word echoing off the high walls. Roger’s manor had some really good acoustics.

Heinz wasn’t sure if the word was being directed at him or the dog.

A mess of muddy footprints, soap, and grimy water stained the parlor, erasing all of Heinz’s progress. The couch cushions were discolored, and the water and mud mixed to create an unsightly brown puddle.

So this is what Cinderella must’ve felt like.

It wasn’t a good feeling either.

[cristinablackthornkingson]

It’s only Tuesday and I’m having a terrible week.

Fuck me it’s only Tuesday and already I’ve had such a fucking shitty week. To start off with I’m not entitled to a medical card, which will allow me to visit my doctor for free and only pay about 2 euro per item for anything I buy on prescription. I have multiple physical and mental disabilities but because I’m 20 and young, I’m not entitled to disability, they say I can be trained because I’m young, despite the fact that I can’t be in loud crowded places because of my SPD and I can’t stand for long periods of time without being in total agony because of my scoliosis. I am entitled to free GP visits at least, but still. I didn’t get the flu shot this year because I couldn’t fucking afford it, and then I ended up catching the flu and was really sick for about a week, I had to spend 50 euro to see my doctor and then spend 25 euro on medication and I only get 112 euro a week, I’m not entitled to the full dole/unemployment because I’m under 25. So apparently 112 euro is too much for someone to have free medical care and free prescriptions. I’m late on my period for the first time in the 10 years I’ve been having them, what if something is wrong and I need treatment? I won’t be able to afford that, no way in hell. I had plans to work through my fear of surgery in therapy, so once I got my medical card I could maybe get top surgery at some stage to alleviate my dysphoria, I am so sick of not being able to look in the mirror without feeling physically ill and inherently wrong. I was hoping my doctor would refer me to a specialist and I could get a brace for my back, the medical card would have payed for that, but I absolutely cannot afford that now. 

Then to put the cherry on the cake, I’ve been having issues at work for months, since I started. I’m a volunteer and the people I work for are the biggest cunts I have ever had the misfortune to meet. They are extreme staunch Christians who expect you to pay a swear jar at work if you say ‘God’ or any variation of that (take the Lord’s name in vain, but he’s not THE Lord, he’s your Lord and you cannot force me to not say his name in vain, if you don’t want to that’s fine, but I don’t believe in God so taking his name in vain means nothing to me) they expect customers to not take the lord’s name in vain in the shop, they are extremely dismissive of customers and extremely rude to customers of color. They can be nice to white people, but if they’re talking to POC, they’re so fucking rude to them, it sickens me. It’s no wonder nothing fucking sells. 

One day a few weeks ago when I wasn’t needed out the back, I sat out the front at the cash register to try and get some experience in and see if I remembered what my co-worker had taught me. I couldn’t get the hang of it but it was not a big deal at all, nobody lost money or anything like that, I had someone else with me to help me when i couldn’t get it..

The next day I was sorting through the clothes like I always do and one of my bosses (I work for a married couple, a man and a woman)  basically told me not to go behind the tills or around the tills anymore, now this guy wasn’t there the day before, so his wife obviously squealed on me to him, imagine being a maybe 40 something year old woman, squealing to her husband on your 20 year volunteer because they couldn’t work the till perfectly the first go, pathetic.  He then also told me that he knows I need to sit down a lot (which is true, like I said because of my back I can’t stand for long periods of time) but then proceeded to tell me to ‘Go for a walk’ when I needed to instead of sitting down out the back, he told me to go to the benches at the back of the shopping center the shop is located in. This is they guy who told me he needs to know where I am at all times. I left work early at one stage because I was having awful period pains, two co-workers saw me go and so did this guy, but when I came in on Monday after that, he told me I disappeared didn’t tell him I was leaving. The only other possible explanation was that he meant I went to the toilet for 5 minutes the other day, without telling him. I’m sorry man, but I was in agony and I needed to check if I was bleeding heavily because I didn’t have any clean pads with me, so I would have needed to go home straight away if I was bleeding lots.

Then yesterday, we got two bags of clothes donated, I took it upon myself as most of us do, to take them out of the bag, check they were clean, label them and write the size on them so all that was left for the bosses to do was price them. Well there was no room to hang these clothes up so I thought ‘Okay well I’ll label them and everything anyway and then put them back in the bag, that way whenever there is space we just need to take them out, put them on hangers and hang them up’. Well when my boss (the woman, we’ll call her Boss 1 from now on) saw this, she told me I couldn’t be taking clothes out of bags and putting them back in. ???? Why??? They would have been lying there anyway, it’s not like they were taking up any room, I took initiative,I did you a favor. 

Another thing, before I get into the last part, is on my first day I was told to hang my coat and bag in the little toilet area beside the stairs leading up to the attic. I did, and I did the same the next day, but then they told me not to leave them in there because customers sometimes go in there to try stuff on and might steal from me. Right okay, so I would leave my coat and bag in the back. Well I got told not to do that today, I was told to put my coat in the toilet area, so I did. But then when I went to look for my bag when I was leaving, it wasn’t where I left it nor was it in the toilet area, I was starting to freak out because my purse was in my bag. Thankfully I found it a few seconds later, under a chair where it was more in the way than it was where I had initially put it. Those bastards had the audacity to take MY property and MY stuff and move it without telling me, to where it could easily be mistaken for a donation and sold on me. 

And what really topped it all off was what happened today.

I go into work this morning and at first everything is fine, I do my usual tidying of the clothes, and once that’s done I go out the back to see what needs to be done there. While I’m there my co-worker asks if I’ve seen the pricing gun, as it’s gone missing. I say no I haven’t, and have a look around for it myself, can’t see it.Then boss 1 comes in and asks my co-worker ‘Does Michelle know where the gun is?’ my co-worker says no, and Boss 1 asks me where I left it yesterday when I had priced clothes. I told her where I left it and she basically blamed me for loosing it, telling me that I had to put it back in the drawer where we keep other stationary (Nobody ever does that we just leave it on the work top, and I highly doubt I was the last to use it yesterday seeing as I finished at 2 and the shop shuts at 5) Boss 1 kept saying how those guns aren’t cheap and cost upward of 30 euro, i’m surprised she didn’t demand I pay for a new one. 

Then I was pricing some toys that were donated, and when Boss 1 saw me doing this, instead of just calmly and gently explaining there’s no more room for toys on the shop floor, she was very aggressive and rude about it, practically yelling at me, saying things like ‘No! No more toys I’ve no more room!’ Right okay bitch, you could have just said that like a normal person. 

And then I was looking for something to do, I’m someone who always takes initiative, that’s why I was sorting through the toys. So I was looking around me to see what I could do, when Boss 1 tells me if I’m going to be there I need to do something. Then I was practically banned from the back room because it was so packed, but my other two co-workers were allowed in there no problem. That’s where I dew the line and just gave up and went home. I give them my effort and my time, I pour my blood, sweat and tears into that work, I am physically disabled so the work is no easy feat for me, but I do it anyway because I like to be busy and I want to help those in need, but I just get it thrown right back in my face. 

I am a young, trans, gay person, I do not feel safe among these religious nut jobs, I feel forced back into the closet. I started my transition recently, I’m transitioning into a more androgynous look, I cut all my hair off and I started binding with sports bras until I can get a real binder and then surgery. Yesterday was the first day I went into work presenting agender, and man I was so, so scared, I felt sick and almost had a panic attack because I didn’t know how they would react. They didn’t say anything to my surprise, but fuck I was so, so scared, I haven’t felt that kind of anxiety in a long, long time, years. I refuse to feel afraid to be who I am. These ‘People’ are so evil and nasty and the least compassionate people I have ever met in all my life, and I hope everyone realizes exactly who and what they are, fuck them 100 times over, they are such awful, awful people and I hope they get their comeuppance. 

[theyrealllegends]

Careful (Roger Taylor x Reader smut)

Chapter Summary: Roger and you finally have your first night together on your own after a nice relaxing afternoon spend on the beach. 

Author’s Note: Sorry it took me so long to come around with this next chapter! I hope you guys like it!

Words: ~3.3k

Warnings: fluff in the beginning middle, smut in the ending, it might be soft but this is still only for 18+!!

Chapter 9

Previous Parts

Your fingers pulled on Roger’s hair while your back arched off the mattress and you had to force yourself to keep your mouth shut. You were so close, everything felt light and your head was dizzy in the best way possible. Roger let you come once, then another time until you had to ask him to stop because you weren’t able to process another orgasm. He grinned to himself when he tugged you under his sheets and pulled you into his arms. 

“‘M glad you like that, babe”, he whispered, softly kissing your temple. “You ready to sleep now?” You just nodded, unable to use words at this point. 

***

You were glad you lived with a now-blonde and still glorious looking Roger and Freddie because at this point, you were sure you wouldn’t be able to see them before they were off on tour if you hadn’t. You hustled from your class to your job and then either to the library or back to your desk, leading Roger to bring you take-out or some pre-made dinner on an almost daily basis and massaging your shoulders every time he found you in your room, almost dying over your studies. 

“This is too much”, you told him, a very late Thursday night. He’d come back from another recording session and he smelled like cigarettes and Scotch and you hated that you weren’t able to join him. 

“Which is exactly why I told Miami you wouldn’t come tomorrow.”

“No, no, no! I need to call him, I’m gonna loose my job!”

“Babe, you won’t”, Roger assured you, squeezing you back into your seat. “I’m technically his boss and I like bossing him around.”

“He’s your lawyer and he damn sure doesn’t deserve your behaviour. Sorry”, you added, when he gave you a glance. 

“Anyway, you’re free tomorrow. I’m gonna pick you up after class and we’re gonna do whatever you like. I’d take you to a Spa or to a fancy dinner or anywhere you wanna, you just need to say it.”

“Take me to the beach”, you said and he took it with a nod. 

“The beach it is.”

“I was joking.”

“I don’t care, we’re going to Brighton.”

“God, Rog -“

“You love it”, he interrupted you, leaning down for a kiss. 

“I do”, you whispered into his lips, smiling. He lifted you off the seat to get back in there with you on his lap and his lips grew desperate. Your hands were in his hair when his moved under your shirt and you leaned into his touch, feeling goosebumps spread on your back. You willed him to carry you over to your bed right now and relieve the aching desire both of you seemed to feel that moment but before you could say anything, Freddie came home with a loud greeting.

“Where are you, lovebirds?” 

“Please, don’t -“, Roger said like a prayer but of course Freddie threw open your door, holding up a bottle of champagne. 

“I thought you deserved it, Tiffy!”

“Thanks”, you said. “Can you give us, like, five minutes?”

“I’m guessing you’re either very good or very bad at whatever you’re doing if it only takes you five minutes but I’ll trust you two. I’m in the living room”, he said before he closed the door with a grind and left. 

“I’m gonna make sure he’s gone this weekend”, Roger whispered into your skin. “It’s only two more Saturdays and I want to spend them with you only.”

“Me too”, you whispered back, kissing him again before you two had to break apart and make your way to the living room. Freddie laughed when Roger slapped him on the upper arm but later, when you were asleep and his blonde friend talked his heart out to him, he immediately agreed to not disturb the two of you that weekend which Roger really appreciated. 

“Be careful with her, you hear me?”, Freddie told him again and Roger nodded. 

“I do. She’s truly important to me.”

“I know”, Freddie said because he could tell it by everything Roger did and how he looked at you and how he played when you were there compared to when you weren’t. “You and Tiff will work out perfectly. I know that”, he told him with a smile and Roger took it with a hopeful nod, trying his best to trust Freddie’s words before he hugged him. 

“Thank you, man. I needed to hear that.”

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

The wind was playing with your hair and you giggled when it fell in your eyes and Roger softly brushed it away and leaned in to kiss you softly, his eyes sparkling. 

“You’re so incredible beautiful, Tiffany”, he whispered and you smiled, feeling your knees go weak when you two just stayed like that, looking at each other in silence. 

“Thank you for bringing me here, Rog, this is great”, you said after a while and he smiled. 

“I like it as well.” You stayed a little longer, only looking at the waves, taking in the sound when they crashed onto the beach, the water bubbling, trying to reach the tips of your shoes but you were just a bit out of its reach. It smelled like salt and there were all kinds of seabirds in the sky above you, screaming at each other over the sound of the waves and the wind that was slowly becoming harsher, making you and Roger back off at some point. He took you to a seafood restaurant because you’d actually asked him to, remembering that you’d always liked the fresh fish you’d had in France when you were a child without a vegetarian diet. Roger smiled when he saw you eat the grilled salmon with a smile and you two went with a shared dessert after dinner. 

“Should we go home tonight or do you want to stay here?”, Roger asked after he’d payed and you two were kind of aimlessly walking towards the shore, still in the parking lot where his Mercedes was. 

“Depends if you want to drive it right now, I guess”, you said, knowing it would be a two hour drive in the night for him. 

“I’d actually let you drive my car if I found myself getting too tired”, Roger told you and you smiled, leaning in for a kiss. “But I’d be alright to go home now if you were as well.”

“Sure”, you agreed softly. You got in the car after a few last moments of enjoying the sea that had gone much quieter once the dark had settled above it. Roger smiled when he pulled off the parking lot and the radio station decided to play Doing Alright that very second and he hummed it to you softly, interlacing his fingers with yours as long as he didn’t have to change gears or hold the steering wheel with both hands. “I feel safer now when you drive”, you let him know and he laughed a little, trying to catch a glance of your face even though he kept his eyes on the dark street most times. 

“‘M trying my best”, he admitted. 

“And I appreciate the gesture but I haven’t driven a car in ages, I wouldn’t wanna ruin yours.”

“I’m quite sure you wouldn’t, love.”

“I wish my dad had been as confident, I was begging him to let me drive his Jaguar when I first got my licence.”

“Of course your old man got a Jag”, Roger mumbled, running a hand through his hair. “One day, I’m gonna have one myself and I’ll let you convince me to let you drive it.” You giggled when you saw his grin, knowing well enough that he was hitting on you right there. 

Eventually, you fell asleep somewhere in the middle of the drive but you woke up once Roger parked next to your flat. 

“I was about to carry you inside”, he told you jokingly, getting out of the car to open your door for you and help you stand on your feet, while you took a deep breath of the fresh air to let your head snap back into reality.

“Sorry, I didn’t want to leave you alone”, you told him, blushing. Roger made you look at him by softly lifting up your chin and you smiled when your eyes met his, the blue sparkling and his lips parted slightly when he got lost in your eyes for a second. 

“‘M good, love, don’t worry”, he assured you softly, leaning in to kiss you for a second before you two made your was inside, escaping the cold air and the light London rain in the street. The flat was silent when you got inside and Roger guided you to your room hand in hand. 

“Is Freddie -?”

“Staying with Mary”, Roger nodded and smiled when you returned to him. He leant in your doorframe while you’d put your purse and coat where they belonged. Your hands found their way onto his shoulders and you stretched a little to reach his lips, leaning into him as he deepened the kiss and his hands found your hips. 

“Thank you”, you whispered, running your fingers through his hair. 

“What for, love?”

“All of this is perfect”, you replied, feeling your cheeks burn a little. “I wish you’d be the first one, you’d deserve it, Roger.”

“You’re too kind, Tiffany. You can join me in my room whenever you feel ready, okay?”

“I’m good to join you right now, Rog”, you said and he was looking surprised before his face softened and he cupped your cheeks with both hands. 

“‘M glad to hear that, love. I’m really trying to make this right for you.”

“I can tell and I’m thankful, Roger.” You followed him into his room and smiled when you saw that he’d at least attempted to tidy up a bit and watched him when he went to light some candles before you sat down on Roger’s bed, waiting for him to join you.

“Would you like a massage?”, he offered you with a smile when he did you leaned into his arms. 

“I’d love to but make sure I don’t fall asleep.”

“I got ways to wake you up again”, Roger told you with a grin and you giggled before his eyes trailed down to your striped blouse. “May I?”

“Sure”, you said, allowing him to unbutton and softly push it down your arms. Roger swallowed softly when he was left with you in a dark green lace bra.

“You’re so incredibly beautiful”, he whispered while he let his lips trail over your shoulders to your collar bones, down between your breasts until he met your belly button and you let yourself sink into his pillows. You noticed they were in fresh pillowcases and you smiled to yourself, burying your hands in Roger’s hair who was apparently eager to kiss every inch of your body, moving to your back once he was done with your front. His lips were warm and soft and when he took them off you, he replaced them with a bit of massage oil that had a woody scent to it that made you fall into his touch completely. His big, warm hands pulled soft moans from you, when they managed to get rid of every single stiffness in your muscles and Roger was biting his tongue as hard as he dared to keep quiet because seeing you that happy and relaxed did it for him, already. Maybe playing into the effect your bare back had on him since he’d take off your bra. 

He swallowed hard before he moved to lay down next to you and when you opened your eyes to smile at him, he was getting lost in their green all over again, forgetting about the painful tightness of his pants around his erection, about anything else really, because he knew that only you counted for him. That he only needed to look into your eyes for the rest of his life to find peace and happiness. You smiled back, moving over to get on top of him lazily and your lips met Roger’s slowly and the kiss started out very cute before you started to unbutton his shirt and your naked boobs met his bare skin and Roger kind of lost it. He let his fingers move into you hair and opened his mouth a little, tugging on your bottom lip first before your tongue met his and it made you moan. You unconsciously rocketed your hips onto his member and only noticed it when Roger’s breath became unstable and his body was shaking. You broke the kiss to look at him, his eyes shut, his head pressing more and more into his pillow and his Adam’s apple jumped visibly when he swallowed hard to keep himself from rushing the foreplay. To make it even harder for him, you started to kiss his jaw, the soft spot behind his ears, down his neck and followed his sternum down to his belly button before you undid his pants and Roger was a sweaty mess, biting his lips and gripping on his sheets for dear life. 

“May I?”, you whispered to him quietly, your fingers only teasing the skin above the hem of his briefs. 

“Please”, he answered, choking on the word and moaning when you pulled the fabric down to let his hard cock spring free. “‘m sorry, I wanted to seduce you here, not the other way around”, he mumbled, a hand in his hair while you looked down onto his veiny, hard cock. 

“Don’t worry, Roger, you’ll have enough time for that later”, you told him with a smile before you leaned down to take him into your mouth. Roger inhaled sharply, cursing under his breath and his grip on his hair tightened before he moved that hand into your hair, slowing your bops down a little. 

“Jesus fucking Christ, Tiffany. God, fuck, love, hmm”, he rambled on and you would’ve grinned if you had been able to. Making him feel good made you feel good and he really managed not to make you feel insecure about your abilities here and that was a good thing. You tried sucking on his tip instead of running your mouth over his full length and Roger almost lost it, his back arching off the mattress, his hands gripping his sheets for dear life and he was biting his lips to a point were he would’ve been scared to taste blood if he’d been able to give a fuck. His hips were bucking into your mouth, making you gag a little. “Fuck, sorry”, he moaned. “You should stop if you don’t want me to -“

“I’d assume you didn’t want to finish this evening so early”, you told him with a grin, moving back on top of him slowly. 

“I’d just need a few minutes, don’t worry, love”, he teased you, gripping your hair and kissing your red, lightly swollen lips eagerly. He carefully unbuttoned your pants while at it, moving to his side, so you were both lying on the mattress in front of each other. “If you don’t feel comfortable at any moment, please just let me know, okay?”

“I’ll be fine, Roger, I know that."

“I wish so”, he said with a smile before he helped you out of your pants, marvelling at the sight of you, naked except your dark green lace panty. 

“Take off your shirt”, you told him and he let the already unbuttoned clothing slide down his arms before he threw it away. You smiled at the thought that there wasn’t much separating Roger’s body from yours now and you actually wanted to get rid of your panties too. “And now me”, you whispered and Roger smiled. 

“Always, Tiffy.” His eyes were hungry when they traced over your naked body, taking in your pale skin, your boobs, your long fingers resting on your tummy until he looked at your hip bones that were visible under you skin and that guided his gaze to your folds. He softly wet his lips and you smiled, your hips almost bucking up at that little move already, anticipating his touch and his lips. They were soft against your shaved skin, his tongue softly darting out straight to your wet core to collect a bit of it with his lips to open your folds for him. But before his lips closed around your clit you felt two of his fingers at your entrance, softly pushing into you and making you moan in the process. Your fingers went into his hair when he started sucking your clit and curled his fingers on your inside, hitting a particular sensitive spot that made you cry out for a second. 

“Shit, Roger, stop”, you whispered when you realised what that might cause and caught your breath. “The neighbours!” You felt the vibration of his chuckle in your body and it made you feel good even though it scared you as well. 

“I don’t care about them. Tell them who’s making you feel good, Tiffy.” You moaned when he returned to sucking on the small bundle of nerves between your legs and the fear of never being able to look in the eyes of your elderly neighbours quickly faded, your high approaching you only a little later. 

Roger moved on top of you once you were able to breath again and he smiled when you kissed him eagerly before you felt his wet cock on your thighs and quickly closed your legs. 

“Careful! Can you please -?”

“Sorry”, he mumbled, leaning to his bedside table to grab a condom. You watched him roll it over his hard penis and smiled at him when he lined himself up with your body afterwards, locking eyes with you again to give you a last chance to change your mind. But you just smiled and pulled his body towards yours, closing your eyes when you felt a sharp pain when Roger stretched you. “Holy fuck”, he breathed, his forehead pressed to yours and one of his hands grabbed yours like he needed the support your interlaced fingers could provide. “You’re so, so tight, Tiffany, shit.”

“I’m sorry, I - “

“No, no, love”, he quickly cut you off, kissing you softly before he chuckled. “I love it. You feel bloody amazing.” A small ooof escaped your lips and Roger smiled, kissing you again. “Are you alright?”

“Yes”, you whispered and he nodded before he lent away from you, making you whine at the loss of his warm body on yours. But then he quickly pressed his hips against yours and your eyes fell shut as a wave of pleasure hit you. “God, Rog”, you whispered as he continued thrusting in and out of you and the pleasure only grew bigger. Your head went deeper into his pillows, your grip on his fingers tightened and your breath became heavier, in sync with Roger’s who loved seeing you like that. 

“That makes you feel good, Tiff?”

“Y-yes”, you murmured, wrapping your legs around his waist to get more pressure. “Can you -?"

“Whatever you want, love, just need to say it”, he nodded softly. 

“I want more”, you said blushing and he chuckled again. 

“Good news, I can help you with that”, he said, leaning further away from you and your mouth fell open when that new angle helped him hit you exactly where you didn’t know you’d needed him. 

Tags:

@discodeakyy @crazyweirdocalledfriday @blondecarfucker

[onlyinmyimagination]

False Pretenses

Dick/Richard Grayson X (Female) Reader

Mobster/Mafia / Bodyguard AU

Genres: Romance, Drama, Action(?)

Warnings: Violence, Guns, mentions of death, some pining by the reader

Notes: Don = crime boss, crime lord; Consigliere = an advisor or counselor to a crime boss; Caporegime = rank similar to captain or sergeant; in charge of a group of soldiers and enforcers who report directly to them

Summary: You’re the decoy for a mafia princess. Dick Grayson is her bodyguard. When you start to take her place more often because of increasing threats to her life, you and Dick are forced to spend more time together. This is all to keep the mafia princess safe, but it was only inevitable that you’d fall for the man “protecting” you.

“Our former Don* was assassinated this morning, and she,” Barbara gestured to the woman beside her, “will soon take his place as Don. It won’t be long until the news gets out and she will become the top target of the rivaling Mafia families.”

Your eyes moved to the newly appointed crime boss—Princess, is what you’ve always known her as. “My condolences,” you said to her. She nodded in acknowledgement but said nothing.

Barbara redirected your attention to herself. “[Y/N], for the next few months you will be making all public appearances in her place. All eyes will be on you. It will be very dangerous but it’s very important that you do this.

Like I have a choice, you thought to yourself. You simply replied, “I understand.”

“Good,” Barbara said with a hint of a smile. “Her identity is and will remain a secret until we weed out her assassins. Most of our underworld colleagues have never seen her face before, which is why it is possible for you to continue to pass as her for an extended period of time. She will try not to travel anywhere unless it is absolutely necessary but it is essential that you go wherever she goes, and trick the public into thinking that you’re her.”

You were nodding along to her explanation when a door opened behind you.

Barbara looked past you. “Good, you’re here.”

You turned your head and watched Dick cross the room to stand beside the Mafia Princess. He offered you an easy smile in greeting and you nodded back. As usual his 3-piece suit was neat and tidy as he stood upright. In the time that you’ve worked as the Princess’ decoy you rarely interacted with Dick and thus, you didn’t know him very well. Every interaction with him was both brief and professional.  

Barbara explained, “As you know, Dick is the Princess’ bodyguard but for now he will act as yours for appearance’s sake. In the past Dick had a reputation as a highly skilled caporegime* so when people see him as your bodyguard they’ll assume you’re the real deal.”

You were silent as you took in the news. Whenever you acted as the Princess’ decoy Dick had remained as the Princess’ bodyguard and was always at her side while you had a different set of bodyguards protecting you. The change in assignments made you wonder just how public your appearances would be that you would need the best bodyguard protecting you.

“I hope you guys get along,” Barbara said while crossing her arms, “because you’ll be spending a lot of time together.”

“Are you scared?” Dick asked while you looked into the mirror and fidgeted with the wig on your head.

“Not really.” You glanced back at him and continued, “Maybe a little nervous but nothing’s ever really happened whenever I took the Princess’ place.”

“Good,” Dick said with a small smile. “I’ll make sure it stays that way. You don’t have to worry about athing.”

You watched him cross the hotel room to look out the window and said, “Thank you.”

“So how did you become the Princess’ decoy anyway?” he asked while scrutinizing the streets below.

You hesitated to answer. “My family was in debt. Every day was a struggle and for a long time things weren’t looking up. Then Barbara found me and I was offered a ‘special’ job that only I could do. I’ve been living like this ever since.”

Dick regarded you for a moment. “You’re a good kid.”

And dispensable, you thought to yourself. You cleared your throat and tried to shift the conversation. “What about you? What’s your story? How did you join the Mafia?”

“Well, long story short: My parents died when I was young and then the Don at the time took me in.” His features softened as he continued, “I owe everything to this Family. They raised me to be what I am today and I’m good at what I do. And it looks like it’s time to prove it,” he said while looking at his watch. “We gotta get a move on.”

You grabbed your things and Dick escorted you to the elevator. On the way down to the hotel lobby you adjusted the earpiece in your ear and looked over the itinerary for the day. “Why does she have so many meetings?” you muttered under your breath.  

The voice of the Mafia Princess filtered in through the earpiece. “I need to attend the meetings and gatherings as the new Don of the Family. Act confident, [Y/N]. You’ll be fine; I’ll tell you what to say.”

“Understood, Princess,” you mumbled. Dick was signaling the other guards stationed around the lobby and was walking closely by your side when there was a sudden explosion at the hotel entrance.

Dick yelled at you to get down as he whipped out a handgun from the shoulder holster hidden beneath his suit jacket. You felt his hand on the nape of your neck while you ducked your head down. You flinched when another explosion went off and shook the building. You brought your hands up to try to protect your head from the debris falling from above.

“Let’s go! We need to get out of here,” Dick shouted. It was then that you registered the gunshots ringing through the building and distantly across the street. A protective arm wound around your shoulders and coaxed you to stand.

“Who is it?” you asked, trying to yell over the commotion.

“It’s Deathstroke’s men,” Dick answered with a grim expression. “We’ll find out who sent them soon enough. Let’s head to the basement.” He ushered you through the emergency stairwell and directed you to follow along as he scouted the area. He kept his gun pointed down with his finger hovering just over the trigger. “My comms isn’t working. What about yours?” He pulled the device out of his ear as he made his way down the stairs.

Your fingers touched the earpiece as static sounds buzzed lowly in your ear. “Mine isn’t working either.”  

Dick cursed at this. He then carefully opened the door at the B1 level and surveyed the floor with his gun in hand. It appeared to be an underground parking garage from what you could tell, albeit a small one. He lowered his gun and motioned for you to follow.

“I think I should have my own gun next time,” you whispered to him while slowly crossing the B1 floor. You were desperately trying to calm your racing heart but you couldn’t help but comment on the unfair circumstances.

You saw a smile of amusement creep its way onto his face. “You bring up a good point, but we’ll discuss it later.”  

His expression suddenly turned serious and he raised his gun close to his chest. Then Dick swept you behind him while firing two shots at a figure hidden in the shadows. There was a sudden movement and you held your breath in anticipation as you hid yourself further behind Dick.

“Those were warning shots,” Dick announced, his voice slightly echoing through the garage.

“Nightwing,” the figure drawled while stepping out into the light of the poorly lit basement. “A lot of people want your Princess dead. I’ll give you a share of my cut of the reward if you let it happen. Well, no, someone else’s cut.”

“Not gonna happen,” Dick snapped. He kept his gun trained on the assassin who seemed much too relaxed for someone with a gun pointed at them.

“It’s going to take a lot more than that to kill me,” the figure said while gesturing to the gun in Dick’s hand.

“I certainly hope so.”

In a short moment the fight ended with the assassin beaten and knocked unconscious, though it wasn’t much of a surprise. Dick ended up winning the fight with the escrima sticks he kept concealed within his jacket. Like the assassin said, the gun wasn’t enough and Dick had run out of bullets fairly quickly. But Dick’s opponent was no match for him in hand-to-hand combat.  

“It’s still not safe here,” Dick told you. “And you’re way behind schedule.” Then he gestured across the garage. “Alright, pick a car.”

“Pick a car for what?” you questioned.

“We need a ride to get to your next meetings. Now pick something.” You laughed at his answer and chose the most expensive car there.

He hotwired the car you chose and drove you away from the hotel and out of harm’s way.

You ended up missing your first meeting of the day but you successfully attended the rest of your appointments despite the scare at your hotel.

It had been a week since the first incident when the next threat to your life happened in your own hotel room. It was during a business trip to Russia when the assassin waited until the dead of night to strike.

You were already asleep but you awoke to a thump outside the window, out on the balcony. Then a loud shuffling followed and the pistol that you kept on the nightstand was immediately in your hands. All traces of sleep had vanished and you pointed the gun at the balcony door while your eyes glanced around your dark room, looking for movement.

Then there was a knock on the glass door and you were thrown into confusion. What kind of assassin knocked before entering? You slowly moved to get up but before you could leave the bed, the glass door slid open.

“Good, you’re awake. Well, I figured as much with all the noise this guy made,” Dick said in a hushed voice as he peeked into your room. His eyes fell on the gun in your hands that you kept pointed at him. “Oh, looks like you’re prepared. Well done.”  

You broke out of your stupor and lowered the gun quickly. “What are you doing? What happened?” you asked.  

“Well, this guy was trying to enter your room through your balcony but I already took care of him. Here he is,” he said in a casual manner. Dick dragged the unconscious man into your room and you clamped a hand over your mouth to keep from making a noise. “Don’t worry. He won’t bother you anymore. I’ll get rid of him now.”

“Thanks,” you said quietly. “Um, goodnight.” You watched him throw the body over his shoulder and cross your hotel room.

“Goodnight. Sweet dreams,” he said before closing the door behind him.  

As expected, Dick was the perfect bodyguard. He planned carefully and paid attention to every detail, whether it was planning your transportation or screening everyone before allowing them to see you. However the more time you spent with him the more you noticed how his guard was always up, even when it was just the two of you. Despite his friendly demeanor, he constantly kept you at a distance and avoided getting closer than necessary. You knew you were only his job and you should remain professional, but you couldn’t help but be disappointed by his aloof behavior. It was almost alarming how much you wanted to be with your bodyguard, or rather, with the Mafia Princess’ bodyguard. You were slow to realize it but your feelings hit you like a ton of bricks one day while you were working.

He had simply held your hand while you ascended the stairs leading to a private party. The party belonged to some business associates and of course you decided to wear a long gown. While you lifted a handful of the skirt in one hand, he offered to take your free hand. His touch felt so warm and comfortable but you noticed the aching of your chest the instant he moved away from you. You longed for his proximity, for his body to be close to yours. You enjoyed his protectiveness and undivided attention. You stared at the hand he held and you knew you were already in love.

And that was a very bad thing. So you buried the feelings you had for him as deep as you could, but he really made it so hard sometimes.

Dick was standing behind you while you discussed business matters with the club owner. You were in a private booth towards the back of the nightclub to ensure confidentiality.

You smiled and thanked the club owner for his time while standing up to leave. It was already past midnight when you finally concluded your business. You could finally escape its booming music and blinding lights.

“Ready to go?” Dick asked, his mouth near your ear so you could hear him.

You nodded and tried to keep yourself from thinking about the proximity of your bodies. He was at your side and his hand was at your back as he guided you through the sea of clubgoers. You felt your heart pounding in your chest, almost mimicking the heavy bass of the music as it shook your body.

You were so swept up in the euphoria of the nightclub atmosphere that you didn’t react right away to the sounds of gunshots that was concealed in the reverberations of the music. It wasn’t until Dick suddenly grabbed your hand that you finally realized what you were hearing. People soon started screaming and pushing against you as they frantically searched for an exit.

Dick was ushering you toward the back of the club to use the back exit. He kept one hand on your back as he tried to cover you with his body. You were struggling to keep up and were stumbling every so often because of the heels you were wearing. 

“Dick?” you called over the gunfire. “Wait...I can’t run that fast!” You yelped when the gunmen shot at the ground around your feet and you squeezed Dick’s hand tighter. Dick turned back to shoot back at the assailants and shouted for you to go on ahead. You did as you were told.

People shoved and raced past you to escape through the backdoor as well. When you finally made it outside you found yourself at an alleyway and instead of following the flow of people escaping, you turned around to look for any signs of Dick. He was supposed to follow after you.

With all the commotion, you hadn’t even noticed Barbara was speaking to you through your earpiece. “[Y/N]? Can you hear me? Are you okay?”

“Barbara!” you said with obvious panic in your voice. “I-I’m okay! But I got separated from Dick... I don’t see him. I can’t find him.”

“Relax, [Y/N].”

Your hands trembled slightly despite your efforts to calm down. “Do you know if he’s okay? What should I do?”

“Calm down. His comms probably got damaged again. The other guards are helping him dispatch the assassins. Just wait there for him.”

Suddenly you heard a loud clatter and you yelped in surprise before Dick burst out of the side door. He seemed out of breath and he visibly relaxed when he caught sight of you. He quickly ran over to you.

“Dick,” you said while exhaling and smiling in relief. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

He gently grabbed your shoulders. “Are you okay? You’re not hurt?” he asked while scouring your body for injuries.

“No, no, I’m okay,” you reassured him. He looked into your eyes for a long moment as he lightly cupped your face with both hands. You thought maybe you were mistaking his loyalty for something else; something that would give you hope and eventually break your heart. You could see the worry in his expression and you were suddenly so envious of the Mafia Princess who would often get to experience this man’s fierce attention and devotion.

Dick swallowed thickly before slipping off his suit jacket and placing it over your shoulders. “We need to go. Who knows how many more are still lurking around here. We’ll head back to the hotel on foot.” Dick took your hand in his and pulled you along through the back alleyways and small streets.

“Barbara, Dick is okay,” you said, reporting to the consigliere*. “He’s met up with me and we’re going back to the hotel.”

“Good,” Barbara replied. “Move quickly because I’m getting reports of some activity around the nightclub.”  

You nodded at this and said to Dick, “Barbara said to hurry back.” Dick tightened his grip on your hand and began a quick pace with you in tow.

After a moment Barbara said, “You did well, [Y/N].”

“Thank you,” you said while staring at Dick’s back. You pulled his suit jacket tighter around yourself and ignored the memory of how you acted just moments before.

You had to remind yourself that Dick was not your bodyguard—he was the Mafia Princess’. And once this was all over, he would return to her once again.

Dick dropped you off at your hotel room and was about to retire to his own room when you stopped him. “What’s wrong?” he asked when he saw you holding onto his sleeve.

“You’re hurt,” you said.

A wistful smile appeared on his face. “Just some scratches. Nothing serious. I’m more worried about you. You’re sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I was just... scared of losing you,” you admitted.

Silence fell between you two and your face burned in embarrassment. You peeked up at his face and saw his troubled expression. You immediately regretted your words. “I’m sorry. Forget I said anything. Goodnight, Dick.”

“Wait, [Y/N].” He stopped you from closing your door. “I’m not supposed to get too close to my charges,” he said slowly, as if in conflict with himself.

“I know. I’m sorry, I’m just being silly,” you said quickly. You stopped talking when his hand brushed the hair out of your face.

“Tonight I was really scared of losing you, too. I shouldn’t have left you alone. Being separated from you scared me more than I thought it would.”

Your brows furrowed in confusion as you searched his face. “What do you mean by that?” you asked quietly. He closed his eyes and lightly leaned his forehead against yours.

He murmured softly, “It means I won’t let it happen again. I’ll try harder and I’ll be more careful from now on. I promise I won’t leave your side ever again.”

“Dick?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m not scared if you’re with me,” you said with a smile.

A smile of his own spread across his lips. “I feel the same way.”

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